BillsFan4

Nice! Nice! That would be great if he is a full go already. Gives him some time to really step up the training regime before training camp. Really looking forward to seeing what this kid can do on the field this season.

I don't think we can judge what McDermott will do on 4th down by what Rivera did in Carolina. I'd rather look at what McDermott has said and done himself. If you look at his defenses, McDermott has always played an aggressive defense, and I would be somewhat surprised if he didn't continue to do that in Buffalo. Here's a few quotes on McDermott's defense in Carolina - http://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2017/03/what_nfc_coaches_said_about_buffalo_bills_coach_sean_mcdermott_and_his_defense.html Kyle Shanahan - "Sean does a great job," Shanahan said. "They're always aggressive, they're always sound. You know they're going to attack. They're not going to sit on their heels. They're going to be going right at you. Sean does a good job even going against him when he was in Philly. He switches up his scheme a lot and he's always a tough guy to go against." Pete Carroll - "They were really good," Carroll said. "They posed problems. Very aggressive, well-rounded, really good scheme. Good mix oriented, pressured well. It's a good group. I'm glad that we know it. We've played against him a lot, so I'm familiar with that." Dirk Koetter - "..... He was always going to try to exploit your weaknesses. He did a great job of attacking your protections with his blitzes. Very, very sound defense. Rarely out of position....." Here's what McDermott said himself - http://billswire.usatoday.com/2017/03/28/sean-mcdermott-buffalo-bills-analytics-fourth-down/ Sean McDermott says his personality is aggressive when it comes to 4th down. "If we're going down we're going down guns blazing." We won't really know anything until we see his head coaching style this coming season. So as of now it's all speculation. But looking his history as a DC and what he has said in his time as Bills HC, it leads me to believe that he will be aggressive. It's not like this is necessarily the mark of a great coach anyway. There are a lot more important things to being a head coach than whether or not he is aggressive or conservative.

Great post. Interesting stuff. I thought this did a very good job of explaining why McDermott wouldn't need to know Carolina's final draft board to know he may have needed to jump them to ensure that he got the player he wanted. I still think this whole thing about a leaked draft board is ridiculous anyway. Teams jump other teams all the time because they have nothing more than an inkling that team might take the player they want. Where as McDermott had much more inside knowledge of the team he was jumping, who they scouted, who they liked (etc), than is usually the case.

We will see. There's really no way to know for sure until we see him coach. But McDermott ran a much more aggressive Jim Johnson type scheme in Carolina and Philly than what Frazier ran out on his own. It'll be interesting to see which way it goes with the 2 of them working together.

Excited about the Botterill hire. Seems like a smart and well rounded GM candidate. You never know about a GM until you see the moves/trades he makes and give things time to play out. But I am definitely hopeful about this hire. Penguins fans were pretty upset about losing him too, that's usually a good sign. They were really hoping we'd take Bill Guerin instead...

I'm not so sure !cDermott is conservative. I guess we won't know for sure until we see him actually coach a game as HC... But, he learned his defensive system from Jim Johnson, and ran a very aggressive Jim Johnson style defense in Carolina. He also said himself that he is aggressive by nature and will be aggressive as a coach. Said that's what players like, they want to go for the win. Like I said, time will tell. Nope. Jim Johnson.

I was kind of referring to how Andy Reid got hired in KC and asked for a specific GM to be hired to work with him and McDermott did the same in Buffalo. But you can clearly see how big of an influence Andy Reid has had on Sean McDermott in almost everything he's said and done... Andy Reid disciples and ties are all over this coaching staff, obviously starting with McDermott (who has said multiple times that Reid was his biggest influence). Leslie Frazier, another Reid protege from his coaching tree. Juan Castillo, who worked with Andy Reid for 17 years (1995-2012) David Cully is another long time Andy Reid guy - worked with Reid from 1999 to 2017. Was his assistant head coach his entire time in KC. Chad Hall played for Andy Reid. Gill Byrd worked for Dirk Koetter, who's a long time friend of Andy Reid. They came up through the college ranks together going all the way back to SF state and Missouri (and Byrd was rumored to be recommended by Reid). McDermott's (reported) first choice for OC (and reportedly the first offensive coordinator McDermott went after) was Brad Childress, another Andy Reid protege and current KC Chiefs coach. He then hired Rick Dennison, who runs a west coast style of offense like Andy Reid (and IIRC who Reid was rumored to suggest to McDermott). Then as far as his coaching, managerial and team building philosophies - you can see Andy Reid's fingerprints all over that too. How McDermott takes notes on everything - practices, games, scheduling, every conversation with other coaches, ex players, etc. (that's an Andy Reid trade mark). His extreme attention to detail, and going over every possible scenario (another Reid trade mark). The one voice, everyone in unison stuff. The emphasis he puts on team first, and the team building exercises he believes in. How he believes coaching is all about relationships (with players and fellow coaches). How the main emphasis of the coaching staff he's assembled was on finding coaches who are very good teachers first and foremost. How they want to focus on details and execution. How McDermott said he wants to emphasize controlling the line of scrimmage and build strong offensive and defensive lines (and hired 2 of the best line coaches in the NFL). I could keep going on and on about the similarities but I've already typed a book. you get the point, if you've even read this far... lol.

