dezertbill

Peterman would have to start at least half a season and play extremely well in order for the Bills not to draft a QB in 2018

Great piece.

Someone telll Spikes agent to stay offf the board.

According to over the cap if we cut Dareus it would cost us an additional $7.4 mil towards this years cap for a post JUNE 1st designation. The Bills have $10 mil in cap space according to Spotrac. It would be stupid for the Bills to take up 75% of their available cap space to cut a player that makes your team better. Especially when they are so close to cut down day where the team would be able to add players that fit McD's scheme better than some of the players we have (see other Bills piece in BN about that). We need all the cap space we can get. I get Dareus attitude is pretty poor. But this is a business. It sounds like (from the Ritchie situation) that the Bills have good enough leadership to keep him in check so he doesn't pollute the locker room. Plus the Bills are in asset mode and although a trade this year may not be in the cards they may be able to get some value for him next year. Besides the fact that cutting him would make the team that much worse and would kill the moral more than keeping him. So Based on this I agree with the poster. Also Gleason sounded like an idiot at yesterday's pressed asking McD a question that he even admitted was "awkward" and made him stumble as if he was reaching for something that he could pull from coach so he could add it to his piece. It's obvious that Gleasons pieces are pure opinion and when he sets his mind in trashing someone he does it. Whether his opinions are logical or not apparently means very little to his editors.

I've said that if the Bills would have hired Hue Jackson instead of RR and kept Schwartz in 15 we would have made it to the playoffs. I remember players saying that Wannestadts defense was so vanilla a kindergartener could game plan it. Jauron couldn't spell offense but keep in mind we had no offensive line either. Let's not mention losing the final game in 2004 vs Pittsburghs 3rd string. The only coach i would disagree with was Marrone. He was 9-7 and in the playoff race till the end in 14. He did it with EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton along with a 525 yard leading rusher. No way he could have done better with what he was given.

Just by that last interview with Dareus I can tell his days are numbered. He never once spoke of McD as "coach " nor really accepted any blame. He was just "sorry it happened". He came across as he hasn't fully bought in. If Dareus contract was tradeable he'd be gone. He will definetly be on the block next draft if there was a way to financially unload him. I would be surprised if he lived out his contract here and he definitely won't be resigned. If Ritchie was at any fault he would have been disciplined. McD is that type of coach. If what the OP is reporting is true it was probably more Ritchie being a leader and standing up to Dareus attitude and the coaches stepped in and sent D him home. I see this as a positive for Ritchie. When he said a few weeks back he's a peacemaker I believe it. But I wouldn't confuse that with someone who will back down to anyone that disrespects him or the team, even if it's a teammate.

Comes out and throws for 400 yards and 5 TDs in final preseason game and McD pulls a Rob Johnson #wenning

Called it

This

Unfortunately with Kaep it's not a talent thing it's a distraction thing. Being a short term option definitely isn't worth the circus. If we were a playoff team maybe he's an option if TT and peterman are out long term and Yates crashes. Since we aren't I don't See the Bills wanting to bring that here to Buffalo

Cutting Reilly would be a huge mistake. And I definitely see the Pats scooping him up if we do.

