Eric Wood - His Bills offseason shopping list (The Athletic)

[Royale with Cheese]

https://theathletic.com/747229/2019/01/03/wood-what-my-bills-offseason-shopping-list-would-look-like/

 

Didn't see it posted before so I DEEPLY apologize if this offends anyone.

 

I don't have a subscription to the Athletic so maybe someone who does can post the entire article?  Bueller?  Bueller?
[see below.  do not post the entire article]

[Magox]

Can you share a snippet of the meaty part of the article?

[Royale with Cheese]

1 minute ago, Magox said:

Can you share a snippet of the meaty part of the article?

 

It doesn't give anything other that the intro to Eric Wood and a paragraph leading into what he's going to talk about.

[JoshAllenHasBigHands]

2 minutes ago, Magox said:

Can you share a snippet of the meaty part of the article?

I signed up for the Athletic just for E. Wood.  The Athletic ended up being worth every penny.  The best content out there right now.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

3 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

https://theathletic.com/747229/2019/01/03/wood-what-my-bills-offseason-shopping-list-would-look-like/

Didn't see it posted before so I DEEPLY apologize if this offends anyone.

 

I don't have a subscription to the Athletic so maybe someone who does can post the entire article?  Bueller?  Bueller?

 

Please do not post the whole article.  That is a violation of copyright law and against the TOS here.

 

Selective quotes are allowed under "Fair Use" ,especially if they illustrate a point the writer is making ("transformative")

[Royale with Cheese]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Please do not post the whole article.  That is a violation of copyright law and against the TOS here.

 

Selective quotes are allowed under "Fair Use" ,especially if they illustrate a point the writer is making ("transformative")

 

[GG]

5 minutes ago, Magox said:

Can you share a snippet of the meaty part of the article?

 

Nothing specific on players, but this was interesting from his insidr perspective:

 

Quote

 

My thoughts on the offensive line aren’t completely formulated because of the decision to move on from assistant coach Juan Castillo. I appreciated what he did for me as a player, and this past season he constantly reached out to me to make sure I was OK. He’s a great dude.

 

But when you move on to a new offensive line coach, you can expect he’ll bring with him players he’s familiar with and likes.

 

When Juan came to the Bills, he brought Vlad Ducasse with him. When Aaron Kromer was here, he brought Ryan Groy and Jordan Mills with him. When the Bills got rid of Joe D’Alessandris and he went to the Chargers, he took Doug Legursky, Chad Rinehart and Chris Hairston.

 

The process is different than it is for other positions because O-line coaches have specific techniques they prefer to teach. Once they’ve trained a veteran who has played under them, they can have those former players show the other guys what they’re trying to do.

 

Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll spent 11 years with the New England Patriots and worked closely with their legendary O-line coach, Dante Scarnecchia, who is known for getting his guys to play with precise technique. Juan tried to do that, too, but when you bring in a new offensive coordinator and production is weak, changes will be made.

The direction Sean McDermott takes will tell us a lot, and Daboll’s input on the hire could be significant.

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

13 minutes ago, Magox said:

Can you share a snippet of the meaty part of the article?

 

Wood points at the Chicago Bears as a model for WR additions:
" Last offseason, the Bears didn’t bring in superstars for second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. They signed receivers Taylor Gabriel and Allen Robinson and tight end Trey Burton. They finished second, third and fourth in receiving for a team that went 12-4 and won the NFC North. "

 

He says Clay is a good TE when healthy and impressed him (Wood) by his willingness to block and do the dirty work. 

The Bills finished the season with 21 or 22 sets on most run plays, and Clay served his time in the trenches.  It's under-appreciated how that takes a toll on a guy I think.  Wood says " He has struggled to stay healthy, and I don’t know where his body is at 30 years old next month. 24-year-old Jason Croom, who’s also more of a receiver-type, needs to develop this offseason."  He doesn't mention Logan Thomas at all.

