Shaw66

Right. Everyone wants to follow the Seahawks model: hit the jackpot on a rookie QB and you have 3-4 years of cap room to load up on talent. When you have a top 10 QB on a rookie contract, you have a lot of money to spend. You're paying a rookie running back the same thing as a rookie QB, but you have to spend a lot of your cap room on a QB.

I agree about how he's a McDermott-type guy. And thanks for the OP. It's interesting information. The starting job is McCarron's today. It will be up to Peterman and the rookie to take it, if they can. If Beane drafts well, the rookie will take in 2018 or 2019. If McCarron is all that the OP says he is, the rookie will have to be pretty good to do it.

I think there are a few things going on here. 1. Players could see a fundamental difference in the 2017 Bills from earlier years. Didn't fold down the stretch. Team discipline. 2. Players listen to other players. They could tell, we all could tell, that McDermott had created an environment that players wanted to play in. 3. Players can tell when they're getting BSd, and they don't hear any BS coming from McBeane. 4. When you have the first three, then you look at the owners. The owners look like this, too. Disciplined, create an open and supportive environment, no BS. When you see all that, you believe the team will win. That's what sells.

McCarron is an interesting puzzle to think about. He might actually be good. But I doubt it. Here are some positive and negative thoughts about him: 1. He couldn't take the job from Dalton. Negative. 2. He had a Wonderlic score of 22. Negative. 3. When he filled in for Dalton he looked effective. Positive, particularly when you consider that the Bengals have been more or less dysfunctional for years. 4. He's a team-oriented, system kind of guy. Positive. 5. He's cheap. Positive. I would have paid for Cousins or Keenum. I might make a real hard run at Foles when he's a free agent. All those other guys? Save your money. But the inexpensive solution. At a bare minimum, it's fun watching Beane at work. Keep reading him. You'll get it after a while.

Thanks. This is an interesting point. Another validation of what we all thing we're seeing - total competence in the GM's office. For me, the big question is whether the coaching will be as good as the player personnel activity. On defense, I'm okay. I think McD knows how to build a good defense, and I think he and Beane are getting the guys who fit. The offense, on the other hand, is what I'm worried about. Offense in the NFL these days requires creativity and flexibility. We didn't see that in Buffalo last year, and we just have to wait and see what we get out of Daboll.

You make me laugh. Thanks.

Nice post. I think you describe him well. It's a quibble, but you chose the wrong words when you said he doesn't care about the fan experience or selling tickets. Of course he cares. He's all about team, and the broader team he works for cares about those things, so he does too. The thing about a guy like him is that he doesn't let caring about it change the way he does his job. He knows his role on the broader team is build the best 53-man team he can, and he knows that by doing that the other things will take care of themselves. You're right about Tyrod. I just got lazy writing. Tyrod was a short cut, and short cuts generally get you in trouble. Doing things and doing things well are two different things. We're all excited because Beane is doing things. Whether he's doing them well is a question that likely won't be answered for at least a couple of years. If three years from now Cousins is a top five quarterback and the kid we draft is a bust, no one is going to be calling Beane a good GM. I like what I'm seeing, but wins are what matter, not just doing things.

You didn't give a thought to the possibility that Doug Marrone might win the Super Bowl last year? I did. But I agree with you. I wish Taylor well. I hope he succeeds. I hope the Bills do better.

Thanks. You're right, in terms of the Bills. But the success of guys you get rid of is a risk in that it impacts how your boss evaluates you. I think Taylor has talent, and I think the right coach may get a lot more production out of him. I don't think that will happen, but if it does, Beane won't look so smart. I've always though Ivory is a real tough back. He's a Fred Jackson kind of guy. Guts, strength, shifty, a real pro. I thing he'll be great spelling Shady.

I didn't say he was coming. What I said is that the Bills COULD be in the mix if they wanted. They had the cap room. And they had the right package to sell. I also said that the Vikings were the most likely landing spot. I don't think Cousins wanted NYC and I don't think he wanted to go out west. I think he wanted the midwest. If we can believe the report from Sal or someone, the Bills simply weren't interested in writing a big check for a free agent QB. They want a guy out of the draft. Now the question is who is that guy?

I think the Bills are trading up. McCarron isn't likely to be the future. No one wanted him. When you need a QB and you have a chance to get a great rookie, you can't pass on the opportunity. You have to take your shot. So I think the Bills are trading up into the top 5 and getting the guy they want. And that means they won't be drafting at 12 and they won't be getting one of the top linebackers. Maybe they get their guy in the second round.

