Nihilarian

The Browns continue to be one of the most dysfunctional NFL teams in the league and the epitome of how to build a continuous loser. I have no idea how their scouting dept works but If I'm the new owner I'd hire more then just a new GM. Since 2000, the Browns have had 12 different head coaches with a minimum of 12 starting QB's. In the 90's the Browns had Bill Belichick as HC and Butch Davis and both made the playoffs. They went 10-6 under Crennel in 2007 so it must why all head coaches are not good enough and those men are the real reason the team keeps drafting bums at QB, right? In 2000 they drafted QB Spergon Wynn in the 6th -2004 QB Luke McCown in the 4th- 2005 QB Charlie Frye in the 3rd- 2007 QB Brady Quinn with their second 1st pick- 2010 QB Colt McCoy in the 3rd- 2012 QB Brandon Weedon with their second 1st pick after they took RB Trent Richardson with the first 1st. 2014 Johnny Manziel with their second first, and CB Justin Gilbert with their first 1st. Perhaps this year they might finally be smart enough to use that first pick on a QB in either Wentz or Goff. Anyway, after firing GM Ray Farmer and hiring Hue Jackson as HC the Browns are looking at a "Moneyball" type strategy. http://www.clevelandsportszone.com/2016-state-of-the-cleveland-browns-front-office-and-coaching-staff/ I have my doubts.

I agree. This is probably exactly why Sammy spoke up last year. Players with that skill level have a burning desire to be great and make the hall, get a ring and he sure wouldn't be doing either as a decoy for Woods / Hogan. Watkins was basically wasted under Marrone most of the time and even with TT learning as he goes also isn't the best place to put up great numbers. It would be very interesting to see how Watkins would perform in a high powered offense with another decent top WR on the other side to help open things up. The 2015 Bills had the 28th passing offense last year and I can see him as a top five WR in a top passing offense. Sadly, under Ryan / Roman, the Bills offense simply isn't built that way. As for resigning with Buffalo in two years, I have to wonder if Marcell Dareus's contract would have been up this offseason if he would have resigned with Buffalo or looked to be a fit in a 4-3 somewhere else. The man was vocal about how he disliked Ryan's scheme from training camp last season and I'll wager he probably isn't looking forward to playing in Ryan's 3-4 as a gap control NT. On another note, should Ryan pull off a miracle with his defense and the Bills make the playoffs 2016 then everyone should be happy...even me!

Hey Bill, I'll miss those weekly posts on the game from you for sure. Keep fighting the good fight!

That is correct, though. Whaley stated his choice would have been TE Eric Ebron who went 10th to Detroit. While not really a bum the guy hasn't done much so far. Someone mentioned the other WR's in the draft and the next years were lacking. Like Odell Beckham Jr, Brandin Cooks, Kelvin Benjamin, Allen Robinson? Then Tyler Lockett, Arami Cooper in 2015's draft. The Bills lost their 2015 first round pick and a fourth. Then the biggest issue I have is that if all the team needed was a superstar WR, then 100% yes! But the team still had holes and still doesn't have a solid for sure franchise QB to even throw to him. By the time TT evolves into that elite QB (if ever) Watkins could be leaving Buffalo after his four years are up. JMO

Think about the teams that have domes and those that don't. If you ever want to see a super bowl played in Buffalo then vote for the dome.

My take is that there is still a systemic problem in the offensive player evaluation that goes far beyond Who Buddy Nix replaced in Tom Modrak and whatever scouts Whaley replaced.

