BrooklynBills

Louis Riddick was up for the 49ers job and has Philly connections to McDermott. I would think he is a more likely choice if it were to happen.

1. Total Control - I don't think anyone is saying that they want McD to have total control. Even the LaConfora article says they'd be bringing in someone to take Whaley's place. I think most people sensible people here are simply saying "yeah, it looks like Whaley is not easy to work with." The coach-GM dynamic is a partnership, not 2 separate groups working independently. 2. I understand from reading your posts in this thread that you would prefer the "GM as King" model. That is a fine model if the GM is a talented player evaluator AND has a vision and plan for how to build a football team. I love that you mention McKenzie because he is a great example of a recent hire who had had some success. But he had a clear plan from day 1 of how he was going to handle their cap issues, how he was going to upgrade talent, and where/when he was going to spend in FA. It is/was a very calculated process. He is also a leader who got his organization and owner to buy in and give him time when many were questioning him, including said owner very publicly. Having a clear long term plan allows you to make mistakes or overcome misfortunes because you have a foundation to keep coming back to. I think at this point it should be abundantly clear that Doug Whaley does not have a clear plan for how to build a football team. We would have seen it bear out in the types of football players brought in over time, in the way he talks about the game in interviews, etc. But he's been here a while now and what's his vision? What kind of team does he like? Also, that is alot of power to give a first time executive unless they have a proven track record and even then, it doesn't always work out. Finally, regarding McKenzie - if you did your research you would know that Del Rio has plenty of roster control, more so than any Raider coach. Your constant mentioning of McKenzie more than proves the point that the GM and HC are a team and that in order to be successful they need to work together. 3. Doug Whaley always has said that he just goes out and finds the right players for the coach. Well, like it or not, that is placing the bulk of team building(philosophy, player types/personalities, etc.) onto the coach. So if the coach is setting the team direction and philosophy and plan of action, why doesn't it make sense that he has a say in who he's working with. Again, if Doug Whaley is hard to work with(which there is overwhelming evidence of at this point), why would McD not want to bring in someone who is easier to work with and who he can trust. Doug Whaley has proven nothing in this league. If better men can be found to do his than so be it. It's not like we have a new coach who his trying to usurp power from an entrenched, experienced GM. There is a power/leadership void within the football department. Someone has to fill it.

We don't have one.

I like this guy in rounds 3/4. Not the 2nd though, maybe late 2nd if we trade back.

I think that is part of the reason that he is gone. Not the Ragland move specifically, but not having a vision for where the team was going beyond the next game. When they hired Rex, I thought it was clear they envisioned some version of the Seahawks model in their structure. I'm sure they were looking for those leadership characteristics in their next hire. But if ownership puts pressure on him to win immediately or puts a "playoffs or bust" mandate down, it will be there fault, not McDermott's, if short sighted moves are made.

I think there was a time when John Murphy probably knew alot of the inner workings of the Bills front office moves and decisions. Now is that that time.

My point is more that you pick the guy who will lead rather stick to a specific structure. There are pros and cons to both approaches.

Not for nothing, I'd believe LaCanfora over John Murphy at this point. Hard to trust anything he says on that show. SAD!

You are assuming McDermott is on a short leash which there is no evidence of. He has a 5 year deal; I'd expect him to see 3 years even if we went 2-14 the next two years.

You can't say Belichek and Carroll are unique but then claim that your model is to follow 2 of the best GMs of the modern era, the greatest pure football ownership group, and then the Broncos who have done it both ways.

I don't think anyone saying McDermott is Belichek. But when you mention the teams that "do it right," you are mentioning two of the best GMs of the modern NFL(Ozzie Newsome and Ted Thompson) and the greatest, most knowledgeable ownership group in the NFL(Rooneys). They are also outliers using your parameters. The fact is that is becoming increasingly common for the HC to control the roster while pairing him with a strong talent evaluator. The "GM as King" model, which it seems that you are calling for, is simply not the only way that teams are or can be run anymore. There aren't 30 GMs like that in the league anymore. The way the league is trending is that you find a guy who is going to be the leader for your organization, whether that be a front office guy or the coach, and then empower him fully execute his plan. If Ozzie Newsome quit tomorrow and said I'm looking for a new job, I'd be the first guy to say "go get him; give him full power." But he's not so they need to figure out a different way. Plenty of teams are successful with a model in which the HC has more power than the personnel guy.

