THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - "Sling It and Bring It"

[Shaw66]

The Rockpile Review – by Shaw66

 

“Sling It and Bring It”

 

One day as the Bills brain trust began planning for free agency and the 2018 NFL draft, there was a meeting.  The meeting was called by Brandon Beane and attended by Sean McDermott, the coordinators, Terry Pegula and others.  Everyone grabbed a pastry and coffee and, after the minutes of the last meeting had been read and approved, they got down to the business at hand.

 

Beane said, “Okay, before we get into the specifics of individual players, let’s define in a broad sense what our player personnel objectives are for this year.”

 

McDermott said, “Get me someone who can sling it and someone who can bring it.  Get me a quarterback and a linebacker.”

 

Pegula said, “What about all the other positions where we need help?  We need offensive linemen; we need to rebuild the defensive line; we have to do something about the receivers; McCoy isn’t going to play forever.”

 

Beane replied, “Terry, remember that Sean and I told you in my interview that we were going to rebuild this team, that big personnel changes were needed and that it was going to take at least two full seasons to replace many of the players we had with the players Sean needs.  Those two seasons are 2018 and 2019 – we played 2017 more or less with the team Sean inherited, less the guys we unloaded.  We used last season to get rid of some of the high-value guys Sean didn’t want around and to build a war chest to acquire new players.  We tore things down, and now we start building again.

 

“There’s not much we can do in free agency this season, because our dead cap situation is horrible, but the draft is another story.  Getting rid of Watkins, Darby and Dareus made the cap situation worse in the short term, but it got us some valuable picks to add to the pick we got from KC in the draft trade last year.  So the draft is where we start building.  Next year, we’ll have cap room and draft picks and we’ll stock up on players.” 

 

“I get all that,” Pegula said, “but that doesn’t explain why we’re only looking for two guys.”

 

McDermott joined in.  “Terry, I can teach 20 players who are good, solid NFL athletes how to play their positions to make a winning team.  We’ll collect those guys as we go along.  But I need two special players.  I need a quarterback and I need a linebacker.”

 

Pegula ended the exchange by saying, “I brought you guys here to build a winner, and I said I’d give you complete authority to do it, so you’re calling the shots.”

 

Okay, I wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly who was there or what was said.  I don’t know if there were Dunkin Donuts old fashioned doughnuts or Wegman’s croissants, but I’m betting that exchange between Beane and McDermott took place somewhere, sometime.  And Terry Pegula is not a stupid man, so he didn’t need an explanation in 2018 about what the process is.  Still, that conversation, or the essence of it, has been at the core of the Buffalo Bills’ strategy as they seek to become relevant in the NFL.

 

How do I know?  It was obvious by late last year, if not earlier.  Taylor was not McDermott’s guy to run the offense, and Preston Brown simply didn’t have the speed to be McDermott’s guy to spearhead the defense.  McDermott wanted and needed someone to sling it and someone to bring it.

 

Beane went to work, and in one April evening in Dallas, he completed the first big steps in the process.  It cost him essentially all of the surplus draft capital he and McDermott had acquired trading picks and players over the previous year.  Now, with no second round picks this year and with no cap room, Beane will have to wait until 2019 to fill some of the holes.  Beane’s not done acquiring guys; there will be some late-round picks and some undrafted free agents, but the guys with high-end NFL measureables will be gone before Beane gets another pick.  McDermott and his coaches will do the best they can with the guys who come to camp.  We will see how much magic they can do with limited resources, but it’s fair to assume that they will have some weaknesses in the lineup in 2018.

 

The Josh Allen debate will rage on for months, maybe even years.  Why didn’t Beane move up to #2 to steal Darnold from the Jets?  (Too expensive to get the Giants to move off Barkley.)  Why didn’t they take Josh Rosen, the more NFL-ready guy available at 7?  (I don’t know, but I’m guessing three reasons:  Size and durability, native intelligence – Allen crushed the Wonderlic, and continuing fears that Rosen is a “me-first” guy.)  For now, Allen will be number 2 on the depth chart, until he shows, in July or September or November, that he should be the starter.  If he isn’t the starter by 2019, the doubters will have been right. 

 

And Tremaine Edmunds, talent or not, still hasn’t played a down in the NFL.  He’s an unfinished product.  Beane could have stayed at #22 and held onto #65 and gotten two good football players, but Beane and McDermott saw what looks like their best shot at a difference maker on defense and took it.

