Reviewing Beane

[BufBills83]

On 7/6/2022 at 11:38 AM, IronMaidenBills said:

Just stop side skirting the question, answer it in your own words. What logic explains the lack of a super bowl if we have one of the most elite roster? If we have the strongest and most cunning soldiers and we are losing battles, is it not because we lack good generals? So which is it, coaching or talent? 

Same reasons as other elite teams, like the 2007 Patriots, didn't win the Superbowl.  Factors like luck, very even teams where 1 or 2 plays make the difference in the game.  The margin for error in the playoff games is so close most of the time that having an elite roster doesn't necessarily mean you will win.

 

[YattaOkasan]

On 7/7/2022 at 9:12 AM, Einstein said:

 

No they don’t. They simply explain who the chief statistician is. By the way, it’s an outside company. 

 

 

Again, the NFL doesn’t compute the stats. An outside company (similar to PFF), that has a contract with the NFL does it.

 

 

They also didn’t have sacks as an “official” (I still chuckle at that) statistic until fairly recently. It doesn’t make the statistic any less useful.

 

 

Again, It’s an outside company and a mix of them. It used to be Sportsradar but now it’s Genius Sports (for data push). They’re contracted out. The next contract may be with PFF for all we know (then a lot of people will lose their mind).

 

Zebra technologies does the Next Gen Stats. I think it used to be STATS Inc if I remember correctly.

 

 

You have the right to have that stance. I’m not sure why you’re trying so hard to change my mind, but it’s not happening. I see Simmons as a DPOY candidate this year and a top 3 defensive player. That isn’t changing unless something changes on the field.

 

 

Not a single piece of statistical evidence i’ve shown has been subjective. 

 

The tweets I posted were simply showing that i’m not alone in thinking Simmons is one of the top defensive players in the NFL. They were never meant to be evidence of anything more than there are others like me.

 

 

I didn’t start this argument. You did. I didn’t quote myself and tell myself that I was wrong that he was 2nd best. That was you 

 

 

Outside of QB, they absolutely do.

 

And they’ve proven it twice in a row. One of those times being in humiliating fashion.

 

 

National pre-rankings mean nothing to me. There is always a Super Bowl favorite that does nothing. I understand that there are others like you who see the Bills roster as best in the NFL. I acknowledge that you’re not alone in that thought.

 

 

Yes. There are NFL coaches and scouts and GM’s who have never played before either.

 

 

Do you not trust Vince Lombardi or Bill Walsh because they never played professional football?

 

 

You’re allowed to be wrong.

Wait I thought pff had us as best roster?
 

 

You have us behind the titans? LOLZ at the tought

Edited July 8, 2022 by YattaOkasan

[ColoradoBills]

On 7/7/2022 at 1:21 PM, DCofNC said:

I stop read the minute somebody gives Beane credit for White. 

 

Just because one "poster" may be incorrect in a fact doesn't discount the whole discussion.

[Augie]

55 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Just because one "poster" may be incorrect in a fact doesn't discount the whole discussion.

 

The time to stop reading is when you realize that the two main negative posters here do not comprehend the meaning of the word “elite”. It is NOT singular and does NOT mean guaranteed to be undefeated. Elite teams must play the games against each other. Even the dregs of the league stand a chance on any given Sunday. (Cough, cough…..Jags….) 

 

Some people reach to whine in ways that absolutely amaze me. Are we perfect? Of course not. But certainly better than most. Whining in the face of the Bills future says far more about the poster than the Bills. 

 

 

.

Edited July 9, 2022 by Augie

[DCofNC]

On 7/8/2022 at 9:17 PM, ColoradoBills said:

 

Just because one "poster" may be incorrect in a fact doesn't discount the whole discussion.

If you can’t get the basics, not sure how you are qualified to evaluate the complex, but you do you.

[ColoradoBills]

3 hours ago, DCofNC said:

If you can’t get the basics, not sure how you are qualified to evaluate the complex, but you do you.

 

I have lived Buffalo Bills football for over a half century.  I evaluate Beane as doing a very good job.  I am doing me.

You can believe the opposite if it keeps you warm at night.

[GunnerBill]

On 7/7/2022 at 4:01 AM, Royale with Cheese said:

Isn’t Beane also responsible for the Front Office staff and Scouting Department?  He’s responsible for developing that team too right?

 

I am not behind the scenes or know what happens inside those closed doors but I would imagine Beane from day 1 had strong input.

 

He absolutely is. But those staff had very little input into the 2017 roster. It isn't a knock on Beane, but I always discount from GM records seasons for which they arrived after the main personnel season - FA and draft. Always have, always will. Because in the overwhelming majority of cases that is where rosters are shaped for the season ahead and the 2017 Bills were no exception. The only significant contribution Beane made after that was subtracting talent not adding it and while I get why he did it - to improve the team in the long run, 2018 and beyond - the Dareus loss hurt almost immediately on the field and while I can take a "culture" argument on Sammy it doesn't hold for Darby. 

[Doc Brown]

52 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

The only significant contribution Beane made after that was subtracting talent not adding it and while I get why he did it - to improve the team in the long run, 2018 and beyond - the Dareus loss hurt almost immediately on the field and while I can take a "culture" argument on Sammy it doesn't hold for Darby. 

If I recall correctly Peter King reported that the Darby move was both because he never bought into or was a perfect fit in McDermott's scheme.  I may be wrong on this though as the memory is a little foggy.  It helps to find a willing trading partner with Philly as Schwartz coveted him as he was the perfect fit for his scheme.

 

Edit:  Here's the Bills section of King's 2017 article... following that trade...

