BillsVet

He strikes me as an all around good dude. It's never been as apparent to me the last 2 years how much exercise helps the mind. It can help with so much more than your cardiovascular and muscular systems.

I've learned that it's not even February and some are already overanalyzing the heck out of this off-season.

Releasing Incognito is merely cutting off their nose to spite their face. There are others who can be released that would not hurt their 2018 season as much. If they don't win next season be prepared for people to talk about 2017 being a fluke, especially the way they got it. If they won less than 9 games next season and miss the playoffs, I doubt many people will care about McBeane's job status. These two know the bar has been set and this off-season needs to be a home run to build on 2017. Plenty of teams can backdoor their way into the playoffs. Real teams improve year over year. McBeane don't want to be the former.

McDaniels and Patricia took these jobs because there are established QBs on the roster. With HCs getting sometimes 2 years to show wins, you're not going to a team without one unless you've got a really high draft pick or unprecedented control. I always figured McD took the Bills job because he's been given latitude to do what he and now Beane need. There's no guarantee of success but having the top QB goes a long way. I'm sure McDaniels, for all his imperiousness, learned some lessons from his failed Denver tenure. Patricia is more unknown, but their Belichick disciples and I'm sure were able to discern what they needed.

McD needs pressure from the front 4. Lawson has an extremely slow get off and isn't going to provide what the HC needs. I can see why they'd be look to move in.

Two homers on the same show? It could happen, but it'd be awful listening.

He, like a lot of broadcasters and sports journalists started becoming political in recent years. And no matter where one stands on issues, it's unnecessary to inject politics into sports. I think most of us watch the games as a diversion from everyday life. Still not sure why someone like Costas thinks he can tell us how to think about certain issues. For some it seems like they're trying to hurt the sport or sports that has made them. The NFL seems to be some sports media types' target.

I see a lot of these early mock drafts having Buffalo take 2 defenders at 21 and 22. Perhaps that thought process is a result of the HC's background AND their need on that side of the ball. It's very early, but doing this would hurt more than it would help. Early returns shows there's defensive talent this draft, but a strategy that goes defense first to me is a losing one. The defense has clear needs, but with the way the game is going, hoping to be a strong defensive team with a pedestrian offense is only going to get you so far. And next year I would expect other franchises (OAK, IND, HOU, TEN) to rebound with better QB play making it a little harder to sneak into the playoffs. Of course they need a QB, but the skill positions aren't strong or are aging and, aside from Dawkins the OL is either aging or not good. More high picks on defense is (EDIT: not) the value right now to get this team deep into the playoffs.

Funny to see people observe that one weekend's worth of playoff games somehow eliminates what we've known for several seasons. That is, having a top QB is imperative to perennial success in this league and barring that, strong skill players and a very good or better defense is necessary. Minnesota, Jacksonville, and Philadelphia boast the latter. New England the former. It doesn't remove the fact Buffalo needs upgrades at their skill positions and the front 7 on defense.

I always thought Gailey figured he could win with Fitzpatrick and so he and Nix never took a QB in the 3 seasons they were paired. Fitz had limitations (including having almost no weapons) but I never understood this mentality. I would hope McBeane get the QB and they work from there. An OC will have some say in that, but not so much to sway the GM and HC from their decision.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21994345/mike-mularkey-tennessee-titans-receives-support-owner-amy-dams-strunk This essentially was ownership saying all the right things publicly while looking for a way out. It was the kiss of death.

Not to mention he was putting up those amazing numbers when the PI and RTP penalties weren't called nearly as much.

It's tough to write basic English.

There aren't many people completely satisfied with being an OC and never having a shot at becoming a HC. Or, someone who's been a HC that has no desire to being one again. Right now, Buffalo's OC job isn't that attractive. They have no solid answer at QB, the OL isn't great, the starting RB is approaching 30, and the receiver group aside from Benjamin is weak. I know that's not the answer some fans want to hear, but it's reality. I've said it before, but you can sell a fan base with draft picks, but it doesn't attract career-minded coaches.

