Buffalo Barbarian Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Bob DiCesare states that the Bills have no identity like steelers or colts and therfore they will fail. Unfortunately this sad but true, if we drafted guys that fit our philosophy instead of the best player available we would have been successful for decades instead of sparingly. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bob-dicesare/article325996.ece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv Levy Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Looks like Bob is taking his shot at Modrak. But he does have some great points. It boggles my mind how inept this team has been for 10+ years drafting!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis in NC Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Bob DiCesare states that the Bills have no identity like steelers or colts and therfore they will fail. Unfortunately this sad but true, if we drafted guys that fit our philosophy instead of the best player available we would have been successful for decades instead of sparingly. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bob-dicesare/article325996.ece We have a philosophy?! This mirrors my favorite line from Homer (Simpson, that is): "I have a TO DO list?!" Pretty scary stuff in the Modrak article where Ralph sez: '"Well, I think Tom has been with us a long time," You think?! Yikes. RW goes on to say: "Tom does a good job, but he doesn't make the last call. He puts the [draft] board up. We have a lot of hard-working scouts. But it comes down to making the last decision. That's not Tom."' Boy, wouldn't we fans like to know WHO does make that final call? (cue the Church Lady: "Mmmmm, could it be Satan?") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsNYC Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Love that he took a shot at Brandon, that guy being GM was the lowest point of the last decade, which netted us Maybin. Im willing to give Nix the chance to prove he has a vision, seems like the kind of guy that has one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowery4 Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Buddy has said he will pick BPA but in the past. He said BPA but you have to consider your needs a bit. The interview he gave this last week he said BPA in a way that made it sound like they might go for a WR or CB with the third (who knows maybe it is a smokescreen). I think if the guy we draft is a game changer (and he should at least be very good, if not a playmaker)even if it is not a big position of need (like WR and to a lesser extent CB), I think loading up more with real players is fine. That said if the pick ends up a miss in the top 3, it looks very bad. I personally am sick of the reaches! BPA is not usually a reach. I want a solid draft and FA period. We need it. NE won't get worse, we don't have the amount of picks they do. They all know the drafts in the past have sucked. I am sure Modrick knows it. Bob D. is kind of stating the obvious with that. I don't think this FO even with Modrick should be judged yet as not having a plan. I am not real super happy he stayed but in reality I don't know his role and either does Bob. One JS is enough, the team had more identity this year. I am hoping for the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trader Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Love that he took a shot at Brandon, that guy being GM was the lowest point of the last decade, which netted us Maybin. Im willing to give Nix the chance to prove he has a vision, seems like the kind of guy that has one. Perhaps Buddy Nix can share his,"vision" with the fans? I heard Gil Brandt say once that there are only a half a dozen teams that have a plan when it comes to the draft. He went on to say that they are looking for a type of player who fits their system. That player might or might not be the most talented player on the board. Those teams wind up on top more often than not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsox Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Buddy has said he will pick BPA but in the past. He said BPA but you have to consider your needs a bit. The interview he gave this last week he said BPA in a way that made it sound like they might go for a WR or CB with the third (who knows maybe it is a smokescreen). I think if the guy we draft is a game changer (and he should at least be very good, if not a playmaker)even if it is not a big position of need (like WR and to a lesser extent CB), I think loading up more with real players is fine. That said if the pick ends up a miss in the top 3, it looks very bad. I personally am sick of the reaches! BPA is not usually a reach. I want a solid draft and FA period. We need it. NE won't get worse, we don't have the amount of picks they do. They all know the drafts in the past have sucked. I am sure Modrick knows it. Bob D. is kind of stating the obvious with that. I don't think this FO even with Modrick should be judged yet as not having a plan. I am not real super happy he stayed but in reality I don't know his role and either does Bob. One JS is enough, the team had more identity this year. I am hoping for the best. Regardless of Modrak's board, Nix has the Final Say in the Draft. Buddy's in charge. It's up to him to get it right. For