BillsFan4
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So far, we haven't heard what the front office's plans are for Matthews.
They said that they're going to let things play out a bit first. But if he fits in well and has interest in staying here, they will be interested in signing him.
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Who is Brandon Beane?
This guy is operating off an outdated model IMO.
A second round pick is hardly any ammo at all when moving up for a QB that is regarded as certain franchise(not maybes like Goff or Wentz).
Watkins was much more valuable as an ENTICEMENT to any potential young QB or free agent QB.
And if the trade-up doesn't work........HOPEFULLY(but far from realistically) you get 6 quality young players that will ALL be coming up for re-new of contracts in a two year period? Ridiculous.
Proper roster building for consistent winning results is as much about spacing contracts and talent as anything.
People who think Beane is using a "Patriots" model are very, very confused.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?teamId=3200&type=team
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Actually, it is pretty smart if you think about the whole situation. If they felt that Sammy was going to be too expensive to re-sign for their tastes, they did a good job at asset management IMO.So we traded 1 year of Sammy Watkins with resign potential for another's 1 year rental and a pick.
Brilliant.
They got what should be a high 2nd rounder for Sammy, plus they (separately) acquired a receiver who although is a step down from Sammy has been just as productive on the field and should be cheaper to re-sign. But if he walks they will still have a shot to get the same 3rd round comp pick that they would have got if Sammy left in free agency.
In the end they got a replacement CB for Darby who should fit the scheme better, plus a 2nd, 3rd and either a good replacement wide receiver for this year and maybe long term (Matthews, if re-signed) or the same comp pick they'd have got if Sammy left.
Edit - it's also worth mentioning that the comp pick they potentially would have got for Sammy wouldn't have been until 2019.
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I definitely think they are aligned. Here's a couple,quotes from McDermott's press conference that make me think that -
"... to address the second part of your question, really with the draft picks, as we talk about short term and long term, that's a big part of with planning for the future. We believe that you build through the draft and in order to get us into a situation where we can achieve success and sustain it, building through the draft is the way"
"...it's got to be the right deal. It's got to be the right situation for us to do something like this and I feel like we're moving in the right direction. I honestly believe that. I will end by saying this - I have the ultimate trust in Brandon and his staff."
It would be pretty shocking if they weren't on the same page. McDermott seemed to push pretty hard for Beane to be hired from what we can gather. When you listen to each of them talk, they are always talking about similar things - high character, team first, full buy in, players must fit the team/system/culture.
If you look at the type of players they both have acquired, they all fit the exact same mould. (McDermott) Zay Jones, Tre White, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer. (Beane) Anquan Boldin, Jordan Matthews, EJ Gaines.
They are all players noted for their very high character, and as being 100% team first guys. It's very noticeable when you listen to each of those players talk just how cut from the same cloth all of them are.
That's one of the things that really excites me about this new coach/GM combo. They really seem to be in lock step and share an identical vision. I don't think the Bills have had anything like that in quite some time.
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Huh?
They had 13 million in cap before the Bolden deal and have over 30 million next year.
If that's their plan it will be short lived.
They won't make it past year 3 because they won't be winning.
They had like $19M in cap space entering this offseason with something like 26 players to sign. Like I said, it's in better shape now after some tough cuts,
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap/
Spotrac has the Bills at $6M in cap space this year and $26M in cap space next year. Has they kept Sammy and tagged or,paid him, that likely takes up at minimum $15M of that $26M in cap space. So that leaves $11M or less to make other improvements to the team.
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How does moving Watkins and Darby for Matthews and Gaines improve depth for 2017?
It's not about improving depth for 2017. It's about 2018, 2019 and beyond.
Theyre stockpiling draft picks to build this team. They hired the best scouting/personnel staff that they possibly could and plan to build through the draft. It's something the Bills haven't done in a long time. I'm willing to give it a chance.
