Step right up. Don't be afraid! Go on record right here!

[transient]

Darby and Ragland weren't scheme fits, and the last FO tried to persuade us that supposedly only they were smart enough to know Seymour would be an All Pro once he had his vision fixed. These are washes IMO.

 

Sammy, when healthy, is a huge loss. He was MIA most of last season, however, and he's a luxury until you have a playoff contender with a QB in place. Nothing is drastically different from last season, IMO. I melted down after the Sammy trade, but now I'm back to being interested in seeing what this looks like when the games mean something.

[BADOLBILZ]

no it wasnt.

 

Wrong, the offense was very playoff-worthy.

 

The Bills offense would have tied for 6th in scoring in the playoff field........6 teams that made it scored less........and that's COUNTING the sham finale against the Jets that dropped them from 7th overall to 10th.

 

They also had an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season until they benched Tyrod.

 

Like it or not.......these are facts.

[OhDozeBills]

 

Wrong, the offense was very playoff-worthy.

 

The Bills offense would have tied for 6th in scoring in the playoff field........6 teams that made it scored less........and that's COUNTING the sham finale against the Jets that dropped them from 7th overall to 10th.

 

They also had an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season until they benched Tyrod.

 

Like it or not.......these are facts.

Facts are hard for some people to wrap their head around when your QB isn't named Brady and Rodgers.

[aristocrat]

I think people forget that our offense was pretty good last year, including TT who BTW was throwing to different WR's every week. Rex and Rob distroyed our D by changing to a scheme that didn't fit our players and nobody bought in. The offense, as depleted as it was with all the WR injuries, was good enough for a playoff team but the defense was atrocious. no it wasnt.

 

Sucks being wrong

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dr. K]

Personally, I don't believe it's an all or nothing deal. I'm not sure that many Bills fans think the McBeane combo has no chance of succeeding. However, their moves to date have given reason to have a healthy dose of skepticism. It's disconcerting that they seem to feel that the previous regime left them with no useful talent. I'd bet a sizable portion of Bills fans thought the overall talent level the last few years was greatly improved, just a few players away from winning. Maybe just a QB away. They have reduced the young talent on the roster, and extended an aging vet who's best years are in the past. It's a bit schizophrenic. I would be more likely to be intrigued if a proven, championship winning NFL GM came in and began a purge. It would speak volumes. I think these guys are limiting their chance of a successful rebuild in 4-5 seasons that they are likely to be given. It seems their egos will only let them use talent that they draft or acquire( or are stuck with for awhile such as Dareus) . I'll go on record and say that if they score an elite QB and absolutely knock the draft out of the park in '17, 18, and 19 they will still be here in five years. Anything less and the drought will have hit mind numbing persistence , leading to their exit. They haven't left themselves any other way to success.

THIS

[Buffalo Boy]

A lot seem to be implying Beane and McDermott have NO CHANCE of succeeding.

 

Me, not having a crytsal ball, I don't know but thet certainly have my attention.

 

Anyway, for those that do have the crystal ball and have rubbed it and saw the Bills sucking until these two are gone.....state it here. Don't skirt around the issue. You know who you are.

 

Have the crystal balls enough and say it in this thread.

Right on Brother💪💪💪

[offyourocker]

As long as Vlad starts at right guard, I have a really hard time being a believer

[OhDozeBills]

9-7 and a wildcard to break the drought this year. Just feel nobody is giving this team any chance but think we get stronger as the year goes on. If the offense is as good as it was last year and the defense steps up, we have a chance.

[Billsmovinup]

no it wasnt.

Yep. 7th in points after week 15 with a defense that never got you the ball back quickly was terrible.

[LABILLBACKER]

The Watkins and Darby trade made me more hopeful about this regime than the previous ones. I think they're in the 5 to 7 win range this year, but we have a chance in next years draft to really start building a quality team. Their success will ultimately be whether they land a franchise quarterbacks like almost every other GM/coach throughout the league.

[CEN-CAL17]

2020 the Bills win the AFC East and will make it to the AFC Championship game!!!!!

[LABILLBACKER]

We've spent neatly 20 years looking for Jim's replacement. Until we do that, new regimes will fail.

