BillsVet

The quote in blue is actually what someone told me probably about 4-5 years ago re: my perspective on the team. It sums the situation with this team and the relationship between fans. Or, "celebrate 8-8" which seemed to be the chorus here among a few notable posters.

I know it's hindsight, but the fact they entered the 2014 with a need at WR and their backup to picking Watkins was Ebron has to be scary. The personnel group knew there was a strong WR class available and were opting for the TE. And this was the same year they took Kouandjio in the second. P. Brown might well improve, but that draft save Watkins has been poor 2 years in. And hopefully fans realize now that no WR group will ever make a QB that much better.

I would hope the roster is better now...they spent more in UFA last off-season (~90M) than any other team in the NFL. The year before they traded into the top 5 to draft Watkins and had 3 drafts total to add talent. Anyone should be able to improve on the Buddy Nix GM years. Yet, they're a .500 team in 2014-15. And they are smack up against the likely cap ceiling already in 2016, so the owner's willingness to spend isn't the issue. It's managing the dollars they've had to work with, which is my point all along. Is this team being built through the draft, or are they going the Dan Snyder route?. The goal isn't to build talent at individual positions, but if it were I'm sure the Bills qualify for the off-season spending award. The W-L column is another matter.

It's been a long time since I've seen posters more active and say less on this board. Either of you from around Oneonta?

For most NFL teams, winning creates stability. In Buffalo, mediocrity does as well.

Buddy Nix told everyone he'd be sleeping during free agency in 2010 and focused on re-signing people. Until they were a combined 10-22 in 2010 and 2011 and they went out and signed Mario and Mark Anderson in 2012 UFA. None of it worked because the GM was inadequate. Now his deputy is GM and telling us the same thing. What matters is the person picking the players. Because you can't pin this all on Rex, though the HC shares fault here.

First time in years an owner is holding his managers accountable when the franchise misses the playoffs. Can't argue with that.

Too many let-downs over the past 16 off-seasons for anything done before the regular season to get a reasonable fan excited. A new owner, GMs, HC's, high-priced free agents, top draft picks, etc. aren't enough. It's time to win games and throw excuses out the door.

Not every frame is created durability-wise equal, even if height and weight are comparable. When TT went down after that awkward tackle at the end of a long run in Tennessee, it changed their season because they lost at home to CIN and in the UK to JAC. The main thing with TT running so frequently, besides his exposure, is that he tucks it and runs far too often. Designed runs are one thing, yet I'm thinking far too many of his rushing attempts were when he didn't see an open receiver. In 14 games he ran it 104 times, or about 7 per game.

Do you want TT running 5-8 times to get 30-40 yards a game? I for one don't want him exposed to a big hit because his frame isn't all that big. I'd rather have a classic pocket passer who can work the entire field but isn't a running threat than a running QB who weighs 220 that stays away from the middle of the field. Throwing 6 INTs in a season where almost two-thirds of your passes are short or sideline throws isn't a massive accomplishment. No...I actually work near them and have positive and negative thoughts about unions.

Check Buffalo's current cap space and then do the math assuming Mario is cut. It ain't much even with another 10M added to the cap considering Glenn and Incognito need decent sized deals. By the way, Jim Overdorf can only do one contract at a time, so restructuring 2-3 players by the time UFA takes place might be difficult for him. This roster isn't 1-2 players away from being an 11 win team. They have to hit a few home runs this off-season and Doug Whaley hasn't done that in 3+ years on the job.

In fairness he did make that point in the context of how important that is in the modern NFL. Can't believe I just defended the team.

The main point of this thread is how much based on cap hit was McCoy worth to the 2015 Bills? He started 12 times and rushed for more than 80 in half those games. If he was worth 2 wins this year that's a tall price for a RB. And looking forward, as others have pointed out, his contract is impeding their ability to make moves to improve other areas of the team. I also don't believe that McCoy is suited to their style of play, which seems more built for a 1 cut guy and not someone who bounces it outside and heads for the sideline.

