Why I wouldn't want Cousins in Buffalo

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

6 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

This is exactly what I have been saying in multiple other threads when discussing Cousins...he doesn't make up for the good players you will have to let walk or not be able to sign because of how much you are paying him.

 

Ant team who signs him to a huge contract will live to regret it long-term.

 

....absolutely agree....30+ mil/yr for mediocrity with so many other holes to fill?....the knock around here is it is the lack of a supporting cast and not his fault......and we have a SUPERIOR supporting cast or can assemble it overnight?......according to the pundits here, our WR corp sucks, DL sucks, OL usually sucks, after Shady the RB corp sucks....what did I leave out?....sure sounds like an overnight fix to me (COUGH)....somebody will throw absurd 30+ mil money at him but I sure as hell hope it isn't OBD.....

Edited December 23, 2017 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[Big Turk]

1 hour ago, Chicken Boo said:

Fun FACT:  As a full time starter, Cousins has never had his feature back rush for more than 752 yards.  

 

For those counting, that's 47 yards a game.  Yet he still puts up stats and has still led his team to the playoffs.

 

 

Yeah in a year when the rest of the division went 7-9, 6-10 and 4-12...must be nice...how many times would the Bills have made the playoffs over the last 17 years if we could have that...

 

 

Edited December 23, 2017 by matter2003

[Bill_with_it]

49 minutes ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

I have watched him play. He doesn’t suck. He also will need a strong supporting cast to win.you could say those same things about Ne and GB at times. Still Rogers and Brady win with what they have. Paying Cousins money like he is Elite doesn’t make him play like it.

I dont think he needs a strong supporting cast. I think he needs better offensive gameplan than what they have been doing. I have watched him numerous times. They rely too much on passing. They dont have a good balance. They often dial up the same plays over and over even after they have been shown to not work during the game. They refuse to make in game adjustments offensively. They really havent committed the effort to establish a running game. 

Rodgers and Brady dont win with what they have. Randall cobb, jordy nelson, rob gronkowski, and the myriad of wes welker copy cats scream strong supporting cast. 

Jordan Reed doesnt know how to block in the run game or just plain refuses too, and Jackson when he olayed for them was a deep ball specialist only.

I realize hes not brady or rodgers, but you know there are 30 other teams that dont have those two. There are also superbowl winners not named brady or rodgers.

Tom Brady led teams have lost superbowls.

Speaking of money, yes money is a factor. I dont want the team to be put in sc purgatory as Whaley had us in, however, with the draft capital we have we could set the team around him for a while. 

Ps we broke the brinks truck open for a shell of a dt, I think its about time to do it for a player that can actually help us win.

Edited December 23, 2017 by Bill_with_it

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I agree with the OP.

 

Cousins will never win a super bowl. Does anyone dispute that? So, why pay him like he could? 

 

Kind of reminds me of how we reached to try to make Fitzpatrick a franchise QB.

[Koko78]

3 hours ago, JaCrispy said:

Don’t forget that Washington will also likely want at least a 1st round pick for Cousins

 

Who cares what they likely want? The only way the Redskins get anything from losing him is if they risk tagging him at ~$30 million for the season to trade him. Any other team would be insane to try to pick up that cap hit unless he has already committed to a new contract (and why would he when he gets $30+ million guaranteed and can still up his price next year.)

[Chicken Boo]

1 hour ago, matter2003 said:

Yeah in a year when the rest of the division went 7-9, 6-10 and 4-12...must be nice...how many times would the Bills have made the playoffs over the last 17 years if we could have that...

 

 

 

Twice.  In 17 years!

[BFLO]

Cousins has been a top 10 QB in the league all 4 seasons he has played. He was top 3 last year. He has never had a strong supporting cast. The redskins are a bottom 5 team without cousins. He has carried them and made them look a lot better than they are. Cousins made DeSean Jackon and Peirre Garcon look good, not the other way around.

 

If the Redskins let Cousins go they are looking at a 2-3 win team next season, unless they pull another top 10 qb out of nowhere like they did with Kirk.

