Nihilarian

I can only say I hope all this stuff is true!! This is so refreshing to read I can't tell you. I may end up buying season tickets again if it does prove to be accurate even if the team doesn't win right away. My only other hope is to see a team president of football operations being hired so the power of all football decisions goes through him. From PFT, http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/01/13/russ-brandon-continues-to-have-influence-without-accountability/ Russ Brandon continues to have influence without accountability"The reality of dysfunction within the Buffalo Bills arises in part from the perception that team president Russ Brandon has finagled the ultimate cake-and-eat-it arrangement where he has influence over the football operations without the same kind of harsh accountability that goes with football operations that consistently go wrong. In an interview with Tim Graham of the Buffalo News, the team’s owners essentially confirmed that Brandon has accomplished just that." It’s one thing, for example, for the owner to be watching scouts break down film. It’s quite another for an employee who can’t and won’t be fired due to football failures to be sitting in the room and periodically blurting out thoughts to the employees whose jobs are riding in part on the proper analysis of the film and the proper making of decisions based on it. I can only think that once Brandon is gone then his lackeys will be gone too.

While we all know what Russ Brandon's technical job responsibilities entail, we also know he is involved in activities that aren't in his job description. Such as being on the phone to players in the Buffalo Bills cut room meeting! Among other things. We are also aware that he has had great influence over these new owners various issues. Such as telling Terry Pegula to not let Rex Ryan leave the building after the last Ryan interview. It's my contention that Brandon is the one who talked Terry Pegula into thinking he had the wherewithal to make the final decision on who to hire as head coach of the Buffalo Bills because he told Terry would know who to hire after interviewing all the candidates. Shades of Ralph Wilson all over again! Terry Pegula was going to hire a football czar after he bought the team and was in talks with Bill Polian. For whatever reason, this czar hire never happened and my take is we have Brandon to thank for it. Mostly because should the team hire that senior NFL adviser/czar it will leave Brandon on the outside of the football operations looking in and he has long been involved in that entire process since being defacto GM after Marv retired. How many other owners do you see in the scouting process in taking with college quarterbacks before the draft? Like he didn't learn a lesson by being BSed by Rex Ryan in that interview. I've been saying it for years now that this team is desperate for an experienced team president of football operations! A man that knows how to build a winning NFL franchise and find that elusive franchise QB. Roll out the Brinks truck to Hire Ted Thompson away from Green Bay and promote him to that position of team president.

Polian didn't draft Jim Kelly. Although he managed to get one of the most frugal owners in the NFL to make Ole Jim the highest paid QB in the league. Polian saw the talent in Kelly and had to have him. He also built a playoff team in three short years in every city he was the GM with. Buffalo, Indy and an expansion team. There is a real reason the man is in the PF HOF BTW, Polian stated he would have replaced Whaley had he been hired in Buffalo. In 4 years Whaley is 30-34 in Buffalo. While I can't hold him completely accountable because the guy above him has a baseball/ marketing/finance background and he has been left to his own devices. While it's also true that Whaley did the trades for Hughes and McCoy, he also didn't initiate them either. Let's not forget that the imbicile GM in Indy that was recently fired first called the Bills wanting to get rid of Poilan's last first round pick. Now out of the league Eagle HC Chip Kelly was stupid enough to want to dump McCoy. I look at McCoy and Charles Clay as overpaid talent because the Bills couldn't find that quality talent in the draft. Also, Incognito and Tyrod Taylor are others that Whley gets credit for and yet if not for Rex Ryan those two would not be Buffalo Bills. The Bills lost Chris Hogan, Stephon Gilmore, to the Patriots and now possiably Gillislee. The Bills are working towards officially being NE farm club. I look at this team and I see so may holes in the roster after four years. WR a huge need after 3 draft picks, two numbers ones in 2014 for a WR who is always injured. A number two pick in 2013 on a WR who now plays for the Rams. Corner is a huge need because the team didn't care to resign the #1 pick from 2012 and so he ended up on the Patriots. LBer and safety are both needs for quality talent as is the RT position. Bills fans are too nice and never want to see anyone fired...it's overdue.