his sake, he better have the best draft of his career this season. And he's gonna need to go out and Sign BIG NAME FAs if this team even wants to improve. I'm not saying go Sign Jason Taylor or Tomlinson. But Good young pro bowl caliber talented players who are gonna be good for next 5-7 seasons. This means they may need to overpay to get them, but if they don't, they will never get out of the top 10 of the draft. That's how bad the Bills are. This can be turned around. It's up to Buddy to be Aggressive and assertive in bringing in these type of players to get the Bills in contention for the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 this is a thoughtful, well written piece. so, i'm just waiting for the potshots at the author to start...anytime now. but the point that "if modrak's position is so impotent then why doesn't he leave" is valid. if he's as good as wilson believes he is, he should be able to land at a decent organization with the deference and acknowledgement that should be accorded his talent. yet some posters here seemed soothed by the original article reporting wilson's reaffirmation of modrak. diceasare's response is the appropriate one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_Pro_Bills Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 this is a thoughtful, well written piece. so, i'm just waiting for the potshots at the author to start...anytime now. but the point that "if modrak's position is so impotent then why doesn't he leave" is valid. if he's as good as wilson believes he is, he should be able to land at a decent organization with the deference and acknowledgement that should be accorded his talent. yet some posters here seemed soothed by the original article reporting wilson's reaffirmation of modrak. diceasare's response is the appropriate one. Gotta agree. If you're hired to do a job and your work is continually ignored by management, then you either tune out or get out. You don't stick it out for 10 years busting your ass to do an A1 job because there's no point. So I don't buy the de-linkage between poor scouting and poor drafting. The lack of identify is a compelling point. When you think about what kind of team the Buffalo Bills are what comes to mind first? I've seen mock drafts that have the Bills taking Green or Peterson. Both look like solid players. But you've also got to look at your weaknesses. IMO, the Bills #1 problem is stopping the run. How does picking either player help you stop the run? The Pats and Jets have run all over the Bills the past two seasons (Jets have rushed for over 1,000 yards in 4 games). How does a WR or CB help fix that problem? Sure you can address it later, just like they've addressed the offensive line problem in the later rounds for years. How's that approach worked out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Gotta agree. If you're hired to do a job and your work is continually ignored by management, then you either tune out or get out. You don't stick it out for 10 years busting your ass to do an A1 job because there's no point. So I don't buy the de-linkage between poor scouting and poor drafting. The lack of identify is a compelling point. When you think about what kind of team the Buffalo Bills are what comes to mind first? I've seen mock drafts that have the Bills taking Green or Peterson. Both look like solid players. But you've also got to look at your weaknesses. IMO, the Bills #1 problem is stopping the run. How does picking either player help you stop the run? The Pats and Jets have run all over the Bills the past two seasons (Jets have rushed for over 1,000 yards in 4 games). How does a WR or CB help fix that problem? Sure you can address it later, just like they've addressed the offensive line problem in the later rounds for years. How's that approach worked out? Part of what keeps him here may be the unique agreement that he can work from home (Florida) - allowing him to spend time with his family in a way other franchises may not allow. If I recall he did a pretty good job the rest of his career, another reason I put SOME faith into these endorsements. If his end goal is to evaluate talent and enjoy his family, not career advancement.... He might not have incentive to leave, even if he doesn't love draft day under jauron/marv. Maybe he liked Donahue and has faith in nix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 this is a thoughtful, well written piece. so, i'm just waiting for the potshots at the author to start...anytime now. but the point that "if modrak's position is so impotent then why doesn't he leave" is valid. if he's as good as wilson believes he is, he should be able to land at a decent organization with the deference and acknowledgement that should be accorded his talent. yet some posters here seemed soothed by the original article reporting wilson's reaffirmation of modrak. diceasare's response is the appropriate one. Everything this organization does seems to be a delaying effort or a rear-guard action. Drafting is terrible according to the owner, but the same people are there building the board and coordinating the scouts. There is no vision and no cogent plan when you name a retired HC as GM and replace him with the marketing guy. Placing personal familiarity above actual talent when searching for a GM is a reason why the Bills