Beane/McD zoom call today at 2pm

[CaptnCoke11]

4 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

Did anybody ask about pass rush help during Zoom? Wondering what they’re thoughts are. Are they going draft or still looking at FAs?

Stock answer.. “we are always looking to improve”

4 minutes ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

I do believe that the delay was to get a hold of Barkley, what I don't believe is that this conference was initially set up for a state of the Union so to speak 

 

I think there was more to it, could just be a negotiation tactic, telling a team we are done in hopes a price comes down or they expected something else to be completed

 

But to me it was kind of a silly time to have a press conference

I thought it was weird nobody asked about Ertz either 

[Cash]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Ertz was given permission to seek a trade by the Eagles, so it's legit for other teams to discuss.

 

Would still be a waste of time asking questions that won't be answered

 

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

Yes, you can talk about players under contract who have been given permission to seek a trade.

 

I don't think this is true.  I wasn't sure about it, so I attempted to look it up.  This is what I found:

 

https://nflcommunications.com/Documents/2018 Policies/7-2018 Anti-Tampering Policy-Clean Version.pdf

 

Not 100% sure I'm reading this right, but if I am, the permission to seek a trade only gives the Bills the right to talk to the player & his agent.  (I wouldn't be shocked if the Eagles basically told his agent what their asking price was and turned him loose to see if he could get it.)  I don't think the Public/Private Statements section (4) would be exempted just because Ertz has permission to seek a trade.  It's pretty easy for me to imagine a prospective suitor using public statements to try to poison pill the trade and get the Eagles to just cut Ertz outright.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

So Muki Hawkins with the hard question about how do we plan to defend those two great TE NE just signed

 

Overall the theme seemed to be "we can get it done with the guys we've got right now" - at TE, at RB, at OL, at DL

 

Judging by body language, I don't think Sean McDermott is entirely "bought in" and comfortable with that theme. 

 

And IMO he probably shouldn't be

[RyanC883]

2 hours ago, Logic said:

My main takeaways from the presser:

- Bojorquez big time'd them. It will be interesting to see if any team pays him the money he seems to want.
- It was interesting to hear that they regularly consult with Josh regarding offensive roster moves and additions. 
- Emmanuel Sanders is a guy they've been after for a while. It's clear now that they simply viewed him as an upgrade over Brown, period.
- Both Beane and McDermott believe they already have the pieces in place to improve the run game. Mentioned practice reps and scheme as potential fixes.

- Said they were "very content" with Wallace vs Jackson for the CB2 job, which might (or might not) rule out an early round pick being spent on a CB.
- They wanted Andre Roberts back and simply couldn't afford to pay him what he sought

- Beane is clearly irritated at the cap situation this year (but then, what GM isn't?)
- They seem hesitant to do more restructuring of contracts this year, unlike many of the armchair GMs here and on Twitter.
- They simply don't have much money to spend on big time free agents. Any remaining additions will likely be low cost, bargain bin variety.
- They spoke in pretty vanilla terms about what they'd like to do at tight end and defensive end, which might be "Poker face" stuff. I think they want to add dynamic players at both spots.

 

the idea they think they have the right pieces had better be a poker face move, because it is laughable.  Oh, we couldn't figure out the run game all of last season, and esp. when it mattered most, so um, lets use the same people and try something else.  Yeah, total nonsense if that is what they do.  Same with the run D and pass rush.  

 

Very glad they upgraded backup QB, however.  Can't let an injury to the QB destroy the entire season.  

[ColoradoBills]

Even after Beane's presser I still hope they go after a speedy veteran RB.

They can go to the draft for a CB (they seem good at that) and even a DE.

 

I'm going to wait and hope the market for RBs goes through the floor in the next few days.

[ColoradoBills]

3 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

No mention of speed at RB?

 

Not specifically though he used the "we are in talks" and "waiting for the cost to go down" reply.

[YoloinOhio]

2 hours ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

Do we believe that the press conference today and hold up was about Matt Barkley and Mitch trubisky?

I do... but also recognize other calls can take place in that time. He didn’t talk to Matt for 60 min. Well maybe it was 10 min with Matt and 50 with Britt

[Buffalo Barbarian]

3 hours ago, gobilz said:

Bringing Krueger on board 

 

 

quality control

 

 

[Logic]

9 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

No mention of speed at RB?

Not that I heard.

 

That said, Bills scouts have met with a few RBs and WRs who would be Swiss Army Knife, kick returner, and jet sweep assets.

 

I think they know they need to add speed. I guess we’ll see in a month or so.

[ndirish1978]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Yes, you can talk about players under contract who have been given permission to seek a trade.

 

I thought you could talk TO them, but not about them? I could be wrong though. 

[jkeerie]

Good summary here:

https://billswire-usatoday-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/billswire.usatoday.com/2021/03/18/12-takeaways-buffalo-bills-brandon-beane-mitchell-trubisky-josh-allen-emmanuel-sanders/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fbillswire.usatoday.com%2F2021%2F03%2F18%2F12-takeaways-buffalo-bills-brandon-beane-mitchell-trubisky-josh-allen-emmanuel-sanders%2F

[YoloinOhio]

 

[TPS]

9 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

This makes Brown's comment all the more interesting....

