Belief in the Team vs Help from a Trade

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Does anyone else have a serious case of mixed feelings about the Bills being total non-players in this season's trade-fest?

 

On the one hand, I think there's probably something to be said that for talented athletes, belief in oneself, belief from the guys playing next to you, and a clear message from the coaches "look at this film clip of yourself - you can do this, listen to us, work on these techniques, focus, you will see results" are all powerful strategies to improve performance. 

 

And the message "we need to bring in a couple guys, 'cuz what you got between you isn't enough" likely works against that.

 

On the other hand, to see teams like the Ravens who are already one of the best Ds in the league, add pieces like Yannick Ngakoue for the moderate price of a 3rd rounder and a conditional next-year 5th - well, it's hard to watch even though he is just a 10 game rental.

 

Or the Chiefs who already have a good run game, add Le'veon Bell as a FA.

 

Anyone else have similar mixed feelings?

 

 

[DrDawkinstein]

We are already in the driver's seat to win the Division. So with that fact alone, no need to mortgage any of the future to try to get 1 player. Not surprised Beane didnt make any trades. Especially in a season where the whole thing can go sideways with 1 positive test.

 

Win the division, try to win a playoff game. Reload to make a run next year when the entire season isnt hanging on by a thread.

 

Pissed we didnt make the trade for Ngakoue originally. I would have happily given two 2nds for him (2020 and 2021). Yannick >>> Epenesa & Another Rookie. But that ship has sailed.

 

We were in the running for Bell. Would love to have signed him. But oh well.

 

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by DrDawkinstein

[Real McClappy]

We really didn't have cap $$$ for a trade. I expected no trades in all honesty. 

 

Our core is solid. We could use some more help at LB'er

Edited November 15, 2020 by Real McNasty

[Rk_Bills86]

I would like to ask what player would you like to have brought in - at what price - and what future ramifications that player would have. Don't get me wrong - I am still pissed we did not somehow get Nqakoue - but other than that singular example who else were you looking at. 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

We got help via the trade. 
 

Diggs.   

 

[GunnerBill]

Yea a little bit. I know we are at the point now where we have to think long term with the cap but would be nice to have added another good player. 

 

That said, as the deadline hit I was thinking "meh maybe we are a year away....." and they might have been as well. After last week I am not just back on the bus I am driving it. 

[NewEra]

I was completely against trading a 1st-3rd for a 1 year rental.  We don’t have a 4th and I was really hoping to be able to get Tomlinson or Settle.  I think the biggest blunder we made this offseason was not replacing Star.  Huge mistake.  Tomlinson or settle would’ve been so big for this team,  but I’m sure the giants want to try and keep Tomlinson (he’s a stud) and with ionidis (sp) injury, the skins may want to do the same with settle.  
 

bottom line.  With upcoming free agents and Josh’s eventual monster contract looming, this years draft will be a major building block or any title run we may make.  We need to hit in our 1-3 rd picks.  Drafting starters that are under control under rookie deals is integral for building this team with a 40mill QB cap hit coming up soon

[ChevyVanMiller]

I was sort of hoping for Le'veon Bell, but since the deadline Zach Moss is really shining. What was that that Garth Brooks said about "Unanswered Prayers?"

[Gugny]

12 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Yea a little bit. I know we are at the point now where we have to think long term with the cap but would be nice to have added another good player. 

 

That said, as the deadline hit I was thinking "meh maybe we are a year away....." and they might have been as well. After last week I am not just back on the bus I am driving it. 

 

Are you Ralph Kramden?

[jkeerie]

Beane is playing the long game.  In light of next year's cap situation, he didn't want to mortgage the future for a short term "potential" fix.  From what I understand, the Bills were in on Leveon Bell.  He chose the Chiefs.  I was hoping for some help at DT...but no one was selling apparently.   I guess you have to weigh how much better would the team be with player X added at this point in the season...versus riding with the guys you've got...especially if you're looking at a one year rental.

[racketmaster]

There was no need to give up any more draft picks. If it makes you feel better just think of the Diggs trade and we did it earlier so he could assimilate to the team easier than a midseason trade would allow. Unless a team is just giving away a talented player then I would rather keep the draft picks. In order to maintain success we will need to have plenty of draft picks and to hit on a majority of them to keep cheap labor coming in as top heavy contracts begin to fill up this roster. 

