Ronin

Here’s what I was thinking as the Draft unfolded and based on my perception of our needs: QB backup, WR starting, OT ® or OG, ILB (w/ pass coverage skills) … I didn’t see DE/OLB as such the tremendous need that the team did. Everyone talks about how great Ryan’s D mind is, well then he should have been able to make due on the edge with Lawson, Hughes, and Dareus who’s supposed to be playing DE in the 3-4, which makes no sense. Before the Draft there were players on the roster that logged 35 sacks in 2014 under Schwartz, if the "defensive genius" Ryan couldn't get that from them then he's a phony. Either way, the middle of our LB-ing corp was, and still is, bereft of pass D skills. To start, I wouldn’t have traded our 4th pick (117) or traded up at all in this relatively deep draft, there should have been no need to. I may have traded down. 1/19: Treadwell: Would have instantly upgraded our passing game and perhaps he would have even outshone Watkins this fall. All of the appropriate WRs for us all went just picks afterwards except for Fuller who we had no chance at in round 2. 2/49: Cody Whitehair (OG): Would have all but instantly made the OL from LT to RG solid and increased the odds of solid play from one of our RTs. 3/80: Prescott, he'll be the best QB in this draft after Goff. 4/117: Kentrell Brothers (ILB) Better pass D skills than Ragland Also, undrafted Scooby Wright, ILB from Arizona, would have been a fantastic 6th round pick. IMO that Draft would have added to wins and buffered our QB/WR situations as well while bolstering the OL.

Once again, the "holes" on D were self-inflicted by Ryan. And once again, there are players on this team, even after Mario left who logged 14.5 sacks in 2014, that logged 35 sacks otherwise. Ryan didn't even get half that total last season. Everyone says Mario dogged it and didn't play hard, well OK. Couple that with the losses of Bradham and McKelvin, and really, that's a huge loss? Other teams suffer worse and won't nosedive without expending the entire meat of their draft on D. Why do we? I'll tell ya why, because Ryan's a moron and so is Whaley. Seriously, I cannot believe that anyone, anyone, thought that we didn't need a WR, even if only for depth, given that we currently only have two with both having propensity for injuries. This team's issues are almost always self-inflicted. I won't even do more than mention the pervasive record of underachievement that Alabama ILBs and ACC DEs have in the NFL given where they're drafted. . What do you think's going to happen this year? What's the incentive for opponents not to double Sammy? Who's going to loosen things up for him? What, Hankerson? Goodwin? LMAO What if Sammy goes down? Then what? What, we start Woods and Goodwin? This team doesn't think things through and has absolutely no vision or any plan beyond what's in front of their noses. Ryan acted like a kid in a candy shop this past weekend. He has his bag full of goodies, hopefully we can at least all agree that if his offense isn't ranked in the top-10 again then he needs to go, because clearly the Offense isn't going to rank in the top-10. And I don't think anyone's going to want to hear how this seasoned coach and defensive genius needs more time either. LMAO Good one. Thinking? ... at OBD? What thinking? Seems like more emotional reactions to me. Manuel = emotional reaction. Watkins = emotional reaction. Ragland, likely just another Rolando McClain/Dant'a Hightower/Demeco Ryans instead of what the team is claiming was really a 1st round pick. The last time OBD did some thinking and did something similar it was McCargo. How'd that work out for us. I think that a lot of fans are smarter than Whaley, who's a buffoon and very lucky to even have a job as a GM, his last. As soon as Pegula pulls his head out of his hind crevice and sees that Whaley is in way over his head Whaley will go back to some director position for another team. He's made some of the dumbest and costliest moves that this franchise has ever seen.

Miller will have to make a huge leap to be the answer at RG. I've loved Henderson since he was drafted, but have been very disappointed in how he's played. Whitehair would have made a world of difference plugged in at RG.