 

Beane and McDermott’s strategy was interesting.  After all the debate about the strengths and weaknesses of the quarterbacks in the draft, and after all the analysis of the linebacking prospects, the Bills chose the best athlete at each position.  In Allen and Edmunds they have the guys who were the biggest, strongest, best physically equipped players in the draft at their positions.  In each case, they were the best by a good margin over the others. 

 

Why were the two best athletes available at #7 and #16 in the draft?  Primarily because neither has demonstrated football instincts quite as good as some of the others at their positions.  Neither was quite as “NFL-ready” as a Baker Mayfield or a Roquan Smith. 

 

Was Allen their #1 quarterback?  Was Edmunds their #1 linebacker?  GMs and coaches never answer that question, and we may never know.   What we do know is that Beane and McDermott believe that these guys can be the offensive and defensive leaders they need to build a big-time winner. 

 

Essentially, Beane sent a message to McDermott:  “I’m getting you the best talent available.  It’s your job to get them to be stars in the NFL.”

 

And McDermott is ready for the challenge, because McDermott has shown already that he’s prepared for any football challenge. 

 

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

[keepthefaith]

Awesome post. 

[JimKellyTryouts]

Great post as always, Shaw.

 

Like many here, I didn't like the Allen pick but will obviously root for him and hope I'm wrong. The only thing that I don't want is that if Allen busts, Beane won't be as stubborn as Whaley was with EJ. Swinging and missing shouldn't prevent us from trying for another QB. 

 

Both guys are for beyond 2018, so this will probably be a tough transitional year for us with scheduling and lack of OL/WR help. Hopefully these two can become our Cam and Keuchley for the long term. We had lots of holes so having 6 of the top 96 picks become 3 stings a little, but the best part is we didn't give up any 2019 picks. From what I've read, there will be a plethora of talent at several positions (for DL in particular, Clemson may very well have a few first rounders) - and if we are in for a one-step-back-for-two-steps-forward kind of a season, we may very well be picking high again.

[freddyjj]

Shaw, get the trademark on Sling It & Bring It!  A great synopsis of OBD's take on the team, the draft and The Process.

 

Seriously, it does appear that McBeane are building a team around the same 2 pillars they had in Carolina - QB and MLB.  

 

A Quick look at the O:

 

It is doubtful that Josh Allen plays much this season.  May be used in back half of season once offense installed and he gets the  timing with receivers, protection calls and sense of NFL speed.  Tough to develop without reps once season starts.  Long term, his selection lets Daboll create a fun RPO quick hit offense with play action, motion and a vertical dimension not present last year.  Will also require some WRs with deep speed on the roster (late rd pick?).   Not sure if McCarron could run this offense from the get go.

 

Allen's arm will allow longer dig routes, deeper seam patterns and the back across the field reverse sprint, off play action throw we saw once last year (Tyrod to O'Leary vs Fins).  Allen (and Daboll's offensive scheme) will allow the Bills  to run more effectively as Defenses will now have to defend entire field (horizontally and Vertically) versus Bills pass game so they will be less likely to employ the Jags 8 in the box suffocating scheme.  The OLine will need to mesh and be better at pass Pro as the year goes on.

 

Needs

Vertical WR

O Line depth

Shady Heir or RB capable of 60% load.  Must have Receiving and Pass block skills too.

 

A Quick look at the D:  

 

The trade up to 16 makes sense as Edmunds will likley be on field all 3 downs and can be used in back 7 coverage, in the flats or in the rush/blitz on passing downs.   There were only 2 players with both  the coverage ability and Run stop experience in the draft - Smith and Edmunds.  Edmunds and Milano will be a fast pair of LBs to deal with in our nickel package.  Lorax at SLB, Edmunds at MLB and Milano at WIL should be good versus the run - especially with Star and Meatball in the middle.  

 

Pass Rush will improve as we have Murphy and Hughes outside and can use Meatball and Washington inside.  Wonder if we see Shaq push inside on passing downs ala the Giants rush when they had JPP, Tuck, etc.  Edmunds will be a real weapon in the A Gap in blitz packages.  His height may lead to many tipped passes and more INT chances for the secondary.

 

Needs 

Still need a 3rd Safety to play the in the box nickel hybrid role for the D.  This can be a day 3 find or UDFA.

Another 3 technique DT.

SAM LB depth - heir to the Lorax.

