Do the moves by the Bills in free agency make sense so far?

[flomoe]

In reference to the OP's question...Yes.

 

This is a new era that we are starting for this team.

No longer do we sit back and say "I like so and so because he's been here for (x) years" and expect that guy to stay on the team because he's liked by the community.

It's time to Shat or get off the pot. This team is in a position that it has never been. It's time to say thanks for your service but we are going to get better now.

It's time to get mean and nasty and if you want to curl up on your bed with your Alonso, Chandler or Spiller jerseys and cry about all those years that this team sucked horse junk, it might be time to find a new team.

Every move this team has made so far has a purpose....to WIN.

Embrace the changes that we are seeing and say goodbye to the shitstorm we have endured for most of our lifetimes. Go Bills and let's move forward, be the bullies and WIN!

[Bob Malooga]

What's wrong with McCoys contract? It should have no effect on you and obviously the Bills have plenty of cap space to cover it.

No, no effect on me, besides being a fan of a team paying a RB in 2015 $10M a season...when people didn't want them to pay Spiller $4M a season. But, again, that's not my biggest issue, although I think that's absurd for a RB.

Are you in Sunnyvale, CA?

Lol, no sir, I am not...sure as hell wish I was though! Edited March 14, 2015 by Bubbles from Sunnyvale

[nucci]

No, no effect on me, besides being a fan of a team paying a RB in 2015 $10M a season...when people didn't want them to pay Spiller $4M a season. But, again, that's not my biggest issue, although I think that's absurd for a RB.

Lol, no sir, I am not...sure as hell wish I was though!

The NFL makes billions of dollars and through Collective Bargaining teams have to spend a minimum of approx $125M with a cap of approx $143M. There are going to be some highly paid players.

[jumbalaya]

really...lets see

mccoy-harvin= playmakers!

felton=beast

clay will be awesome if we get him, if not we will get a very good te. chandler was overrated in my opinion

cassel=excellent mentor and qb game manager who will teach EJ the way. much improved over orton

worried about the defense-come on rex and staff will not let us fail

 

Roman is an evil scientist with masking plays and making qbs look good. Every week will be different, Not even

worried about oline..roman is a teacher in the way he has oline blocking and scheming. Plus we have PLAYMAKERS..

pick your poison

shady

Percy

Sammy

Mr Woods

Freddie

Clay or any other TE

and we dont have the Morons coaching this year//

Please, give up on the hyperbole.

[hondo in seattle]

It's clear Whaley is trying to both building the offensive line and acquire some play-makers for the offense. He did the best he could, realistically, for the QB position.

 

I wish we had landed Iupati (or Beluga) but no team gets every player they want.

 

Shady is a huge deal. When you don't have an elite QB, it's imperative you have an elite RB. Somebody's got to get you some yards. You don't get a player like Shady for nothing and the price we paid was reasonable.

 

Let's hope we do well in the draft and that the offensive linemen we drafted last year step up this year.

 

We'll be in the playoff hunt this year.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Harvin played with Vikings, they were ground and pound. Seattle traded for him, ground and pound. Jets traded for him, ground and pound. Bills signed him, ground and pound. Harvin is a unique player that fits teams that want to run. He gives those offenses chunk plays in many different ways. You don't need a QB to get him the ball.

 

Felton, well that's obvious. McCoy is obvious. Incognito is obvious. Cassel is obvious. Clay is obvious.

 

What doesn't make sense?

Edited March 14, 2015 by TheTruthHurts

[BobbyC81]

i like the McCoy trade, I don't think Kiko will live up to the media hype that he is getting. Kiko is coming off of another ACL surgery and cooled down greatly after the first 6 games of his rookie year. Also, McCoy is a premium back that is entering his prime. Harvin signing is pretty good but hopefully we will add a guard and TE via trade or draft. I do not understand all the pessimism some are showing on this board. There is still a lot of time to address our needs and Doug knows what he is doing. JMO

 

A soon to be 27 year old RB that has already played 6 NFL seasons is not "entering his prime". I'd rather they drafted a RB.

[Deranged Rhino]

 

A soon to be 27 year old RB that has already played 6 NFL seasons is not "entering his prime". I'd rather they drafted a RB.

 

You're right, he's smack in the middle of his prime. He's got 2 or 3 prime years left.

[Ozymandius]

Only the Tyrod move really matters.

 

If he pans out as a competent starter, this offseason is an A+

 

If he sucks, this offseason is an F

[Deranged Rhino]

Only the Tyrod move really matters.

 

If he pans out as a competent starter, this offseason is an A+

 

If he sucks, this offseason is an F

 

[jahnyc]

Is McCoy obvious at the amount we will be paying him, his age, running style and trading Kiko? Would it have been better to draft a RB in a draft with good RB prospects or try to get Murray at a better price and without having to trade Kiko?

 

I believed that we would try to sign another starting guard, so the signing of Incognito made some sense as a second guard acquisition even if he had not played in a couple years, assuming he would not be a distraction or hurt us in free agency.