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" The draft is the most affordable way to pay very good players. Our job is to pay attention where we are financially". I'm a major supporter of the trades, but even I hate that quote. Fiscal responsible is great. There is obviously a major need to manage the salary cap correctly. Those facts don't negate the fact that money ball doesn't win championships. How many titles did Billy Beane with the MLB A's who was the originator of that term win? The answer is zero. Sometimes you have to pay your best players. Every team in the league has to do so. So what's the plan? Draft great players only to let them walk? That's not how you build a winner. I understood the trade because the new regime wants to start with a clean slate. They want a fresh start with an a surplus of draft picks. What a don't understand is that comment. I hope that is not our philosophy going forward. Where they dominate is by having Brady on the roster imo. It's not college football. You can't let your best players walk every four years. Teams have to pay the players who cost the most. They are the guys who are most crucial to a teams success. It's actually the lower paid role players that need to be replaced every season. Beane talks like he's unwilling to pay anyone. That would be a terrible strategy.
"... So youre looking at a guy whos walking into his free agent year," Beane said. "I mentioned where our cap situation is at, you just dont know how youre going to be able to afford him. You dont know exactly what his market is going to be but you see where some of the guys are being paid now, so that had to be a factor in this decision, Beane said.
I couldn't find his initial quote on the Bills salary cap situation. But it sounds like that was a big factor. They are trying to get the Bills cap back in order, which is something that needed to be done. They were a mediocre 7 win team that was in rough cap shape with a ton of free agents to sign entering this offseason. That situation has gotten better after some tough cuts and the Sammy trade.
I didn't at all get that he wasn't willing to pay anyone.
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Boldin is ancient, and Matthews is nothing more than a not so sure handed slot receiver.
I'm fine if they wanna get worse in order to build through the draft next season, but that could've been accomplished without the best building block we had. Dump TT, trade Shady...those moves make more sense. What you did with Sammy was get the worst possible return for a top WR entering his prime and finally completely healed from the foot injury.
This team is most certainly worse this season now. Nobody will respect the WR's beating them downfield, and nobody will be drawing safeties and coverage their way. I predict the pass and run game are both worse this season. Watkins will be missed within this offense...we already saw that with Taylor looking competent with him in the lineup and not so much without him. The Darby trade was fine because he is just another guy like the DB they replaced him with...no gripes with that, and no gripes with getting more draft picks.
This be competitive crap this season is dumb and counter productive to us accumulating draft picks and looking to draft a franchise QB. Should've kept the building block.
Maybe they think tanking is a terrible way to build a new culture, get player buy in and develop their rookies, and keeping TT and Shady is a better way to get the respect of their new players and develop their new cuture.
Maybe they think Tyrod deserves a shot to prove himself after playing pretty well in his first 2 seasons starting.
Maybe they felt they don't need a top 3 pick to get their QB. Many teams have gotten their QB without a top 3 pick.
The run game did alright last season without Sammy on the field. Having TT is going to help th run game as it did the last 2 seasons. Plus we have a very good run blocking O line. One of the best in the NFL. The run game should be fine.
The pass game we will have to wait and see. I don't think this offense is predicated on a deep threat like Roman's was. I think It's more of a horizontal passing offense, not a vertical one. It's predicated on short passes and YAC. They want to possess the ball and run the clock.
The worst possible return for Sammy? A 2nd and likely starting CB is definitely not the worst possible return, especially by NFL standards (especially considering they got a starting WR back in a separate but connected trade). The worst possible return would have been a comp 3rd round pick in 2019 IMO, after Sammy signs somewhere else in FA. Or worse yet no comp pick at all because the Bills can't afford not to sign free agents to help round out their roster.
Look at what other good players have been traded for. A 2nd and a decent CB for an often injured WR is actually a pretty decent return. Now if Sammy didn't have the injury history he does, and had actually produced and out up numbers on the field, his value would have been higher.
Now I'm not going to say that it doesn't hurt losing Sammy for a 2nd and a CB. It does. But worst possible return is a major over exaggeration.
