ESPN FUTURE POWER RANKINGS NEXT 3 YEARS BILLS #14

[Protocal69]

 

To project which NFL franchises are in the best shape for the next three seasons, we asked our panel of experts -- Jeremy Fowler, Louis Riddick, Seth Walder and Field Yates -- to rate each team's quarterback, remaining (non-QB) roster, draft, front office and coaching using this scale:

• 100: A+ (Elite)

• 90: A (Great)

• 80: B (Very good)

• 70: C (Average)

• 60: D (Very bad)

• 50 and below: F (Disastrous)

After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the five categories was weighted to create the overall score -- roster (30%), quarterback (20%), draft (15%), front office (15%) and coaching (20%). The result is a comprehensive ranking based on how well each team is positioned for the future.

 

14. Buffalo Bills
Overall score: 79.3

CATEGORY	SCORE	NFL RANK
Overall roster (minus QB)	83.8	6
Quarterback	69.3	26
Coaching	83.8	9
Draft	74.0	20
Front office	83.0	7

Why they're here: Buffalo's nasty defense isn't going anywhere, and it plays under excellent leadership in coach Sean McDermott and assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. GM Brandon Beane has attacked all layers of team building: major trades (Stefon Diggs), lucrative free-agent deals (Mitch Morse), value additions (there are many) plus a solid drafted nucleus. Josh Allen is the key for this team's rise. -- Yates

Biggest worry: There are no more excuses for Allen. The front office acquired a legit No. 1 WR in Diggs, bolstered the rushing attack with the drafting of Zack Moss in the third round, and have an under-the-radar superstar in second-year TE Dawson Knox. In a division no longer inhabited by Tom Brady, Allen must deliver. I have my doubts. -- Riddick

Looking ahead: It's great that Allen has speedy weapons, but Buffalo's top three receivers are 6-foot or below, which isn't ideal for a quarterback who battles accuracy issues. Add a big-bodied receiver for balance, and another tight end alongside Knox for catch-radius purposes, similar to Lamar Jackson's setup in Baltimore last year: think wider targets. Otherwise, the Bills' roster is primed for playoff runs over the next three years. The defense is wildly underrated. -- Fowler

Top stat to know: Allen's 2019 was somewhat of a mirage: In reality, he ranked just 24th in Total QBR. Buffalo has a strong roster, a good coach and a sharp front office. But for the Bills to go on a deep run over the next few years, all three of those areas have to be perfect to compensate for Allen's weaknesses. It can be done, but it won't be easy. -- Walder

 

 

 

 

[Herc11]

This is completely asinine. 

 

- Allen leads team to playoffs, yet is scored below avg.

 

- Front office has killed it in the draft last couple years and gets scored avg

 

All this shows is that the media continues to not do real research, which should consist of actually watching.

Edited July 20, 2020 by Herc11

[DCOrange]

For those that are interested, the rest of the rankings are as follows:

 

1. Baltimore
2. Kansas City
3. San Fran
4. New Orleans
5. Dallas
6. Philly
7. Pittsburgh
8. Seattle
9. Tampa
10. Indy
11. Tennessee
12. Minnesota
13. New England
14. Buffalo
15. Green Bay
16. Cleveland
17. LA Chargers
18. LA Rams
19. Las Vegas
20. Atlanta (tied with Miami)
21. Miami (tied with Atlanta)
22. Arizona
23. Houston
24. Denver
25. Detroit
26. Washington
27. Cinci
28. NY Jets
29. NY Giants
30. Carolina
31. Chicago
32. Jacksonville

[SCBills]

So basically, much of his grade revolves around a pessimistic view of Josh Allen. 

 

Also, he has us as "average" drafting?...  Strongly disagree.

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by SCBills

[Protocal69]

Just now, Herc11 said:

This is completely asinine. 

 

- Allen leads team to playoffs, yet is scored below avg.

 

- Fron office has killed it in the draft last couple years and gets scored avg

 

All this shows is that the media continues to not do real research by watching games. 

