dezertbill

It's not just trades, but FA acquisitions as well (undrafted especially). You don't know what influence Doug Marrone had in the past when it came to some of the OL fails the last couple years (Chris Williams an example). The jury is still out on EJ Manuel as well. However, I think Whaley is a breath of fresh air and for a young GM he is allowed a mulligan or two compared to some of the older GMs in the league (Nix) who lived on mulligans. Plus, its nice to have a GM with the balls to go all out and trade for a player he truly believes in without looking back. Reminds me of another Buffalo GM, Tim Murray. I really like what Whaley is doing and I honestly think after a few years pass we'll truly understand the great job he has done.

Thanks LJC. Yeah, definitely Chris.

Kyle Williams, Darius, and the rotation of Bryant and Charles (all of whom has shown flashes of talent) is a good foundation for our DL. Mario and Lawson at OLB, a threesome of Bradham, Brown, and David Harris in the middle. I'm sure we'll add pieces via FA or draft, but I don't see us eating large cap space for a 33 year old DT when we have other areas that really need our dire attention (OL, TE). Wilfork won't be cheap

Marshawn Lynch played last year at 28 and 2013 at 27. So I guess his 2563 rushing yards and 25 rushing TD's along with 683 receiving yards and 6 TDs over the last two seasons is something one should expect from a player who is too old to be a running back in the NFL

I don't see Williams on this roster in 2015 and Urbik might be a training camp casualty if CK plays to his 2nd round level. If Revis signs with Bills, Leodis gets traded. He had the best year of his career and it saves us $5 mil.

Whether it's Boling, Iupati or Blalock....anything is better than the vanilla guard play we have had to deal with over the last decade. Its obvious we are in a win now mode and Ryan and Co. have said on several occasions that the OL is the key to the running game along with the RB. I expect them to be active in FA and the draft to finding OL to help grade the road for McCoy and Co. I also expect them to upgrade TE with a more athletic player than can made a difference in the stat sheet and still block his butt off.

This is great news. However, we need to win now. A player who was very underwhelming his rookie year shouldn't be counted on merely because of his choice of offseason workout. Plus, I don't think you can have too many healthy OL. Incognito has been out of football a year and is 32, and even if they add a quality OG in FA injures are always a concern. I hope he continues to progress and if his improvement makes it a tough choice for Bills brass to play him, that's a good problem to have. However it shouldn't be counted on.

Thanks guys I'll take 13-3 too Maddenboy. Although 11-5 would be a reasonable expectation once the upgrade OL

I don't think the Bills are done at QB. I think they will still add another FA or even trade. Worse add a QB in the draft. By pure numbers they have to. Ryan and Whaley were talking about going to camp with 4. I honestly don't see Tuel in the mix. So with Manuel and Cassel, they need to add 2 more. I also don't see the Bills trying to "get by" at the position. They will load up, even if it means cutting a guy in camp. That's just how I see it