And his foot injury might be completely healed. But he's injured like 6 different body parts in his 3 years here. Let's just wait and see if he's able to stay healthy for a whole season, and even if he is able to stay healthy for 1 season out of 4, let's see how the next few years go. I know you've already decided this trade is terrible. But that's TBD yet.
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i noticed no mention of running by Russ. Maybe nbd but just a reminder that Russ is the only one in the organization with any ties to Sammy. No one else was here when he was drafted including ownership.
I didn't even think about that until you mentioned it. Sounds like he truly isn't involved in football decisions anymore, which is a good thing IMO. Let the football guys runs things and let him do his marketing thing.
I think it truly is a new day and age for this team! lol
I am assuming that the three of them agreed that a trade of Sammy would be a good idea...Then Beane goes off and finds a partner for the trades, put all the parameters in place and then calls up his HC and Owner to tell them that he has a trade ready to go. I think this is perfectly in line with the power structure
I could see that being true.
I don't know if McDermott knew there were active trade discussions happening but I'm sure they at least had discussions about those players fitting the team long term. I can't imagine Beane trading those two if McDermott wanted them both here long term.
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they were clearly not 1 Sammy Watkins away from the playoffs anyway.And the point is what? He seems to manage it pretty well against Miami. If a guy can't make a cut or get out of his break due to an injury should he go out there anyway? There's an old saying about playing hurt, but not playing injured.
Yeah they weren't going to win this year anyway. Might as well ship off the top talent and start from scratch. Maybe after 3 or 4 more drafts they might be ready to make the playoffs that way.
They have massive holes all over the roster with terrible depth and signing him for $15-$17+M per year greatly hurts their ability to field a complete team with depth, especially with some of the big salaries on the cap for the next couple/few years. It's kind of a waste with a run first team, and an elite WR isn't what wins championships anyway. They're nice to have, but nowhere near one of the key important pieces IMO.
6 picks in the first 3 rounds gives the Bills a chance at building an actual, complete team. Another draft or two and they might actually have some real depth too. Something the Bills haven't had in a long time. The best teams are built through the draft.
Like it or not this was more than likely a transition year anyway. New GM, all new coaches, new schemes. When you change coaches and schemes, some players no longer fit. They will figure out which players those are and move on from them. Your timeline of 3 years is probably about right, even if we don't like it. But at least this team is being built properly through the draft for once instead of taking the bandaid approach.
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Here's my opinion on what you said -
First, a big reason why the Bills haven't kept their own talent is constant coaching changes, making good players no longer proper fits. So hopefully these new guys are here for more than a couple years and they can actually have a chance to build something properly.
They are stockpiling draft picks to build the type of team they want. When is the last time the Bills did that? That's what Polian did in the '80's and that worked out pretty well. The Bills have tried the bandaid approach for years and years. Time for something new, and building through the draft is a long used and well proven method to build a winning team. Many/most of the best teams in the NFL were built through the draft.
I don't know why you think Beane will trade away his picks just because he traded 2 players that they obviously felt were not long term fits. Doesn't seem like one has anything to do with the other...
I agree building through the draft is a good concept, and that you need veterans to help them along. Which is why they have kept veteran players and not went into full tank mode. Sammy Watkins and Ron Darby were not really veteran players. They've been in the league 3 and 2 years, respectively.
Kyle Williams, Eric Wood, Anquan Boldin, Tyrod Taylor, Richie Incognito, Lorenzo Alexander, Micah Hyde (etc) - those are veteran players, and most every one of them are very good about helping younger guys along. The Bills have put a focus on bringing in and keeping character guys like them.
I'm sure a Beane does want to win now, but the most important thing is building a consistent winner for the long term.
As far as a speed receiver - this is a horizontal passing west coast offense, built on short passes w/yards after the catch, possession of the ball/earring up clock. It's not Greg Roman's offense anymore. A deep threat is not as important.