It's not the fact that the team let Andy Levitre leave as he simply wasn't worth what Tenn gave him. It's all about who he was replaced with and that falls directly on new GM Doug Whaley who took over after May 13th 2013. It was a myriad amount of scrubs that started that 2013 season at LG, including Colin Brown and Sam Young who were both outright cut after a few weeks of playing. Then the guy who took over at LG was the man brought to be the backup center from one of the weakest O-lines in the league in Doug Legursky. Legursky was promptly released the next year because he too stunk it up. The next offseason Whaley signed another total scrub in OG Chris Williams and gave him 5.5 mill guaranteed ...to play in exactly 3 games. His contract was terminated July 2015. The grade that Colin Brown got was about the very worst I've ever seen an offensive linemen grade at (-30.1) and Legursky graded at (-12.5). To put those numbers in context Cordy Glenn graded (+23.0) and Levitre graded (+12.3) his last year in Buffalo in 2012. Doug Whaley allowed those scrubs to play all the while knowing he basically had three rookie QB's on the roster attempting to develop. He knows better now and that is why he franchised Glenn and paid Incognito, In 2014 the buffalo Bills fielded one of the very worst offensive lines for most of the season and Incognito was right there available and ready to sign. As FireChan stated he was pounding the table in this forum for the Bills to sign the man all that year! It was Rex Ryan who came in and stated he wanted to take a chance on Richie Incognito and vouched for him, so the Buffalo Bills signed him! http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2015/02/07/richie-incognito-rex-ryan-contract-jonathan-martin-miami-dolphins/23040525/ Incognito wasn't the only OG that Rex Ryan was chasing, as he went after LSU OT La'el Collins and wined and dined him to attempt to get him signed with Buffalo and instead Collins signed with Dallas. http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/05/04/reports-bills-coach-rex-ryan-dining-with-lael-collins-in-louisiana/ It's a darn shame Rex Ryan screwed up the defense so badly last year because he did do some great things for the betterment of the offense. He was instrumental in hiring OC Greg Roman, bringing in Tyrod Taylor and Richie Incognito. Had the Bills been able to sign La'el Collins then last years line would have even been so much better IMO.

This has to have had a huge impact this past year alone. Especially If it's true what I've read here that Whaley wanted to hire Hue Jackson as HC. With better coaching last year that team makes the playoffs IMO. Then after hiring Jackson while somehow retaining Schwartz or even hiring someone who knows how to utilize that highly paid front four better than what we saw last season. That new HC in Rex Ryan causing a ton of turmoil amongst the pro bowl D-linemen and then making them all look below average... much less than some of the highest paid players in the league. All this must be particularly difficult for Whaley to deal with as someone who doesn't appear to have a say in who gets hired as HC. Now after helping to build one of the very best defenses in the league he must be very frustrated to need to rebuild that defense to fit Ryan's 3-4. It's like 2010 all over again. I can only imagine that at this point that even if he wants to draft more talent for the offense to upgrade the line at RG, RT, then bolster the receiver corps after losing Chris Hogan, he can't. Now it looks like the team will be drafting for need with the first few picks for the defense.

I agree with this. While not proposing that the team fire him. I feel there is this void at the top of the org filled by a new owner who was deceived into thinking he has the NFL football acumen to make an intelligent choice for a new head coach. and the other guy at the top of that org chart who pushed for the latest head coaching hire is a marketing / baseball man who has no business involved in any way with the football side of operations. I don't see how hiring an experienced NFL senior advisor / team president like a Ron Wolf, Charlie Casserly or even stealing Current Packer GM Ted Thompson by hiring him away from Green Bay and promoting him to team president of football operations wouldn't help this franchise win a super bowl. Isn't that what it's all about?

