BillsVet

One example of a successful QB someone traded down for still doesn't illustrate that it's a trend. The trend is, teams identify their guy and don't wait to take him. No one's arguing that hitting on 2nd round picks obtained in trades isn't a good thing. But hitting on that pick is not a sufficient consolation for missing on the first round pick. I know deflecting away from the first round pick has become a common narrative here as people see EJ isn't going to cut it in the pros. But if you prioritize the position, as you noted Buddy didn't do, then you're not backed into a corner having to take a raw rookie. No team makes good decisions when they're desperate, which Buffalo was in the 2013 draft for a QB.

Who trades down to get their franchise QB? But didn't Russ say that 2014 was Whaley's first draft?

Or maybe this report, with Foles probably wanting a new contract, is all about the Eagles trying to obtain some sort of leverage in negotiations? Foles is entering the final year of his rookie contract next year. But if this is reality, then yeah I blame the few rookies who are relatively successful out of the gate for amping up expectations for your signal callers.

Donahoe had major faults and made several poor decisions. But at least the organization had a legitimate sense as if they were competing. Hiring Marv, promoting a guy with no personnel experience in Brandon, and promoting Nix from within came off as amateur hour at OBD. None of those guys were worthy of being NFL GM's.

Completely new job? He was made COO in 2006 of non-football ops. Two years later he added the GM title and in 2010 when Nix was hired, he became CEO. His most recent promotion was to team president in 2013. I'd say the last 3 positions placed him as overseeing football ops, either as GM or overseeing that individual with that title. The fact that the Pegula's removed Brandon from overseeing football ops tells me they know that relationship wasn't good for the team from an on-field perspective. One would think if RB was thought to be good at that function they'd delay that move until after the consultant made their report. But they didn't.

To say the organizational structure is the same today under TPegs as it was under RB is like saying red apples are the same as red peppers because they're both red. You've conflated the situation into being the same when in fact it's not. Brandon less likely to make changes incumbent on his GM? If the organizational structure was so efficient, wouldn't the new owners have ensured it remained in place? Yet, they didn't wait for a consultant to tell them that a GM under Russ Brandon wasn't a solid move. Russ is still president, but he's not overseeing football, so someone advised them to take football operations away from him. That speaks volumes.

I wonder how Whaley feels now that the Pegulas have made him report to them alone. I doubt you'd get a straight answer, but the reality is that move needed to happen for years. That move illustrates to me that the new owners acknowledge the previous organizational structure was dysfunctional.

Buddy Nix: the gift that keeps on giving.

After 8 games Buffalo's outscoring opponents by a cumulative 13 points. And that's after the thumping they put on NYJ yesterday.

Not seeing how beating teams with a combined 4-12 record the last two weeks makes them mentally tough now.

Playing the way Buffalo did today won't get you into the playoffs. There's 12 teams in the AFC playoff picture, and while some will not be there in a month, the Bills are going to need to pick up their play and win at least 5 more games. I don't view this game as just "this game." I see it as a measuring stick for how they'll play the rest of the season. No one back-doors their way into the playoffs.

Rex: "And Idzik's going to make me take the fall for this mess. No way man!" Marrone: "Yeah I know the feeling Rex. Do you know who Russ Brandon is?"

Every single employee at OBD knows their jobs are on the line with a TBD consultant coming on board at some point. I get the impression the mindset is now coach not to lose. Don't be too innovative, i.e. risky. Eke out games and hopefully finish with a good enough record to not be fired. And then counter that with the move on draft day to get Watkins, which was the antithesis of their game planning right now. For the life of me I don't understand this franchise. Nothing seems coordinated, and as a previous poster mentioned, they attacked NYJ's strength and held back on their weakness. Some game plan.

Great post. Thanks and sounds like you've got some knowledge about the inner workings at OBD. Seems like the major changes won't occur until after the season and a consultant TBD has made their recommendations. Brandon has already been making statements which essentially separate himself from certain decisions the past couple of years. I would certainly agree with the premise that it's hard to move forward with RB remaining in the building and his role is being scaled back.

