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How long to close the competitive gap?


Ga boy

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If Brady returns it’s practically an automatic 0-2 off the bat and the only hope is for a wild card that sometimes requires a better record than division winners

 

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1 minute ago, ScottLaw said:

The Mario Williams signing didn't hurt the teams long term success at all.

 

That guy was worth the contact they gave him and flammed out as soon as Rex came here. He still performed to the level of his contract. 

 

You know a splashy signing can make long term sense right? 

Mario Williams deserves his entire own thread in this discussion, but I’d be curious what the consensus is concerning his production versus contract value over time. I don’t recall being impressed, sorry ? 

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2 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

The Mario Williams signing didn't hurt the teams long term success at all.

 

That guy was worth the contract they gave him and flammed out as soon as Rex came here. He still performed to the level of his contract. 

 

You know a splashy signing can make long term sense right? 

 

It didn’t HELP it. We needed help across the board, not at one position. I prefer the big picture.

 

Look, once again, you lean toward the negative (in a hard way), and I currently lean toward the positive (that was NOT the case when Rexy was around). Nothing to be gained here. Have a nice night (if you allow that). 

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4 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

Mario Williams type signings do not make for sustained winning. We were NOT one player away. Poyer and Hyde I liked much more. I’m not for selling out for instant gratification unless it makes long term sense. 

 

Look, we have a couple different camps here. I prefer to be hopeful and realize every move won’t be perfect. I want to win and win now. I realize that’s not easy to do. I know others are frustrated and want immediate success. Everybody is frustrated, but anyone who wants “playoffs or bust” type of regime changes is just asking for more frustration. New FO, new coaches, new schemes, different fit of players needed, etc. Starting over every 2-3 years is how we got where we are. I give these guys a chance until I’m POSITIVE they can’t do it. You can feel any way you like. 

 

Nobody is going to change anyone else’s opinion here, so I’ll back off. 

 

I tend more towards yours and Teefs way of thinking, but I disagree with the bolded above. Is there a regime since 2000 that you think would have succeeded had they been given more time? I'm all for continuity but it has to be positive continuity.  

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Allen and Edmunds look like franchise pillars.  The defense with a player added here or could easily be tops in the league.  The offense is clearly needed of an infusion of talent.  The caliber of Beanes pro scouting will be put on full display. 

 

The offense needs major improvements in every position.  Who Buffalo targets first will be intersting.  Beane has showed agression in the past will he do that again?  Their are some interesting guys to explore on the offensive side.  Will they get in a bidding war over Bell? Will they investigate his past and consider Hunt? Would they bring in ultra diva Antonio Brown? I would not be surprised by any of those moved but I also would not expect them.

 

  Rb based off current trends can be easily upgraded on the third day of the draft.  Oline, Wr, and Te is not as easy.  Alot is scheme and offense dependent.  How in sync is the coaching staff and Beane?  What kind of run game should they utilize? Imo power fits Dawkins and Teller better so that should be where they go.  Are the available FA suitable with that style?  

 

Foster and McKenzie are pleasant surprises.  Jones is Jones.  A guy who can high point the ball and make contested catches is desperately needed.  Zay is not that guy.  Williams has those traits but is a complete longshot.  A guy with #1 potential is needed.  A guy you can use to dictate coverage.  Does the draft have that guy? Idk.  I'm also confident the draft sites and gurus do not know neither.  The spread offenses has made it hard to accurately evaluate Wr from college to pro.  Similar to Oline.  

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10 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

I’m guessing untenable long term cap squeezes, a la Doug Whaley management style? 

There's really nothing wrong with splashy signings if they play well. The problem with Whaley was the same problem we've had for 20 years. No franchise quarterback. Now we've got the guy who's supposed to be the answer and there's built in excuses for his performance because we don't have enough talent. That's what makes this offseason make or break. They either make the necessary moves to field a competitive team and the QB performs well with the improved talent or it should be time to move on.

 

Handing out 10 mil a year to a DT who doesn't make plays is a big signing with little flash. They need to do better than that.

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1 minute ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

I tend more towards yours and Teefs way of thinking, but I disagree with the bolded above. Is there a regime since 2000 that you think would have succeeded had they been given more time? I'm all for continuity but it has to be positive continuity.  

 

I’m STRICTLY talking about this group. I’ve had varying opinions in the past, but I feel the best about these guys. (And the worst about Rex!) 

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Improving our record, making the playoffs, or closing the gap on contending teams, all hinges on Allen and his progress.  I think that's a simple fact that most of us can agree on.

 

Putting talent around him is step 1.  Beane and McDermott already have a nice core on defense.  We have the money and draft capital to pull off a similar transition to what the Bears just did....minus the Mack trade perhaps.

 

From there, we can all just hope that Allen takes a big step forward in 2019 and continue his late year progression.

 

I don't think anyone is resting on mediocrity.  I for one am just being realistic that Allen might take a little more time to progress, given he had quite a few tendencies to correct and was very raw coming into the league.  Kid works hard, he'll eventually get there, and we shouldn't be ready to jump ship after his 2nd year...thats what some of us are saying

 

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12 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

It didn’t HELP it. We needed help across the board, not at one position. I prefer the big picture.

 

Look, once again, you lean toward the negative (in a hard way), and I currently lean toward the positive (that was NOT the case when Rexy was around). Nothing to be gained here. Have a nice night (if you allow that). 

 

What are you talking about he didn’t help? He was part of the best defensive fronts in the league. We were tops on the league in sacks and defense. Our problems were on offense.