What's humorous about that bolded part is that Tom Donahoe lost a power struggle with Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh. They realized that Donahoe was making bad choices and was ultimately fired for it. Now for the sad part for Buffalo is that the late owner had a penchant in his later years for hiring people that were fired in their old jobs and then inexplicably promoting them and for promoting from within the org. Donahoe was fired as director of football operations (GM) for the Steelers in 1999 and was hired as team president in Buffalo with the owner retiring. We all learned the hard way as to why Donahoe was fired in Pittsburgh. Chan Gailey was another man fired as the Chiefs OC and was hired in Buffalo to be the HC by Buddy Nix. Initially, in that particular coaching search, Nix wanted to hire a more prominent name who had a history of rebuilding broken NFL teams into winners and the owner said no. Speaking of Nix, he retired at the age of 70 after years of never becoming a GM and the Bills hired him to be their GM. On another note, from what I've seen so far from Whaley is that he doesn't have what it takes to field a balanced well-rounded NFL team with solid backups at all positions. Heck, the guy didn't even find the current starting QB or the all-pro LG and from what we have seen so far his choices in those positions have been nowhere near the performance level of the current starters. The Bills are now overpaying at the starting RB / TE positions because the Bills GM/scouts can't seem to find quality talent in the draft. Most Bills fans know that if the Bills hadn't given up three draft picks for Sammy Watkins (two firsts) that their choice would have been TE Eric Ebron. Ebron is another player who hasn't even been able to play in all 16 years each year since he was drafted 10th overall by Detroit in 2014. Not to mention that his stats really aren't very good considering he is on a team with a QB who throws for over four thousand yards every season. The Bills could have made 12 other choices that year in the first round that would have resulted in pro bowl player. In my view, the best thing that has happened to this franchise over the last decade was the hiring of DC Jim Schwartz who made both Whaley and Marrone look acceptable for a season. The man took over a Hodge-podge 3-4 hybrid defense that three other men couldn't get out of the 20's and got them to #4 overall. Then we all saw what a supposed defensive guru did to that #4 defense after Schwartz. Granted, Schwartz walked into a great situation in Buffalo that fit his scheme. Sad that the team couldn't find a way to keep him. This is the type of ineptitude we have seen over the years from the Bills FO in that when the team does find a scheme that works to fit the players on the roster that they turn around and go in a different direction. Now this year the team wants to go back to the 4-3 with a brand new HC. This after the team just drafted the first three picks to fit Ryan's 3-4. Let's face it, that this team is in desperate need of an established senior NFL man at the top of the football side of the org like an Ozzie Newsome or a Ted Thompson who knows how to build a solid team through the draft Someone who knows QB talent and player talent in all positions like those two men. Lastly, does it really matter who makes the final choice in Buffalo? I have very little confidence that anyone in the current Bills FO who makes the final choice will get it right.

After watching that team video interview with Terry Pegula he looked to be sincerely remorseful that the team hasn't won since he bought it. I can only wonder how long it will take this new owner to figure out that just changing the head coach isn't going to change much with his team...that is unless that HC is Bill Belichick or a Pete Carroll who are both in a class all by themselves. Sean McDermott might just eventually become one of those men. The thing is, the NFL is known to have an unforgiving learning curve that few men manage to survive much less become great in their first job as head coach. Then looking at who he has in helping him find the proper player talent in his first years as an NFL head coach leads me to think he is going to have a very tough time in Buffalo.