Jason LaCanfora has reported that the Pegulas will hire a consultant to review the organization. I'm expecting they won't do that and then ignore the consultant's recommendations. Contrast that with TPegs not doing that when he bought the Sabres, allowing Regier to remain in place until it was obvious he couldn't get the job done. Changes are coming and I don't think TPegs is soft. They already admitted that the financial people had too much sway in the front office, hence the move to separate football from finance.

If you're going to make the playoffs, you've got to win against division opponents on the road. The margin for error is too slight, particularly if you are fighting for a wild card berth. Only 2 teams get them in the conference, so winning the division remains the best opportunity for post-season play. They've got to beat the Jets. Going into the bye week 4-4 will feel, after everything they've done so far, very underwhelming.

First, Denver had to attract Peyton Manning. And they took a big risk by giving him the first year guaranteed. How did Denver sell the Broncos to Manning? Well, I'd imagine he wanted to know how they would support him and build a winner. Because when he showed up they didn't have all the pieces they did in 2013. Being an attractive destination to elite players tells a lot of the story. Only winning and dollars do that. PR blitzes don't work on career minded pros, coaches, and front office types like they do fans who aren't investing as much.

Yep. Buffalo hasn't even begun to sustain a winning team, because they've never truly rebuilt. The example of what Denver did replacing Decker with Sanders illustrates why they're a winner: they know where and how to keep talent and at a reasonable cost. The Broncos pay a lot of money to a select group of players (P. Manning, Ware, Talib, et al.) but still keep enough talent on the field to support their premier players. And they spend/draft where it's needed most: QB, pass rush, and secondary. Someone may chime in by saying the Broncos haven't won a SB and lost last year big time. But the point remains they've played at a high level for 3 years and this off-season improved their roster off that 2013 season. Although, Demaryius and Julius Thomas will be looking for get big contracts as well, so it'll be interesting to see what they do in the 2015 off-season. The Bills have jettisoned several players and either insert a much lesser player (Colin Brown, Chris Williams) or use a high draft pick (Lynch, Poslsuzny, et al.) to replace a departed veteran. This happened because they had a habit of letting players hit the final year (the walk year) of their contract, which made it more expensive and thus more difficult to re-sign them. I would expect a real front office to know they want to re-sign a player (and get them under contract) before their final year. Buffalo didn't do that for a long time. I suspect this won't continue under the Pegulas.

I was being facetious. I enjoy playing soccer and following the sport, but in contemporary society we move to ban or severely curtail anything which has the possibility of hurting people. This is probably PPP, but I'm just tired of hearing the all-knowing types tell us what's safe and what's not. I'll make that decision for myself.

I play twice a week and this makes me think it's time to ban soccer. That's the only rational response when anyone has any possibility of getting hurt. The current regime and Buddy are almost one in the same, save for one should-never-have-been GM who was "retired" in favor of his deputy.

Good thing he doesn't play for the Bills...then Marrone would make him inactive and then whine when reporters ask why.

Or Brandon's trying to separate himself from Whaley as an insurance in case the season goes downhill. Or he just used it as a matter of speech.

Perhaps Ebron would have been the pick. And if EE was picked and then doesn't pan out in the NFL, Brandon would have chimed in to say Buddy told them to take Ebron though.

I thought the rule was not to judge players until they've completed 2 NFL seasons. Furthermore, the picks Cleveland acquired won't be known for another 6+ months, and they won't have 2 seasons under their belt until the end of 2016. No one's arguing Watkins isn't fantastic or a special player. The question is whether or not he's worth 2 1sts and a 4th. And, from a team-building perspective, would it have been better to sit at 9, take Odell Beckham, and kept that 1st and 4th? Well, we don't know right now and have to see how it plays out, despite early good returns.

If someone needs more evidence the front office is not very capable, both in college and pro scouting, it's how they've handled the OL. Aside from QB, it's an area they've tremendously botched. Signing Chris Williams in UFA (and his history of back problems) along with drafting Kouandjio in the 2nd round are why they're forced to start 2 rookies and an out of position (who should be out of the NFL) Erik Pears. There isn't much to do now. Richardson isn't ready to play (most 5th rounders aren't), Pears isn't a guard, and Henderson needs more time, which the Bills don't have. I think Marrone has clearly overestimated his OL coaching skills. Because, as we learned with Mouse McNally, even good coaching can't solve a lack of talent.