habes1280

"I wish I could quit you."

Okay, I'll bite. As a Bills fan living in Minnesota, and suffering through a lot of Vikings games, I can tell you that he's not a fit for this offense. He might be a phenom athletically, but he's a complete liability in the passing game-- cannot pass block, can't run routes, and positively cannot catch. Defenses leave him virtually uncovered in pass routes and dare you to throw at him. He offers some value in short-yardage play action situations, but no more than the backs we currently have on the roster, and our backs are a threat once the ball is snapped. Additionally, he has significant ball-security problems, and puts the ball on the turf far more than you'd like for a player commanding his kind of salary. So in sum, this isn't a fit for either party. AP likely doesn't want to sign for a team aspiring for no more than a wildcard berth, and the Bills have (or should have) little interest in an expensive 32 year old running back who spent a significant portion of last year on the IR and who would require a change in offensive philosophy-- especially when there's every reason to believe he'd be outplayed by at least one back currently on the roster. My two cents...

Agreed. It also allows them to skip a weak QB class, if they're so inclined, as opposed to forcing their own hand in a weak year and sitting on their hands a year from now, when the class may be stronger. Another two years under this contract gives the Bills the flexibility to grab a QB in either this draft OR in '18, and still give that prospect time to develop. It even gives them the option to stick with Tyrod if his play improves in the new offense, or the quarterback they draft (and they positively need to draft one in the next year or two) fails to adequately progress.

As a Bills fan living in Minnesota when Childress was HC of the Vikings, I'm inclined to disagree. He was dogmatic about his system-- which was not tailored to the strengths of his players and conservative to a fault (a soundbite of him calling it a "kick ass offense" became a running joke in the local media)-- and a divisive presence within the organization. Players rebelled against him, he publicly blamed his QB for failures in his system/play-calling, and by the time he was fired, the team was in complete tumult. After he left, when challenged about the design of his offense, he said, "I stand by my record. I'm over .500, by four games." Sound familiar? Childress is very good when assisting Andy Reid, who calls his own plays and gives Childress very little command of the offense on gameday; but when left to his own devices, designing his own gameplans and calling his own plays, his offenses are significantly less successful. I think we would be much better served with a coordinator who could adapt his philosophies to the roster and bring the best out of our players, as opposed to a "system first" coach who is either unwilling or unable to maximize the talent already on the roster.

Minneapolis, MN

I agree, but for different reasons. EJ hasn't panned out, and I don't believe his career trajectory would have looked all that different under different leadership (the same limitations that held him back in Hackett's/Marrone's offense were in evidence last year in Roman's system). That said, the Bills had to take a chance on a quarterback at some point, and they got their pick of the class in 2013. It's not hindsight to say that there were better picks on the board-- I think everyone knew as much on draft night in 2013-- but every team has to bet on a quarterback every once in a while until they find their guy. One could even argue that, if the Bills had done so more often in the recent past (despite Mayock and Kiper's projections), they may not have needed to reach quite so early in a bad quarterback class.

Come on, we're all guilty of wearing rose-colored glasses, but this is getting silly. He didn't get a ticket for a rolling stop, he got arrested for reckless endangerment for drag racing, losing control of his car, and crashing into a tree outside a restaurant. I like the guy as much as the rest of you, but if I was arrested twice in 30 days for criminal offenses, and pled guilty to all of them (six in total), yes, I think that might put my standing with my employer in jeopardy. I hope he doesn't get suspended, but if he does, it's not because he's being picked on.

I'd agree. Not every stone is worth turning.

This is insightful. Thanks for posting it.

Nothing wrong with giving him a look. The fact that Rex is working him out is a positive thing, but not proof-positive that he's going to be (over)drafted at 50. It just means that the staff wants to know everything they need to know about the QBs who might be available when it's their turn at the podium. With no franchise quarterback on the roster, that's just due diligence. Hopefully reports like these mean that this staff won't be remiss, and overlook "second-tier" college QBs who end up having the chops to lead an NFL offense.

You might be clairvoyant. Or just smart. Spiller is headed to NO for a visit, per Schefter. https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/575842856360878081

Agreed. Spiller had over 1,700 all purpose yards the previous year, to go along with 8 TDs. In limited action, no less. At that point, it looked like we had our feature back. The defense, on the other hand, was coming off of one of the worst performances in the history of the franchise. The Bills went QB in the first round, and WR in the second, before they turned in their card for Alonso. Picking a playmaker on defense, at a position of need, made only too much sense. Whether or not Kiko is currently a Bill, no one can argue that this was an exceptionally strong pick, and a testament to the viability of the Bills' draft board. Selecting a player who was a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year at the midpoint of the second round-- with pundits and insiders claiming that there were better defensive players, and better linebackers still on the board-- is a feather in the Bills' cap, and not something that we should regret, even in hindsight.

No, you are not the only one who remembers Duke's limitations. I'm more than a little skittish on the idea of him coming into camp with nothing but developmental players behind him on the depth chart; but I agree that Searcy seemed to benefit considerably from the system, and the guys in front of him. Re: Manny: You might be right, but I'd love to see the current staff get the kind of production out of him that Pettine did. He's only 30, and could still have some good years in front of him.

If memory serves, Manny Lawson was an outstanding fit in Pettine's system as an every down player (significantly less so with his hand in the dirt last year). I'm not sure if that would be Bradham's spot or not, but he's at least someone that should be in the conversation, where our linebackers are concerned.

