Beasley on Buffalo: "Things changed within the organization. It was time for me to move on."

[JerseyBills]

29 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

I don’t see how things changed. Same regime. Same core group of players. Same team first attitudes.

 

IMO the only thing that changed was Beasley going from team first to me first.

 

Cmon man. Dude played with broken ribs , bones. He was a great team player and respected in the locker room. 

He's not a me first guy for not putting an experimental vaccine in his body. 

[Thurman#1]

53 minutes ago, Gugny said:

What changed within the organization?

 

 

Probably what changed within the organization is that before the season they thought he'd shut up about it during the season and at least follow the Covid rules.

 

Then as he ran up fines, refused to follow rules he didn't like, kept talking during the season, and caused distractions and pissed and moaned about Bills fans, a lot of folks there lost patience. That'll change how people react to you.

 

There are still at least a couple of guys on this team who were anti-vax. Whatever changed within the organization apparently didn't change much in relation to those guys. Just to Beasley. It's not hard to understand.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Thurman#1

[Scott7975]

1 minute ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Probably what changed within the organization is that before the season they thought he'd shut up about it during the season and at least follow the Covid rules.

 

Then as he ran up fines, refused to follow rules he didn't like, kept talking during the season, and caused distractions and pissed and moaned about Bills fans, a lot of folks there lost patience. That'll change how people react to you.

yes

[Logic]

On the one hand, Beasley played through all sorts of injuries. This indicates a degree of selflessness.

On the other hand, leading up to and during seasons where the Bills had realistic Super Bowl aspirations, he became a huge distraction on social media and elsewhere and made everything all about HIM rather than about the team. Selfishness.

It kind of seems to me that if anyone in this situation changed, it was Cole.

[Thurman#1]

Just now, Logic said:

On the one hand, Beasley played through all sorts of injuries. This indicates a degree of selflessness.

On the other hand, leading up to and during seasons where the Bills had realistic Super Bowl aspirations, he became a huge distraction on social media and elsewhere and made everything all about HIM rather than about the team. Selfishness.

It kind of seems to me that if anyone in this situation changed, it was Cole.

 

 

Yup, exactly.

[pigpen65]

Yeah things changed. Karen Marsh wasnt getting the service she was accustomed too and when she demanded satisfaction from the manager they told her to get *****. Karen took her business elsewhere. That's what Karen's do

[CSBill]

What Cole, and all if us, need to remember about the NFL and every team (and, for that matter, life): Eventually, everyone leaves. The only question is when. Cole, your time came (for the NFL part).

[Beck Water]

20 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

I feel like a lot of people are missing this.

 

Beasley was a MASSIVE outlet for Josh, and had a real knack for making huge conversions when the QB was in trouble.

 

You said it.  Beasley was. 

His Y/R plummeted from 11.8 to 8.5 and his 1st downs plummeted from 53 to 34.  Same # receptions, 5 more targets, similar snap counts.

 

What changed?  This wasn't caused by "The Twitters"

 

[Don Otreply]

9 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

But he didn't rant and rave all over twitter. Beasley's views were never the issue. His behaviour was. 

  Be that as it may,  those two things went part and parcel with each other, his views and behavior as a combination were the reason he was let go, he made himself a problem is the reality, pair that up with the cap savings, and less “noise”  to have to deal with for management and, presto!  he was gone. 
 

  

[All_Pro_Bills]

Beasley contributed a lot to the Bills success on offense the past few seasons.  But its just business.  What's changed is the loss of some performance with age and injuries.  Combine that with a $7M cap hit and a new OC along with what looks like a commitment to put more speed on the field.  Add in more potential touches for McKenzie plus rookies RB Cook and WR Shakir and there's just no room for a part-time 7M slot receiver on the decline in the room.      

[teef]

i'm into this.

[inkman]

1 minute ago, Beck Water said:

 

You said it.  Beasley was. 

His Y/R plummeted from 11.8 to 8.5 and his 1st downs plummeted from 53 to 34.  Same # receptions, 5 more targets, similar snap counts.

 

What changed?  This wasn't caused by "The Twitters"

 

Yeah I feel like the the change was that the Bills wanted someone who didn’t fall immediately after catching the football as they ranked near the bottom of the league in YAC. 

[thenorthremembers]

Cole was a great player for us.  Played with broken bones, always came up huge on third downs, and was a big part of Allen's development.   The changes had nothing to do with Daboll leaving, Cole was on his way out before that happened.  