News flash, this team still has a lot of holes on the roster and no depth in a lot of positions. The high priced players are on the team are here because the scouts couldn't find them in the draft and are a big reason for a lot of the top talent. The 2016 Bills need a pass rushing DE because they couldn't afford to keep Mario. The team still needs two decent LBers and a solid starter at RG and RT. The current DT's and DE don't fit this head coaches 3-4 scheme so the team will be rebuilding the defense for years. OH, BTW the Bills fielded a bottom 10 defense last year! Had to draft multiple receivers... and only one is really a top WR and he cost the team two firsts and a 4th! The team didn't have to cut Fitz as the team chose to let him go because they felt he was overpaid. That was mostly because the tools in the scouting dept and GM kept bringing in more bums for the line and after the QB getting hit so often he looked like crap. This team STILL wouldn't have a decent offensive line if it were up to the current GM and they still need two solid starters plus depth. That all pro LG or a QB that looks like he might be the real thing wouldn't even be on the team if it weren't for the new head coach. The GM didn't find those players! The team paid Percy Harvin how much money to play in only six games last year? Signing bonus 3 mill and 2.9 mill base (fully guaranteed)for six games. I think it came down to about 4 mill for those 6 games. The Bills are now are talking about re-signing him because they fail to find that kind of talent in the draft. With the team still having holes in the WR corps because they couldn't afford to keep Chris Hogan. I think I read a poll in this forum in which most of this fan base thinks the 2016 Buffalo Bills will win only 8 - 9 games this season and in my opinion, that is not good enough. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and mine is this GM still needs a bunch of help in building a winning team.

To the Bolded. This GM allowed Levitre to walk and then tried to replace him with garbage players is absolutely correct. Some of those players were outright cut after a few games. 5 mill for Chris Williams to play 3 games! So the GM did that, that year with basically three rookie QB's on the roster along with no QB coach. Unbelievably moronic! Now this year we all saw what a decent O line and run game that actually can make a first down will do for a young developing QB. When Tyrod was forced to throw more then run he didn't look so good. Anyone of those three young QB's might have progressed quite differently with a better line in front of them. Richie Incognito wasn't Doug Whaley, nor was Tyrod Taylor. Both those players were brought in because of Rex Ryan. It was Ryan who stated he would take responsibility and vouch for Incognito and like you mentioned FC it came a year later than it should have when you consider what that 2014 line looked like. Ryan also liked what he saw of Taylor at Baltimore and tried to trade for him when he was with the Jets. The one position that a team needs to have to get anywhere is an elite franchise QB and Doug Whaley's version of that is EJ! From what I've read it was the Colts who initiated the trade with trading away #1 pick LBer Jerry Hughes for Bills LBer Kelvin Shepard because new Colts GM Ryan Grigson wanted more toughness and size on defense! http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000165264/article/indianapolis-colts-trade-jerry-hughes-to-buffalo-bills Dumping Stevie Johnson because he didn't run precise routes so EJ would have less trouble finding a WR was foolish after EJ was benched after three games. QB Kyle Orton could have really used a WR like Johnson who was always open. The trade for WR Mike Williams was lame. The trade for RB Bryce Brown (who did nothing in Buffalo) with a #4 pick which is the same round draft pick the Buffalo Bills got for Marshawn Lynch, 6 Mill on an older elite RB in a trade because the teams scouts can't find one in the draft. 100 million for a DE in free agency because the scouts can't find one in the draft...Aaron Maybin... Shawne Merriman Stupid money for an above average TE because the scouts can't find the talent in the draft. Look at what's happened at RG and RT over the last few years because the scouts can't find the talent in the draft. This team got incredibly lucky to find an all pro LG off the street because they couldn't find one in the draft. The Buffalo Bills are in cap hell and they aren't even paying 10-20 mill per for an elite QB! two first round picks for a WR when the team didn't already have an established franchise QB to throw to him! Not to mention that WR wasn't even the best WR in the draft so far. To top that off if the trade hadn't been made for Sammy this GM stated he would have drafted TE Eric Ebron This team has been bad for so long that even a below average GM looks brilliant compared to having an owner as team president who hires an older ex-team HC as GM, has no GM or hires a retired head scout pretending to be the GM. Doug Whaley has been a rookie GM learning as he goes at the expense of the Buffalo Bills winning games. This team still has a huge void at the top of the org chart that has no NFL football operations mind with the acumen in building a winning franchise!! The Buffalo Bills are in desperate need of another Bill Polian type president of football operations!! If the CEO Russ Brandon was really interested in seeing this franchise become a winning franchise he would push the new owners to hire that man to help the current GM.

