GunnerBill

You only have to account for every paid penny. So restructures this applies to, sure, because you are giving money now to buy cap space and you have to account for that. But in terms of then bringing guys in you can still allow yourself flex with non-guaranteed money. The Bills are at the point where they have some decisions to make, but they are more to do with refreshing an older roster than being cap strung IMO.

Agree with all the no brainers. They are easy decisions. On the preferred moves: Extend Douglas? Maybe wait until he has played even halfway decent against someone that isn't the Jets? I also wouldn't cut Neal and I'd be surprised if they do. So that means I'm $35m under by that point. I definitely release Poyer, sad as that makes me. I try and get Tre to take a paycut but if not I regrettably release him too. That gets me to $47m under. I don't want to press the restructure button on Knox and I wouldn't release Bates - he is my placeholder to replace Morse at centre. So I think I get to $55m under with those moves. They need c.$10m for their draft picks, they need c.$4-5m for their contingency pool. Then they have about $40m to find some safeties and some DLinemen (on the basis I still think the draft is where you find WR2). It's not a myth. But it is just accounting. You can spend what you want. You just have to be able to account for it all creatively. Now there are limits to what even the best accountant can do before the flexibility runs out, but the Bills are not close to that point yet.

I just totally disagree. Give any of those other coaches last year's season and none of them win 13. Not one. 11 is the ceiling. Now if you want to argue someone might have done better than him THIS season, I can buy that a bit more. He hasn't had a good year as a DC or a HC.

Beane doesn't do contracts and he isn't the capologist (though clearly he has to sign off on all moves). Kevin Meganck does both of those roles. Beane identifies targets and evaluates the market then ultimately managers to overall roster build. It is fair that Head Coaches tend to have more input into free agency. That is consistent across the league and I am certain McDermott played a significant part in some of the ex Panthers on defense. That said Jordan Phillips is 100% on Beane that is Brandon's guy. Phillips has said so himself.

It is also not true.

Totally agree. It is because fans want to believe he is the bogey man and removing him is a simple fix. The reality of what is wrong with the Bills is deeper. I don't think McDermott could have many complaints if he misses the playoffs and is fired. But equally the idea that everything will then be rosey is far fetched. They have an old roster that needs a reset. They have a GM that has control of personnel no matter what fans think and has struggled to draft true difference makers. They have ownership that has proven itself confused in its decision making before. And their best asset is their Quarterback whose performances fluctuate wildly still. The people hoping it is fire McDermott and all roads lead to a Lombardi are kidding themselves. I agree with most of this but I'd take Ed Oliver over Hock 100 times out of 100.

I am not arguing for him to keep his job. But I never liked the idea of him being DC. I know lots of successful offensive Head Coaches call plays but on offense you are dictating. On defense you are reacting much more often and that makes spending time looking at what their O is doing while your O is on the field. I think doing the two jobs simultaneously is extremely difficult. I do think McDermott is a good defensive coordinator. But he isn't a good HC/DC. And both jobs are suffering.

You hope. That is fine. Unless they collapse the Athletic article is consistent with what I am hearing.

The reason is the state of the roster. I think McDermott deserves some criticism for this season. He has been a bad defensive coordinator (admittedly shorn of key defensive pieces) and a questionable Head Coach (whose head has been in the defensive playbook too much and not in the game enough) but I don't put the Bills being 6-6 primarily on him and I do think a lot of fans want it to be a Head Coaching issue because the alternative - the players. Is a harder change. That said it is BECAUSE I think the roster needs changing that I would lean towards changing the coach too. I am not saying the window has closed or the Bills need to tear it down - they will always have a window while they have Josh if they get the best version of him. But this is a roster reset point. They have older defensive guys who are on good money who are either hurt or not the same after being hurt in key spots - Jones, Von, Poyer, Hyde, White. The final 3 of those have been fantastic Bills. But father time is undefeated. Their one all pro on offense just turned 30. Their center is 31 and has toyed with retirement for 2 seasons. And add in Leonard Floyd who has been their best pass rusher is 31 and on a 1 year deal. That is a chunk of the roster that has supported Josh in the first 6 years of his career that will need turning over within the next 2 years maximum. So the question for me is not "does McDermott deserve one more year?" Because if that were the question I could make a case that he does - so long as he hires a proper DC. The question for me is has the regime done enough to be trusted with building and coaching the 2nd team of the Allen era? On that I think the answer is probably no. And I think that question does have to come this spring. The roster is at that point now. Forget asking about "running it back" with this staff... people should be asking can the Bills run it back with this roster. And I don't think they can. It is time for a step back, mini-reset year in 2024. That doesn't mean with a bit better injury luck we won't be in playoff contention in 2024. I expect we will. But I am not sure it is a year where we will be among the Superbowl favourites. So it is about making the moves to put us back in that conversation in 2025. So if you retain McDermott now you have to basically commit to him as the guy for that next phase.

