BillsVet

TSW is becoming a lot like these college campuses where students demand safe zones because they feel "threatened." Rather than students it's a select group of posters who shout down anyone that dares express an opinion contrary to pro-team view. And if that doesn't work, to ridicule despite never having debated the merits of the opinion they disagree with. The objective seems only to suppress those opinions that in any way call into question the team, one that has shown no success recently. What's hilarious is that there are actual Bills fans who can't imagine why the team would get criticism. Kinda like those students who expected to be able to throw temper tantrums and get everything they demanded.

Define contribute. Is that starting games? And if so, how many? As for TT, well, I'm not optimistic he'll become a more refined passer, but he's about all they've got right now. He may go the route Kaepernick did in another Roman offense, but it's too early to tell. I never inferred ownership rage. I did say they're most likely not thrilled the first round draft pick had to undergo surgery this soon. Because if they're involved as Doug Whaley says, then their top football people told them it wasn't a major issue. Do you think ownership likes being misled or fed information not accurate after spending dearly on scouts, personnel executives, and doctors to review prospective draft picks? I'm sure the Pegula's are reasonable, but it doesn't excuse that this is a business and a player for their business did not survive a non-contact drill. We all know this. But you think anyone's fine with paying out money to damaged goods. He doesn't mind spending, but he's not reckless with his dollars either.

You know he'll contribute this season when he just had surgery 2 days ago? Based on the reported timeline for recovery? Because as we all know, even if he returns on time he'll be playing in a scheme that is exceptionally complex and he'll have gone probably 8-9 months without hitting other players. I'm sure he'll take time to get into football shape and then, maybe, he'll start. Which probably puts him into action around week 7-8 at the earliest for a team that needed immediate help. In his place, we're talking about playing 11 year vet Manny Lawson or picking up an older veteran or using a street FA type. No answer at QB? I think they've been pretty consistent on who their starter is this year. And that they expect him to improve. Of course the Pegula's favor long term over short term. And they fired the HC and GM in one day late in 2013 after owning the team for 2.5 years. They're closing in on owning it 2 years this October, so they've already invested a ton on a team with this GM, and of late, the HC. So, should the Pegula's be happy their GM and HC elected to select a player who needed surgery 2+ weeks after draft night? I'll bet they're not doing backflips right now, especially because they've got to sign the guy featuring guaranteed money.

Gotta love how the new narrative/spin has been to explain Lawson as a long term investment...on a team that needed immediate help in the defensive front 7. On a team where the HC is known for his defensive scheme. Or how it wasn't a "win-now" type season despite the millions invested in guaranteed spending since the 2015 off-season began. Or how the HC once pronounced that they were "going" to the post-season. But there's one item not being addressed by the cheerleader contingent: How does ownership feel about their top pick being on the shelf for around 5 months? Because if we're to believe Whaley, the Pegula's are involved in decision making and add to the discussion. If the GM and HC told them it's a good move despite the reported injury and it won't be an immediate issue and this happens how should they feel? I'll guarantee they're not happy and have a severe lack of trust in their top football people. Gotta love it.

You're good with finishing .500 or worse for this long? Got it.

What if every season ends basically .500 or less for almost a generation?

Russ Brandon and astro-turfing. Ironically, two high frequency posters joined the month he was named team president. Coincidence? Who knows.

You guys got to the "woe is me" line faster than I expected. Oh and...

The whole thread since it was announced Lawson needs surgery has become quite the narrative. Buffalo needed front defensive 7 help and used their top 3 draft picks to address there. This, despite the scheme's complexity and veterans having issues getting it. Now, the top pick is hurt and expected to be physically unable to play for at least 4 months after surgery for an injury everyone knew he had. Still...it's a positive. It's so positive that people are talking about signing the recently released Jarius Wynn, or a 35 year old Calvin Pace or a 36 year old Dwight Freeney or banking on street FA's. Ranked 19th defensively last year...it's a positive their top draft pick won't be there. Because he can still do cardio! And he'll be good to go when he's cleared! Doesn't need to be in football shape either. So Lawson's injury is a positive. That's Twilight Zone stuff there. Cue the mega posters in their defense and/or ridicule.

At this point, is there any chance Baghdad Bob has been hired to feed Whaley and OBD their talking points?