[GoBills808]

Cian Fahey
“I actually think he might have had his best season in the league, and I, but again, like what is that saying? I don’t think it’s saying a huge amount.  Obviously, he’s had big numbers in the past.  I always feel like he’s a guy who is going to take the 6 yards that are definite instead of taking the like 20 yard throw, or aggressive throw, that will actually help you win the game.  See, this is the thing you kinda need to dive really deep into.  We tend to, in the NFL, say that if a guy doesn’t throw interceptions he makes good decisions, but I always find the situational awareness, the situational understanding, of what your team needs at a specific time to try and win the game.  I always find that to be a better determination of how good you are at making decisions and I’m still very much concerned, that’s my biggest concern with Cousins, like I think he’s a guy who would happily check down on 3rd and long, who’ll happily check down on even 2nd and intermediate or medium whatever you want to call it, and I don’t think that helps you win games, I don’t think he elevates anyone around him, I don’t think he sets you up for success, and especially not when you’re ganna have to pay him $25 or $30 million a year, whatever it is.”

 

This is rich coming from Fahey. 

[CommonCents]

1 hour ago, JR in Pittsburgh said:

I agree with the OP.

 

Cousins will never win a super bowl. Does anyone dispute that? So, why pay him like he could? 

 

Kind of reminds me of how we reached to try to make Fitzpatrick a franchise QB.

You think it takes a better QB than Cousins to win a super bowl? There is plenty of recent history that suggests otherwise. It will only become more likely as Brady, Rodgers, Ben, and Brees head towards retirement. 

 

 

[Real McClappy]

13 minutes ago, Commonsense said:

You think it takes a better QB than Cousins to win a super bowl? There is plenty of recent history that suggests otherwise. It will only become more likely as Brady, Rodgers, Ben, and Brees head towards retirement. 

 

 

Speaking of those 4 QB's listed. When all 4 of those guys retire in 2-3 years it just shoots Cousins stock up even higher. He will be a top5 QB in this league on the right team but we don't want it. This is Brees 2.0 all over again.

I'm just glad fans don't run the FO. 

Edited December 23, 2017 by Real McCoy

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

32 minutes ago, Commonsense said:

You think it takes a better QB than Cousins to win a super bowl? There is plenty of recent history that suggests otherwise. It will only become more likely as Brady, Rodgers, Ben, and Brees head towards retirement. 

 

 

 

The “other” medicore guys who have won in the last pass-heavy itieration of the NFL are rare and extreme outliers. I can only recall one (Flacco). The rest are what I would consider elite QBs and even then,  there are obviously elite QBs in that same group who haven’t won one (Rivers, Stafford).

 

The safer and better investment, as crazy as it sounds, is to hit the lottery in the draft on your next franchise QB. 

 

 

[KD in CA]

Same here.  I have no interest in a guy who's better at playing QB than anyone who's put on a Bills jersey in the past 20 years.

[Big Turk]

1 hour ago, Chicken Boo said:

 

Twice.  In 17 years!

Nah...at least 3 including this year possibly 4 depending on tie breaks

[CommonCents]

33 minutes ago, JR in Pittsburgh said:

 

The “other” medicore guys who have won in the last pass-heavy itieration of the NFL are rare and extreme outliers. I can only recall one (Flacco). The rest are what I would consider elite QBs and even then,  there are obviously elite QBs in that same group who haven’t won one (Rivers, Stafford).

 

The safer and better investment, as crazy as it sounds, is to hit the lottery in the draft on your next franchise QB. 

 

 

 

Safer and better? Have any numbers which back that up? I imagine it would be hard to find, Cousins is one of the best FA QBS that's been available in my lifetime. I'm not a big fan of the guy, mostly personal preference, but to say the odds on move is to draft a QB seems like guess work. 

[MattM]

Not sure if it's been mentioned above, but the other benefit of Cousins is it allows us to use all 4 of our top picks in the first and second round next year on other positions of need.  That will also help our cap by hopefully providing 4 relatively cheap starters for the next 4-5 years.  Compare that to the other option of packaging 2-4 of those picks to move up to get a rookie who may be great, but who may not,

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, mannc said:

And yet, the Chargers were willing to move on from him...

I also seem to recall that Brees was traded to the Saints for a second round pick, and was not a FA, like Cousins, but maybe I’m misremembering that.

