mjt328

Not every coach. The New England Patriots are the obvious and clear exception to the rule. Bill Belichick's ability to adapt scheme to player (and not vice versa) is the primary reason - possibly even more than having Tom Brady - that his teams have continued to have success for 15+ years straight. Mark my words. They will not miss Julian Edelman in the slightest. Because even if the team gets a drop-off in play from their backup slot receiver, they will simply shift to another focus on offense and keep on rolling. There are many reasons for the Buffalo Bills managing THIS MANY YEARS without even making the playoffs. But lack of continuity is absolutely near the top of the list. We have clearly had enough talent at various times during the drought to pull off a wild card slot. But the constant merry-go-round with head coaches, coordinators and schemes just keeps us stuck in the mud. It's only preseason, but the signs are already showing of this ridiculous cycle continuing. The offensive line, which has been solid for the last 2 years, is struggling badly with the new zone blocking. Tyrod Taylor looks very uncomfortable under center, and is regressing almost every snap he takes. Even the NFL's best running game is suddenly looking poor. As much as the defense looks improved (surprise, surprise after going back to 4-3), the offense clearly appears to be taking a step back. My guess is that our offense will cost us games early, Taylor will eventually get benched for the rookie, things still won't improve, and by years end Rick Dennison will be cast as the scapegoat. At which point, we will recycle offensive coordinators yet again.

I'm not impressed by GMs who know how to "gut" a roster. I'm impressed by GMs who know how to BUILD a roster. I'm not impressed by GMs who believe in "building through the draft." I'm impressed by GMs who actually make smart draft picks. I don't care if a coach is a disciplinarian or a players buddy. I care about them putting players in a position to win games. I don't care if a coach is a loud mouth or subdued and quiet. I care about them coming up with smart game plans, and making intelligent decisions.

The draft is not total luck. Look at the statistics and you will see a clear correlation between how early players are chosen, and how successful they are in the NFL. In other words, you will find that the vast majority of successful players are drafted in the first 3 rounds. The majority of Pro Bowlers and eventual Hall of Fame players come in the top half of the first round. The vast majority of guys drafted 4th Round and later will flame out. Most undrafted players will not even make an NFL roster. This tells me that scouts, GMs and draft experts have a pretty good idea of what is going on. Is it an exact science? Of course not. There will always be great 1st Round prospects that bust. There will always be late round picks like Tom Brady that turn into greats. But saying the draft is just total luck, just isn't true.

Draft picks mean nothing if they aren't used correctly. The Browns had 14 picks in 2016, and so far, they have gotten virtually nothing out of that draft class. It's early, but from what I understand, only 2-3 of those picks are even slated to start this year.

Tanking in the NFL is stupid and pointless. Rosters are too big. Draft picks are too unpredictable. Careers are too short. The salary cap is too complicated. In the NBA, tanking makes a ton of sense. You can trade away your aging talent, bottom out, get a couple high draft picks, land 1-2 young superstars and completely turn a franchise around for the next decade. You don't really need to be a brilliant GM to find success. You just need to make a few smart moves. Once you get the pieces in place, it's easy to maintain. In the NFL, you are constantly juggling 22 starting positions and 50+ roster slots. By the time you start drafting the finishing pieces, the other parts of your roster are hitting free agency or getting old and ineffective. The only way to maintain consistent success in the NFL is through good drafting, year after year, always keeping the pipeline full and replacing old productive players with younger and cheaper players without a drop-off. You can get lucky as a GM a few times, but if you don't know what you are doing, pretty soon your weakness will be exposed and the team will fall apart. Having a ton of draft picks in 2018 is nice. But (by trading Watkins and Darby) we now have two extra roster spots to fill. Instead of needing to hit on 3 picks next year, Brandon Beane needs to hit on 5 to really make progress with the team. And then we have the impending roster turnover of Kyle Williams, LeSean McCoy, Eric Wood, Ritchie Incognito, etc., which is bound to happen within the next 1-3 seasons. We will need a constant influx of young talent to fill those spots. Truthfully, bottoming out in 2017 will gain us nothing in the long run. We just need to cross our fingers that Beane is the right guy for the job.