There aren't many that doubt Rex Ryan when he says the Bills will have a better defense in 2015 than the one ranked 4th last season in Buffalo. With the addition of McCoy and Rex's commitment to ground and pound, looks like the Bills will have formidable running game as well (once a few key pieces are added to the offensive line, and with the way Rex and Doug have been making moves, I'm confident they will). Looking at the 2015 Schedule, here is what the defense will go against 2014 Offensive Ranking Indy 3rd Philadelphia 5th Dallas 7th NY Giants 10th New England 11th Washington 13th Miami 14th Cincinnati 15th Houston 17th NY Jets 22nd Kansas City 25th Tennessee 29th Jacksonville 31st Only four of Buffalo's 16 opponents ranked in the Top 10 on offense (3 of those 4 games will be played at home). Whereas five of the 16 ranked in the bottom 3rd (Jets twice). Ryan & Company expect to be a Top 2 in defense. Advantage, Buffalo. As for McCoy and Buffalo's ground game, a snapshot of what they will be facing... 2014 Defensive Ranking vs. Rush (Yards allowed/Game) NY Jets 5th Dallas 8th New England 9th Houston 10th Washington 12th Philadelphia 15th Indy 18th Cincinnati 20th Miami 24th Jacksonville 27th Kansas City 28th NY Giants 30th Tennesee 31st Only 6 of Buffalo's 16 games will be against Top 10 run defenses in 2014. 4 of those 6 (Jets twice) will be at home the 5th is against the Jets whose Defensive mastermind is now on our sidelines. Whereas 8 of the 16 games played will be vs. teams ranked on the bottom half of the league in rushing (Miami twice). With the addition of McCoy and a commitment to the running game, it's easy to believe the Bills will be ATLEAST Top 10 in rushing, if not Top 5. Advantage, Buffalo. Based on how they plan on building this team, I think their blueprint fits their schedule extremely well. Call it coincidence or whatever, but I don't really see the Bills being overmatched in any game. To the contrary, I think they will have many advantages week after week, regardless of who they play. With the addition of McCoy (and I'm sure what will come in FA or draft on the offensive line) and an expectation of a defense that will continue and improve from their 4th rank in 2014, I think the Bills are set up for a very successful season with their current philosophy. I have to think Ryan and Whaley know this, which is why playoffs (and a playoff win) is a lot more realistic in their minds than what some people are giving them credit for. Obviously QB is the big elephant in the room. If they can find someone (on their current roster or not) that will take care of the ball and let the running game and defense win games, they will be set up for success. They don't need a stud QB to go deep into the playoffs. In 2009, the Jets ranked 17th on offense, 1st in rushing yet 31st in passing (including 29th in INT's). Result....AFC Championship game. In 2010 the Jets ranked 13th on offense, 4th in rushing yet 22nd in passing. (12th in INT's) Result....AFC Championshp game. Both seasons with Mark Sanchez behind center in his rookie and 2nd season, with a worse completion percentage and TD/Int ratio than EJ has his first two years in the league. Let that sink in for a minute. Buffalo is following that exact blueprint of Ryan's first two years in the league, and I feel Ryan and Whaley are expecting similar results. Based on their 2015 schedule, I can't say I blame them.

If you don't include his signing bonus or roster bonus he would be at $4.95 mil. that's a decent number.

This will be completely based on what we get in Free Agency. I'm sure the Bills have a plan when they enter March 10th and whatever they don't get i'm sure they will go after with pick 50

35 years old and the term interior lineman go together like fire and ice. Not a huge fan of it. Think they go younger.

The names to watch are David Harris from the Jets to replace Kiko, Vernon Davis via trade or FA if he is cut, and a guard like Iupati. I think they get 2 of the 3 with the idea of getting a starter at the 3rd position via the draft (2nd or 3rd round)

It has been reported via various media outlets that Vernon Davis may very well be a cap casuality of the 49ers. Although GM Trent Baalke has come out and said that Davis "will absolutely" be a 49er... http://www.csnbayarea.com/49ers/baalke-vernon-davis-will-absolutely-be-back-49ers I believe that's more for the sake of getting a trade for him rather than a team like the Bills waiting for him to be released. Davis had his worst season statistically since his rookie year, and he wasn't alone. Michael Crabtree also had the worst production of his six year career and Kaepernick's pass per completion average was down almost a full yard while he was sacked 13 more times than 2013. Keep in mind Davis is one year removed from 850 yards and 13 TD's and some contribute his poor season to holding out most of the offseason due to a contract squabble as well as Kaepernick's woes. http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article10606361.html Bottom line is he just turned 31 last month and he would still give the Bills a TE option that they haven't seen in a while. He knows Roman's offense, will stretch the field alot better than Chandler, and is a helluva blocker. If we can cut down that $7 mil cap hit, i'm all for it. I think it could be more of a reality than what some people think.