are 31-49 since 2006, or the same record they were under the hated Tom Donahoe. Kudos to DiCesare for making this point. You don't go 11 years straight without making the playoffs and not completely blow up the front office. Overdorf, Modrak, scouts, et al. should have been gone when a new GM takes over. It happens in all franchises when there is true "regime" change. Organizationally, they get rid of people only when things get really bad publicly, i.e. Jauron and Guy. Those guys should have been gone way before they were fired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob in STL Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 (edited) Bob DiCesare states that the Bills have no identity like steelers or colts and therfore they will fail. Unfortunately this sad but true, if we drafted guys that fit our philosophy instead of the best player available we would have been successful for decades instead of sparingly. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bob-dicesare/article325996.ece Draft to fit our philosophy? What is our Philosophy? What philosophy did Ralph Wilson develop and pass on to his troops. What attributes do his top leaders have in common and pass on to others? I would like to know that. At my company we have a clear mission statement and leadership attributes that are taught and passed down to all employees. We have a spirit and a culture and everyone (including our suppliers and customers and competitors) knows what we do and what we stand for. It is in our culture. This is a hard thing to do. It takes years and dedication and hard work and requires continuous improvement at the top. It has to start at the top and flow down to all. The leaders have to live the philosophy otherwise all you are doing is making up slogans. Employees will see that and ignore it. So starting with the owner - If you decide to hire someone (Donahoe) to run your team and your business then you may be deferring to his philosophy. That might be fine, however, if you decide that it isnt working and make a change after 4-5 years then you personally need to step in and lead and fill that void until things are back on track. Instead Ralph turned the ball over to an old friend from the past (Levy) and expected him to turn back the clock. When the old friend had enough, Ralph turned to "people that he knows". That would be Brandon, Jauron, and now Nix. It is high time for someone in the Font Office to do the heavy lifting (hard work). What is the Buffalo Bills philosophy? I don't know. I think that Nix is a great scout who brought in some other top scouts. Not sure if he has it to be a GM. I think that added some good coaches (Chan and Wannstedt). I think they added a future GM (Whaley). I do know that when you change GMs and Head Coaches 3 or 4 times in a decade then you probably do not have philosophy at all. Edited January 28, 2011 by Bob in STL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 (edited) That Article was dead on... As far as Modrak is concerned...Ralph's recent comments were a slap in the face to knowledgeable Bills Fans if you ask me...Modrak may not make the final call, but he darn sure had guys like Maybin, Losman, Whitner, and McCargo graded out close to where we Drafted them...Like DiCesare points out, are we to believe Ralph, Jauron, and Nix just went rouge off-the-board and snagged these Players? Come on... They know darn well they're not going to consider a Player at any point in the Draft that their Scouting Department is not touting...And they darn sure are not going to reach much based on THEIR Board...Every Team has them ranked differently...And Modrak is sitting right there in each meeting when the Bills finalize their Draft Boards...I promise everyone here that Maybin was ranked on their Board at or around #11 Overall...So how is Modrak not accountable for that? If he was not accountable he would have stood up in those Pre Draft meetings and said NO WAY is this guy a 1st Round Pick...And if he did, as the Head Scout, the Brass would listen and no way would they Draft him where they did...He's a good Scout? Really? Come on Folks...How can any good Scout not stand on the table and demand Matthews over Maybin, Ngata over Whitner, Rodgers-Cromartie over McKelvin...do I really need to go on? The fact that The Bills Drafted Spiller last year, and the fact that they are keeping Modrak makes me think things have not changed nearly as much as we would like to believe as Bills Fans...We'll see in time how this whole Nix/Gailey thing pans out...But I for one am beyond skeptical at this point...Hopeful yes, but VERY skeptical... Edited January 28, 2011 by KOKBILLS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Good article. Even sounds vaguely familiar. http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/125860-gaughans-indictment-of-modrak/page__view__findpost__p__2082852 Draft to fit our philosophy? What is our Philosophy? "Let's get lucky" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananathumb Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 the article is correct. When the Bills were briefly good, they had a 3-pronged plan: 1. K-gun...fast-paced, no-huddle offense that was pretty basic so kelly could handle it but one that kept the defense from substituting. That's a clean PLAN. 2. A bendbutdon'tbreak defense (that I hated...since they could never get off the field on 3rd downs...god I hated Walt Corey). But at least it was a PLAN and they had Bruce and Cornelius to vandalize QBs. It didn't work in Super Bowls, but it got them there 4 times. 