Straight Hucklebuck

Amen. No way would I support the Bills paying him $15M a season - not when there are several great backs available in the Draft. He can’t pass block, which means he isn’t a 3rd-Down back, and the 100-yard games are few and far between.

See ya later Cook. This class is too loaded at RB to be held hostage.

Just going to be hard to do this and extend Bernard, Benford, Rousseau, Shakir and retain Hamlin at -$11M already. Let alone trying to work a Crosby, Garrett trade. How much money they free up leading up to FA will be a clue. Yes on Cisco. It felt like every week in 2023 I looked up and he was taking an interception the other way.

Thank you for the thorough response. It gave me a lot to think about. I’ve boiled it down to the Top 3. 1. The 2019-Draft 2nd Round. I wanted Metcalf, he had the prototype WR #1 build. That kind of athlete is beyond rare. To pair a 6’3” 228 pound Metcalf with 6’5” 237 pound Allen. You’re not getting pushed around. Also, to pass on AJ Brown who is a physical specimen as well, I wanted him second to Metcalf. 2. The 2021 decision to make Emmanuel Sanders the #2 WR was the start of the give up at WR and the chain reaction that decision caused, namely two years of Gabe Davis as the #2. In 2021 Beasley was in clear decline, Brown was gone. That led to the bottom of the depth chart falling out as McKenzie was assumed the #3 role. So really it was the 2022 offseason where I wanted the Bills to get another WR to pair with Diggs. You’re right about nobody being available in Free Agench as I don’t remember wanting any of these guys: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/_/year/2022/position/wr/sort/contract_value And really just George Pickens was someone the Bills could have had in the 2nd. But that was the first crack at Davante Adams, who was traded out of conference. Tyreek Hill went after that. Like I said, no way was KC sending him to Buffalo. AJ Brown was another that offseason. So there was a market for teams moving off clear #1’s and the Bills weren’t in on any of them. 3. Watching the 2023 Divisional as Allen struggled to throw to Diggs, Trent Sherfield too slow to catch Allen’s deep pass, Gabe Davis out, Khalil Shakir not fully in his role, leaving just Kincaid, just again with no weapons, no deep threat, no speed. So for sure I thought in 2024 Draft the Bills were going WR, they had. Then Beane slaps the fans in the face with the trade with the Chiefs, and fair or not, they get the guy they want and he’s the fastest player ever in modern Combine history. And we got the 4.61 player who has played exactly like his scouting reports said he would. The Bills never double dip, and only keep 5 WRs on the roster. So here we are again Cooper is a FA, Hollins is a FA, leaving Shakir, Samuel and Coleman. Can they pry Pickens out of Pittsburgh? I know, I know, he’s not a McDermott guy. People scoff at Samuel and yes he’s no technician, he’s like all the 49ers players - overworked and breaking down due to their physical style, but still in his 20’s and would not break the bank. Cooper Kupp who has had injuries and is slowing down now. If Beane doesn’t make a trade, which I don’t expect, then Round 1 or 2 needs to be a WR for me. When Bond runs a 4.26, he won’t be there in the 2nd by the time the Bills pick. They have to get a deep threat on this team. Even if they take a flier on a Jalin Hyatt trade. Somebody who can open up that deep passing game. Of course he’s not going to be a volume player here, but he had a defined skill set coming out of college. I have no interest in re-signing Amari Cooper. Way too slow.

That’s eye opening. In 13-games he averages 2.5 TDs a game to 0.3 Ints. That’s amazing with what he’s had to work with.

Yes, yes and yes. People want McDermott and Beane gone because Pegula has given them the resources to build what they want and it's draft, develop and retain. It's left the team perpetually cap strapped and full of decent to good players, but no game changers on either side of the ball. And our GM is saying "keep kicking the door down" and "we're close" and "we aren't losing to just anybody" and "the Chiefs are going for a historic 3-peat". That press conference was nothing but we're going to keep doing what we've been doing. As soon as March 12th hits - its Year 8 for Beane, Year 9 for McDermott. I'll be shocked if they make a real trade on defense. I'll be even more shocked if they actually try to get Josh Allen a good WR.