More like his agent wants it. I can see why Whaley and the Bills would want to wait awhile to see how TT performs this season simply because he has not elevated himself into an elite QB just yet. The system he was in allowed him to develop, grow and get better as he went because of the run-centric offense Roman ran. When it came time to throw more than run, then TT didn't fare so well. It makes no sense to give the kid a Cousins or Osweiler type contract simply because he might just end up looking like a Kaepernick, RG3, Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith after this year should the Bills want him to start throwing like an elite QB.

Yep and he kept drafting them with first round picks until he finally found a top WR! Then again, even Jerry Jones bit on Roy Williams to give Detroit a first and third round pick to acquire him. Then gave the guy a 54 million dollar extension The only other Dallas trade almost worse was giving up two first rounders for Joey Galloway who tore his ACL.

So many people in this world simply don't understand this concept that it's a five-player unit and it's only as strong as the weakest player. The Titans fielded the 29th worst line in the NFL and that rookie starting last year at offensive center was a complete dud. Looking over the Titans line situation they already have a #1 pick in LT Taylor Lewan who has been good enough so I don't see the real need for Tunsil unless the plan is to have him start at RT to break him in as a starter like they did with Lewan. You don't draft a RT #1 overall. They also have a #1 pick at RG in Chance Warmack and he really hasn't lived up to his draft slot. But then it could be that playing with utter scrubs at C and RT have made him look worse than he actually is. So the reason the Titans signed free agent Texans starting center Ben Jones this offseason and it looks like they moved him to LG. They also signed Russ Grimm as their O-line coach, HC Mike Mularkey has stated they want to build a ground and pound run first offense and in order to do that, they will still need to upgrade RT, OC. I can see them going all in on Tunsil.

I would think that everything would depend on how badly some teams might want Wentz or Goff because teams do stupid things to get a QB they think will lead them to the promised land. If a team offers them an RG3 type deal then they have to go for it. If I'm the GM and 100% certain that Marcus Mariota is my franchise QB. Then I want to protect him the very best I can and I would think a lot would depend on how the scouts grade Tunsil, Stanley, Conklin and if they think that Lewan can be a lock down LT. The Titans could still trade back a few spots and still get a guy they covet. Unless that guy is OT Tunsil and then they might just lose him if they go for the extra picks.

Wrex Ryan has more excuses than....China has people...an Ocean has fish...a desert has sand. “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bull **** story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it.” ― Jordan Belfort “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” ― George Washington Ask any Jets fan about all the broken promises over the six years in NYC. Ryan has already started spreading the manure his first season. The Bills will make the playoffs in 2015 and the defense would lead the NFL. Yeah, sure.

Thanks. Yea, the 49ers had one of the very best offensive lines in the league and then allowed it to be torn apart while forcing their young QB to make more plays with his arm. If that wasn't bad enough they must have been soliciting advice from Buddy Nix to sign Martin and Pears...then start them at RT in successive years. Guess what, they now need a good RT, LG, OC! Talk about near first to near worst... 27th last year. https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2016/01/20/pro-ranking-all-32-offensive-lines-this-season/ In regards to why Kaepernick in broken. It's mostly because he wasn't going by instinct anymore by quickly reading and reacting. It looked like he lost his confidence. It looked like was constantly over thinking the situation on most every pass play and by the time he determined he didn't want to throw the ball, the run lanes were gone. Thinking that this young QB is going to come into a new system and make good starts right away is downright foolish. The Buffalo Bills are already in the process of rehabilitating a young QB that had lost his confidence and was almost ruined by some less then smart coaches. They don't need another one.

It's just a darn shame that this team is always changing course in the middle of a journey. Now the defense needs to be retooled and not just because the team lost some players. Just think of what this free agency and draft could do to help the offense this season. The team still needs upgrades at RG, RT, a real #2 WR, a #2 TE and depth at several positions. Instead, the team will draft mostly for the defense because the HDAIC got an F in linear theory.