 

The signing of Cassel is fine, but is it much of an upgrade from Orton? He passed his physical, but will his foot be fully healed and not cause him trouble? Are you okay with EJ at QB?

 

I agree that Clay is obvious and I hope it happens, but should we have waited to cut him until we signed a new TE, particularly after losing Smith as well? The biggest needs going in to free agency were the o-line and TE. O-line still needs to be addressed. If we can get another starting caliber guard and tackle through free agency or trade, it will all make more sense, at least in the short term (i.e., next season).

 

I have no idea about Harvin. If Roman can figure out how to utilize him in a consistent way and Harvin has success with kick-off returns he may be a worthwhile signing.

 

Ultimately, you cannot look at each individual signing in a vacuum. Do all of these pieces fit together and did we make best use of the cap space available? Those will be two of the most important questions going forward.

Edited March 14, 2015 by jahnyc

[BuffaloBillsForever]

Only the Tyrod move really matters.

 

If he pans out as a competent starter, this offseason is an A+

 

If he sucks, this offseason is an F

I think he is the best fit for this scheme actually and wouldn't be surprised if ends up as the starter.

Edited March 14, 2015 by BuffaloBillsForever

[BaaadThingsMan]

I can't wait till the season has started and the team has signed or drafted some O line and TE help and the offense AND defense are giving teams nightmares. That's when the ones who can't see the vision will start to realize why Whaley and company are targeting legit playmakers this off season. The offense needed help so the offense is getting help, end of story.

[KRT88]

The team still should address the TE position. A veteran guard or tackle would help as well.

 

I have to believe that Cyrus Kouandjio, whom we have read about, is going to work his tail off to give himself a chance to play next season. Though I'm not willing to count on him, he should be a guy who provides depth on the O-line. Cyril Richardson is basically the same, though at least he showed he can play a little. Work on his technique and I think he can also provide depth.

Nevertheless, the OL is the teams weakest spot.

 

The Offense has play makers everywhere now, with Harvin, Watkins, and McCoy.

The QB position is below average but if Cassels is decent we'll be OK. Personally I think EJ is just as good but Tom Brady isn't walking through the door any time soon.

There are first down getters with Woods, Hogan, Gragg.

Looks like we have some power in there with Dixon and Felton.

Lots of versatility with McCoy, Harvin and Jackson.

Wish we had a 6-5 WR and a 6-8 TE.

 

The Defense is loaded and should give the team a chance to win most weeks.

 

Lastly we cannot forget we resigned are full time kickoff guy, nothing is better than that move.

Edited March 14, 2015 by KRT88

[Deranged Rhino]

Is McCoy obvious at the amount we will be paying him, his age, running style and trading Kiko? Would it have been better to draft a RB in a draft with good RB prospects or try to get Murray at a better price and without having to trade Kiko?

 

I believed that we would try to sign another starting guard, so the signing of Incognito made some sense as a second guard acquisition even if he had not played in a couple years, assuming he would not be a distraction or hurt us in free agency.

 

The signing of Cassel is fine, but is it much of an upgrade from Orton? He passed his physical, but will his foot be fully healed and not cause him trouble? Are you okay with EJ at QB?

 

I agree that Clay is obvious and I hope it happens, but should we have waited to cut him until we signed a new TE, particularly after losing Smith as well? The biggest needs going in to free agency were the o-line and TE. O-line still needs to be addressed. If we can get another starting caliber guard and tackle through free agency or trade, it will all make more sense, at least in the short term (i.e., next season).

 

I have no idea about Harvin. If Roman can figure out how to utilize him in a consistent way and Harvin has success with kick-off returns he may be a worthwhile signing.

 

Ultimately, you cannot look at each individual signing in a vacuum. Do all of these pieces fit together and did we make best use of the cap space available? Those will be two of the most important questions going forward.

 

You're right that the question will ultimately be answered and you raise some good points. I'll take a crack at some of the issues you raised, again knowing it won't ultimately be known until September...

 

"Is McCoy obvious at his age / salary": Yes. McCoy is not old and wasn't ever considered to be on the decline until he got traded to Buffalo. Suddenly, he's old and washed up. That's just not true. They signed an elite running back in his prime to a very salary cap friendly deal. Shady is a known commodity in the NFL who runs well between the tackles and in space, again contrary to the scouting reports some cite. The Bills were awful running the football last year and because of that were forced to try to win games through the air with bad QBs. That's a terrible recipe for winning football as you well know. McCoy brings instant credibility (tough as hell, never misses time, and is absolutely electric) and Roman has a proven track record (unlike Marrone and Hackett) of being able to run the football. You just couldn't find that in the draft and there's no guarantee (as we've seen in this UFA) that offering the most money would entice someone like Murray to play for Buffalo.

