H2o

I fully believe that they will get 2025 as well. I think this is the year that could be what speeds up that process though if the "if's" in my original statement fall the other way. If this team falls flat, if Worthy does turn into this world beater some are acting like he is, if Josh's guys do struggle to get open for him, then I think that seat is BLAZING hot in 2025 for the both of them. And I don't hate either of them, Beane or McDermott. I have been extremely pissed at both of them for various reasons, but I know it's better than anything we saw from 1999 until 2017.

We have all seen how things unfolded the last few years. A dismantling in the AFC Championship game by KC, 13 Seconds, the flop against Cincy, and then the recreation of Wide Right. McDermott has had friction with multiple coaches because he can't stop meddling. We've had 3 OC's the last 3 years. Frazier was sent packing, McDermott officially took over the defense, and now Babich is going to be "running" things. We've had some questionable draft choices when there seemed to be better options at the time, usually involving selecting defensive players. Now, because of the way they tried to build this squad, and the unnecessary drama, we are in what Beane calls a "transition" phase. People love to talk about 2017, how we handed KC Mahomes. Beane wasn't here for that though. It was strictly a McDermott draft based off of the work Whaley and his scouts had done. That draft brought us White, Dawkins, and Milano. If not for the injuries that have derailed White's career, we could talk about the entire situation in a different manner. You can't deny that, right now, Mahomes is on his way to staking a claim at GOAT status. It is what it is. Now fast forward to 2024. Knowing what Allen needed, what this team needed, they traded with KC. With the situation that has unfolded with Rashee Rice, you have to believe KC was looking at WR. They take the WR with the fastest recorded 40 of all time. Me, personally, Worthy doesn't scare me. Yes, he's fast. But he has had some drops and the guy is lighter than my 16 year old at 165lbs. Let him get out there to get squared up by some of these LB's and S's who outweigh him by 30lbs-70lbs. I just don't think he's built to last in this league. I don't see him as Tyreek Hill 2.0 at all. Tyreek is 25lbs heavier than him and is a 4.2 guy in pads, as well as on the track. Still, if I am wrong, the Bills FO just handed KC a guy who will give us fits for years to come. It will be another black eye on this organization from something McDermott, and this time Beane, had hands in. The "run it back" mentality has bit them this time. Because we were so close in the 13 seconds game, they developed this "run it back" type of mentality. Sure, we changed a player here or there, but many of the pieces have been the same squad since then. The weight is always, squarely, on Josh's shoulders. People try to use KC as a comparison and say look at what they were able to achieve without big name WR's, or whatever else. Well, KC has Mahomes, Andy Reid scheming the offense for Mahomes (probably THE largest difference), one of the greatest TE's ever to play the game, has typically had a top tier OL, a REALLY good defense littered with talent across the board, and a DC in Spagnuolo who has been a part of 4 SB winning defenses. Gabe never developed, Edmunds never developed, Von's knee, Poyer got old, Hyde's neck injury, White constantly on IR, constantly cycling out JAG's to fill holes, constantly rolling with meh WR's (outside of Diggs, who became more trouble than he was worth), keeping together a middling OL because Josh makes them look better than they actually are, defensive instability, and have changed the guy calling the offense out 3 times in 3 years. Now, on top of that, we find ourselves in Cap purgatory and still no closer to the goal we wish to achieve. Going into the 2024 draft, a blind man could see Josh needed weapons on the outside. We had big shoes to fill in Diggs and we needed an upgrade on what Gabe Davis was in this offense. Shakir has shown promise, but he's primarily been used in the Slot. We signed Curtis Samuel, who has primarily been a Slot guy as well. After that we were left with a bunch of JAG's we already had. In the best WR class in at least 10 years, we come away with one WR. I'm not counting the camp fodder UDFA's. We drafted ONE guy. Opinions vary on that one guy. He is truly a boundary WR though. Still, you would have thought this team would have doubled up on boundary guys for the sake of giving their generational talent QB more to work with. Instead they throw all their eggs in one basket by going Safety, DT, and RB with their next 3 selections. Kirby mentioned it in another thread, and I have to concur, that this team looks to have a bottom 5 WR group right now. Until proven otherwise on the field, it is what it is. I think it is a failure, as well as a disservice to JA17, to only have come away with one WR out of this class. This doesn't mean I hate our draft, or grade it an F. I just think it's par for the course we've already seen from this regime, a course that has always seen us come up short. In the end, I think this year will be the make or break for both Beane and McDermott. To continue to do things the same way and expect different results is madness. If the players they drafted become a foundational youth movement, if you can see the results on the field as to what they were drafted for, if Samuel, Shakir, and Coleman make for a dangerous group, if we can transition on the fly like KC did a couple years ago, and if we didn't just make the KC offense unstoppable again, then they'll be around for a while. But there are A LOT of "if's" in that statement. At some point you have to pull the plug if it's not getting you any closer to what should be the goal of every franchise in professional sports, a championship. We shall see.

