shibuya Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Everything they are doing points to the latter. The astounding thing is that the person who assembled the crumbling foundation in the first place is apparently in charge of rebuilding it. Actually John Butler, Tom Donahue, and Marv levy caused that problem.
K-9 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 We have not blown up the whole thing. There are still a lot of very good players on the roster. Our o-line lost 1 starter. Our D-line is very solid and frankly I can't wait to see what they do in a more aggressive style. We'll probably sign McIntyre back or if not we'll get another FB to replae his 10 plays a year. Kyle Moore is the message board superstar (of course that can change on a dime) but maybe the coaches don't agree....or maybe they will sign him back. Either way I am not losing sleep over it. Get a decent QB and the rest falls into place. You got that right. Gotta believe Pettine has seen enough film of Moore getting his ass handed to him on running plays. GO BILLS!!!
Sisyphean Bills Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Actually John Butler, Tom Donahue, and Marv levy caused that problem. Interesting take. How many players that John Butler drafted while working for the Bills are still in the NFL?
JM57 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2013/3/21/4131026/buffalo-bills-free-agents-2013-buddy-nix Thought this was interesting. At the very least Kyle Moore or Corey MacIntyre should be back. This screams of, "We'll sign them when the costs come down." If that isn't the case...I'm officially on the..."What the hell is their plan?" bus. And tell me what role you see Kyle Moore playing in a Ravens style D? He's a one trick pony average pass rusher and terrible in run support. McIntyre....you can find a FB for much cheaper. They're a dying breed.
BuffBill Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 http://www.buffaloru...-2013-buddy-nix Thought this was interesting. At the very least Kyle Moore or Corey MacIntyre should be back. This screams of, "We'll sign them when the costs come down." If that isn't the case...I'm officially on the..."What the hell is their plan?" bus. Give him a break, how can you expect a 80+ year old man to actually think about signing anyone when he is scouting Pro Days? It is so the Buffalo Bills, do nothing, put crap on the field year after year.
Buftex Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 A couple points: 1. The expensive signings last year should put the whole "Bills don't want to spend money" bullcrap to rest. Let's be rational about this, right? 2. You may notice that nobody else has signed them, either. Hmmmm. 3. At the same time, I'm frustrated that the Bills haven't done more in the early stages of FA to improve. That said, I'm not sure the money being handed out to these players is really worth it. Did you see the contract for Wallace? That is insane money for a WR who might be targeted 5 - 8 times a game. Is it me, or does it seem like a handful of teams (Patriots. Titans, Dolphins) seem to have signed, or be rumoured to sign nearly every high-profile FA...there seem to be a number of teams, this year, who hare sitting on the sidelines, waiting to see what is left. When you see the crawler on the NFL Network of top FA players available at each position, there are still a lot of big name players (not necessarily saying they are good players) available in FA. I am not saying that the Bills don't spend money, but with their new "moneyball" philosophy, it only makes sense to let other teams overpay for the big-name guys, and get decent players, later, when their price isn't being driven up by other teams. The Lawson signing, though not one that got a lot of headlines, I think, may prove to be pretty shrewd, and indicitive of how the Bills are approaching things. In theory, they aren't overpaying for a guy who, if all things go as planned, will enhance the Mario Williams investment they made last year. For all intents and purposes, Mario Williams was our "franchise QB" last season. When you get a franchise QB, you keep adding pieces to maximize his effectiveness. There are pretty good odds that a lot of the guys who are amongst this first wave of signings will be busts with their new teams. My frustration with the Bills right now is not so much the lack of signings (they will have a 52 man roster in Sept. like everyone else), it is just, for the first time that I can remember, I have absolutely no idea (right or wrong) about our new head coach. Maybe frustration is the wrong word..just mystified.
GG Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 On the other hand, it's not easy to put forward a strong, positive image if one's first year is pointed towards a "full-on tank mode". I hope it isn't the case they are betting it all on Marrone's track record at Syracuse of pumping some life into what was a program on life support by hitching themselves up to an artificial lung machine. They're probably are realizing that, and that's why it's relatively quiet at OBD. Hopefully have a solid draft, slowly push Nix out, see what Marrone does with the team in '13 with low expectations, and then they can become a more attractive destination. The only vets I see signing now are the value guys on the downswing of careers or someone who needs a spot to try a comeback (a la Merriman)
BuffBill Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 (edited) Interesting take. How many players that John Butler drafted while working for the Bills are still in the NFL? Seeing how it has been almost 15 years since he left the Bills GM position, I would think not too many, since not too many players even play that long? He might be the only one left, but Butler drafted Antoine Winfield. He was working under Polian for 4 or 5 years before he became the GM so who knows what input he had in drafting players during that period. Edited March 21, 2013 by BuffBill
26CornerBlitz Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 @ChrisBrownBills 2m Nix: Still work to do in free agency http://wp.me/plmrg-7IV Shocking!
