BillsVet

Best wishes on a speedy recovery Bill. An outstanding poster and even better person.

Did Bortles' career end already? Because it sure looks like the Jags have a better prospect at QB for the future than Buffalo does. And Caldwell didn't need to spend huge resources on receiving options to support the QB. As for present regime, Nix and Whaley are inexorably linked. Not deciding to take a QB in 2011-12 and perhaps 2014 is why the team is signing low to medium cost options in free agency. Hoping it works is not a strategy worthy of a legitimate NFL franchise.

How much did Dave Caldwell invest in TE's and WR's his first 3 drafts on the job? (2013-2015) Two 2014 2nd round picks in Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson, the latter of whom is playing exceptionally well. Allen Hurns is also productive, a UDFA. And sure, so far the Julius Thomas UFA signing hasn't been great. Meanwhile, the Bills have invested 2 1sts (Watkins), a 2nd (Woods), and a 3rd (Goodwin). Not to mention signing UFAs Harvin and Clay. Caldwell prioritized getting the QB in the draft and didn't make excuses. In Buffalo, it's "QB purgatory."

And all this time I thought Eugene Parker was done embarrassing Buffalo. Then again trading up for WRs without a QB doesn't keep the former satisfied when the latter offerings can't read the whole field and go through all their progressions. And where are the veterans on offense to tell Sammy to keep it in house? FJax would be that guy....

Or Whaley advised the coaches that Cassel wasn't worth a roster spot. And being a good soldier, Rex compromised with the GM on that.

When a team hasn't contended for so long, their decisions, even athletic training ones, will be more heavily scrutinized. There's too much competition in the NFL for stuff like this, if true, to go wrong and expect the team to win. It doesn't look good that two highly paid players returned only to have the same or similar injuries that prevented or hindered them from playing previously.

Maybe Marrone wasn't wrong in wanting to hire new athletic training staff. Maybe it has nothing to do with this either. EJ's injury at the end of the 2013 season kept him out longer than the coaches originally anticipated, or so Marrone made it seem.

I guess the issue here is whether you can lay blame on the GM based on loads of circumstantial evidence. I won't repeat each side's case here, but if Manuel has to play and struggles, then the staff was correct to make him third string and off the game-day roster. And eventually it'll leak out what happened, because most at OBD know this was a go for broke season. We will see.

No conspiracy. But why would Whaley seek to get Manuel on the field if he wasn't at least partially responsible for the pick? And why would Whaley make this statement on the Manuel pick if it was wholly on someone else's shoulders: "You guys can assign blame wherever you want, but when we're in draft meetings it is a consensus recommendation for our whole organization of where this guy's valued and where we should pick him in the draft." http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2014/12/buffalo_bills_gm_doug_whaley_on_ej_manuel_pick_assign_blame_wherever_you_want.html You can believe whatever you want to support your narrative. Whaley had significant input into the pick and when it didn't go his way under a new staff, angled everything to get his guy at least dressed.

Just say hater. It's easier and shorter to spell. Do you think, with Whaley waiting in the wings, that he would agree to let the guy about to retire pick a QB for him (EDIT: if he wasn't on-board with the pick)? And, IIRC, the Manuel pick was made after Buffalo traded out of the 8th pick. When precisely did Buddy Nix ever make a trade out of a draft slot? Nix was well-known for (EDIT:not) trading down and choosing to let the draft come to him. To that point, from 2010-2012 he didn't once trade down despite being in a major rebuild. http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/26280/buffalo-gm-unlikely-to-shop-no-3-pick Now attack the article because Tim Graham wrote it.

The issue is bigger than just Matt Cassel and what armchair types think of him. It's about a coaching staff that identified him as the backup who was traded for nothing to help them this year. And how that transaction puts in the guy that same coaching staff said was the 3rd stringer. Player personnel is a nuanced subject owing to its inherent shared responsibility between front office and coaching staff. The issue is whether the trading of Cassel was conducted to permit Manuel to dress, and in case of injury, play. That leads directly to the GM who needs his most noteworthy draft pick on the field to save face. If Manuel doesn't play well Whaley should be held accountable.

Every GM is judged in large part based on their (QB) decision(s) and if they draft one high, that pick is going to be scrutinized. And I highly doubt Whaley was high on acquiring direct competition for the 1st round pick he made at QB. The Bills have gone out of their way over the years to avoid QB controversies like the plague. I've heard nothing about the Pegula's extending the GM, which presumably is based on how the team performs in 2015 after so much was spent this off-season. The idea that Whaley should be immune from criticism, especially for QB moves remains absurd.

Is it reasonable to conclude that Whaley, by virtue of selecting Manuel, had more interest in him playing that the current coaching staff who did not pick him? I would think it logical. Is it reasonable to conclude then that Whaley was not as eager to sign clear starting competition to Manuel in Taylor and Cassel? I would think it logical. Is it reasonable then that Whaley, whom I believe is not signed beyond the 2015 season, would want his guy Manuel, on the game-day roster? This after Manuel was not dressed in weeks 1 and 2. I would think it logical. Therefore, it's logical that handling of the QB position has been done in a way so as to ensure the GM's QB had an opportunity, even if the primary backup, to get playing time should Taylor be injured. I also realize it's an exercise in futility to discuss logic with those for whom fan-hood will always supersede debate. We don't know for sure what happens behind closed doors at OBD, but drawing conclusions based on known facts is reasonable. What's not is going to bat for the team rain or shine, particularly with the track record this team has in recent years. That's not logical.

