Bills sign Matt Milano to 4 yr, 44 mill deal with 24 mill gtd

[Green Lightning]

I don't know if Milano is worth the coin or not. I just know this D is not good enough the win it all, and it hasn't improved. And I'm not alone in this. Below is a quote from am NFL executive on the Bills' off season in today's Athletic. 

 

“They have to fix their defensive line, they have not done that, and this is a bad D-line draft,” an exec said. “If Josh Allen takes another step, it might not matter, but if he regresses, Buffalo is a team that could suddenly miss the playoffs.”

[Bangarang]

Just now, Green Lightning said:

I don't know if Milano is worth the coin or not. I just know this D is not good enough the win it all, and it hasn't improved. And I'm not alone in this. Below is a quote from am NFL executive on the Bills' off season in today's Athletic. 

 

“They have to fix their defensive line, they have not done that, and this is a bad D-line draft,” an exec said. “If Josh Allen takes another step, it might not matter, but if he regresses, Buffalo is a team that could suddenly miss the playoffs.”

Theres too much faith being put on the return of Star who was a mediocre player before he took a year off. 
 

We rely too much on blitzing to get pressure. Unless Oliver and Epenesa play out of their minds, our ability to generate pressure with just the front 4 is a serious concern. 

[Green Lightning]

Just now, Bangarang said:

Theres too much faith being put on the return of Star who was a mediocre player before he took a year off. 
 

We rely too much on blitzing to get pressure. Unless Oliver and Epenesa play out of their minds, our ability to generate pressure with just the front 4 is a serious concern. 

100% This D Line is not good enough. 

[Royale with Cheese]

8 minutes ago, Niagara Dude said:

Even more of a reason to add a difference maker on defensive side of the ball,  offense will again be fine and defense will hold us back.  

So you really are saying Milano was covering Kelce 100% of the time and in man coverage?

[Billl]

3 hours ago, Niagara Dude said:

I like him and think he is good player,  just this defense needed to bring on at least one difference maker and i don't see him being a huge difference maker.  We were worse in the NFL covering TE'S or 3rd & long.  Paying guys more isa not going to correct that or have someone who can maybe keep Kelce under control.  People want to twist my words,  that report said the Bills could have used that money differrent. I love the Bills and would love to eat crow,  but you need difference making play makers to beat a team like KC. IMO

This is a key point, IMO.  Beane has built an exceptionally balanced roster.  There are very few liabilities to be found.  The flip side is that there are very few elite players.  Allen and Diggs are elite.  White was trending towards that level, but I don’t think he was last year at all.  Beyond that, it’s a roster full of solid players who aren’t necessarily difference makers.  The roster is built to consistently beat up on average to good teams, but they don’t seem to have many guys who can simply take over a game.

 

I’m curious to see if Beane ever shifts his philosophy and decides to let a guy like Milano walk in order to throw big money at a star and banking on his stars to more than make up for the resulting holes.  Doing that successfully requires a GM to hit on players in the draft who can excel while they are young and cost controlled.

 

Kansas City is all in on this strategy.  They’ve taken swings on star players, but the roster has several gaping holes that could potentially sink them.  They’ve given massive contracts to guys like Hill, Kelce, Mahomes, Chris Jones, and Mathieu.  It’s left them without viable options at LT, WR2, DE, and LB, though.  Getting very little out of draft picks in 2018 and 2019 contributed greatly to these holes being exposed.  The 2020 draft was a home run, but it’s going to take another one in 2021 to avoid taking the field with some very exploitable weaknesses.

 

I see Milano as the exact type of player to sacrifice in order to go big game hunting.  He provided solid value for a cheap draft pick and the rookie deal that came with it.  I’d have encouraged Beane to wish him well and go find another one in the draft or on the waiver wire.  There’s simply a limit to the value of a LB who isn’t an elite pass rusher and who isn’t going to neutralize elite TEs.  Not saying it was a mistake to sign him, just that it may have been a good spot to roll the dice and going with a cheaper replacement.

5 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

So you really are saying Milano was covering Kelce 100% of the time and in man coverage?

