Nihilarian

I think that both men took the Buffalo Bills job not thinking that it was going to be a rebuild and in fact Beane even stated that fact. That said, I don't think it was their first decision to rebuild the entire roster. It just happened that way. They went into the 2017 playoffs with Tyrod Taylor at QB and came away thinking we now need a franchise QB. As good as Taylor was at helping the run game, he just wasn't a good enough pocket passer. What happened then was they started evaluating players and came away thinking that they needed to bring in players that would buy into what they wanted to do in Buffalo. Some players weren't buying in and those players needed to be moved out! You mention that 2014, 9-7 team. Go look at that 2014 roster and who is there that is still with the team? Jerry Hughes is the only one I see. Who is still on the roster from 2016? LeSean McCoy on offense, Jerry Hughes, Lorax, Adolphus Washington. I may have missed some, but nevertheless that number is astounding! Draft choices, how many are here from the Nix/Whaley eras since 2010? 2016 first round pick Shaq Lawson? Wow! 2010-2016*, 55 players drafted, one left! Beane needed to purge some of the overpaid star players on the Buffalo roster and at least he managed to acquire some draft picks for them. A 3rd rounder for QB Tyrod Taylor, WOW QB Cardale Jones, 7th rounder WR Sammy Watkins and a 6th round pick for EJ Gains and a 2018 2nd rounder. Sammy Watkins signed a 3 year, $48,000,000 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, including a $21,000,000 signing bonus, $30,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $16,000,000. All for 40 rec, 519 yards, 3 TDs! CB Ronald Darby for WR Jordan Matthews and a 3rd round pick. Reggie Ragland for a 4th round pick. Marcel Dareus for a 6th round pick. all for one sack, one FF, 23 solo tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits, one SFTY. Marcell Dareus signed a 2 year, $28,085,000 contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, including a $5,000,000 signing bonus, $7,835,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $14,042,500. What Brandon Beane has done with the Buffalo Bills in his short time here is amazing in my view and something that hasn't happened in a long, long time. Build a solid roster, clear the cap space and find a franchise QB. Barring some disaster of unknown origin, I think we all can agree that this year should be the start of something special going forward for the Buffalo Bills and the fans.

I can't say I was miserable over the last decade of losing... but it was very frustrating watching the ineptitude year after year, regime after regime. Every time I would point out the mistakes, screw ups, bad choices in coaching hires, players I would get slammed by Bills fans over and over. It was difficult dealing with the eternal optimism that was the main constant from Bills fans over the years. Most never gave up and kept thinking the next year will be "our" year! the koolaid drinkers were almost insufferable by constantly blowing sunshine everywhere. I was often accused of having mental issues because I was negative about the team. I also bitched about Russ Brandon, the marketing guy being involved in the football side and certain posters would jump all over me defending him for what we all now know was that he was very heavily involved in the football side of the Org. Most Bills fans here didn't want change and wanted to keep Chan Gailey, Rex Ryan and one poster defended Dick Jauron over and over for several hundred pages. How can the team ever get better if they keep firing the GM, HC? In my eyes it was easy once you realize you hired bums! At this point I think most Bills fans are so down beaten by all the bad player choices and bad coaching hires that they don't want to give anyone more then three years. Some of guys need to have some patience as this GM looks be the very best we have had since Bill Polian. While I am 100% confidant in Beane, I'm not so certain about McD and his choices for assistant coaches. Again, I must point out that he from a defensive background and is learning the offensive side as he goes. I have to agree with ya JaCrispy as this is the most optimistic I've felt about the team since early 90's AND the team now has ownership that wants to win!

