mjt328

A fanbase cannot be judged until they are forced to support a bad product. Really? How hard has it been to support a team like New England or Pittsburgh, knowing they will always be in contention for a Super Bowl? The Patriots haven't been bad in 20+ years now, so how can anyone consider it impressive for them to fill out their stadium? The Browns have never won a Super Bowl. They are regularly one of the worst teams in football. The NFL even moved their team to Baltimore. Yet they continue to pack out their stadium and sell-out games. That is a great fanbase. Same thing with us. The Bills haven't made the playoffs in 15 years, but the team continually gets exceptional support.

Not a great start to the thread. I definitely disagree with your "truth" and I see I'm not alone. Watching around the NFL, I see bubble screens being extremely successful around the NFL with lots of receivers of all sizes. I've heard the Bills don't like running those plays because Tyrod Taylor doesn't have a quick enough release. Is it true? Who knows. The Bills didn't do them with Kyle Orton under center either.

The link you posted was passing attempts. "One big dirty stat" as you put it. And I'm telling you that ATTEMPTS doesn't matter. Passing more times and running less isn't going to make the Buffalo Bills a better offense. In fact, it will probably make us a significantly worse team. The best parts of our team are LeSean McCoy running the ball and Tyrod Taylor scrambling. If you want to argue that Taylor needs to get better throwing the ball, I'm with you. I will agree with you 100%. He needs to get better as a pocket passer. He needs to get better using his arm. He needs to get better with accuracy and quick decision making. Absolutely no doubt in my mind. But getting better and more efficient at passing is NOT THE SAME as passing the ball more frequently. And I don't understand why so many Bills fans have trouble understanding this fact. We don't need to become a team that passes all the time to be successful. We just need to get better WHEN we pass the ball.

Ugh. This again. According to the link you posted, the following teams were Top 5 in pass attempts: Baltimore, New Orleans, Arizona, Green Bay, Jacksonville One playoff team in the bunch, with a combined record of 35-44-1. The Super Bowl champion Patriots ranked 13th. The NFC champion Falcons ranked 27th. Again. It doesn't matter how much you pass or how much you run. It matters how much you score, and stop the other team from scoring. Your own link disproved whatever you were trying to say.

Most of this statement is short-sighted and incorrect. The marks of a good offense are POINTS SCORED, AVOIDING TURNOVERS and EFFICIENCY. How a team manages to accomplish these things (running or passing) is completely and totally irrelevant. Does this mean our passing game is good enough right now? Absolutely not. There are going to be times where the team is behind without much time on the clock, and Tyrod Taylor is forced to move the ball with his arm. These are moments when the run game will not help and the QB can't afford to play it safe. We need Tyrod to get better in these moments. No doubt. But I hate when people suggest the Bills should just forget the run and become a passing team, because "that's what wins in the NFL." It's just not true.

Most people would say the best cornerbacks in the NFL are those who are excellent at 1-on-1 man coverage. Not to say that "zone guys" are not talented, but their task is probably a little easier. For example... As good as Richard Sherman is (Seattle plays mostly zone/Cover 3), his ability has never approached what Darrell Revis offered the Jets in his prime. The ability to shut down an opposing receiver by himself, with no help. I'm not sure Sherman would be considered elite, if he didn't have Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor behind him - not to mention an all-world defense around him. The Bills are going to play mostly zone coverage now. That doesn't mean we can get by with scrubs at cornerback. But it does mean that our CBs won't need to be shut-down to succeed (like Ryan's defense seemed to require).

I think the article is "trying" to say that Marcel Dareus may not fit Sean McDermott's defense, because the new coach isn't going to tolerate his off-field nonsense. I don't think it's referring to his fit in the 4-3 scheme. Either way, the article is written poorly, has a misleading headline and has very little substance.

