This Team is one year away

[BarleyNY]

21 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

The biggest problem with the roster today was at QB.

 

Not sure the QB is a year away from making us a serious contender.

 

Unless you are thinking about drafting another or making a trade for one of the big names that are likely to come on the market this off-season.

 

I’ve been a saying that “the Bills are a QB away”.  I’ll allow that it still could be Allen that steps up and is that QB, but right now he’s not.  He showed promise of that kind of growth in the previous three games, but can’t seem to handle the type of defense that he faced against the Pats, Browns and Ravens.  If he can’t be effective against C0 and C1 with a lot of blitzing, then that’ll be mostly what he sees.

 

Honestly I’m surprised when I’ve seen teams play heavy zone against him.  It’s like they didn’t even bother to scout him or just went with what their usual scheme was rather than adapt to their opponent.  Still, the good teams will adapt and that’ll be a problem in the playoffs unless something clicks with Josh.  I’m happy that Daboll is still giving him the chance to do that.  That’s the only way he has a chance to grow. 

[Watkins90]

No, we are a QB who can consistently play good with flashes of elite away. Allen is the only thing that is going to hold this team back. It starts and stops with the QB.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

I know next years schedule is projected to be more difficult - but i look at what McDermott and Beane are trying to build and i see a team like... Baltimore or Pittsburgh.  Always contending, and week-to-week in every game.  Thats the goal - no one looks at Buffalo on the schedule and pencils in a W. 

[mjt328]

This defense is Super Bowl caliber.  

The offense... not so much.

 

After the last three games, I was optimistic that we had finally turned a corner on offense.  But yesterday was a disappointing regression to the first half of the season.  The same problems that plagued us for the first 8-9 games have resurfaced again.  This tells me that our problems on offense are deeper rooted, and probably won't get resolved in this final stretch.  In the playoffs, you need to string together 3-4 straight strong performances against the NFL's best.  It's very unlikely we can go through the postseason without a stinker offensive performance that sinks us.

 

-  Josh Allen has made some amazing strides in his game.  But he's struggled making quick decisions and accurate throws when blitzed heavily.  He lost his touch on the deep ball somehow.  It may be another offseason of work and development before we see these areas improve.

 

-  Outside of John Brown and sometimes Cole Beasley, our receivers struggle to get open.  And despite his highlight plays, Dawson Knox is not dependable and drops the ball too much.  This group is a ton better than in 2018, but we still need another threat on the outside and another dependable chain-mover on the inside.  The good news is that 2020's WR class is considered exceptional.

 

-  The Offensive Line is also much improved from last season.  But we still have some holes.  As mentioned by multiple observers, Cody Ford is mostly a liability on the outside - especially against speed rushers that require better footwork.  The team needs to determine whether he can improve in this area, or they need to bump him inside and find a replacement at Right Tackle.

 

-  Devon Singletary has star potential written all over him.  Now we just need a complimentary between-the-tackles threat.  Someone with some explosion and tackle-breaking ability.  Sorry, but Frank Gore is really done.  

 

 

[TroutDog]

5 hours ago, stosh64 said:

I agree, there is, however, room for improvement.

I am very excited to see where this team will be next year, after another year with Beane in FA and another draft...along with $90,000.000 or so in cap room.

Along with another year of experience for Josh and Edmunds.  The sky is the limit for this teams foreseeable future!

Yup, that’s my take. Teams that advance to the next tier almost inevitably go through a year of ‘almost won’s’ and it’s good to see us winning most of those this year. Even so, I believe this is our year of that. 
 

The future is bright!

[Another Fan]

On 12/8/2019 at 4:20 PM, wppete said:

We are one year away from being serious contenders. Bills showed today we are not an elite team yet. One more good FA class and Draft class. 

Agree with this/you.