 

As it turns out, OBD has 6 picks left over next 2 days.  Let's see how the picks match up to the needs ID'd here.

Edited April 27, 2018 by freddyjj

[Rosen-not-Chosen]

I don't think McDermott eats pastries, just a guess.

[TheElectricCompany]

I'm looking forward to 70 yard bombs from Allen in a snowstorm. 

[freddyjj]

2 minutes ago, Rosen-not-Chosen said:

I don't think McDermott eats pastries, just a guess.

LOL.  Rosen looks like Arthur Blank's illegitimate love child in your avatar

[Bill_with_it]

57 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

The Rockpile Review – by Shaw66

 

“Sling It and Bring It”

 

One day as the Bills brain trust began planning for free agency and the 2018 NFL draft, there was a meeting.  The meeting was called by Brandon Beane and attended by Sean McDermott, the coordinators, Terry Pegula and others.  Everyone grabbed a pastry and coffee and, after the minutes of the last meeting had been read and approved, they got down to the business at hand.

 

Beane said, “Okay, before we get into the specifics of individual players, let’s define in a broad sense what our player personnel objectives are for this year.”

 

McDermott said, “Get me someone who can sling it and someone who can bring it.  Get me a quarterback and a linebacker.”

 

Pegula said, “What about all the other positions where we need help?  We need offensive linemen; we need to rebuild the defensive line; we have to do something about the receivers; McCoy isn’t going to play forever.”

 

Beane replied, “Terry, remember that Sean and I told you in my interview that we were going to rebuild this team, that big personnel changes were needed and that it was going to take at least two full seasons to replace many of the players we had with the players Sean needs.  Those two seasons are 2018 and 2019 – we played 2017 more or less with the team Sean inherited, less the guys we unloaded.  We used last season to get rid of some of the high-value guys Sean didn’t want around and to build a war chest to acquire new players.  We tore things down, and now we start building again.

 

“There’s not much we can do in free agency this season, because our dead cap situation is horrible, but the draft is another story.  Getting rid of Watkins, Darby and Dareus made the cap situation worse in the short term, but it got us some valuable picks to add to the pick we got from KC in the draft trade last year.  So the draft is where we start building.  Next year, we’ll have cap room and draft picks and we’ll stock up on players.” 

 

“I get all that,” Pegula said, “but that doesn’t explain why we’re only looking for two guys.”

 

McDermott joined in.  “Terry, I can teach 20 players who are good, solid NFL athletes how to play their positions to make a winning team.  We’ll collect those guys as we go along.  But I need two special players.  I need a quarterback and I need a linebacker.”

 

Pegula ended the exchange by saying, “I brought you guys here to build a winner, and I said I’d give you complete authority to do it, so you’re calling the shots.”

 

Okay, I wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly who was there or what was said.  I don’t know if there were Dunkin Donuts old fashioned doughnuts or Wegman’s croissants, but I’m betting that exchange between Beane and McDermott took place somewhere, sometime.  And Terry Pegula is not a stupid man, so he didn’t need an explanation in 2018 about what the process is.  Still, that conversation, or the essence of it, has been at the core of the Buffalo Bills’ strategy as they seek to become relevant in the NFL.

 

How do I know?  It was obvious by late last year, if not earlier.  Taylor was not McDermott’s guy to run the offense, and Preston Brown simply didn’t have the speed to be McDermott’s guy to spearhead the defense.  McDermott wanted and needed someone to sling it and someone to bring it.

 

Beane went to work, and in one April evening in Dallas, he completed the first big steps in the process.  It cost him essentially all of the surplus draft capital he and McDermott had acquired trading picks and players over the previous year.  Now, with no second round picks this year and with no cap room, Beane will have to wait until 2019 to fill some of the holes.  Beane’s not done acquiring guys; there will be some late-round picks and some undrafted free agents, but the guys with high-end NFL measureables will be gone before Beane gets another pick.  McDermott and his coaches will do the best they can with the guys who come to camp.  We will see how much magic they can do with limited resources, but it’s fair to assume that they will have some weaknesses in the lineup in 2018.

