McD's biggest mistake

[Hapless Bills Fan]

18 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said:

The Bills don't hire Head Coaches, they hire Bonehead Coaches. 

 

Oooooooooh.  Truth Hurts. 

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

I think keeping vets and trying to win was the right approach.......a QB to develop and breaking the losing culture were jobs 1 and 1A IMO........but I agree that you need to be committed to what you are doing one way or another.

 

They wanted a roster full of veterans filling virtually even all of the depth spots.........but didn't want to keep Watkins or Dareus?

 

How exactly do you WIN without guys that can actually impact games? 

 

Now they are old and have only a tiny handful of very young players in development..........and almost nobody in or entering their prime..........this roster is all kindsa' wrong for a team that is rebuilding OR trying to win.

 

 

This is exactly my concern. 

 

36 minutes ago, Peter said:

 

I agree.  I just did not feel like going through the entire litany. 

 

Ha ha me neither, I cut it off after Poyer and Gaines.

Edited November 21, 2017 by Hapless Bills Fan

[bmur66]

Is trying to do the best you can with what you got tanking?

[kevnallen]

I don't think McD or McB are trying to tank. Their decisions to move Sammy and Marcel were certainly about the future, but McD is trying his best to win with the talent he has. That is what I want from the Bills at this point. Do as well as you can in the present while having and executing a plan for the future. IMHO starting Peterman was because Tyrod hadn't been producing what the team needed on offense in the last few games and he had seen things from Peterman that indicated he had the potential to be an improvement over TT. The moves they have made have opened up cap space and created draft picks to improve the team talent next year. Hopefully, McD and the other coaches can find a way to make the rest of this year's games competitive and maybe even regain some of the form from earlier on in the season. 

 

For the rest of this year I will probably record the games and start watching at half-time if they aren't being blown out to keep the Bills from ruining my Sundays.

[BobbyC81]

3 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I think that you are onto something. If the Bills would have went full tank it would be much easier to take. Deciding to tank while holding a playoff spot, for the team with the longest playoff drought in the 4 major sports, is a tough pill to swallow. I’ve always said that it isn’t about the playoffs it’s about a Super Bowl so I don’t want to be too much of a hypocrite. I just don’t like being lied to. Let’s call it what it is and we will be a little more forgiving. Transparency is really important to me in leadership. That might be McDermott’s worst quality.

 

 

How do you think Kyle Williams feels? He could've retired or asked to be released or traded to have a chance to make the playoffs once in his career.

[Kirby Jackson]

6 minutes ago, LittleJoeCartwright said:

 

 

How do you think Kyle Williams feels? He could've retired or asked to be released or traded to have a chance to make the playoffs once in his career.

Yep, I think that it is tough for all of the vets. It certainly doesn’t build the locker room. 

[GreggTX]

I think the coaches are doing their best to win, but they realized that sacrifices had to be made for the future. Fans have been calling for a complete clean-out from the backups to the HC and entire personnel staff. Now that someone is giving them what they want, they want him fired too.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, TheFunPolice said:

Dennison and Kubiak are a big reason why Manning looked as bad as he did his last season. They insisted he play their system, and the "compromise" was still a totally different offense for an aging and banged up #18.

 

They wanted roll outs and under center for Manning even though it was patently obvious that it wasn't going to work. I think Rico learned his stubbornness from Kubiak.

 

 

Have a QB who moves like a busted mower in tall grass play under center drop back and roll out, what could go wrong?

2 minutes ago, GreggTX said:

I think the coaches are doing their best to win, but they realized that sacrifices had to be made for the future. Fans have been calling for a complete clean-out from the backups to the HC and entire personnel staff. Now that someone is giving them what they want, they want him fired too.

 

Wake me up when Brandon leaves the building.

