BillsVet

So, the brand new HC has more sway with ownership than the incumbent GM who T/K Pegs elected to retain upon buying the team 2.5 years ago. Interesting. I always figured McD doesn't take this job without being granted a lot of authority over football beyond what recent HC's have had. And that authority he received overlapped the GM's, who is now history.

I don't know where the idea comes from that what works one year is going to work the next. Teams adapt to what you're doing eventually. And given the short nature of NFL careers, the idea one side of the ball will remain very good or better with the same or very similar personnel is myopic.

Their LB's are an issue. Ragland's coming back from an ACL and hasn't played yet. Alexander is 34 this season and seemed to slow down late in the year. Preston Brown, at this point, seems like JAG. As much as I'd like to see them go offense in Round 2, McDermott's remaking this defense with his first draft.

Whaley, unfortunately for homers, cannot be judged on some bargain bin pickups in UFA. His job is to assemble a roster and anticipate what the team will need. Not an easy job, but for someone who's been in an NFL front office for 20 years, it's his responsibility. That, and have a good relationship with the coaches. I've never said it isn't Belichick. But he's the one who develops their strategy. In their first 3 SB wins the team was very much a defensive first club, yet over the years they've become more offensive via the pass. Belichick adapted to the league's rules changes and knew what he had at QB. I'd say that transition started in 2007 when the acquired Moss and Welker. Because the previous season they had the likes of Reche Caldwell to go up against Indianapolis in the 2006 AFC Championship game. They have synchronization between personnel and game-planning in large part because the same guy is running both. People can say their drafts aren't phenomenal, but their end result is.

It's way more nuanced why NE wins...they set the trends which develop mismatches. Just one example is how they focused in 2010 on adding TE's who could run the middle of the field. Or in recent years, having a back who punishes DB's behind their OL. The same DB's who then have to defend against their (as of last year) 2 TE's. Other teams followed their lead on that, which is easier because college TE's are more often pass-catchers. People focus so much on players because they can't see scheme until it hits them right in the face. Minimizing NE's success down to Brady and Belichick is intellectually dishonest and an easy out for those who know their team is still scrambling around trying to field a decent roster.

Buffalo Bills 2017: Because Quarterback purgatory isn't over yet.

I don't know what's wrong with CK, but the possibility exists he's dealing with a mental health issue. We don't know for sure, but if that's the case I hope he gets the help he needs. A report earlier this off-season indicated he fell down in his home which necessitated hip surgery. Perhaps the two events are connected, perhaps not. He's 23 years old and certain illnesses reveal themselves early in adulthood. I wish him the best.

I think the homer crowd has gone full "To Doug Whaley" at this point. As if it's a stroke of genius he allowed MG to be tendered at a 5th round level and then the Patriots fell for his smokescreen.

Yep. So many fans don't expect their GM to anticipate problems and then act surprised when a player can't get it done anymore. Yet these are the same people calling for a CEO's head whose business doesn't improve and they're paid too much. A NFL GM should be expected to assess his roster and who is improving or regressing. And naturally, to plan accordingly. Is it that hard for a guy in the NFL 20+ years to anticipate a 29 year old back with balky hamstrings might need (EDIT: a quality) backup at a position which probably has the greatest probability of injury? A position where they're hit on just about every carry? Is that too much for this GM? Especially considering they're set up to be a run first team? GM's need to operate in the here and now while keeping an eye on the future. I don't sense Whaley does much of the later because he's too concerned about keeping his job to make bold decisions like moving on from a player before it's too late. More fans defining conflation. Karlos and Gillislee had similar stats. Ergo, the same. Right.

So Billsy. The NFL can give the worst teams the best draft picks. They can create a salary cap. But they can't even out the intelligence in NFL front offices. The slow moving teams circle the drain because their decision makers aren't good.

It's never been more conducive for a rookie QB to play right away in the NFL. It's still not easy, just more forgiving given the rule changes and more PI, roughing the QB, etc.. And teams have responded with their offensive philosophy and prioritized QB play. This idea it's so hard to get a QB and a team is better off addressing other positions is so defeatist. It's as bad as DJ saying "it's hard to win in the NFL." Of course it is. That doesn't mean you don't try. There's risk to everything. No one just hands you a playoff appearance or a franchise QB.

