folz

First of all, you always listen to trade offers---doesn't mean you do it, but you'd be a fool not to at least listen to what is being offered. I also agree that you should rarely give up elite talent and if they did trade Sammy, I would hope that it is at least for a 1st. Of course, I'd much rather Sammy stay, stay healthy, and become a consistent elite player for the Bills for years to come. But, it's not an easy call with Sammy. Sammy has played in 37 of a possible 48 games (missing 11 games), although he was limited by injury in probably another 10-14 of the games he did play. He is averaging 66 yds/game and .68 TDs/game. Looking at the stats, Sammy's had like 12 games that could be considered elite level (10 100-yard games, although only 3-multiple-TD games). That's just under 1/3 of the games he's played, and if you include the games he's missed, then over the last 3 years, the Bills got elite-level Sammy for 25% of their games. In a 16-game season that would be 4 games of elite-level play. That's not enough. Of course, coaching, scheme, QB play, etc. all play into it too, but you're not going to pay elite money for 4 games a year. I hope Sammy stays, remains healthy, and fully reaches his potential, but you can't blame the club either for taking a hard look at the situation and having some healthy debate on whether to stick with him or move on. I'd rather see him play this year before making that decision, but if the foot still nags him this year, or if he gets another injury then you're probably getting nothing for him next year. So, you have to at least think about it. Along with versatility and character, McDermott seems to put a high price on durability as well. (apropos clichés: Can't make the club in the tub; the best ability is availability)

Peterman didn't impress me all that much with his throws, but he was steady and looked really poised in the pocket (he was under a lot of pressure). But Zay was outstanding. My favorite plays weren't even the TDs (or TD callback, though that was outstanding awareness and athleticism), it was the two, maybe 10-15-yard outs at around 1:28 and 6:39. He just plucks the ball out of the air on both of them. His hand-eye coordination and his stickum hands are impressive. And then on the sidebar of YouTube there was a Tyrod Taylor highlights video, so I watched that too. And I saw Sammy doing the same thing, snatching that ball out of the air with quick hands. It looked the same with Zay. If these two guys stay healthy it could be a pretty sweet tandem.

I hear ya ScottLaw...all the talking in the world won't buy us any wins and we have seen plenty of empty talking. But, these guys are going to be with us for at least the next three years (hopefully more if they succeed), so I do like articles like this to help me get a better idea about who these guys are as people, so I know who I'm rooting for.

Excellent, well-informed posts Yolo! The big takeaways imo are: So many people have wanted a house-cleaning, well, this is what it looks like. It's not unprecedented and the above reasoning makes a lot of sense. Couldn't agree more. If you get two really solid guys to fill those roles, either via promotion or whatever, then you also open up a whole other pool of scouting candidates that have ties to those two guys. On top of the ties that Beane and McD have. So according to that link (from May 1st), there are (not counting the guys the Bills fired) about 25 guys who were in an NFL front office/scouting dept. last year that are currently available. There may also be qualified guys who did not have a job last year for whatever reason (timing, etc.), but have NFL experience. There may be young guys, former players, etc. that Beane, MCD, or the new Directors of Pro & College Scouting (once hired) know that they think are ready to become scouts. There may be guys outside the NFL (that work for these scouting firms, etc.) that could be options. And there is the option of giving promotions to guys currently on other teams that are ready to take the next step (hopefully like Beane and McD are). Not to mention that Beane said he has already had a lot of people contact him about wanting to come to Buffalo to work for him. That should all be a big enough pool to find 15-20 qualified people.

Although it was said at the time he was drafted that he could set the edge and was good against the run, he did have 12.5 sacks in 15 games his junior year (just before coming out). So, I wouldn't say that rushing the passer isn't part of his game.

Question about the Rooney Rule...not related to the Bills GM search, just a thought that crossed my mind. Let's say a team is really narrowed in on the coach or GM they want but have to interview someone for the Rooney Rule, but all of the likely minority interviewees refuse the offer because they know it would just be a formality and they don't really have a shot? I mean, what if you couldn't get a qualified minority candidate to actually interview, then what?