Belichek was given roster control day 1 in NE. And in Cleveland BTW. Carroll was given roster control day 1 in SEA.

Off the top of my head: Seahawks Chiefs Dolphins Patriots - they are not an exception, BB was de facto GM the day he was hired in NE, long before he was thought of as anything more than a great DC Saints Bears 49ers I'm sure there are others and were others in the past.

McDermott making the final decisions on the roster and who to draft does not necessarily mean we will be in a perpetual win-now mode, as some are suggesting. Many teams operate in this way in which the HC is the final decision maker. If anything, this is a good thing in that they are breaking away from the committee approach they seemed to be touting the last few years. More than anything, the Bills have lacked managerial leadership, organizational vision, and a plan of action. It's obvious Whaley did not have one. Maybe it's unfair to hold that against him as it may have not been a job requirement when he was promoted to the GM position, but we are here now.

He will go either pick #32 to NO(or NE if the Butler trade goes down), #33 to Cleveland, or #34 to SF. I could see him going as high #18 to TENN, they have alot of picks from that Goff trade.

He's going in the early 2nd round

It's pretty simple. Saints want Butler but do not want to sign him to an offer sheet and give up 11 ovr(which would be an overpayment). They want to trade for him after he signs the RFA tendered contract so that they can then negotiate with him without giving up the 11th ovr. This works out for both the Saints and the player as NO gives up less compensation than 11th ovr and Butler can use his upcoming UFA status as leverage in his new contract. I'm sure the negotiations between NE and NO are going something like this: Saints: How much for Butler? Patriots: Just sign him to an offer sheet, we won't match. Saints: No Thanks. Patriots: ok, let's work out a trade. We'll allow you to work on a contract with him. It's all pretty fair.

Glenn is not moving to RT. Kouandijo is probably not even making this team based on his injury and the fact he is going to miss all OTAs and he is just average to begin with. Also, Glenn is likely to be looking for a new contract in 2 years when his guarantees are up and the Bills can opt out of the deal in 2019 if they want to. He will be 30 at the end of this contract so he is going to get another pretty good deal if he keeps up solid LT play. He is not going to like moving to the RT spot for potentially 2 years to weaken his position on a new contract, either with the Bills or another team. Secondly, let's just say that, magically, CK plays simply average at LT. He needs a new contract next year. Average tackle play for a guy in his mid-20s will cost you roughly 5 - 8 million on the salary cap depending on the contract. So now we are looking at spending between 17 and 21 mil to get an average LT and a great RT. That amount of money invested in both T positions should give you the best T combo in the league, not an average starter at one spot and a great one at the other.

Want - Hooker Don't Want - Mike Williams Dark Horse - Hassan Reddick Think - OJ Howard

Everything that I have read about this year's WR class says that it is deep but lacks star power at the top.

If they trade back to late teens/early 20s, and pick up another 2nd, I'd be fine with taking a WR. Just not at 10.

I think they can get a good WR in 2nd round. Don't see why we would need 2 top 10 draft picks spent on WRs who won't see many targets. Any way you slice it, I don't see how this is a pass oriented offense for at least 2 years. You would have the clock ticking on 2 cheap contracts while getting little production. Also, I am not in the camp that thinks Watkins is fragile and injury prone so that is also affecting my thoughts here.

If you look at where Dennison has been before you will typically not see 2 high-end WRs. Here is what we know right now: 1. We have a #1 WR locked into a contract for the next 2-3 years 2. We don't have a dynamic passer at QB and would expect to be a run oriented offense for at least the next two years 3. There is no elite WR talent in this draft 4. There will be elite defensive talent available at 10. I think all of this points to the fact that WR at 10 will not be the choice. The types of players that the Bills have targeted on defense in FA tells me that Jabrill Peppers is someone who could be a fit.

Graham was a protected late round pick/UDFA who the Bills took in the 3rd round. Listenbee was a protected 4th/5th round pick who slid because of his injury and because teams knew he probably wouldn't contribute last year.

i think thats because hicks was still playing under the contact that he originally signed with the Saints when he finished up with NE. Johnson didnt sign a contract with CAR until July of last year and I'm pretty sure that a qualifying UFA lost needs to be signed during the initial free agency period before the draft. But i'll admit i'm not 100% sure about him now.