BigBuff423

I definitely sound like a broken record, but let's keep in mind Beane and McD have found Draft gold all over the place from the early rounds - as they're supposed to - to Milano in the 5th, Taron Johnson in the 4th, to Wallace and Foster as UDFAs - who were listed among PFF's elite. Teller was a 5th - jury is still out but he seemed to make some developmental strides last year. So, while I won't second guess anything Beane and his team do on Draft weekend, I don't know that giving away all picks from the 4th after mean you're necessarily getting a better player either. All of that said, I can finally say after so many miserable years, the Bills have a plan and at least thus far, seem to know what in the hell they're doing....that....is refreshing.

I think we should all remember the Bills have historically undervalued Offensive Line since the Kelly-Levy era ended. To me, this is exactly what we've all wanted. A GM and HC invested in the second most important position group in the sport: Offensive Line to protect and aid THE most important position in the sport: QB. We don't get to complain for going on 20 years about how bad the Bills have handled the Offensive Line, only to see them take their QB the first year and then go heavy Offensive Line the next year and keep a straight face or any credibility for that matter. Now, does that mean I think they should go all in on that position group in the first two rounds? No. But, that said. If they're going to err on the side of caution and target Offensive Line in the 2nd and 3rd, I completely understand that as well considering all their fortunes are tied to Josh Allen. No QB can throw behind a terrible line - so making darn sure they have the talent and monsters on the line to do just that - protect their future and generate a Running game - is fine by me. 1st round is probably Defense. But if they trade back, it could be a WR. However, given WR position value, I would prefer the Bills keep their picks where they are. Top 10 talent somewhere, 2nd & 3rd for guys who contribute early but aren't necessarily super stars, and then the rest are value picks. That said, Milano a 5th, Wallace and Foster UDFAs - so great players can come from anywhere. I really like this Off-season - and not because of big name splashes, but because there are value adds all over the page of this FA season which means it is strictly BPA for the Bills WITH a QB!!! This is the first time since Kelly that I can relax during this time of year and not have to think the Bills need to win the lotto to get good players.

The only thing I wish with this signing, was that it was for longer. That said, I also understand the Bills' perspective and his: both want a trial period to see how it goes and if it works out well, I think they both know they'll be paying a higher premium.

In a storied history of terrible takes on this board....*this* one, must be near the top 5.

This Draft is rife with DE / EDGE and DT talent and to trade for a player, unless the ask is minimal, does NOT make sense when the Draft is stacked in favor of a position of need. IMHO, you trade for a player when you can't get the level of player you want in FA or the Draft, like maybe LB for this Draft but you don't give away picks in a year when you'll have so many good to great ones to choose from that are younger, more team friendly contracts, and still have their premium years ahead of them. The exception would be a QB, but all other positions IMO, should start with this philosophy.

Good STs pick up.

Well, the 3rd / 4th round was more in reference to TE, but the way WRs are now valued in the NFL they become more about how they fit within the Offense then a truly dominant WR taken in the 1st round. Antonio Brown was a 6th, Doug Baldwin was a 5th, Edelman 7th round, Michael Thomas 2nd round, Jordy Nelson 2nd round, etc. with my only point being it doesn't need to be a 1st round WR. The league is littered with good to great WRs taken in the middle rounds. Of course there is Julio Jones, OBJ, AJ Green, but except for Julio, those great WRs don't translate to more wins. Pats, Seahawks, get average WRs to play extremely well within their system and don't spend high picks on WRs (typically) in the last seven to 10 years. That's the new NFL, IMHO.

I've been banging the table for years for this exact philosophy and for many of the reasons already stated. WR and TE are not "move the needle" type of positions and some of the best long-term WRs and TEs are those in the middle rounds: 3rd / 4th - especially TE! Bills need to build the lines, and then go skill positions. I think Beane and McD are doing that and working it to their advantage - since they got their QB last year.

I think I understand where you're coming from with this, but this also seems a bit like a pre-determined overreaction. Hypothetically, what if the Bills have a top 5 Offense and the Defense blows chunks and can't stop anyone and they go 6-10 or even 9-7 but miss the playoffs? That's Josh Allen's fault? I mean, come on....if the Bills have a top Defense AND Allen looks the same in year two, fair enough....then all the presume criticism is warranted. However, receivers need to catch the ball, the running game needs to have some production and he needs to be afforded average (at the least) protection to begin to evaluate him in his second year. IF and that's a huge IF, he continues the upward trajectory we saw in the final games last year, this will not be an issue - but we do need to keep all of these factors in mind before we determine our opinion, I would think.

Thanks Yolo; to me this is good news because they had the #2 Defense in the league last year and I want to see them to continue to build depth and talent.