Are some of you guys kidding? Winning is great, but it is not always the most important thing. I'd rather root for a team led by Jim Kelly every time! I would hate rooting for that whiner Brady. No question Brady has a ton of mental toughness, but he wouldn't have lasted one season back in the day with the way QBs got plastered back then. Kelly was tough as nails both mentally and physically and I think his game was more fun/interesting to watch than Brady's. And as crazy as it may sound, I'd take those 4 SB losses over 4 SB wins with Brady any day because of everything else it meant. The comradeship and family atmosphere of that team, the perseverance and resiliency (great life lessons for us all). It was special to root for that team. The players, the cities (I include Rochester in that), the coaches, heck even the media, we all bonded together. As fans you felt like those guys were part of your family. (I hope some of you younger fans get to eventually experience that.) And Jim was a huge part of that happening. The team parties at his house after each game, etc., etc. I don't think New England has anything like that despite multiple SB wins and a lot of that has to do with the personalities of the Hoodie and Tom (as opposed to Marv and Jim)---and of course Boston fans compared to Buffalo fans. So, no question, I'm taking Kelly over Brady every time!

Thanks for everything Doug! Your hard work in stabilizing the football side of this organization and vastly improving the roster despite it being a very difficult transition period for this franchise is not lost on many of us fans. Good luck moving forward!

One of my all-time favorite posters...but what happened to the over-sized font and boldface Deep Voice?

I really liked the MCD hire and have been on board with him and most of the off season moves and now draft... but I have to say, if Whaley is indeed fired tomorrow, I will have lost a bit of respect for both him and the Pegulas.

In the 6th round, you most likely are not getting a starter (at least a year one starter for sure), so these guys are most likely going to be backups and Special Teams players. So, thinking about it from the "culture change" perspective, what would you rather have at this point in the draft? High motor, football-loving, willing tacklers, team-first, character guys? Or a guy with maybe more athletic ability but maybe lacks in want to/work ethic or has issues of some kind and you're hoping that he can mature, etc.? Coach talks about DNA and character...of course, character doesn't always mean choir boy, but rather all-effort, team-first, lunchpailers. Culture has to permeate the entire roster from your star players all the way down to your 53rd man. All of these picks fit that mold and just bring more of that work ethic to the locker room to help change that culture---not with preaching and platitudes, but with players that embody it. It's pretty hard to slack off if 52 other guys are giving full effort and competing.

Couldn't agree more Shaw66...Everyone who, rightly, feel that the Bills have mismanaged or ignored the QB position for the last umpteen years should read this post. The times they are a changin'.

Per a league source, the Buffalo media are whining, thin-skinned, spiteful, rumor mongers on a witch hunt. Now if a couple of people pick that up and repeat it, it will become fact.

I don't understand...isn't it Belichick (and/or Ernie, who is there because of Belichick) who sets these trends to develop mismatches or to skirt the rules? You can't be saying that if Belichick was gone, we would find out that it is actually Kraft or someone in administration who are creating these football trends, can you? And (not to you BillsVet, but to other posters) the idea that a GM is not getting players a coach wants, but just grabbing who he thinks is best, is ridiculous and I don't think any organization in the league works that way. In some places, the coach's voice may be stronger, in others the GM may have final say, but they all work together. It would be counter-productive to draft players that definitely do not fit a coaches scheme. So, when looking at Whaley, you cannot discount the coaching changes. The following weren't draft picks (it is hard to tell with draft picks) but would Whaley have brought in Harvin, IK, Salas, or maybe even Tyrod if Rex wasn't the coach? Those were players Rex worked with and wanted and Whaley got them. And even Shaq Lawson, Rex told him months before the draft that he was going to pick him. Whaley and the staff may have been totally on board because he was good value where he went, but he was a guy Rex wanted. And I hear posters use Percy Harvin as a knock on Whaley when he obviously brought him in because Rex wanted him. I'm not saying Whaley is the best GM ever, but the posters who claim that 3 coaching changes doesn't affect who the GM picks or how many of those picks are still on the roster are not being realistic. And two of those coaches were not the choice of said GM either.

Not to mention that, "The 2013 NFL Draft may be one of the worst of the modern era." I bet if you actually looked around the league, most teams would have very few players left (or who are productive for them) from that draft. http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2016/4/22/11419222/nfl-draft-2013-grades-first-round-revisited Too often fans (and the media as well) look at each move as if it is in a vacuum. You can't. Running a modern NFL team is very complicated. It is not just whether Mike was a good player or not, he was. But you have to weigh in the coaching change and what the new coaches think of him. What scheme are they going to run and does he fit it well. You have to weigh in the salaries of the other 52-53 guys on the team and against the cap. You have to think about whose contracts are coming up next year that you will have to pay for and where the drafts are strong or weak both this year and next, etc. etc. And to use the worst draft in the modern era to point out that the Bills suck is a bit disingenuous without mentioning that there are many other teams with few or no players left from that draft as well because it was historically bad. I liked MG a lot and would have liked to see him stay, but as has been repeated by so many other posters, this is not going to make or break either our season, nor the Patriot's. Tolbert and JWill can probably get us that same production and that doesn't preclude drafting a RB or bringing in another FA (which Whaley seems good at finding diamonds in the rough). Most teams do not keep 4 RBs and a FB or 3 RBs and 2 FBs. So, if we kept MG, do you cut JWill, a draft pick from just last year? That would be a waste. We got MG for nothing and ended up with a 5th round pick, while still having plenty of backs on the team and the draft still to come. No, the sky is not falling.