I only hope that changes are indeed coming to the Bills FO. What many fans fail to understand is that the one constant at the top of the org chart has been Russ Brandon who was hired by the first owner and has become more prominent in the org since the new owner bought the team. I look back at the years Marv Levy was GM of the Buffalo Bills (2006-2007 seasons) and he stated it was a consensus as to who had the final say in the draft. After reading what he said about the draft it looked like he allowed Jauron to have the final say. After Marv retired as GM it was Russ Brandon who took over as de facto GM of the team. It wasn't that Brandon was making all the wrong decisions for the team and running the football side of the team into the ground on his own. It was that he was acting like Marv in that he stood back and allowed others to make the choices. Modrak, Jauron making the final decisions and what's wrong with this philosophy is that because there was no "top football man" at the top of the org the asylum was run by the inmates. Because the team had no top talent evaluator who could make the proper final calls the team drafted some questionable players for questionable positions over the years. In 2008 after the team drafted McKelvin at #11 there were 24 pro bowl players drafted after him that year. That year the Bills did manage to find Stevie Johnson in the 7th round. The 2009 draft saw Aaron Maybin who was a one year wonder on college and the Bills were desperate for a pass rusher since Schobel retired at the end of the 2007 season. While the team did find three starters with the next three picks the fact remains that the scouts / GM / HC all failed to see the talent in Brian Orakpo, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews. The point of this is to show that even after all this time the team still doesn't have that top football man in the Org and is still making bad choices for the wrong positions. Look at the drafts since 2000 to see that since the late John Butler left for San Diego the team has been a mess in the FO. And has been lacking that knowledgeable experienced football man that actually knows what he is doing in building a winning NFL team. Buddy Nix might have been 70 years old when he took over as GM. Alas, when he was hired he had never been an actual NFL GM before the Buffalo Job. After four seasons of no playoffs with a record of 30-34 and with a team filled with holes on the roster, no franchise QB yet. Doug Whaley has already proven he doesn't have what it takes! This new owner was in talks with Bill Polian to be the Buffalo Bills czar and it was rumored that the current people in the Bills FO were badmouthing him in order to retain the status quo. Also, recently the team was talking to Tom Coughlin for a senior NFL adviser to have the final say in the football side of the team. Instead, he took a similar job with the Jacksonville Jaguars and now has the final call on all "football" decisions. Now, many Bills fans posting here will tell you that Russ Brandon has had no say in the personnel side of football operations since 2007. And yet we see the man chest bumping Sammy Watkins on the sidelines, read about Brandon dancing on Pegula's yacht when they learned that the team had signed LeSean McCoy. That Brandon was working on the phone in the Bills cut room with Rex Ryan as HC. That after interviewing Rex Ryan for the HCing job Russ told Terry Pegula to not let Ryan leave the building. Even if Brandon has had no say or influence on anything related to the football side of the team (which is something I don't believe). The fact remains that as long as Russ Brandon has been with the team there has been no senior football man at the top of the Org. Until this owner hires that top football man this franchise will be like a rudderless ship going endlessly in circles. With the owner stating that decisions will be made by a consensus tells me that nothing has really changed over the years.

As long as this owner keeps the same front office that the last owner employed I have little faith in seeing much success over the next few years. A better GM and senior NFL adviser other than Russ Brandon would be a good start! What we don't know is if Tyrod will develop further into a better QB. (Tyrod as he is played well enough to win 9-10 games and it was Ryan's defense that let the team down the last two seasons.) And, Is Sean McDermott the answer at HC? Because it's steep and unforgiving learning curve in being a first time HC in the NFL. Chuck Knox proved you don't need a team of superstars to make the playoffs. You need a solid head coach who knows what he is doing and can evaluate player talent properly. Knox took a bunch of young players and made them believe in themselves that they could win games. He brought in a few older rah- rah type players to build a good locker room leadership team. Running the football and playing great defense worked then and it will work in today's NFL as long as the new Bills OC doesn't attempt to make the QB carry the offense all by himself. This team has enough player talent to win enough games to get this team in the playoffs provided that certain positions get upgraded properly in the draft. JMHO

The Jets are keeping a close eye on the Tyrod Taylor situation with the Bills http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-keeping-close-eye-tyrod-taylor-situation-bills-article-1.2989693 "Taylor has run for 1,148 yards and 10 touchdowns in his two seasons as an NFL starter. He's completed 62.3 percent of his passes with a 92.3 passer rating. He's not Brady or Rodgers, but he's good enough for a team desperately looking to solve their most maddening problem." I'll bet there are other NFL teams besides the Browns are taking a long look at a QB who isn't a turnover machine and can make plays with his legs like Taylor. That 2016 Buffalo Bills 19th ranked in total defense, 29th against the run was a big reason why the team went 7-9 in my view. Taylor wasn't the biggest problem with this team the last two years. Get him a solid option at WR like Williams or Davis who might stay healthy for the season and then see what the QB looks like.