 

I've never heard anyone call for all the players to be gone.  Most recognize there was talent here. 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

3 hours ago, JaCrispy said:

Not telling everyone up front that we were rebuilding this year...he should have let KW retire and allowed the fans not to get their hopes up this year...imo that's that REAL reason fans are upset...Had McD just leveled with us, no one would care if Peterman was playing or that we traded away our best talent.  By keeping it a gray area, it makes it difficult for fans to come to grips with everything that has gone down imo.  Thoughts?

 

...c'mon 'Crispy, you're a football guy........you actually needed McD to tell you THAT?.......Jesus, the FO/Administration/Coaching Staff upheaval was the first clue (HINT).......then we get to Whaley patching personnel holes and the new gang is faced with 23 UFA's, the majority of which were one year rentals.....STILL need for McD to tell you?......and then they have to field a team via draft & FA that is hopefully competitive but more realistically not......it's all pretty much "black and white" and you're a helluva lot smarter football guy than waiting to hear the feared "R word"..........it's called the real world of OBD (again, yup I know, rinse & repeat as in the last 17, but it IS the real world)......

Edited November 21, 2017 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[JaCrispy]

52 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...c'mon 'Crispy, you're a football guy........you actually needed McD to tell you THAT?.......Jesus, the FO/Administration/Coaching Staff upheaval was the first clue (HINT).......then we get to Whaley patching personnel holes and the new gang is faced with 23 UFA's, the majority of which were one year rentals.....STILL need for McD to tell you?......and then they have to field a team via draft & FA that is hopefully competitive but more realistically not......it's all pretty much "black and white" and you're a helluva lot smarter football guy than waiting to hear the feared "R word"..........it's called the real world of OBD (again, yup I know, rinse & repeat as in the last 17, but it IS the real world)......

I probably didn’t explain it the best I could so here goes another shot...It’s not that I need McD to tell me, as I am cool with all the moves being made... as I stated before I have wanted a rebuild for quite some time now .

 

I  guess I am speaking for other people, mainly fans and media, who seem so shocked and upset at what is happening with the team right now -  as if they didn’t expect it  because McD kept saying he was “trying to win now.”   (I keep hearing people say that winning now and winning in the future contradict, which I happen to agree with because the salary cap along with expiring contracts dictate that building a winner in today’s NFL is all about timing imo.)

 

So back to McD...Looking at that quote  “win now” I now believe that it was more nuanced then, perhaps, people had originally thought...meaning,  McD’s first priority was always to build long-term sustaining success imo... but you can’t do that if you are throwing everything into this current season to try and win it all this year- because of all of the bad contracts, limited salary cap space, mediocre talent etc...

 

So, to me what he was really trying to say is that when the team steps on the field for a game, on any given Sunday, they are going to fight like hell to “win now”.  Even if they gut the team, they are going to try to “win now”.  Even if they start Nate Peterman they are going to try to “win now”...I take it to mean they are going to give maximum “effort on the field” to win games. And I just think it confused a lot of people as to what his intentions were for year 1... I don’t know if that makes any sense- it’s probably the best I can do at describing it...

 

 

Edited November 21, 2017 by JaCrispy

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

1 hour ago, JaCrispy said:

I probably didn’t explain it the best I could so here goes another shot...It’s not that I need McD to tell me, as I am cool with all the moves being made... as I stated before I have wanted a rebuild for quite some time now .

 

I  guess I am speaking for other people, mainly fans and media, who seem so shocked and upset at what is happening with the team right now -  as if they didn’t expect it  because McD kept saying he was “trying to win now.”   (I keep hearing people say that winning now and winning in the future contradict, which I happen to agree with because the salary cap along with expiring contracts dictate that building a winner in today’s NFL is all about timing imo.)

 

So back to McD...Looking at that quote  “win now” I now believe that it was more nuanced then, perhaps, people had originally thought...meaning,  McD’s first priority was always to build long-term sustaining success imo... but you can’t do that if you are throwing everything into this current season to try and win it all this year- because of all of the bad contracts, limited salary cap space, mediocre talent etc...