The Rockpile Review – by Shaw66 Free Agency Was Over Before it Began Each year, fan excitement grows as the beginning of free agency approaches. Fans of each team analyze their team’s strengths and weaknesses, evaluate the available talent and develop a wish list for the team. Some years it’s a coveted corner back, some years it’s an offensive lineman that tops the list. Rarely it’s a quarterback, because good or even useful quarterbacks rarely are available. Then free agency starts, and a few days of excitement ensue. Players show up in one city or another, the fans follow all the movements and the signings, and sportswriters hand out free agency grades to all the teams. 2018 was different, throughout the league and especially for fans of teams that needed quarterbacks. In 2018, free agent quarterbacks were the whole story. Sure, there are position players available, but for whatever reason 2018’s free agent class was chock full of potential starting quarterbacks. The year was unprecedented. Jimmy Garoppolo, Kirk Cousins. Heck, Minnesota alone had THREE starting quarterbacks that became free agents. AJ McCarron won an arbitration and became a free agent. And to make it more interesting, the Eagles decided they wanted to trade their Super Bowl winning quarterback, not a free agent but still up for grabs. Making the whole show more interesting was the pending 2018 draft, with one of the best quarterback classes in years. Fans of every team that needed a quarterback spent weeks figuring what seemed like endless possibilities. And then, before it even began, it was over. In a dizzying series of moves, all, or just about all, of the quarterbacks in play landed with their 2018 teams. For Bills fans, it was truly breathtaking. By virtue of several 2017 trades, the Bills were holding several high draft picks, potential ammunition for trading up into a top spot in the draft. Ten days before free agency was to begin, they strengthened their draft position by trading Tyrod Taylor to the Browns. Taylor wasn’t even one of the QBs being talked about in the free agent frenzy. Was the Taylor move a signal that the Bills were strengthening their hand to trade up in the draft? Or was it clearing cap room for a serious run at one of the better free agents? Bills fans didn’t have to wait long for an answer, because within a week the Bills packaged Cordy Glenn and one of their first-round picks to acquire the Bengals 12th pick in the draft. The Bills were making a run at the top of the draft! But what about 2018? Were the Bills actually planning on starting the season with Nate Peterman and whatever rookie phenom the Bills find in the draft? That couldn’t be. Did the Bills want Cousins or Foles or Keenum and planned to use their 12th pick to get a middle linebacker? Or did they want Bridgewater or McCown, guys who have looked okay as starters but who probably aren’t the future? By the time free agency began, the fans had their answer. The Bills didn’t want any of them. The Bills didn’t want to write a big check to anyone. When just about all the dust had settled, all the quarterbacks had found a home, all but one, AJ McCarron. And all the teams had their quartebacks, all but one, the Bills. Still, maybe the Bills would pry Nick Foles from the Eagles. And then, it was over. McCarron is a Bill. Along the way, Brandon Beane wasn’t focused solely on the quarterbacks. Expecting to lose EJ Gaines, he signed Vontae Davis to keep the secondary stocked with talent. He signed Chris Ivory to have a solid backup to LeSean McCoy. He added two pass rushers and a solid defensive tackle. And free agency had barely begun. Beane will continue to add players, plug holes, build depth. And prepare for the draft. Now the fans have another month to speculate about how the Bills will move up from 12, what it will cost, and most importantly, who it is Beane covets as his next quarterback. So, what do we know now that we’ve seen Brandon Beane in action? Keep your seat belts fastened at all times, that’s what we know. We got a taste of it last summer, when Watkins and Darby were shipped out. We saw more when Dareus was moved and Kelvin Benjamin arrived. But 2017 was nothing compared to this. This was ten days of wheelin and dealin. The stakes were high – teams were making five-year bets on quarterbacks, and Beane placed his bet, on the draft. He’s all in on the draft for the quarterback he wants. Beane wasn’t hedging his bets. He wasn’t looking for a free agent to be his guy. McCarron could claim the job and keep it, but what are the chances of that? He hasn’t been able to take Andy Dalton’s job, so how good can he be? No, Beane has his eyes on someone in the draft, and he’s going to go get him. Beane’s fearless. He’s making deals, he’s moving players, he’s reshaping the team. Every move comes with risk; Taylor may light it up in Cleveland, Beane’s draft pick could bust, but he isn’t afraid to move. This is his team, and presumably it’s McDermott’s team, too. They’re building it the way they want it, win or lose, it’s theirs. Keep your seat belts fastened. And don’t nap on these guys – you’ll miss something. 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 day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