[boyst]

I think of all the things to happen this year, the one that would make me laugh the most is a Sammy Watkins had more yards receiving in the entire bills passing offense

[dubs]

I think in three years the fans will point to this offseason and say that it was the first step toward sustained success.

 

2017: 5-11

2018: 8-8

2019: 11-5

2020: 13-3 - beat the Browns to go to Super Bowl

 

I hope anyway. 🤞

Edited September 3, 2017 by dubs

[MikeSpeed]

Here is my crystal ball report... Were going to suck big time this year. A little less next year. A lot less the following year.

[NewEra]

9-7 and a wildcard to break the drought this year. Just feel nobody is giving this team any chance but think we get stronger as the year goes on. If the offense is as good as it was last year and the defense steps up, we have a chance.

If the offense is as good as last year? Good luck with that. I pray that I'm wrong, but I think we're bottom 25% of the league in offense this season. Feels like when we let Schwartz go. Our defense was really good. Coaching change brings in a new scheme, that doesn't fit our players. Offense was good last year. Coaching change brings in a new scheme that doesn't seem to fit our players (qb especially). Hopefully the running game will stay on point and it allows us to get our playaction and bootlegs on track. I don't have any confidence that Tyrod can execute a 3 step drop, make the right reads and deliver the ball on target with when the game is on the line (or at any point in the game) with any type of consistency.

 

I believe Zay Jones is the wild card. I REALLY like his physical gifts as well as his technique. Very polished for a rookie and if he can prove to be a bonafide field stretcher as well as the go-to possession receiver, our passing game may be better than we think (IF tyrod can get him the ball).

 

On topic, while like many of you have said, the Sammy trade really had me confused and a bit miserable at the thought of competing for the playoffs this season. Yes, he was hurt and didn't play all that much, but at least we had the chance of having an elite WR talent catching passes for us. I believe he's a game changer 100% and a super star if healthy and in a decent situation. I don't think trading Darby was a bad thing considering the scheme switch, but I'm meh on Matthews. I view him as Stevie. He's alright. And he's also gone after next season, unless McBeane is in love with his "high character" and over pay him. That's being said, the trades have settled in and now my thought is complete rebuild and possible tank. Build through the draft and get a QB. I love the idea. Having all these picks is gonna make the most exciting time of year for bills fans even more exciting. I love the scouting team they put together. They are holding the keys to the ship. If they can nail the drafts and most importantly, land a franchise Qb, we'll be a contender. If they fail in the draft, we'll continue to suck. Just like the majority of the teams without a franchise QB. Draft well and we will win. I like McDermott because of his demeanor and from what I've read about him. I like listening to Beane and it seems like he has a plan in place. I love the scouting dept he put together. I hate the Sammy trade. None of this means anything until Sunday's are played out.

 

I believe they will be a success because I have too. Too much on the line for them not to succeed.

Edited September 3, 2017 by NewEra

[Gugny]

The next time the Bills go to the playoffs, Beane will be GM, McDermott will be HC and Tyrod Taylor will not be the QB.

[Dragonborn10]

I need to see McDermott in live action. Until then I'm luke warm. I like moving Darby. I understand moving Watkins but I want wins now and Sammy would have given them 1-2 more wins.

If Beane hoards picks and moves down in the draft then I will be fine. If he wastes picks like Whaley then I will be pissed.

So far I think McDemott is more faux disciplinarian than leader. But again I will hold judgement

[BillsFan4]

Well, maybe that's why I'm not upset over the moves & trades as some are. I never really had high expectations for this season and I knew the Bills were nowhere near a championship roster. If people really thought we were close I can see why they'd be upset. But I think that 2016 team was nowhere near championship caliber. Too many "me" type players that didn't care about hurting the team. Too many holes, no depth. The defensive talent went downhill and the offense was good at running the ball but couldn't really pass the ball or score when they needed to. IMO the only thing they were close to was maybe sneaking into the playoffs on a wild card and getting crushed in the first round.

 

Also IMO, this team was set to take a step back in 2017 no matter who the coach/GM was. They had 26 free agents and only $-9M in cap space. The we're losing good players and depth at positions because of that. Plus, with a new coaching staff top to bottom, it was likely a transition year anyway.