He’s saying the literal opposite.  An elite coverage LB would have been on Kelce all game.  Why pay big money to a LB who doesn’t sack the QB and who can’t take away elite TEs?

[Royale with Cheese]

8 minutes ago, Billl said:

This is a key point, IMO.  Beane has built an exceptionally balanced roster.  There are very few liabilities to be found.  The flip side is that there are very few elite players.  Allen and Diggs are elite.  White was trending towards that level, but I don’t think he was last year at all.  Beyond that, it’s a roster full of solid players who aren’t necessarily difference makers.  The roster is built to consistently beat up on average to good teams, but they don’t seem to have many guys who can simply take over a game.

 

I’m curious to see if Beane ever shifts his philosophy and decides to let a guy like Milano walk in order to throw big money at a star and banking on his stars to more than make up for the resulting holes.  Doing that successfully requires a GM to hit on players in the draft who can excel while they are young and cost controlled.

 

Kansas City is all in on this strategy.  They’ve taken swings on star players, but the roster has several gaping holes that could potentially sink them.  They’ve given massive contracts to guys like Hill, Kelce, Mahomes, Chris Jones, and Mathieu.  It’s left them without viable options at LT, WR2, DE, and LB, though.  Getting very little out of draft picks in 2018 and 2019 contributed greatly to these holes being exposed.  The 2020 draft was a home run, but it’s going to take another one in 2021 to avoid taking the field with some very exploitable weaknesses.

 

I see Milano as the exact type of player to sacrifice in order to go big game hunting.  He provided solid value for a cheap draft pick and the rookie deal that came with it.  I’d have encouraged Beane to wish him well and go find another one in the draft or on the waiver wire.  There’s simply a limit to the value of a LB who isn’t an elite pass rusher and who isn’t going to neutralize elite TEs.  Not saying it was a mistake to sign him, just that it may have been a good spot to roll the dice and going with a cheaper replacement.

He’s saying the literal opposite.  An elite coverage LB would have been on Kelce all game.  Why pay big money to a LB who doesn’t sack the QB and who can’t take away elite TEs?

If we are a predominantly zone coverage team, why would we have Milano in man all game? What if Kelce lines up on the other side?

Edited April 2, 2021 by Royale with Cheese

[Billl]

1 minute ago, Royale with Cheese said:

If we are a predominantly zone coverage team, why would we have Milano all game? What if Kelce lines up on the other side?

If Milano were capable of erasing elite TEs, they wouldn’t play zone against a team like Kansas City.  McDermott threw the kitchen sink at Kelce and couldn’t even slow him down.  Hell, he even had White covering him for a while and it didn’t make a bit of difference.  They were getting creative, but nothing worked.  If Milano had been effectively covering Kelce, I don’t think McDermott would have stubbornly refused to play him straight up.

 

That’s what prompts the question.  How much do you pay a LB who doesn’t get after the QB and who can’t check top tier TEs?  If it’s me, the answer is not very much.  I’d rather save that money and apply it towards an elite pass rusher, CB, etc.  Those types can make crappy LBs look serviceable.

[BuffaloRebound]

Having a problem with Milano is like complaining your girlfriend is a 9 not a 10.  Dude is good.  He’s not big enough to take away the best Tight Ends but he makes plays all over the field otherwise.  

[Chandler#81]

4 minutes ago, Billl said:

If Milano were capable of erasing elite TEs, they wouldn’t play zone against a team like Kansas City.  McDermott threw the kitchen sink at Kelce and couldn’t even slow him down.  Hell, he even had White covering him for a while and it didn’t make a bit of difference.  They were getting creative, but nothing worked.  If Milano had been effectively covering Kelce, I don’t think McDermott would have stubbornly refused to play him straight up.

 

That’s what prompts the question.  How much do you pay a LB who doesn’t get after the QB and who can’t check top tier TEs?  If it’s me, the answer is not very much.  I’d rather save that money and apply it towards an elite pass rusher, CB, etc.  Those types can make crappy LBs look serviceable.

