Adversity looms for Buffalo Bills in 2018 NFL season, but ‘fertile ground’ in place to thrive

[YoloinOhio]

Adversity looms for Buffalo Bills in 2018 NFL season, but ‘fertile ground’ in place to thrive

https://www.cover1.net/2018-nfl-season-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-process/

 

Quote

Sports fans tend to look at the “micro” view of things rather than the big picture outlook. It’s normal to have a “glass half full” mentality and be optimistic about your favorite team. I get it. But I’m a data person.That doesn’t mean for one second that I root against Buffalo or wish them bad luck, as many of my entertaining Twitter followers may believe. Thank 

 

Good read... this article was published on Tuesday (prior to the Allen decision)  but I searched and didn’t see it posted here yet.

Edited September 13, 2018 by YoloinOhio

[aceman_16]

Good article.  I started paying attention to Cover 1 last year and it has been a great find.  Thanks for posting.

[GoBills808]

9 minutes ago, aceman_16 said:

Good article.  I started paying attention to Cover 1 last year and it has been a great find.  Thanks for posting.

Love his analysis, but don't care for his writing at all. 

[Heitz]

So, not Doomed?  

[YoloinOhio]

It’s hard for me to do this but I’m looking more for progress out of the young core players than I am wins this year. It’s more of a rebuild than i thought, my  viewpoint partly fueled/fooled by the playoff berth. The raiders are looking like dumpster fire now since Gruden took over, but for a couple years I thought they were the model for what i wanted the Bills to do. Draft some studs, draft a QB, play the QB right away and get the show on the road while building more high draft capital by going 3-13 ... draft more studs... spend your FA money built up by getting rid of bloated contracts for more draft capital ... win. If you get the QB right, its a 2-3 year process. They won’t win this year but they need to get Allen experience to let him progress. He can get hurt behind any OL. Wentz, Watson, etc got hurt too. He’s a big guy, let him play.

Edited September 13, 2018 by YoloinOhio

[C.Biscuit97]

Hey, if McDermott can right this ship, I’ll truly start to believe in him.

[vorpma]

Great post, what many fail to realize is this organization failed for over 16 years from poor drafting, scouting, free agency, and coaching; like it or not we are in total rebuild.  Rather than get discouraged, throw temper tantrums, or vent about your favorite Buffalo Bill now sporting a different uniform, I'm ready to take our lumps this year and build for the long term.

[YoloinOhio]

Just now, vorpma said:

Great post, what many fail to realize is this organization failed for over 16 years from poor drafting, scouting, free agency, and coaching; like it or not we are in total rebuild.  Rather than get discouraged, throw temper tantrums, or vent about your favorite Buffalo Bill now sporting a different uniform, I'm ready to take our lumps this year and build for the long term.

It was really years and years of band aid QBs  and 7-9 and “look at these exciting highlights” and shiny overpaid FAs and please ignore we have no real plan to get any further. 

[Mr. WEO]

It's a hopeful piece.

 

But essentially:  rookies are cheap.  The Bills rookies may turn out to be as good as the Jags rookies were before their turnaround.

 

He only mentions the WR situation as "other than at WR"....

He doesn't mention the O-line except there's Dawkins.

I don't think he's accounting for the 50+ million dead cap money.

[Skins Malone]

Good article.  I think its natural though when you have had a team as bad as we have been for so long fans just get tired of it.  Not saying the negativity is right but i get it.  We all just want our team to be good.  And as fans we always hear next year.  Hopefully next year will be the year we dont have to say next year again.

[transient]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

 It was really years and years of band aid QBs  and 7-9 and “look at these exciting highlights” and shiny overpaid FAs and please ignore we have no real plan to get any further. 

 

I actually believe the cracks in the foundation were there before the band aid QBs were ever applied, at the end of the SB run when Kelly's career was winding down.  Ever since free agency became a reality no Bills FO has figured out how to build the core of a team through the draft, retain them, and add missing pieces through FA in a way that worked within the confines of the salary cap.  It may be heresy to say, but since Butler spent the team into cap hell trying to get back to the SB and then jumped ship to San Diego it has been all downhill due to half measures taken to clean up the mess.  I thought we were starting to see progress with Whaley and Marrone, but Wrex took a big steaming ? on that.

 

I was always impressed at how teams like Pittsburgh had a plan that allowed them to target positions in the draft and develop them on a rookie contract in a way that would allow them to fill the void of an aging player, or one they couldn't afford to retain, who would be gone in 2 years.  I was hoping Whaley would bring that with him...

Edited September 13, 2018 by transient

[vorpma]

2 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

It was really years and years of band aid QBs  and 7-9 and “look at these exciting highlights” and shiny overpaid FAs and please ignore we have no real plan to get any further. 

And a few of those who are throwing tantrums now were screaming for a rebuild back them; "I want it and I want it now!"

