BillsVet

No one's complaining about the result from last season. I'm certainly not. And this is a message board, not McCoach's Twitter feed, so I don't care what he thinks. I was talking about how they were a really mediocre team that lucked into the playoffs. This is a rebuild going nowhere. They've misfired at the QB, spent a ton on defense, and still don't field anything resembling a modern offense. As to the thread subject, they've built nothing on offense and their major accomplishment has been the mere drafting of a QB in the 1st round. That's it. Otherwise, in rebuild year 2, this is the lowest scoring team in the NFL through 6 weeks. Let that sink in and then tell me they're making progress. Now, cue the "rebuilds take time" mantra. Yeah, they do. They take a lot longer when the "process" is flawed from inception.

The 2017 Buffalo Bills may well have been one of the worst teams to ever make the playoffs since the modern playoff format started in 1990. Opponents outscored Buffalo by 57 points and it took the Cincinnati miracle for them to squeak in as a 6 seed. No self respecting GM or HC expects to make the post-season that way. Not one that expects to have their job more than 3-4 seasons.

That's like giving the win to a starting pitcher who goes 5 innings, gives up 6 runs and his offense scores 7. Sure it goes down as a "W" but he didn't win that game.

Playing strong defense with no offense is the path to mediocrity. We've reached a point where defense almost doesn't even matter anymore. All those picks and free agent dollars the past 2 off-seasons to build that side of the ball have left the Bills' offense with marginal NFL talent. From a value perspective, it does no good to have a top defense if it comes at the expense of rebuilding the offense.

This. They need that Coughlin type in Buffalo now given the state of the team after 2 off-seasons of rebuilding. Unfortunately, the Pegula's seem content to hire people, give them resources, watch those hires struggle, and then fire them only to start it all over again. McCoach wanted absolute control to come here and received it, yet after 2 off-seasons he's demonstrated no ability to grasp the modern game. It may affect the OBD dynamic, but waiting another 1-2 seasons for "the process" to work is an eternity in the NFL.

Watching this game it's almost as if Buffalo is playing a different sport.

I've been reading threads similarly titled like this for more than 10 years: bad offense, inspiring defense, and at seasons end more mediocrity. Maintaining a strong defense over multiple years is very difficult in the cap era. The Seahawks are a prime example. At the end of this season, Buffalo will need to revamp their offense after two years of rebuilding. Those who believe the answer lies in UFA will see few options next March. The GMs, HCs, and coordinators have changed. The results have not.

There are holds on every down. There is PI all the time. There are RTP calls that shouldn't be made. Happens every game. Buffalo the team lost this game. You think McCoach is telling the team in the locker room that the refs are at fault? Not likely.

That play directly lost Buffalo the game?

Typically when someone blames the refs it tells me their grasp of the game ain't there.

Buffalo losing the way they did and you're thinking about starting a 5th round rookie guard who's not dressing? This board sometimes.

We're talking past each other. I never said there are "guarantees" to hiring an offensive type for a HC, only pointed out that strategically, rebuilds where defense is prioritized over offense is not going to work or will take much longer for the team to become successful. And who is declaring success as winning a SB? I prefer the qualification as making the playoffs, of which only 12 teams can each season. Those teams by seed are identified with their offensive yards gained and defensive yards allowed in parentheses. Their playoff record is also provided. 6. ATL (8, 9) 1-1 BUF (29, 26) 0-1 5. CAR (19, 7) 0-1 TEN (23, 13) 1-1 4. NO (2, 17) 1-1 KC (5, 28) 0-1 3. LAR (10, 19) 0-1 JAX (6, 2) 2-1 2. MIN (11, 1) 1-1 NE (1, 29) 2-1 1. PHI (7, 3) 3-0 PIT (3, 5) 0-1 Nine of the top 11 offenses in yards gained advanced to the playoffs last year and won 10 combined playoff games. That's not to say they didn't have good defenses, only that you'd better have a top offense to make the playoffs. I see 4 teams ranking in the bottom half of the league (NO, LAR, KC, and NE) that were pretty good without a top defense. Still, this isn't so much about a W-L record, it's the strategic decisions before the season begins. A defensive based HC more often than not goes defense upon entering a rebuild. It's what they know. It's what DJ, even Nix (to transition to a 30 front), and now McCoach have done. Those examples do not prove a defensive minded HC will fail or an OC oriented guy will succeed. It's how they value personnel and their former side of the ball as compared to the modern NFL.

The game in 2001 and 2011 when those 2 QBs became starters has evolved considerably. The RTP and PI penalties principally affect how defenses can take on a passing offense. In NE, Belichick didn't need Brady to be much more than efficient those first couple years until he developed. And Newton is a totally different player who actually had some offensive talent around him as a rookie and 2nd year player, especially their OL. McCoach, like most defensive guys, went defense heavy his first 2 off-season and now the offense stinks. He has no one to blame but himself for going the opposite way to success.

