JGMcD2

Fantastic break down! I did see mention of cutting Sweeney but I honestly can’t remember where... I read so many threads when I’m bored lol. Certain things stick in my mind haha

I think I commented on this in another thread about signing Greg Olsen. Everyone is clamoring to cut Croom/Sweeney/Kroft/Smith if we sign him... why? I’d rather just keep 5 TE for camp that have all played meaningful NFL snaps and see what happens in a competition. Your entire team can’t be filled with superstars but if you can get some veteran talent that’s had some success and sprinkle it everywhere it’s never a bad thing. We’ve got like 56 players on our roster right now, all of which were part of the organization this past season during our playoff run... so a bunch of guys who know what it takes to win. Only a handful of FA, most of which will be back for cheap + $90M to spend and 9(?) draft picks... why not just stockpile assets and see what happens?

It’s because Levi struggled for a stretch last season and most posters on this board aren’t ok with the ups and downs that occur week to week or season to season in the NFL. Player has to be an All-Pro consistently or else they’re worthless. It’s called being a fan and not having any ability to detach and assess, or evaluate talent.

I believe Bill James (father of Moneyball) said within the last year that you could essentially remove every player from Major League Baseball and replace them with semi-pro players and within 3 years nobody would know the difference. He got flamed for his statement because it’s pretty disrespectful but I think the point was, the game is the game, if you have equal talent playing on the same field you shouldn’t be able notice the difference. I think you just have to watch the XFL and accept it for what it is. If I’m an NFL executive or coach, I’m tuning in to every game, or even sending scouts. Not only to evaluate players, but to poach formations, play concepts, etc. As a fan I’m enjoying the alternative and getting to see some guys live out their dream. Many will never get another shot. There is a lot to be learned. EDIT: Here is the tweet. It was deleted by James after a lot of backlash from players. “If the players all retired tomorrow, we would replace them, the game would go on; in three years it would make no difference whatsoever. The players are NOT the game, any more than the beer vendors are.”

I don’t understand why everyone is freaking out. Individuals on this board need to understand how to judge interest in players individually. Greg Olsen would be a fine signing. He is not going to break the bank. He is not going to command a long term deal. He is not the only offensive addition we will make this off-season. I understand the collective desire to get younger. Yes, it’s good to have young, cheap and talented players littered across your roster. It’s also good to have veteran talent. There needs to be a mix. We are allowed to carry 90 players on our roster for the off-season... why not carry the best combination of 90 players we can find that fit our organization and schemes? Everyone wants to “Cut Smith” or “Cut Kroft” if we sign Olsen (some even if we don’t). My lord, we have about $80M to spend and I can assure you all $80M will not be spent... so why cut players to save money? We have plenty. Stack the damn depth chart with NFL players. If we sign Olsen our TE room for camp is: Olsen Knox Kroft Smith Sweeney Croom All 6 guys have played meaningful NFL snaps... that’s a good a thing to have those guys competing in camp.

Are you sure you don't want Peterson? He looked pretty darn good against us ?

I don’t disagree with you at all. It is a requirement of the job, he needs to follow the rule. There are ways for him to avoid public scrutiny. He could be much smarter with how he handles his marijuana habit. I’m just saying I’d rather a guy gets caught with a small stash of weed than is found dead from an OD on pain meds. Freddie Kitchens was dead set on using Hunt in the passing game and that was it. He made him pretty one dimensional. I was in Cleveland for his first game back against Buffalo. I asked my buddy who knows him if he was actually going to get the ball and he said Freddie had specifically installed a bunch of packages where Kareem would be targeted in the pass game. He was targeted 9 times that day and had 7 receptions with only 4 carries. It didn’t always shake out that way... but Freddie thought it would be smart to use him primarily as a pass catcher and teams probably caught on.

Obviously you didn’t fully read the article and don’t understand exactly what happened. He was not high when he was driving, nor was he smoking while driving. What you’re suggesting is akin to punishing someone for driving 70 on the way home from the liquor store with a case of Bud Light in the car.