 

On OL, Wood says: "My thoughts on the offensive line aren’t completely formulated because of the decision to move on from assistant coach Juan Castillo. (....) when you move on to a new offensive line coach, you can expect he’ll bring with him players he’s familiar with and likes.  When Juan came to the Bills, he brought Vlad Ducasse with him. When Aaron Kromer was here, he brought Ryan Groy and Jordan Mills with him. When the Bills got rid of Joe D’Alessandris and he went to the Chargers, he took Doug Legursky, Chad Rinehart and Chris Hairston.  The process is different than it is for other positions because O-line coaches have specific techniques they prefer to teach. Once they’ve trained a veteran who has played under them, they can have those former players show the other guys what they’re trying to do."   

 

He implies the Bills can't depend entirely on the draft: " You’d love to say, “Let’s use some early picks and shore up that O-line with college kids.” But the prospects don’t always leave college with much polish because the offenses down there can be so much different than anything they’ll see in the NFL. "

 

Fundamentally, Wood seems to be saying that the OL coach has heavy input into the selection of players and should, so that he gets guys that will work with his preferred techniques, and that the OL coach selection will drive what the Bills do as far as OL additions.  (If anyone else interprets that differently, please challenge).

 

He also points out the impact adding a "supreme pass rusher" can have and specifically names Demarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys.  He intriguingly says:

" Entering the third season under McDermott and Beane, the culture probably is good enough — even with Kyle moving on — that if you wanted to roll the dice on a superstar with issues, the Bills might have the foundation in place to do that. "

 

 

[BuffaloHokie13]

Cliff Notes:

• Chicago model referenced more than once
• WR - Zay, Foster, and McKenzie are pieces to work around, but they need help. Specifically Vet help.
• TE - Need more production from the position. Clay will be 30 and has struggled to stay healthy
• OL - Feels the moves here will be tied heavily to the OL coach selection. NE coach that Daboll worked with was all about precise technique
• Had very nice things to say about Juan Castillo as a person
• Who is hired to fill the coaching voids will say a lot about how much influence Daboll has
• Need a pass rusher opposite Hughes, such as DeMarcus Lawrence, or some cap casualty that hasn't hit the market yet
• An established punter would help ST's overall

Edited January 4, 2019 by BuffaloHokie13

[Juice_32]

9 minutes ago, JoshAllenHasBigHands said:

I signed up for the Athletic just for E. Wood.  The Athletic ended up being worth every penny.  The best content out there right now.  

 

Agree, I’ve loved it and will maintain my subscription. 

 

I like how wood compared our situation at WR to that of the Bears. We will likely have 3 WR2’s who will share touches rather than a true feature WR1.

 

In a dream world Daboll is going to want to spread the ball around and exploit weekly matchups.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

12 minutes ago, JoshAllenHasBigHands said:

I signed up for the Athletic just for E. Wood.  The Athletic ended up being worth every penny.  The best content out there right now.  

 

I have also found The Athletic to provide good value.

[Magox]

13 minutes ago, JoshAllenHasBigHands said:

I signed up for the Athletic just for E. Wood.  The Athletic ended up being worth every penny.  The best content out there right now.  

I will subscribe.  Thanks 

[thebandit27]

4 minutes ago, BuffaloHokie13 said:

Cliff Notes:

• Chicago model referenced more than once
• WR - Zay, Foster, and McKenzie are pieces to work around, but they need help. Specifically Vet help.
• TE - Need more production from the position. Clay will be 30 and has struggled to stay healthy
• OL - Feels the moves here will be tied heavily to the OL coach selection. NE coach that Daboll worked with was all about precise technique
• Had very nice things to say about Juan Castillo as a person
• Who is hired to fill the coaching voids will say a lot about how much influence Daboll has
• Need a pass rusher opposite Hughes, such as DeMarcus Lawrence, or some cap casualty that hasn't hit the market yet
• An established punter would help ST's overall

 

A few thoughts here:

- No doubt about WR and TE; they need to make a trade AND a FA signing

- I wonder if, based on Daboll's preference, they'll make a play for Alabama's Brent Key at OL coach