[BillsVet]

17 minutes ago, jkeerie said:

Beane is playing the long game.  In light of next year's cap situation, he didn't want to mortgage the future for a short term "potential" fix.  From what I understand, the Bills were in on Leveon Bell.  He chose the Chiefs.  I was hoping for some help at DT...but no one was selling apparently.   I guess you have to weigh how much better would the team be with player X added at this point in the season...versus riding with the guys you've got...especially if you're looking at a one year rental.

 

If Beane is playing the long game, the number of bad contracts in UFA isn't supporting that.  That and dealing picks do not put a team in position at the deadline to improve the roster for what should be at a minimum the 4th seed in the AFC. 

 

That said, it sounded like sale prices were too high and sending higher picks to take on a contract were cost prohibitive.

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Does anyone else have a serious case of mixed feelings about the Bills being total non-players in this season's trade-fest?

 

On the one hand, I think there's probably something to be said that for talented athletes, belief in oneself, belief from the guys playing next to you, and a clear message from the coaches "look at this film clip of yourself - you can do this, listen to us, work on these techniques, focus, you will see results" are all powerful strategies to improve performance. 

 

And the message "we need to bring in a couple guys, 'cuz what you got between you isn't enough" likely works against that.

 

On the other hand, to see teams like the Ravens who are already one of the best Ds in the league, add pieces like Yannick Ngakoue for the moderate price of a 3rd rounder and a conditional next-year 5th - well, it's hard to watch even though he is just a 10 game rental.

 

Or the Chiefs who already have a good run game, add Le'veon Bell as a FA.

 

Anyone else have similar mixed feelings?

 

 

 

 

Definitely mixed feelings.

 

I didn't think they would get enough mileage out of a defensive acquisition to justify the means........to me the defensive struggles are more scheme and effort related than simply needing a pass rusher or 1T or LB or CB2.

 

But I definitely wanted another deep threat to give them what they had had with a healthy John Brown.   A big play TE would have been nice but realistically there were none available.

 

If Brown can recover and Davis continues to make a greater impact and Knox brings something to the table in the pass game then they will be just as well off as if they had traded for a Will Fuller..........and still have the picks they would have had to trade.

 

But by the same token Brown was still limping around last game.........he's not 100% and may not be the rest of the season..........and Davis didn't really step up from weeks 3-8 when Brown was hurting........and Knox hasn't done anything this season...........so yeah it would be a lot more comforting to have a healthy deep threat or a seam stretching TE to counter the defenses that were slowing them down for a month.

 

I don't think the team got a boost from the deadline passing the way sometimes MLB teams do though........in MLB players on the active roster often get dealt to make room for the upgrades........ or the ones who remain lose 95% of their playing time to the newcomer since you can only substitute a player once per game.....the trade deadline is traumatic in MLB.

 

In the NFL players still split a lot of snaps........Davis and Brown would still get a chance earn more snaps every week......... and the guys at the bottom of the roster basically can go a month without playing and the churn is so great there that I don't think it affects team morale at all if somebody in the bottom 10 spots of the roster or so is jettisoned.

 

 

[BarleyNY]

18 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

If Beane is playing the long game, the number of bad contracts in UFA isn't supporting that.  That and dealing picks do not put a team in position at the deadline to improve the roster for what should be at a minimum the 4th seed in the AFC. 

 

That said, it sounded like sale prices were too high and sending higher picks to take on a contract were cost prohibitive.

 

 

This.  There were a few very good players moved at below market value, but those players were directing where they were going. If we couldn’t get a player like that, then I’m happy we didn’t get involved with a bad deal. 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

Probably tough to get a player acclimated to the playbook at any of our positions of need this late in the season...not sure how many big linebacker trades there are midseason.  I don't think overpaying for a pass rusher wouldve helped us much 

[Orlando Tim]

I truly think if we are healthy we are as complete a team as there is in NFL. I also think that Josh will decide how far we go, not anyone else we could have brought in.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Definitely mixed feelings.

 

I didn't think they would get enough mileage out of a defensive acquisition to justify the means........to me the defensive struggles are more scheme and effort related than simply needing a pass rusher or 1T or LB or CB2.