 

The Josh Allen debate will rage on for months, maybe even years.  Why didn’t Beane move up to #2 to steal Darnold from the Jets?  (Too expensive to get the Giants to move off Barkley.)  Why didn’t they take Josh Rosen, the more NFL-ready guy available at 7?  (I don’t know, but I’m guessing three reasons:  Size and durability, native intelligence – Allen crushed the Wonderlic, and continuing fears that Rosen is a “me-first” guy.)  For now, Allen will be number 2 on the depth chart, until he shows, in July or September or November, that he should be the starter.  If he isn’t the starter by 2019, the doubters will have been right. 

 

And Tremaine Edmunds, talent or not, still hasn’t played a down in the NFL.  He’s an unfinished product.  Beane could have stayed at #22 and held onto #65 and gotten two good football players, but Beane and McDermott saw what looks like their best shot at a difference maker on defense and took it.

 

Beane and McDermott’s strategy was interesting.  After all the debate about the strengths and weaknesses of the quarterbacks in the draft, and after all the analysis of the linebacking prospects, the Bills chose the best athlete at each position.  In Allen and Edmunds they have the guys who were the biggest, strongest, best physically equipped players in the draft at their positions.  In each case, they were the best by a good margin over the others. 

 

Why were the two best athletes available at #7 and #16 in the draft?  Primarily because neither has demonstrated football instincts quite as good as some of the others at their positions.  Neither was quite as “NFL-ready” as a Baker Mayfield or a Roquan Smith. 

 

Was Allen their #1 quarterback?  Was Edmunds their #1 linebacker?  GMs and coaches never answer that question, and we may never know.   What we do know is that Beane and McDermott believe that these guys can be the offensive and defensive leaders they need to build a big-time winner. 

 

Essentially, Beane sent a message to McDermott:  “I’m getting you the best talent available.  It’s your job to get them to be stars in the NFL.”

 

And McDermott is ready for the challenge, because McDermott has shown already that he’s prepared for any football challenge. 

 

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

Fantastic!!

[Mat68]

Good read.  Reguardless of your opinion, most agree Qb and Lb were the biggest holes on the team.  R 1 Buffalo got the most talent player at each position.  What they have you can not teach they are now the pillars of the franchise.  Something Buffalo has not had in a long time.  Lets see what happens tonight.  With all the cap space next season I would not be surprised if a 2nd or 3rd in 2019 gets moved and Buffalo moves up again tonight.  

[oldmanfan]

Make one more trade.  Give up picks to get that G from UTEP.

[Shaw66]

14 minutes ago, freddyjj said:

Shaw, get the trademark on Sling It & Bring It!  A great synopsis of OBD's take on the team, the draft and The Process.

 

Seriously, it does appear that McBeane are building a team around the same 2 pillars they had in Carolina - QB and MLB.  

 

A Quick look at the O:

 

It is doubtful that Josh Allen plays much this season.  May be used in back half of season once offense installed and he gets the  timing with receivers, protection calls and sense of NFL speed.  Tough to develop without reps once season starts.  Long term, his selection lets Daboll create a fun RPO quick hit offense with play action, motion and a vertical dimension not present last year.  Will also require some WRs with deep speed on the roster (late rd pick?).   Not sure if McCarron could run this offense from the get go.

 

Allen's arm will allow longer dig routes, deeper seam patterns and the back across the field reverse sprint, off play action throw we saw once last year (Tyrod to O'Leary vs Fins).  Allen (and Daboll's offensive scheme) will allow the Bills  to run more effectively as Defenses will now have to defend entire field (horizontally and Vertically) versus Bills pass game so they will be less likely to employ the Jags 8 in the box suffocating scheme.  The OLine will need to mesh and be better at pass Pro as the year goes on.

 

Needs

Vertical WR

O Line depth

Shady Heir or RB capable of 60% load.  Must have Receiving and Pass block skills too.

 

A Quick look at the D:  

 

The trade up to 16 makes sense as Edmunds will likley be on field all 3 downs and can be used in back 7 coverage, in the flats or in the rush/blitz on passing downs.   There were only 2 players with both  the coverage ability and Run stop experience in the draft - Smith and Edmunds.  Edmunds and Milano will be a fast pair of LBs to deal with in our nickel package.  Lorax at SLB, Edmunds at MLB and Milano at WIL should be good versus the run - especially with Star and Meatball in the middle.  

 

Pass Rush will improve as we have Murphy and Hughes outside and can use Meatball and Washington inside.  Wonder if we see Shaq push inside on passing downs ala the Giants rush when they had JPP, Tuck, etc.  Edmunds will be a real weapon in the A Gap in blitz packages.  His height may lead to many tipped passes and more INT chances for the secondary.

