BillsVet

The report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (go ahead and doubt the veracity of it) indicates Rex did not want Alonso. And it makes sense because LB's in Ryan's defense are called to do different things than even what Pettine required. Rex Ryan, despite employing Mike Pettine at one time, doesn't do things exactly like MP does. In 2013, Pettine used what he had and Alonso played well. I've long suspected there was a disconnect between coaches and personnel people before Rex was hired. That, by all appearances, has ended and Rex has the authority to shape the team as he needs.

At this point I'd trust Rex to know what he needs and doesn't need. Hughes is a solid player, but I'm not necessarily sure he's a scheme fit anymore. Additionally, the Bills were among the top spenders on defensive personnel in 2014. Re-signing Hughes puts them further up there, but presumably at the cost of building a better OL.

How may running backs dress on game day? And we haven't even spoken about signing a FB yet, which may or may not happen. In 2009, NYJ rushed 331 with Thomas Jones, 108 times with Shonn Greene, and 72 times with Leon Washington. Let's say the Bills run the ball 500 times. Provided they're healthy, McCoy's going to get 275-325, and the other 175-225 will be between FJax, Dixon, and Brown. That's not a lot split 3 ways, and that's before we talk about a back getting some consistency by getting carries.

Trades aren't just players. It's the cap hit one takes on to acquire a player, and in Williams' case the Bills took on some of that, which was somewhat off-set by only surrendering a low round pick. The McCoy deal included an even larger degree of that. As for Bryce Brown, well, the backfield is awfully crowded right now. That deal doesn't look so good in light of the deal made Tuesday night.

I get that most fans don't care who makes personnel moves or the OBD organizational chart. It's not exciting, but following this is very interesting to some. Personally, I like to know the hierarchy I work under, or when I was in the Army, the chain of command and who was making decisions above me. Development and execution of strategy is part and parcel of what a team needs to do. It's not simply players showing up on game day. It's the acquisition of them as it relates to the scheme employed. With the Bills, none of us are going behind that door to see how decisions are made. But when moves happen, like trading Kiko, it reveals a little of how they do things. My personal feeling is Doug Whaley is no longer GM in the classic sense, particularly with the HC not reporting to him. He's akin to what some GM's have become: the people who process transactions but have a seat at the table. They don't run the table anymore because HC's have as much or perhaps more say. And that's because the first guy who gets fired when things go south is the HC.

Well of course I'm making "assumptions." So are you and it's necessary given how none of us are allowed behind closed doors. However, I form my opinion and make "assumptions" based on the actions they've taken. I guess critical thinking dies when confronted with fans who cannot criticize their team under any circumstances. Doug Whaley has become a GM in the mold of Seattle's John Schneider. He doesn't have total personnel control anymore, which I recognize hits to the core of those who don't focus on the inner-workings of the front office. But the relationship between GM's and HC's is rapidly changing in the NFL and Buffalo is one of the teams that has the HC report to the owner and not to a GM. Makes sense given the record of the GM versus the new HC. Think of it this way: Rex is telling Doug what he's cooking, so he gives Whaley a list of things to get at the store. And Rex does the cooking after Whaley acquires the goods.

Here's an example: Last year it was clear the Bills needed an insurance policy for Manuel. After all, the previous year they'd signed an oft-concussed Kevin Kolb knowing full-well they'd draft a QB. But Whaley did not trade for or sign a veteran before or during UFA. Now apparently he's the one doing it? When you compare tendencies with people, things become clear. Buddy Nix drafted players almost universally from the south in three separate drafts. In 2013 though, 2 of the top 3 picks were PAC-12 guys. Did Nix, after years of being a southern guy, suddenly change? Or was it more likely the individual making the decisions had changed? That's my point here. The other scenario is when a big event takes place which prompted people to change their decision making. When RW passed, I think the organization as a whole change because new ownership was on the way and job security was in play. Anyone who's been in management knows that survival is the highest priority when new ownership comes in the door. I don't think Whaley changed this off-season. I think the new HC is driving the change.

