Whitewalker's Season in Review

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

 

I wanted to take a moment to stop, reflect, and collect associated thoughts as the season is over. I had a crazy fall, spending most of it commuting back to Buffalo on weekdays and spending what time I could with my fiance in Philly, getting married, and starting a new job. So I haven’t posted as much as usual this year. But now that I can reflect, I guess here’s a lot of what I’ve been mulling on as we close out and look ahead to the rest of 2018:

 

• Ever since I signed up on the board here, the most exciting times we’ve had in a year has been the offseason. I really doubt that’s the case in 2018. I was floating on air to start 2018 as New Years hit. As a buddy of mine put it “I didn’t know how much making the playoffs and breaking the streak mattered to me until it happened”. I know what he means. It was as if a weight had been taken off my chest, and I could breathe during the playoff game, as heartbreaking as that was to watch.

• When Darby and Sammy were traded, I honestly thought we were tanking. I said so at the time, fairly definitively. I was wrong. Looking now, maybe they might have made a difference against the Jags, especially if Sammy is the one on that goalline pass attempt (more on that later), but looking at what they did elsewhere and what we got, I can’t say that we were on the wrong end. Of note is that we managed to get Benjamin, who is a very nice piece, for a third and still have one in reserve.

• I know the tide is agaisnt paying running backs hitting the wrong side of 30, but Shady currently is worth every dollar we’ve paid him. The man was a huge part of our offense in an offense that didn’t have much else going, and he took plenty of shots across the middle as a result. Numbers wise, it’s going to look like he had a down year, but he looks as elusive as ever. I blame...let’s call them “other factors”. Again, I will get to them soon.

• I was annoyed at Darby leaving, but I’m going to say: the secondary looks pretty solid. Safeties always seem to get passed over in the discussion of big money contracts. I remember the talk about how Byrd wasn’t worth the money he was asking (he wasn’t), but it always struck me that safeties get the short end compared to the “lock down corner”. Hyde and Poyer were absolute steals in free agency. I expected Hyde to be good, but not that good. I honestly didn’t expect much out of Poyer, and he absolutely defied expectations. Gaines was solid (when not injured) and I think it is a disgrace that White is not part of the DROY discussion. If we can get Gaines on a reasonable deal, I think our secondary is locked in for the next few years.

• If there’s one huge knock I have on McDermott as a defensive coach, it’s how the Darues situation worked out. I get that the man was dragging. I get that the contract was part of the old regime. But we slammed Rex for not motivating Mario, and I am going to hit McD with the same stick here. Maybe there was nothing that could be done, but that was a whole lot of dead money and a pathetic return value for a player who can be very good when he wants to be, and it took a while for us to get the run defense back on track.

• Now, for the part that will get me death threats: Tyrod. I have been a Tyrod defender. I think that a great deal of criticism has been unjust. But this year made it clear to me: as we go forward, and look to be a perennial contender, he is just Not. Good. Enough. He had plenty of things working against him: a new system, his most familiar receivers leaving, an OC that didn’t make the best of his strengths but at the end of the day, we have seen what he is. It isn’t going to get better than his first year. The Bills *need* to have a plan going to upgrade from him this offseason. That said, I can see him starting week 1. Trubinsky and Watson weren’t ready week 1. Mahomes rode the pine all year. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past and have another EJ situation. But we need something: throw a stupid number of picks at the Colts for Luck, or take a shot in the 1st round on a guy, but we need something that isn’t Peterman.

• Peterman: I do not understand the love for this guy. If my choices are Billy Jo Hobart, or this guy, I am seriously considering Hobart. Hobart had fewer interceptions while not giving a damn. Maybe magic happens, or he rebounds, but I will not watch next year if he is our starter.

• Dennison: He is not a great OC. That is not to say that there weren’t periods when he could string together nice drives. He can. My knock is that he simply does not make the best of the players and talent he has. The O-line blocking regressed. He had a QB who was at his best as a “roll out in the pocket” and “home run hitter”. Dennison focused on a WCO better suited for a traditional drop back passer. Yards, YPC, Touchdowns, TD:Int ratio and rushing yards all dropped. The 10th scoring offense went to 22nd. Maybe if you get him a shiny unicorn of a perfect QB he looks good, but right now, he stinks.

