BillsVet

For the past 15+ years Buffalo entered each draft needing starters from 1 or more of their first picks. That mentality was typically borne of finishing among the bottom 10-15 teams and holding a high pick. Throw in multiple regimes with new coaches that installed new systems which necessitated jettisoning the previous regime's players. Those players were usually replaced with draft picks and the cycle began all over again. Those drafts may have been more interesting, but their rebuilds never quite got to the point this one has. The old adage around here was something about the off-season being the highlight of the year. The draft was certainly the high point of the off-season for many years. I say all this because this is the first draft in decades Buffalo will not require out of box starters. It's a sign this rebuild has advanced in a way McBeane's predecessors never reached and has not stagnated in mediocrity. That's not to say there aren't areas which could be improved (WR depth, RB2, DE depth, and CB depth). It's just that the focus now is not on the off-season, but winning in the regular season. Go Bills.

I love the draft. I am beginning to love when the draft is over and these threads pass into oblivion. EDIT: I believe psychologically people want to be ahead of the pack and, when presented with something that reflects a shred of truth, will seek to be the "first" with what they believe is a story. It's why conspiracy theories are so attractive IMHO. Of course reporters become, unwittingly or not, carriers of these reports. Nothing that hasn't happened every year.

Not every idea warrants a thread. This one is an example of that.

I'm confident Beane was involved in 2017 from afar and 2018-19 of course as GM. Point is, this roster is a lot different than it was each of those years when they were overhauling as opposed to now with it being refined. I don't see Buffalo trading up largely because they bank on a lot of UFAs to start, particularly at OL, DL, and WR. They need young guys who'll supplant those experienced types when their contracts end. In short, roster management is different now and they don't have the draft capital to maneuver up. I'd expect them to sit still in round 2, although beyond that sure, they could move around.

What did Marv once say about this? Something to the effect of when coaches listen to fans they end up sitting next to them. I doubt Beane and McD operate to satisfy the fans or trust the process had anything to do with them.

It's time to read a book. Preferably one not written by Alex Jones.

Trade what? Buffalo doesn't have the picks.

In theory yes, those are who should be managing the team side of the houses. In reality, it can go sideways when big egos get in the room, especially owners, and they want power and control over their investment. It's a toy to them and who's going to tell them they cannot play with that? The Pegula's have been a dumpster fire since purchasing the Sabres 9 years ago. You can process their moves however you want, but having (EDIT: several) senior executives (Regier, Black, LaFontaine, Murray, Brandon, and Botterill) along with 6 HC's in that span indicate there's been a major problem there. Not to mention the other hires who've been let go. I think some people at PSE have gotten a little big for their britches and aren't willing to acknowledge they're in over their head. If the report is correct the Sabres are losing money, how does one reconcile that with the team operating in the biggest US hockey market? The only reason would be bad management and people running that show.

Oh I don't doubt that scenario. There's already plenty of nepotism over in PSE already and if that drifted over to OBD I cannot see McD accepting that. He's a very strong personality and was given the proverbial keys to the kingdom upon being hired. I'd hope the Pegs' stay out of his way so long as the team is winning. For all the flak that Kraft takes (and he's got his detriments) I'd want that for this franchise as well. Especially if the leadership group the Pegs' have hired at OBD prove themselves and start winning in the playoffs. And I'll reiterate a point I've been making: that to my knowledge the Pegula's have not once hired qualified people to oversee their teams at the time of purchase. With the Bills, they found McD who brought in Beane, albeit 2+ years and many bad decisions after the sale. They steadied that ship, but I sense some people in the Sabres organization are hindering progress...along with bad hockey management hires. And BTW, where is Terry in all of this?

A major element behind McD agreeing to coach in Buffalo, I believe, was the Pegula's giving him unprecedented control for a HC (EDIT: for this franchise). He sought Beane from Carolina and they've had authority over football operations most of us long-time posters dreamed of when RW owned the team. I hope and trust this does not change provided they continue improving the team's W-L record. If there's interference, yeah, I could see a Polian situation brewing. I gotta say that it's extremely tone-deaf to talk about "lifestyle" on a spreadsheet to employees. No CEO or corporate executive would do that, whatever the implication. Terry comes off as aloof and KIm seems enchanted with the optics. It's an emperor has no clothes situation at this point. I'll continue to give Krueger the benefit of the doubt, this being his first season. Botterill OTOH deserves a lot of blame for mismanaging the cap and not changing the roster when it was clear some players are not up to the task. At least Beane and McD overhauled the roster in their first 3 seasons.

Drafting a player who was off other teams boards for a shoulder injury...who in a non-contact drill hurt said shoulder. That entire 2016 off-season was rough on Douglas.

Forget all about Oneonta.

I was here when RW owned the team and well remember the debates back then. The issue was RW and his handlers had allowed the team to devolve into a non-competitive entity. We criticized RW because Littman was holding the purse strings tightly, better players were let go to be replaced with draft picks and coaching hires were uninspired. Over time, it became obvious Buffalo couldn't attract top managers and there was no chance they'd be able to compete against other teams under the RW ownership group. To me it's not worth it expending energy to grind that ax against the Pegula's because their decisions are not team focused. This grievance mentality isn't improving overall discourse, only lighting fires where there shouldn't be any. Also, I don't call myself a veteran. I AM a veteran and have seen my share of two way live fires.

It used to be on these boards individual players were run out of town when they didn't do as fans expected. Now, it's a graduation to owners. I understand that losing, especially with the Sabres, has become hard to stomach. The Bills seem to be on the right path, but fixing the owners as bad because they're wealthy is something I don't subscribe to. It is speculated the Pegula's source of funding in the natural gas industry has been the root cause for the pro sports team decisions. And it seems reasonable to conclude they became over-leveraged with other business interests. Still, it doesn't make my life any better criticizing them or their business decisions. I do not understanding how needing a grievance makes anyone's life better. It's horrible people are let go, but sharpening the ax because of that is not value added.