Yea, the only reason I went back that far is because I feel some Bills fans can relate more to their Buffalo Bills. Going back to the main discussion. I also think that it shouldn't take a quality HC, GM long to build a competitive team. Just defending this current regime due to certain circumstances. Chuck Knox did it in 1978 without a good GM, Stew Barber . Knox traded away OJ for good picks, rebuilt the roster and brought in a few experienced veteran NFL players to be leaders, rah rah type guys for the young players. Knox himself was an ex- O line player, coach and although the team already had a decent offensive line crew from the OJ days nicknamed the "Electric Co". In 1980 Knox drafted OG Jim Ritcher #16 overall who went on to play 16 years in the NFL, 14 for Buffalo. He was there for the 1980 playoffs and all the 90's super bowls. It took Knox only three years in Buffalo. It took Polian only three years in Buffalo. It took Polian only two years to go from a brand new franchise in Carolina in 1995 to 12-4 and the conference championship in 1996. It took Polian only three years in Indy to go from back to back 3-13 seasons in 1997, 1998 to 13-3 in 1999. Marty Schottenheimer was another HC who could build a competitive in a short time, usually three years. Andy Reid inherited a 2-14 team in KC, 2013. Then had them in the playoffs the very next season. Unlike Adam Gase who got the Dolphins to the playoffs in his first year (2016) in Miami or the NY Jets HC Todd Bowles who got to 10-6 in his first year in 2015. Andy Reid has had the Chiefs in the playoffs five of the last six years. Let's hope McD is not like Gase, Bowles and more like Reid. More recently Sean McVay inherited a somewhat decent Rams roster in 2016 that already had Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley and then drafted QB Jered Goff #1 overall. McVay is a young offensive genius and he runs that offense, while being smart enough to hire Wade Phillips as his DC.

And yet you went back nearly twenty years... The point was made that these are both a first time head coach and GM. Now go back though that list to see how many had great success as a first time HC, GM...only one team! I never mentioned anything about it taking a half a decade to become relevant and I agreed with Fan In Chicago that we should should see positive results on the field after the third season. I also agree with you that we should see some positive results on the field this season! This year will be McD's third season and it's only Beane's second draft, full off season. Actually this is the one season where his hands weren't tied up with the salary cap. Someone made mention that this regime has had the same record as "awful" Doug Whaley after two seasons @ 15-17. Yet, McD's 2017 Buffalo Bills made the playoffs for the first time in twenty years. This alone should allow the HC some extra time to get things together. (Are Bills fans blind to this?) He is after all a defensive mined HC and the 2018 Buffalo Bills were the #2 overall defense with the #1 pass defense in the league. As I mentioned several times in this thread that the weak link on this team might be the current Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator who has been terrible in the pass game in his past jobs. Daboll has six seasons of being an NFL OC and this is his NFL fifth team. Should the passing offense not greatly improve away from that 30th ranking then McD should be able to make another change to a more successful NFL OC. Josh Allen deserves that. When was the last time that this franchise had a quality offensive coordinator with the offensive talent like a Sean Payton, Doug Pederson, Sean McVay? Like almost never? Perhaps ex-Colts HC Ted Marchibroda, who taught Jim Kelly to call his own plays so after he quit to become the Colts HC again he wouldn't be missed?

Hey, I agree and want results too. I would love to see the Bills sweep the Patriots which is something they haven't done since 1999? I also agree that if this years team isn't competitive that changes should be made. Let me go back to my dislike of the offensive play calls last year. Aside from major injuries all over the roster in 2019, I don't see how it would be possible for the Bills to be worse then 9-7. That record got them in the playoffs in 2017. Also realize that teams can go 11-5 and still miss the playoffs. Should the 2019 Buffalo Bills crap the bed with anything less then 8-8. Let me reiterate that Beane stays no matter what! The GM should have the chance to select his own HC. While I like McD, his choice for OC should be on the hot seat if the offense doesn't take a giant step away from the worst in the league after six years of him being an NFL OC. Daboll's offenses have been 32nd, 29th, 23rd, 32nd, 31st in passing yards in his fourth stint as an NFL offensive coordinator.

