Maybe Someday

That would be me...Thurman's been doing it for me so I didn't feel the need to lol. He and I are more on the same page regarding the topic at hand so I figured I'd let him take the reigns...especially after it seemed to go from a discussion to an argument. We all have differences in opinion but arguing with someone on a chat board isn't my style. I think it's time for us all to just agree to disagree. You and many others obviously don't like McD or Beane and want them gone less than halfway into year #2. That's your right to feel that way. I see that as being counterproductive and would be utterly shocked if it actually happened. I think there's a better chance of me winning the Mega Millions tonight than McD or Beane getting fired this year. My final thoughts on the subject... We've had regime after regime think that they could come in, add a few pieces and win now but it's never worked. I don't recall hearing any of those prior regimes speak of building an organization (not just the team) from the foundation up with the goal of building a perennial winner. That is what makes McBeane different to me. They didn't come in saying they could win now, they said the opposite. They set the expectation that they wanted to build the franchise into one that truly is in the playoff discussion year after year...by more than just a few talking heads here and there on TV. Some like to point out how it's because we've only hired bad coaches. My question to them is what caliber of coach do you think we'll be able to hire if our 3rd straight coach only lasts 2 years? That would only add to the perception that I believe exists around the league that we're an unstable, joke of a franchise. IMO, we'd have no shot to get the next offensive mastermind unless they absolutely love Allen more than any other QB on a team with a HC opening, which is doubtful. Even if we do, it's not like we'll suddenly be good I also don't understand how so many can already conclude with such certainty that McBeane cannot build an offense just because it hasn't happened yet. So I'm not having patience just to have patience like many of us have done in the past. I'm having patience because I like that we finally have a regime that is not doing the same old thing as all the others have in the past. I think they deserve a chance to continue moving forward based on the 9 wins last year and what appears to be 2 solid drafts. This season sucks so far but I expected it to from the start, maybe not quite to this degree but we're playing so many young players that are still learning that it's not a total shock to me. I'm more worried about the young guys getting experience and developing than I am about wins this year. If we see no changes by this time next year, then I'll be on board with you, I'm just not there yet. Cheers Avi!!

Compared to what we have, practically everyone is worth a look. I can't see trading for Parker though, we'd have to give up too much to get them to trade within the division. I don't know much about his measurables, etc but he kind of looked a little slow to me last night. Does he have some speed or is basically Zay Jones with a little more experience?

I'm curious...does Kelly do these types of shows often?

I'm at work and the link was getting blocked. Now I realize it was trying to take me to twitter, not to the actual story so that's why. Just in case anyone else had that problem as well, here's the link outside of Twitter. http://www.footballzebras.com/2018/10/nfl-fires-down-judge-hugo-cruz/

It has to be due to something off the field right?? I can't imagine they'd fire a guy for missing a call...unless he's missed a bunch. I did see that he blew a false start call on the Chargers a few weeks ago and the play ended up being a TD.

I totally agree with you, I also believe the primary plan is to build through the draft and resign our own guys. I also expect that Beane will use some of those lower round picks as ammo to move up in the earlier rounds. I never expected this season to be good so I'm not panicking either. A few of the things I need to see going forward in order to be optimistic going into the offseason are improvement from Allen (especially in pocket presence), improvement from Edmunds, more consistency on defense and reduction of the stupid penalties.

Disagree LOL. Bring back Mr. Met.

Yes they did, in large part to either get out from under some bad contracts signed by previous regimes or to avoid signing some new bad ones of their own. We haven't had the personnel to consistently throw the ball down the field in forever. It's not like we just dismantled some high octane offense for this, we've been a run 1st and play defense type of team long before McBeane came on the scene. Agreed and it's my opinion that they are still working towards that. I'm not willing to give a final grade on an unfinished product like so many others have. I'd like McBeane to have at least 1 more year to have a chance to finish what they started.

They made cleaning up the bad contracts/cap and getting a QB the top priority. Fixing those 2 things first allows us more freedom in the future, as much as it sucks to watch now. It amazes me how this franchise was in cap hell for so long while not paying a franchise QB. We should finally be out of that hole. Wasting time drafting DBs?? Are you saying that Tre White or even Johnson were wasted picks in a pass happy league? IMO you can never have too many good DBs. I want to be clear, I'm not a blind follower of the McBeane Regime, they have made some choices that I do not agree with. Mainly, I'll never understand how they went into the season with only Allen and Peterman on the roster. Not even someone on the practice squad in case of the inevitable injury? Why didn't they bring in some other vet once McCarron was traded...or even sooner if the rumors are true that he was not the vet leader that they thought they were getting? Did they really need to hold out so long for Anderson??? That being said, I still don't think it would be smart to fire McD or Beane after only 2 & 1 years on the job unless the team just clearly quits on them or they haven't been honest with Pegula about "the process". They started the rebuild, I think they should be given an adequate opportunity to complete it. Another big reason I feel we need to keep them around is that I don't think we'll be able to hire the next up and coming HC unless we just happen to unearth that diamond in the rough. Having 3 head coaches in a row last only 2 years each is a huge organizational red flag. Why would anyone worth a damn want to sign on to deal with that instability and a lackluster roster? We'd probably end up with another retread or shot in the dark who says they can build off of the players we do have and we all have to hope that's true. I can't say for sure but from the few times that I've been able to watch KC or the Rams this year, Hunt and Gurley both appear to be big parts of those offenses from the start. IMO, it's the ability to both run & pass that makes them so dangerous. Stupid teams try to do what everyone else is doing despite the fact that they do not have the personnel to do it. Smart teams play within themselves, even if it's not popular.