My thoughts exactly. As bad as they talk about Allen you would think the Bills defense was the 85 BEARS

[Herc11]

4 minutes ago, DCOrange said:

For those that are interested, the rest of the rankings are as follows:

 

1. Baltimore
2. Kansas City
3. San Fran
4. New Orleans
5. Dallas
6. Philly
7. Pittsburgh
8. Seattle
9. Tampa
10. Indy
11. Tennessee
12. Minnesota
13. New England
14. Buffalo
15. Green Bay
16. Cleveland
17. LA Chargers
18. LA Rams
19. Las Vegas
20. Atlanta (tied with Miami)
21. Miami (tied with Atlanta)
22. Arizona
23. Houston
24. Denver
25. Detroit
26. Washington
27. Cinci
28. NY Jets
29. NY Giants
30. Carolina
31. Chicago
32. Jacksonville

 

So this list is supposed to project the next 3 yrs, yet several teams ranked ahead of us have ancient QB's on their last go around...

 

Tampa

Indy

New Orleans

Pittsburgh 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Herc11

[DCOrange]

1 minute ago, Herc11 said:

 

So this list is supposed to project the next 3 yrs, yet several teams ranked ahead of us have ancient QB's on their last go around...

 

Tampa

Indy

New Orleans

Pittsburgh 

 

As is always the case with stuff like this, there's always questions about how to weight that kind of uncertainty. Those guys could end up being their teams' starter for the next 3 years or they could retire after one. I think they at least attempted to bake that into the rankings already. I imagine Brees is viewed as more than the 9th best starter in the league, but that's where the Saints QB position was ranked. Likewise with Tampa and Pittsburgh being #13 and #14 respectively at QB. And the Colts are tied with Buffalo as far as the QB ranking goes (i.e. they think both are below average).

 

I think the overall point is that those teams are set up for success even if they end up with a new QB during that time frame and the same goes for Buffalo.

[JoshAllenHasBigHands]

24 minutes ago, Protocal69 said:

 

To project which NFL franchises are in the best shape for the next three seasons, we asked our panel of experts -- Jeremy Fowler, Louis Riddick, Seth Walder and Field Yates -- to rate each team's quarterback, remaining (non-QB) roster, draft, front office and coaching using this scale:

• 100: A+ (Elite)

• 90: A (Great)

• 80: B (Very good)

• 70: C (Average)

• 60: D (Very bad)

• 50 and below: F (Disastrous)

After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the five categories was weighted to create the overall score -- roster (30%), quarterback (20%), draft (15%), front office (15%) and coaching (20%). The result is a comprehensive ranking based on how well each team is positioned for the future.

 

14. Buffalo Bills
Overall score: 79.3

CATEGORY	SCORE	NFL RANK
Overall roster (minus QB)	83.8	6
Quarterback	69.3	26
Coaching	83.8	9
Draft	74.0	20
Front office	83.0	7

Why they're here: Buffalo's nasty defense isn't going anywhere, and it plays under excellent leadership in coach Sean McDermott and assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. GM Brandon Beane has attacked all layers of team building: major trades (Stefon Diggs), lucrative free-agent deals (Mitch Morse), value additions (there are many) plus a solid drafted nucleus. Josh Allen is the key for this team's rise. -- Yates

Biggest worry: There are no more excuses for Allen. The front office acquired a legit No. 1 WR in Diggs, bolstered the rushing attack with the drafting of Zack Moss in the third round, and have an under-the-radar superstar in second-year TE Dawson Knox. In a division no longer inhabited by Tom Brady, Allen must deliver. I have my doubts. -- Riddick

Looking ahead: It's great that Allen has speedy weapons, but Buffalo's top three receivers are 6-foot or below, which isn't ideal for a quarterback who battles accuracy issues. Add a big-bodied receiver for balance, and another tight end alongside Knox for catch-radius purposes, similar to Lamar Jackson's setup in Baltimore last year: think wider targets. Otherwise, the Bills' roster is primed for playoff runs over the next three years. The defense is wildly underrated. -- Fowler

Top stat to know: Allen's 2019 was somewhat of a mirage: In reality, he ranked just 24th in Total QBR. Buffalo has a strong roster, a good coach and a sharp front office. But for the Bills to go on a deep run over the next few years, all three of those areas have to be perfect to compensate for Allen's weaknesses. It can be done, but it won't be easy. -- Walder

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder if ESPN tells its writers to lean heavily on the total QBR metric. 

