artmalibu Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Rex must have figured he could have a good defense without Kiko, but couldn't score without a stud RB. Seems reasonable. No question the roster has gotten better from the moves and decisions of Doug. With the improvements made to the o-line and RB the QB will look better next year regardless of who it is.
Garion Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 For me, he has. He is trying to create a roster that can make the playoffs. They were closer without kiko than they were with him. They could have gotten there with a better running game. They lost by 2 Pts to Oakland on a day they ran for 13 yards as a team. They failed to run the ball in all if their losses last year and it further affected already mediocre to worse QB play. Let's face it, Whaley has a set. This. He is aggressively pursuing the bits we need to compete. We all loved Kiko but the Bills have desperately needed offensive help the last two years and he has been adding playmakers and linemen. We still need a QB but they have brought in 3 "best available" at the moment players in the last two years (note that doesn't mean good)
GunnerBill Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) He did fine. He was buried on the depth chart of a run first team with Collin Kaepernick throwing him the ball. He was more productive on a per snap basis than Crabtree was. I'm guessing most would take Crabtree over Brown. The 9ers were not run first last year. I don't blame Roman for that either it was Harbaugh deciding it was time to let Kaepernick air it out. EDIT: Oh and Crabtree is overrated. Always has been. I'd take Stevie back though. I don't mean to sugges otherwise. Edited March 4, 2015 by GunnerBill
Coach Tuesday Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 All of his trades have targeted explosive playmakers (or draft picks). But there is another piece to the equation, which is how the coaches use those playmakers. Pettine and Schwartz and Ryan are all good defensive coordinators who knew (or know) how to use a guy like Hughes. Unfortunately, Marrone was a luddite whose schemes negated his talent. We have to hope that Roman knows what to do with Bryce Brown, Sammy Watkins, and now Shady. It's too bad Mike Williams didn't survive the December Purge - perhaps Roman could exploit his talents as well. But the point is, it's fine to have an aggressive wheeler-dealer GM, but he needs to be on the same page as his coaches for his moves to be successful. We'll just have to see.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Thank you. Everybody is so caught up in arguing about "the value of the RB position" and salaries and declining skills that everybody forgets how awful our run game was as soon as CJ went down. It completely handcuffed Hackett and Marrone and forced them to lean on a coward QB who already mentally checked out a few weeks earlier. I'd argue we didn't make the playoffs for the following reasons, in no particular order: red zone inefficiency, bad penalties at critical times, poor running game. Consider one of those major issues fixed. Now we just need a QB as good or better than Orton. And with a RB like McCoy, maybe we can get away with a QB slightly less talented than Orton. I'm afraid your premise that our run game became worse as soon as CJ went down does not appear supported by the facts. Except for the first game against Chicago where we gained a respectable 193 yds, the run game sucked all season long. If you look at the run yards per game and don't know when CJ was hurt, honest injun you can't pick it out - we averaged 92.6 ypg over the season, 91.5 while Spiller was out, and 93.4 while he was playing (including the anomolously high run yards of the first game where the yards were evenly split between Spiller, Jackson, and Dixon). Your argument amounts to 2 yds per game handcuffing Marrone. Kinky. That said, while the argument that Spiller's injury deep-6d the run game doesn't appear to hold up, the argument that a better run game could have helped us achieve the playoffs appears perfectly valid, so let's hope we've got the Real McCoy to fix it (sorry about that)
Hapless Bills Fan Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 The 9ers were not run first last year. I don't blame Roman for that either it was Harbaugh deciding it was time to let Kaepernick air it out. EDIT: Oh and Crabtree is overrated. Always has been. I'd take Stevie back though. I don't mean to sugges otherwise. I'll be jigged - 35 fewer rushing attempts, 70 more passing attempts than 2013. So is that change in philosophy what made the '9ers so much worse last year on offense? I've been trying to figure that out.
BillsFan-4-Ever Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 so far..... yup. some good trades and draft picks
YoloinOhio Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 I'll be jigged - 35 fewer rushing attempts, 70 more passing attempts than 2013. So is that change in philosophy what made the '9ers so much worse last year on offense? I've been trying to figure that out. harbaugh wanted to get Kap to throw more from the pocket. Didn't go well. This year the Niners already said they want to go back to him running more. Ya think? Lol.
MyHorseAteTheKid Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 First real GM this team has had in years..
BillsVet Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 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.
Coach Tuesday Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 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. Really? That's the only reason you can think of?
YoloinOhio Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) 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. they are building the roster together. Kiko was picked by nix, Whaley, Marrone and Pettine. Preston Brown was also picked by Whaley. Rex evaluated the roster and feels he can win without Kiko. Whaley agreed and got something they need in exchange for a rotational LB which is what he would be as Rex is going to line up Mario at OLB sometimes and brown and Bradham can both play 3 downs. It's a hell of a trade IMO if you can separate the name. Edited March 4, 2015 by YoloinOhio
BillsVet Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Really? That's the only reason you can think of? 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.
dpberr Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Trades are fun. Are you not entertained? Yes. I don't know why folks expect every trade to be a home run. Perhaps since the minor trade (at the time) for Hughes turned out very well? I don't think he's had any disasters with the trades. From minor to major ones, all the players are talented football players. As for free agent signings though, the Chris Williams deal will always baffle me.
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 I love Whaley's overall approach. How many times did we hear our old GM's say something like this, "We had offers to trade down from the No. 8 spot, but we really liked our guy in Donte Whitner, and took him"? We have a guy who is sharp, and can figure out how to make deals to maximize value. Whether those deals are good or bad is another issue. But at least he has the skills to make things happen.
Canadian Bills Fan Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 I give him the benifit of the doubt I trust Whaley One thing is for sure, no one can say that he isnt trying to make the Bills a better team CBF
RealityCheck Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 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. I think you see what you want to see.
Proteus Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 I will wait to see what he does with the offensive line before I crown him.
dave mcbride Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 I'll be jigged - 35 fewer rushing attempts, 70 more passing attempts than 2013. So is that change in philosophy what made the '9ers so much worse last year on offense? I've been trying to figure that out. It's pretty simple. They were losing more often, so they threw more often.
BillsVet Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 I think you see what you want to see. Then debate me on why I'm wrong. I'll most assuredly listen to your opinion.
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