First of all, when I say NO ONE CARES I'm not talking about the fans. I'm speaking about the coaches and players. The Watkins and Darby trades were a Brandon Beane decision, one that I was on board with. I understand what's at stake in the 2018 draft and realize the Bills need a Jim Kelly-type QB in order to be a dominant force over an extended period of time. We haven't had that in so long it's hard to really imagine what it's like to have one. But everyone knows those trades weakened the team, not strengthen it. It also cost us Anquan Boldin. So let's call a spade a spade. Believe it or not I really like McDermott. I'd take him over RR any day. But one of the main reasons why I'm a fan is his message about accountability, about changing the culture. About making the players more disciplined. Penalties were out of control with RR at the helm and it cost the Bills points and wins on many occasions. Thus far this preseason the Bills offense is ranked worst in Penalty yards (301) and second-worst to the lowly Cleveland Browns in penalties (34). The offense also ranks second to last in points scored this pre-season with 35 (assuming the Vikings can score a 6 points vs. San Fran this afternoon). So when you have an offense that is struggling to score points mixed with an undisciplined offense that continues to make dumb pre-snap penalties that rob you of scoring vital points, frustration rises. It's not like penalties are keeping us from scoring 41 instead of 31. This team has had some pretty drastic turnover. There are a lot of players who were not on the team last year. Players that weren't subjected to RR's lack of discipline. Yet the team still continues to make dumb mistakes. That is the frustrating part. Granted, we may not be as talented as half the league. But talent and discipline are two different things. The Jets are horrible, yet the have almost half of the offensive penalties and yards that the Bills have this pre-season. That's the difference. My point is when you sell a fan base on moves that weaken the team today in order for a brighter future tomorrow (which again I was on board with) then you better be able to come through on the other part of the promise, to make this team as competitive and disciplined with the amount of talent we do have. There are no excuses for the penalties that cost the Bills points vs. Baltimore. This wasn't their first pre season game. We're in week three for Pete's sake. 14 days away from the start of the regular season, yet we continue to make the same boneheaded mistakes on offense that cost us drives and ultimately points. This team cannot afford to lose countless opportunities to score. We just aren't built to withstand that. Otherwise you are going to see a bunch of 13-3 or 16-7 loses mount, and watching the games will be totally deflating. I want to at least be entertained this year. I think our defense is going to be lights out, which will take a lot of pressure off of the offense. But were still going to need to score points, and losing them to penalties will be maddening.

Ragland will be traded.

Either this team is dumber than a rock or no one gives a crap. Two drives killed by stupid presnap penalties. Long pass play into Ravens territory and a key third down conversion on 3 and 11 for a 12 yard gain. Same result. No scoring. If your going to trade away all of your talent and try to sell your fans on putting a competitive team on the field, at least play players with half a brain and coaches who are half way talented and who give a crap about their job. If McDermott comes out and commends the team when the penalty question comes up on their "effort" or praise how they actually had less than double digit penalties compared to the last few weeks than he is WEAK. All of this changing culture talk and making players accountable is BS. He's full of it. Pure and simple. He can take all of his wrestling and discipline talk back to Charlotte. Bring refs to practice, bring Judge Judy. If your going to suck, at least put players who give a crap on the field. Or hire coaches who can coach. Either that or take your frustrating and indisciplined 3-13 season and shove it.

The Jags don't have the best QB grooming system in the league. It's no great secret. I'm sure Marrone's treatment of EJ only cements this. There will be a team with a solid QB coaching staff who will sign him. They'll assess whether he is damaged goods or can be saved. I'm seeing Denver a possibility. Even Cleveland with Hue Jackson. I wouldn't sleep on the Cowboys making a run on him and letting him learn for a year backing up Dak.

Ragland will be gone by week 1. No ways the Bills keep him. The only reason they haven't pulled the trigger yet is cuz they are holding out for the deal they want. Probably end up being a conditional 4th.

$10 mil a season for one good year I'll pass

This Not sure why this thread was created out of the blue but I guess firing Brandon is a topic anyone will get comments on so cool OP

Boldin made it clear he joined the team to win a championship, as crazy as that was for some to believe. Once they made the trades he probably felt betrayed and believed since the Bills weren't doing everything In their power to win, he was out. This doesn't surprise me at all. This has everything to do with the trades.

It was a horrific injury that quick thinking limited the damage to his spine. I remember reading he's now into business and walking Based on his recover I definitely feel the Bills should do something to commemorate the day to celebrate his recovery 10 years later.

If Tyrod tanks next game and peterman shines he will be given a series with the first team final game. Otherwise it will take a sub 500 start after 4 games with Tyrod playing sub par before you see Tyrod getting benched.

You don't trade your best and most productive defensive player with 3 years left in his deal, especially coming off a defense that didn't fit his strengths. Hughes will blow up this year and will be way more valuable after this season. Regardless, he isn't a player we are trying to get rid of. He is a piece you want to keep, Trading Tyrod makes more sense than trading Hughes. Ragland is a different story. I see the Bills give a conditional 4th for him to. 3-4 team. They'll give him till after fourth preseason game. Expect a trade then.