All I know is that Miller played like crap according to the metrics as well as by eye. Not to mention he was hurt for a good chunk of the season. Yet, some here will insist that he played well. This team drafted as if were the '80s or '90s. And frankly, do we really need a rushing RB, no, we don't. It doesn't really matter, under Whaley we'll be fortunate to have even one player drafted from the 3rd round on out even be relevant at some point. Meanwhile, they take Listenbee, as if they haven't learned, and they haven't, from the Graham, Goodwin, and Easeley picks of the past, that track stars rarely if ever do anything significant in the NFL. 12th time must be the charm tho.

Excellent post simpleman!! You're one of the few that seems to get it. Despite all of that, not one draft expert, nor any of the team's "experts," and I use the term tremendously loosely as they're only experts in collecting large paychecks, had WR as even a depth concern going into the draft when as with you I see a glaring hole at one starting WR spot since as we agree, Woods is at best a reliable 3rd/slot. Meanwhile, two seasons ago Whaley sold the farm to get Watkins, when this year comparable talent was sitting right there without the run on WRs having yet occurred, and we could have had a WR equal to or perhaps even better than Watkins in traffic as there were several, all taken in the run immediately following our first pick. We could have then had Cody Whitehair to solidify the OL and give our RT a shot at goodness as well. Meanwhile, Watkins has struggled with injuries since he's been on the team and Woods was hurt for a significant portion of last season, yet, our marvelous brainiacs at OBD apparently haven't thought about what happens if in the high likelihood that one of the two gets hurt and misses significant time. Meanwhile, they bolster the rushing game with a RB that doesn't catch the ball, and stockpile the D with run defenders as if this is 1988. All the while not one person in the Bills sports media bothers to point out that 35 sacks from Schwartz's D were gotten from players still on this team, it's just that Ryan can't get them from those players. Apparently run defenders will help. Prior to the draft the talk, here and elsewhere, was about how we needed pass rushers. So we get run defenders and everyone applauds Whaley. 5-7 wins this season, if Taylor, Watkins, Woods, or Glenn go down, we'll be lucky to win any games at all from that point onward.

Uhhhh, maybe because he's averaged only 600 yards and fewer than 4 TDs per season in three seasons while averaging only 12 ypr and cannot even be considered a bona fide starter. Why do you think? Sounds as if you think a WR like that can carry a team otherwise. Do you think that's true? Objective football fans realize that Woods, in an era where passing is made easy, is putting up #3 numbers tops. We absolutely need to draft a WR in round 1/2 that excels in catching passes where Taylor puts them. Watkins can fly, we've had enough flyers over the years, 90-some percent of passes, particularly Brady's, are of the short, not deep, variety.

Click on the Bills and you can calculate it for any year or set of years that you want. You can do all odd-numbered years, even, every third, pick any 2, 3, 7 at random, whatever. The numbers are there, just add and take an average. Our average over the time frame chosen is 10.79, for instance, it took me about 60 seconds to calculate the last three years; 5.14 Last six years: 6.90 (2010 - 2015) 2006 - 2009: 10.82 2001=2005: 12.62 Last five years: 7.13 Last 10 years: 8.52 Last 15 years: 9.91 By year: 2015: 2.67 2014: 7.43 2013: 5.25 2012: 9.22 2011: 10.67 2010: 5.89 2009: 13.00 2008: 9.00 2007: 7.71 2006: 15.11 2005: 4.33 2004: 12.83 2003: 18.50 2002: 10.20 2001: 13.08 2000: 2.63 1999: 8.56 1998: 8.50 1997: 7.33 1996: 15.20 You're welcome!

One question, what's our history on Whaley's watch over the last six drafts for picks 49th and after? There have been 36 of them? After having done that research, what would you rather have, Goff, or those picks? OK Neither has proven that they can even stay healthy. If you think that Miller is good we'll simply have to agree to disagree. As with Williams, seriously?, he's another player that's been more hype than solid. He had two good games, both played in Florida where he's from. He was horrible in six games and missed most of the rest. Against anyone but the Fins he had 72 carries for 297 yards, an avg. of a very pedestrian 4.1, and 3 rushing TDs in 9 other games. He missed the rest. So it would seem that unless we play Miami he's really not very good. We only have two Miami games. Factor in that he was injury prone, along with Miller, and that's one of the differences on why some people support Whaley and some don't. We're not going to become a top team by drafting the likes of Miller and Williams.