3. Special emphasis on ST, including keep specialized talent on the roster that weakened the defense but gave us a great advantage regarding field position. In other words, it was a PLAN. This is maybe what led to Bob D's article; there is no plan, per se, though at least Buddy has come out and said things like "we're drafting strictly for a 3-4 defense and we're looking for bigger linebackers". It's an emphasis, but it still isn't like teams that look for certain types of players, like, say, Le beau does in pittsburgh for his zone blitzes. I'm waiting for the day when national commentators say something about Buffalo's famous ___________, meaning a special kind of D, O or even ST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McD Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 (edited) The article is SPOT ON! Not to knock the article or anyone who's discussed this on here, but... this is not new news! We've been clueless for years. How in the hell else do we draft a damn RB at #9 when we had multiple GLARING needs elsewhere? Why keep on taking chances with "reaches" in the first few rounds?? Sometimes I wonder how the hell some of these personnel guys got jobs. I would think that this board could come up with a better draft scenario than our own FO. The only wild card is Ralphie... how much does he get his fingers into their business. If it's not him, then who/what the hell has kept them from seeing this issue?? Edited January 28, 2011 by McD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Bob DiCesare states that the Bills have no identity like steelers or colts and therfore they will fail. Unfortunately this sad but true, if we drafted guys that fit our philosophy instead of the best player available we would have been successful for decades instead of sparingly. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bob-dicesare/article325996.ece I am confused, weren't Williams, Losman, McCargo, Maybin all taken because of position needs? And Whittner was not the best available. The only best available pick has been Spiller and the jury is still out on him. Isn't reaching for positional needs, what got us to where we are? It can't be one or the other, which is exactly what Nix said. I agree with DiCesare on Modrak, either he has been wrong or he was being ignored, either way he should be gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu Cthulhu Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Philosophy? Step 1: throw dart at draft board Step 2: ?????? Step 3: profit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Grid Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 (edited) Bob DiCesare states that the Bills have no identity like steelers or colts and therfore they will fail. Unfortunately this sad but true, if we drafted guys that fit our philosophy instead of the best player available we would have been successful for decades instead of sparingly. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bob-dicesare/article325996.ece What crap. The Bills drafted for need for the 10 years before Nix became GM. That is exactly why the Bills have done so poorly. Looking at the best teams talent wise they routinely take the Best Player Available in the first round. In later rounds where the talent is more of a mixed bag you draft for need as the Packers and Steelers and all successful teams so often do. But in the first you should grab the best player possible. I love that so many people slam the Bills for taking Spiller, but if they would have reached and taken an OT who flamed out everyone would be whining about how they didn't take the BPA. BPA is a strategy, and if Spiller develops into all he can be, he will be a cornerstone for the Bills offense and part of the reason they finally dig their way out of futility. Dolts like DiCesare would have the Bills reach for Gabbert, Newton etc then they would spend the whole next year saying it was stupid to reach. If the Bills had been drafting BPA for the past 11 years they'd be an annual playoff team. The BPA for the last 5 first round Bills picks (based upon the consensus rankings at the time): 2010: CJ Spiller, RB 2009: Brian Orakpo, DE / OLB 2008: Chris Williams, OT 2007: Darrelle Revis, CB 2006: Haloti Ngata, NT If they simply followed the ESPN rankings of BPA and took them in the first round for the past 5 years this is what theyd have right now. So for those who are against BPA I dare you to find me a better track record than this. Edited January 28, 2011 by DC Grid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I have to kind of disagree with this take. Jauron was the epitome of drafting for system. The problem was his system was stock up on D-Backs and fill the front seven with smaller, faster players. Go right down the hit list, Maybin, McKelvin, mcCargo, Whitner, they all fit into the same philosophy. A stupid plan, but a plan no less. The problem with the Bills has been lack of consistency in the front office and coaching staff, not lack of identity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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