 

 

 

From the day McDermott was hired though, I noticed a difference in the organizational philosophy and it gave me hope. Before he was hired, Whaley was always about now. We were close, never talk of building for the future etc. I think Whaley basically just wanted to sneak into the playoffs and break that streak.

But I remember right after McD was hired, Whaley changed his tune. He started to mimic McD's message and talk a lot more about a long term approach, building a consistent winner & a true contender and stuff like that. I r,emerged some local reporters even being surprised by Whaley's change in message. That told me right there that it was no longer about almost maxing out the salary cap, kicking the can down the road on salaries like we were a legit SB contender and making moves just to win now. It was about building this thing right and for the long term, not just sneaking into the playoffs and being immediately eliminated.

 

 

 

Also, IMO this is what happens when you hire a brand new staff from top to bottom that's looking at the roster with fresh eyes and no personal attachments to anyone. We have totally new GM, personnel, scouting and coaching staffs. That's a ton of change.

They don't care where a player was drafted. IMO They are looking at everyone and judging by performance and fit, draft position be damned. All they care about is that players performance on the field and their buy in to the new way of doing things, and I would say every player they traded away (besides Sammy) for the most part was underperforming - Darby, Cardale, Ragland, Seymour. So instead of just cutting them, they got value back in return to have more chances to get players that do fit and perform in this system.

 

I am very excited about this new regime. I feel like they are finally building things the right way. Everyone shares the same vision and everyone is finally on the same page. All the players they acquire fit a specific mold.

 

It weird though. I remember most everyone was so excited when we hired Rex. They bought in to all his hot air playoff/super bowl talk and broke records buying season tickets. But I was never excited about Rex. He had been so mediocre for so many years and his teams were an absolute disaster his last couple years in NY. I wasn't excited about Marrone or Gailey either.

This is the first time I've been legitimately excited about a coach and front office in forever, and I feel like I am totally in the minority now. It sucks. Everyone got to share their excitement with other fans over Rex, and now I want to share my excitement with fans over this new regime and it seems like many don't have that same excitement. lol

[Paulus]

I will go on record and say this. I am not a fan of McDermott and Beane, but I do support them and want them to succeed, for the sake of our Buffalo Bills. With that said, I am nowhere near as high on them as I was when they first got here. McDermott, in my humble opinion, is becoming more and more a control freak who screams, "It's my way or the...actually it's just my way, nothing else." I was shocked to see Pegula give absolute carte blanche to a completely unproven Defensive Coordinator, coming off a few seasons of mediocrity. And I was even more shocked that this first time head coach was allowed to pick his own GM, and not the other way around!! Nonetheless I still supported McD, and as he began a complete housecleaning of the FO, scouting, coaching, I remained optimistic. However, the Sammy trade was the first decision that raised my eyebrows, and tbh, I have been both confused and bewildered with pretty much every move since then. It's as if McDermott is on a crusade(love that word and keep thinking of that picture) to not just rid the team of essentially EVERY Whaley pick, but to show the football world that he and he alone singlehandedly turned this franchise around, from top to bottom. There is a certain air of audaciousness to every move he makes now, and he is making it increasingly harder to both support him and remain optimistic. It's as if he has this Belichick-ean air of cockiness about him, yet he hasn't even won a single game yet. I will go as far as to admit I'm beginning to dislike his attitude, mainly his sureness of himself.

 

Obviously, if the season comes and we start racking up the W's, I will probably start liking him again. But I guess time will tell...

 

 

Almost exactly how I feel. McBeane seems to be the type of guy who won't admit his mistakes. They'll make a mistake on a guy and stick with the guy, regardless.

 

 

 

Also, the trading players just to make everything appear to be "them" makes no sense, but it seems like that is what they're doing.

 

 

Will they see success(playoffs)? When Brady is gone, is the correct answer. On the bright side, we know that Brandon is not in control, anymore.

Edited September 3, 2017 by Paulus

[cba fan]

If they keep trading good players for worse players they will fail.

 

Hey, I know math.