If look at the history of most teams that eventually get to the super bowl... it usually doesn't happen after two seasons. There is usually a progression that follows that growth and even as amazing as the 90's Buffalo Bills were they suffered some extremely bad 2-14 back to back seasons in 1984-85 to get the chance to draft HoFer Bruce Smith number one overall in 1985, Andre Reed was a 4th round pick that year. The Bills GM at that time was Terry Bledsoe, but they did happen to have Bill Polian as director of player personnel who took over as GM in 1986. Even as good as Polian was at building a great team quickly it even took him three years and he already had Bruce, Andre, Darryl Talley, Pete Metzelaars and signed Jim Kelly to the richest QB contract in the league. Also, what helped build that super bowl team so quickly was that the USFL folded and that brought in center Kent Hull. Although this is Brandon Beane's third season he wasn't here for the 2017 NFL draft and that entire scouting dept was fired and replaced which is a difficult task to handle for a first time GM. We fans don't know what can happen in a season beforehand so why say this regime has to do better then 9-7 considering the injuries that can happen to derail a season? The 2013 Atlanta Falcons have one of the very best franchise QB's in Matt Ryan and one of the best GM's in the league in ex Patriots man in Thomas Dimitroff and that year the Falcons went 4-12 after just being in the conference championship. From what I see is this new GM is building a team for the long term and bringing in players that fit what they want to do here. Look over the players that the team still has on the roster from the Doug Whaley, Buddy Nix days and look at their drafts! Just look at the top free agents from 2017, in Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Stephen Hauschka. Undrafted free agent Jason Croom. 2018 (now think of the limited cap space the team has had to get the top free agents this year.) Trading Tyrod Taylor for a 3rd round pick was sheer brilliance by Beane! Trading away Cordy Glenn (who was recently moved to OG)with his health issues to Cincy to help move up to draft QB Josh Allen for the 12th pick which they then traded up with the Bucs to the 7th pick. The Bills traded their sixth-round selection (195th overall) and wide receiver Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the Rams' second-round selection (56th overall) and cornerback E.J. Gaines. Yeah, 16 Mill per for a decoy WR that is always injured... The majority of this board wanted the Bills to trade up to the #2 spot with the NY Giants to draft...Josh Rosen! In doing so it would have been okay to give up the farm and the Bills 2019 first round pick. Beane held his ground and got his man at the #7 spot. He basically did the same this year with Oliver. C'mon man, how can you not be so very optimistic about the 2019 season and upcoming years when you look at what this GM has accomplished in his short time with Buffalo? This only thing I see is McD might not be the guy at head coach as I'm not sold on Brian Daboll as the Bills OC. Not after watching all those deep throws with that bad O line and crappy KB at WR, with no run game from the RB's. While we found out what a great runner JA is...he shouldn't need to be the teams leading rusher. In my view, Beane stays no matter what!