 

The changes he seems to be pointing at was the way the organization changed in response to the COVID restrictions.     McDermott has always preached that he wants his players to be able to be themselves, which is what Beasley is talking about in his tweets.  However, the being yourself bit cant be at the expense of the teams chemistry and success, I think thats where Cole ran into trouble with the organization.    In some circumstances no one is the bad guy, it just doesnt work anymore because the situation changes.   I think all of us had issues come up with people close to us during COVID because of differing opinions.   I think thats exactly the case here.    

[Beck Water]

4 minutes ago, Logic said:

On the one hand, Beasley played through all sorts of injuries. This indicates a degree of selflessness.

On the other hand, leading up to and during seasons where the Bills had realistic Super Bowl aspirations, he became a huge distraction on social media and elsewhere and made everything all about HIM rather than about the team. Selfishness.

It kind of seems to me that if anyone in this situation changed, it was Cole.

 

I agree that "if anyone changed it was Cole" but I disagree that he was such a huge distraction or that the distraction had any but a peripheral effect on the decision to move on.

 

Look at the Cold Hard Football Facts.  30 yr old John Brown (never controversial) had a huge drop in Y/G and 1st downs between 2020 and 2021.  Y/R and Y/T fell slightly but significantly.  His ability to stay healthy and bounce back from injury seemed less.  Beane to Brown: "Thank you for your service, NEXT!" even if it left a "speed gap" on the team.  Beane drafts and brings in some speedy guys, signs Sanders, and tells Daboll "here are your ingredients, Go Cook"

 

2021, 32 year old Beas shows a similar significant drop-off in key metrics and similar questions about injury/ability to bounce back.  Meanwhile the Muscle Hamster makes plays when he gets his chance.  Beane to Bease: "Thank you for your service, NEXT!"

 

Sure Beasley's tantrums about NFL rules applied to every player factored in, but anyone who doesn't think a repeat of his 2020 contribution in 2021 keeps Bease on the team regardless is IMO naive.

[Tenhigh]

Just now, MiltonWaddams said:

I would say his performance against New England was a nice emergence. Daboll figured out how to use him and he showed out. I think Beasley has still shown to be the superior player, but when his views differed from those within the organization then it became a lot easier when McKittrick fit in well and played well.

It was a great game, but the only game he has had more than 3 catches in.  I don't really think he has emerged.  To me it had absolutely nothing to do with McK, and all with Cole's twitter account and the salary cap required to resign him. 

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

He hates his bosses just like almost everyone does, why would football be any different? I think he was a part of helping Josh Allen develop, that I have no doubt in my mind about so for that I say "Thank you for your services, Cole". I wish the guy good luck and health! 

[HOUSE]

I am going to say this and some of you won't like it.

 

Cole Beasley plays very effectively with injuries,  McKenzIe does not.

It's my biggest concern with losing Beasley ..

[Rc2catch]

I think as fans we all owe a little love to Beasley. Also John brown and of course Diggs. Without those 3 I highly doubt we have the same Josh Allen playing quarterback. They were huge in his development on the field. 
I’ll avoid the twitter stuff. Little vague and I don’t have fun guessing 

[Since1981]

He was great for a time. Feels like he became expensive. His Twitter covid rants didn’t need to happen. I shook my head when he said “they’re booing me” when it was “beeeeeeez”. Emotional intelligence in the workplace but ultimately ROI in 2022

[Logic]

4 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

I agree that "if anyone changed it was Cole" but I disagree that he was such a huge distraction or that the distraction had any but a peripheral effect on the decision to move on.

 

Look at the Cold Hard Football Facts.  30 yr old John Brown (never controversial) had a huge drop in Y/G and 1st downs between 2020 and 2021.  Y/R and Y/T fell slightly but significantly.  His ability to stay healthy and bounce back from injury seemed less.  Beane to Brown: "Thank you for your service, NEXT!" even if it left a "speed gap" on the team.  Beane drafts and brings in some speedy guys, signs Sanders, and tells Daboll "here are your ingredients, Go Cook"

 

2021, 32 year old Beas shows a similar significant drop-off in key metrics and similar questions about injury/ability to bounce back.  Meanwhile the Muscle Hamster makes plays when he gets his chance.  Beane to Bease: "Thank you for your service, NEXT!"

 

Sure Beasley's tantrums about NFL rules applied to every player factored in, but anyone who doesn't think a repeat of his 2020 contribution in 2021 keeps Bease on the team regardless is IMO naive.

I agree with your stance that Beasley's production noticeably declined.

That said, if I'm not mistaken, the Bills offered to keep him at a reduced salary. In other words, while they weren't willing to continue to pay him top dollar, they WERE willing to continue to roster him.

In any case, what's being discussed in this thread is Cole's assertation that "the organization changed". That's the specific notion to which I was responding.

