BillsVet

Making the playoffs in 2017 or 2019 was nice, but the standard is a lot higher now and much more than the generation of fail before McBeane. Others have noted that the Bills are thin on offense at WR and across the OL. If Josh is the way this team wins games, that's really concerning yet no expense is spared staffing McD's defense. It's a bold strategy Cotton. Let's see if it works out.

They miscalculated last year signing another short to intermediate receiver who lacked the ability to get deep. But maybe that's the goal for their offense now...be a lateral versus vertical unit. Still, there's a price to pay using all these premium resources on defense...and it's gonna come at the expense of the guy the Pegula's are paying 43M per over the next 6 beginning in 2023. If they're getting to the playoffs but stuck going on the road for a divisional game these next 1-2 seasons then their roster building strategy needs an overhaul.

Funny thing about draft time is people know the cost of everything but the value of almost nothing. Buffalo was picking at 25 originally and used a 4th to move up to 23. It's gonna take a couple years, but at this point I'm cool with trading a 3rd to move up to grab a WR at 15 when your depth there is porous. After all, Buffalo getting another LB for the defense isn't a huge cost because those players aren't impacting games as much as a WR does. You can sign decent UFA LBs at value prices without burning top 100 picks anyway. Loads of WR's available after the draft? Come on dude. If you're talking UDFA's...yeah maybe 1 out of 20 becomes something. As for vets...try fitting them under the cap constraints this team faces each season now. To your final comment...KC last season was the better offense and threw the ball better. The Cheaps offense has been better at getting YAC and is overall less reliant on their QB carrying the ball. Maybe not, but maybe they held remedial communication seminars for the HC and his DC who stumble in crunch time.

For a front office highlighted here and elsewhere as being one of or the best in the the league they're strategically underwhelming this draft. Going CB, RB, and LB with their top picks makes me wonder if they're focused on not entering the arms race going on across the NFL. With other teams loading up at WR, McBeane want more secondary help. And, rather than go after those WR's early, they'll draft backs who can catch the ball. And of course, continue with more high picks for the front 7 as I'm sure McD wants. My issue with McBeane is they default to defense in an offensive era where more often than not the better passing offense wins in the playoffs.

Reid and Veach are secure in their off-season moves at WR and offense as a whole. You can draft defense when offense is prioritized which aligns with current league trends.

The trade for Diggs doesn't mean they get a pass on drafting WR for 2 years. In fact, they've used 1 pick from rounds 1-3 on a WR from 2017-21. Likely to change tomorrow, Buffalo has used UFA liberally at WR and OL. Need to draft and develop play-makers on offense. Davis isn't a lock at this point with his 6 career regular/postseason games with more than 80 yards receiving. Wallace being a slower less physical zone CB wasn't the big issue. Hill catching passes and Mahomes having time to throw was.

I guess you missed my point about have an elite TE to pair with their post-Hill WR group. And I'll trust Andy Reid to staff an offense before McD. If they thought Hill was expendable, then JuJu, Hardman, and Valdes-Scantling should be more than sufficient. But you left those 3 out of your post. Not surprised. McD is going defense heavy from the line to the secondary almost every off-season. Other emerging AFC contenders are loading up on offense and improving/maintaining their pass rush.

They also don't have Jake Kumerow as their backup Z and X receiver. And have a All-Pro level TE. Buffalo's strategy is not build up their defense with other teams (LVR, KC, LAC, CIN) featuring multiple top receivers paired with a QB. Drafting defense given current rules doesn't work. But McD gonna put that round peg in the square hole no matter what.

You can never have enough defense.

Well, they did pass on a chance to take one of 2 QBs who are being paid over 40M per next season. But they weren't ready to take a QB that season. LOL

Those two seasons are over...and bounced out by a team that prioritizes offense.

Somehow premium resources tend to shade toward the defense. At this rate, I think McD won't be satisfied until all the defensive is 1st rounders/high dollar UFAs.

5 of 7 1sts in the McD era on defense.

McD gotta have his defense.

The lead up to the draft was ridiculous for multiple reasons. First, there were people here screaming about how McBeane had to do something after the Jets traded up to 3. And then there was the arguments for and against each QB. Nice to say that now, there was nothing to worry about. It all worked out.

Check the DL snap counts when McD was Carolina DC. Kawann Short and Charles Johnson were frequently over 70%, but it didn't mean they lacked the rotation McD insists on. Now that he's a HC that rotation is as much a guarantee as ever. Their UFA signings this season reinforces it. Except next season Josh's deal kicks in and there's no way they can keep spending on non-pass rush types. Stands to reason they'll use more draft picks on DL to keep the rotation alive. At some point, the DL spending and picks will keep inhibiting the offense's and how this team wins games...Josh's arm.

