JohnC

If you have a conviction on a player, especially a qb, then it would be foolish to take the risk of another team jumping ahead and getting the player you coveted. However, if there are two or so players that you rank close together then trading down is well worth doing. If the Bills have no intention of drafting a qb with their first round pick then it would be smart to trade down and get multiple picks to address multiple issues. My preference is to draft a qb in the first round and go on from there. Would I trade up for my preferred qb? No, for the reason that I do believe that there are a few equally good prospects who although have different styles of game are legitimate franchise prospects. My sense is that McDermott because of his background is more inclined to accentuate the defensive side of the ball. It's my opinion (not necessarily true) that he has more authority. What I find frustrating is that I believe (opinion) that Whaley was ready to address the qb issue but because of his less than job performance he lost influence.

Could you elaborate? I have no clue what you are suggesting?

That's not accurate. They hire the staff. The Rex hire was simply stupid. The Pegulas as owners can do whatever they want. That doesn't mean that they can't be accountable how things turn out.

I understand your point about having someone in mind but why limit your options? The best approach for him to take is scan the options from more organizations and broaden the field for candidates. The scouting for the draft should be mostly finished so the rankings should be almost complete. No doubt there is a time pressure to get things done so the pressing business can be started. But doing it right is more important than doing it quickly.

You didn't carefully read my post. I'm not absolving Pegula of his mistakes. That is more evident on the football side than the hockey side. But let's not shy away what happened with the hockey team. Murray had full authority in the hockey operation. He built the roster. He accumulated the talent through the draft, trades, free agency etc. Pegula didn't interfere with him doing his job. The roster that Murray built was flawed and imbalanced. The players didn't consistently play at a high level and they didn't respond to the coach they were playing for. Murray ran the show the way he wanted. He was the voice. What's your complaint with that? He had full hockey authority with either no or little interference from the owner. The bottom line is the bottom line. The results are the results. The owner wasn't satisfied with it. He moved on. You may be uncomfortable with holding people accountable but I'm not. Blustering doesn't trump one's record. My preference would have been to keep Murray and fire Bylsma. The owner didn't see it that way. However, I have no problem with the house cleaning.

Were you watching or a participant in this interlocking act? http://deadspin.com/bills-fans-hump-between-cars-1746556990

Whaley doesn't even have the authority to hire his own HCs. That isn't an indication that he is as secure in his position as much as you think he is. He for the most part assembled the roster; and he will be held accountable for the results. If the team flounders as I expect he will be dispatched. That's how the owner responds as the boss in his short history as an owner of the two pro teams demonstrate.

It was the owner and not Whaley who made the coaching hire. All reports indicated that Whaley wanted the interviewing process to continue. It came to an abrupt halt when the owner made the selection. The balance tips away from Whaley to McDermott.

I don't deny anything you are saying but I don't see it happening. Not because of what Whaley wants to do but more so because what McDermott most likely wants to do. If Whaley had his way TT would not be on the roster. It was McDermott and his staff that won the argument for keeping him. Don't get me wrong keeping him under his reworked contract makes a lot of sense. But coaches by nature are more concerned with the short term than the broader picture. Whaley to his own detriment accommodated Rex on personnel decisions. It not only set this franchise in the short term but it had a damaging impact for the next few seasons. Again, I see him accommodating the new coach with a defensive background. You know what my position is. I hope that I am wrong but odds are that this franchise will again probably act small and allow our failures to become other teams successes. If I'm proved to be wrong I will be ecstatic. But I'm not counting on it.

There is a relationship between the different pro sports in Buffalo. He owns both of them. Terry P has not shown a reluctance to make the hires and he hasn't shown a reluctance to fire staff involved in underachieving teams. He has a no excuse policy for performance. Fair or not and right or wrong that is the approach he is bringing to each of the organizations that he owns.