 

At the same time though I would be disappointed if we lose to both the Steelers and Patriots these next two weeks.  Beating the Steelers would almost feel as sweet as beating the Patriots as the Bills hadn't won against Pittsburgh since 1999 and haven't won in Pittsburgh since 1992.  Lose both these games and the crowd that says the Bills can't beat any solid teams would have a very fair point.  The Cowboy win was sweet but I'm not sure how good a team Dallas really is?  

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Clearly.  When you're "there" you're consistent on both sides of the ball.

[Scott7975]

21 hours ago, BillsRdue said:

 

Top 10 for sure - To get into the top 5 who are we better than here.

San Francisco

Baltimore

New Orleans

Kansas City

Green Bay

Seattle

New England

Minnesota 

LA Rams

Buffalo Bills

Tennesse Titans

 

I think he meant in the AFC.  That would make sense anyways.  On your list though... I think we are better than the Rams this year.  NE possibly.  Possibly Seattle because their defense is crap and our D can probably stop them.  GB is a name, I think they are struggling lately. 

Edited December 10, 2019 by Scott7975

[Dkollidas]

Agree with this in principle.

despite the fact that if (when?) they get in the playoffs, anything can happen, they lack certain pieces, and others need to develop, to really become a true contender.

 

Needs:

1. #1 Receiver. This should hands down be their biggest goal this off-season. I believe they’ll get a guy in the draft. They want to develop their own guys, and this is the “year of the receiver” so they should be able to find a solid talent at the end of round 1.

 

2. #2 Running Back: Yeldon can probably stick as a depth/pass catcher type. But Gore’s deal is up and he can’t be used as a battering ram. He’s too old, slow and small. I believe this will be another draft target. Look for Najee Harris or AJ Dillon.

 

3. An Edge rusher: Shaq Lawson is a free agent. I would try to re-sign him and bring in another body. Hughes is long in the tooth, Murphy is a disappointment and there’s little behind that. I see them cutting Murphy is Shaq is brought back, and keeping Murphy if Shaq leaves. In addition to One of those two, and Hughes, I could see a draft pick and a free agent brought in as well. Darryl Johnson is a nice story but he’s not a legit candidate to add consistent pressure.

 

4. Offensive Line Help: Particulsrly at Guard with Quinton Spain set to hit free agency as well. He’s a road grader in the run game but lacks refinement as a pass blocker. I think they’ll move on and look for someone to challenge Spencer Long for the spot. Ford/Nsekhe should be ok at right tackle. I think they’ll try to continue to develop Ford there. Dawkins has been a solid LT and I think Ford will also take time to develop. 
 

other than that I see LB and CB as lesser needs. Linebacker because we usually only run Milano and Edmunds as LB’s. Corner because of McDermott’s success at developing and coaching up  corners within the system we run. EJ Gaines, Levi Wallace, Kevin Johnson are all guys who were seen as less than starting caliber who started and played well. 

[billsfan89]

This team is a few pieces away. One is Josh developing a bit more. He is a decent NFL QB but he needs to polish off the rough edges to his game in order to get this team to be competitive. The defense needs a CB2 and a prime time edge pass rusher, while the offense needs a WR1 and a RT. There are also possible smaller needs of depth and specialists like a Gore replacement and a possible vet TE. But the team has the cap space and draft picks to take care of those needs while retaining their productive core. 

 

Hopefully this team takes that step but right now I am just focused on this season. Beat the Steelers and secure your spot in the playoffs that's all you need to focus on. Playoff experience is going to be big for this team as there has even been a lot of turnover on the team since 2017 when they played in the playoffs last. 

[Don Beebe]

On 12/8/2019 at 5:01 PM, Seasons1992 said:

 

Damn right, yo. It's 1988 all over again. Just need another couple drafts.

This is what I keep saying. It reminds me of 1988. I don't know why the fans can't show a little patience. We lost a close game to what they claim is the best team in the NFL. Suck it up guys! We are getting there. And yes I was a Bills fan in 1988. Been a Bills fan since 1971.