Was breaking the drought worth it?

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Yes, next. 

[Reed83HOF]

27 minutes ago, Boatdrinks said:

  This may be true , but illustrates that the poll question is actually inane. Making the playoffs " worth it"? What exactly is " it"? The Bills made few moves last offseason that pointed to an all out push to win. Trading away talent, purging players and starting a proven mediocrity at QB ? Most projected the Bills to win 4 or 5 games. 

  No coach assembles a staff and implements systems/ ways of doing things in order to lose. Some fans are looking at the Browns as a type of blueprint to follow. They are in their current position ( draft spot, picks etc) because of a putrid GM and horrible management. John Dorsey is in a good spot to build them into a winner, but the idea that they are just on the next step of a well thought out ( years long ) roadmap to a success is laughable. 

 Ha! I don't think anyone would argue that the Browns have anything well thought out!

 

Sorry for the wall of text!

 

For me, if you make the playoffs, you should have a shot to go all the way and win the damn thing - that is the vision you have to have. The Bills are one of those middling teams who can squeeze into the playoffs and be trounced right out. There was no way to go win the damn thing; the equivalent to that would be we actually nail the Jurassic park thing and are very quickly struck by lightening and hit my an asteroid instantaneously.

 

There were 2 options the Bills had once they canned Rex and made the decision to can Whaley after the draft. The approach we actually took, tear down and try to win with players who will shuffle in and out of the next 3 seasons, or jump into the rebuild like the Jets & to a degree the Browns. We did over achieve in some areas last year and in a league that has a large amount of middling teams, we were able to beat a few and get to 9-7. Good job in the short-term, but it does hurt you in the long run since you are stuck within the range of picks 10-20 that are hard to use as ammo to trade up to get blue chip QB prospects. In order to move up you are going to lose many picks. With a new staff going in a new direction, it would have been better in the long run to cut your team apart last season and take your lumps there. That is not saying you are doing things in order to lose, it is recognizing that your team as stands is not good enough to get over the hump and has to be restructured and rebuilt. I wasn't a fan on how we handled dumping the FO last year, what that did was create a vacuum within the organization that basically turned the draft over to McD, who focus was to win as quickly as possible. If you buy into what Galko stated in his WGR interview, which I do, McD wanted to win now and felt he could win with TT. He won enough in that the short-term focus came at the expense of the long-term vision, in business, sports and life in general this type of move never works out for the better.

 

If Beane was hired in January, the player dump and dead cap would have hit last season and our draft and this upcoming would look a lot better. We could have had going into the draft with 2-1sts, 2-2nds, and what should have been 4-3rds (no Benjamin trade & you took the comp pick); those are some nice tickets to be able to move around and pick good talent in the draft. Now yes we still have all but 2-3rd rounders; however, we could have been right around picks 4-9 instead of at 21 and the rest of our own picks in each round would be that much higher. Now being within the 4-10 range with our own pick, could have much more easily moved to #2or #3 and be able to maintain more picks to grab players to fill out our team. You now placed yourself in a position where you will surrender more picks to move around to go after a blue chip QB; we are also drafting later in each round, where in the top few picks of each round, talent slips. Sorry 9-7 and squeezing into the playoffs last year for an in and out, was not worth it in the long run. It actually sets you back a season.

Edited March 24, 2018 by Reed83HOF

[Boatdrinks]

2 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

 Ha! I don't think anyone would argue that the Browns have anything well thought out!

 

Sorry for the wall of text!

 

For me, if you make the playoffs, you should have a shot to go all the way and win the damn thing - that is the vision you have to have. The Bills are one of those middling teams who can squeeze into the playoffs and be trounced right out. There was no way to go win the damn thing; the equivalent to that would be we actually nail the Jurassic park thing and are very quickly struck by lightening and hit my an asteroid instantaneously.

