vincec Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Brandon (C-) - A marketing guy in control of all football operations in the NFL. Only in Buffalo. Hired Marrone. Brough in an analytics department. We really don't know how this will bare out. I'm not sold on Marrone and the analtyics department we have yet to see what this is all about. Nix/Whaley (B+). They receive my highest grade. They brought in a lot of talent. One of the best offseasons in recent years. This is the most talented Bills team since the Wade Phillips era. While they reached for Manual who is an enigma and 3/4 into a season we really have no idea what he is about, they brough in Hughes from a trade, Lawson in FA, Alonzo who can be the ROTY. Woods an Goodwin can be key pieces to the WR core in the future. There was a lot of talent brought in this year that are key contributers for this year and for years to come. Nix and now Whaley, while painful are slowly building sustainable talent. Doug Marrone (C-). Arguably he is getting less results from working with more talent than previous regimes especially with what Jauron and Gailey had to work with. His in-game management has been pretty bad in terms of challenges and clock management and just overall win-loss results. This is also one of the most penalized Bills teams in our era of futility. I would grade him a d+ but the hiring of Mike Pettine bumps him up a grade. Overall Front Office Grade: C I agree with this assessment. The only thing I question is grouping Nix and Whaley together. Up until now it's been Nix, including the current draft class. We'll see what Whaley can do this coming off season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillsForever Posted December 4, 2013 Author Share Posted December 4, 2013 I agree with this assessment. The only thing I question is grouping Nix and Whaley together. Up until now it's been Nix, including the current draft class. We'll see what Whaley can do this coming off season. Yeah, it's tough to argue that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Hindsight Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 (edited) N.E. made the playoffs a few years ago without Brady for most of the season. Go figure. Yeah, except they didn't…. Miami won the division that year As to their grading. FO is fine. Whaley seems like a good find and Nix brought in some quality talent during his time here. EJ looks like the real deal to me and considering who they passed over I'm calling that a win. Marrone is a work in progress. The team plays hard and he has gotten better as a clock manager and challenge guy in the last few weeks. With the injuries we have had in the secondary (all at once) then receiver (all at once) RB (all at once) and QB (all at once) I'm willing to give the record an incomplete right now. One thing I have been impressed with all year is how well prepared the team is each week. (with the exception of Pittsburgh) We bring a QB up from the PS and take a playoff team to overtime and defeat a playoff contender on the road the fallowing week with said QB. Tuel starts against a 8-0 team and expect for a horrible pass he played very well and frankly made the chiefs look very beatable. Personally I have never been more excited about a coach and QB since Flutie was a cult hero and I was 11. The future is bright in Buffalo. I truly believe that Edited December 4, 2013 by Captain Hindsight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herns78 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Sometimes, I am at a loss for words on my fellow Bills fans. Do you not all realize that this is an entirely new regime. New staff, new players, new GM, etc, etc. How in the world do you have such high expectations for these guys this year?? Yes, the front office did an outstanding job of bringing in talent. They get an A- from me...only reason they don't get A+ is that they most likely could have waited to get EJ in round 2 and could have addressed our need for TE in round 1. Trading Sheppard for Hughes was a phenomenal move, as was bringing in Manny Lawson. Kiko is a stud, and Woods has shown that he has a bright future in the NFL. Aside from the Saints game, we have been in every game this year. Has the coaching staff made a lot of bad decisions? Yes!! But they are supposed to! They are rookie coaches...it's going to happen. They are learning too. It amazes me how much you all complain year in and out about our coaching staff. To hear any of you put Gailey ahead of Marrone is an absolute joke. Gailey was a coordinator, at best, who was way over his head as a head coach. His in game decisions were absolutely brutal week in and out. And for those of you who say that changing a losing culture is B.S....get a clue. It is an enormous challenge that Marrone has on his plate. It's not going to happen in his first year. I have seen a lot of great things this year, and I knew going into this year that we were going to have a lot of struggles. My hope is that with each of these gut wrenching losses, this team learns valuable lessons from them and becomes determined to not let these things happen next time. At the end of the day, this is a very young team with a lot of new faces from top to bottom. Give them a chance. Good lord, you people will never be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBuff423 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 We live in a now-now-now, instant gratification society and trying to see this team as whole in its development in that light is a poor way of evaluating long-term success, which is what a front office needs to be analyzed for, not just this season. I understand the desire to see results RIGHT-F'IN-NOW because of our decade plus years in ineptability and failure to produce a quality and competitive team...that said, you cannot hold the sins of the former regime to the discredit of this one...to sum it up, I like what the FO has done thus far, but it is far too early to give it a "grade" as just like grades, you are evaluated on your body of work, and the season isn't even over yet therefore, it would be like asking a 2nd grader to jump to 3rd grade or repeat the year after only the third marking period, when grades change and the analysis of the entire year needs to be done. Let's wait before we start with the coup de'tat regarding Nix/Whaley/Marrone...if in two years it's still this bad despite increasing talent level, then Marrone needs to go..if talent is not added or the players brought in demonstrate their inability to play at the NFL level, then Whaley needs to be given an ultimatum as well...it's too soon for either though...IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Agree completely. If our front office has assembled such a good team, why do we keep losing? This excuse is getting old. > New England lost every decent receiver and tight end on its entire team in the offseason, and picked us apart with Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola in Week 1. > Cleveland also lost its starting quarterback during its Week 5 game. > Atlanta has had more injuries than any team in the league. Trust me, I hate the excuses too. But some are valid. 1) NE still has maybe the best QB ever. If you could switch Brady (and provided he stays healthy) and our 3 QBs we have used this year, what's both teams' records? 