Coach Tuesday

It's not just the fans. The team suffers from constant buyer's remorse. They gave Mario the biggest contract in team history and reportedly loaded it with player-friendly add-ons that gave him the freedom to do ridiculous things like blast his own music from his locker, then immediately regretted doing that once it led to grumbling by other players. They spent a boatload of picks to get Sammy Watkins then started hating him for being too soft. They handed another monster contract to Dareus - despite his sketchy off-field history by that point - then immediately became disenchanted with him for repeating the same behavior he had always displayed. They spend high picks on positions they don't want to pay a premium for, like cornerback and running back. Heck they even do it with coaches - no one made Terry give Rex one of the biggest coach paydays in the league - and he almost immediately regretted doing it. By mid-season of Rex's first season (if not sooner), the knives were already out for him at OBD and deservedly so. I get that regime change is part of the story here, but it's not the whole story - it's a troubling lack of strategic planning and direction, as well as a lack of accountability for the people who make these decisions in the first place. And the fans go right along with this nonsense. We have hordes of mouth-breathing Joes who can't wait to chase the next well-paid and/or highly-drafted Bill off of the roster...

He's a good cornerback. Has anyone noticed in recent history that the Bills (and their fans) have turned on nearly every single player whom they picked high and/or gave a big contract to? The level of buyer's remorse at OBD is incredible.

I like your thinking. I could see it being McCoy, though, and to Denver. Elway might be tired of drafting project QBs and likely has his sights focused on Cousins, Smith, or Tyrod this offseason, and perhaps in that order. He might well think that if he can sign a competent veteran QB and swing a trade for a dynamic running back like McCoy, his roster is good enough to compete for the SB (and I'd agree). If so he wouldn't mind sliding down into the 20s where he can draft his biggest non-QB need (interior OL) without wasting a premium pick. And from McBeane's perspective, while I certainly wouldn't rule out your idea (it would be similar to the Bills unloading Kiko when they did), I suspect they'd rather dump some salary if they're going to be swinging a trade like that...

Good stuff.

Oh no, some guy at ESPN said something.

No. 1 WR recruit out of high school, still plenty of upside.

He’s right. Any team that allocates a huge contract to Cousins is screwed. I hope it’s the Jets.

Am I the only one out there who sees a noticeable hitch in Rosen’s throwing motion?

Good stuff. One issue with these types of guys is that they are so confident in their ability to coach up the talent and to create a scheme that they think they can win with anyone at QB (or elsewhere). Hopefully he isn't that type, or McBeane reigns him in if he is.

Plus his biggest advocate just got fired...

I still don't think it's a fair comparison. Tyrod sat for the first what, 5 years of his career? Bridgewater was thrown to the fire right away and played through rookie struggles. He was trending upwards when he blew out his knee. I don't think you can compare their stats for that reason, and they're totally different kinds of QBs.

That's consistent with what Matt Waldman had to say in the interview someone linked here the other day. He said if you told him that one QB prospect was being looked at as a potential WR because of inconsistency in the pocket, he would think it was Allen not Jackson. He said Jackson is a much, much better pocket QB than Allen. Jackson is really interesting. He is a better thrower than he gets credit for around here. Someone will be interested in him at 21/22. The Bills are in a prime spot for someone to trade up from the second round to draft a QB...

Most passing yards in Div. 1 history no?

The Bennett trade was prior to free agency right? Totally different calculus when you don’t have to worry about losing the guy...

Necessary but not sufficient, then?

I’ve been advocating for this. He’s young, cheap, smart, coachable, super-accurate and has one of the best touch passes in the league.

The Bills put themselves in this spot by needlessly extending his contract twice...

Would not surprise me at all and it would make 3 for 3 of the Pegulas' rookie GMs to be given a boatload of draft capital and promptly squander it.

Not exactly right. That score "kept us in the game" because the offense was totally out of sync and couldn't sustain drives that would have kept the defense off the field. There were hardly any first downs in that game by the Bills, IIRC. Three-and-outs and long touchdown passes.

Yes, this too. But I distinctly recall Tyrod running around for his life in that game and heaving it downfield on a prayer several times. That was literally the entire offense.

So here is my theory about that, but it's just that - a guess: I was at the Thursday night Jets home loss after which Roman was fired. From the stands, you could see the dysfunction. Playcalls were coming in extremely late, players weren't lining up in the right spot, and Tyrod seemed frustrated and flustered. There were a handful of big pass plays that looked like they resulted from some kind of "playground ball" discussion in the huddle (or during a Tyrod scramble), i.e., they were made up on the fly. I think Terry and Kim were embarrassed that the product looked that poor that on the national stage. I think that led to a "come to Jesus" discussion with Rex, which led to Roman's ouster. (Rex should've been on notice that he'd be next if the ship wasn't righted, but he didn't get the message or didn't care or know how to adapt. I'm not saying the playbook wasn't a factor, it may have been. But it seemed to me that the preparation and organization were lacking and that was the bigger issue.

Really interesting read: https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/01/16/scouting-new-england-patriots-using-steve-belichicks-scouting-manual

Honestly? This reminder doesn't seem all too friendly.

Ok thanks - your hunch is good enough for me. Sounds well-researched and plausible.

That Chandler quote - so true. The Patriots spend the first few drives testing the defense to see what looks they’re getting, like an assassin testing the perimeter of a security fence. I want.