Isn't it amazing how many short sighted fans tend to blame only what they see: players and coaches. Trying to debate the nuance of personnel strategy for some is a bridge too far.

How many times have I read here that Whaley is so adept at pro personnel, especially after his tenure with Pittsburgh. Yet, neither he nor his pro personnel guys can assign appropriate value to RFA's. It's as if Whaley is merely a 20 year NFL intern who hasn't been given responsibility for much beyond doing scouting reports. And not surprisingly I see the usual homer sophistry and conflation to defend the GM for his continued lack of vision. But hey, he traded for Jerry Hughes and signed a few bargain bin defensive UFA's! He's just so brilliant.

Did Murph excoriate him on air as a result? Whaley still "okay?"

Likewise I'm shocked to see you defending Whaley again. But you well know the TT acquisition was pushed by Rex while Whaley that off-season talked up EJM. Besides touchdown to interception ratio is still not wins and losses. Still, you push the narrative the GM wanted real competition for his 1st round pick. Would Doug Whaley still have his job in 31 other front offices after 4 years of no playoffs? Because according to my research only one current general manager has gone that long without making the playoffs. And that is Dave Caldwell in Jacksonville, who now reports to Tom Coughlin. The apologist tour...still running on funes...continues on!

Good old "Whales." The teflon GM. It's not his fault the fans are skeptical after all these years, 4 of which with him as GM. Or that he couldn't hire the last 3 HC's. Or that his drafts were pedestrian and included ill-advised trades up. Or that Overdorf signed those bad contracts. Or that they were limited in cap dollars because of the big spending in '15. Or that his QB didn't work out. Or that there were injuries to Watkins, Lawson, et al. But look over there...we signed Lorenzo Alexander and Zack Brown! He isn't totally at fault. But he shares in a large part of the blame, because he's the GM. The Whaley apology tour has lost a lot of its luster, particularly after that end of season PC.

I've always thought Russ was the "Mr. Smithers" to Ralph Wilson's C. Montgomery Burns.

I'm sure there are some more China AFL players who are out there. Signing upwards of 30 street free agents, UDFA's, and low cost FA's shouldn't be the method to build this roster after the past 4 (some might claim 7) off-seasons of rebuilding. We shall see how many of the low end signings make the roster, and if they do, are significant contributors.

Who are you to tell another poster what's right and wrong? Millennial, right?

Watching that makes what Don Hutson did all the more remarkable.

Corrected. I just don't see them going WR or TE with their first pick. Not with a defensive minded HC inheriting what he has on that side of the ball.

I doubt McDermott goes (EDIT: offense) given the secondary issues. In the age of fantasy football WR's and TE's are nice, but a HC from the defensive side of the ball isn't going (EDIT: offense) with his first draft. This is especially the case with Buffalo's defense was so poor last year because McD knows it wasn't just the scheme.

Actually, criticism is forthcoming when you don't get into the playoffs. That lack of results tends to be frowned upon.

Brandon isn't gone. He got a promotion. EJ was not re-signed because he couldn't play. Rex was fired after a tumultuous season in which the front office blamed him through the media for the season going poorly. It was partially his fault, but the roster assembled wasn't good either. Career minded coaches like McDermott do not take a HC job where there isn't a chance to succeed. If McD can get T/K Pegs to jettison Whaley, who is only 1 of 2 HC's in the NFL (Dave Caldwell) to be a GM 4 full seasons and not deliver a playoff appearance, it would be a long overdue move.

It's not a plan to hope someone who's never been a #2 and been in the league a few seasons to all of a sudden develop. In 2015 and 2016 (32 games), Andre Holmes was targeted all of 58 times, catching 25 passes. During this time Derek Carr threw 1,100+ passes, which makes Holmes the intended receiver about 5% of the time. The notion Holmes is suddenly a #2 caliber receiver is absurd given the production. This will not be a passing team and besides, the new HC comes from the defensive side of the ball. The chances they take a WR in the first round are slim and it wouldn't surprise me if they take the best DB on the board. WR isn't that important and the quantity of retreads they've signed indicates this isn't a priority. They'll hope someone performs, and if not, it's not the personnel department's fault anyway.