Zay Jones could end up being our deep threat anyway. Or even Matthews. Both ran almost identical 40 times to Watkins. Rod Streator ran a faster 40 time. IMO speed guys are pretty easy to find if they decide they need someone like that and don't have him on the team.
How does trading Watkins really change the win/loss for this year anyway? The offense did alright without him on the field last year. It was the defense who struggled. They've improved their WR core over what they had last year though (especially compared to what they had without Watkins on the field last year).
It's basically a totally different team from last year anyway. There are only like 30 players from last season left. So one Sammy Watkins isn't going to be the difference between winning and losing this year... It's going to be a combination of a lot of things.
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Me too. I'm just hoping he's a good fit and produces on the field, likes it here and is then signed to an extension.What an well educated and mannered young man! Excited to have this guy on the team.
He is definitely a perfect fit as far as the type of character guys McDermott wants. Let's hope the on field stuff works out well too.
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Matthews is not a speed guy in the NFL irrespective of what he timed in shorts. He's a physical possession WR best suited to slot duty and when given chances to play outside hasn't been as effective. Jones looks promising, but is an unknown at this juncture. Obviously the WCO is designed to attack the field horizontally, but it's still nice to have the deep threat as part of the arsenal. I'm skeptical as to any one of the WRs being able to defeat single coverage of opposing teams' #1 CBs with any kind of consistency.
In shorts. How fast you play in real games is what matters. Streater? What has he done in the NFL?
I don't know. I guess I'm just not really that worried about a deep threat, and I think between some of the guys we have one of them will be able to run a go route when needed.
This isn't the same Greg Doman style offense. It's not predicated on a deep threat like his was.
The offense and run game seemed to do fine without Sammy last year, and I'd argue that our WR core is an upgrade over what we had last season (especially without Sammy on the field). So hopefully it'll be the same this year...
It's likely a transition year anyway. The team is far from done being built.
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The Rockpile Review by Shaw66The Brandon Beane Era BeginsBrandon Beane arrived in Buffalo three months ago. He was the new guy in town, replacing the last new guy, who replaced the new guy before him. Over time, each new guy made his mark on the team, and then he left. He made a mark, but he didnt win.So Beane took over in May, and now its his turn to make his mark. He did a few deals, nothing very remarkable. It seemed as though wed have to wait until free agency and the draft in 2018 to get a sense of who this man is and what his team-building strategy looks like. Or so it seemed.Less than a day after an ordinary and uneventful preseason opener, Beane reshaped the 2017 starting lineup and set himself up to build the team that he and Sean McDermott envision.In separate deals, Beane traded Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby and filled their spots in the lineup with quality starters. He also banked second- and third-round picks in the 2018 draft.Yesterday, we could only speculate about how and what Beane and McDermott want to build. Today, its pretty clear.1. They want to build through the draft. Beane confirmed it in his press conference. Why through the draft? Because drafted players cost less than free agents; acquiring less expensive players means more players under the cap with the talent and skills McDermott wants.2. McDermott is confident that system trumps talent, that a lot of good players playing in the right system will beat great players whose talents force the team to adjust to them. He knows Watkins is better than Matthews and Darby is probably better than Gaines, but he also knows that Matthews and Gaines plus the two guys the Bills can draft next year are probably better, collectively, than Watkins and Darby.3. They think they need a true franchise quarterback, not just a good quarterback. Taylor may be a good a quarterback, but he almost certainly isnt a franchise quarterback. Are they done with Taylor? Not necessarily. But the deals put the Bills in position to go after the QB they want if Taylor doesnt make major strides this season. And if Taylor has a good but not great season, dont be surprised if the Bills trade down again in 2018, stockpiling 2019 picks so that they can have one more year to look at Taylor.4. Theyre students of the Belichick way. Belichick trades his top talent rather than pay it. He can afford to pay a GIllislee $4 million because he isnt paying anyone other