But...that's kind of the point...you don't want those guys to be easy to tackle.

IMO, simply plugging good players into the Offensive Line doesn't equate a good Offensive Line. Variables such as the ability to gel and play as a single, cohesive unit come into play. So, while the Bills MUST throw money at the OL, I don't think they "need" to do it at every position. In other words, getting a Vet C IMHO is paramount to all other OL issues and then getting a great RT should be next on the list to make the talent and abilities stretch across the whole line. A very good Guard can be found in the Draft in the 3rd round or if it warrants it, not based on need but BPA, sooner. Defensive Line / WR / OG are not the areas I'd like the Bills to use "big" money on in FA. TE? Yes. C / RT? Yes. OLB? Yes. But the other positions are relative positions of strength for the Draft. So, I assume the Bills will get one or two WRs in FA, but I'm not the guy who thinks you can solve that issue by going after "a name". Give me a tremendous OL with a mix of Vets and youth, Vet TEs who can block and find the seam - along with Croom who was arguably their best TE last season and in his 3rd year should make a big leap forward, and a QB who is growing and maturing. THEN give me the WRs who are hungry to play at all times, in any situation (e.g. Foster) and I think you've established a revamped Offense.

I'm really not saying this because Brown spurned the Bills' advances, but I didn't / don't want Antonio Brown on this team. If it were the *Pats, fine....if it were the Seahawks, fine....but you have a young and developing QB with an emerging team. You don't want the distraction that comes with Brown and you want hungry, good role-modeling Vets to help the young QB. Unfortunately, too many WRs are divas so that means you buy your O-line in FA and build your WR corps through the Draft. Look at Foster.... that kid made every doubter look stupid (including me!). He came in, had a meh to poor beginning of the first year as an UDFA and then....torched teams once Allen came back. THAT's the kind of WR you want! Hungry, wants to work, willing to make team oriented sacrifices and willing to give his QB time to grow.

Yeah, this is my opinion as well. If the Bills are going to spend money ANYWHERE in the Off-season it NEEDS to be on good to great Offensive linemen because with a coming-of-age QB, he needs that Vet presence to provide stability and assistance. WRs are deep in this Draft, DL / DE are deep in this Draft, and TEs are hard to get to be good in the first two years so that's another area I'd prefer they go with Vet. I think they still need Offensive Linemen in depth so drafting one on day three, e.g. Teller, is perfect, but they need that anchor to hold the line.

To those who said McD doesn't get it or doesn't want to play in today's NFL with a high-powered Offense and is committed to putting those pieces in place, simply weren't paying attention. McD and Beane had a plan all along, the first year provided some false hope because the Defense played lights out and the caught some lucky bounces (all playoff teams do to some degree) and then their plan was further revealed when Richie and Wood retired leaving really big holes on the line. They emphasized their strengths on Defense and knew it was going to take a couple years to put their Offense together. Rome wasn't built in a day. That said, this is the year when we should see true, measurable improvement on Offense and the Defense shouldn't take a big step backwards. They may regress to the mean a little, but we should go top 5 to bottom 5 is my point. There will always be an ebb and flow of teams, even the *Cheats do this because personnel changes so drastically from year to year. But, I think we see a more complete team IMHO - Offense - Defense - Special Teams. How well they do with their record...that's another issue altogether.

Indy’s Offensive Line was arguably the best unit on that team and the most improved from the beginning to end. This means in my mind that he was an integral part of measurable growth and development. Something the Bills will desperately need in the next few years.

Honestly, I could see the Bills making him more of a pass catching TE than a WR. Plus, based on the video that's been shared so many times, he likes to put people in the ground. So, that's good for blocking.....I'd say? Truthfully, I don't know that he has the speed to play WR for the Bills based on the types of WRs they seem to favor thus far, but TE is not a huge leap for this young man and if he's committed, I think it adds a variable to the Offense.

Between Wallace and T. Johnson, I'd say the Bills scouts and coaching staff are nailing this DB thing. Additionally, Foster just put it all together and it adds credence to Beane's ability, with a tremendous amount of help from his scouting staff and personnel people, to unearth talent that goes unnoticed by many. Btw, for those who say, "Who cares about 4th and 5th Round Draft picks, they don't mean anything", please review Milano and T. Johnson (before their injuries) - in consecutive years folks, and try to convince me that the right FO and staff can't find talent ANYWHERE in the Draft. Add in Wallace and Foster, and you could make the argument that it can be found eve AFTER the Draft when scouted and coached properly.