 

There were 2 options the Bills had once they canned Rex and made the decision to can Whaley after the draft. The approach we actually took, tear down and try to win with players who will shuffle in and out of the next 3 seasons, or jump into the rebuild like the Jets & to a degree the Browns. We did over achieve in some areas last year and in a league that has a large amount of middling teams, we were able to beat a few and get to 9-7. Good job in the short-term, but it does hurt you in the long run since you are stuck within the range of picks 10-20 that are hard to use as ammo to trade up to get blue chip QB prospects. In order to move up you are going to lose many picks. With a new staff going in a new direction, it would have been better in the long run to cut your team apart last season and take your lumps there. That is not saying you are doing things in order to lose, it is recognizing that your team as stands is not good enough to get over the hump and has to be restructured and rebuilt. I wasn't a fan on how we handled dumping the FO last year, what that did was create a vacuum within the organization that basically turned the draft over to McD, who focus was to win as quickly as possible. If you buy into what Galko stated in his WGR interview, which I do, McD wanted to win now and felt he could win with TT. He won enough in that the short-term focus came at the expense of the long-term vision, in business, sports and life in general this type of move never works out for the better.

 

If Beane was hired in January, the player dump and dead cap would have hit last season and our draft and this upcoming would look a lot better. We could have had going into the draft with 2-1sts, 2-2nds, and what should have been 4-3rds (no Benjamin trade & you took the comp pick); those are some nice tickets to be able to move around and pick good talent in the draft. Now yes we still have all but 2-3rd rounders; however, we could have been right around picks 4-9 instead of at 21 and the rest of our own picks in each round would be that much higher. Now being within the 4-10 range with our own pick, could have much more easily moved to #2or #3 and be able to maintain more picks to grab players to fill out our team. You now placed yourself in a position where you will surrender more picks to move around to go after a blue chip QB; we are also drafting later in each round, where in the top few picks of each round, talent slips. Sorry 9-7 and squeezing into the playoffs last year for an in and out, was not worth it in the long run. It actually sets you back a season.

Im not sure what they could have done differently, aside from start Nate Peterman at QB. They shed a lot of talent. Kept players they felt fit their vision. You don't take over and replace 11 starters on both sides of the ball. You try to establish a winning culture, and the results were surprisingly better than projected. It's not like they did something wrong that kept them out of the 4-5 win range. Or less. Most projections were a bottom 10 finish. It didn't happen because players overachieved . It's the NFL, and every game players are fighting to win, make a name for themselves and keep their jobs. The concept of a tank or something is vastly overrated. That's why NFL teams don't do it. It's never been shown to work. The playoffs happening was largely an accident that few predicted. Not some misguided tactical error. If any error was made, it could be passing up a QB in round one last year. A QB that would have required the investment of just one draft pick. 

[Reed83HOF]

2 minutes ago, Boatdrinks said:

Im not sure what they could have done differently, aside from start Nate Peterman at QB. They shed a lot of talent. Kept players they felt fit their vision. You don't take over and replace 11 starters on both sides of the ball. You try to establish a winning culture, and the results were surprisingly better than projected. It's not like they did something wrong that kept them out of the 4-5 win range. Or less. Most projections were a bottom 10 finish. It didn't happen because players overachieved . It's the NFL, and every game players are fighting to win, make a name for themselves and keep their jobs. The concept of a tank or something is vastly overrated. That's why NFL teams don't do it. It's never been shown to work. The playoffs happening was largely an accident that few predicted. Not some misguided tactical error. If any error was made, it could be passing up a QB in round one last year. A QB that would have required the investment of just one draft pick. 

It isn't worth rehashing last off season, but I think there was a missing part of the GM to provide a long term vision and focus . I will mention that they easily could have moved on from TT & Dareus last season and depending on how far they wanted to go recognize that Hughes & Shady's time will be coming to an end very soon as well. As far as establishing a winning culture, meh - last season was a pass since very few of those players will be on the roster in 2019 and beyond. It was a great time to come in swinging with an ax instead of a scalpel. McD was hired to coach the team and as a coach he wants wins and he punted QB to this year, not having a viable GM on board at that time will now cost them many picks. and missing out on players we could have had. You are 1000% correct we could have used 1 pick on Mahomes/Watson or even tried to move for Trubisky. This can is only able to be kicked down to road for so long...