[RiotAct]

I can’t really argue who they put ahead of us, except maybe New England, Pittsburgh and Indy.

[SCBills]

1 minute ago, DCOrange said:

 

As is always the case with stuff like this, there's always questions about how to weight that kind of uncertainty. Those guys could end up being their teams' starter for the next 3 years or they could retire after one. I think they at least attempted to bake that into the rankings already. I imagine Brees is viewed as more than the 9th best starter in the league, but that's where the Saints QB position was ranked. Likewise with Tampa and Pittsburgh being #13 and #14 respectively at QB. And the Colts are tied with Buffalo as far as the QB ranking goes (i.e. they think both are below average).

 

I think the overall point is that those teams are set up for success even if they end up with a new QB during that time frame and the same goes for Buffalo.

 

I think this year could go a long way in changing the narrative...just as a WC win would have done so.  

 

We're about where i'd expect in terms of media respect given a strong Front Office/Coaching, talented roster and having made the Playoffs last year.   I'm more bullish on Allen than you seem to be, but I understand the hesitation from media folks until he proves that hesitation isn't warranted.  

 

I'm not sure I understand our Drafting score.  They acknowledge we have a Top 10 Roster, Coaching and Front Office, yet we are average at Drafting?   Doesn't jive...  I think Beane and co. have done a great job at drafting.

 

 

[JESSEFEFFER]

Which draft was subpar?  The 2020 draft where they traded their #1 to acquire Diggs and the rest of their picks got mostly positive grades?  The roster and front office are graded highly but their drafting is below average?  Josh's 2019 was a mirage due to QBR?  We all watched every play last year and I think the majority of us know what kind of year he had and are expecting/hopeful that he will show more progress in 2020.  400+ points or bust.

 

Maybe the playoff game left a negative impression but I saw a bunch of their roster miss plays that game and generally think that's a good thing for 2020.  They can all own a part of that loss.

[Kirby Jackson]

Not going to get my panties in a bunch but this article is wrong in their view of the Bills. They have an open Super Bowl window over the next 3 years. They aren’t a middle of the league team moving forward. They are WAY too low on Allen. They are projecting the QB situation to worsen over the next 3 years? That feels like a MASSIVE reach considering the direction he’s trending. He has 21 TDs and 2 INTs in his last 10 starts. We are supposed to believe that this raw prospect, with massive talent, on a big upward trajectory, will suddenly fall of a cliff? That’s the expectation? That’s just bad

[DCOrange]

9 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

I think this year could go a long way in changing the narrative...just as a WC win would have done so.  

 

We're about where i'd expect in terms of media respect given a strong Front Office/Coaching, talented roster and having made the Playoffs last year.   I'm more bullish on Allen than you seem to be, but I understand the hesitation from media folks until he proves that hesitation isn't warranted.  

 

I'm not sure I understand our Drafting score.  They acknowledge we have a Top 10 Roster, Coaching and Front Office, yet we are average at Drafting?   Doesn't jive...  I think Beane and co. have done a great job at drafting.

 

 

Yeah, I think the drafting is the part that stands out. Not sure if it's meant as actual drafting ability, future draft picks, or some mix of both. It also could be heavily influenced by their relatively low opinion of Allen, who Beane traded quite a deal to acquire.

[billsbackto81]

Philly is currently like 40 million over the cap but they're 6th on this poll as far as their franchise being in the best shape the next 3 years? Tampa, Indy and Pittsburgh have QBs that are approaching retirement with no viable option behind them. What am I missing here?

Edited July 20, 2020 by billsbackto81

[Philly McButterpants]

the usual BS from these jerks.  POints have all been made Ancient QB's; cap issues; 20th in drafting?

 

A deep run into the playoffs will cure all of this.

 

BTW, aren't these all the same guys who said Lamar Jackson should be a wide receiver?  Now he's the "superstar" QB?  

[BullBuchanan]

44 minutes ago, SCBills said:

So basically, much of his grade revolves around a pessimistic view of Josh Allen. 

 

Also, he has us as "average" drafting?...  Strongly disagree.