 

Shopping list for 2018

1. QB. We need another option. He doesn’t have to start right away, but we absolutely need to get one going.

2. WR. Benjamin is ok, and perhaps with some seasoning Zay cures the dropsies, but the position desperately needs an upgrade

3. DT. Probably 2 DTs if Kyle is leaving as expected. The D-line as a whole dropped off this year, but Hughes and Lawson are not the problem at the moment. We have to fix the center first.

4. LB. We made do, but we could really use an upgrade here if we want to be a defense first team.

 

Ok, roast away.

[stony]

Can't argue with your shopping list.   

 

DB's have been solid, but I won't argue with another corner relatively early.  

[Magox]

We desperately need a good pass rusher on the other side of Hughes.  A good pass rushing DE to go along with Hughes dramatically helps this defense out.   We also need a couple good DT's, a couple good LB's.   

 

Definitely need another QB.

 

Another Guard and Tackle.

 

Another WR.

 

More depth at DB

 

More depth at RB.

 

 

[re enlightener]

22 minutes ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

 

 

I wanted to take a moment to stop, reflect, and collect associated thoughts as the season is over. I had a crazy fall, spending most of it commuting back to Buffalo on weekdays and spending what time I could with my fiance in Philly, getting married, and starting a new job. So I haven’t posted as much as usual this year. But now that I can reflect, I guess here’s a lot of what I’ve been mulling on as we close out and look ahead to the rest of 2018:

 

• Ever since I signed up on the board here, the most exciting times we’ve had in a year has been the offseason. I really doubt that’s the case in 2018. I was floating on air to start 2018 as New Years hit. As a buddy of mine put it “I didn’t know how much making the playoffs and breaking the streak mattered to me until it happened”. I know what he means. It was as if a weight had been taken off my chest, and I could breathe during the playoff game, as heartbreaking as that was to watch.

• When Darby and Sammy were traded, I honestly thought we were tanking. I said so at the time, fairly definitively. I was wrong. Looking now, maybe they might have made a difference against the Jags, especially if Sammy is the one on that goalline pass attempt (more on that later), but looking at what they did elsewhere and what we got, I can’t say that we were on the wrong end. Of note is that we managed to get Benjamin, who is a very nice piece, for a third and still have one in reserve.

• I know the tide is agaisnt paying running backs hitting the wrong side of 30, but Shady currently is worth every dollar we’ve paid him. The man was a huge part of our offense in an offense that didn’t have much else going, and he took plenty of shots across the middle as a result. Numbers wise, it’s going to look like he had a down year, but he looks as elusive as ever. I blame...let’s call them “other factors”. Again, I will get to them soon.

• I was annoyed at Darby leaving, but I’m going to say: the secondary looks pretty solid. Safeties always seem to get passed over in the discussion of big money contracts. I remember the talk about how Byrd wasn’t worth the money he was asking (he wasn’t), but it always struck me that safeties get the short end compared to the “lock down corner”. Hyde and Poyer were absolute steals in free agency. I expected Hyde to be good, but not that good. I honestly didn’t expect much out of Poyer, and he absolutely defied expectations. Gaines was solid (when not injured) and I think it is a disgrace that White is not part of the DROY discussion. If we can get Gaines on a reasonable deal, I think our secondary is locked in for the next few years.

• If there’s one huge knock I have on McDermott as a defensive coach, it’s how the Darues situation worked out. I get that the man was dragging. I get that the contract was part of the old regime. But we slammed Rex for not motivating Mario, and I am going to hit McD with the same stick here. Maybe there was nothing that could be done, but that was a whole lot of dead money and a pathetic return value for a player who can be very good when he wants to be, and it took a while for us to get the run defense back on track.

• Now, for the part that will get me death threats: Tyrod. I have been a Tyrod defender. I think that a great deal of criticism has been unjust. But this year made it clear to me: as we go forward, and look to be a perennial contender, he is just Not. Good. Enough. He had plenty of things working against him: a new system, his most familiar receivers leaving, an OC that didn’t make the best of his strengths but at the end of the day, we have seen what he is. It isn’t going to get better than his first year. The Bills *need* to have a plan going to upgrade from him this offseason. That said, I can see him starting week 1. Trubinsky and Watson weren’t ready week 1. Mahomes rode the pine all year. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past and have another EJ situation. But we need something: throw a stupid number of picks at the Colts for Luck, or take a shot in the 1st round on a guy, but we need something that isn’t Peterman.

• Peterman: I do not understand the love for this guy. If my choices are Billy Jo Hobart, or this guy, I am seriously considering Hobart. Hobart had fewer interceptions while not giving a damn. Maybe magic happens, or he rebounds, but I will not watch next year if he is our starter.