[Preds]

5 hours ago, BigdaddyinOrlando said:

Pretty classy and nice gesture to call Barkley first. Again speaks very highly to the way things are being done here!!

Agreed but it's disappointing they didn't appear to do the same for John Brown.  He was a big part of the WR room and Josh's growth, and based on his reaction to being cut and wondering if Josh was involved, it doesn't sound like they did that.

[RyanC883]

52 minutes ago, jkeerie said:

Good summary here:

https://billswire-usatoday-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/billswire.usatoday.com/2021/03/18/12-takeaways-buffalo-bills-brandon-beane-mitchell-trubisky-josh-allen-emmanuel-sanders/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fbillswire.usatoday.com%2F2021%2F03%2F18%2F12-takeaways-buffalo-bills-brandon-beane-mitchell-trubisky-josh-allen-emmanuel-sanders%2F

 

great read, thanks.  And totally demonstrates the BS from Gronk about almost signing here.  Can't stand that dude.  Total d-bag.  It's fine to play elsewhere, but acting like a total a-hole all the time gets old, and lying about "playing at home" to feign some sort of attention is ridiculous.  

12 minutes ago, Preds said:

Agreed but it's disappointing they didn't appear to do the same for John Brown.  He was a big part of the WR room and Josh's growth, and based on his reaction to being cut and wondering if Josh was involved, it doesn't sound like they did that.

 

yeah, but at some point, these players need to stop "having their feelings hurt."  Like you didn't know you could get cut?  It's just so overdone.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, jkeerie said:

Good summary here:

https://billswire-usatoday-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/billswire.usatoday.com/2021/03/18/12-takeaways-buffalo-bills-brandon-beane-mitchell-trubisky-josh-allen-emmanuel-sanders/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fbillswire.usatoday.com%2F2021%2F03%2F18%2F12-takeaways-buffalo-bills-brandon-beane-mitchell-trubisky-josh-allen-emmanuel-sanders%2F

 

Indeed it is.  Thanks much.

 

Does anyone else get the feeling that these Laddies do protest too much?

 

Run Game:

Quote

After saying he wanted to improve the rushing attack earlier this offseason as well, Beane backtracked on that, or at least on the idea of needing to add something to the roster to make it better.

“We believe we have the pieces to run the ball better,” Beane said, and previously indicating otherwise.

In re-signing multiple pieces along the offensive line this offseason, the Bills’ actions this offseason match this.

“We can run the ball with the people we have,” McDermott later added.

I guess they have since done a more thorough breakdown and analysis of each player each snap in each game, but it sure didn't sound like that after the season.

And now we're "all good"?

 

Is this all to finger-point Daboll for the run problems (scheme)?

 

D-Line:

Quote

No answer real here. Beane gave a vanilla sort of response, again beating around the bush when asked about the defensive line. He said he likes what they have despite pursing JJ Watt. Beane even called the Watt thing a bit of an oversell.

“We get in a lot of conversations with people,” Beane said. “There’s many conversations we’ve been in that the Bills weren’t listed.”

One could still envision the team adding in the defensive trenches, though. You don’t just pursue a guy if you don’t want an upgrade.

Beane and McDermott would probably respond to that last by saying "we're always trying to improve our football team".  But look, we all saw what we saw: in the playoffs, the Bills simply didn't have the hosses to get after the QB with 4 guys, and McDermott/Daboll's scheme CRITICALLY depends upon that.  We need better D-Line play, Period. 

 

Now what, we're gonna magically get it from the same guys (- Quinton Jefferson) (+ Lotulelei)?  I shall ruminate on that whilst I fart rainbow unicorns out mine keister.

 

TE:

Quote

What kind of tight end would Beane want to add to his roster after saying he wants the position to improve this offseason? He beat around the bush completely and didn’t say anything specifically.

However, with the Zach Ertz trade rumors in mind, Beane only mentioned free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft as options of where he could find one.

“We’ll continue to look for free agents out there and we’ll continue to monitor the draft. We’ll continue to add depth to the position,” Beane said.

Beane also added that he has “big expectations” for Dawson Knox and said Tommy Sweeney is “excited about joining back in” after his COVID-related scare last year.

Again, in the end of season presser, Beane seemed wholly honest in critiquing the TE play, saying that "we never got to the point where teams said we got to stop their TE from going off".  That clearly implies a need for an upgrade, as does all the Zach Ertz trade talk.

 

Now we're happy with "big expectations" for Knox and Sweeney's "excited"? 🤷‍♂️

 

I felt that McDermott seemed visibly ill-at-ease in that press conference, even though he dutifully reinforced everything Beane said. 

 

My bottom line is that I felt it was a bit duplicitous as a press conference.  They didn't make upgrades (so far) in FA except potentially at WR, backup QB, and punter - not that those positions are insignificant, but they're not the step-forward our team needs, either. 

 

I wouldn't say it's sour grapes exactly, but I'll call it the cat-drop presser.  If any of you have a cat, you know how a cat will sometimes do something really awkward, like back off a kitchen table and fall to the floor?  But it twists in the air, lands on its feet, and stalks off regally with its tail in the air like "I Meant to Do That, Human Servitor.  Open The Tuna."