Nothing this front office has done yet is worthy of praise or applause. And I'm getting tired of people acting like these moves are putting the Buffalo Bills on the "right" track. Dumping players is the easy part. It takes no skill or intelligence to trade away a productive/star player for a draft pick. Some of the biggest idiots this team has ever employed took the exact same approach. Trading away talent and vowing to build through the draft. Actually "REBUILDING" is the hard part. Making those draft picks count. Signing the right free agents. Giving contracts to the right players. Correctly utilizing the salary cap. I'll reserve judgement for Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott, and watch as this whole thing unfolds. But at this point, I see no reason to be optimistic for the upcoming season, or the team's future as a whole.

I have no problem with players being vocal politically, or using their fame to speak out about perceived injustice. And truthfully, I couldn't care less if they sit, stand, pump their fist or stay in the locker room. It's a free country, and I'm not offended by people with different thoughts and opinions than me. But truthfully, these players aren't hurting anybody but themselves (see Colin Kaepernick's career). A good chunk of the people that DO care think it's disrespectful. And instead of changing anyone's minds about political issues or really making a difference in society, it's turning them away from the NFL completely. If the National Anthem is removed from the NFL or other sporting events, it's only going to make those particular fans angrier. It's not going to make the issue disappear. It's isn't going to erase the controversy. It's going to create a mass exodus of fans, and may be the final nail in the coffin for the NFL.

If he doesn't fit the scheme, the Bills need to trade him now. Maybe they can get a player from another team that is underachieving in the wrong system. Maybe they can get lucky and land another mid-round pick. I'm coming to grips that 2017 is a total lost cause. At one point, I was holding out slim hope for a wild card. But after trading away Sammy Watkins and watching Tyrod Taylor struggle to adapt in the new scheme, I realize this team is (or will soon be) in full rebuild mode. Every snap/roster spot used on someone like Reggie Ragland is a waste, because it could be used on a player who fits better.

I don't understand the previous reports that claimed Rick Dennison's offense was a great match for Tyrod Taylor. So far, the passing game seems to be the complete opposite of what Taylor is good at. It's clear the staff is looking for a pure pocket passer. Somebody who can play under center, make quick reads and deliver fast and accurate throws. Not someone with limited field vision, who likes to scramble and extend plays with his feet. Not to mention, Taylor is short and already has trouble with batted passes, even when he isn't playing at the line of scrimmage. From my early perspective, this is a disaster in the making. I understand that Taylor may not fit the mold that Dennison, Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane are looking for. But if the team is "really trying" to win this year, then the offense should be molded to fit the quarterback's strengths and hide his weaknesses. Of course, after 15 years of watching new regimes do the same thing (square peg, round hole, poor fit), I'm really not surprised in the slightest.

Sounds like Buffalo Bills luck. We make all these moves and purge our roster for draft picks, then the top QBs in the draft decide to stay in school. After the season is over, we will probably hear our coaching staff clamoring for "more speed" on the outside. Then we will use our 2nd Round pick from the Rams to overdraft a track star receiver.

Outside of the Buffalo fans/media, I haven't seen anyone applauding the Sammy Watkins trade. Most are questioning why we let a young talent go for such a low pick. Many people have been screaming for us to "tank" for a quarterback for years. So they think would be a step in the right direction.

I believe that coaching/front office style is very overrated. There are many approaches that can work... IF they are done correctly. Marv Levy was a great coach. But he was a terrible GM because he sucked at drafting, and he sucked at adding free agents. It's that simple. It had nothing to do with his personality, or his desire to add high-character players. He just did a poor job at giving the Bills a talented team.

Agree 100% on the tanking comment. The NFL isn't like other sports leagues. There are too many roster spots, too much risk on draft selections, too much fluctuation with injuries, too many outside factors with salary cap, coaching changes, scheme switches, etc. The idea that our best avenue was to purge talent, stockpile draft picks and rebuild a successful roster from scratch is nonsense. I'm highly skeptical of this front office, until they start proving they can properly scout and make smart draft picks.

Some GMs undervalue draft picks. Others overvalue them. It's clear that Doug Whaley undervalued them. This is a big hint that Brandon Beane may overvalue them. To me, the value of a draft pick vs. an established player, comes down to "how likely" it will result in talent of equal or greater value. Stockpiling draft picks always sounds nice and promising for the future. But at some point, those picks become real players. For every Herschel Walker trade that creates a dynasty, there are hundreds of Darrelle Revis for Dee Milliner trades. Dumping Jason Peters got us Eric Wood, which was an OK deal. But dumping Marshawn Lynch only got us Chris Hairston and Tank Carder. When Whaley traded up for Sammy Watkins, it was a bad trade. Why? Because it was very unlikely that a wide receiver (with no franchise QB) would ever be as valuable as two 1st Round starters at other positions. As many pointed out at the time, it would have been smarter to take a "lesser" talent at wide receiver (like Kelvin Benjamin or Odell Beckham were considered at the time) and pair him with a starting offensive lineman, cornerback, linebacker, etc. the next draft. The Beane trade is also bad. Why? Because EJ Gaines is a fringe starter with injury issues, and it's unlikely a 2nd Round pick will be as good as Watkins.