 

We've drafted one superstar, in White over the last 4 years and that was either McDermott or Whaley, probably a combination. We drafted two other starters that year in Milano and Dawkins who almost certainly came off Whaley's Big Board, because there's no way McD could have known enough about those guys, though he could have picked them over others.

As for Beane, he drafted Allen and Edmunds, who are both still unknowns at this point, Oliver and Ford who are also unknowns and Singletary, who looks like a good player.

Based on the kind of Player Epenesa is, I think it's probably unlikely he becomes a 3 down monster, and I think the story is probably the same with Moss.

3 of 8 from 2018 are no longer on the Bills and you could potentially see all but Allen and Edmunds gone before opening day. It isn't disastrous drafting but it's really not great. I see average as fair.

Edited July 20, 2020 by BullBuchanan

[ExWNYer]

11 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Not going to get my panties in a bunch but this article is wrong in their view of the Bills. They have an open Super Bowl window over the next 3 years. They aren’t a middle of the league team moving forward. They are WAY too low on Allen. They are projecting the QB situation to worsen over the next 3 years? That feels like a MASSIVE reach considering the direction he’s trending. He has 21 TDs and 2 INTs in his last 10 starts. We are supposed to believe that this raw prospect, with massive talent, on a big upward trajectory, will suddenly fall of a cliff? That’s the expectation? That’s just bad

 

This is where I am, as well, Kirby. I don't take much stock in predictions (good or bad) but the Josh Allen narrative is growing old. He has improved since coming into the league and if these prognosticators can't see that then they are just trying to hang onto their original 'he sucks and will always suck' view. They pretty much like everything else about the organization but because they don't think Allen is 'elite', that makes them average overall? Makes no sense. Philly is ranked sixth and despite the love Carson Wentz receives, he is far from a sure thing, let alone 'elite'. He can't even stay on the field. 

[Hampton Josh fan]

Instead of defending Allen amidst all the negativity by these ESPN experts, I look at the ratings of the other QBs that lead teams that will compete with Allen for a playoff spot.  In the East  what has any other QB shown to give ESPN confidence they will be better? Then there is the outstanding supporting cast that the Bills have brought in that should make Allen better. 

[Doc]

LOL @ New Orleans, Tampa, Pgh, Tenn and the Cheaters, considering we're talking about 3 years.  

[SCBills]

13 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

We've drafted one superstar, in White over the last 4 years and that was either McDermott or Whaley, probably a combination. We drafted two other starters that year in Milano and Dawkins who almost certainly came off Whaley's Big Board, because there's no way McD could have known enough about those guys, though he could have picked them over others.

As for Beane, he drafted Allen and Edmunds, who are both still unknowns at this point, Oliver and Ford whoa re also unknowns and Singletary, who looks like a good player.

Based on the kind of Player Epenesa is, I think it's probably unlikely he becomes a 3 down monster, and I think the story is probably the same with Moss.

3 of 8 from 2018 are no longer on the Bills and you could potentially see all but Allen and Edmunds gone before opening day. It isn't disastrous drafting but it's really not great. I see average as fair.

 

2018 looks way different to me than it does you.  

 

Teller was traded for a pick and two late round picks were cut.  Not exactly disastrous in my eyes...

 

18' DRAFT

 

Josh Allen is what he is.  Potential superstar / Potential bust / Maybe somewhere in-between.  So far he's shown to be raw with an insane ceiling and always improving.  

 

Tremaine Edmunds just got listed as a Top 10 LB by ESPN... and he's barely scraping his potential.

 

Harrison Phillips is an unknown - Looked great early on last year before tearing his ACL

 

Taron Johnson is a solid slot corner

 

Siran Neal is a pretty solid player at S/Big Nickel

 

Wyatt Teller was traded for a pick

 

Ray-Ray & Proehl... Late Round picks - Cut

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by SCBills

[machine gun kelly]

50 minutes ago, DCOrange said:

For those that are interested, the rest of the rankings are as follows:

 