As long as Allen doesn't throw the ball directly into JJ Watt's hands for a pick 6 he can't do any worse than a former 1st round pick. McCoach and Beane thought so much of Lawson they signed Trent Murphy and not flip Lawson inside on passing downs. Lawson is a 40 front LDE and in year 3 of his career not an every down type. This despite all the work and personal tragedy he's endured.

There's going to be steep competition for every UFA with all this money floating around in cap space. According to SportTrac, there are 10 teams with more than 50M for 2019. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cap/2019/# In some ways trades have become more predominant, but if the Bills are going to pull themselves out of the bad to mediocre abyss they've been in the past 19 years, it's not going to be through UFA.

No dissenting opinions tolerated here!

The Buddy and Doug show avoided drafting a QB for the first 3 off-seasons they were running personnel. And they should have known better than to believe Fitz was long term answer given his how 2011 ended. Their strategy was drafting and spending big on every other position. The nice thing is the new regime took a QB, but has whiffed on moves or not taken players to support their franchise guy. Team building the Nix/Whaley way doesn't work. Time will tell about the current group, but if they aren't a playoff team next year I'm not sure their strategy is much better than their predecessors.

If only there was an audible "Easy" button for Sal to use during his segments. I can see his next appearance going like this: Jeremy: Sal, what should the Bills do on offense this off-season? Sal: I would improve the OL and draft the best WR available. There, that was easy! Jeremy: Whoa Sal, how are they going to do this? There aren't many top WRs available through trade, free agency, or ready to step in as a rookie. Sal: They have lots of cap money this off-season and draft picks that's how. Jeremy: Sal, why do we feature you? Sal: Because I do ads for Country Sweet sauce.

The lack of patience comes down to this franchise being no closer to competing today for championships than it was under Dugout Doug Whaley and Wrecks at the end of 2016. Oh sure, they're in better cap shape and have a young QB most fans have hope for, but the roster features a lot of players who aren't long term options. I'd be a lot more comfortable with this rebuild if McCoach hadn't followed the formula of what previous regimes did. Namely, sink a lot of draft picks and free agency dollars into a defense to presumably win close games. DJ, Nix/Gailey, and Whaley/Wrecks all started rebuilds prioritizing the defense and all failed miserably to get this team to even a playoff level. Marrone wasn't hear long enough to do fall flat and worked with the aforementioned Whaley who made some real boneheaded decisions. Most fans want to be patient, but taking steps back in a rebuild is a really bad sign. Winning a game like they did at Atlanta last year or Minnesota this year is nice, but it ups the expectations when the team is really not even average this season. I'll also predict that having 90M in cap room for next year isn't going to suddenly mean the offense is demonstrably better.

The kid has all of 4 games of experience this season. You're ready to declare your prognostication as absolute? Goodness, Nostradamus has nothing on some of you. Let's see how he fares against a Jacksonville defense which a is just a little better than what's he's faced in weeks 1-4. That is, unless you are busy obtaining his measurements for his HOF jacket already.

Truly amazing how many fans posting here just KNOW Mahomes is going to be a star.

Early returns are that Mahomes is really talented and better than what the Bills have. So be it, this debate is not settled but only beginning. Mahomes is good now, has been developed, and through 4 (!) games is in a better spot career wise. He will have his ups and downs as coaches get more film on him. The real issue is McCoach and Beane have prioritized defense above offense in an era where the latter wins games and you just need enough of the former. Next off-season, they'll need to significantly upgrade the offense and it won't be easy. Their strategy is still open for debate and not settled, as is Mahomes' and Allen's NFL careers.

I doubt the NFL would do ever anything to hinder the passing game. They have to love these shoot-outs just like MLB loves the HR. Or the NBA which is predominantly dunks and 3 pointers. It's what gets fans' attention. At some point, I have to wonder if some HC and GM would see the wisdom in putting together a team that isn't predicated on throwing the ball, but is good enough doing that. Defenses are playing more 6 guys in the box and 5 DB sets, so it would make sense that someone eventually builds an offense which can punish those smaller LBs and DBs who are on the field to play the pass. Belicheck seemed to use LeGarrette Blount like this a few years ago.

In other words, QBs cost too much and reducing the investment in one with a similar or good enough level of play is essential. I will say it's easier to get decent to good QB play now than it was 10 or 15 years ago when the rules weren't slanted toward offense as much. I think all of this is market driven. If there are more guys capable of playing, the options for a team are greater and cost should go down. But we've not seen that yet with the passing game being primary to successful offenses. I also don't think there will be, unless offenses evolve even further toward the college game, enough supply of QBs for this concept to work.

If you ignore winning Super Bowls with the Giants as a DC and as a HC getting the Browns (!) to the playoffs as flukes then, yeah, BB lucked into all his success. I love seeing Belichick upset and when Buffalo beats them. But to minimize his achievements as a NFL HC to "Brady" or "cheating" is absurdity.