Excellent post and points. I couldn't agree more with everything here. That bolded part is what I think escapes most fans and more importantly escapes the fools in the front office because they didn't draft him or even find him. Those mooks are still thinking they need an all out passing QB to make their choices of Sammy Watkins and Charles Clay look more valid. Plus, most fans forget that the Bills fielded a turnstile at RT last season and opposing teams would generally put their best pass rusher on him. Not to mention the lack of talent in the Bills WR corps with Watkins hurt most of the season and Chris Hogan playing for the Patriots. The latter being another lame move by the current GM. The main point here is that Taylor can still develop into a better downfield passer as he will be entering his third year of starting in this league. Build a better offense around him before making the decision he isn't good enough.To those fans out there that want a Deshaun Watson or some other rookie QB in this year's draft need to remember Vince Young, JaMarcus Russell. To add that someone new will more than likely need years to develop. Perhaps if this FO gets their way and boots TT to the Cleveland Browns... which frees them up to draft Garrett and a Mike Williams or Corey Davis. Meanwhile, the Browns go on to make the playoffs before Buffalo, that might just be enough incentive for the owner to finally flush this thing.

Didn't La Canfora state that both Whaley and Ryan would be fired if they didn't make the playoffs in 2016? Why is Whaley still the team's GM and for that matter why didn't Pegula perge the entire FO? Sadly, I don't trust this FO to get anything right in the draft, free agency and I feel bad that a new HC in McDermott now must deal with these losers who have failed to even find a quality starting franchise QB like a Matt Ryan, or even a Kirk Cousins.

No idea what team you think is on the verge of the playoffs. The 2016 Buffalo Bills had holes all over the roster in safety, WR, RT, CB and depth at several positions. The special teams took a huge drop this year to 23rd and no idea why Crossman kept his job. We still don't know if Tyrod is the answer at QB and how can we when most of the better receivers were injured for a lot of the year. Now Whaley needs to retool the defense again to fit McDermott's 4-3 scheme. This was like 2009-2012 all over again switching from Jauron's 4-3 to Pettine's 3-4 to Wannstedt's 4-3! Now to Schwart's 4-3 to Rex Ryan's 3-4 and back to another 4-3. WTH! This is why this franchise needs to imitate the Atlanta Falcons with their front office of a team president of football operations who was a long-time NFL GM, a director of scouts for the Patriots to GM and his assistant who was also a GM with the Patriots. The Falcons need three GM's to equal what Bill Belichick does in NE to keep his team forever in the playoffs. This franchise needs better NFL people at the top of the org chart.

After that initial sentence, it's quite clear that any opinion you have on this subject is inconsequential. Do us both a favor and don't respond to my posts as I have no use for contentious fans.

Mike Evans?

Gotta add NFL to google it! I can only imagine the term in being used about coaches means they put their nose to the grindstone and work their tails off. "A lot of NFL players flash production from time to time. You'll see them on the plays of the week, but then they disappear and you cannot count on them consistently. The 25 guys on my 2016 All-Grinders Team heading into the season have never been named to the Pro Bowl, but every one of them is a day-to-day, down-to-down producer. These are disciplined, tough and often overlooked players -- many from humbler backgrounds. The league is filled with guys who were drafted for their potential. Coaches can't play potential. They need production. They need reliability. These Grinders deliver, and it's time they finally get their due. http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/17524408/jon-gruden-2016-all-grinders-team

and it still almost got him fired along with HC Mike Smith! The team then brought in ex-Patriot GM, ex-KC GM Scott Pioli as assistant GM who has been working with Dimitroff. If you look at that Atlanta Falcons front office they have arguably three brilliant football men at the top of the football operations chart in Team president Rich McKay who was a GM. Thomas Dimitroff who is the Falcons current GM and Pioli as his assistant. On another note, the Bills have Russ Brandon marketing/finance/ex-baseball guy as team president. Doug Whaley as GM the last four years.

A very valid point as all Belichick seems to want to do on offense is to keep moving the chains again, and again until they get to the end zone. His eye for TE's and slot receivers is unequaled IMO.

