Lurker

A sample of 82 players? Piffle...

It strikes me that Russ would be the perfect guy to sheppard a new stadium to completion, given his contacts with Goodell, Schumer, Cuomo et al. That opportunity alone would be worth sticking around for, after which he could write his ticket anywhere...

Agreed. More like a projection of the writers' personal viewpoints onto Orton than a profile of Kyle's own thinking.

Did you even understand the gist of that article? That Punk clearly believed Amann was lying about speaking with Andrews via the phone? Then again, the article appears to have been written by an illiterate space alien, so I can understand the confusion...

Gee, I'd think Doug would like to pick Bill's brain about the "trade of the decade..." http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2013/09/18/best-in-season-nfl-trade/

Hi-di-hos! 2 good shoes Won't save your soul...

If Polian does come back as a consultant, here's what I'd like him to look at: 1. The structure and quality of the college scouting department (since that was always his strength, and not something Whaley's background is in) 2. Reviewing the front office structure and reporting roles 3. Acting as a sounding board / mentor to Whaley 4. Nothing else I like what Whaley brings as GM. IMO, his mistakes have come from his "swing for the fences" self-confidence, a rookie trait that Polian also displayed IIRC early in his career. With some good counsel (and counsel only--not direct interference), I think it would be a good idea. But I do not want a repeat of the Marv fiasco just because I can't see Bill at 72 being the same day-to-day guy he was twenty years ago.

I'm trying to think of anyone he gushes over.

It's hard to win in the NFL. Who was Marrone going to get at QB that would have made him "happy?"

As this paper from SAS points out, the use of analytics in football is significantly different from baseball. http://www.sas.com/content/dam/SAS/en_us/doc/whitepaper2/iia-analytics-in-sports-106993.pdf "In professional football, player and game performance analytics tend to be less sophisticated than in baseball or basketball. The complex interactions of a larger number of players on the field, and the difficulty in rating performance of players in each position on each play, make it more difficult to evaluate players or create optimal lineups." Other intersting points: "Another frontier data source for player and team performance is locational and biometric devices. These include GPS devices, radio frequency devices, accelerometers, and other types of biometric sensors... Some NFL (e.g., the Buffalo Bills) and NBA (e.g., San Antonio Spurs) use GPS devices in practices, which is the only time at which they are approved by their respective leagues. The locational devices are most frequently used to assess total activity (miles or kilometers run, steps taken, average speed) undertaken by players in a game or practice." For several years, it’s likely that the analytics from such devices will be simple descriptive reports—what happened in numbers or charts, without any prediction or optimization. Over time, sophisticated teams will develop predictive and associational measures, such as these hypothetical examples: • “This player tends to allow an average of three more points per game on defense when he runs more than 10,000 meters in a game.” • “Players who heart rates exceed 160 beats/minute for over two consecutive minutes tend to run much slower in the last quarter of games.” And this gem: "The New England Patriots also had proprietary measures of player personality and attitude, and for several years selected players whom other teams had dismissed as having attitude problems. Such proprietary measures offer promise, but they are not without problems. At the Patriots, for example, the drafting of Aaron Hernandez, who is currently in jail on murder charges, may lead to less reliance on this proprietary data."

Let me understand the logic here. Two years ago, when he took over a floundering team, Marrone's crystal ball told him that if he inserted an opt out clause for ownership change into his contract, he was going to hit the jackpot in 2015 by holding the Bills hostage to a contract renegotiation? Yes, that seems perfectly clear.....

What blinders? Here's what Marrone had to say about Orton not coming back on December 24th: http://www.democrata...anuel/20831443/ "Thus, with nothing on the line against the Patriots, logic dictates that Marrone should start Manuel and give the second-year player a chance to make a statement heading into the offseason, particularly since Orton may choose not to return to Buffalo in 2015. Orton has a player option on the two-year contract he signed in August and could decide to test the free agent market, leaving the Bills with only Manuel and Tuel on the roster." "Those things are for after the season's over, you look back and evaluate those things," said Marrone of the possibility of losing Orton and starting the OTAs in March with only the two young quarterbacks. "Right now I haven't put a lot of time into it. That will be discussed in the offseason. I haven't discussed that with Doug (Whaley), or Russ (Brandon), or anyone yet. I haven't put much thought into it."

Exactamundo...

http://www.nfl.com/d...djio?id=2543482 Hummm. Seems like just the player we saw this year--a 21 year old rookie who was overwhelmed by the big stage. BTW, the operative phrase here is 21-year old. Seems to me we have a pro bowl DT who fit that description a few years ago...one who many TSW pundits labled a 'bust' after his second year (let alone his first). How'd those pronostications work out, fellas?

As expected: http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/12/29/marrone-not-expected-to-use-contract-out/

Since he was on a one-year deal with a player option for 2015, his availability (or lack thereof) shouldn't surprise anyone, least of all the front office...

Sources deep, dark, within...

It'd be a very odd move to go from a program on the verge of turning the corner to one that's fallen over a cliff, as everyone but San Francisco would be. Can't see it happening...but I could see an agent stirring the media pot to get Daddy Pegs to pull the trigger on a new deal.

I thought Bill's wording was unusual as well. I could see him in a "Pat LaFontaine short-term consultant" engagement thingy, but to what end? Unless he could make a franchise QB magically appear out of a hat (which wasn't how he got one in Indy), I don't see a lot of value from a guy who's been out of a day-to-day job since 2011...

Whaley's experience has been in pro player evalualion and that really showed with his pickups this year. IMO, he's still learning the college talent evaluation side and has had a few misses to go with the hits. Still, I agree, he's shown much, much more than Chris Polian and it would be a mistake to go that direction...

This quote should be added to the logo at the top of the page....

IMO, that would be really the ultimate act of hubris. In effect, the female version of Ralph (not a good thing).

Here's what I want to know: If folks are so fired up to label players as "busts," can we do the same thing with 95% of TSW posters? Pretty obvious, you can...

I agree. A classic example of how TSW has really regressed....

That's the biggest thing I see in his regression over the past month. DC's are bringing more pressure and attacking his lack of mobility / inability to throw on the move. He's not handling it well and it's affecting his confidence and timing.