If you're Whaley and much of your reputation rides on Manuel, it makes perfect sense to trade the one guy standing in his way. I recognize the homer crowd won't admit/understand the team is political behind the scenes, but Whaley's defining move was taking Manuel. And that player was buried on the draft chart when Taylor and Cassel were acquired, neither of whom seemed like Whaley decisions. I say this because Whaley was talking up Manuel during HC interviews in January and felt he just needed more coaching. Clearly the new HC (not hired by Whaley) and his staff disagreed. It is a puzzling move with so little certainty at QB, particularly 2 weeks into the season, to trade your most experienced QB. That is, unless there are other motives at play. I just find it funny that so many moves this off-season seemed Rex drive like McCoy, Harvin, Felton, and Clay. Now, it seems Whaley is trying to show his authority when the game-day roster doesn't meet with his approval and which is the HC's domain.

You could make this case in 2006, 2010, and 2013, at least at GM and HC.

This was in an ESPN article on 10/8 outlining how Indianapolis doesn't adequately protect Andrew Luck: Then there's this: Since the time Luck arrived in Indianapolis, the Colts' average annual cash value of its offensive line has been $17.2 million -- with only the Lions ($13.4 million), Bears ($15 million) and Bills ($16.2 million) spending less. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13816829/andrew-luck-injury-no-accident Buffalo's approach too frequently is to draft OL when in need. In 2009 it was select Wood and Levitre high when their guards were so poor in 2008. Same can be said in 2013-14, prompting the selection of Miller. Meanwhile, Kouandjio, taken to presumably to start at RT in 2014, is quickly headed toward bust status. The one bright spot has been Incognito, no doubt motivated to get back into the NFL. Some will say the Bills tried to sign free agents this off-season in an attempt to improve the unit, but that's only because their drafting has been so poor for so long. The other veteran Bills OL starters acquired via the draft, Glenn (2012), Wood (2009), and Henderson (2014) are essentially stuck between mediocre to average. At least at this point. Jim McNally was renowned as one of the better OL coaches and was with the Bills from 2004-07. The point is, good coaching rarely if ever makes up for bad talent and McNally, save for one player specifically, couldn't elicit great results from those OL units during his tenure. Which goes to show not drafting better combined with some more savvy UFA signings is a big issue in Buffalo, as it has for many years.

Walsh, et al. scripted the first 15+ plays to get a read on the defense and probe what they were doing. I'm not as concerned with that as I am with their inability to do the base Rex needs, i.e. run consistently. And that's partly on the backs playing yesterday and the OL failing to get push. In the latter case, it's not like Tennessee's defensive front were a dominating trio.

There are football people who've made evaluations that 5 games in, were way off the mark. For the Bills to hire Rex Ryan and his brand of offensive football and not improve the OL much, it's a clear lack of understanding between the front office and coaches. Doug Whaley said this off-season that "he has the Bills roster awfully close" to "perennially compete for the postseason and championships." I think even Doug has to reflect on that statement as pure hype.

Well, if there's one position and area Whaley knows it's running backs and pro personnel.

To quote Dick Jauron: "It's hard to win in the NFL." The OP left out rookie owners who are learning the ropes.

Whaley gets kudos here for being adept at drafting defensive players, but his attempts on offense in 2013 and 2014 haven't been so hot. Goodwin, Manuel and Kouandjio are looking increasingly like busts while Robert Woods has been so-so. The best offensive player he's picked (that didn't require a trade up) is a 7th round flyer spent on Seantrel Henderson. Not very good. The OL isn't something they've prioritized and you've got to wonder considering what they wanted to do on offense this year. Roman had no less than 3 first round picks in SF during their better years.

Shouldn't this have been a point last off-season when they hired Rex and Roman to design a run heavy offense and weren't sure who would be the starting QB? Saying OL is a priority now is a day late and a dollar short. The offense was too dependent on excellent OL play this year.

I look at the quick pass like a MLB pitcher who features a slide step delivery to counter base stealers. It's effective with the right personnel. The key is, how do defenses adapt to the quick throw? Rex once flustered Fitz by jamming receivers at LOS and disrupting their timing, which I would hope his Bills defense starts doing. It forced Fitz to throw down the sideline, something he was poor at because he lacked the accuracy to hit on routes beyond about 10 yards. Eli may not be Brady, but most decent QBs with a designed read throwing short who doesn't encounter some sort of disruption in pass coverage is going to be successful.

The blueprint is there for opposing QB's and coaches to get around Buffalo's DL. Yesterday a QB who isn't thought of as elite in conjunction with a better game-plan defeated what the Bills strength was (their DL). And it really looked pretty easy. I know some will say they don't play elite or even good QB's every week, but with teams getting more film on Buffalo, they're one or more steps ahead than the Bills. I don't see that changing unless the Bills change up what they're doing.

Shouldn't the so-called most talented Bills team in years be able to overcome the loss of a rookie OG and the temporarily sidelining of an underwhelming OT? Karlos Williams has more than handled the RB load with McCoy out, and when you've got Harvin, Woods, and Clay, I'd think they could manufacture a passing game even without Watkins. They've got Greg Roman too, who's supposedly a great OC. 4 games in and we're already seeing the injury excuse.