Cap issues fluctuate frequently. Sometimes 1-2 signings or cuts can completely change a team's position. Go back to the 2015 offseason, and the Bills were in a fantastic position with the salary cap and went on a spending spree. A year later, they pretty much just had the money to re-sign their own guys. This offseason they couldn't really afford to even do that. A few cuts and moves later, they are back into position to make a move for Jeremy Maclin. Truthfully, looking at salary cap space tells you nothing about how smart or stupid a team is. Nobody can afford to sign everyone. And the more good players a team drafts, the harder it will be to keep everyone under the salary cap. People just wanted to use the "cap hell" excuse as another strike against Doug Whaley and the Bills front office. To specifically answer your questions though: 1. The Chiefs have been a very well run team the last several years, and with a better QB may be true Super Bowl contenders. The team deemed Jeremy Maclin expendable because they managed to draft Tyreek Hill in the 5th Round, and they believe he can be a #1 WR for them. Finding gems in the late rounds would be one of the signs of a good front office. 2. The Bills lost quite a few free agents and cut others. They were unable to land several of their offseason targets. So they have some extra money to spend, and this would be a good use of it. 3. Proof the Ravens are "better run" is in the wins. Not in salary cap figures.

I can't see why anyone would be against us signing Jeremy Maclin, especially on a short-term deal. There really is no downside. 1) In my opinion, he is a better player than Robert Woods. And there is a good possibility we can get him $1-2 million per year cheaper than what it would have taken to retain Woods. 2) Free agency is over. Draft picks are signed. We still have plenty of unused cap space.

Our team sucking for the last 15 years takes nothing away from the greatness of the 90's teams. While the Bills have struggled on the field, I have still very much enjoyed watching all those contributors (Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, James Lofton, Bruce Smith, Ralph Wilson, Bill Polian and Marv Levy) get inducted into the Hall of Fame. Although we never won a Super Bowl, seeing all those guys getting rewarded for their play does bring some justification.

It's hard to judge the upcoming season on talent adds/losses alone. The biggest change is going to be a new coaching staff (with a rookie head coach, no less). This means new philosophies and game plans. New schemes and playbooks on both sides of the ball. Nobody can really know what to expect. Good or bad. Some players will be stronger fits for the new system. But it's possible other players will really struggle to adapt to the changes. It also may take some time for the players to come together and execute to their full potential in the new schemes. Not to mention, the Bills will likely have (at least) three starters who have never played an NFL snap. Reggie Ragland, Tre'Davious White and Zay Jones are probably early favorites to earn starting roles as first year players. It's quite possible that Dion Dawkins pushes that number to four by the start of the season.

Many of us have been pointing this out for the last 2-3 years. While Doug Whaley was certainly good at picking up veteran talent, his drafts were just not good enough. I do believe that some of this can be attributed to coaching turnover. But not all of it. At some point, a GM must be able to just find good players that can fit any scheme. Hopefully this changes with the new regime.

We shall see. The most successful franchises in the NFL are often the ones who are innovative and go against the grain. Not the copycats who are always 1-2 years behind. So it's interesting to see the league's longest suffering teams trying a completely different approach than the rest of the NFL. - The Cleveland Browns are using the "moneyball" approach to drafting, and loading up on high round picks. - The Buffalo Bills flipped the hiring schedule backwards, allowing themselves to remake their front office without being blocked by current employers.

It's not about young or old. It's not about humble or egotistic. It's not about whether a coach is brand-new or recycled. You will see versions of all different approaches successful throughout the NFL. If the Bills are going to be successful, then the Sean McDermott/Brandon Beane collaboration will simply need to be smarter and better than the other NFL front offices. They will have to make brilliant decisions about roster building, drafting, extending contracts, etc. The talent will need to be properly used on the field, in ways that we can win the vast majority of our games. It sounds like common sense, but I think fans get too caught up in style instead of substance.

Even if McDermott/Beane are the perfect pairing, there may be some growing pains early. It's very rare that a team overhauls its coaching staff and front office, then takes a big step forward the next season. It usually takes the players time to adapt on the field to the coaching changes, and it takes some time for the GM's work to filter down through the roster. There are some reasons to be optimistic, and hope we are the exception to the rule however: 1. Rick Dennison was Tyrod Taylor's QB coach for a year, and allegedly tried to recruit him to the Broncos. He should be very familiar with what Taylor does well and what he struggles with, so hopefully that means a step forward instead of a step backwards. 2. The offensive line is experience with zone blocking concepts, so hopefully the change up front won't be a problem for the run game. LeSean McCoy seems to excel in any scheme anyway. 3. Our defense never really fit Rex Ryan's 3-4 scheme, and most of our players are very familiar with the 4-3 system. This could be more of a return to what we do best, instead of just another scheme overhaul. 4. Even if we struggle badly and lose a lot of games, that could put us in a better position for one of next year's top QBs.