Jesus, dude. Just stop.🤦‍♂️

[Logic]

2 minutes ago, Billl said:

If Milano were capable of erasing elite TEs, they wouldn’t play zone against a team like Kansas City.  McDermott threw the kitchen sink at Kelce and couldn’t even slow him down.  Hell, he even had White covering him for a while and it didn’t make a bit of difference.  They were getting creative, but nothing worked.  If Milano had been effectively covering Kelce, I don’t think McDermott would have stubbornly refused to play him straight up.

 

That’s what prompts the question.  How much do you pay a LB who doesn’t get after the QB and who can’t check top tier TEs?  If it’s me, the answer is not very much.  I’d rather save that money and apply it towards an elite pass rusher, CB, etc.  Those types can make crappy LBs look serviceable.

 

I feel like I’ve said this 100 times in 100 different threads, but this Bills defense has shown that it CAN check top tier tight ends when healthy.

 

In 2020, they were bad at defending TEs. No doubt about it.

 

In 2019, when Milano and Edmunds were healthy all year, the Bills gave up the third fewest yards to TEs of any team in the league.

 

I feel the “Bills defense can’t defend tight ends” narrative is way overblown. Yes, they were bad at it last year. Prior to that, it was consistently a strength of our defense.

[Royale with Cheese]

29 minutes ago, Billl said:

If Milano were capable of erasing elite TEs, they wouldn’t play zone against a team like Kansas City.  McDermott threw the kitchen sink at Kelce and couldn’t even slow him down.  Hell, he even had White covering him for a while and it didn’t make a bit of difference.  They were getting creative, but nothing worked.  If Milano had been effectively covering Kelce, I don’t think McDermott would have stubbornly refused to play him straight up.

 

That’s what prompts the question.  How much do you pay a LB who doesn’t get after the QB and who can’t check top tier TEs?  If it’s me, the answer is not very much.  I’d rather save that money and apply it towards an elite pass rusher, CB, etc.  Those types can make crappy LBs look serviceable.

 

I mean...no to the bolded.  Why don't you ask Todd Bowles that question lol? 

 

Tre White couldn't cover Kelce and you're discrediting Milano for not being able to "erase" him?  How many defensive players can "erase" Kelce?  Name one lol.

 

Milano obviously does more than you think.  Thomas Davis wasn't a guy who got to the QB a lot and he was extended in Carolina.  These types of linebackers mean more to McDermott than you believe.  

 

 

 

 

32 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

Jesus, dude. Just stop.🤦‍♂️

 

I read it twice just to make sure he said what he said.

[Billl]

47 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

Tre White couldn't cover Kelce and you're discrediting Milano for not being able to "erase" him?  How many defensive players can "erase" Kelce?  Name one lol.

Fred Warner, Bobby Wagner, and Devin White are elite coverage LBs.  Welcome back to my point.  If you aren’t one of those guys and you aren’t a pass rusher, then I’m not paying big bucks for your services.  I’ll save the money and put it towards an edge who can force the ball out of the QBs hands, thus taking pressure off the coverage or I’ll spend on a CB who can play on an island freeing up a safety to bracket the TE.

 

I just don’t see enough difference between a JAG LB and a pretty good LB to matter.  I can hide a Reggie Ragland if it frees up $10,000,000 to put towards a star at an impact position who acts as a force multiplier for the entire unit.  I don’t understand how paying the guy who got rinsed for 3 hours in the AFCCG a 2000% salary increase closes the gap.

 

Not saying it’s a bad decision.  I simply used MM as an example of where Beane might have decided to de-emphasize one position in order to land a star elsewhere.  Adequate LBs can be had in the middle of the draft.  Beane has drafted RBs in the third round two years in a row and may well spend a first rounder on another this year.  Would you rather have Matt Milano and Zack Moss or $10,000,000 of cap space, Malik Harrison, and a comp pick?  I don’t think you’re dumb if you pick the first option, but I definitely disagree.

[Royale with Cheese]

35 minutes ago, Billl said:

Fred Warner, Bobby Wagner, and Devin White are elite coverage LBs.  Welcome back to my point.  If you aren’t one of those guys and you aren’t a pass rusher, then I’m not paying big bucks for your services.  I’ll save the money and put it towards an edge who can force the ball out of the QBs hands, thus taking pressure off the coverage or I’ll spend on a CB who can play on an island freeing up a safety to bracket the TE.