- I think EDGE rusher is a HUGE need, but they have an in-house candidate for that role in Edmunds...if they're willing to move him out to the EDGE in a Bruce Irvin type role.  I know people won't like hearing it, but it probably gives him the best chance to make the most impact, and Julian Stanford actually looked quite solid playing the Mike

- I continue to believe that the team was set on keeping Cory Carter as their punter before he tore his ACL in pre-season.  He was impressive in TC and was crushing the ball in games.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

3 minutes ago, BuffaloHokie13 said:

Cliff Notes:

• Chicago model referenced more than once
• WR - Zay, Foster, and McKenzie are pieces to work around, but they need help. Specifically Vet help.
• TE - Need more production from the position. Clay will be 30 and has struggled to stay healthy
• OL - Feels the moves here will be tied heavily to the OL coach selection. NE coach that Daboll worked with was all about precise technique
• Had very nice things to say about Juan Castillo as a person
• Who is hired to fill the coaching voids will say a lot about how much influence Daboll has
• Need a pass rusher opposite Hughes, such as DeMarcus Lawrence, or some cap casualty that hasn't hit the market yet
• An established punter would help ST's overall

 

Good summary.  What he actually said about Daboll is: " The direction Sean McDermott takes will tell us a lot, and Daboll’s input on the hire could be significant. "

I don't know that I saw him as directly linking the hire as a "tell" to Daboll's influence.

 

4 minutes ago, thebandit27 said:

- I continue to believe that the team was set on keeping Cory Carter as their punter before he tore his ACL in pre-season.  He was impressive in TC and was crushing the ball in games.

 

So ACL is often viewed as a 2 yr recovery.  Thoughts?

[thebandit27]

2 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

So ACL is often viewed as a 2 yr recovery.  Thoughts?

 

Yeah, I guess it really depends on how well he's recovered.  We've seen players come back from ACLs in a single calendar year, and I'd like to think that a punter isn't using his COD skills as much as a skill-position player, but it's definitely a concern.

 

Either way, they need some competition for the job.

[wppete]

4 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Good summary.  What he actually said about Daboll is: " The direction Sean McDermott takes will tell us a lot, and Daboll’s input on the hire could be significant. "

I don't know that I saw him as directly linking the hire as a "tell" to Daboll's influence.

 

 

Id like to see Dabol bring on his own guys at OL and WR coaches. McDermott is a defensive specialist. He has proven he is still a novice on the offensive side of the football. 

 

In 3 years he will have:

 

2 offensive coordinators

3 WR coaches

2 OL coaches

and still counting......

[JoshAllenHasBigHands]

16 minutes ago, Magox said:

I will subscribe.  Thanks 

You wont regret it.  

 

 

[DCbillsfan]

If the Bills were to add a legit pass rusher, their defense could truly be special.  

 

I agree with Bandit regarding Cory Carter.  That injury messed up their plans.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2019 by DCbillsfan

[MrEpsYtown]

31 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Wood points at the Chicago Bears as a model for WR additions:
" Last offseason, the Bears didn’t bring in superstars for second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. They signed receivers Taylor Gabriel and Allen Robinson and tight end Trey Burton. They finished second, third and fourth in receiving for a team that went 12-4 and won the NFC North. "

 

He says Clay is a good TE when healthy and impressed him (Wood) by his willingness to block and do the dirty work. 

The Bills finished the season with 21 or 22 sets on most run plays, and Clay served his time in the trenches.  It's under-appreciated how that takes a toll on a guy I think.  Wood says " He has struggled to stay healthy, and I don’t know where his body is at 30 years old next month. 24-year-old Jason Croom, who’s also more of a receiver-type, needs to develop this offseason."  He doesn't mention Logan Thomas at all.

 

On OL, Wood says: "My thoughts on the offensive line aren’t completely formulated because of the decision to move on from assistant coach Juan Castillo. (....) when you move on to a new offensive line coach, you can expect he’ll bring with him players he’s familiar with and likes.  When Juan came to the Bills, he brought Vlad Ducasse with him. When Aaron Kromer was here, he brought Ryan Groy and Jordan Mills with him. When the Bills got rid of Joe D’Alessandris and he went to the Chargers, he took Doug Legursky, Chad Rinehart and Chris Hairston.  The process is different than it is for other positions because O-line coaches have specific techniques they prefer to teach. Once they’ve trained a veteran who has played under them, they can have those former players show the other guys what they’re trying to do."   