Then why don't they help Allen and get him real WRs? Why did Beane get him Diggs and then stop trying after that? Drafts - Ray Ray McCloud, Austin Proehl, Gabe Davis, Isaiah Hodgins, Marquez Stephenson, Khalil Shakir, Justin Shorter, Keon Coleman Notable UDFAs - Duke Williams, Robert Foster, Tanner Gentry Practice Squad Claim - Isaiah McKenzie FA signings - Cole Beasley, John Brown, Andre Roberts, Emmanuel Sanders, Jamison Crowder, Jake Kumerow, Andy Isabella, Deonte Harty, Trent Sherfield, Mack Hollins, Curtis Samuel Trades - Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper The resume here is awful.

Yeah that's a dangerous mindset in IMO. The Bills offensive line was almost 100% healthy last year save for Brown missing the Chiefs game. And the team was +27 in turnover differential. Simply rolling the ball back out there and expecting 30-ppg again is not a smart strategy IMO. WR continues to drag this team down. Also, hearing a lot of we're done at RB - just extend Cook, re-sign Ty Johnson, bring back Gilliam (both Joe Marino and Sal Capaccio have said this) - and I tend to disagree with that as well. This draft is loaded with good running backs. If the Bills want to meaningfully try and get an advantage on other teams in terms of league trends - pair Cook with another dynamic player and really go for it. It's just a thought, but simply running it back with the players the team already has is unlikely to meaningfully advance this offense IMO. Allen is the reason we have anything, and his presence requires constant investment.

I agree with you McDermott has evolved. He started as Bills HC trumpeting a strong run game to play in snowy Buffalo weather and winning the field position battle. I remember the interview on WGR well. This year it was evident that he was more joyful, happier, spoke frequently about how special the City of Buffalo is. But ... when you say arbitrary reasons and fans just want blood ... WR quality was again a major contributor to this teams downfall in the Playoffs. I know Beane says "we're close" - Brandon the team got halfway there to a Super Bowl victory. Once again Allen trying to throw down the field and it's Mack Hollins leading the way. Didn't double dip at WR to give yourself the best chance, traded out of the first round. They had to try something after the Allen 9/30 Houston game so Amari Cooper was brought in. Of course I was a fan of the move, they had to try something. And this is where you say but this is a Beane criticism. Well, as we've said that's the downside of a defensive head coach, Allen will lift good OCs and you're always at risk of losing those coaches. McDermott So onto McDermott - a lot of debate right now on who to extend/re-sign - Benford, Bernard, Rousseau and Hamlin if you want him. This will use up the majority of cap space the team has, but also it locks the Bills further into the Sean McDermott defensive style. He is the one directing the FO on what type of players his staff needs. It's why it becomes an existential crisis for this team to take Taron Johnson off the field sometimes and put Dorian Williams in. It's why we have to employ a defensive line rotation, and why the Safety's play 20-yards down the field, and why good QBs eat his zone defense apart, and when the pivot to man defense there is always a weak corner to pick on. McDermott is the architect of the defense. He's had significant investment from the FO to support his vision. And it's a defense that continues to crumble in the Playoffs. More than anything it's the gut wrenching losses that are starting to pile up on his resume - up to and including 2020 was gravy for the team. As you said the 17-year Playoff drought ended, he eventually got over his man crush on Nate Peterman, and the team improved throughout 2019 and 2020. But 13-seconds was an all-time debacle. Then the team escapes the Wildcard in 2022, only to be hammered by the Bengals at home in which his defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said the team had already developed a gameplan for the Monday Nighter and they were going reuse that. Then 2023 the team goes on the run to make the Playoffs, only to fall apart health wise against the Dolphins and Steelers so they are depleted against the Chiefs. 2024, the team is better offensively than anyone really predicted, they lead the league with a +27 turnover differential, hit the Playoffs healthy, stop the Ravens, and once again can't contain the KC offense and the offense has a below average game for them and they lose again. So 8-years in now, 7-7 in the Playoffs, 7-2 at home, 0-5 on the Road. We're staring at the defensive line needing to be rebuilt, #2 corner is a need again, both Safety positions are weak, the best linebacker in 15-years is getting older. Bottom Line The model for this entire McDermott-Beane build has been to draft, develop and retain. The results have been some good players in the draft, but few real difference makers. We've extended our own guys and the roster is now maxed out in cap space annually. We rely on restructures to get compliant every year. On the field it's a lot of Josh Allen covering for an average (being nice) group of skill position players. The defense has been atrocious in elimination games. Beane and McDermott are a package deal. The problem is the clock on Allen is ticking, next year he is 29 years old, Year 8. You don't win the Super Bowl next year, and now he's 30 years old. You're not firing McDermott and Beane, they get 2025. But if they lose another AFCCG (0-3), or a Divisional (2-4) I think it's more than fair to ask can this HC and GM even get you to a single Super Bowl? It's professional sports, you don't get to keep the job forever because you're a nice guy and adopt Buffalo as your home. And I would think if Pegula did his research on HCs and GMs this year, there would be plenty of people that would investment more resources around Allen, and try a different style of defense. Pegula has done his part with the money. It's time for the Playoff results.