We do eulogize Chan a bit, but his issues with Spiller weren't that he couldn't figure out how to use him (at least not entirely). If you remember, he often had to bench Spiller for improvising and not hitting holes, which is something that Spiller actually improved (before regressing and lapsing into it again with Marrone and Hackett). C.J. was-- and is-- an incredible talent, but he needed-- and needs-- coaching and development.

I take your points, and appreciate your optimism. I mentioned this in an earlier thread, but at the end of the day, I think that Schwartz's defense was a better match for our personnel than Pettine's (Ryan's), but it would seem strange to hire Rex Ryan as our head coach and NOT allow him to implement the signature defense that got him head coaching gigs in the first place. I like our defensive line better in Schwartz's 4-3 base, and I think our linebackers are better suited for it as well, but I'm pretty confident that Rex will find a way to get the best players on the field, and put them in a position to win their respective battles. I will miss Schwartz, though. May the Schwartz be with him.

I agree with your post, with the exception of these two points. To say the Bills squeezed him out the door isn't entirely fair. The guy they valued as the best head coach on the market just happened to be notable for his defense. According to reports, they asked this coach to keep Schwartz in his current role-- despite a clash in philosophies-- and the coach agreed. I agree that this sucks for Schwartz, but it should be a feather in his cap that the owners and front office went to these lengths to retain him. As for your second point, re: Harbaugh, I highly doubt this was the case. These guys are professionals. This just seems like the only logical move for Schwartz. His defense was outstanding-- and a far better match for our personnel that Pettine's (Ryan's)-- but the tension between systems would have caused problems, especially if the defense turned in a bad game or two. And if it was successful, it would be hard to move out from under Ryan's shadow. Sadly, it's probably a better move for the Bills, as well. I ultimately think that Schwartz's defense is a better match for the players we currently have on the roster, but it seems strange to hire Rex Ryan and NOT allow him to implement the signature defense that got him head coaching gigs in the first place. It doesn't make it any less disappointing, though, to see Schwartz go.

I don't know if this tarnishes his credibility, he's just been hammering the point that we're desperate for a franchise signal caller, and resorts to hyperbole from time to time to make his point. It's just an incendiary talking point to drum up conversation. No GM in his right mind would make this trade.

I have a feeling that if Shanahan comes on board, he's going to bring his own staff with him, including a new DC. He has rings, yes, but he has an ego to go with them, and assuming the leadership reigns with half of the coaching staff already in place seems unlikely (however wise it may be). I also have a feeling that, like before, Shanahan is interviewing with the Bills to give himself some leverage, and a fallback. I'd like to believe otherwise, but something tells me he'd leap at the chance to coach in Chicago, San Francisco or Atlanta over Buffalo or his nemeses in Oakland. Your scenario is one of the better of the available scenarios, but I can't see it happening...and I really wish there were better scenarios to choose from than a down-and-out former great at HC and a flamed-out QB with a quarterback rating of 46.8 last year. I like your thinking (though for whatever reason, I kinda like Schwartz as HC...I like his fire), I just wish our circumstances were better. It's not a great year to need a head coach, unless one was looking in the college ranks, which the owners seem either unwilling or unable to do. I'd love to see Bradford brought on board. Do you think that St. Louis would be willing to trade him, though? Their cupboard is awfully bare behind him, and it's difficult to see them replacing him with someone better.

I hesitate to say this, because I'm paranoid and don't want things to change, but the game was broadcast through the Bills app last week. I didn't open the app in weeks 1-3, so I'm not sure if this was a one-week fluke, but if you have the app, click the "radio" button in the upper right hand corner (which typically brings you to WGR) and, hopefully, you'll get the game.

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It's unlikely he slides this far, but it would allow us to slide Stevie into the slot WITHOUT having TJ on the outside. Watkins and Woods on either edge, with Stevie in the slot and Goodwin in the rotation would be a formidable WR corps. Not sure why, but Watkins reminds me a bit of Eric Moulds

If memory serves, wasn't this Dick LeBeau's title (obviously on the defensive side) for his short stint here? His influence was felt from the first, so I'd think that we'll see considerably more input from Hostler than a mere quality assistant. I know very little about him, but the fact that he was promoted from his post as a positional coach in San Fran to OC, and was a finalist for the same promotion in Baltimore, gives me some hope that he shows promise as an offensive mind (whether or not he's ready for a coordinator position).

I don't think he gave up. I just don't think he is imaginative enough to call plays when he's behind the sticks. He has to run the ball until it's "down and less than five yards to go." He has no answers for second and long, or third and long (and unforgivably, he doesn't have an answer for first and ten either, except to run the ball and hope for a gain of five).

Agreed. The issue isn't whether or not we should have paid him the huge contract, it is whether or not we should have let him walk. There are plenty of ways to extend your players without ponying up record-setting contracts, and most of them begin by entering contract negotiations in the year BEFORE the contract expires, like they did this year with Eric Wood (and, whether rightly or wrongly, like they did with Fitz, when they rightly or wrongly determined that he was the answer at QB). In this way, you provide the player security and a display of loyalty, and AVOID letting a depleted market determine his value. If memory serves, the Bills entered these talks with Levitre in his contract year, but when those talks broke down, they abandoned them fairly quickly. In so doing, the Bills took a rather risky and short-sighted approach-- they saved money in his contract year, but it cost them all of their leverage once he entered the free agent market. Tennessee overbid, and whether or not the Bills were wise to opt out, they lost a good player that they will now have to spend another draft pick to replace. This keeps happening, and it's maddening. If you're going to build through the draft, at some point you have to invest in those core players who have proven their value.