I agree with mostly everything you said, except the bolded statement. Andy Reid and John Dorsey were both hired in KC back in Jan. 2013 and they did not draft a serious QB prospect until their 5th year/draft with the team. This is the first time they took a 1st round QB. They have only taken 1 QB besides Mahomes in that entire time (Aaron Murray in the 5th round, 163rd overall back in 2014). So it seems to me that took their sweet time getting a good QB prospect in the fold. They built the rest of the team up over the previous 4 years first.

The reason I think it screws Blount is now he can't wait out a contract. Where as if they had t done this, he could have sat and waited for an injury or hole to open up during preseason (etc). But now if he remains u signed thru July 22nd, he can't play for anyone but the Patriots in 2017 (and they aren't likely to give him more than the $1.1M tender). I agree though on Belichick. He is on another level. I hate him and the Patriots, but man do I respect his coaching abilities and knowledge of every damn rule and loophole.

Yeah I think it's pretty clear McDermott is modeling the Bills after Andy Reid and his philosophies. I get wanting to see a more extensive GM search. I can't say I wouldn't have liked to see that. But there's a lot worse coaches to model things after.... I'll be pretty damn happy if McDermott and Beane turn out to be anything like Reid and Dorsey in KC. I sure like it better than the jumbled mess of crap that has been the Bills front office and coaching staff the last decade + At least we seem to have a clear plan now, and it's brought about a lot of meaningful change at One Bills Drive. Ralph's old boy's club lifers are almost all gone now. Only what, 2 left? And I think - is on his way out the door momentarily, and the other I ink has been more/less neutered, so...

Which I am sure plays into the reason why the entire scouting and personnel staff was just fired... Hopefully the new staff being out together will do a much better job at evaluating QBs. If they plan to focus on accuracy, ability to read defenses, find open receivers and throw with anticipation (as the Peterman pick, and what McDermott said afterwards seems to suggest), I already like our chances a LOT better than under the old staff.

Dorsey worked for the Packers the entire time Reid was there from '92-'98.

Andy Reid and John Dorsey both worked together in Green Bay for years. Reid was hired 1st, and then Dorsey a few weeks later. It was said that Andy Reid specifically requested John Dorsey for the GM role.

No, I'm not saying we shouldn't take a QB next year. And I honestly don't know if we have someone to develop a QB yet or not. Do you? We haven't seen these coaches in camp or on the sidelines yet. I definitely hope that McDermott, Dennison and his staff can develop a QB, but I have no way of knowing at this point in time. Seeing what they do with Tyrod, Cardale and Peterman this year should hopefully start to give us at least some idea. I was just saying that KC and Buffalo were in completely different positions for this past draft. KC was in a position that they could take a shot on a developmental/project QB in the 1st round, and that even if Mahomes is successful in KC that doesn't necessarily mean that he would have had that same level of success here. Personally, I think taking Mahomes was a reach at #10. But again, I feel KC was in a much better position to where they could take that shot on a high risk type of QB (and he's also going to a great spot where he can sit and develop, then eventually step in with a strong team to surround him). Buffalo wasn't in that same spot. They only had 6 picks and a ton of holes + a rookie HC who can't necessarily afford to blow his very first 1st round pick. As far as next year, if Buffalo identifies a QB that they feel could be our franchise guy, I say take a shot with one of our two 1st round picks. We are in a better shot to take that chance next year, with two 1sts.

I don't know that even if Mahomes turns out to be a good starting NFL QB that you can say the Bills screwed up. First - Andy Reid is definitely among the best coaches in the NFL, and I agree as others have said in this thread that he can be viewed as one of the better coaches at getting the most from his QBs. But that also makes it plausible to say that if Mahomes is developed into a good starting QB in KC, that it might not have happened had Buffalo drafted him. Obviously part of developing a QB is his God given talent, but then another, maybe equally important part, is how that QB is developed, the team that he has around him and being put in a position to succeed. KC was just in a different position than Buffalo. They have a very well established coach and GM who both have a ton of job security. They've spent YEARS slowly building that team up. They have an excellent and very strong team all around, that's had some sustained success. They had very few holes to fill on that team and actually still had a bunch of draft picks left even after trading their 1st and 3rd. They were in a position to take a shot on a rookie QB who they can slowly develop and eventually plug into a strong team with a strong supporting cast. They spent the time building and improving all areas of that team over the years that they're now in a position where the only thing that is holding them back from being perennial Super Bowl champs (or at least contenders) is a better QB. They didn't attempt to draft a 1st round QB in their first years with the team. Buffalo is not in that same position.

http://www.catscratchreader.com/2017/1/6/14189536/sean-mcdermott-and-brandon-beane-interviewing-for-head-coach-general-manager-promotions Interesting that Beane and McDermott seem to have been considered a package deal when Beane interviewed in SF. I read in another article that also said Beane wanted to bring McDermott with him if and when he got a GM job. So it sounds like Sean was Beane's first choice and vise versa.

