White Linen Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Injuries CB, injuries. In Buffalo he was extremely durable. Seriously, how many games did he miss? I credit him with helping Glenn develop, and Glenn's play did fall off after Levitre's departure. I would take him back in an instant IF I knew he was healthy. CB, the Bills DO make a mistake every now and then, ya know? Of course they make mistakes and of course players are going to leave. We better get more and more used to it as we build an extremely talented roster where more than ever players are going demand being paid by the market. I don't necessarily think Levitre not staying as a mistake it was merely a decision that was made based on did we want to pay him that much. I think in hindsight - we did pretty well with that money.
Gugny Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 I have been hearing Tyrod is the Favorite, he is really impressing everyone. Currently; 1. Tyrod 2. Cassel 3. EJ Lets just pull the band aid off for EJ, hell; and Freddie. Imo Who are you "hearing" this from? Mike Rodak's blog?
C.Biscuit97 Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Injuries CB, injuries. In Buffalo he was extremely durable. Seriously, how many games did he miss? I credit him with helping Glenn develop, and Glenn's play did fall off after Levitre's departure. I would take him back in an instant IF I knew he was healthy. CB, the Bills DO make a mistake every now and then, ya know? Spiller plays through an ankle sprain as a rb and his production suffers, you crush him. Gilmore is a bust because he struggles to play with a broken arm. Levitre plays poor and would excuse him because of injuries. Double standards my friend. And the Bills make plenty of mistakes. So do the Pats and Colts, Franchise qbs cover theirs up though.
CodeMonkey Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 (edited) The way I see it is that Whaley handcuffed himself regarding QB when he gave up this years first for Watkins, so drafting a QB in this weak class would have been foolhardy (IMO). I think his strategy is that he has 2 "hail-mary's" in Taylor and Manuel. If one hits, amazing. If they both tank, he has Cassel as a game manager while his rookies and 2nd year guys get some seasoning as they look for a QB in the next offeason/draft. Edited May 6, 2015 by CodeMonkey
Gugny Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 The way I see it is that Whaley handcuffed himself regarding QB when he gave up this years first for Watkins, so drafting a QB in this weak class would have been foolhardy (IMO). I think his strategy is that he has 2 "hail-mary's" in Taylor and Manuel. If one hits, amazing. If they both tank, he has Cassel as a game manager while his rookies and 2nd year guys get some seasoning as they look for a QB in the next offeason/draft. I wouldn't consider EJ a Hail Mary. It's not like he hasn't played well; he has. Many times. He's just been inconsistent, which happens with QBs with under one full season of experience. I still think he beats Cassel out, but if he doesn't, so be it. No way Tyrod ends up anything but the 3rd string gadget player, in my opinion. They can't cut Tuel fast enough.
JohnC Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Losing Levitre truly did hurt the team. As I recall a couple of posters predicted this would happen. With this befuddled organization the problem wasn't the departure of a particular player so much as the players brought in to replace the departures. In fairness to the Bills with Levitre there was a reasonable issue of the balance between the talent level relative to the sizeable contract. I can't fault the franchise for letting Levitre go. However, you can fault the organization for the scouting ability for OL talent. Richardson and Kujo, a second round pick, were not close to be ready. I will give you credit for very early on calling into question the selection of the Alabama tackle in the second round. When you criticize an Alabama player you are painfully and reluctantly going against your heart!