He made plays for us vs the Jets. He made plays for the Eagles vs Philly. They went right after him. He gave up a touchdown and a 129 passer rating in coverage.

On this I agree. McDermott has not been good as the defensive coordinator. He should step down from that role immediately. If he continues to call the plays next season we are doomed IMO and it has detracted from his Head Coaching too. Him admitting he wasn't even watching all the offensive snaps at a time when the offense was sucking bad was quite the admission. See on this I STRONGLY disgaree. Sean McDermott is a better coach than all of those guys and it isn't close. That isn't an argument for saying they have to stick with him. Not at all. But the people saying he is Dick Jauron or whichever of the other bums we hired in the drought are letting their frustration blur their objectivity. It correlates with what people with contacts in the building have told me. Anything but a meltdown from here on in and the regime is safe.

Exactly that. You can't bull rush him. Teams have adjusted even moving some speed rushers inside in pass rush situations to try and exploit Cyrus' relative lack of footspeed and ate targeting his inside shoulder. Basically if he gets the first punch the rep is over. But he is susceptible to inside speed rushers who are on him before he gets his punch in. He has had a good rookie year. I think there is more to come there.

Sean McDermott has not done a good job as DC. That to me is beyond doubt.

Cook is a legit RB1. He is waaaaaaay down our list of problems.

But they won't ever let Josh play on a stupid hit. They will extend him and extend him and kick the can and kick the can. And take the pain the year he retires. Like the Saints did with Drew Bees.

But the projected favourites are all flawed teams and will lose games you think they should win. FWIW I don't think the Bills will win at KC, I don't think they will win out and I don't think they will make the playoffs from here. But if they DO win out I am 100% confident they would make it at 11-6. I think a 10 win team will make it in the AFC. Probably not us because of conference record though.

We restructure Josh every year. That is just what you do. Cap management 101 for teams with a paid QB in the NFL 2023. That gets you half your cash back basically. Then the easier cuts are Poyer (4m saved) Morse (8m saved), Harty (4m saved) and Hines (5m saved). That pretty much gets you to zero or darn close. Then you still have holes to fill, don't get me wrong, you would have zero starting level safeties you'd have a question mark at Center (though Bates is an option) and we are thin across the Dline... only Ed at DT, only Greg and Von of our top 5 DEs. So you do have to get to decisions on some tougher guys. I would say there is next to no chance Tre is back on his current deal. He either takes a cut or is gone. There are some other restructures you can do as well but it is a reset point for the roster. It is one reason why I lean towards a new regime if the playoffs are missed. I think there is an opportunity to have a "take some pain" year in 2024, move on from Tre, Von (saves you nothing but he is done even before I get to off field allegations) and maybe even Diggs (trade not cut) among others and create some space to manouvre in 2025.

I don't know what makes you think this. The history of Chan is he runs HIS offense wherever he goes. I have never seen him tailor it to his players. What he does is installs his scheme and then tries to find the players to fit. Fitz was a GREAT fit for Chan's scheme. They have had success together in 3 spots - Bills, Jets, Dolphins. But his OC record with other QBs is spotty at best since the 90s. I love what Chan did with the offense when he was here. He got the most out of a pretty average group. But his scheme has fundamental issues too and it is the law of diminishing returns. At some point those issues would show up even if he had Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs and Dalton Kincaid and he wouldn't have changed it because he never did. He tried to force Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman into it in Dallas with all their accolades and rings. And if we wanna talk about McDermott's questionable hires in Dennison and Dorsey then we need to remember Chan made two disastrous DC hires. Including Wannstedt who underachieved his talent as much as any Bills coach in history.

Leslie Frazier was really good. Despite what the keyboard warriors on this forum think.

That is the wrong sum. We don't really know how satisfied Pegula is with Beane/McDermott until the season ends. That being said this report is much more inkeeping with what I am hearing from people who are / have been in the team's employ than the story at the weekend that the seat is warm. It would take them collapsing down the stretch for McDermott to get fired after this season. Whether that is right or wrong that is what I believe is the case. Pegula is only going to change regime very reluctantly and if he has an option not to, he won't.

The run game is where he excels. He does kind of remind me of Greg Roman, the creativity and complexity in his run scheme definitely outshines the equivalent creativity in his pass game. The difference is his passing game leans into what his players do whereas Roman's always appeared like he just borrowed the playbook from John Madden Football '88.

Nah. I only cheer for losses when a season is sunk and it means getting a franchise QB in the draft. Under no other circumstances would I ever cheer for losses.

In order: Bass Hyde McDermott

Bernard yea. Shakir still a maybe for me. Douglas? Call me unconvinced.

It was back just after the draft. Was on one of the multiple draft podcasts I subscribe to.