And yet we signed Quintez Cephus

At first I "liked" your post. Then I thought about it and removed my reaction. I thought to myself, "Nah, the Bills can't have the worst WR group in the NFL." So I went on ESPN.com and looked at EVERY roster, the ones I thought could be in a worse place. There are many you know off top that are absolutely better than us. There are only a couple that I even thought, "Maybe we're better than them? Could be a tie?" You're right. The blind homerism around here is hilarious. People trying to reason and plead their case as to why we're fine, or better off, and we don't have a need in our WR group. That we had a "great" draft. It's like a lawyer who knows his client is guilty as sin, and has a snowball's chance in hell to get off, but still puts a case together for him anyway. The only difference is the lawyer is getting paid. You guys are not. Kirby is absolutely right. In a draft like this one, the best WR draft in at least 10 years, to come away with only one guy in the 2nd and some UDFA's is an epic failure. Then watching you all plead your cases as to why we're fine, or better , is like watching people talk up guys during the drought years. Guys like CJ Ah You, Marcus Easley, Kelvin Sheppard, and Robert Foster. Like we don't have a generational talent at QB right now. Like this brass is not continually 💩'ing on him by making a single move here or there instead of going all in to give him EVERYTHING he needs. It's mind boggling to me.

Did Allen go over to the sidelines and cuss him out afterwards for the world to see? No one is saying he can't make that play. The fact of the matter is he didn't. Whether it's crap happening or him just failing miserably, it took place and it was a huge play.

Shakir catches that ball. Kincaid catches that ball. Knox drops it.

What are you talking about guy? I said to do what it takes to TRADE UP and get him. I know he wouldn't have been there at 60. That's why I said we could have gone a different route at S and DT because it would have taken our 3rd, and maybe another pick, to move up to get Coleman.

What it boils down to is the Bills supposed Draft Board. They valued and wanted Coleman above anyone else at #33. After that, there was no WR they saw as worthy of the draft slot they were in at the time. Do I agree with their board? No. I would have taken Legette at #32 instead of trading out. Then, if I wanted Coleman, I would have done what it took to trade up in the 2nd to get him. I believe this team could have gone a different route afterwards to address S and DT because the 2nd would have still been spent on Coleman and the 3rd would likely have been involved. The whole draft could have been different. This was the year to double dip at the top end for WR's, especially in light of our current situation. They didn't. They kept it par for the course. It was quite disappointing.

Who didn't see that statement coming?

The Dolphins offense is still going to be tough if they can stay healthy. The Jets added some pieces to the OL, another quality WR prospect, another battering ram RB, and are getting a healthy Rodgers back. The Patriots are in full blown rebuild mode, but beat us last year with far inferior talent and Mac freakin Jones at QB. This past season it took a 6 game run just to win the division. This year we play the NFC West (SF, Rams, and a should be much improved AZ squad), the AFC South (the upstart Texans, Indy with A. Rich back, a Jax team that always gives us trouble), our 6 division games, KC, Detroit, and Baltimore. This schedule is gonna suck. At some point you have to realize the way you've been trying to operate doesn't work. At some point you have to be able to adapt. To repeat the same cycle year after year with a generational talent at QB is madness. At some point the owner has to say it and hit the reset button. I think the next two years are make or break. If we haven't gotten to the SB by the end of the 2025 season, when Josh is on the verge of 30, I think/hope Pegula will clean house. The goal is not just to be "Playoff caliber" every year, it's to win a Lombardi.

It's really starting to seem that way. He always has to spend high draft picks on defense. Coleman is the highest drafted WR in the 2nd. Kincaid was a 1st last year, but a TE. Knox was a 3rd, but a TE. Outside of that it's 4th, 5th, 6th Round guys at WR. We did ship a 1st to Minnesota for Diggs. But we've had opportunity to do more. It's like they get one guy every year and say, "We're good." No, we're not good.

The Good: I like VanPran-Granger. I think Ulofoshio is a good replacement for Dodson. I think Solomon was a solid pick at that point. The We'll See: I understand the Coleman pick, and don't hate it at this point. Still kind of hesitant though. I actually had seen some people talking up Grable a couple weeks before the draft so maybe that's solid. People seem to like Bishop. Maybe he can be Poyer 2.0 for us, the young Po, according to his background of coming up to the LOS and athletic traits. At least that's what I read. Carter seems to be held in high regard from what I've read well. Supposed to be a quality rotational piece behind Ed O, even sharing the field to get interior pressure on passing downs. The Bad: Didn't like the Davis pick, especially with Estime still on the board. He's a one contract RB. He'll be 28 when his rookie deal is up. Would rather have had Kimani Vidal as well. Looking at our CB depth and the only guy we take is Hardy at the end of Round 6. Clayton is camp fodder. I would have handled the draft differently than Beane/McDermott did. Much different.

Did you say....... Special Teams?

Did he fetch your wallet by chance?

No draft would be truly complete without a late round DB from Pitt

Facts

Dolphins got Malik Washington now too. Another small, fast guy for Tua.

Chargers just got Kimani Vidal. Harbaugh is going all in on his offense.

Devonshire? We're only missing that late round Pitt DB.

It's still bottom of the barrel guys. You can find them all over. What's one more UDFA?

Whatever makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. I lived through all of that as well. Don't forget the Chapstick

Camp fodder isn't really that hard to find. Why trade back for it?

Tried it already. Apparently other teams will trade with everyone except us, since "it takes two to tango" ya know.

Talking about the WR group guy. Look, you all can try to reason as to why we are fine, better, whatever. People can continue to pucker up for every Beane/McDermott selection. That's your choice. But I don't have to agree with your assessment. And I don't believe that our group overall is more talented than it was last year. I just don't. I also think we blew an opportunity to get a couple of WR's who could help replenish the cupboard, especially in THIS draft.