Are the Bills back to being the NFL's farm team?

[jeffismagic]

oh boy, so it is a conspiracy . how high do you think it goes , just the nfl or is it a national security issue. Did the Nfl want other teams to be bad during the early 90's. if the head went back and to the right could it really be oswald. Did Fdr know the attack was coming, Building number 7 .

 

Do you understand where the NFL's money comes from? The people at the top of the food chain have no interest in Buffalo having a good team. They want the teams in Dallas and New York to do well. That's not a theory. That's business.

 

That's why the Pegulas need to stop just talking to their other buddy billionaire friends and get some real outside the box thinking in here. I would not let the other NFL teams "advise" me who to hire as they are in competition with me.

[Best Player Available]

I actually feel the exact opposite on the player. I think Woods plays hard. I do not think, in any world, Woods gets $6.8M a year with $15M guaranteed. You cannot have guys like Woods making that kind of money. It won't be hard to replicate his production at a fraction of the price.

I,hope,you're right. We will see, the coaches comment that the #2 may be

already on the roster is hard too believe. And with Woods i just saw a

guy who played hard. Wanted ro win. and again his blocking typically not a strongpoint

for a lot of #2's was a big help for the team.

 

R. Woods actually was a player ready too walk off the bus and start on day 1.

I,don't think we can replace him unless it a #1 or 2 pick. Spent wisely.

THe team did not need this hole. Players leaving after their rookie contracts kind of supports

the farm team narrative.

[Pbomb]

So i guess every team is a farm team then cause every team loses some of their good young players

[racketmaster]

Drafting players, developing them, letting them walk, and then drafting to fill the holes they left was the worst thing about the last decade of Ralph's ownership. Nate Clements, Antoine Winfield, Jason Peters, Marshawn Lynch, the list goes on. The Bills had gotten away from this under Pegula by retaining a lot of good talent like Dareus, Glenn, and Wood but now we seem to going back to the way things were.

 

We let Gilmore and Woods, two good players that we drafted walk in free agency leaving us with CB and WR as probably our biggest holes going into the draft. And in typical Bills fashion, we'll probably just be spinning our wheels this weekend by replacing a 1st and 2nd round CB/WR we drafted with another 1st and 2nd round CB/WR we draft while other teams pay the players we developed to improve their teams. None of the players drafted by the Bills in 2013 are on the team, and there is only 1 from each of 2011 and 2012, which is just incredible.

 

A lot of this can be blamed on Whaley's awful cap management, but I feel like the organization still just doesn't want to hand out real contracts to good (i.e., not blockbuster and not depth) players, sticking with massively overpaying for a few marquee free agents (and Dareus, although he is supremely talented) and signing the rest of the roster off the scrap heap to 1-year prove-it deals.

 

And yes, I realize letting Byrd leave and go on to be a massive free agency bust runs opposite to this, but the exception proves the rule. Good teams win by nurturing the talent they draft.

Green Bay let's a lot of players walk as well and they sign very few people in free agency. Only difference is that they have had Favre/Rodgers and they have played in a relatively weak division (one that does not include a dynasty that has lasted a decade and a half).

[jeffismagic]

Green Bay let's a lot of players walk as well and they sign very few people in free agency. Only difference is that they have had Favre/Rodgers and they have played in a relatively weak division (one that does not include a dynasty that has lasted a decade and a half).

 

Green Bay had a far superior drafting record than Buffalo. It's not even close.

[HappyDays]

dont forget, the cheaters are in a unique position bc they have the goat at the most lopsided position in modern history. they can twist everybodys arm to take less money than they could get elsewhere for a chance to drink from marcias magic fountain of rings. sucks for the rest of us but they have that gift right now and arent afraid to turn the screws and then just trade guys who wont play along

 

the rest of the team mostly have to pay market value or above to get their stars to stay. its a big disadvantage for the rest of the division teams especially bc they have to face them twice every year. it is what it is. and it sucks

Yup and Brady can afford to take a pay cut thanks to his multimillionaire wife. The Patriots have a big salary cap advantage and they've been running the same system for 10+ years with the best QB/coach combo of all time. But people think moves like signing Gillislee are why they win Super Bowls.

[Kirby Jackson]

I,hope,you're right. We will see, the coaches comment that the #2 may be

already on the roster is hard too believe. And with Woods i just saw a

guy who played hard. Wanted ro win. and again his blocking typically not a strongpoint

for a lot of #2's was a big help for the team.