Mike Geniti of Spotrac said he anticipates other teams blowing the Bills out of the water with their offers to the Browns.

Cook is an interesting one with numerous running backs seemingly available in this draft.

Well they took Bowers 13th overall after spending the 35th overall pick on Mayer one year earlier. So it was more for me trying to get Kincaid off the roster and get back a Tight End.

It burnt a hole through Beane’s head last year when he didn’t have a 3rd Rounder entering the Draft. It was one of the primary reasons he made that trade with Kansas City for the 3rd-Round pick swap. He’s constantly moving around the board with small trade ups and downs - the fact that he traded for Hines, Douglas and Cooper - the last two for 3rds means you need capital.

Something along the lines of a 2nd, 4th and Kincaid for Crosby and Mayer. I think Mayer would fit this team better.

For all those asking “why” this is the point. If you’re not willing to do some surgery on the roster to get elite talent then you are not going to be in the running for Garrett, Crosby or anyone else that becomes available. Because Beane’s model has been retain his own - Oliver, Milano, Knox, Jones - there isn’t cap space to re-sign the list above and simply trade draft assets for these elite players. Beane’s drafting quality and overall build model has paid good (not great) players and left the team cap strapped.

1. Our QB has never thrown to Tight Ends 2. He’s going to be 26 next year and still has term left on his rookie deal. 3. Because he was 24 when the Bills drafted him, he’d be 29 at his extension and no way do I want the Bills doing that. 4. He’s not physical or strong, and has shown to be a possession Tight End. I think you cut your losses and realize drafting for a fit in Ken Dorsey’s offense doesn’t make sense given his usage. 5. Knox is already on this team at a $14.8M cap hit and Beane talked glowingly about how much Knox means to the team. He’s already being paid as TE1 but he’s blocked in a timeshare to justify the first that Kincaid took. 6. All that “big slot” post draft has not come to fruition. He’s not fast enough to really excel. He is a zone possession Tight End. 7. Our OC has developed a scheme around running the ball. 8. The average Kincaid game so far is 4 catches a game for 38 yards. 9. He has 4-TDs in 29-games.

This board said it as soon as the Bills extended Oliver, why? He had his spots this year - Detroit - but again with long stretches of average play and the constant questions about his size and rush defense. I don’t know any team wants that $20M/year contract, but structurally that a move that would force a change on this defense.

Rousseau counts $13.3M against the cap in 2025 which is fine. His best trait is he is 24 and can eat snaps. But you always have the franchise tag as an option in 2026 and if I were Beane I would value the cap flexibility right - out of all the guys who are extension-ready: Shakir Benford Bernard Rousseau Cook No I am not counting Damar Hamlin Do Bills fans really want the Bills to try and bring all of these guys back? Big swings are going to take cap space and draft capital - you can't do that if you extend this entire group (and not being willing to twist the roster) - so looking at a Benford trade, a Bernard trade, Kincaid, Oliver - all of that makes sense to me.