 

He implies the Bills can't depend entirely on the draft: " You’d love to say, “Let’s use some early picks and shore up that O-line with college kids.” But the prospects don’t always leave college with much polish because the offenses down there can be so much different than anything they’ll see in the NFL. "

 

Fundamentally, Wood seems to be saying that the OL coach has heavy input into the selection of players and should, so that he gets guys that will work with his preferred techniques, and that the OL coach selection will drive what the Bills do as far as OL additions.  (If anyone else interprets that differently, please challenge).

 

He also points out the impact adding a "supreme pass rusher" can have and specifically names Demarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys.  He intriguingly says:

" Entering the third season under McDermott and Beane, the culture probably is good enough — even with Kyle moving on — that if you wanted to roll the dice on a superstar with issues, the Bills might have the foundation in place to do that. "

 

 

 

I was thinking about the Chicago model on my way in to work. I think it is a great point. 

[aristocrat]

he didn't really give a shopping list outside of demarcus lawrence. it was so vague

[Antonio]

It would be amazing if the Bills could bring E Wood and K Williams in some capacity.

[chris heff]

My nephew gave me a subscription to The Athletic for Christmas, it is very good. That being said I found the article by Eric Wood to be too politically correct. 

[Bill Murray]

What would you do on the pass rush points?  I think Shaq Lawson has come on strong and definitely should remain as starter opposite Hughes...so need a sort of rush OLB type?  Would you mix in more 3-4 using Lawson, Star, and JH in 3 fronts and then bring in Harry Phillips for 4 fronts to play the penetrating DT role Kyle played?  

 

Given this draft is so D heavy thats maybe where we go?  (i want OL, in partic the guy from alabama if he is there)

[MrEpsYtown]

17 minutes ago, aristocrat said:

he didn't really give a shopping list outside of demarcus lawrence. it was so vague

 

I think Lawrence definitely gets the franchise tag and I am assuming Clowney does as well. But I think Trey Flowers from New England maybe hits the market. I think they may use the tag on Gostkowski. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

18 minutes ago, chris heff said:

My nephew gave me a subscription to The Athletic for Christmas, it is very good. That being said I found the article by Eric Wood to be too politically correct. 

 

Surprise, surprise a "best behaved" former player is politically correct....

 

I didn't expect otherwise, and I was not disappointed.

28 minutes ago, aristocrat said:

he didn't really give a shopping list outside of demarcus lawrence. it was so vague

 

Well, first off, it's early days yet.  We know what guys are scheduled to hit FA, but we don't know what cap moves teams will make.  And college scouting is just wrapping up.

But I don't think Wood wants to play scout; his piece was to outline strategy, not to ID specific tactics.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

1 hour ago, Juice_32 said:

 

Agree, I’ve loved it and will maintain my subscription. 

 

I like how wood compared our situation at WR to that of the Bears. We will likely have 3 WR2’s who will share touches rather than a true feature WR1.

 

In a dream world Daboll is going to want to spread the ball around and exploit weekly matchups.

Which would be part of the NE bread & butter weekly prep model he would've seen up close and personal from Hoodie during his time there. I wonder how much of that he tried to do this year, but just couldn't effectively given his personnel constraints?

[Nanker]

3 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Surprise, surprise a "best behaved" former player is politically correct....

 

I didn't expect otherwise, and I was not disappointed.

He could be angling for a job like Ross Tucker did. Ross is much more edgy though, especially when it comes to players contracts and their leverage and money and market value. 

[BADOLBILZ]

47 minutes ago, thebandit27 said:

 

A few thoughts here:

- No doubt about WR and TE; they need to make a trade AND a FA signing

- I wonder if, based on Daboll's preference, they'll make a play for Alabama's Brent Key at OL coach

- I think EDGE rusher is a HUGE need, but they have an in-house candidate for that role in Edmunds...if they're willing to move him out to the EDGE in a Bruce Irvin type role.  I know people won't like hearing it, but it probably gives him the best chance to make the most impact, and Julian Stanford actually looked quite solid playing the Mike

- I continue to believe that the team was set on keeping Cory Carter as their punter before he tore his ACL in pre-season.  He was impressive in TC and was crushing the ball in games.