It further illustrates that last year's spending spree came with a price that some are realizing. Cap space is a commodity that must be managed efficiently and the Bills have done a poor job of that over the years. This is my major beef with Whaley. He's been in win-now mode since RW passed without a playoff appearance to show for it. There's no way anyone can say the team has had a blueprint for building a perennial contender. Making trades into the top 10 and spending big on free agents or traded for RB's is not a strategy. Eventually the go-for broke method means you pay up and I suspect that happens in 2016.

http://espn.go.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/23161/answering-key-bills-2016-free-agency-and-salary-cap-questions Not in cap jail, but not comfortable considering they've got decisions to make on Glenn, Incognito, and Gilmore is entering his walk year. And, if TT is their guy, he's entering his walk year as well. And we haven't even discussed acquiring Rex's types on defense or a RT. There is a lot of work to do and anyone who assumes they'll get better ought to realize this. It's not all roses and unicorns.

The goal from Day 1 with RR on board was to make the playoffs and I'm sorry if people are too thin-skinned (not you) to realize that goal never changed. Finishing out of that race is a big disappointment, although some are rationalizing it. An owner doesn't spend that kind of money for their team to be so average. And, they're going to need to make multiple hard decisions on whom to pay given their cap situation. And if there's one thing we've learned from previous seasons, it's that wins in December when you're eliminated from playoff contention don't carry over to the following season.

I'm sure tomorrow's PC will involve talking about how they wanted to make the playoffs but their end of season wins against a moribund Dallas team and the Jets give them hope for the future. What won't be addressed is how, with the same management in place, the result will be different in 2016. They also won't talk about why it's acceptable to spend 125M+ in guaranteed money this season to go 8-8. Management needs to be held accountable for getting the tools and failing to make the playoffs despite playing the NFCE and AFCS. My pre-emptive apology for being a "hater."

One wonders what it would take for any of the pro-OBD/no debate faction to change their mind on the team. And why does it take hundreds of posts per week to defend their position?

My point is that fans blame players and coaches, but they fail to hold accountable GMs and ownership who are largely out of the picture. It's true that teams, including SF, DAL, and CHI are restricting access to the team, which is why I think Kawakami made this post. This is becoming more of a trend where teams are blocking out the management who don't want to be held accountable when writers, et al. are working to expose their inept decision making. And teams like SF and DAL cannot stand it. Unfortunately, fans don't see this and will then blame writers or those who criticize when it's warranted. And in BUF, SF, DAL, and CHI it's definitely warranted.

The irony now is that the GM now needs to work closely with the coaching staff to ensure he gets a contract extension and survives at OBD. How they go about doing this will be interesting to watch, but previous results with the personnel group have been mediocre at best. Also, they won't have the UFA dollars to shore up weak spots in the roster this season. This year it's on the personnel group to prove their mettle on draft day and fill in with some lower cost high return UFAs.

https://twitter.com/timkawakami/status/683321166484774912 The Bills are apparently not the only team in the NFL where fans take this position (Kawakami covers the 49ers). It's interesting how so many people can place blame on players without focusing on the people who choose them. Most of this is occurs because players, including their mistakes, are so visible to the public. OTOH executives rarely go in front of the camera but control more of the success or failure of the organization they represent.

Always funny to see Bills fans ripping on the one franchise over the past decade more dysfunctional than Buffalo.

What is striking about the Bills and Sabres is how many similarities exist between the two in how they're rebuilding. Both teams tried to spend their way to success initially with GMs the Pegulas inherited and then retained. Neither attempt worked and the Sabres eventually had to fire the GM and HC. After the game this Sunday one has to hope Whaley and Rex build and agree on a strategy where both get on the same page. Because they clearly weren't in 2015 and both were equally at fault for their lackluster result.

Now that the GM and HC have a new, albeit short term lease on their jobs, I expect they'll learn to work together. That said, they've got a huge job this off-season to not just fix their personnel deficiencies but anticipate where they may get worse. For too many years OBD worked on known issues without anticipating future challenges. Gotta agree with BADOL that there are some affordable defensive types who can be had.

In 2008 after Jauron was retained everyone shouted about "continuity." This year, we're changing the semantics to "stability." And it's fun to see the same apologists/shills out at the drop of Brandon's name defending him from anyone who dares criticize. . Buffalo isn't a losing organization because there hasn't been enough "stability." It's because those familiar names aren't the types who make enough good decisions. They're flailing around in the dark for the light switch and still cannot find it.