Between Beasley's passing of blame (no mention of his own declining production or distracting antics) and Feliciano's smack-talking about the Bills organization (and this isn't the first time he's spoken ill of the team since his departure), I see addition by subtraction for the Bills. Two less "me first, pass the blame" guys on the roster. Good.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Logic

[TBBills]

2 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

I am going to say this and some of you won't like it.

 

Cole Beasley plays very effectively with injuries,  McKenzIe does not.

It's my biggest concern with losing Beasley ..

Beasley ALWAYS was injured... he was never healthy last season. Not a concern at all.

[Logic]

3 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

I am going to say this and some of you won't like it.

 

Cole Beasley plays very effectively with injuries,  McKenzIe does not.

It's my biggest concern with losing Beasley ..

Oh man, don't tell me we have a concerning lack of depth at INSIDE receiver, too. My heart couldn't take it.

[Beck Water]

15 minutes ago, inkman said:

Yeah I feel like the the change was that the Bills wanted someone who didn’t fall immediately after catching the football as they ranked near the bottom of the league in YAC. 

 

Right.  The reason Beasley fell immediately instead of fighting for yards was part changes in how teams covered the Bills (flooding the middle of the field with DBs because they weren't worried a bit about defending the run), and part physical changes for Beasley (playing with cracked ribs, being a step slower and thus letting the defender close before he made the catch).

 

But the Cold Hard Football Fact is it meant the offense needed to evolve again, and Beasley didn't have a large enough role in the planned evolution to justify his $$ OR his nuisance factor.

 

All these tweets now are Beasley stumping to "change the narrative" around his departure and publicly lobby for a new offer.  Except I doubt GMs are surfing the Twitters for talent.

 

4 minutes ago, Logic said:

That said, if I'm not mistaken, the Bills offered to keep him at a reduced salary. In other words, while they weren't willing to continue to pay him top dollar, they WERE willing to continue to roster him.

 

I know of no information about that.  What we know is Beasley talked to Beane before FA and asked for permission to seek a trade.

Spill the Tea if you got some.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Beck Water

[OutOfBubbleGum]

Awesome guy. I would like to see him back.

[HOUSE]

6 minutes ago, TBBills said:

Beasley ALWAYS was injured... he was never healthy last season. Not a concern at all.

Yes but he played, that was my point

[JAMIEBUF12]

Sad that Cole stood up for what he believed in.Did everything that was asked.And players like Aaron Rodgers lied about getting shots,did team interviews and didn’t even get a slap on the wrist.At least Cole manned up and stood by his convictions.

[Beck Water]

35 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

I should have said more in that post. No not just because of tweets but also because he wasn’t following protocols. Yes he lost a step and that probably played into it as well. 

 

The not following protocols/getting fined repeatedly by the NFL didn't play well inside OBD, I agree.  But it didn't cost Beasley his Bills "hat" in 2021 because he had a track record of producing on the field.  Sounds like we agree that both were factors, and what % was assigned to each is between Beane and his walls.

 

I point to the case of Smokey John Brown as evidence saying production matters most to Beane.

[Gunvald's Husse]

31 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

Cmon man. Dude played with broken ribs , bones. He was a great team player and respected in the locker room. 

He's not a me first guy for not putting an experimental vaccine in his body. 

It was absolutely his right not to be vaccinated but that is the very definition of "me first" - he chose a path that suited him but harmed the team. Also, enough of the "experimental" vaccine bollox.

 

I think, as others have said, the changes were not in the organisation but in him: 2 years ago he was a god out there, if we needed a first down then everytone knew where to look. Last year that just was not the case. Had his play not diminished then perhaps the distraction that he became would have been acceptable but the combintion of lesser play and greater disctraction was what meant his time here was over

[Beck Water]

13 minutes ago, JAMIEBUF12 said:

Sad that Cole stood up for what he believed in.Did everything that was asked.And players like Aaron Rodgers lied about getting shots,did team interviews and didn’t even get a slap on the wrist.At least Cole manned up and stood by his convictions.

 

Oh, Rodgers got a slap on the wrist, but that's all.    And I agree with you, Beasley as a person looked better to me after Rodgers stuff came out.

 

That's why I say it's primarily about production and role on the team.  Rodgers is still a Star of Stars, an elite Franchise QB and a Game Changer.  GB hopes to ride him into contention.  Beasley never had that significant a role on the team, and the role he had was clearly shrinking for multiple reasons.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Beck Water

[HOUSE]

10 minutes ago, Logic said:

Oh man, don't tell me we have a concerning lack of depth at INSIDE receiver, too. My heart couldn't take it.