I think the bigger factor is his health. Even more than his actual stats/production. Sammy's foot has progressively gotten worse over the last 2 seasons, and nobody knows for sure how it will respond going forward. Remember, he first had surgery after the 2015 season and missed all of OTAs last year. Everyone believed he was 100% and good to go Week 1. But then he re-aggravated the injury, played hurt for awhile and then missed half the season in Injured Reserve. Maybe another surgery fixes the problem for good. Maybe it doesn't. If Sammy plays 16 games without a setback, then I think we can be confident the foot injury is finally behind him. But if he ends up re-aggravating it again, we may have to consider that Sammy will never be the same guy again and the foot will be a problem the rest of his career.

Under the Pegulas, the Bills do not have a "cheap" mentality. I can guarantee you they are pulling for Sammy Watkins to come back 100% healthy and to become a Pro-Bowl receiver going forward. Just like I can guarantee you they are pulling for Tyrod Taylor to take a big step in his development, and become a hands-down franchise quarterback. They are not hoping for these guys to fail, just so they can get away without giving them a big $$$ extension. The Bills front office is just being cautious, and playing it safe before locking themselves into big/long-term contracts. Personally, I think it's a smart avenue to take.

Even if the draft board wasn't "set" back in January, I'm sure the Carolina coaching staff knew what players/positions the team happened to be interested in. That is one of the main reasons (if not the primary reason) that Doug Whaley wasn't fired until after the draft. Even back in early January, Whaley had tons of information that could have assisted other teams in knowing the Bills strategy. Sean McDermott didn't need a mole inside the Panthers' draft room. If he was truly in control of this year's draft, then I would imagine a good chunk of his intel on prospects came from his time with the Panthers, and not just the last 4 months on the Buffalo staff. That should just be common sense. Not a conspiracy theory. Not to mention, this GM search was never a slam-dunk for anyone. The Pegulas are making the hire and not McDermott. It was only 4 months ago that Anthony Lynn was pretty much guaranteed the coaching job, and the whole interview process was being called a show for the public. Well, we all know how that went. Maybe the Pegulas go with Brandon Beane, because he is a legitimate GM candidate with strong ties to our head coach. Maybe they go in a completely different direction. It would be foolish for Beane to help out another NFL team, without 100% knowing he was going to get the job.

Not sure how Carucci has come to this conclusion. There are way too many unknowns for him to be making assumptions like this. First of all, the Bills haven't even hired a General Manager yet. So one of the main people making roster decisions is not even in the building. So how can Carruci know what that guy thinks about Sammy Watkins? The only person Carucci could possibly try and get a "read on" is Sean McDermott. And from McDermott's statement this week, it's pretty clear this decision was based completely on Watkins health and injury concerns. If Watkins comes out in 2017 and stays 100% healthy, while playing like one of the best WRs in the league, I have a hard time believing the Bills wouldn't even consider bringing him back.

I think the Bills have legitimate concern that Sammy Watkins' foot will never fully recover. If the Bills were to pickup his 5th Year Option, that would fully guarantee him $13 million in 2018. Imagine if Watkins foot gives out again this year. Maybe it requires another surgery, or severely hampers his ability to perform on the field (just like it did last season). That option would be giving Watkins Top 5-10 Wide Receiver money for a guy that misses half the season and is hurting every time he's actually suited up. We aren't talking about a cheap rookie contract. The 5th Year Option is cheaper than Unrestricted Free Agency, but it's not cheap. By declining the 5th Year Option, the Bills would STILL have the ability to franchise Watkins for around $16 million (for up to two years, keeping him in Buffalo for 2018-2019). They don't need to let him walk next year. Their decision in no way stops them from retaining Watkins rights for at least the next 3 seasons, if they truly believe he is worth the money. And nothing is stopping them from working out a long-term deal at any point along the way. It's basically a $13 million risk versus a $3 million risk. If Watkins proves his foot can withstand 16 games, I believe the Bills will make every effort to give him a long-term extension. But if he has another setback with that foot, it's time to start considering him damaged goods. A Wide Receiver with foot problems is never going to reach his potential, and things will only get worse as he gets older.

