Tenhigh Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 I think we are going to have playoff caliber team this year, actually. I am expecting a bit of a slow start though, as all old these new players are going to take time to gel. I don't completely disagree with Badol about our poor free agency last year though. I think that all things considered, whaley had a much better pro-player scouting team than Beane has.
vincec Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Utah John said: I think Beane is thinking 2020, but realistically the Bills are one Tom Brady knee injury from having the best roster in the division. Granted, that's a low bar. Even without Brady, the Patriots have a better roster than anyone else in the division. Certainly the Bills. Compare their players 1v1. How many Bills would start for the Pats? Would there be any on offense except maybe McCoy and Allen? Edited February 16, 2019 by vincec
JaCrispy Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 7 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said: Yours will be a popular take with those who wanted to summarily dismiss mistakes in year 1 and 2 as "all part of the original plan to get to that year 3 with $80M in cap room". The model for teams and their young QB's is to start contending in year 2. And Allen has a jump because he is getting his second year in year 3 of the regime! Pulling it off is another matter...........and in that regard.........after doing VERY poorly in free agency last offseason they certainly are going to need to play catch up this offseason. It can be done though...........a losing team one season can compete for a title the next season.........the Eagles and Rams have proven it very recently..........and the Bills have done pretty well in the past 2 drafts so the cupboard isn't bare. I wouldn't summarily write them off just yet..........nor should we just anticipate another season of mediocrity as part of a plan. The OP doesn’t seem to be writing the team off this year as he says they should be competing for the playoffs in 2019, unlike 2018...that is the logical next step for this team.
SoCal Deek Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 I remain fascinated by the $87m in cap space. When taken as a whole it sounds like quite a pile, but when people on here start tossing around free agent salary expectations it quickly evaporates into just a couple of under performing castaway veterans. The question then is a simple one: How many new proven veteran starters do you get with $87m? If you can answer that you’ll be able to better assess the 2019 Bills.
JaCrispy Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 6 hours ago, eball said: I think the plan all along by McD and Beane was for the Bills to be prepared to legitimately compete this year (playoffs), and then begin complete world domination in 2020. Perhaps, but don’t be surprised if it takes the new oline the first half of the season to start working as a unit.
Big Turk Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 7 hours ago, Inigo Montoya said: Good morning BADOLBILZ ? I'm not dismissing any mistakes. They certainly made some. Every GM and coach make mistakes, especially first time GMs and coaches, but I'm not ignoring their good moves either. On the whole, I think they have been doing a pretty good job with the hand they were dealt . Beane wheeled and dealed to accumulate the draft stock to go and get Allen last year, someone who has the potential to be a franchise QB. So far that is looking like a good move. As for free agency, I don't know what you expected Beane to do in free agency last year with the worst dead cap space situation in the league that he inherited. I liked Beane's approach to just rip the bandaid off and take his lumps in one year of cap space hell instead of paying the debt down over several seasons. It has resulted in a robust $87 MM in cap space this year. Looks like a solid GM move to me. I'm hopeful the team takes a step forward this year too. I guess I disagree with you that I am willing to accept another year of mediocrity if it tees us up for a run in 2020. I think I have a longer timeline that you do on this one, that's all. Our roster and our cap situation, hell everything about this franchise has been a dumpster fire for such a long time, I think it's just going to take a bit longer to get it turned around. So far, McBeane has earned some good will from me and I'm willing to give them some time. The off season seems sooo long, I am already anxious for kickoff. One good thing about the off season this year is that I'm only two hours from Nashville and my son and I will be there for the draft this year representing TBD. If the camera pans on a Bills fan with a Steve Tasker jersey on who looks just like Matthew McConaughey, except for being bald, a little more fat, and way more ugly, that's me! He didn't inherit the dead cap space he created it of his own doing by dumping guys like Watkins and Dareus etc... 3 1
ddaryl Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 I expect a significant improvement this year. Anything less will definitely be a massive disappointment. Solid D in place, a promising QB and $80 mil to spend with 10 or so draft picks. Yeah my expectations are definitely higher 1
CaptnCoke11 Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 And If Allen gets injured in preseason are we going to think 2021?
