ProcessTruster

McBeanes have proven they will keep getting into the tournament with a top 5 team and one of these years the moon and stars will align and they'll get you that $11.99 SB tee shirt you covet so much. Just try to enjoy the journey just a little please. They have built one heckuva successful program and formula for repeatable success on the field. Yeah, sure we all want to win the tournament as well, but McBeane haters be careful what you wish for. They have done the impossible and made a high tax rate backwater a place where self-indulgent zillionaire 20somethings actually want to be. Don't throw that away so quickly. Other than Josh, all the locker room leaders are gone. lets keep it together and take a few more swings at this. They are very good and very close. Patience, people.

obviously given the nature of the sport you can't have a 64 team tournament with the 1 playing the 16 and so on from there. NFL seems to be getting there, though. within 10 years you'll prob have maybe 40 teams (adding in Goodell's non-US franchises), plus maybe a 20+ team tournament that lasts for 2+ months. that will further cheapen the regular season and put all the marbles into the tournament (exactly the way the NCAA has done it, and in the process pretty much ruined the conference structure/team rivalries/bowl importance, etc. ). It's coming. The networks and therefore the league want everything centered on the tournament, esp the last couple games; outside of a few key 4pm game matchups during season the rest is just noise to them from a ratings/revenue standpoint. I just take a much broader view of the sport. To each their own I guess.

Are you kidding me? The NFL playoffs are absolutely a clone of college tournaments. eg. the NFL playoffs are no different structurally than a college basketball conference tournament. They have regular season champion and then a tournament winner; they are (or at least they were for decades) two seperate things. Winning your conference W-L standings (was for decades) a big big deal. The tournament was just an add -on. Colleges had division, conference structures with real rivalries followed by single elimination conference tournaments long before the NFL started to. Where do you think the NFL got it from?? See, after 20 years of suck, I love it all, every f ing game this team wins. You guys just sit on your hands for 4 months waiting for the tournament. Nothing else matters to you. Sad, really.

Once Josh is married to his west coast wife with the L.A. career base and with a couple kids, I could absolutely see him rolling back to California and his family. He's a family guy, after all. 5 years may be just about right, but for a different reason. He may very well do a "Lebron James"; win one for WNY fans and then head home. It's at least within the range of possibilities.

I'm with Steve Tasker on this. You consistently raise and maintain the roster level every year (this is "the process"), get to the playoffs every year, and, given the inherent randomness of single elimination tournaments, your play will bring a SB at some/multiple points depending on how things break in one year or the next ; ie; keeping swinging the bat with a great, attractive team talent/ culture mix and you will hit the ball. Along the way, win (and celebrate) 3 out of 4 games consistently (the value of this element is becoming lost, esp on this board); for me that is a successful program which will also last, and produce tournament wins along the way. Esp in WNY where your franchise had better have positive attributes (SB shot every year, great team culture/chemistry) to offset the downsides (unwarranted IMO, but that seem to still exist) that FAs see in the area. I don't allow the media to corrupt me into believing that the only measure of success is winning the year end tournament.. what about all the success and wins along the way? When your team is finally this freakin good, why be a fan if you can't relish the journey just as much as the destination?

gonna be a long offseason.... sigh

Bills grab him as an UDFA.

yeah this draft class is not so much a WR class it seems

Grant..

5 more good seasons so that means another 60-70 wins, most in a new beautiful stadium? sign me up for that sh-t all day.

Curtis Samuel ran 4.31 at the combine. Now can he stay healthy is the question. OOPs, Higgins just got the franchise tag. so much for that idea

Don't be surprised if the market for 30 y.o. Cooper is not what his agent might think it is and he comes back for 2 years, $25m or so.

Can't afford $30m+ for him, so that's off the table. Pats have $100m in cap space, they'll probably grab him, although they will need to overpay, ($35M?) since they suck. My bet is Beane drafts some speed. A guy who can be taught to beat man coverage.

I wouldn't worry on it. Beane will not be breaking the bank on a WR this season. He'll prob take a solid run at Cooper but not more than $15 I am guessing; Coopers stock must have fallen based on last years production and his age. We shall see. The Bills are a "draft and develop" organization for the most part, so they will work to get Coleman to the next level, probably pay Shakir, get Kincaid and Samuel 100% healthy and prob draft a speed guy or two. I don't see much more than that. Wild card is how high they go to keep Cook. Not THAT will be interesting.

fair point. we get the toughest teams at home, that seems apparent. weaker teams on the road. every game in the NFL is a fight, but yes, this is positive.

Injuries matter. Samuel had a turf toe, which is devastating to a speed guy. Pretty much wiped his season, as that type of injury tends to do. Once healed, we saw what he could do. If Samuel is healthy, Cooper doesn't happen. Yeah its a restart for him, but the fundamentals of why Beane went and got him should still be there, right?

yep. I don't put much weight on rookie seasons. Rookies' bodies just aren't ready for the NFL; for example, I expect D Carter to come back stronger, around 320 at 6'3" and be the monster he flashed a bit this past season. I expect Coleman to come back smarter and pick up right where he left off in Seattle b4 Poyer cheap-shotted him. These two came out as 21 year old college juniors. Same for Bishop; physically that guy can play anywhere in the back 5. Give them a chance to get an NFL body/smarts on themselves b4 judging them. I'd love to build a dream team of other teams superstars, but that is not happening with what is about to be a $60m+ per year QB (who has a few flaws of his own) cap hit. It is a continual process of draft and develop, IMHO.

assuming injury-free Coleman, Samuel and Kincaid, plus a speed WR draftee/FA or 2 I am reasonably good at WR even if Cooper walks for $15m+ somewhere else. I need to sign Cook and Shakir as they make this offense go. Cooper on the wrong side of 30 soon. Amazing how this board writes off guys who were playing seriously banged up for more than half the season (esp. Samuel) . Amazing really. Just write 'em off. Not a lot of thought goes into so many posts here.

the offense is unstoppable now. led the league in scoring and set the 60 year franchise record. not sure what you are thinking here. Just play the offense back next season with a speed guy added, probably via the draft. The D is where work needs to be done.

washed. Next.

it would be cap prohibitive, so not really an option. he's your starter next season. next.

yep, the last guy I'm listening to is the guy who presided over some of the most painful years of the drought 2013-16

He'll take 8-9 per and be happy with it. Or he will be gone. If he holds out he loses what he is making now. He's a little guy fairly useless in short yardage, near red zone and pass protection; is why he sees only 50% the snaps. RBs are plentiful in this draft. Go get one.

He is absolutely holding out. His agent will definately require that. that is standard operating procedure in this situation. Fanbase will be tested on this one as it will get nasty. Draft is deep in RBs; Cook is useless in pass protection, only plays half the snaps. Beane will prepare to move on from him and see what happens. He is absolutely holding out. His agent will definately require that. that is standard operating procedure in this situation. Fanbase will be tested on this one as it will get nasty. Draft is deep in RBs; Cook is useless in pass protection, only plays half the snaps. Beane will prepare to move on from him and see what happens. He is absolutely holding out. His agent will definately require that. that is standard operating procedure in this situation. Fanbase will be tested on this one as it will get nasty. Draft is deep in RBs; Cook is useless in pass protection, only plays half the snaps. Beane will prepare to move on from him and see what happens. He is absolutely holding out. His agent will definately require that. that is standard operating procedure in this situation. Fanbase will be tested on this one as it will get nasty. Draft is deep in RBs; Cook is useless in pass protection, only plays half the snaps. Beane will prepare to move on from him and see what happens.

sure , why. not. so Jackson and Johnson still live in WNY?