JohnC Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 (edited) It's been made pretty clear that Marrone couldn't leave well enough alone with respect to the OL. Eric Wood said there were (to paraphrase) "too many cooks in the kitchen." The coaching was sub-par. You make some valid points about talent, but better coaches have done more with less. What elevates the performance of a mediocre line more than anything is having good qb play. A qb who can make quick reads and accurately throw the ball is an antidote for poor line play, up to a point. Yes, Marrone got very much involved with the OL. He would have been derelict in his duty by not spending extra time and effort in his futile attempt to shore up his woebegone line. If our OL plays much better this year it will be due to different players on the line more than it will be due to an upgrade of coaching. Last year our OL was the worst in the league. Last year our qbing was if not the worst near the worst in the league. On offense there was such a dirth of talent on the OL and at qb that the no level of coaching could have masked the ridiculous level of incapable players staffing those positions. As the saying goes: Garbage in/Garbage out! Spiller plays through an ankle sprain as a rb and his production suffers, you crush him. Gilmore is a bust because he struggles to play with a broken arm. Levitre plays poor and would excuse him because of injuries. Double standards my friend. And the Bills make plenty of mistakes. So do the Pats and Colts, Franchise qbs cover theirs up though. When you can't find a reasonable franchise qb for over a generation then your margin of error is miniscule. The one player I am rooting for to have a good season is Spiller. Much to the irritation of NYC Bill I have been a staunch defender of this very uniquely talented player. It is a shame that he got drafted by an organization that doesn't know how to exploit his manifold talents. Do you know what you call a team that uses a quick speed back as a bulldozing fullback? Dumb! Edited May 6, 2015 by JohnC
thewildrabbit Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 The owner and hockey franchise have the right strategy in doing a major rebuild. They basically stripped the team of players and starting rebuilding from scratch. It is a painful process that takes time. Without a doubt it can be excruciating to watch. Steadily they are adding young players from their system and from making deals that will ultimately pay dividends. Instead of stagnating for a long time as a middle of the pack type team the franchise made a decision to completely deconstruct in order to reconstruct. If one doesn't have patience then one will be very disappointed. If one has patience then one can see what they are doing and also appreciate what they are doing. In a few years they are going to be one of the top tier teams in hockey. It takes times and wisdom. The HC and OC were working with the worst OL in the league and with the least talented qbing in the league. Scheme and strategy don't trump, and will never trump, a gross lack of talent on offense. I have watched pro football for a very long time. Our OL was constantly overwhelmed not because of the scheme but because too many of the players were incapable and not ready to play at that level. The former unlikeable HC got a very flawed team (on offense) to a 9-7 record. If the team improves it will mostly be due to an upgrade of talent. and who's fault is that? That wasn't the case when Whaley took the team over as he let Levitre walk and still hasn't properly replaced him. That 2012 line was ranked in the top 15 (13th), and were ranked 5th in pass blocking, 21st in run blocking. Last season they ranked dead last in run blocking and 30th in pass blocking. Like I said earlier, the longest it took Bill Polian to win the division with three different teams was three years. This GM can't even acquire a decent LG or build a decent O line in three years....much less find a franchise QB. Building the line should have been the teams first priority in 2013, and it wasn't...and still isn't! Trying to force 2nd year QB EJ to throw 40+ passes a game behind that shambles of a line was more then moronic. I'm not convinced this years team will have a winning record because that line is still in flux. Then the HC having to run around trying to lure possible felons to the team because the GM didn't get it right again this off season. I have no idea why this front office (besides Rex) puts such little emphasis into building a dominate O line. I had such high expectations for this franchise when Terry Pegula bought the team, and it looks to me like this years team will again struggle to even get to a winning record.
Nanker Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 Polian critical of Bills not drafting a QB? Really. Well, I'm critical of Polian for not brushing his yellow teeth.
ALF Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 and who's fault is that? That wasn't the case when Whaley took the team over as he let Levitre walk and still hasn't properly replaced him. That 2012 line was ranked in the top 15 (13th), and were ranked 5th in pass blocking, 21st in run blocking. Last season they ranked dead last in run blocking and 30th in pass blocking. Like I said earlier, the longest it took Bill Polian to win the division with three different teams was three years. This GM can't even acquire a decent LG or build a decent O line in three years....much less find a franchise QB. Building the line should have been the teams first priority in 2013, and it wasn't...and still isn't! Trying to force 2nd year QB EJ to throw 40+ passes a game behind that shambles of a line was more then moronic. I'm not convinced this years team will have a winning record because that line is still in flux. Then the HC having to run around trying to lure possible felons to the team because the GM didn't get it right again this off season. I have no idea why this front office (besides Rex) puts such little emphasis into building a dominate O line. I had such high expectations for this franchise when Terry Pegula bought the team, and it looks to me like this years team will again struggle to even get to a winning record. I agree , if we can get Collins that would be a great help
C.Biscuit97 Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 Polian critical of Bills not drafting a QB? Really. Well, I'm critical of Polian for not brushing his yellow teeth. Shots fired!
PlayoffsPlease Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 I respect Bill for his work in Buffalo, but the game has passed him by. This was a terrible QB class and three of the four QBs on the roster are all much better options for the 2015 season than any of the QBs available past the second pick. Enjoy the Hall of Fame, Bill, you earned it. But with respect, it's time to hang up your spurs. I love fans who think they understand the NFL better than Bill Polian. They insight and depth of analysis they bring to the table is always precious.
eball Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 I love fans who think they understand the NFL better than Bill Polian. They insight and depth of analysis they bring to the table is always precious. This thread contains a lot of reasonable discussion about why drafting one of the project QBs in a poor draft class (outside of the top two) would do essentially nothing for the Bills' prospects this year, when the team appears to be loaded. There's a lot of b.s. also, but I think many posters in this forum "understand the NFL" -- it's not exactly rocket science.