Yes, both McD and Beane are a first time HC, GM. Now look back over the history of this franchise to see how many first time HC's, GM's have great success in their first two seasons. In looking back over the last two decades of failure of the Buffalo Bills all I see are inept coaches, GMs, pseudo GM's and a bad owner. All making stupid coaching hires, wrong player moves and bad choices by not putting a competitive team on the field. In taking over the mess that Rex Ryan, Doug Whaley had left, McD managed to get to 9-7 in his first season. Which as enough to get the team over the 17 year playoff drought that has plagued this franchise. PLAYOFFS!! BTW, Rex went 8-8, 7-9 while ruining one of the best defensive lines in the league. What we have seen is the 2018 Buffalo Bills fielded the best defensive secondary in the league! While the overall end result was a bad 6-10 year it was mainly because the team was starting a rookie QB, a bad O line, lousy receiver corps. Peyton Manning's first year 3-13. Troy Aikman's first year 1-15 and the reason I bring up these two QB's is because those men had about the same crappy surrounding casts as QB Josh Allen did last year. I've been very skeptical of just about every coaching, GM hire this franchise has made since 2000. For the first time since John Butler this team finally has a real GM in Brandon Beane that looks to know what he is doing. Not a GM that lost a power struggle to the HC (Bill Cowher) and was fired by Pittsburgh in Tom Donahoe. So the owner hires him and promotes him to team president This man hires two first time HC's that fail so the owner fires him. Then this owner hires his old friend in an ex HC of the Bills to be the new GM... who is clueless on how to be an NFL GM. Then when he retires, this old owner makes the marketing man his new GM, but doesn't name him so he has no accountability This pseudo GM later hires a retired 70 year old ex-scout to be the new GM! (Buddy Nix–who “resigned” and/or was strongly encouraged to golf instead of ***** up NFL drafts.) When this GM steps down he is replaced by another ex-scout whose claim to fame was porn emails sent throughout the team All I know is for the first time in a very, very long while I'm very excited by what we have seen the Buffalo Bills do the last two seasons! Because for the first time since 1986 the team might have finally found their franchise QB! The Dolphins are still looking for their Dan Marino. The NY Jets might have found their Broadway Joe and those Jets went 4-12 in 2018. While It is okay to be skeptical of a team that went 6-10 and didn't rebuild the line correctly the first time or find the right receivers on the first attempts. And while I'm somewhat still skeptical that the Bills FO didn't do enough to build up the O line or receiver corps for the 2019 season. It's still only Beane's second year as an NFL GM. Like I mentioned in an earlier post I think he is on par with what Bill Polian did in his first two years. The 2019 Bills should be 9-7, 10-6. Beane didn't inherit a Bruce Smith or Andre Reed either. JMHO

I love what Beane has done in his time here! While both Beane and McD have made mistakes in certain players and some hires for assistants they have been fairly quick to make changes. Beane brought in a big, tall WR that the team has needed in forever and it just so happened that the player just didn't want to do his job. Charles Clay was somewhat in that mold. McD replaced OC Rick Dennison, WR coach Terry Robskie, ST coach Danny Crossman, Run game coordinator/ O line coach Juan Castillo. When these men failed to do a good job they were replaced! Beane in free agency added some experienced tough veteran players and in the draft he went to BPA and filled a need at the same time. In the 2018 draft QB Josh Allen was a need and BPA, Tremaine Edmunds was a need and BPA. In the 2019 DT Ed Oliver was a need and BPA, Cody Ford was a need and BPA. Not to mention some of the gold the man has found in free agent aside from the free agency period in CB Levi Wallace and WR Robert Foster who could both be tops at their positions this season. Gotta love the wheeling and dealing to move around in the draft to get the players they want...and without giving up the farm or two first rounders to do it. Bills fans should be as ecstatic as I am because this looks like Bill Polian all over again.

My favorite "no huddle" attempt by a regime was with Dick Jauron when he announced they would run the no huddle offense. Needless to say is was fubar from the start in preseason as the Bills cut their starting RT because he couldn't get to the line quickly enough (Langston Walker). Then, two weeks before the opener Jauron fired his OC in Turk Schonert and promoted QB coach Alex Van Pelt to OC. Trent Edwards started the season and the offense was such a mess that they scrapped the "no huddle" after a few weeks. Meanwhile, Edwards running for his life after getting sacked 23 times in 7 games he was benched after they fired Jauron and replaced him with Perry Fewell. Good thing the Bills FO (Wilson/Brandon)extended Jauron's contract before the season.