KTD hit it right on the head. I heard part of the deal is restructuring Shady's contract, which will give him more guaranteed money while limiting his cap liability in 2015 so he'll be all for it. Once we sign our starting guard in free agency ( I think it will be Iupati) Williams is a goner. I think Urbik will too or he'll be asked to take a pay cut. Williams can restructure and that will save us millions. We should end up with about $20 mil to work with, and that's after you compute Cassel's salary into the mix. We'll be fine.

If the Bills had a 1300 yard rusher, they wouldn't be making this trade. The fact that ALL of their running backs combined last year only rushed for 64 more yards than McCoy ALONE speaks volumes. McCoy also had 5 rushing TD's in a down year compared to Buffalo's team total of 7. Yeah, it's very easy to see why the Bills made this deal. That production isn't going away anytime soon.

It's not often you can get one of the best running backs in the league straight up for a 2nd round pick who played only one year in the league. I get the age thing, but McCoy is only 2 years older than Alonso, and at 26 he still has 3-4 good years left in him. Who knows with 2 serious knee injuries in the last 5 seasons how many Kiko has. He isn't injury prone like Murray or carry the backage that Adrian Peterson does, both of which put up similar numbers, but haven't been as productive as McCoy over the last 5 years. This deal is growing on me. I think once FA and draft dust settles, Buffalo's offense will have a new identity that will ease the minds of Bills fans as well as Rex Ryan

I would love Foles on this team. Problem is he will probably be included in any deal that Kelly makes to trade up for Mariotta. So I wouldn't count on him being a Bill

I think this trade opens the eyes of alot of Bills fans and shows that Whaley and Ryan are looking to make huge splashes in some key areas. I see the next area being TE or QB. I think they are going to go big in FA and swing for your Julius Thomas or Jordan Cameron. Maybe even bid on Clay who was transitioned by the Dolphins. I also see a trade coming for QB. I still think RGIII is a possiblity. Nick Foles as well if Kelly reaches up for Mariotta. I think this move scratches the surface of the lengths they will go to building a champion. Pegula loves huge splashes. I see more cannonballs coming.

Holy cow people. Step away from the ledge.... First off, McCoy is only 2 years younger than Kiko, and way more established in the league. Secondly, he has the most rushing yards of any RB over the last five years in the league. It's not like Buffalo is trading for Trent Richardson or someone who hasn't proven anything in this league. At 26 and under contract for another three seasons, the Bills have their workhorse RB set till 2018. While I really liked Kiko, and not excited that he was traded, he had one good year. Who knows how he would have fit in Rex Ryans defense, especially coming off a serious knee injury that cost him an entire season. With Bradham, Brown, Lawson (more of a 3-4 guy) and Mario Williams, it's not like the Bills are empty at LB. Corbin Bryant or Stephan Charles who both played really well last year and should fill in the 3rd Dline position. I don't see the defense dropping without Kiko. ...and all of this without even hitting Free Agency or the draft yet. I'm sure Buffalo will add a starter or two there that will fit in well with Ryan's defense. And that Ryan guy, by the way, is pretty good and putting a defense together. I'm not too worried about the move. Offensively, the Bills get the best RB in the league over the last half decade. Unbeknownst to many posters on this board, you don't find those every day in the draft. I'm sure the OL and TE will be addressed in FA and/or the draft. QB is defiinitely going to be addressed via trade or FA. With that being said, good to know that Manuel/McCoy/Watkins are a better trio statistically than what the Jets had in 09/10 when they went to the AFC Championship game. And that was without a stud TE. Whaley and Ryan have a definate blueprint of how they want to build this team. They are taking massive action to get those building blocks. It's refreshing to know that management is looking to add the best players out there compared to prevoius years when mediocre talent was brought in offensive line, RB, WR, etc to compete and we end up 6-10. I have a strong feeling that after the draft and FA, this team is going to look ALOT different. ALOT more formidable. and that's a very good thing. Go Bills!