• Dennison: He is not a great OC. That is not to say that there weren’t periods when he could string together nice drives. He can. My knock is that he simply does not make the best of the players and talent he has. The O-line blocking regressed. He had a QB who was at his best as a “roll out in the pocket” and “home run hitter”. Dennison focused on a WCO better suited for a traditional drop back passer. Yards, YPC, Touchdowns, TD:Int ratio and rushing yards all dropped. The 10th scoring offense went to 22nd. Maybe if you get him a shiny unicorn of a perfect QB he looks good, but right now, he stinks.

 

Shopping list for 2018

1. QB. We need another option. He doesn’t have to start right away, but we absolutely need to get one going.

2. WR. Benjamin is ok, and perhaps with some seasoning Zay cures the dropsies, but the position desperately needs an upgrade

3. DT. Probably 2 DTs if Kyle is leaving as expected. The D-line as a whole dropped off this year, but Hughes and Lawson are not the problem at the moment. We have to fix the center first.

4. LB. We made do, but we could really use an upgrade here if we want to be a defense first team.

 

Ok, roast away.

nice post,  agree.

[clayboy54]

I commend you for your post! It isn’t often around here that we see someone as adamant as you adjust your position based on results. I value your perspective as such.

 

That said, I believe you have missed the point of the Dareus trade. I agree we got basically nothing in return. I also agree that it would’ve been nice if McDermott could’ve motivated the guy. However, it is next to impossible to motivate a guy making that kind of money, without incentives based on performance. That’s why we see so many Haynesworth-like fails. I think McD tried. When it didn’t work, he moved on... plain and simple. In a coach’s first year, it is more important to deliver the message and get the buy-in than it is to keep the talent and win games.

 

As it turned out, we won more than anyone expected. Let’s not lose sight of the original plan, which was to establish the new culture at any cost.

Edited January 9, 2018 by clayboy54

[Punching Bag]

I believe there are some other coaches more important than Dennison in discussion - OL Coach/Run Game Coordinator Juan Castillo and WR Coach Phil McGeoghan.  Castillo was actually hired before Dennison.  Dennison was not in playoffs so why so late?  The offense brain trust is McD and Castillo with Dennison getting all of the blame.  I do not think Dennison is calling the FB runs.  

 

McD needs to bring in a new uber coach who handles the Offense direction with both Castillo & Dennison reporting to him.  It is clear from McD's hiring he had no intention on running an offense like Lynn had.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

17 minutes ago, clayboy54 said:

I commend you for your post! It isn’t often around here that we see someone as adamant as you adjust your position based on results. I value your perspective as such.

 

That said, I believe you have missed the point of the Dareus trade. I agree we got basically nothing in return. I also agree that it would’ve been nice if McDermott could’ve motivated the guy. However, it is next to impossible to motivate a guy making that kind of money, without incentives based on performance. That’s why we see so many Haynesworth-like fails. I think McD tried. When it didn’t work, he moved on... plain and simple. In a coach’s first year, it is more important to deliver the message and get the buy-in than it is to keep the talent and win games.

 

As it turned out, we won more than anyone expected. Let’s not lose sight of the original plan, which was to establish the new culture at any cost.

 

That's fair. McDermott really had no leverage other than inspiration. I suppose the point I was trying to make is that we criticized Rex for something very similar with Mario, so it should be addressed.

 

I am happy at the wins, and I am willing to change my position based on evidence. If Peterman comes out and rips for Brady like numbers, I will humble myself and bask in a decade of prosperity. If Dennison gets his guy and proves himself a genius, I will behave likewise. 

 

I do agree: we absolutely end this season with a new culture and a new mindset, along with four picks in the first two rounds and a decent amount of cap space. We have blocks to build with.

8 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

I believe there are some other coaches more important than Dennison in discussion - OL Coach/Run Game Coordinator Juan Castillo and WR Coach Phil McGeoghan.  Castillo was actually hired before Dennison.  Dennison was not in playoffs so why so late?  The offense brain trust is McD and Castillo with Dennison getting all of the blame.  I do not think Dennison is calling the FB runs.  

 

McD needs to bring in a new uber coach who handles the Offense direction with both Castillo & Dennison reporting to him.  It is clear from McD's hiring he had no intention on running an offense like Lynn had.

 

I don't know, did either of them call for a passing play on first and goal from the one?

