WideNine

I like this move - was surprised to learn that the Colts released their O-Line coach Dave DeGuglielmo after the turn around for that unit. Seems like a good move to grab his assistant. BTW the Bills rushing yards from 2010-2011 was 3,641. If nothing else this guy has been around some successful coaches who have turned around poor units and deserves a shot at the spot.

I think Culley probably gives them some luxury there as he has been a WR positional coach many times in his career. Will be interesting to see who they bring in if they fill the vacancy and if that guy has a Culley connection.

Special Teams is not a position coach, but I get your point. I find it odd how so many folks get their undies in a twist from simply asking why this guy? You can look at the rankings of the Special Teams established coaches who have coached over the years... From there you can see if their ST's suck more often than they are competitive. There is nothing to review for this hire as this would be his first gig as a ST coach (was an assistant his one year with the Panthers). Everyone has got to start somewhere.

No one is trashing the hire, just questioning how thorough the positional hiring process is at OBD - if anything, I usually trend towards giving the new Bills regime the benefit of the doubt. Outside of leaning on connections in the Panthers org, it would be a curious thing that they hired a guy whose coaching resume is tissue-thin with one whole year as an assistant ST coach with the Panthers. It is fair to want to look under the hood and better understand how they landed on that guy - you kind of have to assume someone in the Panthers org told McBeane that this guy was worth giving a shot. That does not mean he will fail, but if he does - the question is going to be asked again later by the media and everyone else.

You think? I hope this is the case, but what I have seen in life is that is more often who you know that what you know when it comes to getting hired. I had some other guys in mind so I am a bit bummed. The Panthers were middle of the pack playing in a nice balmy Charlotte location half the time, our conditions in B-lo are a bit more challenging, but I am open to being convinced he is a diamond in the rough.

Fair point - did not note the hiring date when they went to work for the Panthers and forgot they flushed Koeter so that explains why he was available. It is also fair to acknowledge that there has to be some FO connections still with Carolina, or a degree of organizational cronyism or this guy who (as you pointed out, the McBeane has not worked with, who has a minimal NFL coaching resume) would not have floated to the top. Not saying he is going to suck, just wondering what they based this hire on, or more likely who's opinion.

I hope I am wrong, but the Bills also seem to scheme a lot of their defense around pass rush and defensive linemen occupying blockers to create gaps to free up stunts and blitzes. Where we absolutely were hurting is getting any push from our DTs to stop runners before they got a good head of steam hitting those open gaps and rolling over/dragging guys in our secondary +5 yards a carry. Star may be doing exactly what they are asking of him, but we need some defensive interior linemen that can be disruptive and play on the other side of the LOS, or to better scheme our run defense (probably a bit of both and perhaps they expect our linebackers to be more successful with their run-blitzes). Just thinking out loud folks... nothing to see here.

You hope it isn't cronyism... I would have preferred they interviewed Boyer, but I cannot say for sure that they did not have Boyer in their sights as their preferred target. Boyer just recently signed (the 13th) an extension to stay on with the Jets under the new regime, and we do not know who he turned down or when before he made that decision. Only a few days after Boyer made that announcement we see this move. Maybe the timing is not coincidence, but rather a plan "B". The only thing I am sure of is if he was their #1 choice there was no need to wait this long to make the move unless Heath had reservations about taking the role. A lot of folks here beg for fresh faces in the coaching ranks - they are getting their wish.

Ugh - so this is another disguised thread dedicated to Ma-homees that cannot go a day without pining for the guy? The Bills and 30 other teams missed taking him... time to move on folks, you are drifting into the stalker zone.

Just means the Pats are gearing up to ***** up some TE's in this deep draft.

Iowa is producing some really good ones... as their OC was NE assistant OC and TE's coach. San Fran's George Kittle is a product: Drafted in 2017: in 2018 he had 1377 yards which broke the single season receiving record for TE's and got a pro-bowl invite. It is rumored that the Iowa coaching staff sat Noah Fant as talented as he was because he didn't like to block and they saw a more complete talent in T. J. Hockenson. The kid is good - catches everything and does not mind blocking. T. J. Hockenson declared for the NFL draft today. From a 2017 article: Hockenson watches a lot of film of the New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski, today's preeminent tight end in the NFL. Most think of Gronkowski as a pass-catching phenom; but Hockenson notes the reason “Gronk” is so proficient is because of his blocking skills. Hockenson is not yet an NFL-level tight end. But no doubt, Hockenson is off to a great start. And he has all the tools — the dedication, size, strength and hands — to get there ... while perhaps becoming a sneaky-dominant force for the 2018 Hawkeyes. “If the kid stays healthy, he’s going to get to play at the next level. And we’ll get to watch him on Sundays,” Smyser says. “I think he’s that good. And how he fits into that Iowa program, they make tight ends great. There are a few mocks that have NE taking him in the 1st as Gronk v2.0. I would rather see him in a Bills uniform.