Thanks for posting. Honestly, he was the one free agent I really wanted this off-season. When I was watching the Green Bay/Dallas playoff game, he was all over the field, and I remember thinking, man I wish Buffalo could pick this kid up (knowing he was about to be a free agent and that we needed safety help). But, I instantly thought, eh it's never going to happen, either Green Bay won't let him go or he'll be too highly sought after for us to land him. So, I couldn't be happier Micah is a Bill and I think he is going to be major for this team.

Good signing. In the NFL, you have to have a plan B, plan C, etc. Let's say the Bills want to draft Trubisky at 10. They love him, they're all in. And then he goes off the board before 10. Now what? Do they reach for one of the guys they didn't love? probably not. Well, now we are going into next season with Taylor, Cardale, and what a 6th round rookie QB or a veteran who is worse than TJ (because we waited too long to find one)? Now let's say Tyrod (God forbid) misses 4 games. If Cardale truly isn't ready to start, well then the playoff drought continues. Do you remember 2013? We went into the season with EJ, Thad, and Tuel. Do we really want that again? TJ was probably one of the top FA QBs out there, albeit among a very weak group who were available. He's a little insurance. They can roll with the 3 QBs now on the roster if nothing better appears, but it doesn't preclude them from drafting a QB if they really believe one of them is worthy of a top 10 pick or top 45 pick. If they have someone in mind and we are unable to draft him, at least we have a backup with some experience, not a rookie and raw 1st year player. Nice move.

The game is won in the trenches...I do believe that addage and think a team should always be looking to improve the OL and DL. However, we could do a lot worse than the line we had last year. Signing Groy back was huge. When Wood went down last year, I thought the Bills were in real trouble. But, Groy filled in admirably. So, not only is he very solid depth to the interior 3, he may also be Eric's eventual replacement. Miller is still growing, but has played solid enough. And if paired with a better RT might improve significantly. I'm not sure what Ducasse brings, but he has experience and familiarity at least. I think Richie has at least two more seasons in him, so next year is early enough to start looking for his eventual replacement. So, the interior is solid and does not need draft help. Cordy is a very good LT, maybe not top tier, but gets the job done. Mills was improving last year and on the O-line, continuity can not be dismissed. But, yes, upgrading Mills would improve the line significantly. If nothing else, though, we know we'll get at least what we got last year out of this group. The bigger question for this line really is Seantrel and Cyrus. Henderson will miss the first 4 due to suspension, but more importantly, what is his health situation. Is it under control and can he compete for the starting role once he's back? Or are we going to move on? What is up with Cyrus's hip? He seemed to be improving last year, but will the hip set him back again? Will he be ready for the season? Can he compete for the RT job? If the team feels good about Cyrus and Henderson, then the O-line is pretty solid and with good, experienced depth. So, I think you only go O-line in the draft if at some point a tackle is the highest player on your board by a good margin. Or maybe you pick up a Tackle prospect in the mid- to later-rounds, depending on value . If you do not expect one or both of those guys to be ready to go and compete for the starting job, then taking a tackle is a little more pressing a need and you might spend a day two or three pick on a guy, if he has value there, for at least depth, but with the hopes of unseating Mills eventually. So, I don't think you go into the draft ignoring O-line, but the key is to not be in a place that you have to pick a certain position of need. And the team seems to be in that place with the O-line. They just need to decide if the swing tackle/better RT is currently on the team or not. If not, you keep your eyes open, but you do not need to reach. RT is a need, but not a necessity this year, unless Seantrel and Cyrus were both out. And even then, you might still be able to find a decent swing tackle for depth in FA or after June cuts. Mills would still be starting then, but we wouldn't be in trouble, we just wouldn't be significantly improved from last season maybe. Also, not that we've had bad O-line coaches the past handful of years, but Juan Castillo is supposed to be very good. Maybe he can help to raise the play of some of the younger guys (Miller, Mills, Cyrus, Seantrel). Also, Dennison's (i.e. Kubiak's) system runs a zone blocking scheme which is supposed to be O-linemen friendly, so maybe that makes a difference too.