1. Baltimore
2. Kansas City
3. San Fran
4. New Orleans
5. Dallas
6. Philly
7. Pittsburgh
8. Seattle
9. Tampa
10. Indy
11. Tennessee
12. Minnesota
13. New England
14. Buffalo
15. Green Bay
16. Cleveland
17. LA Chargers
18. LA Rams
19. Las Vegas
20. Atlanta (tied with Miami)
21. Miami (tied with Atlanta)
22. Arizona
23. Houston
24. Denver
25. Detroit
26. Washington
27. Cinci
28. NY Jets
29. NY Giants
30. Carolina
31. Chicago
32. Jacksonville

So Dallas, Indy, Philly, New England are all better than Buffalo.  I have nothing against any of them, but Indy has done nothing, New England has an unproven QB and a guy trying to come back after multiple injuries and oh BTW had the same or worse completion % to ours, but for 6 of 9 years.  Philly, ok I guess, but Wentz gets hurt a lot, and Dallas, well it’s Dallas.

 

Honestly, I don’t care as Illsay what I always say, we’ll see after the games are played.  Allen should not have been ranked that low, and the draft definitely was not subpar.  What the hell did they want?  Diggs was our 1st round pick, Moss will be good, Epenesa will grow into our next Hansen, and I really believe Davis is going to be a nice addition.
 

[Kirby Jackson]

1 minute ago, machine gun kelly said:

So Dallas, Indy, Philly, New England are all better than Buffalo.  I have nothing against any of them, but Indy has done nothing, New England has an unproven QB and a guy trying to come back after multiple injuries and oh BTW had the same or worse completion % to ours, but for 6 of 9 years.  Philly, ok I guess, but Wentz gets hurt a lot, and Dallas, well it’s Dallas.

 

Honestly, I don’t care as Illsay what I always say, we’ll see after the games are played.  Allen should not have been ranked that low, and the draft definitely was not subpar.  What the hell did they want?  Diggs was our 1st round pick, Moss will be good, Epenesa will grow into our next Hansen, and I really believe Davis is going to be a nice addition.
 

I can at least get behind Philly and Dallas somewhat in that they have good young QBs. Tampa, Indy, Pittsburgh, etc have QBs that have already looked old. Why are we so enamored with their situation moving forward? That’s insane to me. 3 years ago no one was optimistic about the Raven or Chiefs QB situations over the next 3 years. They drafted raw prospects who developed and they are in great shape. Are we honestly supposed to believe over the next 3 years that Ben and/or Rivers will be more impactful than Allen?!? I don’t only reject that thought but I think it’s insane. He may be ahead of those 2 right now.

[Stank_Nasty]

"Allens season was somewhat of a mirage"...... AKA he actually improved and wasnt a complete bust so his improvement was obviously luck because it doesnt jive with all of our over the top takes on him.

 

these friggin guys ?

Edited July 20, 2020 by Stank_Nasty

[BullBuchanan]

9 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

2018 looks way different to me than it does you.  

 

Teller was traded for a pick and two late round picks were cut.  Not exactly disastrous in my eyes...

 

18' DRAFT

 

Josh Allen is what he is.  Potential superstar / Potential bust / Maybe somewhere in-between.  So far he's shown to be raw with an insane ceiling and always improving.  

 

Tremaine Edmunds just got listed as a Top 10 LB by ESPN... and he's barely scraping his potential.

 

Harrison Phillips is an unknown - Looked great early on last year before tearing his ACL

 

Taron Johnson is a solid slot corner

 

Siran Neal is a pretty solid player at S/Big Nickel

 

Wyatt Teller was traded for a pick

 

Ray-Ray & Proehl... Late Round picks - Cut

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't think it's disastrous yet either, but any or all of Phillips, Johnson, Neal could fail to make the roster and it wouldn't be a huge shock.

[Bulldog]

Yes - I believe that the Bills are underrated on this list - and that being rated with top ten coaching, front office, & roster while having a 20th rated draft seems kind of odd (how can the FO be rated so highly yet have drafted poorly?). However - I say keep these underrated prognostications coming. I'd rather be underrated by the pundits than overrated. Some times a little external disrespect can serve as an excellent motivator for hyper competitive pro football players - prove them wrong boys! 

[NoSaint]

5 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

"Allens season was somewhat of a mirage"...... AKA he actually improved and wasnt a complete bust so his improvement was obviously luck because it doesnt jive with all of our over the top takes on him.