than a QB $14 million. Beane and McDermott will take a good role player (Matthews) over a better, but costlier star (Watkins). Belichick stockpiles draft picks, often trading down. McDermott traded down in the 2017 draft, instead of trading up for a Watkins. In every practice McDermott puts his players into a particular game situation tells them the situation, tells them how to respond, puts them on the field to practice it. It was reported as innovative, but Belichick has been doing that for years.5. The Pegulas have turned this team over to Beane and McDermott. The deals were bold moves, and Beane must have gone to the Pegulas, if not for their prior approval, at least as a courtesy. A GM that didnt have his owners confidence might have been told to cool it, to hold on to the guy who, at least on paper, was your biggest star. It seems the Pegulas response was its your decision.6. Doug Whaleys approach to his job was to acquire and keep talent. He proudly announced that he had his top six, the highly paid guys who will lead the team: Taylor, Glenn, Watkins, McCoy, Dareus, Gilmore and Hughes). And in truth it wasnt a bad collection of players. But Whaley never articulated, and his acquisitions never revealed, a greater plan about how to build a team. He was hampered by having had a coach (Rex) and maybe another (Marrone), who also didnt have a well-defined strategy. The GMs and coaches, to one extent or another, seemed to think it was enough to get good players and coach em up. McDermott and Beane have a plan; they have an idea of who players fit the plan. (Sounds a bit like Belichick, doesnt it?) Gilmore didnt fit, not at that price (he may be a fit in Belichicks, but not McDermotts). Watkins didnt fit, not at that price. Hughes, Dareus, Glenn, Taylor, McCoy all have gotten the message.7. Beane may be young, but hes in charge. He handled the press conference like a real pro. Straight, on-point answers to some questions, always positive about the players he decided to trade while emphasizing that in return he got players who can play, and flatly and directly declining to answer questions that reveal his future plans.8. Beane may be young, but like Whaley, he isnt afraid. First time GM, one of the youngest in the league; a lot of guys in that position would have backed away from the table and just let 2017 play out with the hand he was dealt. Not Beane.9. Weve heard a lot about how the Bills will be running a variant of the west coast offense, with an emphasis on possession passing and strong running. We saw a lot of short passes in the preseason opener. The acquisitions of Boldin and Matthews reinforce that view. Big targets, possession receivers. The trades scream that the Bills want to be effective, not flashy.I hated to see Sammy go. Hes a special talent, and its so much fun to watch special talent perform for the team I root for. Itll be brutal to watch if he puts up a monster season this year, and he could.But I like the moves. I like them because the team may be better this season (and in any case not terribly worse) than 2016, and I like them because the moves should make the team stronger going forward.Most of all I like them because they say that the Bills, for the first time in a long time, have men in charge who have a plan, who are pursuing that plan every day, and who wont be distracted froam the goal. They have men in charge who have the full support, emotional and financial, of the owners. I like that.GO BILLS!!!The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full days hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.
Well said. Agree with pretty much all of this. I'm not so convinced that they will be trying to trade up for a QB like many others are. I think they're stockpiling picks to rebuild the entire team, not just go after a QB. If the right one is there in the 1st, I think they take him. Or make a trade up if the cost is low enough.
Also agree about Whaley. His philiospoly seemed to be to acquire the most talented player he could (and he said as much, more than once). Having been a scout his whole career, Talent was the #1 priority for him. He didn't really seem to have a specific type of player or team building philosophy. He just wanted the most athletically talented player he could get. It gave the Bills some exciting players, but didn't ever really lead to enough wins for us.
Beane and McDermott have a very clear plan. They want high character, selfless 100% team first guys. It does remind me a lot of Belichick TBH. Will it work? Time will tell. But it's been an long time since the Bills have truly been built through the draft. Seeing as that's how most of the best teams have been built, I'm all for it.
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he is likely a very good fit with Dennison and the "kind" of Team B and S are building.
Bills will find a speedster already on the team methinks.
Darby is going to do well under Jim. Good for Him, Nice Kid for sure.