IDK, the last decent Cal QB to come out sat for years prior to becoming one of the league's best. Two things though, and while I don't necessarily buy in to the thus far not formally stated notion that either Whaley or Wrecks are gone following the season if we don't make the playoffs, and while IMO neither should be here now, sitting or not, I just don't see us making the playoffs. It's wise to expect a below-average D and a slightly-better-than-average-at-best offense. Taylor, and I'm a fan of his, simply hasn't made the types of throws that top NFL QBs make. He also did not improve as the season wore on, he got slightly worse statistically. If we enter this season with just Taylor we may very well regret it. IMO unless Taylor comes out of the gates swinging to unclearly be our new franchise QB, if we had Goff on the roster he would be playing by week five or six. The new rules favoring the passing game have made the transition for QBs into the NFL much easier than it used to be.

For once, and given the circumstances of yet another draft that produces only 1-2 players, I would be quite content. While some seem to be arguing against it, given the support for that ridiculous Watkins trade, I have to think that if we made a similar trade to land Goff, it should go over at least as well. Wouldn't you think?

Agreed, but if they trade up with the Titans to grab Goff, who I think can be gotten for a swap of this year's firsts plus next year's since right now next year's is looking pretty choice to the objective football world, and maybe another pick or two, it would be a good thing. We have to look at history here. Whaley's done almost nothing with picks from the 3rd round and lower. Almost all complete washouts and very limited role players at best. Granted, depends upon one's assessment, but Karlos Williams had two good games, both in Florida where he played but otherwise couldn't stay on the field and wasn't good in most other games. Preston Brown is a low-end starter tops but hardly solid as a starter. Besides Bradham, who's no longer with the team, in the six Drafts that Whaley's been in charge of there isn't one other notable pick. Picks 5-7 have all been a complete washout. Our 2nds have been average at best, producing players like Darby and Glenn as being very good, Aaron Williams and Woods as being OK, and Kouandjio and Troop as washouts. Then there's Alonso who already has injury issues like Watkins does. For the five 1st's we've had, Spiller and Manuel were busts, again, something that many here argued against for years re: Spiller. Gilmore and Dareus were seemingly solid picks although neither earth-shattering given that they were 10th and 3rd overall. The trade to land Watkins was silly and a major grasp as Whaley was desperately acting purely in his own interests and not the team's by attempting to salvage his GM career prior to knowing the outcome of the post-Wilson era. As such, my expectations for this Draft are the same, absolutely nothing of value in rounds 3-7 and one good player in either round 1 or 2, maybe a marginal type starting player in the other of those two picks. So for me, given our current leadership situation, I would not at all complain if they traded up with Tennessee to get Goff, but Goff only. No other QB in this draft besides Wentz is worth taking prior to round 3, not one. I'd love to have Goff and IMO he would provide hope for the future. He likely wouldn't do much for us this season although who knows, in this passing fostered league he might. Hopefully we'd still have our 2nd and could take a WR this year. But we're not going to cut it on D this season, so we have to make any inroads via offense. Right now we don't have the horses in the passing game to do that in terms of receivers. Watkins is good but not great and massively inconsistent, more so than most of the top receivers in his draft class. Most of his good games are not against the better teams on our schedule. Woods is a 2/3 WR tops. Harvin's too neurotic and inconsistent and given his PMS-like disposition he's entirely unreliable. Clay, ... well, we'll see. If Taylor backsteps, like RGIII, and now that there's a bit of film on him and given that he played better in the first half than the second last year, then we'll need a QB, both now and for the future. So why not. Either way, this isn't to get into a discussion as to the 2nd-rounders or 1st-rounders as opinions will vary, but rather to state the obvious that on Whaley's 6-year watch in the role of draft organizer we've done hardly anything with our picks from the 3rd on out,