 

these friggin guys ?

As if they hold any accountability to past takes?

 

low completion Percentage and finished with a disastrous playoff game. He simply hasn’t changed those perceptions. 
 

I think he’s better than 26th today. I think it’s a coin flip whether her finishes a second contract in buffalo still though. Not sure if this ranking had any salary component seating it as he enters the next contract window.

[Bferra13]

Fug em'

[DCOrange]

13 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I can at least get behind Philly and Dallas somewhat in that they have good young QBs. Tampa, Indy, Pittsburgh, etc have QBs that have already looked old. Why are we so enamored with their situation moving forward? That’s insane to me. 3 years ago no one was optimistic about the Raven or Chiefs QB situations over the next 3 years. They drafted raw prospects who developed and they are in great shape. Are we honestly supposed to believe over the next 3 years that Ben and/or Rivers will be more impactful than Allen?!? I don’t only reject that thought but I think it’s insane. He may be ahead of those 2 right now.

FWIW, they have the Colts QB situation tied with Buffalo's. I also think there's uncertainty baked in for both teams. If Allen doesn't develop more (which is generally the rule of thumb for QBs after two years, though I tend to think Allen has as good a shot as anyone of breaking that rule), then he's probably viewed as a below-average starter in the league and Buffalo could be searching for a new QB during the 3 year window.

 

Rivers is probably viewed as the better QB right now but obviously a much higher likelihood of them needing to replace him during the 3 year window. I wouldn't be surprised if they think Brissett is only slightly worse than Allen/Eason could develop into a better QB than Allen. Again, I would tend to disagree with this, but it wouldn't surprise me if that's their thinking.

 

Tampa and Pittsburgh are rated higher at QB because their current QBs are viewed as significantly better than Allen right now. They very well may need to be replaced during this 3 year window as well, but I think the perceived gap between current day Brady/Ben and Allen is enough to outweigh that level of uncertainty.

 

Much like Buffalo, I think all three of those teams are set up for success regardless of the QB, so I'm not surprised that they're all viewed very close to one another.

[Nester]

Dumb list imo

[Putin]

1 hour ago, RiotAct said:

I can’t really argue who they put ahead of us, except maybe New England, Pittsburgh and Indy.

Will find out exactly where we stand assuming we have a full 16 game season , 

and I expect us to win the division and go deep in to the playoffs like (AFC championship game ) 

IMO this team is good enough  to compete for a SB ,  
As far as AFC goes ( IMO ) our only competition is KC & Baltimore and I do believe we can beat them both 

GO BILLS !!!

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Putin

[BornAgainBillsFan]

 

[Seasons1992]

For what it's worth..........Vegas has Josh as a better favorite than Aaron Rodgers for MVP. Never bet against Vegas!

 

 

 

 

(Except for the 33% of the time they are wrong.)

[loveorhatembillsfan4life]

51 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

"Allens season was somewhat of a mirage"...... AKA he actually improved and wasnt a complete bust so his improvement was obviously luck because it doesnt jive with all of our over the top takes on him.

 

these friggin guys ?

It’s funny how the first line was there is no more excuses for Allen! Huh I didn’t think he was that bad lol 

[ngbills]

I would 100% bet my life on it that if Allen was on any other team this board would not be so high on him. Fact. Anyone who is not a fan, does not watch and read all the Bills produced media or just a Bills supporter would look at his numbers or watch the big games (playoffs, NE, etc) and have doubts. 

I am a Bills fan and I try to keep it real. I would take Josh and his potential over many QB's. But I am still critical and have no problem with those that say he could hold this team back. If he progresses and the rest of the squad just maintains we have a Super Bowl contender. If he does not progress, this is easily back to being a team that is fighting for a final playoff spot which makes it a #12-18 ranked team. 

[Shaw66]

Not worth responding to.  

 

So the principal problem with the Bills - #14 - over the next three years is at QB with Allen.  

 

And the Colts are #10, with Rivers, Brissett, Eason and Chad Kelly.  Rivers, whose passer rating last year was 88, in the range of Allen's 85 and way short of what's necessary.  With more or less no receivers. 