 

You completely mis-remember.  Brees was a FA when he signed with the Saints.

 

The Chargers drafted Phillip Rivers in 2004, and paid him the Big Bucks needed to sign a 1st round draft choice at that time.

 

The Chargers franchised Brees in 2005.  In 2006, Brees was injured - torn labrum, rotator cuff.  The Chargers offered him a 5 year, $50M (big money at the time) that protected them against Brees injury by paying little up front - so Brees went shopping, and the Saints outbid them - 6 years, $60M but $10M up front and $12M the 2nd year.

Keep in mind that through all this, the Chargers had a well-paid 1st round draft pick sitting on their bench for 2 years.  They had to move on from one or the other.

 

[buffalobloodfloridahome]

On ‎12‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 12:50 PM, matter2003 said:

 

Proven to do exactly what? Put up big numbers or win games? People need to stop looking at numbers and start looking at results.

 

He's been to the playoffs twice. Once on him alone being the QB. 

[Woodman19]

I find it interesting how Cousins is blamed for the lack of team success yet Tyrod is defended by the lack of team excuse.

[RobH063]

On 12/23/2017 at 2:46 AM, GreggTX said:

I don't want Cousins because I want the Bills to win at least 1 SB before I die and it will never happen with any of the retreads people are trying to envision for us. I'm sure the rest of the AFCE would secretly be thrilled, though.

I do too. I'm 56 so I doubt that will happen

[blacklabel]

I doubt this current front office makes a huge push for Cousins. We have to wait to see if the guy even hits free agency first. Washington can franchise him for a third time which would cost them like $34 million and that would equal out to something like $78 million for three seasons. He made $20 mil in 2016 and $24 million this season. Regardless if he's the best QB in the league, it's likely he's going to be the highest paid one just because of how the market works now. Wherever he lands he's likely signing the largest QB contract in NFL history. 

 

Everything Team McBeane has said points to them drafting and developing their own guy. And I think that guy is gonna be Mason Rudolph or Josh Allen. I'm not saying these are my personal choices but based on things Beane has said about what he looks for in a QB, these guys fit his description. It's one of those two if they can't move up and get Rosen or Darnold (who may return to USC). 

 

Is Neil O'Donnell busy? How about Steve DeBerg? What's Dave Krieg up to? Bills really missed the boat on those dudes. They're off winning numerous Plooper Bowls. 

[DriveFor1Outta5]

I truly believe that Cousins will improve once he’s out of Washington. The guy has had one foot out the door for a while. He doesn’t want to be there, and a change in scenery might be all he needs. 

39 minutes ago, Woodman19 said:

I find it interesting how Cousins is blamed for the lack of team success yet Tyrod is defended by the lack of team excuse.

Yes, people are just afraid of more QB disappointment. It causes them to shy away from liking the idea of Cousins. I was a major supporter of the upcoming QB draft class during the previous offseason. My opinion has changed dramatically, and I now see Cousins as the best option. 

[Big Turk]

48 minutes ago, buffalobloodfloridahome said:

 

He's been to the playoffs twice. Once on him alone being the QB. 

 

He's been to the playoffs once as the starting QB. Lets not try and give him credit for when Griffin was winning rookie of the year.

Edited December 26, 2017 by matter2003

[DriveFor1Outta5]

20 minutes ago, blacklabel said:

I doubt this current front office makes a huge push for Cousins. We have to wait to see if the guy even hits free agency first. Washington can franchise him for a third time which would cost them like $34 million and that would equal out to something like $78 million for three seasons. He made $20 mil in 2016 and $24 million this season. Regardless if he's the best QB in the league, it's likely he's going to be the highest paid one just because of how the market works now. Wherever he lands he's likely signing the largest QB contract in NFL history. 

 

Everything Team McBeane has said points to them drafting and developing their own guy. And I think that guy is gonna be Mason Rudolph or Josh Allen. I'm not saying these are my personal choices but based on things Beane has said about what he looks for in a QB, these guys fit his description. It's one of those two if they can't move up and get Rosen or Darnold (who may return to USC). 