Dawkins originally was projected as a guard or right tackle, if they picked up another LT in the draft who could also play guard you have flexibility on that left side in case of injuries.... I don't want them to "chase" any position, but more depth on the left side would not hurt. The Glenn trade also allowed them to move up and take Allen.

Tom Brady usually has a pocket to slide around in...like a nice safe kiddy pool surrounded by the best o-line. Josh's pocket is more like getting a single coat of saran wrap then being dropped into a shark tank.

I hear you, but would like to see what a position change and different coaching does for him. O-linemen are a strange breed. The right coach and they will run through a wall...does not mean that a coach has to be buddies with them, more often than not that kind of relationship with players is too familiar and does not translate to better development or play on the field. Even considering the steps Dawkins took backwards, he was still the best o-linemen we had out there last year. I also think it helps to have players pushing for your spot - so who was pushing Dawkins with Glenn gone? There is a reason he got complacent and comfortable with his friendly coach and less than competitive UFA o-line peers. They gave Foster another chance to turn it around...sometimes 2nd chances works if the conditions change.

He's young and made a mistake - it happens. That being said, i don't know if watching Juan taking the fall is a learning experience. The Bills should draft someone who can play LT and move him to guard...if nothing else, it sends the right message about work ethic and may light a fire under him.

Even with the space I want to be sure the Bills keep enough reserves to sign some of the young guys they are grooming. I am sick of the Bills being the NFL farm team that gets players to the pro-bowl only to have them finish their careers elsewhere. We can't keep everyone from jumping. but it would be nice to be more competitive keeping our home-grown talent.

I used to argue it was Hackett and not EJ - a lot. Took the shock of hearing from some Bills players that EJ could not learn the playbook and that the coaches had to keep dumbing everything down to reading half the field for me to leap off the bandwagon. We will see what he can do sans Marrone and shoddy QB's.

I think Eifert will be looking for $$, but if he comes down to earth and is willing to take an incentive-laden short term "prove you can still get it done" contract then sure. I like the idea of more veterans on the o-line, that group IMO more than most others benefits the most from having a few guys who have "been there done that" to balance the youth you are coaching up.

Yeah, lost his son after getting the Packers to a 15-1 season as their OC. Talk about coming down to earth - I get why a change of scenery was needed taking the Miami job. The Bills could do far worse I think.

This happened (below) And then 2018 season out again with a pulled hammy for pretty much all of November. Croom started coming on and why waste reps on a player on the downside; Who is injured a lot, and can't stay on the field, and whose injuries have made him less effective? Not faulting Clay for getting injured, but it is what it is. This is the same reason, or close enough to why I don't like Eifert as a FA pickup, he may have the juice when he is healthy and on the field, but that is not as often as it needs to be to be sure to get your bang for your buck. Oct 8, 2017 NFL Knee MCL Sprain Grade 2 Clay missed 3 games. Oct 8, 2017 NFL Knee Meniscus Tear Clay had surgery after injuring his left knee in Week 5. He suffered a meniscus tear and MCL sprain on the same hit. Sep 11, 2016 NFL Knee Strain Grade 1 Clay strained his right knee and battled soreness all season, ultimately missing 1 game. May 24, 2016 NFL Back Lower Lumbar Sprain/Pull Unspecified Grade 1 Clay was treated for a lingering lower back injury throughout the offseason. Dec 13, 2015 NFL Back Lower Lumbar Sprain/Pull Unspecified Grade 1 Clay missed the final 3 games of 2015. Nov 19, 2014 NFL Thigh Hamstring Sprain/Pull Unspecified Grade 1 Clay pulled his right hamstring at practice and missed the next 2 games. Aug 2, 2014 NFL Knee Strain Grade 1 Clay was held out of practice until August 18. Dec 16, 2012 NFL Knee Meniscus Tear Clay tore his meniscus in Week 15 and was placed on IR. Aug 25, 2011 NFL Thigh Hamstring Sprain/Pull Unspecified Grade 1 Clay strained his right hamstring in August. He missed 2 regular season games.