Juvenal had no idea his writing in the late 1st century/early 2nd would also apply to another great nation 1900 years later...people really love their panem et circenses. At what cost...only time will tell.

"What we've got here is failure to communicate."

My contention about the risk averse nature of people was not directed at you GB. It's a general observation that's only grown over the years, particularly as the stakes are raised by a team that's getting into the playoffs.

Elite QB's elevate the players and coaches around them. You never look at that aspect in black and white, but Josh definitely is a big reason Daboll has a HC gig now. Was Daboll really that good as a play-caller. Friction, well, I'd guess that's present on most coaching staffs with A type personalities. But I digress. The risk averse mentality that inhabits message boards really doesn't matter. Most people are careful and cautious with their takes for fear of alienating the homers. But when you look around the conference and teams are are being bold on offense AND defense, well it's hard to see where the organization is supporting Josh this off-season. My guess is, their solution is to run the ball more and take pressure off him.

Hapless, with all due respect...regular season stats/data/rankings and the like are not the only means of measuring competency or demonstrating an innovative offense. It's the safe argument, which is what you focus on almost universally, but I'm concerned in the results, not the effort. A real look at the offensive draft picks and UFA dollars spent shows it's a secondary objective to the HC, who is architect of the team. Now, before you point back to ancient history and cite "Stefan Diggs" show me where they've been using their top picks well on the offensive skill positions? Because aside from the trade for Diggs, they haven't used a first on an offensive player other than their franchise QB...in 5 drafts. And their 2nd round picks aren't exactly setting the NFL on fire unless Dawkins, Zay, and Cody Ford are your cup of tea. Last season, until late when Josh was running the ball ~9x/game in their last 7 and their offense was helter-skelter. A new OL scheme that didn't match with their players. Signing guys like Sanders who wasn't capable of getting deep. Putting McKenzie in late in the season when it was clear offensive speed was at a deficit. Moving out former 3rd round pick Moss for UFA Breida. They may go draft a fine WR in Round 1. But their UFA period was defense heavy and that approach never gets modified with McCoach at the helm. It's always the priority and that's not gonna work...especially when opponents are already ahead of Buffalo.

Easy...I don't couch my take in regular season rankings that have nothing to do with playoff performance. All of the people who love to cite Buffalo's "top ranked defense" never can admit that it failed when they needed it most. Whether that was coaching or individual player, it's up for debate. Same goes for the offense. Josh makes a lot of people look better than they actually are (see Divisional Playoff game), and that applies to the HC who has had friction with his 2 OC hires.

This team drafting a CB will make at least one poster's head hurt. His name is @BillfromNYC As to McCoach...his inability to understand and build an offensive unit is concerning now into his 6th off-season as a HC. Because after the last game they played, he's head and shoulders above anyone else at OBD as the weak link.

Re: the draft. It's not an opportunity to fill needs with picks. Every year I see people say we'll draft position X in the first, position Y in the second and presto-blamo we're good. That's people who don't think strategically and view roster development with a severe case of myopia. My point remains about the offense versus the defense. They constantly give the HC what he wants on defense and this year they were wise to sign a proven pass rusher. No argument there, but what they did on offense is really underwhelming, especially at the skill positions. It's not enough, especially when people expand their perspective and see what other AFC teams did this off-season. CIN, LAC, LVR, and KC are building/have built offenses with a defensive focus on the pass rush. Makes sense. What doesn't make sense is Buffalo adding defensive pieces without keeping pace on offense. I'll contend it's because the HC is a blockhead who thinks you need an 8-10 man DL rotation and to take the ball out of your QB's hands running it more to create "balance." They need a WR to fit in and perhaps they'll draft that guy, but with McHardhead, I wouldn't put it past him to go defense and make it 5 of 7 years using a 1st on that side.

It's hard to watch the McD/Beane off-seasons and not see the personnel acquisition disparity between defense and offense. For all the talk about cap limitations during this regime, they always seem to have a need/spend on defense with offense taking a backseat. They've been a top-5 spending team on defense since 2019 and used 4 out of 6 1sts since McD/Beane took over. The GM said after the 2020 season that the way you lose your last game is where you know you're short. Well, they got run out of the building by KC in 2020 couldn't rush the passer. They added some DE's and went back with the offense from the previous season. This last KC loss I didn't see defensive personnel being the issue. It was a wide gap in offensive skill talent and Josh's performance concealed that. But if the answer is some 1 year deals and more defense I fail to see how that keeps pace with KC and the moves LAC, SD, CIN, and IND have made.