All in all, the Falcons sent the Browns a first-round pick (No. 27), a second-round pick (No. 59) and a fourth-round pick (No. 124) in 2011, and also chipped in the No. 1 pick in 2012 (No. 22) and their No. 4 pick in 2012 (No. 118). Two firsts 2011, 2012 A second in 2011 Two fourths All for the #6 pick in the 2011 NFL draft. The very next season the Falcons went 13-3 losing to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game 24-28 Then, possibly because of all those picks the team gave up they went into a funk in 2013 going 4-12 and Julio only played in 5 games that year. The defense was the real culprit being 27th overall. They went 6-10 in 2014 with Julio back and a worse defense. This period in time got HC Mike Smith fired and almost got GM Thomas Dimitroff fired as well. One could argue that giving up all those picks could have hurt the team's ability to bolster the team/defense through the draft., There is no question that Julio Jones is a game changer and one of the very best WR's in the league. Still, TY Hilton led the league in yards in 2016 and was a 3rd round pick Julio Jones led the league in yards in 2015 Antonio Brown led the league in yards in 2014 and was a 6th round pick Josh Gordon led the league in yards in 2013 and was a 2nd round pick Calvin Johnson led the league in yards in 2012 and was a 1st round pick Calvin Johnson led the league in 2011. I still think it was a mistake to give up so much for Sammy Watkins with the team not already having that franchise QB to throw to him.

Yea, and look at who molded him in his first season. The kid had no veteran QB on the roster to learn from and even bigger no freaking QB coach!!! The only person he had to draw knowledge from was a person who was new to the NFL as offensive coordinator. Never have I seen a situation in which a rookie QB is being instructed solely by a rookie OC! The team wanted EJ to sit and learn behind Kevin Kolb and that plan was ruined by the attack of a rubber mat In his second season, EJ finally got a QB coach and veteran QB to learn from and as he stated he learned far more from Kyle Orton then from anyone else on the team just by watching him. The pre-game preparation by Orton, the film study of opponents he never got to learn his first year under Nathaniel Hackett. Great point. I had more faith in Lynn, Roman developing Cardale Jones over this new coaching staff. We'll see.

Not if they can't stay on the field due to injuries! Watkins played in 8 games in 2016 and was useful in about two of those games having over 55 yards in those. Watkins had foot issues all season and he recently just had foot surgery again. The only Bills receiver who played in all 16 games was TE Nick O'Leary. http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/62752/472/broken-bills This game went on to show just how brilliant Bill Belichick is in his film study as he literally destroyed that Steeler secondary and their soft zone coverage. And yes, from what I've read old Bill is the team's GM and goes over film for every facet of the team. He finds ways to exploit the opponents weaknesses. Can you name one other player in the history of the NFL who had a game like Hogan had in the playoffs against the Steelers? That some unknown WR who steps up like that? Sorry but those numbers he put up in that playoff game showed he is and was more than JAG! I'll bet now that he has had time to acclimate himself into that Patriots offense that he will be even better for Brady. Tom Brady doesn't tolerate stupid players who don't know their jobs! NFN, there is a real reason as to why Hogan was nicknamed 7/11 before going to the Patriots as the guy would always find ways to find that seam in the defense and get open. Belichick targeted Hogan in free agency because, like his love for the TE position, he also loves those shifty slot receivers. Like I said earlier, It burns me to see the stupidity of the Bills GM allowing a player to leave that was a position of need and then attempt to replace him in Buffalo with scrubs. What that article doesn't grade is the evaluation of the Bills GM and the reason for some of those poor grades was the lack of quality players at several positions and a lack of quality depth once the starters went down. This will be his 5th season as GM and his record so far is 30-34.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the entire team this year. From what I see is that McDermott's defense is more about the players than the scheme and if he doesn't have the right players to run his defense it could be a disaster just like with Rex Ryan. The Bills don't have a Luke Kuechly or a Thomas Davis, Shaq Thompson. That Jimmy Johnson scheme relies a lot on zone blitzing out of a 4-3 with cover 2, cover 4 zone. OTOH, I look at the Seattle defense that has allowed the fewest points the last five years. Yes, they have a bunch of great players and the difference is not all of them are first round picks. In fact, CB Richard Sherman and S Kam Chancellor were both 5th round picks that were selected because they fit a specific body prototype and then were coached up in that defensive scheme. I was hoping the Bills could get Mike McCoy for OC in Buffalo to fix that outdated Buffalo passing playbook and Gus Bradly as DC to bring in that Seattle scheme to Buffalo..oh well. As far as Danny Crossman goes, in 2014 under Marrone with the extra game day players all going to special teams the Bills were #4! I feel St Doug helped his good bud Danny mostly because that unit was 30th in 2013 and people were calling for Crossman to be fired. 2013, 30th 2014, 4th 2015, 12th 2016, 23rd I dunno, I hope I'm wrong but I can't shake the feeling that this is just another Dick Jauron type hire. In someone who will have his players playing their hearts out for him only to see a rash of injuries plague the team year after year.