Believe it or not the Dolphins are listed as the worst bet in Vegas to make the super bowl at +27500. The Bills are 27th at +10000 and the Jets are 21st at +7500. Naturally the Patriots are 1st at +600. All the defenses in the AFC East besides NE look to be improved. In Miami led by a defensive minded HC from the Patriots LBers coach Brian Flores, Their first round pick was DT Christian Wilkins. Their biggest addition is probably their new OC Ex-Lions HC, Ex- Colts HC Jim Caldwell as OC, who is someone knows how to build an offense. However, they did get Danny Crossman as their ST coach. The Jets added Adam Gase as HC, but the real addition might be ex Buffalo Bills HC as their new DC in Gregg Williams who knows how to build a defense. The Jests added DT Quinnen Williams as the #3 overall pick in the draft. Plus ex Ravens LBer CJ Mosley, and Steeler RB Le'Veon Bell. Personally, I think those odds are all wrong as the Miami offense should get much better with Caldwell as OC, Flores helping with the defense I can see 8-8. The Jets defense should be much improved with Williams as DC and could easily see 8-8 or better. The changing of the guard for the AFC East might finally be here this year and is going to move the NE Patriots off the top of the division! I don't think they will have the cakewalk through the division like they have had for nearly two decades. I can see Buffalo getting to 10-6 as they already had a top five defense which was the #1 pass defense last season. The offense should be much improved with a better O line, better receivers, some good RB additions. There might be some questions with the TE position and perhaps Dawson Knox or Jason Croom might fill that hole. Cole Beasley should be the Bills leading receiver this year from the slot so the Bills might not need that elite TE.

This is the thing. I highly doubt this guy did any "in depth research" besides looking at who the Bills added in free agency and the draft. Did he actually watch any of last years games to see Allen getting better with each and every game? Not to mention that last Dolphins game in which josh Allen threw for 3 TDs and ran for 2 more! If this were any other team I think the media would have gone batsh!t crazy over Allen! Then most of the top NFL analysts that watched Allen's last few games stated there wasn't a more exciting QB that they would rather watch. That Miami game in which the Dolphins were helpless to stop Allen is a big reason as to why Adam Gase was fired IMO. Then look at Allen's surrounding cast to see the Bills offensive line was about as bad as it gets last season and the receiving corps had the number two targeted WR catch only 37.1 percent of his targets! There were real reasons the Bills offensive line coach/run game coordinator was fired and replaced because the Bills line couldn't run block for the RB's for crap and they couldn't pass block worth a damn either. The WR coach was fired and replaced because of so many dropped balls...between Zay Jones and Kelvin Benjamin it was 80 missed targets...80! This year's offensive line should be immensely improved with a quality veteran NFL experienced center to help call protections. The right side of the line should be greatly upgraded with quality veteran experienced NFL players as should the LG position. (unless they start the rookie Cody Ford at RT/RG) The offensive coaching staff improved, the offensive player talent improved O line, WR, RB,TE. There are reasons for the majority of people with a brain to see the only way Josh Allen fails this season is if somehow he morphs into Nathan Peterman. Ain't gonna happen! Bills fans should be very excited to see what the 2019 NFL season brings us!

I have a very difficult time believing he could fool the Buffalo Bills scouting staff, coaches into thinking he could get it done like an NFL QB if he was this bad in college. If this is the case, now I know why all those scouts under Whaley were fired. I don't see why you would give Dennison, Daboll a pass as they are experienced NFL OCs and should have seen his limitations. We all saw the results of him starting an actual game, and in being a backup.

Yes, If Frank Reich can fix stupid. Chad Kelly isn't the only fool out there as Johhny Football looks like he gets the trophy for that and many others get an honorable mention.

Think about that Chargers game and what happened. Joey Bosa stated after the game that that right side of the Bills line didn't get a hand on him... Mills, Miller and the OC for that year are all gone now. Still, five interceptions... In the 2018 opener, Peterman started that Ravens game with one of the very worst offensive lines the Bills have ever fielded along with an OC that wanted him to throw deep...a formula for a disaster. Not to mention that the Bills didn't have much of an RB run game to take the pressure off the QB and he had little escape-ability. Asking Peterman to throw 49 times against that Bears defense with Shady going 10 rush attempts for 10 yards The kid isn't as bad as he showed IMO as he needed to be in a west coast scheme with an OC who could see his limitations as he didn't have the arm to throw that 18 yard out pass. That said, I'm glad he is a Raider. 3 TDs, 12 INTs.