I think people have to get away from the notion that all these guys would be bridge QBs only. Foles is only 28 and he's had some real success. He's also had some time when he's been pretty ugly. But the success has been more than an accident. He has some talent. It takes time to learn to play QB in the NFL, and Foles, like Cousins, could be just now coming into his own. Three years from now, Brady, Ben, Brees, Rivers will all be gone. Who will be the five best QBs in the league? It's not so obvious, because there isn't anyone who compares with them. Foles actually could be one of them. Getting a guy like Foles is the safe play. He can be good enough to carry you for a couple of years, and he also might turn into your long term starter.

Thanks. That means there's no real pressure on the Eagles and they're holding the Bills up for whatever they can get. The Bills are the last likely bidder for Foles. In some ways that's better for the Bills - the Eagles can't play teams against each other. On the other hand, if the Eagles aren't under any great pressure, they can just sit tight. As I said above, the Bills MUST do something by the draft.

That would induce a lot of drug and alcohol abuse.

The pressure on the Eagles apparently is the cap. We've been told the Eagles are over the cap and they hae to get under. So they have to move Foles or someone else.

I'm just basing it on the rumors from a week ago. The rumor was the Bills offered a second and the Eagles wanted a first and fourth. Obviously, it doesn't make sense to give up more than is necessary, but the Eagles are in the driver's seat. So long as they have some way to get under the cap, they can wait out the Bills. The Bills MUST know whether they have Foles by draft day, and the Eagles can wait that long.

I don't believe the Bills are going to camp without a decent veteran, and Foles is by far the best veteran left. So from that point of view it makes some sense to me. Not sure why they had to trade up with Glenn. Why not just trade Glenn for Cincy's second, then give the Eagles 21 for Foles. Unless the plan always was to get Smith or another MLB. I also don't see why they have to wait until 4 pm to announce it.

I tend to agree with you, at this point. I think the right move was to get someone with experience and potential. There's not much potential in the market now. If it had been me, I would have spent some money on Keenum. I would have spent a lot on Cousins. These guys seem to be rolling the dice.

Yup. Say they get Rosen and start Peterman because he's better in camp. Say Peterman sucks in September. Okay, in comes Rosen, and he really isn't ready. He sucks, too. Bills are 1-8 in November. Cousins Keenum and Mayfield (whom the Bills passed on to take Rosen) or even Taylor are having good years. You think the fans won't be berserk? You think the Pegulas will continue to have total confidence in McBeane? I don't.

I'd like to think you're correct but I don't think you are. Some teams like the Giants and Broncos know they don't have a long term answer, so they'll take a QB. And if they really don't want a qb, they'll trade down with someone who does want a qb. The Bengals did that already. There's no way only one qb comes off the board in the first 11 picks. No way. Q

Thanks Rush. I don't agree with that plan, but it's plausible. I don't agree with it because I don't think anyone knows how to "develop" a qb. They do develop, but I don't think anyone develops them. There's no qb school that's the equivalent of Harvard. So going into 2018 with a true journeyman like Moore and a couple of youngsters seems risky. Why not play 2018 with a qb who has some promise, like Keenum? Moore has a career passer rating of 81. That's EJ Manuel territory. If he were a good qb, he wouldn't have been horrible for the Dolphins in 2017. Keenum, on the other hand, has been growing as a qb - he's been getting better. He give the Bills a real chance to win in 2018, and could even become a star. The downside to Keenum was cost. Bur the Bills had enough cap room to do it, and he wouldn't have eaten cap beyond 2019 if the Bills wanted to drop him. I don't like going into 2017 naked. I think McD believes in Peterman.

Thanks. I don't get it at all. This seems reckless. I expected a little patience, recognition that there a building process going n I. And also recognition that some QB might grow into a real stsr, like Cousins, Keenum or Foles. This seems like a crap shoot on an untested rookie. The only other explanation is that McD really likes Peterman and that his one NFL outing was aberrational. Maybe McD thinks Peterman will be as good as McCarron, which is the bare minimum the Bills need.

What? What is is this?

Problem is with Bradford theres a good chance your rookie playing on day 2.