These are both great ideas in theory and I've seen the same basic concept posted again and again but you've got to have the players in order to make these work. How innovative of an offense can you really run when you have a QB with the skillset of Tyrod Taylor or a raw rookie like Josh Allen? Neither of which has shown the ability to consistently make quick reads and get the ball out. Do you really want either of them throwing the ball 30+ times a game? Do you believe that Daboll has the offense fully installed at this point and would be doing everything exactly the same way if we had a veteran QB? Daboll has to restrict the offense to what Allen and now Anderson can handle. I fully expect that as Allen improves and we add some players around him, the things we try to do on offense will expand as well. Will Allen ever be good enough to fully run one of these innovative, modern offenses with all the checks and reads, I don't know but I do know that he is not able to mentally handle it right now. Asking him to do so would probably be even more disastrous than what we've already seen. Also, the modern NFL is not only passing the ball despite what many seem to think, the best offenses in the league can also run the ball really well. Over the coarse of history, that has usually been the case.

Huh?? Which one of those teams has had 2 consecutive head coaches last only 2 years apiece? That's just us and apparently a lot of our fan base wants to make it 3 in a row.

Absolutely not but we are only 6 games into year #2. Why do you and so many others assume that because it hasn't been done yet it's because he doesn't know how? I'm in no way saying he for sure can, I just can't believe how many people are already certain he can't.

Just about any team that has good coaching and competent QB play is a contender for the playoffs, it's what all of the consistently good teams have. I'm not touching the backed into the playoffs comment so lets forget the playoff part, just the fact that we ended up with 9 wins with that roster was impressive to me, especially when you consider that we did not get competent QB play in most games. No one - not even most Bills fans - thought we'd do anything last year, even before we traded Dareus, Sammy or Darby. The fact that we did IMO has more to do with the coaching and the atmosphere McD is trying to build than some are giving him credit for. He got a lot out of that team down the stretch. Competent QB play and we win that playoff game. As for your 2nd comment, how can you possibly come to that bolded conclusion already?? You're either really impatient or you just don't agree with the identity that they want to build this team into. I’m not trying to say that I agree 100% with everything that’s happened since McD and Beane took over and I’m not just blindly following the latest regime cuz they’re my Bills. Some moves I’ve agreed with, others I haven’t but of those none have been so egregious IMO that he has to go. What I don’t want to see is another coach come in and reshape the roster again to bring in his type of players. I also think if we fire McD now, that it will be extremely difficult to replace him with any coach worth a damn. Who would want to come to a team that hasn’t given either of the last 2 coaches more than 2 seasons?

McD was so awful that in his 1st year he got a team expected to win maybe 6 games into the playoffs for the 1st time in 17 years. Both of his drafts appear to have been solid, I want to see him get a chance to finish what he started. Maybe it works, maybe not but I am 100% certain that bringing in a new HC next year is not likely to all of a sudden turn this offense into a juggernaut.

Yes, because firing the HC every 2 years and starting over is clearly the best way to win.

I did the same thing. Then drafted Hyde to be my 3rd RB/Flex. When Fournette got hurt, I picked up Yeldon. So now I have 3 Jags RBs on my roster. On top of that, every player on my bench other than the injured Fournette is on a bye this week so I was planning on going with Yeldon & Hyde. Now I probably have to drop a decent player in order to field a complete team this week as I assume Hyde will be inactive or barely play. Someone drafted Chubb and has managed to stash him all year so he's not an option. To make matters even worse, I play my wife this week for the household bragging rights.