 

So, to me what he was really trying to say is that when the team steps on the field for a game, on any given Sunday, they are going to fight like hell to “win now”.  Even if they gut the team, they are going to try to “win now”.  Even if they start Nate Peterman they are going to try to “win now”...I take it to mean they are going to give maximum “effort on the field” to win games. And I just think it confused a lot of people as to what his intentions were for year 1... I don’t know if that makes any sense- it’s probably the best I can do at describing it...

 

.....got it bro...thanks for the clarification.....as I said , you're a damn good football guy.....heart 'n soul..............

 

[Bill_with_it]

starting Peterman.

[Punching Bag]

6 hours ago, K-9 said:

My thought is that if McD came in on day one and said "this is a rebuilding year" (read: we are throwing in the towel so nobody here has anything worth coaching or playing for this year) then he would have had no locker room at all and he would have enraged at least half the fan base. 

 

I think have the fan base would be enraged no matter WHAT he did so should not worry about it.  This is a fanbase which when polled wanted to trade our starting DE for John Skelton. 

[/dev/null]

McD never should have benched the Big n' Tasty

[JaCrispy]

24 minutes ago, /dev/null said:

McD never should have benched the Big n' Tasty

Now I feel old 

[jr1]

they should've kept the previous offense and blocking scheme

[Sweats]

13 hours ago, JaCrispy said:

Not telling everyone up front that we were rebuilding this year...he should have let KW retire and allowed the fans not to get their hopes up this year...imo that's that REAL reason fans are upset...Had McD just leveled with us, no one would care if Peterman was playing or that we traded away our best talent.  By keeping it a gray area, it makes it difficult for fans to come to grips with everything that has gone down imo.  Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

It doesnt really matter if McD called this a rebuilding year.............once fans see a 5-2 start, then its playoffs or bust.

 

Now if McD really wanted to make a statement, he should have stopped the talks of hope after starting so good and brought the fans back down to reality ASAP.

[Ol Dirty B]

14 minutes ago, Sweats said:

 

 

 

 

It doesnt really matter if McD called this a rebuilding year.............once fans see a 5-2 start, then its playoffs or bust.

 

Now if McD really wanted to make a statement, he should have stopped the talks of hope after starting so good and brought the fans back down to reality ASAP.

 

The guy won't even say he made the wrong decision by starting Peterman. I agree with you, and I agree with a lot being said.

 

His messaging is awful, but McDermott is not long for the league in my opinion. He's the typical football coach, he thinks he's smarter than everyone else in the room and just speaks in cliches. How else does he come to the determination that Peterman should have started? I'm biased at this point because I just find him annoying. They are in a tough position talking about winning now and building for later, but it is a bit of a political act. Whenever things go well, they're trying to win now. When they start Peterman, it's about the "bigger vision" not a giant mistake. I just don't trust these guys and I'm just a fan, if you're a player, how do you trust them at all? And this process ****, don't even get me started with this process stuff. I know they hired a guy so they don't repeat the Whaley/Lynn debacle of last year, which also Terry needs to step up and be a man about it. He's an awful public speaker so for him to potentially fire guys for failing a decision that he oversaw, he should get it. Terry created that whole disaster. But that PR guy they hired, tell him to stop saying using the word process or it's going to be thrown in their face over and over again. It actually makes McDermott sound unintelligent at a point, it's all bull ****. 

 

He already sounded like he was getting short with Schopp and Bulldog on Monday, he's lucky it's Buffalo, a bigger market he'd be destroyed. They're saying he should be fired on PTI, it'd be way worse if he was McAdoo, Bowles, or Garrett.

Edited November 22, 2017 by Ol Dirty B

[BuffaloBillsGospel]

Whining at it's greatest, no coach owes it to fans to let us know what's going on, if you can't see it with your own eyes then your just blinded. This team is in constant rebuild every year, until they find a QB it will always be a rebuild until then and it shouldn't be a secret, if you have eyes you should know this by now.