I just posted in another thread that Rod Streator ran a 4.37 (Sammy ran a 4.43 for reference) 40yd dash. Maybe they use him as the speedster if he makes the team? I think he was a Tracy and field guy too IIRC. Kinda like a Goodwin 2.0 that has hung onto the ball well (so far). lol
I agree about Darby doing well under Jim Shorts (as long as 2016 was more of an anomaly). He will play more man coverage under JS, so that should help compared to McDermott's D scheme here.
Matthews does seem like a great fit, too. Seems like a very high character totally team first McDermott type guy, and a nice fit for a WCO.
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Jones looks good, but as a rookie, we don't know what he brings. Boldin and Matthews both are best suited for slot duty. Who's the deep threat to keep defenses honest enough to stay out of eight man fronts?
Sammy ran a 4.43 at the combine. Matthews ran a 4.46 and Zay Jones ran a 4.45. Doesn't seem like that huge of a difference to me, if they wanted to send Matthews or Jones on a go route. I believe Jones did alright as a deep threat in college when they asked him to, no? We don't really know how Dennison will use them yet.
Rod Streator actually ran a 4.37 sec. 40yd dash. So maybe he can be the deep threat?
I wonder how much Dennison will use the deep pass, though. Seems like maybe he plans on using shorter passes and YAC, playing a possession style game eating up clock. I guess we will see.
If they do feel they need a true burner/deep threat I'm sure they'll try and find one between now and the start of the season. Shouldn't be all that hard to find a speed guy IMO.
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He's getting coached up on the sidelines. They are showing him how he's supposed to hand off the ball. Ugly!
They had to teach him how to hold a football properly last year, so no surprise there... lol
Kid is as raw as can be.
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Kind of mentioned in the article, but it seemed like they didn't know where to put the WRs. Albeit the first practice with JM, when Sammy was still here (RIP) everyone had their set position and role from the way practice looked.
Don't want to start any conspiracies, but I really feel like the GM made this move and then told the coaching staff - it just does not make sense the way practices were being organized up until this point. Sammy was the focal point of the passing game for over a month now. With just under a month until season kicks off, the passing game (a pretty darn important piece of this game) is reinventing itself. Oh well.
Beane said during his press conference that he didn't tell McDermott about the trade until the night before they made it. He said he didn't want to distract them from their game preparation. Also said he waited until the trade was real before bringing it to him and Pegula.
I'd imagine they had some discussions about Sammy maybe not fitting into their long term plan before hand, and I'd also imagine that Beane, McDermott and Pegula agreed to make this trade. But if Beane is to be believed, McDermott and co. didn't know about the actual trade until the night before.
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Sorry if I called you pathetic.
The constant excuse making for the franchise is pathetic.(not you specifically)
It makes little sense to trade a talent like Sammy Watkins. He obviously doesn't fit into their future plans because they traded him.
Im suggesting these guys are morons for not having a TALENT like Sammy Watkins in their future plans. As Coach Tuesday already mentioned a couple times, they won't find another talent like Sammy for a LONG time.
They could've avoided him taking up that much cap space by picking up his option.
These guys clearly didn't like Sammy Watkins. My question is why?
His foot injury last season? It's football. EVERYONE gets hurt. He wants to get paid? What is wrong with paying a guy if he performs?
The New York Giants(a franchise we as fans can only wish our team operated like) have a complete head case who wants to get paid in OBJ. You think they'd trade him away because he wants a big pay day and is a prima donna?
Not a chance.
They undervalued Sammy, IMO. Like I've said, these are a couple of guys that think they are smarter then everyone else. We've seen that here in the past. It don't work.
Thanks for the apology. Appreciate it.
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From Wentz to Tyrod. From supermodel to girl next door. Give the man space. He needs to recover from this. I mean girl next door isn't bad. But she ain't no supermodel.
"Tyrod's a great asset to the Bills," Matthews said. "To be able to play with him is going to be awesome because I already know what kind of person he is."