He is such an idiot junky. Someone needs to tell him to be responsible and switch to heavily addictive pain meds like a real man.

Not at all lol. I think you type a lot like I do, trying to add tone and inflection to certain points, as if you were physically having a conversation... and sometimes when that is typed it can come across the wrong way... but I kind of picked up on that and really didn’t think twice about it! Yeah I guess what you’re saying when you treat it on a case by case basis, it is different. Like the this specific example here. It would all probably come down to the communication behinds the scenes as to why the organization is doing that and getting the coach to truly believe it/buy in. That’s the hard part is it is a case by case basis and we often don’t see the behind the scenes conversations. Which to your point of treating them equally or like players, it does take the emotion out of it... it’s a just a standard where this is how it is and weren’t not making special considerations. Plenty of advantages to that... there are just the disadvantages as well. Same with my theories, there are pros and cons.

Nope, you’re fine. I wasn’t taking it that way, and I hoping that I didn’t come across that way either. We’ve had some good discussions on here before and I respect your opinion and POV. Definitely understand where you’re coming from with the competitive aspect as well.

Here is an article detailing how Mike McCarthy often blocked coaches. It discusses that blocking coaches can causes issues so McCarthy often promotes and/or gives the assistant coach he blocked a raise. Which you stated above that’s not what you would do... you explicitly said “Bills and any other organization don’t owe them anything other than their contract ” you also referred to them as assets and property. http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/packers/packers-often-deny-assistants-permission-to-interview-with-other-teams-ks87jo8-185390861.html/ You also keep asserting that there are only 32 teams so teams have the upper hand. You’re also disregarding college programs that also tend to pay assistant coaches more than professional teams. There are what 254 Division I college football programs between FBS and FCS? Those salaries are publicly available and defensive line coaches are making $500K. There are options for these coaches if you start restricting them like you’re proposing.

I will have to research on Baltimore and Philadelphia blocking assistant coaches for coordinator positions before I speak further on that. If that is indeed the case, then have fun being one of few teams that does it, and then when it’s time for you to hire new staff you’re in trouble. Then it trickles over to trade negotiations for players. Then it’s an issue when you’re trying to get other owners onboard for your rule change proposals at the Owners meetings, etc. You’re trying to sell me on the fact that a reasonably prudent person is going to be told that Team X wants to interview them for a promotion to a coordinator position after they’ve worked for via countless hours as a position coach. They have the opportunity for more responsibility, a pay raise and they’re going to be one step closer to being a head coach. Then their teams tells them, we’re actually not going to let you pursue a pay raise, increased responsibility and we’re going to make it longer/harder for you to be a head coach. I’m supposed to believe that reasonably prudent person is going to say “Wow, I really mean a lot to this team!” ? It’s more likely that reasonably prudent person is going to say “ Wow, does this organization really have the best interests of me and my family in mind? Is this somewhere I want to continue to work, or recommend that my colleagues work in the future?”

Okay, but we’ve broken down the fundamental differences between the coaches and the players and it hasn’t dawned on you that they’re different groups that have to be handled differently? Coaches are blocked every year but blocking them in the manner you’re suggesting where it becomes precedent in your organization that you’re not going to let people takes interviews after December/early January... nobody is going to come. Head Coaches are typically hired in January and then have to begin filling out their staff in the coming weeks as you approach February, which is the exact timetable you specified that you don’t want your coaches leaving the organization. The interview structure of assistant coaches for head coaching positions is what slows the hiring cycle down. You’re totally disregarding important pieces of the equation.

And now you’re describing a culture akin to the Houston Astros where people were treated like objects. Which caused a laundry list of issues and was the main reason the league was starting an investigation prior to the sign stealing scandal. Look, I agree with you in theory, it should be conducted this way. But you’re dealing with human beings... you can treat them like objects or property. Now they return to your staff and there is tension because you didn’t let them pursue a promotion (although it’s not recognized as a promotion by the league) that could further their career in the game. Then it starts to get ugly and you build up that reputation.