I think you nail it here man. Beane's model has been draft, develop and retain - that's the gold standard on the surface - problem is just as you stated - Oliver's cap hit is over $20M, Knox's cap hit is $14.8M in 2025, Rousseau is going to be somewhere in the $16M-$21M range/year, and what does a good starting corner make. The problem is obvious - these extensions tie you further to McDermott's scheme, the players listed are not elite, and it will eat the rest of this teams cap space. The Bills are -$11M now and 29th overall.

Well - I think this warrants thinking about the defensive roster at large. If McDermott and Beane are really here for the long haul, and they following their blueprint - then they're going to extend Bernard, Benford and Rousseau. When you consider the Shakir extension, then do these extensions realistically eat all the rest of the cap?

I want the Bills to trade Kincaid.

How does a broken bone in his wrist explain how he can't run faster to create separation against New England backup corners? How does a broken bone in his wrist explain his coaching staff thinking the only way to use him is a low percentage fade - despite playing him at a 60% snap count?

Well this is one of the reasons that Beane should be on the hot seat. While its fair to wonder why this Front Office didn't value 4.21 speed from a major SEC program, it's not just Worthy, it's the indifference they've shown towards WR since Beane arrived and doubling down on that indifference every year. Once again the WR group is in shambles - Cooper is a FA, Hollins is a FA. Leaving Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman. On average, this means Beane will pick through the low-end FA trash for a WR, and draft a WR no earlier than the 4th-Round - because that's what he's done every year except the 2020 1st-Round trade for Diggs, and the 2024 2nd-Round pick of Coleman. 2018 - Ray Ray McCloud (6th) - Not here, Austin Proehl (7th) - Not here 2019 - None 2020 - Diggs (1st) - Not here, Davis (4th) - Not here, Hodgins (6th) - Not here 2021 - Stevenson (6th) - Not here 2022 - Shakir (5th) 2023 - Shorter (5th) - Not here 2024 - Coleman (2nd) So I expect a journeyman WR (that includes Mack Hollins) and maybe a 6th Round pick. He sits there at every press conference incredulous that people ask him what he was thinking trading with the Chiefs, or the notion this team is PAPER THIN at WR again with an MVP QB that he drafted on the roster. WR and Defensive Line are the reasons Beane is failing and his actions show that he doesn't think it's a problem. It's not a problem that Duke Williams in your leading WR against Houston in 2019 - fast forward to 2024 and Mack Hollins is your #1 playmaker against the Chiefs.

Super Bowl LIX February 9th 2025 Super Bowl I January 15th 1967 You're right, it's only been 58 years, 26 days. Thanks for clarifying.

“no idea why” - because fans of this franchise have been waiting 64 years now to win a Championship. You have a window with Josh Allen. Next year in no.8 for him in Buffalo, he’ll be 29. You think he’ll stay this athletic for another 8-years? Next year will be Year 9 with McDermott at the helm. What exactly are we holding onto here? A 17-3 win against the Ravens in the 2020 AFC Divisional and the 2024 AFC Divisional? A part of this job is that you win the Super Bowl. This man hasn’t been able to get to one yet with the best QB this franchise has ever had. Part of the profession is the acceptance that if you can’t get it done it’s your time to go. Lindy Ruff said the first time around in Buffalo that Darcy Reiger came to his office and he just said “I know”. He got the pass in 2019 because Allen was young despite being up 16-0 in that game, got the pass for the 2020 AFCCG because the team wasn’t ready to beat the Chiefs, survived the 13-seconds debacle, got the pass for the team being emotional spent with Damar in 2022, got the injury pass last year against the Chiefs, what is the excuse this year? When have you suffered enough gut wrenching losses to where you say hey we gave it our best scheme, you’ve given your best speeches, it’s just not enough? It’s crazy to me that fans of this organization cling to Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane for that matter. They both have been given ample time here.