I mentioned this in another thread, but I think it bears repeating. The only way anyone can support the Watkins/Darby trades is by assuming the plan is to go after a 2018 QB prospect. One of the big problems though... None of the top QB prospects are going to be seniors. Sam Darnold is a Sophomore. Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson are Juniors. This means some or all of them could return to school, even if they turn out to be fantastic prospects. Not to mention, the Bills are going to have plenty of competition for draft position, even if they are loaded with picks. The Jets have a terrible roster and seem to be purposely tanking for the #1 pick. The Browns are awful and also loaded with picks. The 49ers will certainly be in the mix. Another terrible season and the Jags could move on from Bortles. The Chargers could be ready to find a replacement for Rivers. Could the Rams dump Goff after 2 seasons? If the next Andrew Luck is poised to come out and these guys are sitting in the Top 1-2-3 spots, why would they trade to Buffalo? There are so many ways this whole plan could backfire, it just depresses me.

As a whole, I didn't like the moves. I understand the concept of "rebuilding" the roster. But it makes very little sense to trade away some of your youngest star players during a rebuild. It makes more sense to shop players like LeSean McCoy, Kyle Williams or Ritchie Incognito. If a rebuild is successful, a front office should plan on being competitive within 2-3 years. It makes more sense to shop guys that won't be around, or may not be effective that far down the road. I fail to see how Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby fit that mold. The value we got in return for Watkins was not nearly enough. If that pick (probably late 30s or early 40s) is used on a replacement, the chances we get someone with Watkins' talent is very low. If our plan is to package the pick in a draft move next year, I don't think that extra 2nd Rounder is going to be the vital piece that makes it happen or kills it. The Eagles/Jordan Matthews trade was comparable value. This one was a rip-off, which only looks promising to fans using the "Madden mentality" of overvaluing draft picks. It also makes the decision to decline his 5th Year Option look extra foolish, because we probably would have gotten a better trade offer with an extra contract year involved. If the Bills were worried about re-signing Watkins, then I fail to see the value in obtaining two players in the last years of their contract. Matthews is probably looking at a deal similar or higher than Robert Woods, who was ridiculously overvalued in free agency. Smart teams let players like this walk. So the Bills are left in a lose-lose situation. People keep talking about positioning for a Quarterback. I guess that makes some sense. But there are still WAY TOO MANY unknown factors that could completely destroy this plan. We still don't know which prospects will be declaring. Not a single 2018 top QB prospect is a senior. There is a great chance Sam Darnold stays in school. We don't know what scouts will actually think of these prospects by April. Maybe some of these top guys crash and burn over the next 12 months like Matt Barkley or Jake Locker. Not to mention, we don't know what draft positioning will look like. If the Jets, Browns, 49ers are sitting in the Top 3 spots, what are the chances they would trade with us? What if the Chargers, Jags, Rams, Redskins, etc., etc. are sitting there? I like having ammo, but that extra 2nd and 3rd Rounder is going to be pennies in the grand-scheme of things. I have a feeling that in 12 months, Sammy Watkins will be a Pro-Bowler, Jordan Matthews will be on his third team, the Bills still won't have a premier QB prospect, and our front office will be trying to hype a massive new draft class full of unproven rookies as the saviors of our franchise.

So if the Bills weren't going to pay Sammy Watkins next year, what makes you think they are going to pay Jordan Matthews? And even with all the "ammunition" in the world, don't forget: - The Jets have one of the worst rosters in 20 years - The Browns also have tons of draft picks and need a QB - There is no guarantee all the top guys will be coming out of school next year

For some reason, the Bills were desperate to move-on from Sammy Watkins. There is no other explanation for getting so little in return. (A 2nd-Round Pick and below average starter...) I think the Eagles trade was a domino-effect from moving Watkins. The Bills could not enter the season with nothing at receiver. It just happens that the Darby/Matthews trade was actually a decent swap. The Bills make out pretty good on that one. Anyone that thinks this was just about money... Don't forget that Matthews is also a free agent next year.

We didn't even get a 1st Round pick out of the deal.