 

I do agree that an offensive czar would be welcome. It just might be tricky. Offensive minds are at a premium in the NFL, and they get a lot of head coaching nods. Plus, I think teams can deny moves that aren't to HC.

[yungmack]

If you (and I really aim this towards the virulently hateful anti-TT crowd around here, not you personally) genuinely believe that replacing TT with Cousins or Smith or Bridgewater (!!!) or even Rodgers or Brady is the cure-all, I believe you are going to be terribly disappointed. Had a supposedly "much better QB" been running the Offense this past season, it's possible they could have squeezed out another win, maybe two. And that's a big "maybe." The problems with the Bills run much, much deeper than replacing a mediocre QB.

 

Much of the offensive talent wouldn't be starters on the best teams, if they were on the roster at all. That includes all the receivers, one of the worst groups overall in the league; the O line, and, with the exception of an aging McCoy, the running backs/fullbacks.

 

But perhaps the worst part of the offense is Rick Dennison, about the last man I'd want working with the "new toy" the Bills are supposedly going to move mountains to acquire. And if McDermott decides he's happy with Dennison, that will indicate to me that he doesn't have a clue about how to construct a proper offense. Which means the Bills will likely continue to be a middling team as long as he runs the show. And that will be, at most, two more years. And then we can start all over again.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

1 minute ago, yungmack said:

If you (and I really aim this towards the virulently hateful anti-TT crowd around here, not you personally) genuinely believe that replacing TT with Cousins or Smith or Bridgewater (!!!) or even Rodgers or Brady is the cure-all, I believe you are going to be terribly disappointed. Had a supposedly "much better QB" been running the Offense this past season, it's possible they could have squeezed out another win, maybe two. And that's a big "maybe." The problems with the Bills run much, much deeper than replacing a mediocre QB.

 

Much of the offensive talent wouldn't be starters on the best teams, if they were on the roster at all. That includes all the receivers, one of the worst groups overall in the league; the O line, and, with the exception of an aging McCoy, the running backs/fullbacks.

 

But perhaps the worst part of the offense is Rick Dennison, about the last man I'd want working with the "new toy" the Bills are supposedly going to move mountains to acquire. And if McDermott decides he's happy with Dennison, that will indicate to me that he doesn't have a clue about how to construct a proper offense. Which means the Bills will likely continue to be a middling team as long as he runs the show. And that will be, at most, two more years. And then we can start all over again.

 

I agree with Cousins, Smith and Bridgewater. But, dude, Rodgers (when healthy) has dragged a cast of rejects to the playoffs on the strength of willpower time and time again. 

 

Not that I disagree with your premise. Like I mentioned, Dennison is a major problem, and I really, really, really want to see our WR group upgraded. I just don't know where we get a better OC, unless it's poaching one from a HC group which got fired. No one I can think of inspires much confidence.

[bmur66]

I agree with everything you said. It's good to know where the Bills really stand for a change. 

[Punching Bag]

22 minutes ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

I don't know, did either of them call for a passing play on first and goal from the one?

 

I do agree that an offensive czar would be welcome. It just might be tricky. Offensive minds are at a premium in the NFL, and they get a lot of head coaching nods. Plus, I think teams can deny moves that aren't to HC.

 

Whomever called it, it was not a bad choice - it was a QB choose play and since Benjamin was single covered and they were stacking the line TT made the right call.  Benjamin should have been aware of situation and not pushed off getting the offensive pass interference and that was DEFINITELY not in game plan.

 

The idea is there are a number of offensive minds who cannot handle full offense coordinator role workload but as a czar can evaluate the plans, discuss options and make the playcalls.  And yes teams can deny moves so they need to target carefully but lucky for them they have an owner willing to spend.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

 

 

I wanted to take a moment to stop, reflect, and collect associated thoughts as the season is over. I had a crazy fall, spending most of it commuting back to Buffalo on weekdays and spending what time I could with my fiance in Philly, getting married, and starting a new job. So I haven’t posted as much as usual this year. But now that I can reflect, I guess here’s a lot of what I’ve been mulling on as we close out and look ahead to the rest of 2018:

 

• Ever since I signed up on the board here, the most exciting times we’ve had in a year has been the offseason. I really doubt that’s the case in 2018. I was floating on air to start 2018 as New Years hit. As a buddy of mine put it “I didn’t know how much making the playoffs and breaking the streak mattered to me until it happened”. I know what he means. It was as if a weight had been taken off my chest, and I could breathe during the playoff game, as heartbreaking as that was to watch.