I certainly understand the interest and the basic premise of the question and why it's relevant. However, in observing Super Bowl teams over the last 10 years, I just don't think a #1 WR is as important as it used to be. I would much rather spend the Draft capital in ways that to me, help the team in a more constructive way. By that I mean, the Bills would essentially give up a Rookie WR and Taron Johnson for AJ Green who is over 30 when this team is just starting to build off its youth AND there will be FAs available in some respect. I happen to think three #2 WRs are better than one #1 WR and that's basically what you're doing - piling all your WR eggs into one basket. Robert Foster and Zay Jones made tremendous strides in their first year. The Bills need two more really viable WR options and I think Drafting two WRs makes the most sense while also Drafting Offensive Line, LB, CB and Defensive Line are the best use of this year's Draft picks. Free Agency can also be Offensive Line, LB, CB, WR, and Defensive Line. Essentially mirroring the Draft because these are the areas the Bills need great depth and to improve overall on the roster. QBs are settled with the signing of Anderson and Barkley. TEs need to be addressed as well, first through FA and then another TE in the 4th. JMO. Btw, I'm aware that I've basically listed every position outside of Safety and QB....but, I'm not wrong. Bills need more talent depth at every position except those two.

Yeah, because McCarron and Coleman didn't count for much of the dead Cap. I realize it's a factor, but those came AFTER all the FA period was done and the Bills were rolling into the regular season. Whaley and his Cap Jail is what created the limited availability of options. Incognito and Wood retiring exacerbated that problem due to the accelerated Cap hits on their sudden retirements, when the plan was most likely to take the Cap hits in 2018 but they initially believed they'd have both to anchor that line. Now, if that happened this year - I'd agree there's no excuse for not finding suitable replacements because they'll have A TON of Cap space to work with and those hits would not have prohibited the Bills for paying for good value. So, we'll see how Beane handles this Off-season. But regardless of what comes for Opening Day, I'll reserve judgment until a quarter of the way through the season to think he did well, meh, or horrible. Because as we've seen, there are guys where most fans (including me), say, "Who?" when they get a guy and he turns out to be decent to very good.

I'm hoping it's him or SOMEONE who has this elite QB potential and is still available at 9.....let all the suitors come calling and the Bills can trade back. I know...it's a dream, but...hey, without them - there's nothing to wish for...so, I'll just hope something like that happens. And, I'll add this - man it feels good to be in this position for the first time since Kelly where you feel pretty good about their QB situation believing they've found their Franchise QB for the future and now, you're not "hoping" they find the guy. Now, you're hoping the can put the pieces around him to be successful.

I'm just wondering, when you say, "they", to whom are you referring?

Because the Colts have Luck, yes I agree. But taking an Offensive linemen that high without a franchise QB would be foolish, IMO. So, now with the Bills having Allen - yes, taking an Offensive lineman that high in the Draft, presuming it's warranted and not a reach, I'm good with it. At #9, I don't know anyone outside of Williams is worth that kind of Draft capital - but I haven't even started getting a good hold on the Draft eligible players. So, someone else I'm sure knows much better than I do. That said, I would expect the Bills to do something similar in terms of going all in on landing supporting talent for Josh on both the line and in terms of playmakers. I'm not one the guy who thinks you need a true #1 WR if the other WRs / TEs / RBs can all play well because we've seen in recent years where the teams that win, take this model. They get WRs who are 2s and 3s all over the field but put them in the right spot. Robert Foster and Zay Jones come to mind. Get two more like those two, and you're in good shape, regardless of who's #1 or #2 or #3, etc.

Oh dear God...so, an established Andrew Luck, able to Draft the best Offensive Linemen in the Draft, already having TY Hilton and so many high draft picks, what 3 2nd Rounders? None of that matters, right? Just Reich all by himself would have turned the fortunes of this franchise in his first year? Yeah, I like Reich and I think he's the right guy for where Indy is right now and they need to give him a few years to put it all together, but I seriously doubt much would have been different this year. Beane wanted to clear Cap space - it was the plan all along - and the Bills needed a Franchise QB and the highest they could go without leveraging so much more of their future was 7th overall and that was WITH giving up a great deal of picks and two players in Glenn and Tyrod to make that jump. Now, Allen may very well be a tremendous QB for the Bills for a long time - Dear God I'm crossing every finger and hoping so - but time will tell. However, if you think the Bills and the Colts were in the same position entering this year, I'm sorry but that is blatant delusional bias to fit an argument.

Ironic that you're asking me to "lay off man" after taking what was an innocuous post about wishing well to the Bills fans to the point of bitter sarcasm and condescension. My apologies if I didn't go along with or ignore what was an inept attempt at board-shaming a reasonable and affable poster over the years from a different team. On second thought...no, I'm not sorry. But hey, as long as you feel superior, right? Ok...I'm done. Have a nice day and Go Bills!