 

39 minutes ago, transient said:

 

I actually believe the cracks in the foundation were there before the band aid QBs were ever applied, at the end of the SB run when Kelly's career was winding down.  Ever since free agency became a reality no Bills FO has figured out how to build the core of a team through the draft, retain them, and add missing pieces through FA in a way that worked within the confines of the salary cap.  It may be heresy to say, but since Butler spent the team into cap hell trying to get back to the SB and then jumped ship to San Diego it has been all downhill due to half measures taken to clean up the mess.  I thought we were starting to see progress with Whaley and Marrone, but Wrex took a big steaming ? on that.

 

I was always impressed at how teams like Pittsburgh had a plan that allowed them to target positions in the draft and develop them on a rookie contract in a way that would allow them to fill the void of an aging player, or one they couldn't afford to retain, who would be gone in 2 years.  I was hoping Whaley would bring that with him...

An excellent post and thought provoking, never looked at it from the end of the SB run perspective. But can you picture the emotion that would come from dismantling the 1994 team and rebuilding, holy crap! I would have like to seen one more year from Marone with Schwartz as DC, I wish we would have kept Schwartz and his defense!

[Fadingpain]

2 hours ago, vorpma said:

Great post, what many fail to realize is this organization failed for over 16 years from poor drafting, scouting, free agency, and coaching; like it or not we are in total rebuild.  Rather than get discouraged, throw temper tantrums, or vent about your favorite Buffalo Bill now sporting a different uniform, I'm ready to take our lumps this year and build for the long term.

This is, and has been, a major rebuild for quite a while now.

 

We are horrible in part b/c of a long term plan adopted by McBeane a while ago designed with short term setback for long term gain.

 

Aside from feeling that Allen was the wrong guy and having no faith in him as a franchise QB of the future, I am now really doubting McBeane's ability to evaluate talent.

 

This year is the suck part of the equation.  Next year will be the draft and buy tons of talent part of the equation, and if they get that wrong, we're going to be horrible again.

 

Of course, if Allen busts, none of it matters anyway.  

[vorpma]

A major rebuild for quite awhile; since the 2017 season after 16 years of losing? Not sure how you define time or understand just how bad this organization, not the team, organization! If you truly understand how bad this organization  tanked then you grasp what Beane is up against, if not, going to be a painful season but I'm sure you will have lots of company on TBD to rant about "McBeane" as you refer to them.

Not to dwell entirely on the negative, you do get one aspect correct: Next year's draft and personnel management will determine success or failure for this coaching management team! But they deserve the chance after inheriting this 16 year old S*** sandwich; does anybody understand that?

4 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

It was really years and years of band aid QBs  and 7-9 and “look at these exciting highlights” and shiny overpaid FAs and please ignore we have no real plan to get any further. 

Horrible drafting, scouting, coaching, cap management, FA signings..... Now we want Beane to waive a magic wand and fix it overnight! 

[Skins Malone]

2 hours ago, vorpma said:

A major rebuild for quite awhile; since the 2017 season after 16 years of losing? Not sure how you define time or understand just how bad this organization, not the team, organization! If you truly understand how bad this organization  tanked then you grasp what Beane is up against, if not, going to be a painful season but I'm sure you will have lots of company on TBD to rant about "McBeane" as you refer to them.

Not to dwell entirely on the negative, you do get one aspect correct: Next year's draft and personnel management will determine success or failure for this coaching management team! But they deserve the chance after inheriting this 16 year old S*** sandwich; does anybody understand that?

Horrible drafting, scouting, coaching, cap management, FA signings..... Now we want Beane to waive a magic wand and fix it overnight! 

He needs to find his inner Harry Potter.

[One Buffalo]

Yes... this is how I see it too.  Going to be a rough year, but the foundation is being laid for a sustained run of success.  McBeane is following a clear plan that is becoming more and more obvious.  I would rather have a year like we are looking at this year and follow it with several years of winning than have 17 years of close but not close enough.  The sky is not falling... Of course we need things to work out with Allen... he is a linchpin in this strategy.  In today's NFL, building a nucleus of young players on rookie contracts is the way to go.  

[Skins Malone]

8 minutes ago, One Buffalo said:

Yes... this is how I see it too.  Going to be a rough year, but the foundation is being laid for a sustained run of success.  McBeane is following a clear plan that is becoming more and more obvious.  I would rather have a year like we are looking at this year and follow it with several years of winning than have 17 years of close but not close enough.  The sky is not falling... Of course we need things to work out with Allen... he is a linchpin in this strategy.  In today's NFL, building a nucleus of young players on rookie contracts is the way to go.  

We just need to hope that success comes.  Allen will obviously be a major factor.  Not to mention the fact that he is pretty much the only QB we have now.  We need another QB next year.