Not one of them has the hands of Cole Beasley either, not even close 

Oh well,, I will shut up now, got to cut the lawn, See ya

[TBBills]

5 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

Yes but he played, that was my point

Yea would rather have McKenzie and Shakir than a Beasley who has been on a rapid decline in health and availability. 

[inkman]

20 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

I am going to say this and some of you won't like it.

 

Cole Beasley plays very effectively with injuries,  McKenzIe does not.

It's my biggest concern with losing Beasley ..

I mean, he played injured, not sure how effective. I suppose it was effective enough but the Bills are emphasizing YAC this off-season, which has never been his strength. Hopefully, with McKenzie, Crowder and Shakir, the results are exponentially better after the catch. 

[John from Riverside]

1 hour ago, wppete said:

Can’t blame Cole. NY state and Bills have lost the plot with all the craziness. Wish him all the luck in Texas or Florida. 

“Lost the plot”

……….

[K-9]

The only thing that changed was Beasley’s adherence to the same COVID protocols established in 2020. While every other non vaccinated player adhered to those protocols on a daily basis for as long as those protocols were in place last season, Beasley’s refusal to wear a mask and respect social distancing guidelines within the building during that period became a major distraction and disruption. If anything about the team changed, it was their tolerance for Beasley’s refusal to follow the same rules he agreed to follow previously.
 

 

[Beck Water]

5 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

Yes but he played, that was my point

 

Actually, it's an argument against your point. 

 

When a starting player is injured, of course he still wants to play, these guys are all Alpha Competitors. 

 

But he's gonna be less effective, and there's a certain compact where a guy has to be honest with himself, the coaches, and trainers, and let his backup have a shot (sorry!  sorry!) if he's gonna be less effective than the Next Man Up.

 

When Beasley was forced to sit by factors outside the team's control, McKenzie sure made it look to everyone watching as though maybe last year's Week 16 MIA game was not a one-off, and perhaps Beasley had been skating the wrong side of that "am I more effective than the Next Man Up?" line for a while.

 

To the team?  It's notable that in the CAR game before 2nd NWE, McKenzie's snaps doubled and increased by about the same % Beasley's snaps dropped, and that difference was maintained (~15% more snaps for McKenzie, ~15% less for Beasley) in the remaining regular season games and playoffs.

 

I agree with whoever made the point that McKenzie has yet to show he can handle the bumps and bangs of a larger role on offense week-in and week-out, all season.  We don't yet know that he can't play injured, but we don't yet know that he can, either.

[inkman]

8 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

Not one of them has the hands of Cole Beasley either, not even close 

Oh well,, I will shut up now, got to cut the lawn, See ya

Beasley’s hands have never been questionable but what’s the cut off point for production vs reliability.  I mean is it better to know you can get 4 yards 95% of the time or 15+ yards 85% of the time. Obviously I’m just kinda making those numbers up but I hope that illustrates the point. 

[John from Riverside]

1 hour ago, Beck Water said:

 

Big change: Daboll moved on to the Giants.  Remember the loooove-fest between Daboll and Beasley where they were all raving about how Beasley would bring great play ideas to Daboll and Daboll would implement them?  Daboll was consistently using Beasley in down-distance situations where other offenses utilize a TE IMO. 

 

Thing is, in the absence of a credible run game, a number of teams seemed to have successfully figured out how to defend Beasley's option routes and the Mouse Davis/June Jones secondary route concepts Beasley brought in and the team executed so well in 2020.

 

Writing was on the wall: with Dorsey and some fresh ideas coming into the organization, roles and responsibilities along with some play concepts were gonna change

 

But Beasley writes as though "moving on" was his choice and his notion, and I don't think that was entirely how it went down

 

 

Then why is he playing for the Giants

[Big Turk]

I mean of course things changed...they HAD to. 

 

He got here when they had just made the playoffs after a 17 year drought and after drafting a rookie QB who they hoped would take his game to the next level but didn't know how things would pan out...he played well at times and not well at others, but showed lots of flashes.

 

Now they are considered the best roster in football, the odds on favorite to Houston the Lombardi Trophy and Allen as the favorite for MVP.

 

If things DIDN'T change from the time he got here until now then there would be something really wrong.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Big Turk

[Beck Water]

Just now, John from Riverside said:

Then why is he playing for the Giants

 

 Huh?  Why is who playing for the Giant?

[blacklabel]

"Be who I am." If he thinks "being who he is" exempts him from policies and rules set forth by his employer then I dunno wtf to tell him. Dude comes off really entitled. Probably "suffers" from that affluenza horsesh*t and can't relate to us normal peasants down here.