 

I think it's pretty clear that Castillo wasn't getting the most attention to detail from his players.  Liking a coach and being affected by his coaching are two different things.  I'm surprised McD canned his close buddy Castillo though........he could have just moved him........I mean Castillo was once the DC in Philly.   Maybe that wasn't an option.

 

I'm encouraged by the firings.    Indicates to me that McD might understand that he needs coaches who are all about attention to detail in a division where you are facing the most detail oriented coach of all time.   The lack thereof has shown up in their 4 matchups with BB.  At first having people he was comfortable with was fine but they are close enough now that he can't let middling coaching slow the momentum of the build.

 

Stanford is a tremendous athlete and looked really good in limited playing time.  

 

Had Edmunds not been in the equation at MLB it wouldn't have surprised me if Stanford made a Poyer-esque kind of elevation as a quality starting MLB.

 

 

 

 

[BillsSbSoon]

33 minutes ago, Bill Murray said:

What would you do on the pass rush points?  I think Shaq Lawson has come on strong and definitely should remain as starter opposite Hughes...so need a sort of rush OLB type?  Would you mix in more 3-4 using Lawson, Star, and JH in 3 fronts and then bring in Harry Phillips for 4 fronts to play the penetrating DT role Kyle played?  

We realllyyyy arent built to play that defense. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by BillsSbSoon

[SCBills]

We have two young OL that I think are in our plans for next year, in Dawkins and Teller.  

 

I’d agree wholeheartedly with Wood’s take from this article.  

 

Sign proven OL in FA, preferably 2 guys.  Bring in 2 mid-tier FA WRs.   Fortify the DL via Draft. 

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2019 by SCBills

[Fan in Chicago]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Wood points at the Chicago Bears as a model for WR additions:
" Last offseason, the Bears didn’t bring in superstars for second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. They signed receivers Taylor Gabriel and Allen Robinson and tight end Trey Burton. They finished second, third and fourth in receiving for a team that went 12-4 and won the NFC North. "

He also points out the impact adding a "supreme pass rusher" can have and specifically names Demarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys.  He intriguingly says:

" Entering the third season under McDermott and Beane, the culture probably is good enough — even with Kyle moving on — that if you wanted to roll the dice on a superstar with issues, the Bills might have the foundation in place to do that. "

 

 

Thanks for the summary

1 hour ago, BuffaloHokie13 said:

Cliff Notes:

Thanks, Hokie

[WhoTom]

1 hour ago, Antonio said:

It would be amazing if the Bills could bring E Wood and K Williams in some capacity.

 

Kyle retired so he could spend more time with his family. A coaching schedule doesn't facilitate that, so if he had any role with the Bills, it would be informal. I could see him leading the charge at the home opener next year and maybe giving some locker room speeches.

 

 

[PetermansRedemption]

1 hour ago, Antonio said:

It would be amazing if the Bills could bring E Wood and K Williams in some capacity.

Absolutely. Groom them to be offensive and defensive line coaches. From there, who knows. 

26 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

Kyle retired so he could spend more time with his family. A coaching schedule doesn't facilitate that, so if he had any role with the Bills, it would be informal. I could see him leading the charge at the home opener next year and maybe giving some locker room speeches.

 

 

He was also 35 and getting pretty old for the position. Might have better luck convincing him to come out, be a coach, make good money and not put his body as risk. 

[Green Lightning]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I have also found The Athletic to provide good value.

 I've been hesitating to subscribe but from what I've been reading on this board it seems like it's the go-to place now. So I'm signing up!

[RoyBatty is alive]

2 hours ago, thebandit27 said:

 

Yeah, I guess it really depends on how well he's recovered.  We've seen players come back from ACLs in a single calendar year, and I'd like to think that a punter isn't using his COD skills as much as a skill-position player, but it's definitely a concern.