This team has had major injury problems since Donahoe let Mike Mularkey fire Rusty Jones back in 2004. Probably a bigger mistake than letting any player since then walk. I don't know exactly what all of these guys do, or if they were good at their jobs or not, but nutrition, strength and conditioning, and even issuing the right equipment (pads, shoes, helmets) can totally play into injury totals. Like I said, I can't make a judgement on these guys as to how they did their jobs, but I am all for changing an area of this team that has been woeful for quite some time now (too many injuries). If a better strength and conditioning coach can save even 1 starter from going down, that is a huge positive. And to the poster who included Scott Berchtold in the conversation, all you have to do is look at the Anthony Lynn and Doug Whaley pressers, or the way the media is treating the Bills since. I mean, he was the team's communications/PR guy...any person in any business with that role would and should be fired after those debacles. And especially when you have an owner and GM who neither like nor are good at public speaking, you need someone better in that role. It feels like a fresh wind is sweeping through One Bills Drive. I don't think you can discount these moves or the importance of some of these support staff roles...I think this can all help the team if the right people are hired to fill those roles. And I am looking forward to what McDermott (and Whaley) can do now that they seem to have more power than Whaley and the previous coaches ever had.

"Is this the Buffalo Bills Coaches reunion? Let's see, Mularkey, Lynn, Marrone, McDermott...wait, where's Rex?"

Great post ddaryl! Yes, most of the Whaley detractors are looking at his tenure in a vacuum. You cannot ignore the circumstances surrounding him and the organization when evaluating the job he has done. Most GMs come into a somewhat stable organization with full authority and can hand pick a coach who shares their vision on how they want to build the team. So, let's look at Whaley's circumstances. First, Whaley inherited the job and a coach (Marrone was Nix and Brandon's pick). The team's owner was dying basically leaving Brandon in charge. Also, money was probably tight due to how Ralph had handled the team and the pending sale of the team. It was not a stable situation and being that Whaley was promoted rather than brought in from outside, he may not have had full control. Ralph dies, new owners come in. New philosophy, new working relationship, and basically Whaley is on a prove it (i.e., not secure) job standing. Marrone quits. Russ and Pegulas choose Rex. New coach, new schemes, new philosophy...but again saddled with a coach he didn't choose. The coach and GM have to work together. They aren't all Whaley solo moves, he is trying to give the coach what he needs. If Rex isn't the coach would Whaley have brought in IK or Percy or Tyrod (though folks are mixed on whether that was good or bad) or players like that? And scheme changes mean letting some guys go and bringing in different types of players. Rex was obviously burnt out and does not do a good job. Fired, new coach, new scheme, etc. Of course, we can judge Whaley on the moves that the team has made and the talent level on the roster, but you cannot do so without also thinking about why he made certain moves at certain times. It seems that just this offseason Whaley truly became a senior GM. He finally seems to have a full GM's authority, the confidence of his owners, and he finally got to pick his own coach. And he seems to be attacking this offseason pretty hard. The franchise is finally stable. The team can actually attract some free agents now (with Shady, the rep of the new coach, and the Pegulas deep pockets). I think we should reserve judgement of Whaley for at least one more season to see how he does as his own man finally. Is he perfect or going to be perfect? Of course not, no GM is. And yes, he has made some bad moves. But I do agree that this team has more talent now than at any time since John Butler left and I really like how this offseason is shaping up. P.S. I didn't read the links of the GM rankings, but I guarantee a lot of that has to do with the Bills record and lack of playoffs. If the Bills were to have a winning season and make the playoffs next year (which I know many think they won't) I bet he would move up those rankings, though the moves he made, that are supposedly how they get the ranking, would still be the same. The good moves look better when you are winning and the bad moves aren't as glaring.

Honestly, this is like the 4th or 5th Pats got better, Bills still suck threads in the past week. I've always been more of a lurker than a poster (though I've been around here a long time) and I am definitely not a thread police, but seriously, why not just add this to one of those other 4 or 5 threads? Besides, you may not think the Bills have gotten any better, but you can't say they've stayed the same. We have an entirely new coaching staff and we have let guys go and signed quite a few new guys. You may not like the moves, but we are not the same. And finally, screw the Patriots...let's build a tougher, more disciplined and accountable team (as McDermott wants) and try and take it to the Pats next year.