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1 minute ago, ScottLaw said:

His 2014 season was defensive MVPish. The guy was a force that year.

 

He was solid in 2012. Very good in 2013. And among the best defensive players in the game in 2014. Enter Rex and he fell off a cliff.  Still worth the contract even with that marginal to bad 2015 season. 

I think most would be lying if they say they didn't want Mario to sign with us several years ago.

 

And yes, he had several really good to great seasons.  Rex coming in didn't help his career, that s for sure.  But he might have been on the decline anyhow, and battling through injuries.

 

The unfortunate part, is that we shelled out a MASSIVE signing bonus and guaranteed money to get him...which then was amortized several seasons out and backloaded his contract.  So by the time he was on the decline, we were stuck with so much dead cap.

 

Smart, rationale contracts and proper cap management are things that I think Beane will do, and has already implemented.  So yeah, we might make a big signing, but i don't think we'll backload contracts as heavy as prior regimes

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4 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

I’m STRICTLY talking about this group. I’ve had varying opinions in the past, but I feel the best about these guys. (And the worst about Rex!) 

 

I hear ya. In my mind the jury's out on these two.

 

They get high praise for breaking the drought and the strong defenses.

 

But apart from drafting Allen, the QB situation has been an abomination. I hate picking at scabs, but their reliance on Peterman was mind-numbing and made me question their competence.

 

They are positioned to field a playoff contending team next year. We should expect that and not another 7 win wait-until-next-year season.

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6 minutes ago, Bangarang said:

 

What are you talking about he didn’t help? He was part of the best defensive fronts in the league. We were tops on the league in sacks and defense. Our problems were on offense.

 

Maybe a bad example, but what we needed was A LOT of help! NOT one guy. That, and it kind of pissed me off when he showed he had no heart, but that’s another topic. 

 

I will wait and see. Unlike so many here, I don’t pretend to have the expertise to do better than the FO. But I’m hopeful for the first time in a long time. 

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1 hour ago, RalphWilson'sNewWar said:

People want to talk about expectations.  Let the league/Allen’s contemporaries set the bar on what those expectations will be.

 

The previous FIVE 1st Round QBs have ALL in their SECOND SEASONS guided their teams to DIVISION TITLES.

 

Goff, Wentz, Trubisky, Mahomes, Watson.

 

Thats the realistic bar for the BUFFALO BILLS if they Are serious.  Maybe they really aren’t serious.  Or maybe they will set it lower for fear of being forced to start over again.

 

But that is the bar set.

Very valid point , BUT no other division in football is competing against the most consistent team in NFL history, a team that just made its 8th consecutive AFC title game. 

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3 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

I hear ya. In my mind the jury's out on these two.

 

They get high praise for breaking the drought and the strong defenses.

 

But apart from drafting Allen, the QB situation has been an abomination. I hate picking at scabs, but their reliance on Peterman was mind-numbing and made me question their competence.

 

They are positioned to field a playoff contending team next year. We should expect that and not another 7 win wait-until-next-year season.

 

IF Allen is the guy, I don’t care. Sure, a miss, but I can live with it IF Allen is the guy. 

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2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I don't think they need to make the playoffs in 2019. I think they need to improve... 7 wins they probably stay, 8 or more and progress from Allen they definitely stay. 

 

2020 is the year when I think they HAVE to make the postseason again. By that point this will be their team lock, stock and barrell. 

 

EDIT: That said with the Dolphins apparently about to have a major reset to target a QB in 2020 and the way our schedule shapes up beyond that (playing the AFC North at a good time IMO and Denver and Tennessee as our 3rd place opponents plus the NFC East) I think the Bills could very well be in wildcard contention in 2019 and the Pats are slowly coming back to the pack in the division too. 

A 3rd year plan with no playoffs (accounting for the weird fluke that was last year) is unacceptable. Other new regimes pull it off all of the time by year 3. It’s on them to do it. Barring an extreme injury situation, no excuses.

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It’s funny how quickly things can change. If the Bills make the playoffs this coming season, that will be 2 out of 3 years despite inheriting a weak roster with ageing players and no cap space. There will always be fans who judge their QB against Mahomes and their coach against McVay. I’m seeing reasons to have faith rather than dreaming of upgrades at HC and GM.

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2 hours ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

Fix the STs

Fix the Oline in FA

1 WR early in the draft

1 very good TE in the first round of the draft

get a young RB in that can carry the load 

and we are there

 

1. It will be difficult to completely fix the OL in free agency. You need to draft to find a franchise LT. They are rarely available in free agency. It might have been a mistake to trade away Glenn.

2. There is no way we are drafting a TE in the first, not with bigger needs at WR, OL, DT, and CB.

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2 minutes ago, from_dunkirk said:

 

1. It will be difficult to completely fix the OL in free agency. You need to draft to find a franchise LT. They are rarely available in free agency. It might have been a mistake to trade away Glenn.

2. There is no way we are drafting a TE in the first, not with bigger needs at WR, OL, DT, and CB.

1. We need 2 Olineman. (1T+1G)With 90 mil, totally do-able

2. CB is absolutely not a need and I just said OL can be fixed in FA. Certainly can take a TE round 1

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1 minute ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

1. We need 2 Olineman. (1T+1G)With 90 mil, totally do-able

2. CB is absolutely not a need and I just said OL can be fixed in FA. Certainly can take a TE round 1

 

Is there a TE you would take at #9??? 

 

I totally get the need, I need to see a practical vision. 

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