Incognito was raked over the coals for the Miami incident and apparently writers like Sullivan still contend he's a bad guy. So it has to be true he said something during the Jacksonville game. I wish types like Sullivan and Graham would leave their politics at the door and write about sports. Unfortunately, a lot of sports writers believe their political opinions are part of the story. Sullivan's been alleging collusion of NFL teams because Colin Kaepernick didn't play this season. No, Jerry. Kaepernick didn't play this season because he sucks. This crusader sports writer mentality is tearing the game down. But, maybe that's what they want.

I doubt no one on the coaching staff knew he was battling this injury. Gotta wonder if the league will review this in light of him never being on the injury report.

The major pro-Cousins argument is that a young QB might fail and therefore acquiring someone more proven, even at a cost of 25M+ per reduces risk. Being risk averse when looking for a QB is a defeatist mentality. The chance a young 1st or 2nd round rookie doesn't pan out will always be there. But spending 25M or more per season on a long term deal because one of your top picks might not work out is weak.

Dennison was fired because he didn't produce. At the same time, defenses figure out what a player does well and take that away. I don't think it's any coincidence that TT's YPA has declined from 8.0 in 2015 to 6.9 last year and then 6.7 this season. He's not getting as many chances to throw deep because defenses have taken that away. As for Shady, he had more than 2k touches entering this season. He's not the same player he was in say, 2009 or even 2013. Players get older. Defenses adapt. Dennison probably needed to go given his inflexibility, but the next OC needs to get some more talent. I believe McBeane will do everything in their power to improve the QB position this off-season. They know it's the principal thing holding them back on offense. Not saying TT is the only one at fault here, but he left a lot of throws on the field even with the poor WR group he had.

So true. But it's what needed to be done. Buffalo's ceiling was 9-7 with the team Whaley put together. I will always find it ironic that Whaley had leaks going to types like LaCanfora to malign Rex at the end of 2016 in hopes of getting RR fired so he could hire his own HC. And then, TPegs hires McD, who recognized fairly quickly Whaley wasn't going to work and more than likely pushed for the GM to be fired in favor of someone he could work with. Whales won the battle but lost the war at OBD. And perhaps that was because all were working under an uncertain ownership situation. Moves were made for the now without an eye on the future.

I highly doubt Whaley would have given up one of his high 2013 draft picks, Alonso, so easily for McCoy. Whales (as Brandon called him) is a guy who, weeks into the 2015 season, traded the backup QB, Matt Cassel, to get Manuel on the game day roster.

This is out of the thread subject, but Florio was on Saturday night with the NBC pregame/halftime crew and reported about the alleged Browns QB preference. At the end of the segment he flippantly remarked how anything the Browns do is wrong anyway. I stopped reading PFT long ago as well. He's a parody of a NFL "insider."

I finally feel like the adults have replaced the children. PCs (EDIT:) this millennium have been brutal to listen to.

I can see interviewees being ecstatic that their predecessor got 1 year with TT to get results. That'd go a long way toward attracting the best and brightest. I don't care what TPegs pays either. No career minded HC is going to sign up for not knowing who their QB is going to be.

There are at least 6 teams who need an OC in 2018: IND, KC, OAK, NYG, CHI, and AZ. Based on quarterback alone, at least 3 of those are better scenarios for someone who looking to be an OC. Even if McD fired Dennison, during interviews all he can offer is a plan for what Buffalo wants to do at QB. And, as the OP noted, the interior OL is aging/less talented, McCoy will be 30 next season, and the WR group is weak save for Benjamin. Talking about draft picks is not going to win someone over the way it can a fan base. Put yourself in a career-minded offensive assistant's shoes...would you sign up for what Buffalo offers? I wouldn't.

With success comes higher expectations. And they've got a lot of work to do improving both sides of the ball to be a team that can win in the playoffs. 24 teams made the post-season in 2015 and 2016 though less than half (10) made it back the following year. I know McBeane aren't going to rest on their laurels and go into cruise control, but this is the most pivotal off-season in terms of personnel decisions in years.