BillsVet

Murphy signed a 3 year 22.5M deal last off-season. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/trent-murphy-14456/

Who is so highly thought of they signed him to a reserve/futures contract. I have a sense he'll struggle to separate in the NFL. I read somewhere yesterday that the plan is to run the ball and look for spots to let Allen throw long in year 2. With the emphasis on the ground game, I can see why McBeane went away from receivers and more toward supporting the ground game this off-season. That's the kind of strategy that lends credence to the idea McD isn't enamored with throwing the ball. So many young QBs are developing, yet Buffalo wants to keep the reins tight on Allen. It supports the notion this HC is not offensively innovative or a dynamic thinker there, although we shall see.

Anytime McDermott realizes they need to draft pass catchers for the QB they took makes me happy. And I'll be convinced he uses them when he lets Allen throw 25-35 times a game, especially with all that they've put into the OL. Cause if he continues trying predominantly to run the ball and playing strong defense it ain't gonna end well for McCoach.

Good questions and could be directed at all the Buffalo GM and HC's from Donahoe forward. The league is predicated on throwing the ball and TE's factor into that for most of the top teams. Tyler Kroft and his 67 career catches isn't that.

So you are Nostradamus? You're comparing Bill Belichick's team building record with...Brandon Beane. Besides, this is a massive conflation. Polian built that team before free agency began. That was 30+ years ago and the NFL's changed significantly since then. One way is it's gotten a lot faster and is predicated on throwing the ball. Not running the ball and playing strong defense.

Which round did Travis Kelce go in? Or how about Jimmy Graham? Jason Witten? I'll help..they were all 3rd round picks in 2013, 2011, and 2003 respectively. For you to say there were no solid TE's on the board and that Singletary will be a contributor requires Nostradamus like abilities. I'll presume you don't. For the record, pass rushers are always in demand. Or WO's, or in the case of the Buffalo Bills, a TE. Sternberger was there, but my sense is that Buffalo wants their TE to be as good in-line blocking as receiving. That eliminates a lot of options and shows an inability to comprehend how a TE is used in the modern game.

Can they teach him how to run faster? Shady can teach him the jump cuts that wind up as 4 yard losses. Kroft has 67 career catches in 4 NFL seasons and missed most of last year. He's essentially on a 1 year deal IIRC. Teams win in the NFL with passing the ball. This guy isn't the typical 3rd down back who makes catches out of the backfield. Perhaps he wasn't asked to, but spending a 3rd on a slow RB from a non power 5 conference who's around 200# I would expect he could do that. One gets the impression McD is building this team like it was 1980. It's a bold strategy Cotton.

A conventional pick for a conventional coach that wants to run a conventional offense.

There's only one legitimate comparison I can make after reading this board about Ed Oliver. He's Bill Brasky.

Check where he played during that infamous 2011. Johnson was playing OLB because Buffalo didn't have the OLBs to fit their 30 front defense. https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2011/9/15/2426871/buffalo-bills-spencer-johnson-alex-carrington Those were some lean years.

Still plenty of social media lovers to make up for 'ole copy and paste.

Next year when Croom becomes an unrestricted restricted free agent we're going to be screwed!

We've seen the sizzle type picks (Spiller) and we've seen the safe ones (Lawson). The people who made those picks are long gone and will go down as unable to move this team into contender status. I don't need to see sizzle, but I want to see more than conventional, which is what taking a DT at 9 is save for Q. Williams. If the pick is defense and not a DE, then it's a waste given positional value. Wherever they pick should be in support of Allen, preferably a skill position type. That is, if they don't want to end up like the guys who took Spiller and Lawson.

In terms of draft strategy I'll go based on actions, not words. Exempting their moves to take Allen, Buffalo has traded down to pick Tre White and moved up 3 times for Zay, Dawkins, and Edmunds the past 2 drafts. I'm not saying they won't live up to what Beane is saying, although when it was said provides more context on this quote, which I don't have. It's also unlikely that Beane is going to tell the NFL community how he approaches the draft. He strikes me as too savvy to spell out his thought process. There are other inputs toward what the Bills looking for in round 1? I tend to think the HC is going to pound the table for a defensive prospect because he's a conventional thinker and that won't be lost on Beane. And, this draft features much more defensive talent at the top of the draft than offensive skill types.

I'm a firm believer in a team not falling back on letting the draft come to then. In fact, McBeane have moved up or down for each of the 5 players picked in rounds 1-2 in '17 and '18. If they're not happy with what's available at 9, I'm sure they've war-gamed strategies and made calls about moving down.

Their first pick this year goes a long way toward seeing whether McD is still a conventional type coach and capable of adapting his approach to feature more offense. I'm not the biggest DKM fan, but it would sure tell me he's not falling back on the safe decision, i.e. another OT or DT. It would also indicate the HC knows that offense, specifically through Allen, is how they get to the playoffs. Not stocking the defense with another 1st round pick. McD talked at the combine about needing to score 21 points per, which I take as his prepared reaction to criticism he's a defense first coach. Picking DKM or another offensive skill position player puts something behind that talk. Still, I need to see them make personnel moves beyond medium grade offensive players before I believe McD has adapted to the modern game.

The guy who is selling tickets.

It was. Awarding him a Silver Star to divert people from knowing he was lost from friendly fire. I remember it was like it was yesterday. Found out about it in a Stars and Stripes while in Baghdad. Felt like a punch to the gut.

40% of Buffalo's current roster is occupied by unrestricted free agents. Very few are draft picks as a result of McBeane's near-erasing of the Whaley and previous eras combined with some retirements. This is more a team built in free agency (see the OL) than in the draft...for now. Trading up is something Buffalo's done 4 times in 2 drafts, which could be the reason people expect it for the third year in a row. Then again, there isn't a 1st or 2nd round pick they've made the past 2 drafts where they say and used their pick. Tre, Zay, Dawkins, Allen, and Edmunds were all guys they moved around for.

We find Belichick driving (with Brady no less) to Nantucket in June on his annual retreat and get a faster car.

Cocaine is a helluva drug. That or alcohol, weed, or some combination thereof. Ole' Buddy sure had them fooled. Made everyone think he was a DT until they flipped him to guard. Some here praised Nix to the hilt over that move. Gotta love the homer fans.

Buffalo will offer the NFL their 3rd round pick for a late season primetime game.

Is that similar to a Bennett Brauer commentary? "I'm not camera friendly." Or, "Maybe I'm not...the norm." Or, "I don't wear clothes that fit me."

If the Bills were building a team circa 1985 then yeah, I'd think more defense with their first pick given their off-season acquisitions. Then again, if McCoach is the defensive guru some believe him to be, then he needs to get by with what he's got. They spent the better part of the past 2017 and 2018 off-seasons building McCoach's defense. If it needs more picks, then it comes at the expense of the offense. Teams win with offense and should focus on having enough defense. That's the NFL of 2019. Besides, a rookie isn't likely to improve them next season.

I can hear the analytics person in the room talking up this point, but it's debatable whether personnel types would even consider this. As in, what's the impact a first round DT, LB, or S can make above one taken in the 2nd or 3rd round based on the talent available. It's not a complete solution to the draft, but it gets closer to building an team that can win versus improving individual positions as many here indirectly advocate for.