 

The same rules apply - the Bills only get respect for what they've done historically.  They never get the benefit of the doubt in this kind of analysis.  That's just the way it is.  

 

If we're betting on the three-year records of the 32 team over the next three years, if the over-under on the Bills is 14, I'm taking the over all day, every day.  9-7 three years in a row gets them over 14.  

 

[JerseyBills]

2 hours ago, SCBills said:

So basically, much of his grade revolves around a pessimistic view of Josh Allen. 

 

Also, he has us as "average" drafting?...  Strongly disagree.

 

Agreed.

I Love it. This team seems to thrive on being overlooked.  Was worried we were getting to much love from the media. This time next year, after Allen has a superstar year and we make a run in the playoffs,  everyone in the media will be on the bandwagon.  

I'm going to enjoy these articles while they last ?

[Lieutenant Aldo Raine]

So let me get this straight, Josh was drafted as needing some time to develop, was supposed to sit Season 1 yet played with a below average supporting cast, improved and helped lead his team to the playoffs in his second year, but now Season 3 (in a COVID environment) is his make or break year?  SMH

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, RiotAct said:

I can’t really argue who they put ahead of us, except maybe New England, Pittsburgh and Indy.

I can argue with a lot of them  New England, Pittsburgh and Indy are the obvious mistakes.  Drop them to where they should be and the Bills are #11.  I think they'll do better than #11 over the next three years, but I agree that it's at least defensible to put them at #11.  

 

#14 is the middle of the pack.  How do you put a team that went to the playoffs last season, is young and clearly improving (Allen's improving, and they added Diggs and they lost essentially no one) in the middle of the pack?   It's just stupid. 

[GunnerBill]

If they had the Bills 7th or 8th I'd think that was about right. Kansas City, Baltimore and San Francisco definitely above... Dallas, Philly and New Orleans all decent conversations that can be argued either way and Seattle might be in that group too but I don't think there is a very good argument for anyone else to be honest.

[Billl]

1 hour ago, DCOrange said:

FWIW, they have the Colts QB situation tied with Buffalo's. I also think there's uncertainty baked in for both teams. If Allen doesn't develop more (which is generally the rule of thumb for QBs after two years, though I tend to think Allen has as good a shot as anyone of breaking that rule), then he's probably viewed as a below-average starter in the league and Buffalo could be searching for a new QB during the 3 year window.

 

Rivers is probably viewed as the better QB right now but obviously a much higher likelihood of them needing to replace him during the 3 year window. I wouldn't be surprised if they think Brissett is only slightly worse than Allen/Eason could develop into a better QB than Allen. Again, I would tend to disagree with this, but it wouldn't surprise me if that's their thinking.

 

Tampa and Pittsburgh are rated higher at QB because their current QBs are viewed as significantly better than Allen right now. They very well may need to be replaced during this 3 year window as well, but I think the perceived gap between current day Brady/Ben and Allen is enough to outweigh that level of uncertainty.

 

Much like Buffalo, I think all three of those teams are set up for success regardless of the QB, so I'm not surprised that they're all viewed very close to one another.

I’m higher on the Bills than the makers of this list are, but I don’t have too many issues with their reasoning.

 

New England has an elite defense and the greatest coach in history.  They have dominated the division and the head to head matchup for as long as anyone associated with either franchise has been around.  I think that’s about to change, but it’s hard to fault anyone who is skeptical.  That they’re only 1 spot ahead of Buffalo speaks to how even their futures are.  That’s perfectly fair.

 

Pittsburgh has an elite defense and a HOF QB returning from injury.  Ben comes with question marks, but they were a .500 team with a horrendous third string QB.  Roethlisberger could have thrown left handed and beat Buffalo last season given how terrible Duck was in a game that went down to the wire.

 

Indy has a really solid roster and arguably the best GM in the league.  Now they’ve got a capable QB and a backup with starting experience.  I’d have them lower, but I can see them building a really good team if they can get average QB play.

 

I’d have the Bills around 10, so 14 seems a little low to me but not unreasonably so.  It really does come down to whether Allen takes a huge step (and yes, it absolutely needs to be huge).  If he does, then Buffalo is going to be a contender for the next several years.