If that were truly the case, then what stops them from doing that already? Pot is readily available everywhere. Players are obviously smoking already. So, why isn't that happening now? Or are you saying that it is? Why don't they show up to games drunk right now? It's legal.

Ah, that explains it. Thanks. So does that mean I am not allowed to post any BR links at all? Or just that they won't function by clicking on them?

NFLPA files grievance over pain pill policies in NFL. Says they are violating policies and even federal law with blatant over prescription of pain pills - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2708636-nflpa-files-cba-violation-grievance-against-nfl-over-use-of-painkillers (if anyone can tell me why bleacher report links never work, or how to get them to work, I'd be grateful. I only have this problem with BR links...) 'Offensive lineman Kyle Turley, who played nearly a decade in the NFL before retiring in 2007, spoke with Vice Sports about "playing numb" because of painkillers: 'Meanwhile, a group called the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition is working to advocate marijuana as a "safer and more effective treatment" than prescription drugs to handle the day-to-day pain that comes from playing professional football.' Here is another related link on prescription painkiller abuse problems in the NFL. It's a good read for anyone interested - https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/nfl-abuse-of-painkillers-and-other-drugs-described-in-court-filings/2017/03/09/be1a71d8-035a-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.feaa1cd87d73

Good to hear. If Pegula got these hires right, the Bills could be set for a long time. They are both very young and on the job for the 1st time, so I think people need to expect some mistakes. But by all accounts, both seem to be very smart and very well regarded around the NFL. I think they now need to be given some time... I'd like to see both get their full 5 year contracts, and let's see what we can build here.

Yup. The thing is, It's so readily available anyway, and yet guys aren't getting high before games. from what I understand players are only tested like once a year or something like that, unless they are in the drug program. So I am sure plenty of guys are smoking it already. I've seen estimates of 50% or more of NFL players smoke. So the only real difference I see with it being legal is that 1) guys wouldn't be getting suspended for an entire year for a more/less harmless substance with many therapeutic effects. And 2) it would be able to help cut down on the amount of opiates given out in the NFL, which is a fantastic thing. Opiates are much much much more dangerous than pot is. It's not even close. Opiates are one of the most addictive substances on the planet. Oh, and they can get you much "higher" than pot can, too. They can have an extremely strong narcotic effect, to the point where you literally can't even keep your eyes open (aka "nodding"). They can make it so you can hardly function. In fact, they can make you stop breathing and die, from repressing your nervous system so much.

It can be detected in a drug test for up to 1 month after use, depending on the person. Just because they failed a drug test doesn't mean that they were getting high before games. Players show up to games hours early. They'd basically have to be using it right in the locker room to actually be "high" during a game. I can't imagine that would ever happen. Look, alcohol is legal and lots of players drink in their free time, yet they don't get drunk before games.

Nice! Thanks for sharing this.

I think they will do their best to sign Sammy if he has a great season, or just tag him. I was a bit upset that they didn't pick up his 5th year option at first. I felt like Sammy has so much potential that has yet to be realized. Plus the Bills gave up so much to get him, and I also kinda felt like they were betting on him failing. But then I started thinking more about it, and about what McDermott has been saying about every single person EARNING everything, and nothing just being given. McDermott is trying to change the losing culture here, and the players are only going to take him seriously if he actually does the things he talks about. As much potential as Sammy has, it's kind of hard to say that he has legitimately earned more than double his current salary at this point. So, making even your most talented player go out on the field and legitimately EARN his next contract sends a pretty loud and clear message to the entire locker room, IMO.

Agreed. And like I said I honestly don't know enough about Beane to have much of an opinion on how qualified he is for the job. I know he's been being groomed in Carolina for years, and that Carolina fans are somewhat upset at possibly losing him. I just wish we had done an exhaustive search and found the absolute best candidate for the job. But maybe Beane really is the best man for the job. I guess I just don't like that It seems like this was Beane's job from day 1. I kind of feel like this search was more/less just a sham. But Beane hasn't been hired yet, so I am a little early saying this... Who knows what will happen though. Maybe they will hire some top end personnel men and scouts (or other front office exec types) to help them. Or maybe they won't even need to. Don't get me wrong, I will still be optimistic if Beane gets hired. I will give them the benefit of the doubt from day 1 and wait to see what they do over time. I do think it's very important that you have a coach and GM who trust each other and work very well together, and McDermott doesn't seem the type that would want an unqualified guy in the GM role. If he wants Beane that badly, there has to be a good reason for it.