"Tyrod works hard," Matthews said. "He was always the first guy in the building whenever we were training in Arizona"
"He definitely has a savvy about him, and he understands people. He's not one of those guys who was modeled to be a quarterback but has no people skills. He knows how to lead a locker room. He knows how to talk to the receivers, the rest of the offense and get everybody pulling in the same direction."
"And I also think he has a chip on his shoulder," Matthews said. "When you go through history, the best quarterbacks always have a chip on their shoulders."
"I'm excited to see what he's going to do."
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Trying to rationally look at why a trade was made is not pathetic. But again, continually calling your fellow Bills fans pathetic because they bring up something you don't agree with, well... it's not s good look to say it nicely. You attacked me yesterday and called me pathetic after a wrote what I felt was a well thought out and rational post. You didn't bother going into detail as to why you didn't agree. You just called me pathetic. And now I've seen you do the same thing to multiple other people.AGAIN, WHY WAS SAMMY GONE AT THE END OF THE YEAR?
WHERE DID THIS INCREDIBLY INACCURATE ASSUMPTION COME FROM?
Man. Some Bills fans are so incredibly pathetic. Doing ANYTHING to justify their support for the inept organization.
It's very likely that Sammy was gone after this year, whether you like it or not. Either because the organization didn't see him as a fit or didn't want to dish out a massive deal for him (remember he said he wanted to change the pay scale of the entire NFL) or because they didn't like the way he fit the team or his attitude or whatever other reasons there were.
it's also very likely that the Bills didn't want to use up roughly 2/3rds of their currently available 2018 cap space to franchise tag an often injured receiver, who has yet to make it through a single season healthy. So you can say that they could have tagged him. But maybe they didn't want to use $15-$17M of their $26M in cap space on Sammy.
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I mentioned this in another thread, but I think it bears repeating.
The only way anyone can support the Watkins/Darby trades is by assuming the plan is to go after a 2018 QB prospect.
One of the big problems though... None of the top QB prospects are going to be seniors.
Sam Darnold is a Sophomore. Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson are Juniors.
This means some or all of them could return to school, even if they turn out to be fantastic prospects.
Not to mention, the Bills are going to have plenty of competition for draft position, even if they are loaded with picks.
The Jets have a terrible roster and seem to be purposely tanking for the #1 pick. The Browns are awful and also loaded with picks. The 49ers will certainly be in the mix. Another terrible season and the Jags could move on from Bortles. The Chargers could be ready to find a replacement for Rivers. Could the Rams dump Goff after 2 seasons? If the next Andrew Luck is poised to come out and these guys are sitting in the Top 1-2-3 spots, why would they trade to Buffalo?
There are so many ways this whole plan could backfire, it just depresses me.
I highly doubt that Sammy and Darby were traded solely to go after a 2018 QB. I can almost guarantee that there was a lot more to it. Honestly, I don't think going after a 2018 QB was even one of the reasons Sammy & Darby were traded, and if it was it was way down on the list of reasons IMO.
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Nobody has an idea of how many games he will play. He stands as much of a chance as any other player because injuries aren't predictable.
Julio, Dez, and Edelman all needed the second surgery for the Jones fracture and are now all fully recovered and producing...Watkins is now healthy and may now be entering his prime.
My point was that Watkins has had the detriment of not only a not very good passer throwing to him a limited amount, but that the scheme also hurts him and both these things aren't allowing him to fully realize his potential. Matthews I imagine is pretty much getting the most out of his ability.
You're right that nobody knows how many games he will play. But you continue to focus on only the foot injury.
Here's a quick list of Watkin's injuries in his time with the Bills (as per ESPN) -
Aug. 16, 2014: Watkins exited the Bills' second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with what the team called a rib contusion and did not return.
Aug. 28, 2014: After missing the Bills' third preseason game, Watkins returned for the preseason finale but pulled himself out of the game after reinjuring his ribs. Months later, Watkins revealed that he was dealing not only with a rib contusion but with broken ribs.