Cheers OP. A culture change is needed in this fanbase as much as it is needed at One Bills Drive. No more fear of the Patriots. Who cares who they are signing? Let's focus on the Bills until we have to play them. Besides, there is only one way to beat the Patriots and that is to out tough and out compete them (hit them). That is everything that Coach McDermott is about. How many times have posters said they wish they had a whole team of Kyle Williamses? Well that's what coach wants too. "Kyle has our DNA" (as does Tolbert and Hyde, etc.). Stephone Gilmore does not have that DNA, so you know what? The Patriots can have him and good riddance. Just cause the Hoodie hired him doesn't mean he's going to start tackling and hitting hard. Great cover guy, but lacks toughness. Just because the Patriots bring someone in, doesn't mean they are the best in the league (remember how many people thought Scott Chandler was going to light it up playing with Brady and Gronk?). I'm glad Tyrod is back. Does he have his weaknesses? Sure, they have been pointed out ad nauseam. But, he's fun to watch (unlike the majority of our QBs over the last 20 years) and I don't think he has hit his ceiling. Every player will tell you they only get better being on the field, so, yes, he's been in the league 6 or 7 years, but he has only started 2. If the FO gets him some quality receivers, and he's not playing with a groin injury, I think he is going to have a big bounce back year in Dennison's system. Don't underestimate coaching. Our D-line, back in the 4-3, can be the cold front again (just swapping Shaq, and Zo if back, for Mario). Our O-line is good and if we are able to upgrade from Mills at RT, look out. (I can't imagine they are not going to try and address this as the interest in the RT from Baltimore showed.) A healthy Sammy will make a huge difference. The number one running offense may have gotten even better (swapping Tolbert and DiMarco for Felton). Shady and Gilislee are fun as hell to watch too. Sounds like they are trying to hang on to Zo...which would be great. Micah Hyde was a great signing. I didn't see a lot of Green Bay's games, but the few I saw, this kid was making plays consistently. And he's just coming into his own. We upgraded the kicking position. (Despite his missed extra points, he's a better FG kicker and will only take up 1 roster spot.) I really like the coaching hires from McDermott on down. A lot of experience in winning programs. A lot of teachers. Discipline, toughness, and accountability preached. There is a lot to like if you take an objective look (and don't constantly compare us to an historically good team who won 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls). Yes, we still need a couple of WRs, a couple of corners, a LB or two, a RT, and probably another safety, which is a lot, but free agency isn't over yet and the draft is strong in most of our areas of need with guys that could come in and compete right away. There is always significant turnover with a new coaching staff, ergo the number of positions still to fill. And what significant FA players have we lost? Robert Woods (would have been nice to keep, but too expensive), Stephone Gilmore (although I'm good with moving on from him), Zach Brown (who they could still resign--if they wanted him and he doesn't get a big offer elsewhere), Aaron Williams (whom I loved, but he only started 8 games over the last 32 and long term health is an issue), Goodwin (who never quite put it all together), Corey Graham (a very solid player, but not great), and Felton (who has already been replaced with equal or better quality). That's 7 guys (but only two or three that I would have liked to see come back). The rest of the FAs were either at the end of their careers (Bush, Harvin, Spikes) or are guys that you can replace with comparable talent for reasonable contracts (or with rookies). The 17 years of no playoffs has worn me out too guys, but if nothing else, this team will at least be fun to watch (which we haven't been able to say for most of the last 17 years). Shady, Tyrod, and TD Mike running wild. The long ball coming back with a healthy Sammy. Hard hitting, attacking, tackling defense. I'm not saying we have been hitting all homeruns, but I also don't see what has been so horrible about the way the team has handled this offseason thus far (outside of poor Doug's press conference). Sure there will probably be some growing pains with a first year coach, but it should at least be exciting football to watch. Call me Pollyanna, Kool-Aid drinker, Homer, or Chris Brown But, let's get out of this funk of...look who the Patriots signed, we're never going to win being in the same division, Whaley sucks, Tyrod sucks, the Pegulas suck. And let's start Billeving again! Who knows? The last 17 years has us expecting the same old mediocre (or worse), but what if, just what if, this was like 1986 instead, and the start of something good? It might not be and we might miss the playoffs again, but at least I'll be enjoying the ride. Ok, have at me (if you bothered to read this ridiculously long post).