Yeah...stop talking about football 5 days from the draft. Will ya?

I don't think you understand what purpose the draft serves. It's not about this upcoming season as much as it is 1-2 years into the future when guys like Brown and Beasley are nearing or at the end of their contracts. The point is, nothing remains the same for very long. Players age, their contracts end, the cap must be managed, and (hopefully not) injuries occur. No one is "hating" on Brown and Beasley and this is most definitely not a clown thread. It's a solid question because Buffalo's 2nd and 3rd receivers are over 30. In NFL years that's kind of old and why wouldn't a team plan for their replacement? Every organization under the sun needs a plan and in the NFL if you're content with the status quo you're falling behind. Throw in the fact that Foster, D. Williams, and McKenzie aren't the types who should be getting major minutes. The draft could go any which way, but if there's a solid WR prospect sitting there when Buffalo picks, I'd hope McBeane realize they need depth and a future starter or 2 at the position. If KC is rolling 4 WR's in their offense, Buffalo should be looking to match them if the arms race if they expect to advance deep into the playoffs.

The NFL and the PA both have a mutual goal: make the league into a 25B industry by 2024. That element to the league starting is going to have an impact if many teams are in regions that pass thru the phases identified by the Task Force today. Making money is a huuuge factor to all of this. If it can be done the powers that be will get it done.

And every Bills draft pick who performs under this regime will remember that decision. There is a macro perspective necessary to a decision, although I'm not saying to re-sign him for that sake alone. This is why a GM gets paid the way he does - to make those difficult choices. You can't run from every less than simple decision and if (still a huge if ) White wants a big contract. Remember, this is a team that let Stephon Gilmore walk and replaced him essentially with White, who under your scenario, would be allowed out for a pick this time. And if someone's giving up a 1st for him, doesn't that sort of indicate another team values him AND the contract he'd presumably demand? Team Building requires more than surface thinking. It's a deep dive and almost requires one to anticipate the externalities of a decision.

Saw a link today that Buffalo ranks 32nd in draft capital for this draft. Not a dig at the team because I'm thrilled with the Diggs trade, but should indicate the Bills aren't going to be moving up. The draft is a player acquisition method for the long haul, not satisfying the fantasy football types who think everything is in the now. The roster is much improved for this coming season, but there are several positions which need an influx of youth for down the road. And that goes for every team. Right now, Buffalo needs some young depth who hopefully can start in the future at WR, DE, and CB. Because whether Bills fans like it or not, some players are not going to be re-signed because they'll be allocating cap space.

Interesting to see how the board views White if contract negotiations are difficult. That's a huge if at this point, but the board turned against Clements when he wanted a big contract. Difference is now that Buffalo has the Pegula dollars and isn't constrained by the Ralph/Littman penny-pinching. Second, how would the Bills locker room view not signing someone like White? He's the first marquee player to be up for contract extension (apologies to Dawkins and Milano - they're not All-Pro caliber) and Buffalo has spent heavily on UFAs. If he's not signed, it sends a message that McBeane's process talk is just that and they'll reward outside guys as opposed to home-grown. There's a lot we still don't know about McBeane and their approach to negotiating contracts. Many of the UFA deals are ones they can get out of after 1-2 seasons, but a Tre White deal likely is a 4-5 year extension. I would think he'a cornerstone player despite playing in a system where he gets help.

I've never understood why the Pegula's didn't hire someone to look over the franchises and offer recommendations for each when they finalized each purchase. They've pretty much gone with management they inherited, fired them, hired new people, and the process began anew again. At least with the Bills they found someone (McD) who had a plan and had connections (Beane) who've organized that franchise. I'd expect that having someone to manage those franchises day to day would be a high priority. But you're right, their attempt at running the Sabres has been amateur hour and it sounds like they're not willing to relinquish that. They're trending into Daniel Snyder territory with their ineptness. And, could something else is going on behind the scenes. Pure speculation, but financially are they over-leveraged?

And the ability to sift through datasets to identify which data matter. Right now, there's an overload and it's hard to know what is relevant. The vaccine is required mantra is moot when you consider many viruses after years have no vaccine: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/health/vaccines-poverty.html Vaccines are not easy to develop. I wish the narrative demanding a vaccine before anything can start would be viewed appropriately. Things will start before, owing to the fact owners and players want to earn money AND the virus diminishes significantly from current state.

Call up Bill O'Brien. I'm sure he'd figure something out. EDIT: That's not going to work. BOB already traded his 2020 1st away. Should have known!

Brown and Beasley are 30 or older this season and on contracts that expire in 2021 or 2022. Having talent in the pipeline is essential at all positions, particularly WR with injuries. Right now if (perish the thought) one of the top 3 WR's was injured, their depth at the position is nil. Foster, D. Williams, and McKenzie are not guys I want logging serious minutes and anyone who is OK with that over-values them. None of them have distinguished themselves over an entire season. The draft is about putting players in your system who at a minimum will be there down the road when UFAs leave. And the Bills are depending heavily on UFA to start. Eventually your young guys need to step into those roles. Correct. Down once for Tre and up twice for Zay Jones and Dawkins in the second.

They are...and some of them are plain wacky. The last time I remember someone trading up in a substantial move it was AJ Smith for Eric Weddle more than 10 years ago. McBeane has been the polar opposite of people like Nix who believed in this strategy. And they moved up once in '17 then down twice that year. There were the moves to trade up for Allen and Edmunds. Then last year, moving up for Ford and later Knox. The point is, if someone can help them now and later it's a move to consider moving up. And both WR and DE are areas they could use a player for today and future seasons.