Kaepernick might have better physical traits but NFL defenses caught up to him with a vengeance. Once opposing teams shut down his threat to run while forcing him to make plays with his arm and he abruptly fell on his face. Then, while Greg Roman's offensive scheme is a very complex run-first attack that works very well with a running QB. When opposing teams find ways to stop that QB run option and force the QB to throw then Roman's passing offense doesn't look to be as sophisticated as his run game. Jim Harbaugh was heavily involved in the passing game and actually took over the play calling half way through Roman's final season in San Fran. My take on the situation is that the 49ers were pushing the guy way to fast to become an elite QB, and their GM made some questionable player moves prior to 2014. They lost their starting offensive center and went on to start a rookie at center. Then the signing of OT Jonathan Martin from Miami (yes, the same guy Cogs got into it with), QB Blane Gabbert. While the team still ran the ball quite a bit with Frank Gore they just weren't the same offense as Kaepernick struggled to make plays. Just to show you how lame their GM is he brought in Erik Pears to play RT in 2015 to replace Martin. I mean WTH! to go from a #1 pick in OT Anthony Davis to utter scrubs in Martin and Pears? The Niners also lost their starting LG Mike Iupati to Arizona who btw was another first round pick. The 49ers should have fired their GM Trent Baalke instead of Jim Harbaugh. Anyway, Colin Kaepernick looks to be a broken QB at this point and Tyrod Taylor isn't!

I would agree with this. The one area that really needed an upgrade for the Dolphins is the offense and Gase is somewhat renowned in the NFL for greatly improving QB play wherever he has landed. I like Gase and think he will work some magic with Tallywhacker as long as the Dolphins build a better line. Their receiver corps looks pretty decent but the RB situation looks weak after losing Miller to Houston and failing to sign CJ Anderson.

That guy would be better than Brandon as to who to hire as the next Buffalo Bills HC.

From ESPN http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14974906/buffalo-bills-reportedly-eyeing-controversial-coach-john-blake

I also agree and from what I've read here is that he is the one who told the Pegula's to not let Rex Ryan leave the room after his interview. Meaning he is the one that thought that Rex Ryan should be the Buffalo Bills next head coach. The Pegula's are newbies to the NFL world and sitting home or at games watching is a far cry from actually being in the business for years, and years. Brandon is also the one who flew to NYC with Whaley to interview and to hire Mike Pettine. Pretty sure his hand was in the Doug Marrone hiring and probably the Jim Schwartz hiring. What's interesting is that before he hired Marrone he was talking about hiring Ken Whisenhunt. We watched for 50 plus years as the last owner had his hands heavily involved in every aspect of the team and there have only been a few times in the history of the franchise when the owner took a step back and let someone else run the team. Those times are when he hired Tom Donahoe as team president and when he asked the current CEO to take over running the team the last few years of his life. Russ Brandon should have more than enough on his plate in running both the Bills and Sabres that he doesn't need to be in the football operations loop and because he is still in that loop he is blocking the owners from hiring someone who actually knows how to build a winning football team. This franchise needs an experienced NFL football man as team president as the last word to take the owners and CEO out of the football operations loop. JMO

How about resigning him before he becomes a free agent was the point? I've never said the guy is worth what the Patriots offered him. All the Bills have now is Watkins #1, Woods #2, Hogan who was the #3 and at times better than the #2 for a bunch of games. And the other point missed is that any scrub can take up a roster spot and the Bills have had their fill of scrubs at WR over the years. Hogan stepped up when the team needed him to be the leading WR in three games and caught a ton of first downs. That latter is exactly why the Patriots wanted him. His leaving Buffalo helps their team and hurts the Bills despite what the sour fans think. It's this delightful Bills fans mentality that once a player is no longer a Bill it's the thing to do to hate on the guy. I can only wonder what will be said this season when Tyrod Taylor has nobody open to get those first downs. Bottom line here for me is If I thought the Bills had the quality talent on the roster to replace him for those first downs then I could shiv a git he is a Patriot.

He would need to fire himself...