 

The only legitimate concern about the trade to have, in my opinion, is the loss of Kiko. Despite the legend, Kiko isn't a known commodity like McCoy. He doesn't have a proven track record and has a seemingly growing injury history. I loved watching the guy play here. I'm a fan and hope he does well in Philly, so I completely understand those who feel he was too much to give up. But I also think those same people haven't seen McCoy play much. If they had, they'd know how special he is. Kiko may become a special player in his own right -- but I'd rather have the guy who's already a proven commodity than a guy who may become that. Especially when it's at a position of dire need, which RB most certainly was.

 

"I believed that we would try to sign another starting guard": And they have tried and continue to try, so far as I know. I'm not sure why you put this in past tense in your post, is it because you don't think they really are trying to sign a guard? They have been aggressively pursuing upgrades across the line, offering the most money to Bulaga and apparently are in the mix for Mathis. I didn't expect the RI signing at all but it wasn't because I didn't think he could help. It was because I thought the NFL was done with him. Clearly that was wrong on my part, and the guy's age and time away from the game are legit concerns. But they're concerns that can be easily assuaged by doing some due diligence on the man, which I believe Rex and the Pegulas did. His addition to the line is a boon. Still, I don't think the Bills are done bringing in interior linemen, so I wouldn't give up hope.

 

"Are you okay with EJ at QB?": I skipped the Meh segment of this point only because I do think he's an upgrade over Orton, at worst he's equal to him. As for EJ, right now I'm rooting for him to win the job in camp and take a massive step forward as a player. This would be the ideal scenario for the Bills' present and future prospects, I'm sure we can agree there. I'm not sure how likely it is to happen, mostly because I'm not sure to what extent his first two years were impacted by St. Doug's poor scheme and questionable developmental skills. It might very well be that EJ is exactly who most assume he is, but I like the way the team is handling this situation.

 

There weren't any QB saviors coming to the rescue this off season, everyone paying attention knew that as far back as last off season. I really wanted to see the Bills get in on the Bradford sweepstakes (and I assume they made inquiries) and even briefly entertained FireChan's boy Cutty (begrudgingly, I admit) but those were all long shot scenarios to begin with. The Bills have done all they can do at the position to improve their standing. They signed an excellent mentor and veteran presence in White Cassel (off the field at the very least) who is capable of winning games in the NFL. They also brought in a younger guy with a specific skill set Roman seems to like in his QBs. No one knows if Tyrod's any good simply because he's been stapled to the bench behind Flacco for the past four years. But that's the training camp battle will show us come August.

 

I also wouldn't be shocked to see them draft a guy next month, or make a bold move for a QB who suddenly becomes available on draft weekend. But, that is probably wishful thinking.

 

"But should we have waited to cut him (Chandler) until we signed a new TE?": I don't believe Chandler being cut had anything to do with whether or not the Bills land Clay. He wasn't a fit for what Roman needs his TEs to do in his scheme. Releasing Chandler gave the Bills the necessary wiggle room to bring back Easley and Wynn, two important depth guys for this squad. I believe the plan all along to address the need at TE has been 1. Clay and 2. the draft. That's still on track, I don't think cutting Chandler has made them any worse at the position simply because Roman doesn't think he can use him.

 

"I have no idea about Harvin": You're right, no one really knows what to expect with Harvin when it comes to his character and locker room presence. It's something that concerns me as well. But there aren't many people who doubt what Harvin can bring to this offense on the field. He fills a dramatic need at our slot WR position on top of being excellent running out of the backfield, something that Roman absolutely can and will make use of, and a great returner. Roman is thought of as being one of the best offensive coordinators in the league, if you go back and watch some of the games he's called while in San Fran or even back to Stanford you'll see he excels in getting the most from those kinds of playmakers.

 

[Hatszel]

 

A soon to be 27 year old RB that has already played 6 NFL seasons is not "entering his prime". I'd rather they drafted a RB.

They may in one of of the strongest RB drafts in years in case you did not notice the draft has not happened yet.

[BuffaloHokie13]

Yes

[Hapless Bills Fan]

what is wrong with having luxury? I see that all the time...this player is a luxury....so what...used properly Harvin can be a very productive player.

 

The usual sequence is meet your needs first, then address luxuries. For Roman's scheme, TE and stout OL are bread-and-butter basic needs.

 

Nothing is wrong with having luxury, but it's kind of silly to drive around in a BMW if you can't buy bread and you're out of butter.

[LedyardCTbillsfan]

 

A soon to be 27 year old RB that has already played 6 NFL seasons is not "entering his prime". I'd rather they drafted a RB.

 

Better than an undersized, overrated MLB coming off of his 2nd ACL surgery. JMO

[ToGoGo]

This. The few Dolphins players who spoke up said Incognito was a great player, and although rough around the edges, a great teammate.

 

I think Incognito is a big a-sshole and a bully, no need to make him look good because he's on our team. But Martin needed to stand up for himself and didn't. He wasn't cut out mentally.

 

That said, everything Incognito does from now on will be watched and scrutinized very closely. I don't think it's going to happen again, at least not on the scale we saw.