 

Either way, they need some competition for the job.

 

I think he should be good to go next season, that gives him almost an entire year to recover.  Also was it his kicking leg, , a punter doesnt get great range of motion in a non-kicking knee.

[formerlyofCtown]

2 hours ago, thebandit27 said:

 

A few thoughts here:

- No doubt about WR and TE; they need to make a trade AND a FA signing

- I wonder if, based on Daboll's preference, they'll make a play for Alabama's Brent Key at OL coach

- I think EDGE rusher is a HUGE need, but they have an in-house candidate for that role in Edmunds...if they're willing to move him out to the EDGE in a Bruce Irvin type role.  I know people won't like hearing it, but it probably gives him the best chance to make the most impact, and Julian Stanford actually looked quite solid playing the Mike

- I continue to believe that the team was set on keeping Cory Carter as their punter before he tore his ACL in pre-season.  He was impressive in TC and was crushing the ball in games.

Edmunds is the MLB that isneeded for this scheme.  MLB is very imprtant here.

[thebandit27]

7 minutes ago, formerlyofCtown said:

Edmunds is the MLB that isneeded for this scheme.  MLB is very imprtant here.

 

Edmunds can play MLB in this scheme; that doesn't necessarily mean that MLB in this scheme is the best use of his skill set.

 

I personally think that he'd be a near-dominant player in the Bruce Irvin LEO/Joker/Elephant/whatever-they're-calling-it-these-days role.  It doesn't hurt that Stanford looked quite capable as the MLB when Edmunds was hurt.

[Royale with Cheese]

8 minutes ago, thebandit27 said:

 

Edmunds can play MLB in this scheme; that doesn't necessarily mean that MLB in this scheme is the best use of his skill set.

 

I personally think that he'd be a near-dominant player in the Bruce Irvin LEO/Joker/Elephant/whatever-they're-calling-it-these-days role.  It doesn't hurt that Stanford looked quite capable as the MLB when Edmunds was hurt.

 

What about on 3rd downs, drop Edmunds down to the edge and have Milano and Siran Neal as your nickel linebackers?  

[formerlyofCtown]

6 minutes ago, thebandit27 said:

 

Edmunds can play MLB in this scheme; that doesn't necessarily mean that MLB in this scheme is the best use of his skill set.

 

I personally think that he'd be a near-dominant player in the Bruce Irvin LEO/Joker/Elephant/whatever-they're-calling-it-these-days role.  It doesn't hurt that Stanford looked quite capable as the MLB when Edmunds was hurt.

It's possible that he would fit exstremely well on the outside but If you are going to replace him in the middle it shouldnt be with Stanford.  Edmonds stats outside of tackling are exstremely impressive.

[thebandit27]

6 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

What about on 3rd downs, drop Edmunds down to the edge and have Milano and Siran Neal as your nickel linebackers?  

 

More or less what I'm getting at in theory, but I'd want to see more of Neal before thinking that he can handle that role.  

 

6 minutes ago, formerlyofCtown said:

It's possible that he would fit exstremely well on the outside but If you are going to replace him in the middle it shouldnt be with Stanford.  Edmonds stats outside of tackling are exstremely impressive.

 

That's a fair point...I reference Stanford only to say that the team was able to get solid MLB play from a street FA in Edmunds' absence.  Now, to be fair, Stanford is one of the best athletes in the NFL, so I don't know if you can expect to routinely be able to pluck guys like that off the street, but they managed to do so, which is great.

 

I'm probably looking for Edmunds to play over the TE against large personnel groupings with Milano/LorAx playing more traditional off-ball roles, and then using Edmunds as a stand-up EDGE defender against smaller groupings with Milano/LorAx/Stanford (and perhaps Neal and Bush) rotating in as my other coverage LBs.  That way you can still take advantage of Edmunds' ability to mirror TEs and backs when OCs try to get physical mis-matches by playing extra TEs, while also putting his exceptionally rare pass rush traits (burst, bend, length, etc) to their maximal use.