 

R. Woods actually was a player ready too walk off the bus and start on day 1.

I,don't think we can replace him unless it a #1 or 2 pick. Spent wisely.

THe team did not need this hole. Players leaving after their rookie contracts kind of supports

the farm team narrative.

Every team has players leave after their rookie deal. The Patriots get rid of guys so that they don't have to pay them (Chandler Jones) or because they weren't good (Dominique Easley). You pay your stars (that's why I'm surprised they let Jones walk) and you turn over the rest of your roster through the draft an FA. Edited April 24, 2017 by Kirby Jackson

[baskingridgebillsfan]

 

Green Bay had a far superior drafting record than Buffalo. It's not even close.

it that right , you might want to take a closer look at that .

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

There is a misconception that they have cap issues. They easily could have signed Woods and Gilmore. They have the Dareus and Glenn restructures to use at any point. Deciding Gilmore isn't worth $14M a year doesn't mean they couldn't afford him. They thought in both cases that the value wasn't there.

 

Restructuring dareus means... making more of a commitment to him.

[jeffismagic]

it that right , you might want to take a closer look at that .

 

Yes, Micah Hyde was a 5th round pick for them that the Bills just paid 32,500,000 to. Please name a recent Bill drafted in the 4th round or later that received a similar contract.

 

By the way, the Bills current GM set up the 2013 draft board. In the same round as the Packers got Micah Hyde the Bills drafted Jonathan Meeks and the round before Duke Williams. Neither of the safeties the Bills drafted were even decent BACKUPS!

 

Green Bay > Buffalo

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

 

Green Bay had a far superior drafting record than Buffalo. It's not even close.

 

Yeah - they have a lot of in house players. However they don't always fill those gaps well when people leave, and have had some mediocre seasons because of it. I also find McCarthy to be a tad overrated as a HC, but thats probably a matter of opinion.

 

Yes, Micah Hyde was a 5th round pick for them that the Bills just paid 32,500,000 to. Please name a recent Bill drafted in the 4th round or later that received a similar contract.

 

By the way, the Bills current GM set up the 2013 draft board. In the same round as the Packers got Micah Hyde the Bills drafted Jonathan Meeks and the round before Duke Williams. Neither of the safeties the Bills drafted were even decent BACKUPS!

 

Green Bay > Buffalo

 

I have to agree. They have a much different strategy than NE, but they go about their business in a very similar way.

[Coach Tuesday]

The Bills' problem is that they lack a coherent strategy for building the roster and developing players.

[Best Player Available]

Every team has players leave after their rookie deal. The Patriots get rid of guys so that they don't have to pay them (Chandler Jones) or because they weren't good (Dominique Easley). You pay your stars (that's why I'm surprised they let Jones walk) and you turn over the rest of your roster through the draft an FA.

Wasn't there an article that the Bills had,the least amount of players they drafted on the field? Sure every team loses players. But with medicore drafts year after year. It would be nice too keep the players that actually have some potential. And stop overpaying for underperforming free agents. In fact some are gone without contributing a thing. C.Williams

His guaranteed haul over 5 million is in part why this team can't keep their own players. Poor scouting and even worse contracts. Ditto,P.Harvin and others.

I get your point. Imo this team is stuck in neutral. And hopes that Whaley is going to draft well this year is just that hope.

I guess I am done with the R. Woods thing. imo he was paid market value. Charles Clay's contract and guaranteed money is laughable.

Considering his play since he has been a Bill. Yet a young drafted #2 is deemed too expensive.

[HT02]

Drafting players, developing them, letting them walk, and then drafting to fill the holes they left was the worst thing about the last decade of Ralph's ownership. Nate Clements, Antoine Winfield, Jason Peters, Marshawn Lynch, the list goes on. The Bills had gotten away from this under Pegula by retaining a lot of good talent like Dareus, Glenn, and Wood but now we seem to going back to the way things were.

 

We let Gilmore and Woods, two good players that we drafted walk in free agency leaving us with CB and WR as probably our biggest holes going into the draft. And in typical Bills fashion, we'll probably just be spinning our wheels this weekend by replacing a 1st and 2nd round CB/WR we drafted with another 1st and 2nd round CB/WR we draft while other teams pay the players we developed to improve their teams. None of the players drafted by the Bills in 2013 are on the team, and there is only 1 from each of 2011 and 2012, which is just incredible.