 

I just don’t see enough difference between a JAG LB and a pretty good LB to matter.  I can hide a Reggie Ragland if it frees up $10,000,000 to put towards a star at an impact position who acts as a force multiplier for the entire unit.  I don’t understand how paying the guy who got rinsed for 3 hours in the AFCCG a 2000% salary increase closes the gap.

 

Not saying it’s a bad decision.  I simply used MM as an example of where Beane might have decided to de-emphasize one position in order to land a star elsewhere.  Adequate LBs can be had in the middle of the draft.  Beane has drafted RBs in the third round two years in a row and may well spend a first rounder on another this year.  Would you rather have Matt Milano and Zack Moss or $10,000,000 of cap space, Malik Harrison, and a comp pick?  I don’t think you’re dumb if you pick the first option, but I definitely disagree.

I just find it confusing how you criticize Milano in his AFC Title game performance because he couldn’t erase Kelce.

Followed by Devin White being a guy that could erase Kelce yet in 2 games agains the  Bucs....he had 18 catches and over 200 yards.  

Then you suggest if Milano was good enough, McDermott would run man??

Did Bowles run man with Devin White?  No, he ran a Cover 2 shell almost 90% of the game.  

[Stank_Nasty]

4 hours ago, Green Lightning said:

I don't know if Milano is worth the coin or not. I just know this D is not good enough the win it all, and it hasn't improved. And I'm not alone in this. Below is a quote from am NFL executive on the Bills' off season in today's Athletic. 

 

“They have to fix their defensive line, they have not done that, and this is a bad D-line draft,” an exec said. “If Josh Allen takes another step, it might not matter, but if he regresses, Buffalo is a team that could suddenly miss the playoffs.”

I saw the same quote and if I were you I wouldn’t admit to agreeing with it. It’s a dumb statement. So a 13 win team is gonna miss the whole dang dance if the qb regresses off of a historic type season? That’s honestly just a dumb I’ll-informed statement. And that’s exactly what I thought when I read it earlier this morning on that site. 

[Billl]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I just find it confusing how you criticize Milano in his AFC Title game performance because he couldn’t erase Kelce.

Followed by Devin White being a guy that could erase Kelce yet in 2 games agains the  Bucs....he had 18 catches and over 200 yards.  

Then you suggest if Milano was good enough, McDermott would run man??

Did Bowles run man with Devin White?  No, he ran a Cover 2 shell almost 90% of the game.  

You’re so close to getting the point.  I’m not criticizing Milano at all.  If Kelce can’t be handled even by the best coverage LBs, then why pay big salaries for coverage LBs?  Tampa won by blowing up the line every play with their elite pass rushers up front allowing them to play that Cover 2 shell.  White makes $7,000,000 a year.  Milano is getting 40% more than that.  Using your own logic, he’s getting that money to cover average TEs while elite TEs run wild.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to use that money on an elite pass rush?
 

There is a pretty strong trend of teams with elite TEs making the Super Bowl.  The last 3 seasons have had Gronk, Gronk, Kelce, Kelce, and Kittle playing.  You don’t beat those teams with coverage LBs trying to hang with them for 4 seconds.  You either need shutdown CBs who allow for bracket coverage or with a pass rush that can get home without blitzing allowing your defense to play that shell.  The first time Buffalo played Kansas City they tried to sit back in a shell, and the Chiefs ran all over them because their front 4 couldn’t hold up.  The second game saw a different strategy, but Kelce and Hill did whatever they wanted.  As I said before, I don’t see how increasing Milano’s salary by a factor of 20 changes that equation.  
 

An elite coverage LB is a great asset against average TEs.  An elite pass rush is a great asset against everyone.  An $11,000,000 coverage LB strikes me more as a luxury item for a team that already has the pass rush figured out.

[Canadian Bills Fan]

[Mat68]

3 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I just find it confusing how you criticize Milano in his AFC Title game performance because he couldn’t erase Kelce.

Followed by Devin White being a guy that could erase Kelce yet in 2 games agains the  Bucs....he had 18 catches and over 200 yards.  