Holy ST

From NFL.com's draft profile he doesn't seem like a player that Ryan would want. "Bottom Line The production is impressive. It warrants attention and accolades, but the tape shows an alarming inconsistency of effort and competitive fire. Pruitt won't be considered a plus athlete for the position by NFL standards, so he must crank up the motor and keep it running -- especially when asked to block since that might be his way onto a team." You may be able to teach a player how to block better with hands like his, but competitive fire isn't something that's taught. I think the Bills pass on this guy.

Even past Jet's players are coming out and reporting the disfunction about Idzik and how he took over the team. Kellen Winslow backed Chris Johnson's comments and completely blamed Idzik for his poor performance rather than the coach. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/17/kellen-winslow-seconds-chris-johnsons-view-of-the-jets/ Keep in mind Ryan was 34-30 before Idzik, and 12-20 with. It's not like the Ryan didn't do ANYTHING in New York during his tenure there. He took a Jets team who had ranked 18th or worse defensively in 07 and 08 to first in the league in 09. He led the Jets to two winning seasons in a row for the first time in eight years and finished 2nd in the AFC East behind NE in 4 of his 6 seasons. His 20-12 record and 4 playoff wins in his first two seasons came with one 1000 yard rusher in 09 and zero 1000 yard receivers. He also had a rookie QB Mark Sanchez whose completion percentage was 4% less than Manuel his first two years in the league and a TD/Int ratio of 29/33 vs. Manuel's 16/12. The Bills are arguably more talented with their current roster right now than the Jets were in Ryan's first two years. And Ryan's 4-2 playoff record in his six seasons as a Jets HC crushes Buffalo's 1-4 playoff record the past 20 years. Even Gang Green's accessment of the Idzik era was pretty crucifying and also comes to the aid of Ryan's reputation. I think it's spot on. http://www.ganggreennation.com/2014/12/29/7459489/john-idzik-a-reign-of-error I think Ryan reporting to Pegula was more of a request of Ryan than a demand from Pegula. Ryan knew that his next coaching situation (which he made very clear is his last) couldn't repeat the same experience he had in NY. His reporting to Pegula ensures this

Whitfield sounds like he is lending his expertise on how he would get Manuel up to speed with the pro game. He obviously believes that Manuel wasn't coached up properly by the old regime when he makes comments about what EJ needs to be able to do in the pocket to be successful (make atleast one defender miss). He also comes across as Manuel didn't use his atheticism enough (scramble around and use his legs as a weapon), which probably came upon the directive of Marrone and crew. When Manuel was first drafted, he was marketed as an athletic QB who like Kaepernick or Wilson can use his legs to make plays and be a threat. During his rookie season, you saw a bit of that, but more times than not he handed the ball off on read option plays rather than keep it, which based on the open field he had in front of him was a bit frustrating. Last year it seemed that Hackett and Marrone wanted him to be more of a pocket passer. HIs rushing attempts dropped from 5.3 per game in 2013 to 3.3 in 2014, and his yard per carry dipped from 3.5 to 3.2. It doesn't seem as if he was comfortable keepingthe ball or breaking out of the pocket and tucking it. Kaepernick on the other hand avg 6.5 rushes per game in 2014 for 6.1 yards per rush. Wilson had 7.4 carries per game for 7.2 yard avg. I think if EJ uses his legs more he'll increase his avg per rush. This will also open up things down the field. Roman also came across sounding like EJ needs to be more athletic, stretch the pocket and use his legs more. Same as what Whitfield is saying. Bottom line I think there is fair amount of criticism on how Manuel was brought up his first two years. It might have been the Cleveland game his rookie season when Marrone was trying to instill in Manuel to stay in the pocket more and try to make plays with his arm in order to stay healthy, which is kind of defeats the purpose of why we drafted Manuel in the first place. It will be interesting to see how Manuel is tutored by Roman, Lee and Palmer. I think you'll see him take off more, and I welcome that change in his game. I think it will lead to good things for Manuel, and the Bills.