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

Adding the previous part of that:

 

I don't think that Beane or McDermott say "Josh, we're talking about cutting John Brown.  Tell us what you think about that".  I don't know, maybe they do, but I think that would be a lot of pressure on Josh who forms friendships with all of these guys.

 

What I think is more likely, is that they say "against this sort of coverage, what are you seeing from John Brown on these sort of routes?"  Or, they may ask what he knows about how the guys in general felt about effort to get back from injury or so forth. 

 

Ditto maybe hey, take a look at this separation Sanders is getting on these routes, would you be comfortable throwing into that window?

 

But it was pretty clearly a shot across the bow implying that Josh was probably in the loop before the decision to cut Brown, and probably didn't bang the table and say 'that's my guy, you need to find a way to keep him'.  Which, other things being equal, I'm sure the Bills and Josh would have liked to do, but the guys Josh would bang the table for right now are clearly Diggs and Beasley, with a side-order of Davis.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Preds said:

Agreed but it's disappointing they didn't appear to do the same for John Brown.  He was a big part of the WR room and Josh's growth, and based on his reaction to being cut and wondering if Josh was involved, it doesn't sound like they did that.

 

I think that's a reach.  I doubt they told him whether or not Josh was involved in the decision, that would be unwise, but I'm sure he got a personal call from the Bills.  Remember, Brown is the one who broke the news on his Instagram.

[jkeerie]

5 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Indeed it is.  Thanks much.

 

Does anyone else get the feeling that these Laddies do protest too much?

 

Run Game:

I guess they have since done a more thorough breakdown and analysis of each player each snap in each game, but it sure didn't sound like that after the season.

And now we're "all good"?

 

Is this all to finger-point Daboll for the run problems (scheme)?

 

D-Line:

Beane and McDermott would probably respond to that last by saying "we're always trying to improve our football team".  But look, we all saw what we saw: in the playoffs, the Bills simply didn't have the hosses to get after the QB with 4 guys, and McDermott/Daboll's scheme CRITICALLY depends upon that.  We need better D-Line play, Period. 

 

Now what, we're gonna magically get it from the same guys (- Quinton Jefferson) (+ Lotulelei)?  I shall ruminate on that whilst I fart rainbow unicorns out mine keister.

 

TE:

Again, in the end of season presser, Beane seemed wholly honest in critiquing the TE play, saying that "we never got to the point where teams said we got to stop their TE from going off".  That clearly implies a need for an upgrade, as does all the Zach Ertz trade talk.

 

Now we're happy with "big expectations" for Knox and Sweeney's "excited"? 🤷‍♂️

 

I felt that McDermott seemed visibly ill-at-ease in that press conference, even though he dutifully reinforced everything Beane said. 

 

My bottom line is that I felt it was a bit duplicitous as a press conference.  They didn't make upgrades (so far) in FA except potentially at WR, backup QB, and punter - not that those positions are insignificant, but they're not the step-forward our team needs, either. 

 

I wouldn't say it's sour grapes exactly, but I'll call it the cat-drop presser.  If any of you have a cat, you know how a cat will sometimes do something really awkward, like back off a kitchen table and fall to the floor?  But it twists in the air, lands on its feet, and stalks off regally with its tail in the air like "I Meant to Do That, Human Servitor.  Open The Tuna."

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that McBeane can only say so much.  They know we need to improve in a number of areas...running game, pass rush and at TE.  But they don't want their current players to hear that they are trash and they don't believe they can improve.  They want them to work hard in the off season and in camp.  They also are playing it close to the vest so as not to tip any future plans to the rest of the league.  Perhaps not having a press conference would have been better.  Not sure why they called it.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

8 minutes ago, jkeerie said:

I think that McBeane can only say so much.  They know we need to improve in a number of areas...running game, pass rush and at TE.  But they don't want their current players to hear that they are trash and they don't believe they can improve.  They want them to work hard in the off season and in camp.  They also are playing it close to the vest so as not to tip any future plans to the rest of the league.  Perhaps not having a press conference would have been better.  Not sure why they called it.

 

You're surely correct that not tipping their hand to the league/not giving a discouraging message to their current players is part of the deal.

 

But yeah, strange, why have a press conference just to say (paraphrasing) "staffing is adequate, morale is high, and quality is never compromised"?  It evidently wasn't scheduled to announce the Mitch Trubisky signing as they had to re-schedule to accomodate the follow-through from that.

 

 

[jkeerie]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

You're surely correct that not tipping their hand to the league/not giving a discouraging message to their current players is part of the deal.

 

But yeah, strange, why have a press conference just to say (paraphrasing an ATC of my acquaintance) "staffing is adequate, morale is high, and quality is never compromised"?  It evidently wasn't scheduled to announce the Mitch Trubisky signing as they had to re-schedule to accomodate the follow-through from that.

 

 

Likely they were getting a lot of questions from the media and wanted to take care of them all at once.  Perhaps what they did and did not say serves a purpose in future negotiations with other teams.