Article on Beane - The Athletic

[JGMcD2]

Their writers voted on their top executive at the midpoint of the 2021 season. 
 

A few highlights from the article:

 

“I voted for Beane because I think the Bills lead the league in MTMS (Moves That Make Sense),” Sheil Kapadia said in explaining his support for Beane. “That doesn’t mean they all work out, but they seem to have a good process.”

 

“The top executive isn’t always the one making the most moves or the highest-profile ones. As the legendary basketball coach John Wooden famously put it, we should not mistake activity for achievement. The best moves can be the ones a wise general manager has the foresight and discipline to avoid making.”

 

They listed the following moves as their rationale for Beane being the top executive:

 

Josh’s extension

Re-Signing Milano

Keeping key role players - Taron Johnson, Levi Wallace, Daryl Williams

Drafting Greg Rousseau 

Supplementing Diggs w/ Emmanuel Sanders

Getting Mitch 

 

EDIT :

 

Link is here

 

https://theathletic.com/2922270/2021/11/04/what-makes-bills-gm-brandon-beane-the-nfls-top-executive-at-midseason/?source=user_shared_article

Edited November 4, 2021 by JGMcD2

[Coach Tuesday]

A link to the actual article would really put this post over the top.

[BillsFanSD]

Just read this a few minutes before coming over here.  Nice article.

 

More than anything, I agree with the "moves that make sense" metric.  One of the things I like about Beane is that he doesn't make splash moves for no reason.  For example, Beane isn't the sort of guy who signs a past-him-prime diva WR on a one-year deal to pair with a QB who doesn't want to throw more than five yards downfield.  He and McDermott have built this team methodically and intentionally.  You get what they're doing with each draft pick, each trade, and each FA signing. 

 

It's so nice to know that your FO has a coherent plan in place that goes beyond "sell more season tickets this year."  When a particular move doesn't work out, it's a lot easier to swallow when you at least understand the reasoning behind it.  

[Stank_Nasty]

26 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

A link to the actual article would really put this post over the top.

well its a pay site... so i'm assuming the people that can actually view would know how to get there.

[Chris from Rochester]

Having got the GM/HC wrong for so many years makes me appreciate even more how great McBean is. 

[Florida Bills Fanatic]

Many of the moves not made are the best moves.  Spending excessive cap money and draft picks on one year rentals and past their prime veterans is a mistake that lesser GM's make.  Our guy Beane doesn't make those crazy moves.  He also avoids adding head cases to roster even if they are talented players.  His approach should provide a stable, competitive roster for years to come.  This is the road map followed by a small number of teams and it puzzles me that more teams don't follow the same plan.  

 

 

[ganesh]

47 minutes ago, Chris from Rochester said:

Having got the GM/HC wrong for so many years makes me appreciate even more how great McBean is. 

It all starts with the QB.  If you get your Franchise QB, everything *can* falls into place.  Sure the Coach and GM have to make all the other difficult moves; however, they won't matter if they did not pick the right QB.   For that all credit goes to Beane and McDermott

[unbillievable]

17 minutes ago, ganesh said:

It all starts with the QB.  If you get your Franchise QB, everything *can* falls into place.  Sure the Coach and GM have to make all the other difficult moves; however, they won't matter if they did not pick the right QB.   For that all credit goes to Beane and McDermott

 

IF EJ Manuel had developed, Whaley would have built a great roster. On paper, 2015 was stacked at every position, but one. His teams were just a Franchise QB away.

[ProcessAccepted]

12 minutes ago, unbillievable said:

 

IF EJ Manuel had developed, Whaley would have built a great roster. On paper, 2015 was stacked at every position, but one. His teams were just a Franchise QB away.

Just a Franchise QB..... That's all

 

[Rocky Landing]

It's a nice article, and Beane deserves it. I don't generally spend a lot on paywalls, but if you want actual journalism, it's not dead, it's just usually behind a paywall. IMO, The Athletic is really one of the best quality sports news sources on the interwebs.

 

I was glad to see that article mention Rousseau's interception in the Chiefs game. JJ Watt made a similar play a few years ago, and it was all over the news for days. Groot intercepts Patrick Mahomes from about five yards away, and the media barely mentions it. 

[Don Otreply]

Beane & McDermott  know what they are doing and why they are doing it, we are now a perennial contender because of it,  it’s nice having an intelligent group running the show,👍

 

just think back, not so many years ago what a mess this organization was from top to bottom , it’s nice having adults in the room now, isn’t it, 

 

Go Bills!!!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

30 minutes ago, unbillievable said:

 

IF EJ Manuel had developed, Whaley would have built a great roster. On paper, 2015 was stacked at every position, but one. His teams were just a Franchise QB away.

 

I agree with this, and yet it's different now.

 

I think the best way to phrase it is that Whaley had a very good ability to evaluate football talent.  But he didn't seem to be concerned with building a great team.

The talent he brought in were sometimes "I" guys, no "I" in team - and that wasn't curtailed or influenced at the coaching level.

 

So I'm not sure we were just a franchise QB away, although a true franchise QB can apparently do a lot to meld the other guys on offense (and even defense) together.