Then debate me on why I'm wrong. I'll most assuredly listen to your opinion.

Whaley showed his allegiance to another 2013 pick in Manuel throughout the off-season last year despite EJ showing little. So then there's Alonso, who played well for the Bills during his rookie season, gets injured, and now he's dealt? Doesn't make sense for a GM to give up on a performing player they drafted this quick unless there are behavioral issues during their NFL career. I'm not seeing that with Alonso, so why would the guy who drafted him deal him? ACL injuries aren't so severe that players, even LB's, don't return and play well. IMO, Whaley is acting more like John Schneider does with Seattle, not like a classic GM. After all, we know Buffalo's HC does not report to the GM, but to the owner.

Doug Whaley isn't running this team the way a GM did in years past. This is Rex's team and Whaley is facilitating, not leading personnel acquisition. Kiko Alonso was the first pick during 2010-2013 when Nix was "GM" who was taken that played outside the Southern region. It's why I think he was a Whaley pick. That said, why would Whaley give up on one of his guys less than 2 years after drafting him? IMO, it's because Rex is building the roster and Whaley supports (but does not lead) that vision for the team.

Because not all backs are interchangeable. It's why a guy can excel in a zone blocking scheme and cannot in a power run game.

Does this mean all broadcasters are irrelevant?

That's fair. You don't always get as much time as you'd like, but you get the time you need. The game is changing and the urgency to win is greater which means the patience for young players, even QB's, to develop is declining. Fair or not it's up or out nowadays.

Sure it's a small sample size and everyone can agree the offensive coaching and OL play weren't good last year. The issue remains, there's more patience from pro-team fans than pro coaching staffs, regardless of who they are. Fair or not, they don't have time to wait for a guy to get-it. Either the QB shows signs of improvement or they have to move on. At the end of last year I saw more from guys like Bridgewater and Carr in their rookie seasons than I did from EJ at the beginning of his 2nd NFL season. And I'm still not clear. What did EJ do better in year 2 than he did in year 1?

EJ's won a bunch of games? He's a career 6-8 in the NFL. The point isn't that it takes 3 years. I think that's elementary to feel comfortable with the speed, defenses, schemes. It's to show improvement from year 1 to year 2 to year 3. Right now, I'm not sure what EJ did better in those first 4 games than during his rookie season. The accuracy didn't improve, despite working with Woods, Chandler and the backs in a 2nd season. It's convenient to blame it all on Marrone and company (who were bad) because they departed. But at some point it's on EJ to demonstrate he can be a good NFL QB and justify being a mid-first round pick. I didn't see much improvement during 2014 prior to being benched.

Jarius Wynn is a UFA as well. Maybe they didn't need Hughes in their new scheme. Who knows anymore. But deciding not to tag is a curious decision.

Two solid options no one's talking about: 1. Jeff George. Enough said. 2. Joe Montana. Dude's doing pizza commercials and he wears those Sketchers sneakers to stay in shape. A win-win in my book. Both options probably wouldn't cost much...George has been good and Montana's was elite. I think these are the kinds of QB's the Bills need to be thinking about. Just sayin'

I'm not going to argue about their level of interest or the franchise record the past 15 years. That'd be too negative.

It's become almost impossible to have any constructive debate here anymore because the caliber of posters has significantly declined and there are some who incessantly post in every thread . I don't know how the Bills will do this off-season or how they'll fare in the regular season, but I have more confidence in OBD today than at any time in about 10 years.

Buffalo going so hard after Josh McCown tells me they don't consider EJ a starter. Why would they pay McCown upwards of 5m per to just compete for the starting job?

If you want to be the laughing stock of the NFL, sure, that's a great idea. I wonder if Baghdad Bob is still around. That guy was even better.

Wait, Rex and Roman don't think Manuel can cut it? Why not? He's only had 14 games!

Seattle features a balanced offense that runs well and a consistently good QB who can make throws. Just running the ball and playing defense is not a plan to win in this era, unless you can do what Seattle does.

Which teams are advancing deep into the playoffs with a strong defense and an offense that runs the ball well?