Inigo Montoya Posted February 16, 2019 Author Posted February 16, 2019 12 minutes ago, matter2003 said: He didn't inherit the dead cap space he created it of his own doing by dumping guys like Watkins and Dareus etc... Decent point and we’ll taken, but I’d argue letting Dareus go was the right move for this team. Dareus had a huge contract that he wasn’t living up to and it would have been a mill stone around this team’s neck for years. I thought we traded Sammy at the tail end of his rookie contract knowing we weren’t going to resign him for the money he would demand heading towards free agency. I don’t think the cap hit was that big, but admittedly don’t know the number off the top of my head. Dareus was given Aaron Donald-like money at the time and never produced anywhere near Donald’s level. It was a bad Whaley contract for the franchise and Beane decided to eat it. I would still contend that Beane walked into a huge salary cap mess and Dareus’ bloated contract, that he was way underperforming, was just another part of the mess that had to be dealt with. 3
BillsSB2020 Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Chandler#81 said: Yep, to me, this is where the OP’s theory goes awry. He/she even admits turnarounds can take place in one year. Nothing is promised in the NFL today. 3+ years to build a contender is ancient, pre FA 1990’s philosophy, guaranteed to get the coaching staff fired before the expiration date. Today, your starters from 3 years ago are playing for someone else. ‘Win now’ is the mantle of all teams’ operations. Otherwise, don’t buy a house. Given this years opponents, 7 of which are against AFC teams with all new coaching staffs (see above) and the middling NFCE, I believe 12 wins is conceivable, providing we stay relatively healthy. But, Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane, OP!? I concur with this. I understand the OP is showing his commitment to the regime and they deserve kudos for setting the table. That being said, I think they've got to produce in 2019. I'm not impatient right now, but 2019 is the year where we're supposed to see substantial progress. Not likely to be a SB although anything can happen. I will just say that I think it's only fair to stop judging these fellas on a curve. I believe in what they're working to accomplish and the way they went about doing it, but this is the time to start shining. Not NEXT next year. Edited February 16, 2019 by BillsSB2020
Inigo Montoya Posted February 16, 2019 Author Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) 16 minutes ago, CaptnCoke11 said: And If Allen gets injured in preseason are we going to think 2021? I feel better with Barkley in the backup roll heading into this season, but I think any NFL team that loses it’s starting QB to injury is screwed, not just the Bills. That’s why I said I’m hoping Beane’s primary focus this year is on the O-line to help keep our new franchise QB on his feet and developing. I think Josh Allen with a pocket is going to be a scary thing for the rest of the league. Edited February 16, 2019 by Inigo Montoya 3
ddaryl Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 22 minutes ago, BuffaloMatt said: Gonna be a long spring and summer only if you listen to the tripe of the plethora of over zealous Bills fans who come up with so much manufactured BS during the offseason I'm just darn excited myself. Solid D promising up and coming QB. 80 mil to spend in FA... Should be a fun offseason. 1 1
BobChalmers Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, CajunBillsBacker said: Anything can happen, and it’s going to mostly come down to how big of a step Josh Allen makes from year one to year two. The biggest key to this offseason is getting as much help as possible for Josh Allen to make that step. A lot of that and their overall success will come down to whether they can have any sort of a running game this year. Your top two RBs averaging under 3.5 per carry is NOT good. Hard to take JA's excellent play action too seriously when your run game is a joke. They need to get better at OL, RB, and OL/Running Game COACH. Hopefully the last part is already accomplished - we'll see. Castillo sets a pretty low bar wherever he goes, with teams' running games miraculously improving when he leaves - hopefully that history holds up. Edited February 16, 2019 by BobChalmers
4th&long Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 One thing I notice about bills fans. It's always "next year" not this year. Or not next year but "the year after". I think we should never expect anything and when the small chance comes that they actually make a run we are all just pleasantly surprised. 2
formerlyofCtown Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 9 hours ago, Inigo Montoya said: I think a lot of people on this board are getting too far over their skis with their expectations for the Bills this season. I think we can be in the mix for a Wild Card at the end of the season but we are not going to be making a playoff run this year. McBeane knows that. McBeane is still working on setting the table this year. He is not building a roster in this year's free agency and draft to win in 2019, he is looking at least one more year down the road. That's why I'd be surprised if McBeane goes TE shopping in free agency this year. This is one of the deepest TE drafts ever and we have boatloads of picks. Why burn a big chunk of cash on a middle of the road free agent TE when you can get a good one on a rookie contract and let him develop on a team friendly deal for the next four years? I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bills grab two TEs in the draft this year with Clay being released. I do hope he goes after O-linemen aggressively in free agency this year. Talented "Hog Mollies" are really hard to find and need some time playing together to really gel and become a solid unit. Realistically, years 3/4/5 of Josh Allen's rookie contract are when we will have a team ready to start making deep playoff runs. That is not this season. If Allen continues to develop this year he will be ready to roll and we should have a roster built of young and talented 2nd , 3rd , and 4th year players with a few key veterans on each side of the ball ready to take that step along with Allen. I think Beane and McDermott feel like Terry and Kim have their backs and will give them the time they need to build a roster the right way for long term success. I'm a long suffering Bills fan just like everyone else here but I'm willing to wait one more year if it will help create a team capable of sustained excellence like in the Kelly Era. I think that is the type of roster McBeane is trying to build. I think McBeane's offseason moves this year are designed to bear fruit in two or three years when the Bills are in their playoff window, not this year. I think McBeane is looking at this year's free agency and draft with a different timeline in mind compared to many here and it will color every decision McBeane makes. To be realistic with you he doesnt cut Clay unless he has a replacement in mind and figures he can get that replacement. You dont make holes on your roster to be filled in the draft. WHAT PART OF "YOU FILL YOUR NEEDS IN FA" do you not understand. You do this so that you can draft BPA. Now it is possible that they feel Croom can provide the same level of play. I actually like this TE FA market though and if the draft does end up being deep then the FA prices come down. 1 hour ago, matter2003 said: He didn't inherit the dead cap space he created it of his own doing by dumping guys like Watkins and Dareus etc... One of the smartest things hes done. 1
wppete Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 I think we will compete for a playoff spot next year.
Virgil Posted February 16, 2019 Posted February 16, 2019 I think a wildcard spot should definitely be within our goals this season. After that, division or bust
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