OK But once again we have here on your part only a half-reading of the situation. Hanrahan is not also Asst. GM now, is he. And frankly, the transparent, at least to the astute, manner in which they handled Nix's "retirement/quitting," was shameful. They essentially stripped Nix of his duties in November at the end of one season while making it unofficial but clear that Whaley would replace him at some imminent point in the short/medium-term future, and then left Nix dangling in the wind to buy a season of a scapegoat for Whaley and those that would remain and then allowed Whaley to conduct that sorry 2013 Draft that currently has one less-than-starting-caliber player on the team while allowing, or at least trying to allow by those that would be fooled by it, Nix to take the blame for it, again, when per the video above the single biggest draft pick in that draft was Whaley's brainchild, and again, not by my words, but by Whaley's own words. He realized that his future should have been tied to that pick, ironic that the fans support his lackluster drafting since then, which have produced hardly anything worth mentioning after round 2 not to mention one idiotic trade up. Many fans deserve this team as it now is. The point is that it really doesn't matter what you or I believe if facts are present. Those annoying facts, always getting in the way of a good argument. The fact is that Whaley has admitted that it was his pick. Shouldn't that end the argument? It did for me years ago. Why it hasn't for some people only leaves those of us being able to pick up on that fact to speculate on why not, but certainly emotional favoritism is hardly out of the mix of potential reasons. Those aren't driven by facts however, they're driven by personal preference. So unless people think that Whaley lied, another possibility I guess, although one that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and if that's the case, then what's the use of keeping a liar of a GM in place.

OK The info is out there. There was no intent at a personal attack, but when you cite sources like ESPN of all things, I mean really, does it need to be explained that ESPN is beyond worthless. People relying on them for factual info are among the most uninformed and ignorant (of the actual topic matter that is) in this arena. I get it otherwise, implicitly the option here is that iyo Whaley's role was purely cosmetic. I disagree. I chalk it all up to some of the biggest incompetence that any NFL team has ever seen. This is why sports jobs are great, there's very little actual accountability for people making millions and particularly the talking heads on TV/internet. They can say whatever they want, be 100% wrong, and then return to the office in the a.m. and continue working as if nothing ever happened. Then again, sports is not a life and death matter either, so in one sense what difference does it make. Our options as fans are to support the outcomes or not to. As for me, I support the team, but I will not support it with my wallet until, if ever, they pull their act together. Not one dime. That's our only recourse. Either way, I've heard people here insist that Manuel was Nix's pick when Nix is on record merely as having "supported" the pick, while Whaley's on video record saying the following; It can't possibly be made any clearer that by Whaley's own words Manuel was his choice, not to mention his follow-ups like that ludicrous trade for Watkins, which after the season more people will agree, to cover his own tracks, yet, people argue against Whaley's own words on record. And people seeing the obvious are supposed to take that serious and think that those fans know what they're talking about? OK

Say what people here will say, Nix was not brought in to lead the personnel process. The team has said so and I even provided the original link to Whaley's hiring. Otherwise, how completely idiotic would it have been, and not saying it wasn't, to hire Whaley to then oversee personnel which the GM is typically entrusted with. Back at the time the organization was at a fork in the road and coming off of a decade of grand incompetence, and not that that hasn't been extended by six more seasons or anything, just saying. They wanted to hedge their decisions on all fronts but as usual, Brandon & Co. just didn't nor do have a clue. Otherwise we wouldn't be the poster-team for NFL futility right now and beyond criticism by others for no other reason than sheer pity.

Not a big fan of trading up in the draft, but if ever there was a shot at a poke-n-hope I'd trade up, in Watkins type fashion, for Goff. I'm not one that buys into the notion Whaley and/or Wrecks will be gone after this season if they don't make the playoffs, so who knows what's really driving things, but if that's true, that they're history if we don't make the playoffs, they'll have to make any inroad via offense. Not that a rookie QB is going to be all that, but if he offers enough hope after a rookie season then it may cause Pegs to yield a stay of execution for them. Might not be bad for the team either since Whaley's been horrid at 3rd and later picks anyway in six seasons. Otherwise, moving up but not into the 1st isn't going to do anything for us. I'd expect them to go WR in round 1 where some good ones will be available at 19th. If it is true that Whaley and Wrecks are on a very short one-season leash, then trading down for them would be a mistake. Also, with who-knows-who as the next coach, it doesn't necessarily even make any long-term sense. So for that reason, on a one-time basis, I'd be among those suggesting that at trade up to land Goff would be a good move.