Glenn's play had dropped off quite a bit until Incognito was next to him and then his play picked up somewhat. Those foot/ankle injuries looked to be ongoing as he missed games for the Bengals for the same reasons as he missed most of the 2017 season for Buffalo. Beane does know what he is doing it seems, unlike his many predecessors. One another note, new Bengals HC Zac Taylor watched how it was done in LA with Rams HC Sean McVay. I think this was a better hire then the Cards in hiring a college coach who was fired because he couldn't win. So now they think he will build a winner in the NFL? Moving Glenn to OG and drafting Williams was a smart move as that Bengals O line was not that good under Lewis. However, the bigger problem of that team might be the defense.

The year Glenn was drafted Mike Mayock stated he could play tackle and be average but at offensive guard, he would be an all pro, pro bowler. Like the QB position, the left tackle is one position the Bills have been getting by with maybes and might work types. One regime even attempted to get a seventh-round pick to work at LT. Even when they discovered they have found an elite LT in Jason Peters they traded him rather than pay him. Dawkins had a poor year last season at LT and I wonder if he will be moved to OG at some point too. P.S. On another note, Ty Nsekhe replaced Redskins LT Trent Williams when he was injured last season and even graded as to their best player in one game. Should the Bills start Cody Ford at RT then this year's training camp will be interesting to watch. Brandon Beane stated that Dawkins will start at LT, we will see.

I like the guy and like the show, I like Murph too. So awesome to listen/watch them talk football in the offseason. One Bills live from 12-3 pm channel 51 spectrum cable and I watch, listen every day.

I see the Arizona Cardinals as a possible huge disaster after hiring a college coach that was fired by Texas Tech after going 35-40 over six seasons. The best they ever did was in his first year at 8-5. Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12 Conference) (2013–2018) 2013 Texas Tech 8–5 4–5 6th W Holiday 2014 Texas Tech 4–8 2–7 8th 2015 Texas Tech 7–6 4–5 T–5th L Texas 2016 Texas Tech 5–7 3–6 T–6th 2017 Texas Tech 6–7 3–6 8th L Birmingham 2018 Texas Tech 5–7 3–6 T–7th Texas Tech: 35–40 19–35 Total: 35–40 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kliff_Kingsbury Then they draft a kid who started only one season at Oklahoma, it was a great season with 4000 yards, 40 TDs and he won the Heisman Trophy. The thing is Murry was at TT when Kingsbury was there in 2015. Arizona was a bad, bad team in 2018 in which they drafted a QB at #10 overall only to trade him away to Miami. I don't see a college coach who wasn't very good at winning at that level coming into the NFL and becoming a winner. I don't see it. What I can see is the Cards firing their GM, HC and drafting another QB in two years.

I don't know where you get this stuff from. NY Jets CEO Chris Johnson is the brother of Woody Johnson who owns the NY Jets and he is the bumbling bumkin who couldn't keep his hands off the team's football side. (NY Jets owner, Woody Johnson is currently the US ambassador to the UK who was nominated by Trump in 2017) From what I see in Buffalo is completely different from the Jets. In that, the Pegula's listened to Russ Brandon/Doug Whaley in the hiring of Rex Ryan and once they realized that they had hired a buffoon, they fired him! After that, they realized that both Whaley, Brandon weren't very good at running an NFL Team. Then went on to fire Whaley and make a move to ensure Russ Brandon was away from the football side of the Org. From what I've come to understand is that the Pegula's hired Bills GM Brandon Beane after consulting with many, many NFL people. It wasn't just McD's hire. Knowing that I'd have to think the Pegula's quietly did the very same thing before they hired Sean McDermott. These new Bills owners are very "Hands Off" from what I see! Which is such a refreshing change from the old ownership. Looking over what has transpired since the 2017 NFL season It certainly looks to me like these new Buffalo Bills owners did their homework in hiring McD/Beane! I know I haven't felt this good about this franchise since Marv Levy hired Ex-Colts HC Ted Marchibroda after the 1988 season.