No serious character concerns? I loved Reuben Foster as a prospect, and thought he was an excellent fit in our defense. But the guy was a walking red flag. The pre-draft process is a football player's equivalent of a job interview. Foster was not only kicked out of the combine for an "altercation" with a hospital employee, but he also failed a drug test. Even if his "drank too much water" excuse is legit, it still shows ridiculously poor judgement with millions of dollars on the line.

The Patriots are an average drafting team, and have been for a very long time. Their success is built mostly on Tom Brady at QB, and Bill Belichick's unbelievable ability to get production from decent "role players." Once Brady/Belichick are gone, that team is going to fall hard. If you don't have a Hall of Fame QB or Head Coach, your standards for drafting must be higher. Especially when your team is constantly picking Top 10-15. Doug Whaley hasn't been a complete train wreck in the draft. He usually lands 1-2 solid players each year. Which is enough to keep us floating around .500, but not enough to push us over the top. To stay a contender, I believe a GM needs to land a franchise QB and consistently get (at least) 3 solid starters per draft.

It's hard to be optimistic after the last 15+ years of watching this pathetic organization. Firing coaches, scouts and front office personnel is only a small part of the equation. We've done it dozens of times before, only to circle back to the same place of losing and mediocrity. The only way the Buffalo Bills will ever get better is by hiring brilliant football people to run the place from the top down. I'm not upset about Doug Whaley getting fired. The guy was a mixed bag - with some really good moves in free agency and making trades, but also a very average record with drafting and constant rumblings about him clashing with coaches. An argument can be made that he deserved another year. But he also made plenty of mistakes worthy of termination. Whaley certainly wasn't dreadful as GM. But in the 3-4 years he's been running the team, it's hard to see any real progress. Kicking him and the scouting staff out the door gives us a clean slate. Now it all depends on who we bring as replacements at One Bills Drive. Unfortunately, watching Terry Pegula stumble over himself at the press conference yesterday gives me very little confidence he can find the right General Manager to take Whaley's place. I truly believe the man wants to win for the Buffalo community, and is willing to shell out the money to do so. But I truly question his ability to bring in the right people. The front office organization comes across as a complete mess, with no leadership, no direction, no accountability and no clear indication of who will be running the show. Sean McDermott seems like a nice guy, and he's had some success as a Defensive Coordinator in this league. People like him because he's disciplined and organized, and is well respected around the league. (Basically the opposite of Rex Ryan). But at the end of the day, it all comes down to winning. Not personality. By late September, the honeymoon will be over and fans will demand results.

The Bills started with 6 picks. 1, 2, 3, 5, 5, 6 As of right now, the Bills have 6 picks 1, 2, 2, 5, 5, 6 And they added another 1st Rounder for next year. I think the trading around worked.

You are getting way too hung up on the position we drafted and not the player. Every single team goes through the cycle of drafting players, then watching those players walk out the door as Free Agents. It's not a Buffalo Bills phenomenon. Because of the salary cap, it's impossible to re-sign everybody. The key to getting ahead of the game is: 1) Keep the pipeline full by hitting on enough of your draft picks 2) Make smart decisions about which players to extend, and which players to let go 3) Try to find the bargains in free agency 4) If you do hand out a big free agent contract, that player better make a huge impact In my opinion, letting Stephon Gilmore leave was a smart decision. Yes, it created a hole. But his overpriced salary would have eventually (if not this year, then 1-2 years down the road) created a burden on the salary cap, that wasn't worth it for his impact on the field. Now if he was Darrelle Revis in his prime, or Richard Sherman, or Patrick Peterson, then his impact may have been worth that salary. But I just saw too much inconsistent play out of the guy. In my opinion, drafting Tre'Davious White was also a smart decision. Many of the top analysts and draft sites had White ranked as the #2 CB in one of the deepest secondary drafts in decades. We got him at #27, after adding a 1st Rounder next year and a 3rd Rounder this year. The fact that Gilmore and White play the same position means absolutely nothing. The Bills also paid Terrence McGee. Out of all the guys you mentioned not being re-signed, how many were actually mistakes? Marshawn Lynch (who was traded because of off-field problems) Jason Peters (who you didn't mention, but definitely should be on the list) All of the other guys completely busted as Free Agent signings, or were nothing more than solid/decent.