I'm with you on a few things but not on some others. Tyrod needed to be benched based on his play the few weeks prior. That benching pulled this team out of the downward spiral, albeit for different reasons that anticipated. It lit a fire under Tyrod and he played much better down the stretch. I don't believe we make the playoffs had we just rolled with Tyrod. I do not understand at all why Peterman & Allen were the only 2 The FAs signed have been hit and miss...just like with just about every other team. Some guys don't adjust well to the new environment, some just get old. As for all the Carolina guys, that happens all the time when a coach leaves 1 team for another. It helps build the locker room in the image the coach wants it to be. Mike Tolbert was only on the team the full season for his veteran leadership in the locker room. Having those types of guys is valuable to a 1st year coach. Helps him know who is all in and who is not. This is a team game. IMO it's much harder to win when not all 11 or 22 or 53 players are in it for the same reason. Having elite talent is great but if all the talent is pulling in different directions, it'll pull the team apart. Building that culture is having all 53 moving in 1 direction and playing for the guy next to him moreso than himself. They absolutely did inherit the cap hell. The contract Whaley & Co signed some players to was insane and we've been up against the cap for years as a result. Think of all the dead money over the years due to the contracts given to Fitz, Mario, etc. Do you think the unmotivated Dareus was a $100M man? IMO McBeane had the foresight to eat all that dead cap money now to just get out from underneath it rather than just kicking the can down the road. That will allow us to start fresh for once. As I said, they've hit on a decent # of their draft picks so far and cutting the dead weight now will help ensure that we can resign Tre White, Edmunds, etc when the time comes. I don't fault them for recognizing that Sammy would want ridiculous money that they did not feel he was worth and trading him. It's like a baseball trade. Get what you can before he walks for nothing. You're right that we're not the only team with money but if Cleveland can get some FA's, then we can too. You are also right that we need more speed on offense...a lot more speed. I love the passing game for sure but over the years, more teams have won the Super Bowl playing strong defense with a ball control offense than with a high powered offense so I have no problem if that's the direction we go. I also do believe that that type of play is more sustainable on a week to week basis over the coarse of a full season. If after they've actually addressed the offense we are still only scoring 12 points a game, then I'll be ready to come to the same conclusion that you seem to have already come to. Cheers, go Bills!!!

I'm guessing it's been quite a few years since a team has told the player what # to wear, the player gets to choose. Or maybe I'm wrong and it's just old school where training camp overflow players get #s in the teens and then once they made it, they get a # in the 80s. McD just doesn't feel any of them have earned an 80s #...until now!!! Rumor has it he's been working out w/ Da'Rick on TSW field of dreams.

1. I was born into it. My whole family has always been Bills fans. 2. The connection to home. There are passionate Bills fans all over the place and when you meet one, your connection is instantaneous. 3. #1 is easily having my wedding pictures taken on the field @ The Ralph. Driving a convertible out of the tunnel and then tossing the ball around on the field was so freakin cool. The rest in no particular order - Watching training camp practices in Fredonia when I was a kid and getting autographs. I was determined to get Bruce's one year and backpeddled in front of him as he walked to his car and wouldn't let him get in until he signed. Meeting Andre Reed when he came to visit my cub scout troop during his rookie year, I was 7, he's been my favorite player since. These could both be under #1 as well. Kelly's QB sneak to beat the Dolphins in what...1989? 51-3. Listening to the comeback over Oilers on the radio with my Dad. Fitz leading us to the 1st win over NE* in forever. Dalton to Boyd to help us end the drought...watching all those videos still gives me goosebumps.

Any team that has 1 side of the ball so far ahead of the other will lean on that side to try and win games. No different than KC leaning on their offense this year. They won’t stop anyone so they have to outscore teams to win. We aren’t going to outscore anyone so we need to play strong defense to win. Play to your strengths and right now, that is clearly our running game and defense. That conservative nature helps keep the strength of our team from being put into bad positions. Are you really saying that you only need 1 offseason’ s worth of moves to have all the evidence needed to come to the conclusion that McD & Beane cannot build an offense? You like so many others appear to be making final decisions without really giving them a chance. I wish the offense was better as well but just because it's not good right now, I'm not going to conclude that it never will be. It appears that 50% of the players we've taken in the past 2 drafts (I'm not including Allen) could be 10+ year contributors and a few of those could be stars. That bodes well for this group's ability to identify talent in the draft. Considering the cap situation they inherited, I'm not sure what you expected out of FA this past offseason. As for the trades, did you prefer the days of old when we'd just let guys walk for nothing?

Exactly. I get that a lot of players can have of a false sense of their own ability but c'mon man. You're a nice guy Tyrod but you're a mediocre NFL QB and will probably never start another NFL game unless it's as an injury replacement.

We can't spend all of that $90M on FA's this offseason, doing that would put us right back in the cap hell that we are about to get out of. I believe the "process" is to mainly build through the draft and resign our own players. I expect a few high priced FAs this offseason, hopefully O-line and WR, but not $90M worth. True star WRs don't get shut down, it's just very hard to find one anywhere but the draft. It's a big risk to give a guy $15M hoping he can turn into a #1. I think our d-line is shaping up pretty nicely.

That play taught the whole next generation of pass rushers that you do not just grab, you swipe to get that ball out.

Mainly because both of their QBs are ahead of Allen mentally and mechanically. They both have a higher level of collegiate experience and can handle more at this point in their careers. Allen was the biggest project of the big 4 from that standpoint and right now it shows. Daboll can only install as much as the players can handle so right now it's kind of hard for me to blame him for our offense not running full go when he is still trying to teach Allen how to walk.

I am so sick of hearing/reading things like this. It is year #1 of the offensive staff and our mostly inexperienced players working together. Right now, we are still installing the basic offense at the pace the players can handle, which is kind of slow. If they are struggling to carry out the basic plays, what makes anyone think they'll do better with more creativity? IMO that will only lead to more confusion. Gotta learn to walk before we run. As they gain experience together and assuming the players progress, Daboll should be able to open things up and try new things. Don't be surprised if that doesn't happen this season. Also, stats may not lie but they sure can be manipulated to achieve a desired outcome. Nice write up OP, thanks for posting.