All watching that did at first was piss me off as I watched play after play where Miller and Mills slowly evolved out of their stances, managed to get tangled up with each other blocking/holding the same guy while other pass rushers blew by them. Miller was horrifying, and at least Boettger when they finally made the switch seemed to lock onto his guy, moved his feet, and sometimes got some push which allowed Mills to focus solely on not getting beat on the outside every play. Against the Fins (I know - the run for the bus was on) they almost looked respectable in pass-pro. The kid grew over the season with the playing time he received, needs a bit more support around him to really shine and settle into his role but I think we have a keeper.

I agree with this, but you can't have a team that has a lot of money tied to players who are not getting it done either, or the next guy just has to blow up the roster to get some compete back on the field. When I say not getting it done, I am not talking scheme but rather physically getting beat on the field. That is why the handling of McCoy has me baffled... I like some of the moves by McBeane to clear cap and jettison big-salary under-performers, or guys that just cant stay healthy, but although I like McCoy I do believe his best days are in the rear view. Would have liked to keep Woods, but all indications were that he wanted out. Would've liked to have kept Glenn, but the Bills also would not have been able to move up and take one of the better QB's I have seen in a long while .... wearing a Bills uniform that is. Hoping there is a lot less of that and more building and maintaining a good core. I also don't believe in the scheme coaches who can't adapt... to be competitive year after year with FA, injuries, and roster turnover a good coach has to be able to find ways to get the most out of the players they have. That was one of the under-appreciated aspects of Wade Phillips time here as he crafted defenses that fit his players...I remember when injuries decimated our linebacker depth, Wade looked and saw we had more than enough healthy d-linemen and switched his base 3-4 to a 4-3 and still fielded a dominant group. He was praised at each of his other stops for molding the best scheme for the players he has. “I don’t understand the people that say, ‘Hey, this is our scheme, and that guy can’t play in it. The guy can play, he’s a good player, but he can’t play in our scheme,' " Phillips said. “Well, to me. There’s something wrong with your scheme.”

This is my take, when NE is winning at the LOS and running over your defensive front, teams like the Bills end up having to commit their linebackers and safeties to stopping the run, which opens up play action and the dinks and dunks to their TE's or receivers out of the slot or running drag routes behind them. Playing zone or just putting 7 DBs out there wont get it done, you absolutely have to win the LOS battle and have solid linebackers or you are not going to get them off the field.

The Bills built up the perfect secondary to beat the NE of 2 years ago, lots of quality coverage safeties and a lanky coverage linebacker who can shadow those tight ends.... then they go and run over us with their running game. It's like they watch film and figure out what your team sucks at.

Losing to them twice a year (which is the norm) does affect our team's record and ability to get into the playoffs. Granted we have had some pretty suck teams since the late Ralph showed Wade the door, but the Fish and the Jets have only managed to peak once each since the turn of the millennium too. We have been NE's friggin doormat for too long. And even if we back into the playoffs, if we can't get by NE in the playoffs what is the point? The Bills beat NE they will likely take the division and be in the playoffs and have a huge confidence edge, but we don't so we wont till that is fixed. We get ahead on offense and our defense folds like a cheap seat, we get stellar defensive play and then our offense can't find their a$$ with both hands and turns it over for a defensive score, or we play a good close game and Special Teams finds a way to sn*tch defeat from the jaws of victory, and we always get screwed by the officiating - that's a given. They need to figure it out - and the only saving grace is that NE generally makes every other AFC team look pathetic in the playoffs so comparing the Bills to teams in other divisions that have gotten into AFC playoffs past by beating on weak divisional rivals like the Browns, Cincinnati, or the Raiders is just apples to oranges. I know one thing - constantly blowing up your team is not going to get them past Belichick and Pegula knows this too. Although this off season is key, we should be able to clearly see a team that is making progress and moving in the right direction player-wise and personnel-wise and that does mean more wins and better performance against NE. I am really curious about the Special Teams and positional coach vacancies - also who they promote to national scout to fill that void.