[QCity]

No coach is ever going to say "it's a rebuilding year." Yeah, that would really sit great with vets like Shady and Kyle. 

 

It's not the coach's fault you can't read between the lines. Honest question - what did you think was going to happen when they accumulated 10 draft picks? Were you expecting them to trade those picks before the deadline to make a November push?

 

2 minutes ago, BuffaloBillsGospel said:

Whining at it's greatest, no coach owes it to fans to let us know what's going on, if you can't see it with your own eyes then your just blinded. 

 

Amen.

[Ol Dirty B]

2 minutes ago, QCity said:

No coach is ever going to say "it's a rebuilding year." Yeah, that would really sit great with vets like Shady and Kyle. 

 

It's not the coach's fault you can't read between the lines. Honest question - what did you think was going to happen when they accumulated 10 draft picks? Were you expecting them to trade those picks before the deadline to make a November push?

 

 

Amen.

 

You're right about the fans, but does he owe it to guys like Shady or more so Kyle? A guy who is debating retirement then luring him back talking about making a run for the playoffs, or at least that was the speculation.

 

Then getting a guy like Boldin, trying to get him sign, selling him on a run, then trading your number 1. Good for Boldin for retiring, and how does Kyle trust this coaching staff if they indeed told him they wanted to make a run this year and then they have last week happen.

 

These guys are terrible at judgment. Belichick manages it well, has a proven track record. McDermott seems to think that he can equal that by just shipping out talent for less value and benching guys. 

[Thurman#1]

14 hours ago, JaCrispy said:

Not telling everyone up front that we were rebuilding this year...he should have let KW retire and allowed the fans not to get their hopes up this year...imo that's that REAL reason fans are upset...Had McD just leveled with us, no one would care if Peterman was playing or that we traded away our best talent.  By keeping it a gray area, it makes it difficult for fans to come to grips with everything that has gone down imo.  Thoughts?

 

 

 

IMHO the problem wasn't not telling everyone we were rebuilding.

 

It was not doing a full rebuild. They tried to middle it and that resulted in getting enough wins against teams that now look bad that they might have a hard time getting a good QB in the draft next year. He should have jettisoned Tyrod before the season even understanding that all other options were worse in terms of winning this year. He should've brought in somebody like McCown or Fitz or Foles to QB this year and saved a bunch of money. Then they should've let Kyle Williams go and traded McCoy. 

 

I think he told everyone pretty clearly what they were doing. But they tried to do both things, working on the short and long terms both at the same time. Which meant they had problems in both the short and long term.

12 hours ago, Peter said:

 

My view: They got rid of the guys that they did not want on the team this year based on who they thought fit their DNA for this year.  They went out and got Kelvin Benjamin to try to win this year.

 

I think they want it both ways and have guys like you and others who will give them a pass for this year.

 

 

Benjamin might help this year but he is likely to be here a long time. That was a move that might well turn out to be a terrific move long term. You couldn't say that if they'd given up a lot for him, but he was a bargain.

Edited November 22, 2017 by Thurman#1

[Kelly the Dog]

3 minutes ago, BuffaloBillsGospel said:

...no coach owes it to fans to let us know what's going on, if you can't see it with your own eyes then your just blinded.

This makes me laugh, because to me, just an opinion like yours and all of ours, the first half is wholly true... no coach owes it to the fans to let us know what's going on... and the second half of it IMO is wholly untrue. A lot of people are going to take what they see way different than you, and nothing about the second half of what you said is true. 

 

As a general principle, we should never take what a coach or GM or owner or player says as gospel in a press conference. They will rarely say what they truly believe and they shouldn't. It would tear teams apart. It would be the worst possible strategy. It would backfire way more than illuminate. 

 

Do you really want to tell your wife or girlfriend or best friend or boss or partner or colleague what you really think, in real time, all the time? That would be terrible for everyone. And may not even illuminate the whole truth.  Coaches are required by the league to make themselves available at certain times. I think a head coach has four of these a week. 