Sept. 14, 2014: Watkins scored his first NFL touchdown in a Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins, part of an eight-catch, 117-yard performance. Watkins was checked out by trainers multiple times during the game and was hunched over on the sideline at one point.
Oct. 8, 2014: Watkins was removed from the injury report after being listed for the first five weeks of the season with the rib ailment.
Oct. 22, 2014: Watkins was added to the Bills' injury report with a groin injury but was a full participant in practice. Four days later, he gained a career-high 157 receiving yards in the Bills' win over the New York Jets and was named the NFL's offensive rookie of the month for October.
Nov. 5, 2014: Watkins left the Bills' Wednesday session with a groin injury and did not practice for the rest of the week. However, he played in the Bills' Nov. 9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, catching four passes on 10 targets.
Nov. 30, 2014: Watkins suffered a hip injury in the Bills' Week 13 win over the Cleveland Browns but returned to play the following Sunday in a loss to the Denver Broncos, catching seven passes for 127 yards.
Dec. 10, 2014: Watkins was removed from the injury report and did not reappear on it for the final three weeks of the season.
Early 2015 offseason: Watkins underwent surgery on his hip and sat out the vast majority of organized team activities as he rehabbed.
July 31, 2015: Watkins participated fully when the Bills opened training camp at St. John Fisher College.
Aug 6, 2015: Watkins didn't finish practice after getting "a little nicked up," as Rex Ryan put it, but Watkins said he was dealing with soreness from his offseason surgery.
Aug. 17, 2015: After easing back into practice, Watkins exited a training camp practice again with what was called glute soreness. He sat out the final three preseason games for precautionary reasons.
Sept. 9, 2015: Watkins was listed on the Bills' first injury report with a hamstring injury but was a full participant in practice. He was removed from the injury report by Week 2.
Sept. 27, 2015: Watkins left the Bills' win over the Miami Dolphins with a calf injury and missed two games, against the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans.
Oct. 18, 2015: Watkins fell awkwardly in the end zone while making a 22-yard touchdown catch late in the first half of a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Television cameras later showed him on crutches outside the locker room, and his sprained ankle kept him out of a crushing Bills loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars the next weekend in London.
He's had injuries to like 6 different body parts in his 3 years with the Bills. It very well could have just been bad luck. But to say that there hasn't been a troubling and worrisome history of injuries would be false.
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It's far from absurd. He needed to do nothing now. If SW isnt healthy in 2017 , the Bills FO look like geniuses for not picking up his option. If he is healthy ( looking more likely now) he probably has a good season. Great! Except there's one problem . He won't re- sign in Buffalo because you didn't pick his option up and he's playing hardball. Suddenly you look foolish. Call it what you want, it's a panic because it could all have been avoided . Beans and company care only about their egos, winning is not the top priority.
Yes, he meant that in the sense that Reed was his best WR and his go to. Rodak is still an idiot .
Beane and his front office staff weren't even here yet when the Bills decided not to pick up Sammy's option. So how does that factor into his ego? It wasn't even a decision he or his front office staff made, as they were all employees of other teams at the time.
And before you say "McDermott", Beane already said he was the one who handled this entire trade. He said he only brought it to McDermott the night before, when it became real.
Peter King: Darby Hadn't Bought Into New Bills' Regime
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
I know what you're referring to with Marrone (although I don't know if he ever issued an ultimatum. It was reported he asked for extensions for him and was told no, then asked for extensions for his coordinators and Pegula again said no, then (I think it was a day or so later) used his out clause . That's a bit different than giving an ultimatum).
But what "stunning ultimatum" did Rex give Pegula?
If you are talking about Pegula saying that Rex asked if he was going to be fired and if so could he just leave now instead of having to coach the last game against the Jets, I'd hardly call that a stunning ultimatum. I'd call it a question. He asked Pegula's permission to leave now and not to have to face all the questions in NYC if he was going to be fired right after that anyway.
Maybe you're referring to something else though?