Then you suggest if Milano was good enough, McDermott would run man??

Did Bowles run man with Devin White?  No, he ran a Cover 2 shell almost 90% of the game.  

Buffalo didnt have the ability to get home with 4 guys.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

7 hours ago, Billl said:

This is a key point, IMO.  Beane has built an exceptionally balanced roster.  There are very few liabilities to be found.  The flip side is that there are very few elite players.  Allen and Diggs are elite.  White was trending towards that level, but I don’t think he was last year at all.  Beyond that, it’s a roster full of solid players who aren’t necessarily difference makers.  The roster is built to consistently beat up on average to good teams, but they don’t seem to have many guys who can simply take over a game.

 

I’m curious to see if Beane ever shifts his philosophy and decides to let a guy like Milano walk in order to throw big money at a star and banking on his stars to more than make up for the resulting holes.  Doing that successfully requires a GM to hit on players in the draft who can excel while they are young and cost controlled.

 

Kansas City is all in on this strategy.  They’ve taken swings on star players, but the roster has several gaping holes that could potentially sink them.  They’ve given massive contracts to guys like Hill, Kelce, Mahomes, Chris Jones, and Mathieu.  It’s left them without viable options at LT, WR2, DE, and LB, though.  Getting very little out of draft picks in 2018 and 2019 contributed greatly to these holes being exposed.  The 2020 draft was a home run, but it’s going to take another one in 2021 to avoid taking the field with some very exploitable weaknesses.

 

I see Milano as the exact type of player to sacrifice in order to go big game hunting.  He provided solid value for a cheap draft pick and the rookie deal that came with it.  I’d have encouraged Beane to wish him well and go find another one in the draft or on the waiver wire.  There’s simply a limit to the value of a LB who isn’t an elite pass rusher and who isn’t going to neutralize elite TEs.  Not saying it was a mistake to sign him, just that it may have been a good spot to roll the dice and going with a cheaper replacement.

He’s saying the literal opposite.  An elite coverage LB would have been on Kelce all game.  Why pay big money to a LB who doesn’t sack the QB and who can’t take away elite TEs?

 

We really don't know if this is true or not.  Before the last two off-seasons, Beane needed to do everything  he could and throw big money just to attract a guy like Star.  This was probably the first time in about 20 years the Bills could attract top players based on the teams standing.  But this year there was little to no money available.  Lets see what he does  in another year when they have money.  They did supposedly make a serious run at Watt for big $$ and supposedly also Ertz, but Eagles wanted to much for him.

 

Also doesn't mean he needs to let Milano go to get a big star either in other seasons.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Ed_Formerly_of_Roch

[Green Lightning]

2 hours ago, Stank_Nasty said:

I saw the same quote and if I were you I wouldn’t admit to agreeing with it. It’s a dumb statement. So a 13 win team is gonna miss the whole dang dance if the qb regresses off of a historic type season? That’s honestly just a dumb I’ll-informed statement. And that’s exactly what I thought when I read it earlier this morning on that site. 

You're not me and the main point is that this D isn't SB calber and it hasn't improved at all. 

[GunnerBill]

21 hours ago, Niagara Dude said:

 

  The fact is the dude is a good but not great player,  maybe he changes that this season or maybe we still have no one able to cover Kelce and other TE'S in this league.  You seem to miss the point,  i a never said he was not a good player,  my concern was the salary given for what he gives us on defense.  

 

What he gives us on defense is the single biggest swing in yards per pass play given up in the entire NFL last season. No other player made as big of an impact in the league as Milano on that number. I do get the hesitation about the signing. I like Milano a lot but I was 50/50 about bringing him back but there are definitely advanced analytics that support the decision the Bills made. And the contract was a good one. $8m in 2021, $10m in 2022 and then the ability to get out for $3.5m dead cap which they could eat over 1 year or 2. 

 

I take the point about the opportunity loss to get a playmaker at a more premier position but if we are looking salary inefficiencies on the roster that affect that I'd start with the Addisons and Butlers of the world, even Klein, before I'd get to Matt Milano. It was a decision I could have gone either way on but on the deal they gave him I think it was a solid move.