From what I've read it was Peyton Manning calling the Jets to endorse Gase is what got him hired by NY in the first place. Not sure I get the love for the guy by Manning as it couldn't have been too difficult to coach the Broncos offense with Manning at QB. Didn't Denver promote Gase after Mike McCoy was hired to be HC of the Chargers in 2013? Gase worked for two seasons as Denver's OC and then followed Denver's HC John Fox after he was fired to Chicago. That 2015 Bears offense was only ranked at 23rd in PF, 21st in yards. So, I don't get the hiring of Gase as HC of the Miami Dolphins either? I almost wonder if Manning made a call to the Dolphins owner too. Does Adam Gase have some wild-eyed compromising photos of Manning? I just don't get it! The new HC/GM of the NY Jets he went 23 -25 as HC of the Dolphins. While he does now have an intriguing coaching staff at NY with Gregg Williams at DC and ex-Lions HC Jim Caldwell as OC. I'd be more inclined to hire Williams or Caldwell as HC over Gase.

This stuff is one of the reasons why the Patriots manage to stay atop the division for nearly two decades. The Bills were right there with the Jets, Dolphins in trying to find the right QB, the right HC, the right GM. To me, it looks like the Bills finally have their franchise QB, their next Polian in Beane and McD the next Marv. Haha, I agree! McD doesn't need to be the next Belichick right away as all he needs to do is hire the right assistant coaches. When his first choice at OC didn't get it done he replaced him! The same happened with the O line, receivers coach and special teams coach. We already know that Leslie Frazier is a good DC, while the jury is out on Daboll, Heath Farwell the new ST coach. Beane did his job in rebuilding the O line, finding that franchise QB and rebuilding that core of ST players. Now the coaches need to prove their worth.

While Brandon was still employed by the Buffalo Bills with these new owners, AFAIK Brandon was promoted to President, managing partner of the Bills, president of the Sabres, Americans, Bandits. After the Rex Ryan firing, he was no involved in the football side. While I do agree that we need to see some real winning... like beating the crap out of the Patriots 2x and taking the division to be truly out of two decades of losing hell. I haven't felt this way about the team since the Marv Levy/ Bill Polian days in 1987 when you could see things all coming together. Even though the team only finished 7-8 that year you could see we had the franchise QB in Kelly and a really good receiver in Reed. Plus the defense was already looking better at near top ten and with that trade at Halloween to get Biscuit... This team is very close to competing with the best in the NFL as they already had the #1 pass defense last season and just need to shore up the run defense. The offense just needs to work things out as I'm not yet convinced that Bills OC Daboll is the right OC to build a top NFL offense. We will find out this season.

