eball Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I haven't...certainly not in the "internet age." When is the last time we went into an offseason full of legitimate hope and reasonable optimism? No need to "clean house," no continuance of "the drought"... Yes, there are significant flaws to address but for the first time in a long time the Bills have a stable front office, a cupboard full of high draft picks, and a young GM who has already shown a willingness to make tough decisions. This is going to be fun. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magox Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Yeah, I'm pretty stoked about this offseason. We have a front office that actually has a vision and the conviction to stick with their guns no matter how much whining comes from the fans and ownership that I believe is all-in supporting them giving them the latitude needed to make these tough decisions. The success that McD had and the risky trades that Beane made that panned out was huge for them. I'm excited to see what they do both in FA and in the draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyC81 Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Yep, after 2004 season when the Bills won 6 in a row by big scores before blowing the "win-and-your-in" game to the Steelers backups. There also seemed to be a lot of excitement when Rex was hired a few days after the 2014 season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbillsfan2206 Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Usually the off-season the high point of the season for me. Then we play a few games and I realize that we’re going to suck again. This year is definitely different. I have no idea what we’re going to do for QB, but coming off a playoff berth I’m looking forward to build from what we’ve started Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xwnyer Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 It will be interesting to see how the build this team via FA and draft. I just hope and believe they will not break the bank to grab a QB and focus on adding talent to both sides of the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steptide Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I'm excited we have so many picks and we have the right coach in place. However, I could potentially see the bills being worse next year if they're starting a rookie qb. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 30 minutes ago, Steptide said: I'm excited we have so many picks and we have the right coach in place. However, I could potentially see the bills being worse next year if they're starting a rookie qb. i could easily see this as well, but as long as it's part of the build for the future, so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Maiden Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 For the 1st time in many many years, I feel the Bills are doing it the right way......year 1 was to get rid of players that didn't fit McD and Beane's vision ...we also worked towards improving the cap situation while accumulating several picks....and we got to the dance which was a major bonus.... Year 2 will be the year we really get the players that will be the foundation for the next 10 years....so yeah....I am excited about the off season...the arrow is pointing up bigtime.... Year 3 is when everything will come together.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Also, while I don't have exact figures at hand, I think our cap situation going forward is looking favorable as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royale with Cheese Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 3 minutes ago, teef said: i could easily see this as well, but as long as it's part of the build for the future, so be it. For me, it would suck to not make the playoffs next year. Fix all the holes you have in defense, MLB, DT and pass rush in FA/draft. Our secondary is pretty damn good and if you give them a pass rush.....they become just even better. Upgrade the right side of our line. Draft a QB in the 1st with Alex Smith our starter for next year. Smith at least keeps you in the playoff race all year.... Then we celebrate again at Applebees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 2 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said: For me, it would suck to not make the playoffs next year. Fix all the holes you have in defense, MLB, DT and pass rush in FA/draft. Our secondary is pretty damn good and if you give them a pass rush.....they become just even better. Upgrade the right side of our line. Draft a QB in the 1st with Alex Smith our starter for next year. Smith at least keeps you in the playoff race all year.... Then we celebrate again at Applebees. there's certainly a formula to keep the bills competitive next year, which is mostly dependent on how they treat t he qb situation. if they decide to start a rookie qb, (which i don't think they want to do) the bills could take a step back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEpsYtown Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 (edited) I am interested to see what happens. There are some serious flaws in some big spots. Obviously quarterback being the biggest issue. But they need to rebuild the offensive line, or adapt teh run game (can teh OC and line coach. ) They also need to rebuild the linebacking corps and the defensive line. Aside from Hughes and Williams, they were just bad. I like what I saw from Shaq Lawson, but he needs to take it up a notch. But if McDermott is going to rotate guys as much as he did, the backups cannot be Hatley and Cap Capi. Edited January 9, 2018 by MrEpsYtown I can't spell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royale with Cheese Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Just now, teef said: there's certainly a formula to keep the bills competitive next year, which is mostly dependent on how they treat t he qb situation. if they decide to start a rookie qb, (which i don't think they want to do) the bills could take a step back. If we do start a rookie, I think we do take a step back. Well....actually we might not now that I think about it. We only scored 28 TD's all year on offense and was held with 1 TD or less in something like 9 of our 16 games. Our offense was just so bad....how did we make the playoffs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 This 'exciting' off season rises and falls on what they do with Tyrod. If they keep him and draft some linemen.....yawn. If they go get a name veteran and surround him with solid rookies along with a drafting a QB....optimistic? If they go all in a rookie QB.....yikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 2 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said: If we do start a rookie, I think we do take a step back. Well....actually we might not now that I think about it. We only scored 28 TD's all year on offense and was held with 1 TD or less in something like 9 of our 16 games. Our offense was just so bad....how did we make the playoffs? The mistakes a rookie will make could easily cost the team games early on in the season. Thats the whole offseason. How will McBeane approach the QB position and did this past season sway that thinking. Starting a rookie and taking a big step back will cost them some goodwill with the fanbase. The safer bet is to get a guy like Smith who is an upgrade and allows you to play similarly to 2017 which worked. If they do that and balk at using the pile of picks to get a top end QB then when will they go for it? It's going to be fun to watch. I'm fine with them trading away the draft pile for a QB, find your guy and go get him. If your top quarterback isn't Darnold or Rosen that's even better. Go full Danny Ainge on the rest of the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 With success comes higher expectations. And they've got a lot of work to do improving both sides of the ball to be a team that can win in the playoffs. 24 teams made the post-season in 2015 and 2016 though less than half (10) made it back the following year. I know McBeane aren't going to rest on their laurels and go into cruise control, but this is the most pivotal off-season in terms of personnel decisions in years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloHokie13 Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 It's one of the more interesting ones I can remember, and that largely has to do with the landscape across the league instead of just the Bills. There are major QB question marks for nearly half the league in a year where the draft sports a pretty deep QB class. That class opens up even more volatility as some decent, but underperforming, starters may be jettisoned for a flashy new toy with a high draft grade. The household names are getting older and contemplating retirement, and their established teams are also looking for a successor to groom. It's going to be fun to watch and theorize about for the next 3ish months until the dust settles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Im pretty damn excited. Options to get a veteran QB or trade for one. Bunch of picks most importantly, McD and McB are leading the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 1 hour ago, Steptide said: I'm excited we have so many picks and we have the right coach in place. However, I could potentially see the bills being worse next year if they're starting a rookie qb. A rookie QB could work, if he is not asked to do much and the team can win with the Run game and Defense...This is how both Brady and Big Ben started their careers. They were deadly accurate, but the team took the pressure of them with brilliant run game and awesome defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 40 minutes ago, Commonsense said: The mistakes a rookie will make could easily cost the team games early on in the season. Thats the whole offseason. How will McBeane approach the QB position and did this past season sway that thinking. Starting a rookie and taking a big step back will cost them some goodwill with the fanbase. The safer bet is to get a guy like Smith who is an upgrade and allows you to play similarly to 2017 which worked. If they do that and balk at using the pile of picks to get a top end QB then when will they go for it? It's going to be fun to watch. I'm fine with them trading away the draft pile for a QB, find your guy and go get him. If your top quarterback isn't Darnold or Rosen that's even better. Go full Danny Ainge on the rest of the league. this is my hope. 10 minutes ago, ganesh said: A rookie QB could work, if he is not asked to do much and the team can win with the Run game and Defense...This is how both Brady and Big Ben started their careers. They were deadly accurate, but the team took the pressure of them with brilliant run game and awesome defense. same with russell wilson. if i remember correctly, they used lynch to really carry the load, and wilson did just enough to grow and win games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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