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 I still see Nix's remaining for the 2013 draft as part of Brandon's overall plan. It's not something some can wrap their arms around, but Nix will be the scapegoat when things inevitably aren't good this year. After all, the current GM owns this roster, hired the previous coach, went with the now released QB and now they're moving on from him. Nix does more for Brandon hanging around than he would be gone. Strange as it may seem, that's the modus operandi I see taking place. This is the only explanation I've seen for Nix still being in place that makes sense. We have Brandon taking over who has watched Nix fail miserably for three years, and who is pushing an analytic system that Nix knows little about. Together with the information we got from their choice of Head Coach, a scenario in which Brandon has allowed Nix to remain an all-powerful GM seems farfetched. So why is Nix allowed to continue to collect a check and pretend to be General Manager? Your scapegoat explanation makes a lot of sense. I'll also throw out there (as has been pointed out by GG) that we had our best draft in a number of years in 2009, getting Wood, Byrd and Levitre under Brandon as de facto GM. No doubt Brandon is aware of this fact. It's possible that Nix as figurehead GM allows Brandon to again take direct control of the football operation.
mattsox Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 http://www.buffaloru...-2013-buddy-nix Thought this was interesting. At the very least Kyle Moore or Corey MacIntyre should be back. This screams of, "We'll sign them when the costs come down." If that isn't the case...I'm officially on the..."What the hell is their plan?" bus. Talk about a dysfunctional Franchise. I see nothing to look forward to with this team in 2013...
xsoldier54 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 I'm OK with the Bills doing nothing right now. This. Let's wait and see what the roster looks like in September before panicking.
K-9 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 What "analytic system" is Brandon pushing that Nix knows so little about? And how is it being applied to their FA strategy? Truth be told, there isn't much difference between the "top tier" free agents and those remaining to be signed this year. Case in point is our own Andy Levitre. He isn't much better than Brandon Moore, if at all. Heck, Moore is a far better run blocker anyway. GO BILLS!!!
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Seems to me we'll be getting our WR upgrade from the draft, not free agency after reading that. Kinda sad to hear that. Don't these guys know that it is extraordinarily rare for a rookie WR to be productive until at least his 3rd season?
Sisyphean Bills Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 What "analytic system" is Brandon pushing that Nix knows so little about? And how is it being applied to their FA strategy? Truth be told, there isn't much difference between the "top tier" free agents and those remaining to be signed this year. Case in point is our own Andy Levitre. He isn't much better than Brandon Moore, if at all. Heck, Moore is a far better run blocker anyway. GO BILLS!!! Probably a statistical system that could address questions such as, "What are the odds of dialing a wrong number and actually reaching the person you were intending to call?"
BillsVet Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 (edited) This is the only explanation I've seen for Nix still being in place that makes sense. We have Brandon taking over who has watched Nix fail miserably for three years, and who is pushing an analytic system that Nix knows little about. Together with the information we got from their choice of Head Coach, a scenario in which Brandon has allowed Nix to remain an all-powerful GM seems farfetched. So why is Nix allowed to continue to collect a check and pretend to be General Manager? Your scapegoat explanation makes a lot of sense. I'll also throw out there (as has been pointed out by GG) that we had our best draft in a number of years in 2009, getting Wood, Byrd and Levitre under Brandon as de facto GM. No doubt Brandon is aware of this fact. It's possible that Nix as figurehead GM allows Brandon to again take direct control of the football operation. We will see if Brandon truly wants to implement a more data driven decision operation versus scouts providing all input. Most likely it's somewhere in the middle. Nix meanwhile continues to stand out front and explain himself while Russ remains in the shadows As for the 2009 draft, I don't see Brandon being the one who orchestrated that. After all, by late 2009 he was admitting how the GM job was beyond him, prompting the Bills to promote Nix from within. He knew he was clearly not set up for success given that he had absolutely zero experience in personnel. Buffalo drafted for straight need in the 2009 and got some guys who filled those needs. They needed two guards badly, taking two of the highest ranked interior OL in Wood and Levitre. They needed help at safety, taking Byrd. They needed a DE and took Maybin. And given that the 2008 draft was dreadful, I think it was pure luck combined with drafting easier to fill positions like guard and safety in 2009 that made that year. Edited March 21, 2013 by BillsVet
Lurker Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 IMO, Byrd's contract situation is the only one that matters out of this group. The other FAs are dime-a-dozen players who won't be a priority until after the draft, if then. Moore flashed a bit last year, but not enough to get excited about...
jumbalaya Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 We are going to enter the Johnny Football sweepstakes. I am okay with 0-16 & drafting Manziel. At least its a plan.
Dr. K Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Seems to me we'll be getting our WR upgrade from the draft, not free agency after reading that. I see absolutely no evidence that there will be an "upgrade" at wide receiver, no matter who they draft. This is going to be a 3-win team this season, if that.
Dibs Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 We are going to enter the Johnny Football sweepstakes. I am okay with 0-16 & drafting Manziel. At least its a plan. So are you going to root for the Bills to lose.......or simply not watch them for a year?
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