• When Darby and Sammy were traded, I honestly thought we were tanking. I said so at the time, fairly definitively. I was wrong. Looking now, maybe they might have made a difference against the Jags, especially if Sammy is the one on that goalline pass attempt (more on that later), but looking at what they did elsewhere and what we got, I can’t say that we were on the wrong end. Of note is that we managed to get Benjamin, who is a very nice piece, for a third and still have one in reserve.

• I know the tide is agaisnt paying running backs hitting the wrong side of 30, but Shady currently is worth every dollar we’ve paid him. The man was a huge part of our offense in an offense that didn’t have much else going, and he took plenty of shots across the middle as a result. Numbers wise, it’s going to look like he had a down year, but he looks as elusive as ever. I blame...let’s call them “other factors”. Again, I will get to them soon.

• I was annoyed at Darby leaving, but I’m going to say: the secondary looks pretty solid. Safeties always seem to get passed over in the discussion of big money contracts. I remember the talk about how Byrd wasn’t worth the money he was asking (he wasn’t), but it always struck me that safeties get the short end compared to the “lock down corner”. Hyde and Poyer were absolute steals in free agency. I expected Hyde to be good, but not that good. I honestly didn’t expect much out of Poyer, and he absolutely defied expectations. Gaines was solid (when not injured) and I think it is a disgrace that White is not part of the DROY discussion. If we can get Gaines on a reasonable deal, I think our secondary is locked in for the next few years.

• If there’s one huge knock I have on McDermott as a defensive coach, it’s how the Darues situation worked out. I get that the man was dragging. I get that the contract was part of the old regime. But we slammed Rex for not motivating Mario, and I am going to hit McD with the same stick here. Maybe there was nothing that could be done, but that was a whole lot of dead money and a pathetic return value for a player who can be very good when he wants to be, and it took a while for us to get the run defense back on track.

• Now, for the part that will get me death threats: Tyrod. I have been a Tyrod defender. I think that a great deal of criticism has been unjust. But this year made it clear to me: as we go forward, and look to be a perennial contender, he is just Not. Good. Enough. He had plenty of things working against him: a new system, his most familiar receivers leaving, an OC that didn’t make the best of his strengths but at the end of the day, we have seen what he is. It isn’t going to get better than his first year. The Bills *need* to have a plan going to upgrade from him this offseason. That said, I can see him starting week 1. Trubinsky and Watson weren’t ready week 1. Mahomes rode the pine all year. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past and have another EJ situation. But we need something: throw a stupid number of picks at the Colts for Luck, or take a shot in the 1st round on a guy, but we need something that isn’t Peterman.

• Peterman: I do not understand the love for this guy. If my choices are Billy Jo Hobart, or this guy, I am seriously considering Hobart. Hobart had fewer interceptions while not giving a damn. Maybe magic happens, or he rebounds, but I will not watch next year if he is our starter.

• Dennison: He is not a great OC. That is not to say that there weren’t periods when he could string together nice drives. He can. My knock is that he simply does not make the best of the players and talent he has. The O-line blocking regressed. He had a QB who was at his best as a “roll out in the pocket” and “home run hitter”. Dennison focused on a WCO better suited for a traditional drop back passer. Yards, YPC, Touchdowns, TD:Int ratio and rushing yards all dropped. The 10th scoring offense went to 22nd. Maybe if you get him a shiny unicorn of a perfect QB he looks good, but right now, he stinks.

 

Shopping list for 2018

1. QB. We need another option. He doesn’t have to start right away, but we absolutely need to get one going.

2. WR. Benjamin is ok, and perhaps with some seasoning Zay cures the dropsies, but the position desperately needs an upgrade

3. DT. Probably 2 DTs if Kyle is leaving as expected. The D-line as a whole dropped off this year, but Hughes and Lawson are not the problem at the moment. We have to fix the center first.

4. LB. We made do, but we could really use an upgrade here if we want to be a defense first team.

 

Ok, roast away.

 

No roasting here.  I think you're spot on about almost everything.  I agree that it's time to move on from Taylor, but not until/unless we have another option in house (who is not named Peterman).  I do not want to see another rookie put in EJ's position where he's the starter by default without earning it, and has no vet QB in the room to help him learn.

 

My "Shopping list" differences are that I want to see us go "all in" - spend or trade for a FA QB who is a clear upgrade on Taylor AND draft a rookie.  I think we need at least 2 quality WR.  and I think we need at least one and possibly two OLmen.