And this is why we have clueless fans. Selective memory/research. So they brought Whaley on as Asst. GM/Director of Pro Personnel just for kicks and giggles. Sure, I see. OK. Meanwhile, I'll defer to the official position of the team and you can defer to whatever nonsense and bilge that places like ESPN puts out. http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-3/Whaley-named-Asst-GMDirector-Pro-Personnel/f2444030-483e-403c-bb59-204c46f3d4d8 I'll even excerpt the relevant point for you: "He will oversee the franchise’s pro personnel department as well as assist General Manager Buddy Nix in all football-related administrative duties and in the college talent evaluation process." Frankly, the whole debacle was yet one more brick in the road of "what the hell were they thinking/doing," particularly as it now turns out. Meanwhile, this debate about whose pick Manuel was, Whaley's or Nix's, is among the most senseless discussions on the internet. Whaley's fully on video talking about it was all but directly his pick, yet, for some unbeknownst reason the experts here seems to know better than Whaley himself. There are good jobs out there, very well paying, for people that can read other peoples' minds. What's funny is that alongside the ESPN link that you posted ESPN also posts the same one that bb.com did, thereby directly contradicting themselves. Some people have learned to navigate around sites like ESPN for that very reason. Take note.

Definitely debatable on the talent being better. That would mean that we've had buffoons as coaches. The way that I see it is that the stars merely aligned last season for a good D, but otherwise the talent's been about the same. We've had much better LBs in the past, Kyle Williams predated both Nix and Whaley and the DB situation hasn't really changed much other than recently last season with Darby. Offensively it's been a dumpster fire for years with players rotating in/out.

You're one of the very few that seems to understand that despite it having been articulated by the team repeatedly in the past. Nix was brought on to conduct damage control at the league level and to reorient a sinking ship. Not saying he did that, he didn't. But that's why they brought him on. No one here can find any credible info that states that Nix was brought on for his personnel/player savvy. He wasn't that kind of GM which is why all but immediately Whaley was hired as his sidekick to be Asst. GM. Unfortunately the distinction has merely allowed for excuse-making for those that seem to be under the delusion that Whaley's even average as a GM much less more when he's been below average. 6 seasons while head of personnel without even a single playoff appearance with only one weak winning season should be more than enough to make that clear. On top of that, and adding insult to injury for Nix, they essentially stripped Nix of any authority, not to mention dignity, when they essentially stated that he wouldn't be the GM any longer but allowed him to retain the title for about half-a-year as Whaley took control of the con yet while Nix, at least among Whaley apologists, became the scapegoat for things that went wrong during that time period.

Nix's first order of business was to sign Whaley to handle the personnel side of the house, which is why he was Asst. GM/Director of Pro Personnel. Why people are beleaguered in understanding that is perplexing. Nix was never a personnel guy, Brandon et al knew this full well. Nix was hired for his savvy in navigating the NFL more in an administrative sense and for, theoretically anyway, being able to hire the right people to get the job(s) done. Whaley has been in charge of personnel ever since he was hired, he himself has stated that Manuel was his baby despite people not seemingly wanting to believe Whaley's own words in the matter. I don't really see much of a Nix v. Whaley on the personnel side of this since Whaley's been the personnel head for 6 seasons now, 6 seasons that have resulted in a cumulative 39-57. What backs that up tho? All I see is 39-57, not much different if even better under the old boss(es).