 

Needs 

Still need a 3rd Safety to play the in the box nickel hybrid role for the D.  This can be a day 3 find or UDFA.

Another 3 technique DT.

SAM LB depth - heir to the Lorax.

 

As it turns out, OBD has 6 picks left over next 2 days.  Let's see how the picks match up to the needs ID'd here.

Wow!!!!  That's outstanding analysis.   I just knew the Bills wanted big fast guys, but you explain how they will be utilized.  

 

I think McD desperately wants Edmunds to succeed in the middle.   We wants a guy who can play the deep zone in the cover 2, and Brown just didn't have the speed to get back there.  Edmunds does.  

 

And his height not only helps with the A gap rushes.   It also means he's getting his hands on balls that were consistently six inches over Brown's reach last season.  

Edited April 27, 2018 by Shaw66

[freddyjj]

2 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Wow!!!!  That's outstanding analysis.   I just knew the Bills wanted big fast guys, but you explain how they will be utilized.  

 

I think desperately wants Edmunds to succeed in the middle.   We wants a guy who can play the deep zone in the cover 2, and Brown just didn't have the speed to get back there.  Edmunds does.  

 

And his height not only helps with the A gap rushes.   It also means he's getting his hands on balls that were consistently six inches over Brown's reach last season.  

Shaw, appreciate the kind words, especially coming from you.  Really enjoy reading your comments on TSW

[wiskibreth]

Thanks.  A much needed divergent from all the bellyaching going on; as if any of that ever changes anything.

[Just Joshin']

Thanks Shaw....it was like I was there.

[GoBills808]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

The Rockpile Review – by Shaw66

 

“Sling It and Bring It”

 

One day as the Bills brain trust began planning for free agency and the 2018 NFL draft, there was a meeting....

Very solid post. I likened this pick to the Rams taking Goff in that he needed a year and more weapons before he started to click...his first year was full of growing pains. Now clearly Goff was more pro-ready than Allen and so I don't expect the same trajectory with respect to rookie playing time, or the arc of their development years 1-3 overall for that matter, but I think the FO has a similar blueprint in mind for how to bring along a guy who needs time and space to get better. Call it the modern NFL's way of sitting a guy on the bench for 2-3 years. It take patience (which I believe these guys possess), a willing ownership (which I believe the Bills have), a core offensive group conducive to a green QB's development (McCoy, Clay, and Benjamin fit the bill imo, the line obviously needs work), and a prospect with the capacity to take the next step which I believe Allen has in spades. I suppose an understanding fanbase would be the cherry on top but let's not ask for too much

 

I think the Edmunds pick was TERRIFIC value. I lean more towards him being our Thomas Davis as opposed to Kuechly. The defense is going to be very tough this year if Davis has anything left in the tank. They've (yet again) set themselves up to be competitive while rebuilding/developing their future talent. I may be on the optimistic side here but the way the FO has approached balancing short term stability with long term success has given me a lot to be hopeful about. I believe these guys have a very clear plan that they are carrying out, and I like the direction.

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, wiskibreth said:

Thanks.  A much needed divergent from all the bellyaching going on; as if any of that ever changes anything.

Thanks.   I really wasn't responding to any bellyaching; I was just talking my thoughts about what happened last night.  

[TigerJ]

"Taylor was not McDermott’s guy to run the offense, and Preston Brown simply didn’t have the speed to be McDermott’s guy to spearhead the defense.  McDermott wanted and needed someone to sling it and someone to bring it."

 

I don't know about being McDermott's guy or not, but Taylor's ceiling certainly was obvious, and was always going to leave the fans and Bills management wanting more.  I fully agree on Preston Brown.  To make McDermott's defense hum, he's got to have a middle linebacker with freakish athleticism.  Edmunds isn't quite as fast as Kuechley, but he's a lot bigger and has many outstanding qualities.  It looks like McBeane got their guys, as long as Allen pans out as hoped.

[richardb1952]

This has been a nice thread/ topic with great insight.  Bills have the foundation to build around now in QB and LB.  I'm more optimistic than some.  Still think Bills lack some serious depth, but maybe they can find some more diamonds in the rough.

[John from Riverside]

I think a part got left out

 

Kim Pegula walks in and says......SHOW ME THE BABY gentlemen

 

 

[HappyDays]

Hopefully the only thing Pegula ever says is "I'm just here to listen."