[Boatdrinks]

2 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

It isn't worth rehashing last off season, but I think there was a missing part of the GM to provide a long term vision and focus . I will mention that they easily could have moved on from TT & Dareus last season and depending on how far they wanted to go recognize that Hughes & Shady's time will be coming to an end very soon as well. As far as establishing a winning culture, meh - last season was a pass since very few of those players will be on the roster in 2019 and beyond. It was a great time to come in swinging with an ax instead of a scalpel. McD was hired to coach the team and as a coach he wants wins and he punted QB to this year, not having a viable GM on board at that time will now cost them many picks. and missing out on players we could have had. You are 1000% correct we could have used 1 pick on Mahomes/Watson or even tried to move for Trubisky. This can is only able to be kicked down to road for so long...

I'll agree to the extent that waiting until post draft to fire the GM and hire a new one was an error by ownership. The draft results might be very different. I wouldn't be alone in thinking the playoffs weren't likely last year, I figured about 5 wins. It was largely a happy ( for most fans) accident. Many fans and observers thought they were tanking. It didn't work out that way. 

[#34fan]

Wasn't worth it one bit... The Bills DID NOT control their own destiny in that playoff bid... TBH, it was a tad embarassing to watch all these desperate bills fans

 

cheering for theBengals! -THEN, came the actual wildcard game, which was even more embarrassing... Starting Peterman after the break would have been the

 

best move.There'll be no forgiveness for a losing season henceforth.

Edited March 24, 2018 by #34fan

[Success]

Yes, all day, every day.

[Beach]

On 3/23/2018 at 11:43 AM, Seanbillsfan2206 said:

Totally worth it. I cried full crocodile tears. It totally sucks that the game was a dud but going back and watching the fan reaction videos will always give me goosebumps 

now im gonna go watch those videos again!

[reddogblitz]

59 minutes ago, #34fan said:

there'll be no forgiveness for a losing season henceforth.

 

To my way of thinking there never is. And so far their is no need. I hope this continues. Go Bills.

57 minutes ago, Success said:

Yes, all day, every day.

 

And twice on Sundays.

[#34fan]

19 minutes ago, reddogblitz said:

 

To my way of thinking there never is.

 

Sure there is, IF there's a plan behind it.... Many people could see their way to giving a 1st time coach, and GM some leeway in the W-L department.

 

What they won't forgive, is mortgaging the future for a high draft pick, and then sucking anyway... It shows that you make bad decisions, have absolutely no

 

plan, and are completely out of your depth in your field of choice... Tanking last year, and putting yourself in a great position to draft the QB of the future

 

WITHOUT trading a chunk of that future away wouldn't be unwise.

Edited March 24, 2018 by #34fan

[Stank_Nasty]

1 hour ago, #34fan said:

 

 

 It shows that you make bad decisions, have absolutely no

 

plan, and are completely out of your depth in your field of choice... 

Can anyone  look at what’s transpired over the last 12 months and come to the conclusion that that summary there is what’s going on in buffalo?

 

Good lord, dude..... how can’t people grasp that there is more than one model to follow to get the turnaround done. It’s not tank or bust. Thankfully all but 27 poor souls on this board seem to understand that. 

Edited March 24, 2018 by Stank_Nasty

[reddogblitz]

1 hour ago, #34fan said:

 

Sure there is, IF there's a plan behind it.... Many people could see their way to giving a 1st time coach, and GM some leeway in the W-L department.

 

What they won't forgive, is mortgaging the future for a high draft pick, and then sucking anyway... It shows that you make bad decisions, have absolutely no

 

plan, and are completely out of your depth in your field of choice... Tanking last year, and putting yourself in a great position to draft the QB of the future

 

WITHOUT trading a chunk of that future away wouldn't be unwise.

 

If you say so. I was prepared to give  Coach McDermott a  Muligan for 2017 if need be. It wasn't. Finally we get one of those coaches that gets his team to payoffs in first year. Awesome. We're ahead of plan. That's good.

 

I'm prepared to give our coach who has never missed the playoffs another year before castigating him for not having a plan even if it's not your plan.