 

Is Neil O'Donnell busy? How about Steve DeBerg? What's Dave Krieg up to? Bills really missed the boat on those dudes. They're off winning numerous Plooper Bowls. 

I think that if we end up with Rudolph or Allen, fans will be wishing that we gave Cousins whatever he wanted for years to come. Rudolph and Allen would be very Losman/Manuel like imo. 

[buffalobloodfloridahome]

2 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

 

He's been to the playoffs once as the starting QB. Lets not try and give him credit for when Griffin was winning rookie of the year.

Still one more time then the Bills have this millennia. 

[BUFFALOKIE]

When has the highest paid player, in any position, turned out to be worth the money? Serious question.

 

Brees? But the saints were terrible for a few years immediately afterwords, right? So was it worth it? I suppose if they win another Superbowl with him - That would be worth it.

 

Maybe I just answered my own question. So, other than Brees, how many other Mega-Contracts have worked out for the betterment of the team? 

Edited December 26, 2017 by BUFFALOKIE

[DriveFor1Outta5]

7 minutes ago, BUFFALOKIE said:

When has the highest paid player, in any position, turned out to be worth the money? Serious question.

 

Brees? But the saints were terrible for a few years immediately afterwords, right? So was it worth it? I suppose if they win another Superbowl with him - That would be worth it.

 

Maybe I just answered my own question. So, other than Brees, how many other Mega-Contracts have worked out for the betterment of the team? 

Saints won a Super Bowl. I don’t think they need to do anymore to prove the Brees signing as a success. How many QB mega contract free agents have there been though? It’s not common for a decent QB to be available in his prime. I don’t think it’s fair to talk about free agent signings at other positions. Cousins availability as a QB is a unique situation. Free agent history at other positions are not relevant to Cousins imo.  

Edited December 26, 2017 by DriveFor1Outta5

[BigDingus]

That Cian Fahey quote seems to be describing Tyrod perfectly.

 

5 minutes ago, BUFFALOKIE said:

When has the highest paid player, in any position, turned out to be worth the money? Serious question.

 

Brees? But the saints were terrible for a few years immediately afterwords, right? So was it worth it? I suppose if they win another Superbowl with him - That would be worth it.

 

Maybe I just answered my own question. So, other than Brees, how many other Mega-Contracts have worked out for the betterment of the team? 

 

Mario Williams was great here for a couple of years

Edited December 26, 2017 by BigDingus

[BUFFALOKIE]

3 minutes ago, DriveFor1Outta5 said:

Saints won a Super Bowl. I don’t think they need to do anymore to prove the Brees signing as a success. How many QB mega contract free agents have there been though? It’s not common for a decent QB to be available in his prime. 

I was referring to Brees most recent contract, three years ago, I think. Wasnt that the biggest contract ever at that time?It severely impacted the talent surrounding him, and the team sucked for three years. 

 

Was it worth it? Jury is still out on that one, I guess.

6 minutes ago, BigDingus said:

That Cian Fahey quote seems to be describing Tyrod perfectly.

 

 

Mario Williams was great here for a couple of years

Yep. A couple of years that resulted in the Same Ol Bills. 

[Jay_Fixit]

I wouldn’t hate Cousins on Buffalo. I’d prefer Alex Smith as long as the Bills draft a QB within the first two rounds this and next year.

 

Smith is only 33 and would be a definite upgrade over Taylor, plus he’d provide his successor enough time to get acclimated.

 

Ultimately, I’d love for the Vikings to let Bridgewater walk and the Bills sign him.

Edited December 26, 2017 by Jay_Fixit

[DriveFor1Outta5]

5 minutes ago, BUFFALOKIE said:

I was referring to Brees most recent contract, three years ago, I think. Wasnt that the biggest contract ever at that time?It severely impacted the talent surrounding him, and the team sucked for three years. 

 

Was it worth it? Jury is still out on that one, I guess.

This is why you have to draft well. The over importance of QB has led to this dilemma. Over paying a QB isn’t something that I’d worry about. It’s a necessity in today’s NFL. You just have to build with what little you have left. Only the Pats with their shady ways can avoid this situation. 