2) Weeden isn't great but he was a 1st round pick last year. Jeff Tuel wasn't drafted and couldn't start consistently at Washington State. 3) Again, Matt Ryan is a top 10 QB. They were a game away from the SB last year. The Bills blew that game about as bad as you can blow a game. But this wasn't the normal 2-9 team. Another year without the playoffs blows. 14 years is insane. But to rationally look at things, this is the first year for the GM, coach, OC, QB, a lot of very good young players. How you can grade this FO as anything other than INC right now? If in 3 years, we're missing the playoffs, then it's a F. That said, playoffs needs to be the goal next year. Anything less and I could get behind wholesale changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkington Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 A - Superbowl B - Playoff win C - Making the Playoffs D - Being in the running in December F - Being irrelevant in December That's my simple grading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 "Old" FO: Wilson, Brandon, Littman, Overdorf, Nix, Whaley "New" FO: Wilson, Brandon, Littman, Overdorf, Whaley, Nix Why, it's like night and day with this new FO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 After Brandon said this morning that the Toronto series is far from guaranteed, his floor is a B-, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McD Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Lots more to evaluate before assigning a grade. I know this is their first full year in their respective areas, so they get some room from me. The fact that they lost Manuel and had to use multiple QB's in his stead gives them a little bit more leeway as well. The F.O can only do so much when the players don't execute. I agree with the fact that 4-8 is 4-8, but using that same thought process, this team is 3 plays away from being 7-5. There is change in the air and it's been a long time coming. Even Brandon seemed aggravated with the Toronto series and how it's affected the teams ability to win that additional "home" game. I'm staying cautiously optimistic here... Looking forward to how the season plays out (and how the players/coaches respond). I'm not expecting much in the off-season as far as FA's go, but I hope we can lock up some of our better players and maybe figure out a way to grab another under the radar impact player like Lawson/Hughes (yes, I know Hughes was a trade). The next 4 weeks will tell a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 "Old" FO: Wilson, Brandon, Littman, Overdorf, Nix, Whaley "New" FO: Wilson, Brandon, Littman, Overdorf, Whaley, Nix Why, it's like night and day with this new FO! yes, simple as that--nice tunnel vision. By the way, where were you before the team was out of the playoff race? Convenient of you to show up now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offsides#76FredSmerlas Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Here's the bottom line. All of the coaches and all the general managers and all of the front office will look bad until we get a QB that can control a game, be a leader, and win. I am hoping with everything in me that EJ is the guy but I am still not sure and his progression these last 4 games for me is crucial. Good QB's can win with just about any coach and any front office. What did John Fox do in Carolina, now he has Manning! What did Bill Bellacheat do in Cleveland, now he has Brady! What did Marv Levy do in KC, then he got Kelly! If the Bills landed a good one in EJ then they will be a very good team next season. If EJ is a bust we will endure another dreadful year, bottom line... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I don't know how Russ Brandon avoids more scorn. Ralph Wilson "yes" man The most robotic sounding businessman I've ever heard He refers to you fans as INVENTORY! C'mon! And he ended up signing his head coach buddy that went to his college. Same ol' Bills. Shocking how the only coach that has worked out is Pettine, but I know that actually looking around the league for the best hire is foreign to these Buffalo parts. Pettine is worlds better than his predecessors, but if you truly think he's "worked out" at this point, you haven't been watching the games very closely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Pettine is worlds better than his predecessors, but if you truly think he's "worked out" at this point, you haven't been watching the games very closely. Sunday's was one of three losses that gets pinned directly on the D. The others being NYJ-1 (injuries, I know) and Cincinatti. They're inability to slow New England down in the final drive didn't help either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 yes, simple as that--nice tunnel vision. By the way, where were you before the team was out of the playoff race? Convenient of you to show up now... You mean before 2000? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 You mean before 2000? Typical...even though you know what I meant, I'll clarify just in case you aren't playing dumb... Where were you when the team was still in the playoff race, prior to Sunday's loss? Where were you when the team was 0.500 at the quarter-post, having just beaten the Superbowl champs? Don't worry, I don't expect anything but snark... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee Phoenix Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Pettine is worlds better than his predecessors, but if you truly think he's "worked out" at this point, you haven't been watching the games very closely. The defense is why the Bills have been competitive in nearly every game. No, they're not perfect. They struggled last week. But, it's clear that Pettine has been a great hire, and unfortunately will be snatched away soon unless the Bills are proactive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 The defense is why the Bills have been competitive in nearly every game. No, they're not perfect. They struggled last week. But, it's clear that Pettine has been a great hire, and unfortunately will be snatched away soon unless the Bills are proactive. how can they be proactive? If the dude gets offered a head coaching job, he's gone. He'd be stupid not to. And it's an aggressive defense that creates sacks and turnovers. So occasionally, you will give up big plays. Personally, I'd rather do that than the bend and don't break motto of the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 The final grades are all that matter, this is the most generous and rational scale I can submit: Super Bowl=A Playoffs= B 8 wins= C <8 wins =D <1 win=F Right now the team is a solid D with a chance at a C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsox Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 We're 4-8. They get an F. You expected a 6-10 team to become a playoff team or a team above .500 just because??? There was a big changes this offseason. Did Marv Levy take the Bills to the playoffs his first season??? This thread reminds me why I try not to come here the day after a loss. More knee jerks than a reflex hammer. Exactly. Let's get the dynamite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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