Pegula's favorite sport is hockey. It's my opinion he has a better understanding of the unique culture, environment and required roster building in that unique sport. When he evaluated the hockey GM he saw a team where not only were there talent deficiencies but the talent didn't particularly fit. Again, although Pegula has an amateur eye toward hockey he has a keen eye. He recognized that the team wasn't responding to the coach. What sealed the fate of Bylsma is after the week long break when the team was still in the playoff race the team appeared to quit. Even amateurs can see the obvious. No coach or organizational employee working for him in any sport can ever claim that he is being short-changed resources to do his job. The Ralph Wilson restrictive environment albatross is history. The problem isn't that the Pegulas provide enough money it may be that he doesn't wisely provide the money. The downside for the employees is that with the financial commitment there is a high level of accountability that will be attached to the support. Terry Pegula has made some big time mistakes in his new vocation of a pro sports owner. The upside to his struggles with the learning curve is that he evaluates outcomes and doesn't tolerate excuses. Whaley is up high walking a tight rope and he is doing it in a wind storm. To put it mildly he is in a precarious position.

The person who should be bothered by the firings is Whaley. The owner is not afraid to pull the plug.

I watched the first clip on qbs you provided and got upset knowing that the loser Bills will continue to allow opportunities to pass for other teams to seize on. What is it about this lame franchise that has failed for more than a generation and still continues to operate in the same way that it always has always operated? The Bills are in a situation where they can stay pat and come away with a qb who offers this franchise some hope. It is so irrational and dumb!

One of the worst attributes Whaley has is over-rating the talent he has assembled. Because of his inflated assessment of the roster he has a belief that he is close to breaking the ignominious non-playoff streak. That is a factor in his patchwork approach instead of conceptual approach to putting together a roster. This is not a playoff roster or even close to being one. When the organization has a false belief that it is near their limited goal then it is understandable why it has an aversion to invest in a long term solution at qb when their mind-set is on a short-term goal. The Bills organization has a tactical approach to running an organization compared to the Patriots who are much more strategic in the way they run their organization. The obvious reality is that checker players rarely win when playing chess players especially when the game is chess.

Hackett has deservedly received a lot of criticism for his play calling. What did he have to work with? With respect to the highlighted section that's the essence of the problem with this team: talent evaluation and acquisition. Over time strategy will never trump the lack of talent. You are only as good as your are.

The Bills have an abysmal record against good teams with winning records. (I don't have the stats but I believe they lose nearly 80% of the time against winning teams. Would appreciate it if someone can find the stat.) That is a good measure as to how good they actually are. The system is designed for parity where the majority of teams to hover around the .500 range. That is done through scheduling. It is an artificial aid for the weaker teams to maintain interest through the appearance of a competitive balance. Or another way of putting it weaker teams are propped up while stronger teams are given more obstacles to succeed. There are years where the results are aberrations. If you combine seasons in three or four year groupings you get a better idea where the team actually ranks. The Bills have been a consistent team. It is not too challenging to recognize where they rank. Marrone was not a very likable person. But he coached hard and his players played hard. When he left and Rex entered the door this franchise was dramatically set back. One wonders where this team would be if Marrone would have stayed longer?

What you are essentially saying is that this team is likely going to be mediocre again. My belief is that our lack of depth is going to come into play as the season advances and the injuries mount. It is a perilously thin roster! I honestly don't believe that this team is close to being a playoff team. Not a realistic chance. That's how I see it. Until the qb issue is upgraded this team, as most teams are without a franchise qb, is built to be at best a .500 team. Dithering on the qb issue isn't a recipe for success---it is a baked in recipe for mediocrity.

