BillsVet

I thought this was going to be another thread where a teacher's mugshot was posted. Gotta love posters going for the click-bait thread titles. It's all the rage now. I guess you got me.

Flacco left after the 2018 season. Mark Andrews was a rookie that year, and Hayden Hurst was a second year player. Besides, their top 3 TE's were featured more in a rotation than one being a starter. The sum though has been greater than the parts in that offense. .

I'm going to keep providing evidence. Would you argue that the majority of the following teams were offensive driven or better defensively: 2019: Kansas City 2018: New England 2017: Philadelphia 2016: New England 2015: Denver 2014: New England 2013: Seattle 2012: Baltimore 2011: NY Giants 2010: Green Bay Out of these teams, perhaps 3 SB winners were strong defensively and that carried them to the title: 2015 Denver, 2013 Seattle, and 2012 Baltimore. The rest were teams that featured very strong offenses. I'm confident you'll respond and say that QB play is the way forward, but you see in GB an elite QB without much offensive skill talent struggling.

Let's not conflate. The teams winning deep in the playoffs aren't doing it with a surplus of secondary or LB talent. Sure, they need to rush the passer and defend, but offense is how you advance. I look at the AFC and the elite teams. KC is at the top of the conference and they feature a stacked offense. Baltimore scored a lot last season with Lamar and that offense featuring multiple TE's and some solid WR's. Teams that cannot score at this level are left behind and no amount of DB talent is going to change that.

I go back to the end of season presser when Beane spoke. Two things stood out to me: he talked about looking at how you lost the last game of the season and how they weren't 1 player away. I'm not convinced that the secondary was a problem, nor that their depth is poor. Drafting a DB just speaks to me as a defensive HC who can't let go of that side of the ball. A guy who won't acknowledge their offense is now the more important side of the ball. Because McD isn't gonna be graded on how well his secondary plays or even the defense as a whole. It's about Allen now and whether he's got enough weapons. Because if one of the receivers goes down as of right now it's back to the Duke Williams/Foster/McKenzie parade of fringe NFL players. Then again, it all comes down to how things play out through pick 53.

My post has nothing to do with advocating for individual prospects here. This is a discussion on an overall rebuild strategy that previous leadership groups never quite achieved. That said, I'm confident McBeane understand WR depth is crucial to develop for down the road. The bigger picture is they're finally in a position to select players without the need for them to start and/or play big minutes right away. That opens the draft up because so often we've seen Buffalo take guys who were more pro-ready but may not have had as much talent.

For the past 15+ years Buffalo entered each draft needing starters from 1 or more of their first picks. That mentality was typically borne of finishing among the bottom 10-15 teams and holding a high pick. Throw in multiple regimes with new coaches that installed new systems which necessitated jettisoning the previous regime's players. Those players were usually replaced with draft picks and the cycle began all over again. Those drafts may have been more interesting, but their rebuilds never quite got to the point this one has. The old adage around here was something about the off-season being the highlight of the year. The draft was certainly the high point of the off-season for many years. I say all this because this is the first draft in decades Buffalo will not require out of box starters. It's a sign this rebuild has advanced in a way McBeane's predecessors never reached and has not stagnated in mediocrity. That's not to say there aren't areas which could be improved (WR depth, RB2, DE depth, and CB depth). It's just that the focus now is not on the off-season, but winning in the regular season. Go Bills.

I love the draft. I am beginning to love when the draft is over and these threads pass into oblivion. EDIT: I believe psychologically people want to be ahead of the pack and, when presented with something that reflects a shred of truth, will seek to be the "first" with what they believe is a story. It's why conspiracy theories are so attractive IMHO. Of course reporters become, unwittingly or not, carriers of these reports. Nothing that hasn't happened every year.

Not every idea warrants a thread. This one is an example of that.

I'm confident Beane was involved in 2017 from afar and 2018-19 of course as GM. Point is, this roster is a lot different than it was each of those years when they were overhauling as opposed to now with it being refined. I don't see Buffalo trading up largely because they bank on a lot of UFAs to start, particularly at OL, DL, and WR. They need young guys who'll supplant those experienced types when their contracts end. In short, roster management is different now and they don't have the draft capital to maneuver up. I'd expect them to sit still in round 2, although beyond that sure, they could move around.

What did Marv once say about this? Something to the effect of when coaches listen to fans they end up sitting next to them. I doubt Beane and McD operate to satisfy the fans or trust the process had anything to do with them.

It's time to read a book. Preferably one not written by Alex Jones.

Trade what? Buffalo doesn't have the picks.

In theory yes, those are who should be managing the team side of the houses. In reality, it can go sideways when big egos get in the room, especially owners, and they want power and control over their investment. It's a toy to them and who's going to tell them they cannot play with that? The Pegula's have been a dumpster fire since purchasing the Sabres 9 years ago. You can process their moves however you want, but having (EDIT: several) senior executives (Regier, Black, LaFontaine, Murray, Brandon, and Botterill) along with 6 HC's in that span indicate there's been a major problem there. Not to mention the other hires who've been let go. I think some people at PSE have gotten a little big for their britches and aren't willing to acknowledge they're in over their head. If the report is correct the Sabres are losing money, how does one reconcile that with the team operating in the biggest US hockey market? The only reason would be bad management and people running that show.