“[t]he National Football League Coaches Association (‘NFLCA’) is a nonunion voluntary association that represents the interests of coaches and assistant coaches currently employed by the thirty-two individual National Football League (‘NFL’) teams, as well as many retired coaches formerly employed by those NFL teams.” It is very well know that the coaches are not unionized. It’s not a union. You’re fundamentally misinterpreting the hierarchy of the NFL.

Sure, but the Collective Bargaining Agreement is between Team Owners and the NFLPA. Coaches float out there in no man’s land. That’s why coaches are upset about practice and off-season restrictions... because they had no say in it. The Owners gave that to the NFLPA as a bargaining chip for something that they really wanted in return. The coaches don’t factor in to CBA negotiations. These types of things are settled with the various committees enacted by the NFL. The committees are comprised of entirely NFL Owners and while they have sub-committees with coaches on them, the Owners still make the final decisions.

It’s great in theory, but restricting the potential growth of your employees is a horrible look. If we started doing that, we would have a tough time attracting quality assistant coaches to the organization in the future. Coordinator money is life changing money for a lot of these guys. The opportunity to coordinate puts you on the doorstep of maybe becoming an NFL head coach, which is even more significant life changing money. These types of positions reaffirm your place in the NFL and almost guarantee teams tabbing you as a retread in the future. I had this discussion with a former MLB manager... we were talking about a friend of his who is currently a manager. They both had agreed the situation he was in would make him a lame duck at some point in the future because he’s set up for failure. They also agreed he was making life changing money and had to take it... once you’re a big league manager in baseball it almost elevates the minimum position you’ll receive once you’re inevitably fired. The same applies in other sports... you can’t take that opportunity away from someone. It would be a bad look on the Bills organization.

Punting wasn’t very good. There were flashes but Bojo can be improved upon. McBeane know this... they attempted before the season. Hauschka had a rough patch but was nails down the stretch. Fans tend to hang on to a narrative and never get away from it... that’s what happened here. He was nails for 2 years, struggled, everyone claimed he was done, then he was nails again. Roberts was like #1 in return yards. He didn’t break anything huge but he was consistent. He always looked like he was about to break a big return off but got tripped up or whatever. The kickoff rules kind of hamper things these days. 12 sounds about right based on the eye test. They were above average but weren’t elite. Didn’t cost us any games but didn’t win any like the Patriots did.

Great idea! Guy who was in charge of a defense that allowed 16.2 PPG and less than 300 y/gm should be shown the door. Might as well send McDermott with him!!

Dean Pees announced his retirement today, which will leave the Tennessee Titans in need of a new DC for 2020. Ryan Talbot tweeted out some speculation that John Butler, our DB coach, may be of interest due to a connection between him and Vrabel. If that were to occur, I think Steve Wilks would be on the short list to replace him. Much like Washington replacing our departed DL coach, Wilks would seamlessly take over in a familiar scheme where he’s had success.

Did anyone have eyes on Jack Driscoll (RT, Auburn) and Joe Gaziano (DE, Northwestern? They are friends of a close friend... Gaziano is a beast.

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2020/01/nfl-rumors-luke-kuechly-mulling-coachingconsulting-role-could-buffalo-bills-be-match-for-former-lb.html Buffalo media catching on. Man, I swear they read my posts and then write articles! ?

I would agree. Connections are there and the Pegula’s have shown willingness to spend money on having a high end staff. Both coaching and front office. There is a ton of talent everywhere in our organization. If Beane and McDermott want him... they may be able to give him the best deal financially. Pair that with working alongside the defensive coordinator whom you had he most success with (2013 NFL DPOY) and it may just make a lot of sense. Also, here is our very own Dan Morgan praising Kuechly! https://amp.charlotteobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/scott-fowler/article239376698.html

McDermott has raves about him so many times. There is a lot of mutual respect. I could see him choosing Buffalo over anywhere else because of that relationship and our trajectory. I also think he’d like to work with an up and coming star like Edmunds. All speculation of course, but the pieces are there.