 

When did Bills fans start thinking losing is OK? I know we've been conditioned but still ...

 

Just win. Go Bills

Edited March 24, 2018 by reddogblitz

[Cripple Creek]

21 hours ago, Reed83HOF said:

 

This will be a fun thread to go back to, especially:

 

1.) if we puss out on a QB and the Jets and other teams get theirs while we wait for the fall guy....

2.) if we trade a ****-ton of picks to move up...picks we could have kept btw...

 

I get the 17 years and the showing of it, blah blah...one and done. The4 focus should have been on the long=term and not the short imo...but what's done is done...

So, in your opinion they're damned if they do, damned if they don't?  That makes it easy for you to B word whenever you see something you don't approve of.

 

Sit tight? Screwed.

Move up? Screwed.

[DKBills25]

I’ll never forget the day we broke the drought ?

thats how great it was 

[The 9 Isles]

19 hours ago, SoTier said:

 

Just for you ... F the draft and F this yea's "great draft for QB's" ... and especially F the idiots who think the NFL season is simply a prelude to the NFL draft.

 

BTW 89% of Bills posters who voted on your poll agree with me.  ROTFL.

 

You know what? Just for you, you pompous j***off, F You!

 

People are allowed to have their own opinions without small minded idiots like you cursing them out. 

 

The Bills getting into the playoffs with multiple layers of help to get them in should not make anyone  proud.  That’s loser talk, which is exactly what they looked like against Jacksonville in what was one one the most pathetic playoff games in history. 

 

That pathetic display cost them a bevy of draft  picks if they move up and better odds of restocking the team with cheap talent. 

 

So, good for the people that enjoyed that one game, awesome. I’m looking at it like I could have done without that hot mess of a playoff game if it would increase the odds of long term success. That MY opinion, everyone has their own. 

 

No no need to be a*****s about it. 

 

 

[Stank_Nasty]

3 minutes ago, The 9 Isles said:

 

 

 

The Bills getting into the playoffs with multiple layers of help to get them in should not make anyone  proud.  That’s loser talk,

 

 

What a bunch of garbage. One team did what it needed to over 16 games and the other didn’t. The bills were one of the top 6 teams in the conference that did what needed to be done over the course of 16 games. The ravens weren’t. Maybe we should go back and thank the Steelers for beating them by a point or any other team that beat them for that matter. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Win now win tomorrow win forever!   (See the Sabres)

 

 

[Reed83HOF]

2 hours ago, Cripple Creek said:

So, in your opinion they're damned if they do, damned if they don't?  That makes it easy for you to B word whenever you see something you don't approve of.

 

Sit tight? Screwed.

Move up? Screwed.

I'm not convinced we will be even able to move up high enough. I think the Jets f-ed us in the a. McD screwed us last year by kicking the can and beane didn't appear to pull the trigger quick enough and may have gotten frozen out. If you have a deal in place and agreed to you execute it before someone else swoops in...

 

Honestly we screwed ourselves

 

 

[Bing Bong]

STOP THE BUMPS. It's at the top of the page with 90% Bills fans ecstatic about breaking the drought.

[#34fan]

3 hours ago, reddogblitz said:

 

If you say so. I was prepared to give  Coach McDermott a  Muligan for 2017 if need be. It wasn't. Finally we get one of those coaches that gets his team to payoffs in first year. Awesome. We're ahead of plan. That's good.

 

I'm prepared to give our coach who has never missed the playoffs another year before castigating him for not having a plan even if it's not your plan.

 

When did Bills fans start thinking losing is OK? I know we've been conditioned but still ...

 

Just win. Go Bills

 

Losing can be part of a brilliant strategy to win more in the long run... I't's like offering a few pawns and a knight knowing your opponent will be in check shortly.  Endgame is the real game.

3 hours ago, Stank_Nasty said:

Can anyone  look at what’s transpired over the last 12 months and come to the conclusion that that summary there is what’s going on in buffalo?

 

 

Obviously you can, since you're the only one that did.

Edited March 25, 2018 by #34fan