 

Some guys perform well in press conferences and some don't. One of the very hardest things to learn how to do well as a first time HC is what you can expose to the media. I think all of these guys think, going in, that they are going to be different, and they are going to be truthful and upfront with the media and after the first press conference they realize they really can't. Things will be taken the wrong way. 

 

I felt like that the first time I moved to LA and into the film and TV business. I stayed away for 11 years because I knew I wasn't comfortable playing that game. I told myself I wasn't going to be like that and "play the game." I was just going to be me.

 

The first week I was in LA a friend of mine invited me to a play that was starring Dennis Franz. Not a huge star but at the time he was the main character in one of if not the best shows on TV, NYPD Blue. The play was awful. I was brought backstage to meet him by my buddy, who knew him well. I was playing out in my head what I was going to say to him about what I thought. I wasn't going to say this was awful, which it was, but say diplomatically what I thought. That it wasn't very good. My buddy introduced me to him and he said "Nice to meet you, did you enjoy the show?" 

 

And I said, "I loved it. Your character was great."

 

i couldnt say what what I felt or believed or wanted to. It wasn't my place. He doesn't give a **** about some dude who just moved there. I had no standing as a critic. Why lessen his night. Why make him think less of my buddy who is his buddy, like, why did you bring this joker backstage to tell me I suck? 

 

I didnt even think I blew it. It really wasn't my place. Now, years later, I could probably finesse it and give him constructive criticism without being an !@#$. 

 

The point is, coaches will never say what they believe and they can't. And we can't expect them to. 

[Pirate Angel]

if the fans hate McD i doubt he really cares, if his process works in the long run then the lemmings will return

[Gugny]

I think it's the responsibility of the fan to see what's happening with the team.

 

The restructuring of Tyrod Taylor's contract was what told me this team was not concerned with winning games this year.  The purge of so many talented players was another pretty clear sign.

 

Regardless of the roster, I truly believe McD (and any other coach in his shoes) and his coaching staff put game plans together with the goal of winning games every week.

 

The fan needed to see that the early success was due to a ridiculous turnover differential that was very unlikely to be sustained.

 

Personally, I committed myself to enjoying the run while it lasted.

 

With the roster so depleted of talent, I didn't expect the Bills to win a lot of games, but my hope was that - even in losses - that Tyrod proved he could be a long-term solution.  I allowed myself to be fooled.

 

Anyway, I don't fault McD or Beane for not coming out and calling this a rebuilding year.  To me, the moves they made/didn't make, made it pretty obvious. 

[PromoTheRobot]

I'd say it's taking this job.

[xRUSHx]

11 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

McDermotts biggest mistake is not being able to balance the talent with the attitudes. 

 

You find a balance. You don't just send them packing because they have character issues and don't totally buy into what your selling. 

 

We are getting our asses handed game in and game out now... and now I don't think anyone's buying in. 

It's like a rebuild two years before the rebuild actually begins.

 

McBeane will be lucky to reach year 3. They are !@#$ed!

If a player doesn't perform or play up to expectations they will be replaced with someone that will. IMO this is a evaluation season not a player verse coach like we had over the last few coaches. 

 

The only way McD doesn't make it to year 3 is if he lets the players dictate the rules IMO

[wppete]

[JaCrispy]

12 hours ago, Gugny said:

I think it's the responsibility of the fan to see what's happening with the team.

 

The restructuring of Tyrod Taylor's contract was what told me this team was not concerned with winning games this year.  The purge of so many talented players was another pretty clear sign.

 

Regardless of the roster, I truly believe McD (and any other coach in his shoes) and his coaching staff put game plans together with the goal of winning games every week.

 

The fan needed to see that the early success was due to a ridiculous turnover differential that was very unlikely to be sustained.

 

Personally, I committed myself to enjoying the run while it lasted.

 

With the roster so depleted of talent, I didn't expect the Bills to win a lot of games, but my hope was that - even in losses - that Tyrod proved he could be a long-term solution.  I allowed myself to be fooled.