[Agent 91]

2017 is going to be a wash 2018 is make or break. I will go on record saying that if we dont go to the playoffs and make a little noise next year, bean and/or McDermott will be gone before 2019 commences

[Strethor]

Future yes, At least Beane will have great sucsess he is looks to be incredibly smart and a great team builder. I havent paid attention enought to how McDermott calls and coaches to see if he's good enough for us to do damage in the now. I think this year will be a dud but 2018- multiple playoff berths - fingers crossed

[JaCrispy]

2017 is going to be a wash 2018 is make or break. I will go on record saying that if we dont go to the playoffs and make a little noise next year, bean and/or McDermott will be gone before 2019 commences

I'm not so sure...remember, all the guys they draft next year are going to be rookies, so I don't know how much you can expect out of them for a playoff push.

[Figster]

I've become a big fan of the new regime

[MAJBobby]

 

Wrong, the offense was very playoff-worthy.

 

The Bills offense would have tied for 6th in scoring in the playoff field........6 teams that made it scored less........and that's COUNTING the sham finale against the Jets that dropped them from 7th overall to 10th.

 

They also had an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season until they benched Tyrod.

 

Like it or not.......these are facts.

Like it or not they got very fat on some bad football teams

Yep. 7th in points after week 15 with a defense that never got you the ball back quickly was terrible.

Got fat on alot of bad football teams but ok

[Mikie's Bills]

Like it or not they got very fat on some bad football teams

 

Got fat on alot of bad football teams but ok

Don't most above average offenses score lots on bad defenses though? That's not really a legit criticism when talking about offensive rankings.

[QCity]

I've been waiting a looooong time for this GM. In the free-agency era we've never had a GM like this, as evidenced by the confusion amongst the fans. I've been banging my fist on the table for more than a decade to see this team attempt to build through the draft and it's almost surreal that it's finally happening. It's a sad day for those that want the instant-gratification approach of the last regime, but eventually you'll realize that those teams were built to go nowhere. Eventually. Maybe.

 

The team is still bound for 7 wins this season, same as they were back in May.

[leonbus23]

He had the offer and then discussed it with McDermott after the game , into the night and early morning.

Then your response to that other post is confusing. The poster said that the Sammy trade raised his eye brows, etc. in terms of McDermott's decisions. And your response implied that McDermott either didn't know about the trade or was not responsible for it.

[Peace Frog]

I'll go on record and say that this year's team will finish 5-11 on the back of our defense. Next year's draft will yield our coveted franchise QB that will need at least one year to get our offense going. By year three of the new regime, this team will be competing for the division crown. There, I said it. 5-11 this year, 8-8 next year, 12-4 and AFC East champs in the 3rd year.

[par73]

They are newbies, so who knows how things will work out. I don't believe we will know until 2020 or '21 (whether they are saviors, or out the door). I'll "trust" them when I see a winning team on the field.

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

I only like 2 QB's in this years draft, Trubisky and Mahomes. I go on the record to say that the Bills will regret the trade down and the 2 firsts next year won't make the impact that Mahomes could.

[BuffaloBillsGospel]

Get any HC/GM in this league a top level QB and they can be successful... Look at Jack Del Rio!

[natedawg3535]

i would love to go on record here by saying......i am 100% behind mcdermot and beane so far.....this is what this franchise has needed for years, a complete overhaul with forward thinkers and they at least know that winning organizations are built through the draft......in a couple of years , this team could have a large core of talented draft picks that are ready to grow together under a disciplined head coach and a GM that clearly gives us a better shot then past gms who just thought 6 picks a year would do it when our roster was clearly behind the rest of the league and no QB to speak off.......we have a chance with these guys.....i just know it , we have all suffered long enough and i feel like its about to get better for us all.........and also for the record , i have never felt like this about a coach and gm since ive been a fan and i was on board for all our superbowl teams but didnt agree with management on the way they handled those teams either.

[Marty McFly]

McBeane will live or die by the draft. Thats it. Theyre playing the game the way they want. They will succeed or fail by how good they are at drafting especially drafting and development of a QB. Too early to call it.

I only like 2 QB's in this years draft, Trubisky and Mahomes. I go on the record to say that the Bills will regret the trade down and the 2 firsts next year won't make the impact that Mahomes could.

 

Ive been watching. That kid is gonna be really good one day. I wanted us to draft him out of the qbs we cuda picked with our 10 spot but if we did draft Mahomes i wonder if we would've developed him properly? That remains to be seen out of OBD.