 

But I definitely wanted another deep threat to give them what they had had with a healthy John Brown.   A big play TE would have been nice but realistically there were none available.

 

If Brown can recover and Davis continues to make a greater impact and Knox brings something to the table in the pass game then they will be just as well off as if they had traded for a Will Fuller..........and still have the picks they would have had to trade.

 

But by the same token Brown was still limping around last game.........he's not 100% and may not be the rest of the season..........and Davis didn't really step up from weeks 3-8 when Brown was hurting........and Knox hasn't done anything this season...........so yeah it would be a lot more comforting to have a healthy deep threat or a seam stretching TE to counter the defenses that were slowing them down for a month.

 

I don't think the team got a boost from the deadline passing the way sometimes MLB teams do though........in MLB players on the active roster often get dealt to make room for the upgrades........ or the ones who remain lose 95% of their playing time to the newcomer since you can only substitute a player once per game.....the trade deadline is traumatic in MLB.

 

In the NFL players still split a lot of snaps........Davis and Brown would still get a chance earn more snaps every week......... and the guys at the bottom of the roster basically can go a month without playing and the churn is so great there that I don't think it affects team morale at all if somebody in the bottom 10 spots of the roster or so is jettisoned.

 

Did someone who fits Brown's profile (speedy deep threat who can track the ball really well and run underneath routes as well) come available?  I didn't think so but I may have missed it.  Agree on the disappointment that Davis didn't step up and that Knox has not done anything.

 

I suppose I see the offensive struggles as in part scheme/effort related and also impacted by Allen's decision making.  I would have liked to see us make a push for a 1TDT, since the question on defense this year appears to be "can anyone play 1TDT?"

 

It'll be interesting to see what they come out with as a defensive front tomorrow.

 

57 minutes ago, Buffalo Timmy said:

I truly think if we are healthy we are as complete a team as there is in NFL. I also think that Josh will decide how far we go, not anyone else we could have brought in.

 

Some truth to that last.  Not seeing the first...I think we are missing pieces at LB and DL.  The Beane wager seems to have been to spend as much money as he would have spent for Shaq and Phillips, but for a larger number of bodies and for shorter term contracts with less guaranteed.  Implicit in that wager is expecting our highly drafted talent (Harrison Phillips, Ed Oliver, and Epenesa) to begin to step up and to really be full-go next year.  If they can, we're good, if they can't, we've escaped one cap situation to create another.  So far mixed reviews.

[Don Otreply]

We as fans should consider that with a restricted Cap next season, there may be guys getting cut/traded at a rate that otherwise would not be, I think Beane is taking this into consideration for the upcoming off season, and he will act accordingly, jmo. 
 

Go Bills!!!
 

Go Bills!!!

[JGMcD2]

1 hour ago, BillsVet said:

 

If Beane is playing the long game, the number of bad contracts in UFA isn't supporting that.  That and dealing picks do not put a team in position at the deadline to improve the roster for what should be at a minimum the 4th seed in the AFC. 

 

That said, it sounded like sale prices were too high and sending higher picks to take on a contract were cost prohibitive.

 

 

What bad contracts are you referring to? 
 

Which picks has he dealt outside of our 4th this upcoming season that prohibited us from making a deal? 
 

There were like 8 trades at the deadline this year and about half of them were not difference makers. I’m confused as to what everyone thought Beane should do? Force someone to make a trade with him for less than the other team was willing to move that player? 

[John from Riverside]

 A very good discussion

 

I think it falls on the GM to know whether a.  A player can really help you or B.  The players you have on your team are better then what you can get in a trade.

 

I am TOTALLY against biulding teams via trades and free agency....it is not sustainable and you have teams like the Redskins that have shown just what a failure you can be....you have teams like the raiders that give you contracts that break the market and it doesnt work for them

 

I would have liked to see a really good 1 tech or a greasy fast pass rusher brought in via trade this year....it didnt happen....but Beane has earned my trust

 

You also have to consider we are pretty much confident we have a QB for this team....he is gonna cost a LOT of money....Beane might be financially lining up our cap to accept that salary and why he doesnt go crazy on contracts for free agents.