Agreed. I'll challenge Carruci too, and this is how lies and bad history get started. He writes this; Ryan's defensive coaching record was far from sterling, I don't know why some think it was so good. His Jets were 1st and 6th in scoring D in his first two seasons, but then fell to 20th, 20th, 19th, and 24th. We were 15th this past season, above average for Ryan. So perhaps that's the reality. People write stuff without researching much less thinking, and it becomes fact by default ala the "if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth." There's no basis for believing that Ryan's going to turn this unit around.

Cheer up Buckaroo! According to most here Whaley's done a spectacular job. LOL

That's exactly right. The O was better by over 2 ppg while the D was worse by over 4 ppg. Had this D performed like last season's D I see no reason why we could not have been 12-4, perhaps a game better, with at least one victory, maybe both, over the Pats. The problem? Rex. He was supposed to be a D guru. Instead he merely proved the NY media 100% correct. I also think he's lost his heart to coach. He said upon coming here that this is his last coaching gig. I don't see the hunger in him for a championship that I see in other coaches. Pure speculation, but IMO he's already said F-it, I've got my 20-some million, what can they do to me but fire me, and if they do I'll take the contract money and run. If he's not going to get another coaching job he'll get every dime. This nonsense about his D schemes being so complex is ludicrous. I'm not arguing that that's not so, but given that it is so, it's terminally impractical in today's NFL where teams are fortunate to keep their units together for two, much less three or four years. It's an uphill battle with attrition, and the now storied "continuity" since every time a key player changes there's no continuity and it threatens to derail the "understanding" of the D for the entire unit. This season we had quite seasoned top-notch defensive players that excelled last season stating that it took them a full season to merely begin to understand Ryan's schemes. That is impractical these days. Maybe in the 80's it would have worked when you could keep a team together for the lack of free agency, but not today where players change teams like we change channels it's something that won't work. As it was in NY Ryan's scoring D's only got worse, regressing from, rather plummeting from, 1st to 24th on his watch from '09 to '14. It dropped permanently from 6th to 20th from Ryan's 2nd to 3rd seasons after having dropped from 1st to 6th from his 1st to 2nd seasons. Is it really that suprising that ours dropped from 4th to 15th this past year? Seems to me we can expect it to drop a few more spots this season where, if history holds, it'll linger and still regress a little until Ryan's no longer the coach. That's what the facts tell us. I think he's a guy that's just so full of himself that he can't see clearly. He's obsessed with talk over walk and has been ever since he's been a head coach. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results ...

Pro sports teams get those tax breaks too. None of it is right, but to say that others get it so it's OK, if that's what you're suggesting, doesn't alter the argument. Every business should run on its own. As for me, I much prefer to support those that do over those that do not. As well, it's one thing to lure a company with tax breaks, but no one "pays" for that, unlike interest/financing on a stadium, which is typically more than the cost of the stadium itself, which is paid directly by taxpayers. A tax break is just that, a break from having to pay something, usually for a corporation and for whatever reasons it may be. That does not entail taxpayers paying for that business' expenses however contrasted with them having to pick up the financing, often more, on stadiums. There is a difference. Either way, for me, it comes down to simple enjoyment, ... or not. Too many commericals, too many delays in games, games routinely taking well over 3-and-a-half hours to finish, officiating issues, etc. That's for TV. For our Bills, uncomfortable seats, hassles getting in and being treated like a criminal, time expense, cash expense. Until this team sorts itself out, as I said, I'd rather take the same amount of money and go patronize a local microbrewery or restaurant. There's that too. At some point due to the 24-hour news cycle cries of "no mas" emerge. Football was much better when it was Sundays at 1 and 4 and MNF only. Fantasy Football online, IMO, has contributed to ruining the game. FF was fun when we had to do our own stats etc. Just my two cents. You're right though, a huge part of it is the scrambling to find relevant news, with "relevant" being entirely debatable, such that the NFL has turned largely into an ongoing soap opera. I mean Pro Football Talk has a police blotter link. A non-profit, the NFL?

or trying to recover. Yet, they're still in business and some of the salaries/contracts are of ludicrous speed. The core issue is that pro sports now cater primarily to the wealthy and no longer to the common blue-collar working stiff and middle class person.

LOL