[TheBrownBear]

Who knows? I'll be honest, I don't own a crystal ball. 😊

 

I will say I'm encouraged by the fact that they had the brains and balls to trade Watkins instead of letting him walk in a year or two for nothing. That is a very tough first sell to a long suffering and salty fanbase.

[atlbillsfan1975]

How can McD be responsible for a hose cleaning when he insists on starting the last guy's QB.

Because McD knows that TT will get done what McD needs to happen .

[ALF]

The OL looks scary without Glenn. It didn't take long to get Taylor and Yates injured.

 

If they can get Reilly or Shorts back here I would feel better.

 

Castillo is the one who has me worried so far.

 

I don't want another change at GM or HC , let these 2 have a long chance to succeed.

[jwhit34]

The overreaction and supposed analysis based on preseason games, a few roster moves and a limited glimpse at training camp is astounding. For the record:

 

1. Beane and McDermott are 0-0 as GM and head coach of the team.

 

2. Beane has made I think 5 trades, all of which involve future draft picks. Two had players of significance (Darby, Watkins) and the other 3 were players that most thought would be cut (C. Jones) or were cut possibilities or at best backups (Seymour, Ragland) that had a high likelihood of not being part of the 46 active on Sundays.

 

3. It is almost impossible to draw any conclusions based on preseason games.

 

4. All the angst over possibly getting a 3rd round compensatory pick: A 3rd round comp pick is essentially a 4th round pick. 4th rounders have a 91% chance of making the roster as a rookie, 74% in year 2 and 54% in year 3. That's to make the roster, not to start.

 

5. Every year there seems to be a RB and/or WR that is battling for the last spot in the position group that fans latch onto that gets cut. When they are released, fans/people posting here act like they just cut the next Andre Reed but the funny thing is that we almost never hear about them again. To draw any conclusions over Brandon Reilly vs. Holmes and Brown or anyone else is ridiculous. The coaches are reviewing every rep from practice and games, they have a much better handle on what is going on.

 

6. Throughout the last 17 years, one of the most commonly expressed criticisms of the team has been that there is no discernible plan, that they make moves that are short-sighted, that they over estimate the talent on the team and make moves like they are 1-2 players away from making the playoffs. So here comes a couple of guys that are 180 degrees opposite of all that, appear to have concluded that the talent isn't that great on the team, need to assemble a group of players that will play well as a team vs. bringing in a few high-end talent guys that may not be team guys (Owens, Mario Williams are the first 2 to come to mind) and they roundly criticized by a significant faction of fans. You can't have it both ways.

 

7. Many think the national media is clueless and out of touch when it comes to their analysis of the Bills. However, if you look back over the years they were pretty much correct. Now many have good things to say about Beane and McDermott, and most thought the Watkins and Darby trades were good for the team.

 

8. Many times when you are building a team or a business, especially one that has not been successful or has a bad culture, many of the initial moves don't make sense or fly under the radar but are crucial to turning things around. Some of what is being done is subtle, some is not but the one thing that I think is very encouraging is that the moves seem to be consistent with the plan to build a team that is good over a longer period of time. Now we have to see if it's a good plan and if they can execute.

 

9. I think virtually anyone who follows the team pretty close and sat down after Thursday's game and filled out what their projected 53 man roster would be you probably hit on at least 50 of 53. That means you disagree with the last 3 players to make the team, which are candidates to be released based on waiver/free agent claims and pickups, and if they make it theoretically never suit up on Sundays. To declare the leadership as inept at talent evaluation based on that is ludicrous.

 

10. The last thing in terms of roster manipulation that no one talks about is how they have to strategically do things based on salary cap, practice squad eligibility, etc. Releasing Brandon Reilly, who at the beginning of camp no one thought would make it, may have been done because they knew there was a high probability that they could add to practice squad.

 

 

So given all that I say so far so good. I think there is reason for optimism.

[Magox]

The next time the Bills go to the playoffs, Beane will be GM, McDermott will be HC and Tyrod Taylor will not be the QB.

I believe this will be the case as well. Too many good football people have given high praise for McD and Beane, they are both regarded as competent and detailed oriented and the big x factor is that they have the mandate from the Pegulas to build this team looking towards the future. Meaning they have been given time to do their thing. Imo