While Buddy Nix was still the Bills GM in 2013. It was Doug Whaley who personally went to Florida to scout EJ and made the choice to draft him. If you look at his college career at Florida state it wasn't all that bad considering. During his senior season, he threw for the second most yards in team history with 3,392, trailing only Chris Weinke's Heisman Trophy winning season, in which Weinke threw for 4,167 yards. Manuel went 25-6 as a starter, won the first BCS bowl for Florida State since 2000, won five out of six games against intrastate rivals Miami and Florida, and he led the offense to its most prolific season in team history, cleanly surpassing the 1999 National Championship squad with 6,591 yards. Plus, the kid was Bruce Smith's godson. Bills fans worried about Josh Allen's completion percentage and yet EJ's was average after four seasons was 66.9 %. The kid was a reach by the Bills who were desperate for a franchise QB. The Bills should have been looking for that franchise QB as early as 2010 which was Nix's first year as GM. Granted that year's QB draft class stunk too, as did the several after. EJ Manuel was ruined by moron coaches in Buffalo. EJ was a developmental project who should have never been a first round pick and should have sat and learned behind a veteran QB... But then, the Bills just hired a HC from the college ranks who had no experience as an NFL HC, nor did his OC who also had no NFL experience as an NFL play-caller, OC, QB coach. Speaking of QB coaches...the Bills went into EJ's rookie season with no veteran QB on the roster, no NFL QB coach, the other QB's on the roster were another rookie QB and a guy who started a game or two. Plus the OC was Nate Hackett who was the only man any of these young QB could lean on to learn the NFL ropes. EJ later stated he learned more from watching Kyle Orton prepare for an NFL game more than from anyone else in the Bills Org. What does that tell you about how inept Maroon and his flunkies were back then. Is it really any wonder why EJ Manual failed in Buffalo looking at that offensive coaching staff. P.S. The 2014 Buffalo Bills were 9-7 and it was mostly because of that #4 overall defense coached by Bills DC Jim Schwartz. The Buffalo Bills in all their brilliance let Schwartz leave for Philly were he would win a SB ring as the Eagles DC. Meanwhile, the Bills hire Rex Ryan as HC. I'm so happy the almost two decades with garbage FO people, coaches are behind this franchise now.

While it's my belief that Tom Brady is a huge reason as to why this team has been in 9 super bowls and won 6 since 2000. I also acknowledge that a lot of those winning seasons were because of their HC. Bill Belichick drafted a QB in 2005 from USC that never started in his four years in college... and only threw 20 of 33 for 192 yards in those four years. (Just think of that for a min as so much is all about what a player does in his time in college.) Then Cassel sat on the bench for three seasons behind Brady...until Brady went out after 11 passes in the season opener against KC for the entire 2008 season from a torn ACL. This QB who never started a game in college was now the New England Patriots starting QB and he managed to take them to an 11-5 season while beating the Buffalo Bills twice. The very last game of the season was in a wind storm at the Ralph and the Patriots were at a distinct disadvantage because of those high winds. Trent Edwards had more passing yards, 128 vs 78, the Bills had a RB who rushed for more yards in Fred Jackson who ran 27 times for 136 yards. But NE had two rushers who racked up only seven more total yards and one sole rushing TD. Plus, their kicker managed two FGs while the Bills kicker Ryan Lindell missed his only chance. Alas, a game the Buffalo Bills should have won..but their HC was Dick Jauron. Anyway, that 2008 season the Patriots finished with the same record as the Miami Dolphin at 11-5 and Miami won the division due to tiebreakers. Meanwhile the Patriots missed the playoffs. 11-5 with a QB who's first actual game start after high school was in an NFL game. Only Belichick!

Easy to beat...tough to play... NE vs Buffalo In 2014 with the #4 defense overall the Bills got trounced by the Patriots 37-22 in Buffalo. That 2014 season the Buffalo Bills led the NFL in sacks with 54! The Bills only sacked Brady 2x. Although they beat the Patriots in the last game of the season at NE. The 12-4 Patriots Brady played the first half, Garoppolo played the second in a 17-8 win. The Pats had already home field throughout so the win didn't matter. 2016 with Brady suspended week four the Bills beat the Patriots 16-0 at NE with Jacoby Brissett at QB for NE. The next time they meet in Week eight the Bills get beat 41-25 at Buffalo with Brady at QB. 2018 Buffalo Bills had the #2 in yards allowed, #18 in points allowed. The Bills lost both games. In his 18 years in the NFL the Buffalo Bills have been Tom Brady's beiotch. The Biggest difference between the teams has been one player...da GOAT! 40 playoff games, 14 pro bowls. 9 super bowls with 6 wins. Since 2000 the Patriots have only missed the playoffs 3 times. 16 years of playoffs. During that same time frame 2000-2018 the Buffalo Bills made the playoffs ...once