Kyle Shanahan as HC, anyone who Kyle wants as OC, Gus Bradley as DC. I would much rather see a Pete Carroll disciple in Buffalo bringing in that Seattle state of the art defensive Scheme over a Tampa two man. That defense is as outdated as Ryan's A better special teams coach. It seems that Crossman's ST unit was only good one season when his best bud St Doug Marrone was helping him every week. A better GM in someone who can actually find the team that franchise QB!! Someone who cab draft more talented players so the team doesn't need to overspend in free agency or get super lucky by having some idiot give away star players.

Perhaps if you swapped the Falcons GM, assistant GM and team president you might have a Buffalo roster capable of getting to a super bowl. Perhaps the Facons doctors and trainers too. Tyrod Taylor isn't close to a talent like a QB Matt Ryan! The Bills have three decent receivers similar to the Falcons and yet the Bills players can't stay healthy. Watkins played in 8 games and was actually useful in only two of those. Clay had more than 60 yards in only four games. Goodwin had two good games of over 50 yards. Woods had only two games of over 60 yards. The RT position was a turnstile. Safety and CB positions were poor at best most of the year. Great coaching can't overcome a lack of talent or injuries.

This is the part that most fans don't get. Williams, Mularkey, Jauron, Gailey, Rex Ryan You could give them all five seasons or more and all you would have is 5+ years of losing. Sean McDermott has his work cut out for him and he is younger and more energetic than Ryan. Discipline wasn't the only thing wrong with the Bills the last two years. They QB had issues, the WR corps had issues, special teams had issues, the line isn't solidified at RT and because of that weakness the better linebackers, DE's will exploit that turnstile. The defense had issues with tackling, safety, CB problems and lastly communication issues. Then, so much of what this new HC is able to get accomplished is also on the GM to properly fill in the holes in the roster and get the players he needs to have a successful season. What QB? What RT? What S, CB?

Some Bills fans would rather keep saying how bad ex-Buffalo players are because it helps them with their denial issues. Both those players would have helped the Bills get more wins this year. Chris Hogan corralled nine-of-12 targets for 180 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in the Patriots' AFC Championship Game win over the Steelers. If they ever make a 30-for-30 about Hogan’s career, this game might be a good place to start. There was legitimate concern about how effective Hogan would be this week after sporting a noticeable limp in the locker room after Friday’s practice. Hogan erased any doubts about his health by having the game of his life, setting career-highs in yards, catches and touchdowns. He ran circles around the Steelers’ overmatched secondary while breaking Deion Branch’s team record for the most receiving yards in a postseason game. Hogan was left wide open on his first touchdown of the night and later scored a 34-yarder on a perfectly executed flea-flicker by Tom Brady. Next up for Hogan and the Pats is a Super Bowl LI matchup against the NFC Champion Falcons. That game will be held in Houston two weeks from today. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/nfl/353807/edelman-erupts-as-pats-advance-to-super-bowl?ls=roto:NE:topheadlines Funny to note that in this same column it mentions that Julian Edelman erupts for 8 of 10 targets for 118 yards. Too bad Buffalo can't find more WR's like Hogan, after all, he is JAG!

Well said! Might as well give JaMarcus Russell another shot. Jeff George or Ryan Leaf maybe? I'd be in favor of keeping Tyrod and restructuring his deal to see if he develops this year. Whaley needs to do his job better in finding better quality "healthy" talent to catch the ball.