With respect to the first highlighted area in my eyes the Bills are in a second stage rebuilding mode. I see this team winning six or seven games next season. This team not only has overall average talent but what makes things very tenuous is the lack of depth. As the season advances and the inevitable injuries mount this team will be very vulnerable. The buffoonish Rex did a lot of damage to this franchise in his short stint. Cleaning up his mess is part of the rebuilding process With respect to the second highlighted area I strongly believe that the Bills need to get a good qb prospect on board sooner rather than later. Although none of the qbs will be ready in their rookie year I believe that this is a good rookie crop. The scouts for teams are rating this class much higher than the superficial media analysts who have a tendency to follow their own crowd. I don't believe that the Bills will use a high pick on a qb. That lack of urgency in addressing the qb position is the main reason why it is not only a failed organization but a long term irrelevant franchise in the league. I'm not deliberately trying to be pessimistic but in my view this is a six to seven win team. The starting talent is average at best but what places this team in a very precarious state is its lack of depth. As the season advances and the injuries mount this team will precipitously fall. One of the reasons I am staunchly advocating for using a high draft pick to select a qb is that I believe that this upcoming season is going to be a lost season from a competitive standpoint. Anyone who truly believes that this team is a playoff team is deluding themselves. As I stated in a prior post Rex did a tremendous amount of damage. It set this franchise back by years. The repeated change in systems on the defensive side of the ball will take its toll on this team.

Shanahan loved Kirk Cousins in Washington and had nothing but contempt for Griffin. A number of scouts are comparing Trubisky to Cousins. So it isn't so outlandish to believe that San Fran and Shanahan would have a desire to draft the qb prospect. Shanahan and Lynch are both on very long term contracts. So getting their franchise qb early in their contract lifespan might be a reasonable approach to take. What Buffalo has never learned is that getting the qb position secured sooner rather than later is the best approach to take when building a roster. Dithering and hesitating is an act of self-sabotage that always leads to staffing changes.

When you watch Toronto play you realize how slow the Sabres are compared to them. Next year Bailey, Baptiste, Guhle and maybe Casey Nelson should be ready to move up to the big club. I see some of the slower players like Moulson, Franson and maybe Gorges moved out. Last year Fowler was offered for a first round pick. Murray said no. The pick was Nylander who I like a lot. This year I don't believe that Murray would be as reluctant to trade his pick or trade down in order to get a top two pairing defenseman. It also has to be remembered that the Sabres are linked to a Russian defenseman who is currently playing in the KHL. So some additions are ready to be added to the mix.

I thought Donahoe's first draft with the trade down to get some extra picks was a terrific draft. It raised my expectation. Then he worked so hard to demonstrate how smart he was that he too often out-smarted himself. After he left things started to spiral downward. I have recently been harsh toward Whaley but to me he represented a break from the past into a more modern approach to structuring the organization.

You and I know very well that the Bills are not going to use their first pick on a qb. It's against their DNA. So don't expect this franchise to act out of character. It's not going to happen. The patchwork mentality will prevail. Accept it or be angry. Because none of the qbs are considered elite prospects it is difficult to project who is going to jump up or down. I think that there are so many good defensive players that a lot of teams would love to trade down with fewer teams willing to give up assets to move up. This is a draft where quantity of picks is a good position to be in.

Donahoe had full authority to make football decisions in Buffalo. His mistakes were his mistakes. When you have antagonized a good portion of the organization and then falter it is not surprising that many people didn't come to his support. I had great expectations when Donahoe came to Buffalo. The outcome was very disappointing. It's certainly not easy working for Ralph but Donahoe's demise was done by his own hands. Hubris and arrogance don't help your cause when the elevator is going down.

The Bills don't have the ammo to contend with Cleveland if they decide to move up. If option A is not there then go with option B. The top four qb prospects or more have different attributes but can also turn out in time to be good players. I wouldn't be adverse with a modest trade down and select Mahomes or Watson or Kizer or Webb. The problem with the Bills is they are not adept at maneuvering in the draft. At times Whaley gratuitously gives up picks to move slightly up and at times when the opportunity exists to slide down and acquire assets he stolidly stays in place. He doesn't seem to know the difference between thinking strategically as opposed to tactically. He acts as if he is a checker player at a chess game.

There is no doubt that drafting a qb is a risky proposition. That reinforces, not rebuts, the argument that you have to continue to try to secure the position. No one can deny that a CB and LB can more quickly play than a qb. But for me I would prefer having a good to solid franchise qb over an all pro CB or LB player. That's how important the position is. With respect to Chad Kelly I want to see him succeed. Living and playing in western NY is not the best place for him to develop his game. As far as I am concerned his legendary talent is a myth created by people who have a delusional belief in the past.