Whatever dude. Owners just spend millions (or in some cases billions) in hope of winning. Just like buying lottery tickets.

Now I know why Deadspin has a video from the Bills parking lots every week.

Meaning what? That you get a mulligan for the first year whenever anything changes? So, hypothetically, if Whaley and/or Rex gets fired in 2016 that it's not possible to win in 2017 (because it's only year 1) and everyone has to wait until 2018?

Well, when you're the GM of a football team that's 23-25 during your tenure, that probably means it's in the best interest of your future employment to be in "win now mode." Especially when you're working for people who didn't hire you. When you're a NFL HC being paid 5M+ per season and you've been the beneficiary of millions in team spending on players, just got three (well, almost) rookies to play the defense, hired your brother, and make bombastic statements not grounded in reality, it's probably best to be in "win now mode." If you're not in "win now mode" what mode are you in? I know in Buffalo there's been a lot of "Rebuilding" mode, but the latest rebuild has been going on since 2013. Or perhaps it's still the original 2010 rebuild, act 2. Hard to tell, considering they've changed coaches 3 times since 2010 and the GM has been here all this time. Maybe Terry and Kim just like to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to hopefully win. It's all just a media narrative anyway.

Hey, it's hard to win in the NFL. What can you say? I'm sure ownership would be good with spending hundreds of millions of dollars in multiple seasons on salary after spending 1.4B to buy the team waiting for NE to get old.

The 2015 19th overall pick signed a 4 year 9.4M contract with a 5.1M signing bonus. At a 5% increase, Buffalo probably needs to pay SL almost 10M with about a 5.5M bonus. I'm sure TPegs is thrilled to shell out this money. Just like I'm sure he's satisfied with his GM and HC who sold him on damaged goods that will miss the entire off-season and at least 2 games. All this for a team that's been in win-now mode since 2014 without, of course, actually winning.

Same message board you've inhabited defending this team against any and all non-homers. It really has become the post-factual era.

That's Whaley trying to separate himself from the decision making progress and blame it on RR. I thought Whaley was involved in personnel, so it stands to reason he'd be in on the decision and not simply abdicating the decision to take a guy in the first round with a pre-existing injury. I always knew Whaley learned a lot from Brandon.

Giddiness? No, it's called accountability. For a bad decision made by a professional sports team worth in excess of 1.4B. I'll bet TPegs isn't thrilled that he's got to spend money on damaged goods. Not something a successful businessman normally does.

What else could it be? Another example of the wizards of smart just being unlucky at OBD? I can't image TPegs is happy with Doug and Rex right now. After all, they made a decision on a player using the owner's money and told that owner the player is what they needed. You think the owner is going to trust them after this? It's a fiasco and an embarrassment to the team.

Outstanding mannc. 4-6 months is short term? That's just plain delusional rationale there. Taking a guy in the first round who really did have an issue that will keep him out until mid-September or as late as mid-November. Only homers would minimize this situation.

When the team is winning 41% of their games over the past 6 seasons then yes, yes I will. What kind of alternate reality do some fans live in that this is acceptable and warrants zero criticism? Because I never see you criticize a team that barely wins 2 out of 5 games. Never. So, do results matter or is it merely the emotional tug of your favorite team? Or should we support everything they do because it's your favorite team?

Some get away with being lazy in the face of objective criticism of the team. To them, it's called "fan-hood." Gotta support the team!

Another position the Bills have avoided in the draft like the plague. I think the last one they took in the 1st-3rd rounds was Kevin Everett in 2005. This as so many teams have focused on finding guys who can stretch the field and present matchup nightmares. But the Bills know better than conventional wisdom.

TT was in an offense last year that shielded him from doing the things he'll absolutely be forced to do this year. Like make the throws over the middle or be more than a 1 read QB. I remembering hearing in November that by that point 65% of his throws were near the sidelines. No one's giving him that anymore, but if he can start doing these things then they've certainly got a chance to sneak up on teams. Yes, Roman is a known entity and probably the best OC they've had this millennium. But in his final year with SF having a very talented team he wasn't as successful as 2012 or 2013. And much of that occurred because the QB wasn't as good as when he was a lesser known quantity. Keep in mind, those SF teams had excellent defenses as well. I think Kaepernick was 27-15 as starter in 2011-2013. Then went 8-8 in 2014 as teams adjusted to the read-option previously was hard to defend.