Oh I don't doubt that scenario. There's already plenty of nepotism over in PSE already and if that drifted over to OBD I cannot see McD accepting that. He's a very strong personality and was given the proverbial keys to the kingdom upon being hired. I'd hope the Pegs' stay out of his way so long as the team is winning. For all the flak that Kraft takes (and he's got his detriments) I'd want that for this franchise as well. Especially if the leadership group the Pegs' have hired at OBD prove themselves and start winning in the playoffs. And I'll reiterate a point I've been making: that to my knowledge the Pegula's have not once hired qualified people to oversee their teams at the time of purchase. With the Bills, they found McD who brought in Beane, albeit 2+ years and many bad decisions after the sale. They steadied that ship, but I sense some people in the Sabres organization are hindering progress...along with bad hockey management hires. And BTW, where is Terry in all of this?

A major element behind McD agreeing to coach in Buffalo, I believe, was the Pegula's giving him unprecedented control for a HC (EDIT: for this franchise). He sought Beane from Carolina and they've had authority over football operations most of us long-time posters dreamed of when RW owned the team. I hope and trust this does not change provided they continue improving the team's W-L record. If there's interference, yeah, I could see a Polian situation brewing. I gotta say that it's extremely tone-deaf to talk about "lifestyle" on a spreadsheet to employees. No CEO or corporate executive would do that, whatever the implication. Terry comes off as aloof and KIm seems enchanted with the optics. It's an emperor has no clothes situation at this point. I'll continue to give Krueger the benefit of the doubt, this being his first season. Botterill OTOH deserves a lot of blame for mismanaging the cap and not changing the roster when it was clear some players are not up to the task. At least Beane and McD overhauled the roster in their first 3 seasons.

Drafting a player who was off other teams boards for a shoulder injury...who in a non-contact drill hurt said shoulder. That entire 2016 off-season was rough on Douglas.

Forget all about Oneonta.

I was here when RW owned the team and well remember the debates back then. The issue was RW and his handlers had allowed the team to devolve into a non-competitive entity. We criticized RW because Littman was holding the purse strings tightly, better players were let go to be replaced with draft picks and coaching hires were uninspired. Over time, it became obvious Buffalo couldn't attract top managers and there was no chance they'd be able to compete against other teams under the RW ownership group. To me it's not worth it expending energy to grind that ax against the Pegula's because their decisions are not team focused. This grievance mentality isn't improving overall discourse, only lighting fires where there shouldn't be any. Also, I don't call myself a veteran. I AM a veteran and have seen my share of two way live fires.

It used to be on these boards individual players were run out of town when they didn't do as fans expected. Now, it's a graduation to owners. I understand that losing, especially with the Sabres, has become hard to stomach. The Bills seem to be on the right path, but fixing the owners as bad because they're wealthy is something I don't subscribe to. It is speculated the Pegula's source of funding in the natural gas industry has been the root cause for the pro sports team decisions. And it seems reasonable to conclude they became over-leveraged with other business interests. Still, it doesn't make my life any better criticizing them or their business decisions. I do not understanding how needing a grievance makes anyone's life better. It's horrible people are let go, but sharpening the ax because of that is not value added.

Yeah...stop talking about football 5 days from the draft. Will ya?

I don't think you understand what purpose the draft serves. It's not about this upcoming season as much as it is 1-2 years into the future when guys like Brown and Beasley are nearing or at the end of their contracts. The point is, nothing remains the same for very long. Players age, their contracts end, the cap must be managed, and (hopefully not) injuries occur. No one is "hating" on Brown and Beasley and this is most definitely not a clown thread. It's a solid question because Buffalo's 2nd and 3rd receivers are over 30. In NFL years that's kind of old and why wouldn't a team plan for their replacement? Every organization under the sun needs a plan and in the NFL if you're content with the status quo you're falling behind. Throw in the fact that Foster, D. Williams, and McKenzie aren't the types who should be getting major minutes. The draft could go any which way, but if there's a solid WR prospect sitting there when Buffalo picks, I'd hope McBeane realize they need depth and a future starter or 2 at the position. If KC is rolling 4 WR's in their offense, Buffalo should be looking to match them if the arms race if they expect to advance deep into the playoffs.

The NFL and the PA both have a mutual goal: make the league into a 25B industry by 2024. That element to the league starting is going to have an impact if many teams are in regions that pass thru the phases identified by the Task Force today. Making money is a huuuge factor to all of this. If it can be done the powers that be will get it done.

And every Bills draft pick who performs under this regime will remember that decision. There is a macro perspective necessary to a decision, although I'm not saying to re-sign him for that sake alone. This is why a GM gets paid the way he does - to make those difficult choices. You can't run from every less than simple decision and if (still a huge if ) White wants a big contract. Remember, this is a team that let Stephon Gilmore walk and replaced him essentially with White, who under your scenario, would be allowed out for a pick this time. And if someone's giving up a 1st for him, doesn't that sort of indicate another team values him AND the contract he'd presumably demand? Team Building requires more than surface thinking. It's a deep dive and almost requires one to anticipate the externalities of a decision.

Saw a link today that Buffalo ranks 32nd in draft capital for this draft. Not a dig at the team because I'm thrilled with the Diggs trade, but should indicate the Bills aren't going to be moving up. The draft is a player acquisition method for the long haul, not satisfying the fantasy football types who think everything is in the now. The roster is much improved for this coming season, but there are several positions which need an influx of youth for down the road. And that goes for every team. Right now, Buffalo needs some young depth who hopefully can start in the future at WR, DE, and CB. Because whether Bills fans like it or not, some players are not going to be re-signed because they'll be allocating cap space.