Last time I checked NfFL suspends players for doping. In 3...2...1

This

Over the last two decades, the Buffalo Bills have tried just about everything to change their playoff fate. They have been frugal some years, and big spenders in others. They’ve hired Football czars, and have gone the decision-by-committee approach. They have hired high-profile head coaches, and coordinators with no head coaching experience. Every year has been painted as the year we “break the drought”. Yet every year Bills fans finding themselves spending Sundays in December Christmas shopping instead of watching meaningful football games. So, when you have a playoff drought that is fast approaching the age to vote, it’s easy to see how fans would lose their collective minds when the Bills traded their top wide receiver and defensive back for what some consider less superior talent and draft picks. This, after bringing back defensive tackle Kyle Williams for a 12th season and signing future Hall of Fame wide receiver Anquan Boldin to what could be his final season in moves that were sold as “win now.” Yet, here we are, only a week into our pre-season schedule, and already the Bills seem to have flown the white flag over New Era Field. On the surface, these trades come across as being talent-tilted against the Bills. But per Pro Football Focus, one could argue that point. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins is coming off an injury-plagued season in 2016 where he contributed the lowest amount of snaps (381) in his career, and when he did play ranked 47th out of 115 receivers with a 76.8 grade. The former Clemson Tiger had his best season in 2015, when he achieved career highs in receiving yards (1,047) and TD’s (9). However, amongst starting receivers in the NFL that year he finished 22nd in receiving yards and 14th in touchdown receptions. Amongst his fellow 2014 draft classmates, he finished 6th in receiving yards and 5th in TD’s. This, coming from the first receiver taken in that draft. Despite what the statistics tell you, the true knock on Watkins has been his health. It all started his rookie season when he suffered what was thought to be a rib contusion but ended up being broken ribs in the 2nd preseason game vs. the Steelers. He was listed on the injury report for the first five games of the regular season due to that injury, where he averaged five receptions for 57 yards, with only one 100-yard performance. In October, he suffered a groin injury, then a hip injury in November. In 2015 he underwent off-season hip surgery and sat out the final three pre-season games with glute soreness. He found himself back on the injury report at the end of September with a calf injury and then on October 18th when he suffered a sprained ankle vs. Cincinnati which cost him a game and hampered him the rest of the campaign. The 2016 off season kicked off with a broken foot in the spring, which limited Watkins all season to only eight games played; totaling 28 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns. The Bills had a scare last week when Watkins limped off the field into a training tent favoring his foot. Although the injury ended up being nothing serious, I’m sure the collective breath being held was the final straw for Beane and Company to move the oft-injured star. In trading Watkins, the Bills received cornerback EJ Gaines and a second-round draft pick. Gaines himself has had a rocky career thus far. After being named the Rams 2014 Secret Superstar by Pro Football Focus his rookie year, he missed all of 2015 with a Lisfranc foot injury. Gaines struggled in 2016 while recovering from the injury, which saw him lose his starting role while earning a 37 grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking him 105 out of 110 qualifying cornerbacks. Both players are in the final year of their deals. Both players must greatly exceed their career highs to be re-signed or even franchised by their respective teams. Although the Rams may roll the dice on Watkins if he does have a big year to save face after losing a draft pick, the Bills are under no such pressure. Trading Watkins was a smart business decision. After three injury-plagued seasons, Beane knew he was sitting on a ticking time bomb with Watkins foot. Another injury might force another surgery, which could all but end Watkins season at any point in time. With one eye on the future, and a zero chance of re-signing an injury-prone player to a huge extension or even a franchise tag, Beane wanted to ensure he received SOMETHING for Watkins, which came in the form of a 2nd round draft pick. The Bills then made up for the loss of Watkins by obtaining Jordan Matthews from the Philadelphia Eagles along with a third-round draft pick for starting cornerback Ronald Darby. Drafted the same year as Watkins, Pro Football Focus has Matthews with more slot receiving yards over the last three seasons than Randall Cobb, Jarvis Landry, and Doug Baldwin. Head Coach Sean McDermott and Eagles DC Jim Schwartz both run zone-heavy coverage, which Pro Football Focus graded