YoloinOhio Posted May 8, 2015 Author Posted May 8, 2015 (edited) I love fans who think they understand the NFL better than Bill Polian. They insight and depth of analysis they bring to the table is always precious. it isn't about "understanding the NFL." It's about understanding the Bills roster. The premise of the thread was he criticized the Bills for not drafting a QB and therefore going into the season with only Cassel and EJ as potential starters in 2015. He was unaware they signed TT, a young QB prospect with a chance to compete for a starting role, in lieu of reaching for a project QB who had no chance of competing for a starting role in 2015 based on all the scouting reports, analysts, etc. The thread is not about him criticizing the bills for not taking a chance on a QB to develop for the future. That isn't what he said, and is a different topic. Edited May 8, 2015 by YoloinOhio
Deranged Rhino Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 I love fans who think they understand the NFL better than Bill Polian. They insight and depth of analysis they bring to the table is always precious. I stand by what I said. There were no QBs in this draft outside of Winston (I don't believe in Mariotta whom Polian would have taken with the #1 pick) who could have stepped in this year and helped the Bills win more games than Cassel, Taylor or EJ. For Polian to claim otherwise is either ignorance or a grudge. It's certainly not smart football talk.
Bill from NYC Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 (edited) This thread contains a lot of reasonable discussion about why drafting one of the project QBs in a poor draft class (outside of the top two) would do essentially nothing for the Bills' prospects this year, when the team appears to be loaded. There's a lot of b.s. also, but I think many posters in this forum "understand the NFL" -- it's not exactly rocket science. Year after year, many posters have made better draft decisions (in terms of their posts of course) than the Buffalo Bills. This my friend is the ugly truth. Being an NFL Executive does not (as you well know) automatically make one a good decision maker on draft day. None of us know more about football than Marv Levy, but a huge majority would have drafted a better player than Donte Whitner with the #8 pick in the stacked 2006 draft so yes, there are posters here who do understand football. Edited May 8, 2015 by Bill from NYC
Kelly the Dog Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 Year after year, many posters have made better draft decisions (in terms of their posts of course) than the Buffalo Bills. This my friend is the ugly truth. Being an NFL Executive does not (as you well know) automatically make one a good decision maker on draft day. None of us know more about football than Marv Levy, but a huge majority would have drafted a better player than Donte Whitner with the #8 pick in the stacked 2006 draft so yes, there are posters here who do understand football. That's a really good point. Just because you may not know in total more about football than a GM doesn't mean you couldn't make some wiser decisions. I said this a few times before but I remember being at the bar with AKC right before the Donte Whitner pick, and there was about five really good prospects at positions of need available, and I turned to him and said, "You know what's great about this pick, we can't possibly fukk it up." They announced Donte Whitner and I yelled "Who?!!!"
dave mcbride Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 That's a really good point. Just because you may not know in total more about football than a GM doesn't mean you couldn't make some wiser decisions. I said this a few times before but I remember being at the bar with AKC right before the Donte Whitner pick, and there was about five really good prospects at positions of need available, and I turned to him and said, "You know what's great about this pick, we can't possibly fukk it up." They announced Donte Whitner and I yelled "Who?!!!" Ha. I'll confess that I wouldn't lose sleep if somehow Badol was assigned a role in picking players for the Bills.
Bill from NYC Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 Ha. I'll confess that I wouldn't lose sleep if somehow Badol was assigned a role in picking players for the Bills. Oh absolutely! I was with him at Lot 1 one year in October and asked him if he knew of any 3rd or 4th round guard for the following season. He had 3 or 4 names in a matter of seconds. That's a really good point. Just because you may not know in total more about football than a GM doesn't mean you couldn't make some wiser decisions. I said this a few times before but I remember being at the bar with AKC right before the Donte Whitner pick, and there was about five really good prospects at positions of need available, and I turned to him and said, "You know what's great about this pick, we can't possibly fukk it up." They announced Donte Whitner and I yelled "Who?!!!" Now THAT is a funny story! I was never more angry as a Bills fan than I was when they made that pick. My behavior was childish whereas I tossed a clip board accross my living room and was screaming obscenities. Nobody was home but still, inexcusable behavior. Then as I recall, I let loose on this board. If you noticed, I didn't freak at yet another DB being taken with our first selection. I feel it was quite the dumb move mind you but maybe it will turn out well. However, I don't know as much as Whaley.
Deranged Rhino Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 Now THAT is a funny story! I was never more angry as a Bills fan than I was when they made that pick. My behavior was childish whereas I tossed a clip board accross my living room and was screaming obscenities. Nobody was home but still, inexcusable behavior. Then as I recall, I let loose on this board. If you noticed, I didn't freak at yet another DB being taken with our first selection. I feel it was quite the dumb move mind you but maybe it will turn out well. However, I don't know as much as Whaley. Don't tell me you're maturing with age. Your reactions -- inexcusable or otherwise -- are some of the best around on this site and have been for years.
Recommended Posts