 

 

 

[Rocky Landing]

28 minutes ago, unbillievable said:

 

IF EJ Manuel had developed, Whaley would have built a great roster. On paper, 2015 was stacked at every position, but one. His teams were just a Franchise QB away.

If EJ Manuel were still here throwing balls at courtesy tents, there would still be posters opining that "we need to wait and see what we have in this guy..." 

 

Maybe we were "just a franchise QB away" from something (although, I recall the right side of that O-line being a square dance). But, I don't think it can be overstated that perhaps the most significant change in the McD/Beane era has been the culture. That's probably more on McD than Beane, but a big part of building a winning culture has been a function of the GM, and HC being on the same page. 

 

If you look at a team like the Dolphins, who at the beginning of the season were considered contenders-- there has been a constant friction between the FO, and coaching staff that has worked against Flores since he signed on. Flores seems to have crapped the bed this season, and fans are clamoring for his release, but I thought it was pretty impressive last season how he pulled the season together despite a FO that was actively working against him.

 

And regarding the importance of culture, look at the Browns. QB notwithstanding, they arguable have a better roster than the Bills, but seem to be constantly tripping over their own *****. 

 

GO BILLS!

[hondo in seattle]

My professional specialty is turning around flailing multi-unit restaurant organizations.  Mistakes are always, ALWAYS, part of the process of building a better team.  I'll tell my folks corny-but-true things like, "The road to greatness is full of potholes."  

 

That's why I don't get down on Beane's misfires.  He's made a few.  But what is the net impact of his dealings?   The roster keeps getting better.  Better skilled.  Better culture fits.   Reaching the playoffs is becoming normal and people are talking about us as Super Bowl contenders.  

 

I just hope  the 2021 Bills are not his plateau.  I still wish for a lot of things - most especially a better offensive line.  

 

 

[unbillievable]

"MTMS"

 

Somehow, that stat feels ridiculous; like turnover-worthy-throws.

 

Do 31 teams get credit for NOT doing something that one team does?

[LeGOATski]

2 hours ago, Florida Bills Fanatic said:

Many of the moves not made are the best moves.  Spending excessive cap money and draft picks on one year rentals and past their prime veterans is a mistake that lesser GM's make.  Our guy Beane doesn't make those crazy moves.  He also avoids adding head cases to roster even if they are talented players.  His approach should provide a stable, competitive roster for years to come.  This is the road map followed by a small number of teams and it puzzles me that more teams don't follow the same plan.  

 

 

Wanting to do it and actually doing it are two totally different things. Case in point, Urban Meyer says the Bills rebuild is the best in recent memory and he wants to do the same..... well, we see how that's going....

[Saxum]

18 minutes ago, Rocky Landing said:

 

And regarding the importance of culture, look at the Browns. QB notwithstanding, they arguable have a better roster than the Bills, but seem to be constantly tripping over their own *****. 

 

 

And it is really, really hard to trip over your own balls of dung.

 

Regarding The Athletic writing may be good but the site maintainers don't seem to understand that just because you have a lot of content does not mean all readers want to read through it.  I specified my interests and I would constantly get emails on things I had absolutely no interest in and realized they replaced ads with internal ads.

[billsfan89]

3 hours ago, Chris from Rochester said:

Having got the GM/HC wrong for so many years makes me appreciate even more how great McBean is. 

 

Good ownership does wonders. Even though Pegula got it wrong with Rex and Whaley he still gave them the resources to be successful. Then on his second hire he fully buys into what McD is selling and not only hires him with a coherent 3 year plan but also hires the GM he wants paired with him. 

[JGMcD2]

2 hours ago, unbillievable said:

"MTMS"

 

Somehow, that stat feels ridiculous; like turnover-worthy-throws.

 

Do 31 teams get credit for NOT doing something that one team does?

How is turnover worthy throws a ridiculous stat? 
 

At the same time, how is moves that make sense a ridiculous metric? 

[Logic]

3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I agree with this, and yet it's different now.

 

I think the best way to phrase it is that Whaley had a very good ability to evaluate football talent.  But he didn't seem to be concerned with building a great team.

The talent he brought in were sometimes "I" guys, no "I" in team - and that wasn't curtailed or influenced at the coaching level.

 

So I'm not sure we were just a franchise QB away, although a true franchise QB can apparently do a lot to meld the other guys on offense (and even defense) together.

 

 

This x100.

Whenever the "Whaley built a great team!" discussion comes up, I always have the same response: Whaley assembled a great collection of talent. I wouldn't say they ever resembled a great TEAM. 

It's why McDermott decided upon arrival to tear the team down to the studs and rebuild it almost from scratch. The culture and player mentalities in place when he arrived simply were not compatible with what McDermott viewed as being necessary to be a championship caliber football team.

There are tons of great NFL rosters -- on paper. Tons of great collections of talent. But a bunch of talented players does not necessarily equal a great team. This is where Beane and McDermott deserve all the credit in the world: finding the right balance between acquiring good football players and assembling a group of hard working, selfless, team-first men who love the game of football and don't just view it as a job. Coach Jauron and his GMs, for instance, were able to acquire many of the latter, but few of the former. Conversely, Whaley acquired many of the former, but few of the latter.

Urban Meyer (?!) said it best this week: This Bills team is one of the best builds in recent league history.

Edited November 4, 2021 by Logic