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Tim Graham: Anti-cronyism in Buffalo with new regime


YoloinOhio

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When you have two head coaches forced on you Marrone and Rex with 3 DCs in four years (Pettine, Schwartz, and Rex/Rob Ryan), it's hard to hang the patchwork approach on the guy when he was trying to accommodate the systems the coaches wanted to employ. McDermott and Beane won't have the luxury of any excuses as they are fully empowered to make all football related decisions. They are making bold decisions and hopefully they'll be right.

 

I repeat.

 

The bolded part is the point that I've been trying to make. They have the mandate and time to build this team from the ground up the way they envision it. The success or failure will be squarely attributed to their decisions.

Edited by 26CornerBlitz
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I like what I read in the article. As someone else mentioned it'll take time to win if there successful. How long of a leash are fans/managment willing to give?

3 years for me is the standard, but I'm far more lenient than most. I didn't slam Lil Doug until the end of his 3rd year as GM and I never slammed Rex.
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I sense Pegs isn't the type of owner that is impatient and wants immediate results or will change course like in Washington, or Cleveland. But he also realized he made a big mistake with Rex so made a quick move to fix it. And he may have also leaned from that to not have a coach and GM that aren't both on the same page, so he also moved on from DW. I really believe they will get at least four years (of the five they are signed to) to show they are going in the right direction. With all the draft picks they have next year, can certainly see by year 3 of their tenure should see improvement and in year 4 should be solid. They also seem to have the front office in place to find talent.

 

 

To me, most coaches/GMs understand the nature of the business. Enough so to not habe the stones to do this type over overhaul.

The time frame in which you need to win and keep your job is so short. In turn, without full and total trust from the ownership.

Some will call certain moves "rebuilding moves." However, over the past 17 years, none have truly stripped this thing down and started from scratch like we are seeing here.

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And yet they keep bringing in players who look sub-par, because they've worked with them before.

 

IMO, that's exactly what "cronyism" is ... putting friends and family before more talented "strangers". Everybody engages in it. Everybody. It's human nature to put trust in people we know over people we don't. It's nice that Beane and McDermott have risen up the NFL career ladder but that alone doesn't make them "better" than anybody else.

 

 

absolutely. this next draft is critical to their career. we've been waiting a long time for an established qb. they have to start taking shots at it.

 

The Bills have taken "shots at it". They traded for Bledsoe in 2002. They drafted JP Losman in the first in 2004. They drafted Trent Edwards in 2007. They used their first pick on EJ Manuel in 2013. The problem the Bills have had is not that they haven't taken shots, it's that they took them at the wrong targets. Drafting for need is a losing proposition, and that's especially so for QBs.

 

If there's no great QB prospect available when it's your turn to pick, don't settle for whoever is available! :doh: The Bills did that in 2004, when Roethlisberger was gone, and again in 2013 when there was nobody worth taking. In most years, there might be one franchise QB available in the draft. The trick is to find him because sometimes he's not the first pick off the board. Ask NE and Seattle.

 

 

 

...absolutely....when is the last time Buffalo has had two 1sts, two 2nds and two 3rds in the SAME draft?.......should tell a ton about their vision and abilities.............

 

In 2009, the Bills had two firsts and two seconds. Only Eric Wood stuck with the team past his rookie contract, and while he's a decent C, he's not one of the best in the league. Aaron Maybin was a bust. Jairus Byrd and Andy Levitre were decent players that the Bills let go to other teams after their rookie contracts. Having lots of picks doesn't help a team much if it doesn't pick well or it doesn't keep the players it develops. In the Bills case, they haven't picked particularly well, and they regularly let the best players they do pick go to other teams. Maybe Beane and McDermott will do better in the draft, but I doubt that they will do better keeping their own talent. I don't think that decision is really theirs to make.

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This was a great article Yolo. Thanks for sharing!

 

Tim Graham has been on a role recently. This is his 3rd very good article in the last few days. I really enjoy reading pieces like that. It's the type of stuff the Buffalo News used to put out much more frequently.

 

That really is impressive to read about what Beane & McDermott accomplished. They really seem like kindred spirits to me. So much in common. You can see why they both have the respect for each other that they do. Having a coach and GM who are so similar and truly on the same page working together is exciting.

 

We haven't had a front office and coaching staff like that in a long time. IMO all the best organizations are in lock step from top to bottom, working together. The Bills had been infighting for ever. The old Ralph Wilson cronies had perfected the art of scapegoating the coaching staff when things inevitably went wrong with their most recent bandaid approach...

 

 

 

 

The bolded part is the point that I've been trying to make. They have the mandate and time to build this team from the ground up the way they envision it. The success or failure will be squarely attributed to their decisions.

 

Lol, it's funny I was going to share the same quote. Except I've been saying what's in the previous paragraph. No more bandaid approach. No more making all these moves that hurt the future to help now, just to try and sneak the Bills into the playoffs and get creamed. Pegula wants to be a true Super Bowl contender and consistent threat year in and year out, and if that takes a rebuild so be it.

I loved this quote -

 

"Teams that have turned it around and sustained it are doing exactly what the Bills are doing right now," Banner continued. "They're taking a step back. They're doing a very honest evaluation of where their team is at and know their long-term goal is big success, not just incremental improvement"

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Great read.

 

My nephew (23-years-old) played some D-III football and stopped playing after his second concussion. He's always wanted to be a coach. He coached O Line for a DIII school in Minnesota last year and is coaching TEs/RBs for another DIII school in Ohio this year.

 

He'll keep moving, geographically, if he can continue to move up in the coaching ranks.

 

I just shared this story with him.

 

Not a Timmah fan, but I have to give credit where it's due. Well written.

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absolutely. this next draft is critical to their career. we've been waiting a long time for an established qb. they have to start taking shots at it.

And like any other coach and GM will depend on if they find and develop a top QB

Word. With all the moves they made they will live or die by the draft.

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To me, most coaches/GMs understand the nature of the business. Enough so to not habe the stones to do this type over overhaul.

The time frame in which you need to win and keep your job is so short. In turn, without full and total trust from the ownership.

Some will call certain moves "rebuilding moves." However, over the past 17 years, none have truly stripped this thing down and started from scratch like we are seeing here.

What's frustrating and annoying though is them publicly stating they're not giving up (tanking) this year and not just getting rid of players they didn't bring in, but then their actions say otherwise. The exceptions are where they have given up good young talent, yet keep the likes of Tolbert, Yates, Holmes, etc. If they told us it was a rebuild and they then got rid of higher priced vets, I may not like it (17 years) but I would understand it and respect it. Saying one thing but doing another is not a good way to start their reign.

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