mannc

I tend to agree. But perhaps it's the kind of thing that happens all the time in the league and teams aren't going to make a big deal about it because they may be the one doing it next time. Of course there is also the fact that that sort of collusion would probably violate the Rooney Rule, as well...

You’re right, McDermott won’t be fired for passing on one particular player; he’ll ultimately be judged based on how many games he wins. In the meantime, though, it’s entirely fair for fans and the media to second-guess the decisions he makes along the way, no matter how smart those decisions seemed at the time.

Guess what? It doesn't matter who "pounded the table" for Mahomes and who didn't; no one on this board gets paid to make personnel decisions for the Buffalo Bills and we all reserve the right to criticize any and all decisions the front office makes, regardless how popular said decisions were at the time. I liked the 2017 trade down with KC at the time it was made, but that doesn't mean I can't criticize McDermott now for passing on Watson and Mahomes. Even if every fan in the world and every ESPN talking head loved the trade down at the time it was made, it was mistake, and the people who made that mistake should be held accountable for it. The only thing that can save them from the consequences of that mistake is if Josh Allen develops into a franchise QB. Stay tuned...

As I've said previously in this thread, this is as bad a take as there will ever be on TSW. Under this theory, we can never compare players from different teams, because every team is different--simply an absurd premise. Mahomes has proven that he's a great young QB. He had outstanding weapons his first year as a starter in KC and he practically re-wrote the record book. I have no idea what numbers he would have put up in Buffalo, but I know that he would still be a great QB here. If that's not enough to "flourish" in McDermott's and Daboll's system, then we need to tear it up and start all over again.

I wasn't comparing Allen to either Mahomes or Watson (I don't think that's fair at this point), but it's inarguable that as of right now, both these guys look like locks to become franchise QBs, and Allen is largely a question mark.

Ridiculous. No one has said Mahomes would have thrown for 50 TDs in Buffalo, or been the league MVP. What is certain, and is not subject to speculation, is that if Mahomes was in Buffalo, he would be one of the very best young QBs in the league. Anyone who says otherwise is the one engaging in a "totally unprovable fantasy assumption."

He would be the exact same player in Buffalo, but he would not have had the same statistics. Those are two different things. The whole "Yeah, he's an all-pro with [fill in the blank], but he would have sucked here" is probably the single worst take on this board, and yet I see it all the time, usually as an excuse for some egregious decision by the Bills' front office. Taken to it's absurd conclusion, this horrible line of thinking would preclude any and all comparisons of players on different teams because "[fill in the blank] would be a totally different player in [fill in the blank]."

How do you think McD would have fared in Foxborough against Belichick as opposed to in J-ville against Marrone?

So the guy who took over a team that had just gone 9-23 and was going to be playing its home games in a high school soccer stadium inherited a better situation than the guy who took over essentially a .500 team over the same period (absent the tank job in the EJ Manuel v. Jets game). Gotcha....The excuses never end

Myles Jack, Jarron Reed, and Chris Jones in round 2–not too shabby. Top part of first round was good, too.

One of the worst drafts ever...thanks Whaley (and Wrex).

Since this is headed for 100 pages, can we get the OP to spell Wawrow’s name correctly in the title?

It does no such thing. And at any rate, BADOL has repeatedly said he’s a huge Josh Allen fan.

I don’t think anyone here is “assuming failure.” I’m optimistic that this is a 10-6 or better team this year. Where I part company with a lot of folks here is that I believe another ugly 6-10 season will probably mean that McD gets the hook—or should. I just don’t believe that in the modern NFL, a guy who takes over a .500 operation should get four years to start winning. It concerns me how many people are lowering the bar for this season...

Weak.

With all the attention Mahomes has gotten, Watson gets overlooked. All things considered, what he's accomplished his first two years in Houston is at least as impressive as Mahomes's one spectacular season.

Before he ran into his recent off-field issues, I would have said Tyreek Hill. If we are only talking about 2019 season, probably Julio Jones. But if we are talking about a player to add for the future, I might say Hopkins, Nick Bosa, or Myles Garrett.

Tyree Jackson. I like players who didn’t get drafted...?

Simms loved Vosean Joseph, before the draft, by the way. One of his sleeper picks...

Yes, and the Bills are also trying to fill the holes left by Nate Peterman, Kelvin Benjamin and Vlad Ducasse. No wonder Vegas picks them to win only 6 games.

Sorry, thought you were referring to this year’s Clemson game...

Garbage time

It was both. And it put them in position to draft not one, but two, franchise QBs.?

The most obvious NFL tank job I can remember was the Bills last game of the 2016 season, when they fired Rex, started EJ, and lost to the hapless Jets. It worked like a charm. But you’re right; NFL teams don’t tank an entire season. Not fair to guys who are putting their bodies on the line every Sunday.

The guy who really flashed for me was Waddle. (I know he's not draft-eligible this year.) The touchdowns he scored against Auburn and Georgia were just insane. I mean, he totally embarrassed a bunch of NFL caliber DBs after he caught the ball. And he has hands, too.