Edited December 26, 2017 by DriveFor1Outta5

[GoBills808]

1 hour ago, Jay_Fixit said:

I wouldn’t hate Cousins on Buffalo. I’d prefer Alex Smith as long as the Bills draft a QB within the first two rounds this and next year.

 

Smith is only 33 and would be a definite upgrade over Taylor, plus he’d provide his successor enough time to get acclimated.

 

Ultimately, I’d love for the Vikings to let Bridgewater walk and the Bills sign him.

This whole post is gross.

[Dread321]

I would rather sign Smith to a cheaper, less-risky deal. Cousins scares me because of the franchise limiting salary he will command. I agree with the article in that I do not think he will carry the franchise by himself like Rodgers does GB. 

[Jay_Fixit]

On 2017-12-26 at 10:25 AM, GoBills808 said:

This whole post is gross.

I guarantee it’s the best post you’ve read all year.

 

[Luka]

On 12/26/2017 at 12:05 PM, Jay_Fixit said:

I wouldn’t hate Cousins on Buffalo. I’d prefer Alex Smith as long as the Bills draft a QB within the first two rounds this and next year.

 

Smith is only 33 and would be a definite upgrade over Taylor, plus he’d provide his successor enough time to get acclimated.

 

Ultimately, I’d love for the Vikings to let Bridgewater walk and the Bills sign him.

 

Distinct possibility. Bridgewater won't accept a back up role, but if you're the Vikings, there's no way you go away from Keenum, is there?

I was all about Cousins when he was coming out and I got poo pooed on the old board.
An improved front 7 with Smith, Cousins, Bridgewater or Foles (yea I said it, wanted him as well, to replace Fitz in Gailey's system) and I think this team would be legitimate for a few years.

 

Hopefully we don't get all Billsy and do something dumb like draft Rudolph.

[Jay_Fixit]

1 minute ago, Luka said:

 

Distinct possibility. Bridgewater won't accept a back up role, but if you're the Vikings, there's no way you go away from Keenum, is there?

I was all about Cousins when he was coming out and I got poo pooed on the old board.
An improved front 7 with Smith, Cousins, Bridgewater or Foles (yea I said it, wanted him as well, to replace Fitz in Gailey's system) and I think this team would be legitimate for a few years.

 

Hopefully we don't get all Billsy and do something dumb like draft Rudolph.

This is the Luka that I’ve grown to love.

[26CornerBlitz]

4 minutes ago, Luka said:

 

Distinct possibility. Bridgewater won't accept a back up role, but if you're the Vikings, there's no way you go away from Keenum, is there?

I was all about Cousins when he was coming out and I got poo pooed on the old board.
An improved front 7 with Smith, Cousins, Bridgewater or Foles (yea I said it, wanted him as well, to replace Fitz in Gailey's system) and I think this team would be legitimate for a few years.

 

Hopefully we don't get all Billsy and do something dumb like draft Rudolph.

 

Foles. 

[Luka]

Just now, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

Foles. 

 

Still leaps and bounds better than Tyrod. I always prepare for the worst. As fun as it is to picture Cousins or Bridgewater in a Bills uniform, it's more likely we end up with someone like Foles or Bradford.

[26CornerBlitz]

Just now, Luka said:

 

Still leaps and bounds better than Tyrod. I always prepare for the worst. As fun as it is to picture Cousins or Bridgewater in a Bills uniform, it's more likely we end up with someone like Foles or Bradford.

 

[keepthefaith]

The only way to get a QB even relatively cheap is to develop a young player and then you have to pay him a ton or lose him.  It's hard to rationalize the market for even mediocre starting QBs.  Somehow the agents put together a spreadsheet that shows that QB A got this and QB B got that and since my guy will be better than both, he is worth more than either one.  Then they show that the salary cap is going up by X% over the next 5 years therefore my guy is worth ((QB A + QB B) / 2) x 1.5 and the owners say OK and the constant leapfrogging of QB salaries continues. 

[Luka]

2 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

 

Oh that's right your one of the resident Tyrod shills. Hate to burst your bubble big guy but the only thing Tyrod does better than Foles is run. Foles has played 10 less games and has more yards, more touchdowns etc. etc. He's also got more wins. Or is that only a QB stat when you're trying to defend a QB who can't actually play the position?