 

Anyway, I don't fault McD or Beane for not coming out and calling this a rebuilding year.  To me, the moves they made/didn't make, made it pretty obvious. 

Right there with ya, Gugs

[par73]

Biggest mistake was flipping QB's before the Charger game. Should have waited until after New England. If the Bills were 5-7 then (which they are likely headed), then let Peterman finish out the year.

[YoloinOhio]

He has been saying they are “building” since he got here 

Rex, during his introductory press conf, with EJ at QB and no McCoy yet  - "Playoffs, get ready! We’re going!"

McDermott, with Tyrod, McCoy, armed with 2 1st and 2 2nd RD picks ALL YEAR  has said “We’re Building"

 one told you what you wanted to hear... the other knows the situation 

 

 

[Manther]

On 2017-11-21 at 2:05 PM, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Disagree...I don't think he was "rebuilding" but more building a new culture and mindset here and instilling winning I believe is part of that.  

 

His biggest mistake is a simple one.  He should have NOT benched Tyrod ahead of Charger game with the Bills sitting in the 6th seed.  He should have started Tyrod and PULLED him at half time if he was struggling again.  NO ONE would have griped with him trying to spark the offense in a key game for the playoffs.  Then if NP sucked like he did, he has a clear path back to Taylor the following week for one last game to try and salvage playoff hopes.  TT again struggles and we lose, he can easily now fully switch to Peterman without having "risked" our playoffs on a raw 5th round draft pick with a low comp % in college and poor record to boot.  

 

Had NP played well in loss or victory against Chargers, he would have had valid ground to try giving him a full week to prepare as a starter in the next game.  

 

His 2nd biggest mistake was NOT pulling Peterman after the 3rd pick when the game was still winnable in the 1st quarter.  No one would have blamed him for making a switch back and trying to win the game when the rookie just wasn't being effective and was hurting the team.  

 

Ultimately, he had a bunch of win win types ways to play this and found about the only way to lose big in this situation.  It was a substantial blunder.  

Interesting thoughts.  I don't disagree.

[ColoradoBills]

On ‎11‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 12:05 PM, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Disagree...I don't think he was "rebuilding" but more building a new culture and mindset here and instilling winning I believe is part of that.  

 

His biggest mistake is a simple one.  He should have NOT benched Tyrod ahead of Charger game with the Bills sitting in the 6th seed.  He should have started Tyrod and PULLED him at half time if he was struggling again.  NO ONE would have griped with him trying to spark the offense in a key game for the playoffs.  Then if NP sucked like he did, he has a clear path back to Taylor the following week for one last game to try and salvage playoff hopes.  TT again struggles and we lose, he can easily now fully switch to Peterman without having "risked" our playoffs on a raw 5th round draft pick with a low comp % in college and poor record to boot.  

 

Had NP played well in loss or victory against Chargers, he would have had valid ground to try giving him a full week to prepare as a starter in the next game.  

 

His 2nd biggest mistake was NOT pulling Peterman after the 3rd pick when the game was still winnable in the 1st quarter.  No one would have blamed him for making a switch back and trying to win the game when the rookie just wasn't being effective and was hurting the team.  

 

Ultimately, he had a bunch of win win types ways to play this and found about the only way to lose big in this situation.  It was a substantial blunder.  

 

I could have "bolded" your entire post as absolutely correct.

I would only add that IF it is true that both McD and Dennison wanted TT to open it up more......making this known would have given TT a final push.

I would have guaranteed TT at least a half in LA and a shorter leash in KC if he did bad in both.

 

Sadly, what I bolded is the most disturbing.............McD really screwed the pooch on this.

I hope he can repair it!

[The Now Moment]

On 11/21/2017 at 3:19 PM, Foreigner said:

Stop with the trust the process. In 3 years----------.

The NFL is a now league with free agency and other changes.

In 1 year the Saints and Rams(who we beat last year) have gone from

near the bottom to the top.