Darby with a better passer rating in zone (85.2) than in man (123.2), which explains Darby’s struggle in Ryan’s’ heavy man defense last season. Playing each to their strengths, this seems to be a win/win for both the Bills and Eagles. Although Darby looked to be a promising talent, Beane and McDermott have their eye on the bigger prize, which is the 2018 NFL Draft. Most prognosticators have pegged next April as the most talented QB draft in years. Unlike 2013, when former GM Doug Whaley chose the weakest QB draft class to fill the Bills franchise QB role, this regime seems to have their timing on point. Last week’s trades landed the Bills some serious draft collateral. This from ESPN.COM’s article on Winners and Losers from the trades: “As projected by FPI and using Stuart's chart, the Bills trading their sixth-round pick for Los Angeles' second-rounder and Philadelphia's third-round pick to trade the Rams pick and Eagles pick for pick 190 is roughly the equivalent of acquiring the 16th overall pick in a typical draft (17.1 points, closest to value of 16th pick, 16.9 points). That gives the Bills what essentially amounts to three first-round picks in the 2018 draft” You only have to ask the beat writers who cover the team that Tyrod Taylor hasn’t looked like the answer this pre-season. Although I have been a big proponent of Taylor, it’s evident that his game isn’t at an elite level. Even if he does reach the same numbers he achieved in 2016, that would only make the Bills Offense a marginal playoff team. A team that, with a solid defense, would have to spend each season as a fringe playoff contender good for a wild card appearance or maybe a wild card win; rather than a team that is expected to compete for a Super Bowl every season. At some point, for this team to achieve greatness, you must blow up the current model. Would you rather that happen now, or in year two or three of the regime, after we’ve MAYBE reached a wild card game, and at a time when the crop of QB’s coming out of college may not be at next spring’s level? Yes, I know, it’s GM taboo to trade your starting WR and CB at the same time. In fairness, Darby has only been in the league for two seasons, so any struggles he has had could be contributed to that. But he regressed last year from his rookie season, which is never a good sign (See Kiko Alonso). With Watkins, the Bills passing game was never feared. The fact that he missed so many games while playing others hurt contributed to that. The new Bills Brass wasn’t in the position to risk that this season and lose him with nothing in return. I still believe that even with the trades the Bills will be competitive. Sometimes it’s more about heart and system than it is about talent. (See Ted Nolan). McDermott has both, with a healthy topping of smarts. As for the former Panther AGM, his clout on One Bills Drive seems to be growing by the day. Long gone is the “One Voice” moniker that Terry Pegula had Sean McDermott roll out to keep the press away from Whaley, who made public speaking look like a giraffe on ice skates. Even McDermott seemed caught off guard when told of the news after Friday’s pre-season game about the trade offers. That shows there is no buddy system in the building. The head coach is doing his job, as is the GM. Beane has assembled a team of former GM’s and NFL Executives to fill lesser roles, yet bring their league experience and contacts to the table. There are many reasons why someone can be fired from their job, but it’s their experience and what they have learned from that failure that you cannot take away from them. December 28, 2016 marked the 20th anniversary of the last game played in a Bills uniform by Jim Kelly. Since then, the Bills have been through a plethora of QB’s that everyone knows, and would be a waste of time to list. It’s time that this franchise gets serious and makes a run at obtaining an elite one. Beane obviously has faith in his talent evaluators, and choosing the strongest draft class in years is perfect timing. The Bills currently have enough currency to trade up or down anyway they choose. I expect that currency to grow as it’s apparent no player is off limits, and with the addition of a 3rd round pick if the Bills cut some FA’s, I see that coming down the pike as well. Two first round picks, two second round picks, and three third round picks. Sounds like a winning lottery ticket to me. As a fan, you either have faith in Beane’s talent evaluating ability or you don’t. You either buy into the Bills desire to change the course and culture of this franchise from a fringe contender to Super Bowl contender, or you don’t. You either go all in for a championship mentality or play it safe in hopes that MAYBE this will be the year we will finally play a post season game. Not win one, just play in one. I’ve grown tired of all the references to the 90’s Super Bowl era. It’s time the Bills created some new championship memories. It’s time the Bills go all in to bring a serious Super Bowl contender to Buffalo. In Beane and McDermott I trust. That’s not a bad thing.