It's only preseason, but I came away with several early impressions as well. First, the good... Running Game This team is still going to be a monster on the ground. Even with Shady taking the night off, there was no drop-off from what we saw last year. Jonathan Williams looked great. Mike Tolbert looked good. And the offensive line was opening huge holes. Defensive Line Everybody knows that our team was a better fit in the 4-3. The lack of pass rush under Rex Ryan was obvious to anyone. If last night was any indication, our front 4 may soon return to 2013-2014 status. The group was relentless after the QB from the get-go. And how about that Eddie Yarborough guy... Secondary Not much to say here. Coverage was very good on the back end. Nobody was complaining after the game about the loss of Stephon Gilmore. And our first round pick was a non-story, which is usually good for cornerbacks. Tyrod Taylor/Sammy Watkins Sammy looked healthy out there. Which is great. Tyrod targeted him early and often, and was accurate when the pocket was clean. Which is great. We all know what Sammy is capable of, and it starts by making him a target and not a decoy. Now the bad... Pass Blocking As good as the run blocking was, the pass blocking was just as bad. Specifically the tackles getting beat off the edge. No Cordy Glenn wasn't playing. But with his foot injury, there is no guarantee he won't miss time during the regular season. Seantrel Henderson was a poor fill-in, and I wasn't impressed with Jordan Mills or Dion Dawkins either. Linebackers I have a feeling, this spot is going to be a weakness. While our pass rush was good and our coverage was good, our pursuit at the second level was not. Screens and covering tight ends could be a problem. And anyone that isn't worried about Reggie Ragland going forward isn't paying attention. QB Depth TJ Yates was awful. Let's hope that the rookie steps up, because things could get ugly if Tyrod goes down for even 1-2 games.

Not sure why this is alarming or groundbreaking in any way. At this point, I think everyone knows what Taylor brings to the table and what we are hoping he improves upon. The Bills have also made it very clear to everyone what they think of Taylor, based on their refusal to give him a true long-term contract.

People need to understand that coaches see more than fans and the media. EJ Manuel only got 14 starts, but he had 4 years to prove himself to two different coaching staffs. Nobody questions his physical potential or attitude. Or that he made nice throws occasionally. The problem is, EJ just never got better. His biggest flaws as a rookie in 2013 were still his biggest flaws in 2016. Look at the last game in 2014 (against the Texans) before he was benched for Kyle Orton. Look at his big chance to step in for an injured Tyrod Taylor in 2015 (against the Bengals and Jaguars). Then finally his last appearance against the pathetic Jets in 2016's finale.

Coaching is a problem. But even with great coaches, I don't think Buffalo would have much success with the Quarterbacks we have fielded the last 15 years. - Rob Johnson was a backup before he came to Buffalo. After we let him go, he was a backup in Tampa Bay and never did much. Out of the league within 2 seasons. - Drew Bledsoe was declining before he came to Buffalo. He went to Dallas after us, played about the same as here, and then got replaced by Tony Romo. Out of the league within 2 seasons. - JP Losman never started a game after leaving Buffalo. Out of the league within 2 seasons. - Trent Edwards started 1 game after leaving Buffalo. Out of the league within 2 seasons. - Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the same guy for the last 9 years. Puts up decent stats, but is inconsistent with accuracy and destroys his teams with bad decisions and poor accuracy.

Sounds like a lot of fans are upset with this trade. But Cardale Jones was always a tremendous long-shot to have success in the NFL. Regardless of his physical ability or potential. Most of those who cover the team believe he was very unlikely to make the roster this year at all. Tyrod Taylor is our clear starter at QB. TJ Yates gives us an experienced veteran. Coaches obviously believe Nate Peterman has a better shot at NFL success. Odds are high we are targeting a 1st Round QB next year. This means that Jones was probably looking at the practice squad (at best) in 2017 with very few reps, only to be in a similar or worse position to make the team next year. If a team was willing to give up a draft selection, can you really blame the Bills for taking it?

Despite what some believe, the Bills are not tanking this year. They will try to make the playoffs. Once you understand that, it's not hard to figure out why the staff likes TJ Yates. If the starter (Tyrod Taylor) goes down, you want a veteran guy that can potentially win games in his absence. Not an inexperienced developmental project like Cardale Jones or a rookie like Nathan Peterman. And if your backup is forced into action, would you rather have a guy that has been working in the current system, who knows the playbook and has been practicing with his teammates.... or a guy that was signed off the street on Monday afternoon?