If ownership had any guts, and apparently they have not come down

to the locker room after these 3 blow outs to raise hell and say

how embarrassed they are, then they don't know to dump this 

management now, instead of 2 or 3 more years of bad football.

Again, giving away all the talent for damaged goods, a worse

D than Ryan and the QB fiasco means they should be gone now.

At 5-2 opposing Coaches head enough film on the D to adjust and

we did nothing to combat it. 

Yet the Saints were crap for a few years to rebuild the talent on the defense and a few positions on offense.  The Rams have been rebuilding for a while and have young talent across the board.  It most certainly is not a now league.  Carolina took a few years of crap to become good.  Same goes for Seattle, Kansas City, Jacksonville and many more.  To build long term sustained success, you might have to actually give a regime some time to build something.  The only teams that skip this are the ones that find the Tom Bradys, Aaron Rodgers of the world.  

[The Now Moment]

23 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

He has been saying they are “building” since he got here 

Rex, during his introductory press conf, with EJ at QB and no McCoy yet  - "Playoffs, get ready! We’re going!"

McDermott, with Tyrod, McCoy, armed with 2 1st and 2 2nd RD picks ALL YEAR  has said “We’re Building"

 one told you what you wanted to hear... the other knows the situation 

 

 

I think us as fans get too wrapped up in individual games and interviews that we have knee-jerk responses to certain things.  It has clearly been a building process the entire way.  They said it.  They said "trust the process."  I'm not sure what other fans took that to mean but for me, that meant it'll be a little painful this first year but we are setting ourselves up to create the culture and bring in talent that fits the scheme.  With all the draft picks, they can make a dent in the building process.  Plus, they have a decent amount of cap.  I'm looking for long term sustained success, not one season where we barely slip into the playoffs in a weak AFC just to get blasted in the first round.  

[Livinginthepast]

Only the Bills would find themselves in this predicament. I cannot honestly think they planned to tank. Because if so they are doing a terrible job of tanking. They have won 5 games which effectively ruins their chances at one of the first few picks. If they wanted to tank they should have traded TT before the season and just started Peterman. At the same time they are now in a great position to make the playoffs in an unusually weak AFC. Instead of seizing the opportunity the coach starts an unproven rookie who he hasn't vetted properly. Which is a spectacular failure.  They trade away their run stuffing (but incredibly overpaid) D lineman and their defense is ripped apart in 3 straight games. Its almost like they WANT to lose now. Which if so is absolutely insane.

[BillsVet]

If Deshaun Watson or Pat Mahomes become solid QB's in this league, trading down in the 2017 first round is their worst mistake. Especially if it takes their four 1st/2nd round picks to move up and take a QB this year when those would be best served improving the OL and front 7 on defense. Nothing against Tre White, but a good zone CB is far less important. 

 

Avoiding taking a QB until your back is against the wall like with Manuel in 2013 is why multiple regimes have failed. They've prioritized other positions or sought to rebuild without the QB or hoping the QB is "good enough."

 

[FappyTheClown]

Anybody who didn't think this was a rebuild year is game goofy. 

[Marty McFly]

Idk why they traded for k benjamin if they were still tanking.

 

Its not like a 3rd rounder was worth losing if u kno u wrent making the playoffs

[Just in Atlanta]

That should go over well with the locker room, and ticket sales, and merchant sales, and advertising revenue, and trade value, and everyone else who makes a living off the team.

[cashdude]

On 11/21/2017 at 1:32 PM, JaCrispy said:

Not telling everyone up front that we were rebuilding this year...he should have let KW retire and allowed the fans not to get their hopes up this year...imo that's that REAL reason fans are upset...Had McD just leveled with us, no one would care if Peterman was playing or that we traded away our best talent.  By keeping it a gray area, it makes it difficult for fans to come to grips with everything that has gone down imo.  Thoughts?

 

So his biggest mistake was not giving up on the season when he was hired...ok