 

A lot of this can be blamed on Whaley's awful cap management, but I feel like the organization still just doesn't want to hand out real contracts to good (i.e., not blockbuster and not depth) players, sticking with massively overpaying for a few marquee free agents (and Dareus, although he is supremely talented) and signing the rest of the roster off the scrap heap to 1-year prove-it deals.

 

And yes, I realize letting Byrd leave and go on to be a massive free agency bust runs opposite to this, but the exception proves the rule. Good teams win by nurturing the talent they draft.

I was a little concerned about this when I read about the Bills front office contemplating not picking up the option on Watkins.

[mjt328]

You can't re-sign everybody. Every team loses Free Agents.

Every. Single. Team.

 

The Bills have actually managed to retain the majority of their top free agent talent over the last few years. Jerry Hughes, Marcel Dareus, Cordy Glenn and Ritchie Incognito were all brought back. The only major free agent the Bills let walk since Doug Whaley took over was Jairus Byrd. Fans whined and complained about that. But it was clearly the right decision (even though nobody wants to give this front office credit for being smart). Byrd was ridiculously overpaid and hasn't done squat since leaving Buffalo.

 

The Patriots always let young guys walk, and are notorious for hard-balling anybody that wants a decent contract. The latest example being Malcolm Butler. In many cases they will actually trade a guy before he hits free agency, just because they don't want to pay him. See Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins. Teams like Pittsburgh and Green Bay are also stingy with re-signing players and are rarely active in free agency.

 

 

I know the drill. Bills fans are tired of losing. So they criticize every move this front office makes. But the truth is, the Bills have done a very good job in free agency since Whaley took over. They have re-signed the right players. They have known when to let players walk. They have found bargains that have made a strong impact.

 

The biggest problem with this franchise (when it comes to player acquisition) continues to be sub-par drafting. The good teams can afford to let free agents walk, because they have strong replacements groomed and waiting in the wings to step up. The Bills continue to spin their wheels because every free agent they don't re-sign creates another hole.

 

On average, Whaley's drafts are yielding about 2 solid starting players per year - with virtually all of his success coming in the first 3 rounds. His Day 3 picks and undrafted free agents aren't even contributing as decent depth. Now, that number may be an improvement over the disastrous Marv Levy/Dick Jauron years. But that still just isn't good enough to keep the pipeline full.

[C.Biscuit97]

 

Green Bay had a far superior drafting record than Buffalo. It's not even close.

If you switch Rodgers and Tyrod, I bet their records flip. GB has never had a RB as good as McCoy, Sammy would be a monster if he had Rodgers, Cobb is on the downside, Clay is better than any recent TE they have had, & their defense is very average.

[JM2009]

If you switch Rodgers and Tyrod, I bet their records flip. GB has never had a RB as good as McCoy, Sammy would be a monster if he had Rodgers, Cobb is on the downside, Clay is better than any recent TE they have had, & their defense is very average.

So GBs average defense counts into the discussion, but our lousy defense from 2016 is no excuse for TT? Sammy had a breakout year in 2015. he won't have one again until he can stay on the field. We don't know if Clay is better or not.

[jeffismagic]

If you switch Rodgers and Tyrod, I bet their records flip. GB has never had a RB as good as McCoy, Sammy would be a monster if he had Rodgers, Cobb is on the downside, Clay is better than any recent TE they have had, & their defense is very average.

 

Green Bay has always had a loaded WR core. Yes, the QB helps but they also have found players later in the draft and the Bills have not found a WR past the 2nd round since Stevie J.

 

RB? Yes, we have a better one that we traded for. Philly drafted Shady.

 

Sammy we spent 2 #1 Picks on. That's not great drafting or scouting. Everyone knew Sammy was a good WR.

 

Clay was drafted late by Miami and signed to a big contract by the Bills. Not a Bills draft success.

Edited April 24, 2017 by jeffismagic

[akm0404]

All teams lose good players to free agency. You only remember your favorites leaving because of that collection of sadness jerseys in your closet.

[BillsFan4]

The Buffalo Bills are doing exactly what the top brass in the NFL wants. Lose to New England twice a year and keep their fans somewhat engaged despite no chance at playoffs. They don't want us to have a top pick because we might take a top QB and they don't want us to make the playoffs.

 

They want the Bills to win 6 or 7 games a year. They even praised us for hiring Sean McDermott which was a huge red flag to me as nobody wants the Bills to improve except WNY fans.

Just about everyone has universally praised the McDermott hire. From Bill Polian to random NFL analysts to other head coaches around the NFL.

 

McDermott is said to be very well respected if NFL circles.