 

“We researched trades at this time of year,” Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said Sunday afternoon, “and there’s aren’t many like this.” Trades for picks, the Bills’ GM meant. There was Sam Bradford from Philadelphia to Minnesota last year for first- and fourth-round picks, Vontae Davis from Miami to Indy for a second-rounder in 2012, and Greg Olsen from Chicago to Carolina for a third-rounder in 2011 … all in the preseason. Beane did two of them in one day. On Friday he sent wide receiver Sammy Watkins to the Rams for a second-round pick plus cornerback E.J. Gaines; then he traded cornerback Ronald Darby to Philadelphia for a third-round pick plus wide receiver Jordan Matthews.

 

Everyone would say Darby is a better corner than Gaines, and Watkins is a better wideout than Matthews. I don’t worry about the Darby deal for Buffalo, because he hadn’t bought into the new administration of Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, and because he wasn’t a great scheme fit for McDermott’s zone coverage. Buffalo did get a gutty, durable (Matthews played 46 of 48 games in three NFL seasons) possession receiver who will take Watkins’ spot in the Bills’ offense. The Watkins deal could hurt in the long run, for two reasons. He’s healthy this year after being plagued by a nagging foot injury. And the veterans on the Bills loved him, and won’t be happy with this deal. I can’t imagine LeSean McCoy singing kumbaya over this trade for the future. He wants to win now.

 

The reality of this situation, though, is that the Bills are not going to win now, even if Darby and Watkins had been playing great. Playing for 2018 is smarter. And Buffalo also had to worry about Watkins and the cap. Because the team didn’t exercise the fifth-year option for Watkins, ensuring that he’d be a free agent after this season, Beane would have had to try to sign Watkins late this season (when the team has just $8.1 million remaining under the cap) or likely face franchising him next spring. So they risked Watkins playing great this year and looking dumb for letting him go … or trading him now for real value. A pick around number 40 or 45 in 2018 appealed more to Beane.

 

The trades leave Buffalo and Cleveland with a league-high six picks in the first three rounds next year. “The onus is on me and my staff,” Beane said on Sunday. “We have to draft well. We’ve taken the first step—accumulating high picks.”

 

Interestingly, Beane said: “If this was baseball, we’d probably have kept Sammy, because we wouldn’t have had the cap to worry about. But every decision you make in football, with the cap, is a calculated risk. We had four inquiries for Sammy, and three offers, and got to a point where the Rams were willing to give a high pick, and we thought it was the best thing for us.”

 

The Rams, with speed threat Tavon Austin idled by a hamstring injury, now could have a three-man starting receiver set of all new guys: vets Robert Woods and Watkins, and rookie Cooper Kupp. With the uncertainty surrounding 2016 top overall pick Jared Goff, it’s hard to envision Watkins putting up premier-receiver numbers. So the Bills may not look bad. But at some point they’ve got to start keeping their top picks. That’s a big reason why Buffalo hasn’t been in the playoffs in 17 years. 

 

First thing I thought Friday when I saw Beane had traded Watkins and Darby: Owners Terry and Kim Pegula have to mentally commit to Beane and McDermott for the next five years. Period. The mayhem in Buffalo must stop.

 

• Five general managers in the past decade. GMs of the Bills since 2007: Marv Levy (2007), Russ Brandon (2008-09), Buddy Nix (2010-12), Doug Whaley (2013-17), Brandon Beane (current).

 

• Six coaches in the past decade. Coaches of the Bills since 2007: Dick Jauron (2007-09), Perry Fewell (2009), Chan Gailey (2010-12), Doug Marrone (2013-14), Rex Ryan (2015-16), Sean McDermott (present).

 

Of the 20 players Buffalo chose in the top four rounds between 2012 and 2016, only six remain on the team—and a couple of those could be on the chopping block on cutdown weekend. The three solid players that remain from the top of the five drafts between 2012 and 2016: defensive end Shaq Lawson (though still unproven because of injury), guard John Miller and tackle Cordy Glenn. Three of 20. That’s a .150 batting average. That’s absolutely awful.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Doc Brown

[Thurman#1]

On 1/24/2022 at 5:29 PM, IronMaidenBills said:

I realize not all of these are Beane picks or signings, but what I do have listed is not really a good showing for Beane. 

 

 

Thanks for the chuckle. A wonderful example of just not getting it.

[Thurman#1]

On 7/8/2022 at 5:18 PM, BufBills83 said:

Same reasons as other elite teams, like the 2007 Patriots, didn't win the Superbowl.  Factors like luck, very even teams where 1 or 2 plays make the difference in the game.  The margin for error in the playoff games is so close most of the time that having an elite roster doesn't necessarily mean you will win.

 

 

 

Yup.

 

You didn't win the Super Bowl so you're not elite is simply a dumb argument.

 

 

On 7/9/2022 at 10:47 AM, Augie said:

 

The time to stop reading is when you realize that the two main negative posters here do not comprehend the meaning of the word “elite”. It is NOT singular and does NOT mean guaranteed to be undefeated. Elite teams must play the games against each other. Even the dregs of the league stand a chance on any given Sunday. (Cough, cough…..Jags….) 

 

Some people reach to whine in ways that absolutely amaze me. Are we perfect? Of course not. But certainly better than most. Whining in the face of the Bills future says far more about the poster than the Bills.

.

 

 

Exactly.

[Billy Claude]

7 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

He absolutely is. But those staff had very little input into the 2017 roster. It isn't a knock on Beane, but I always discount from GM records seasons for which they arrived after the main personnel season - FA and draft. Always have, always will. Because in the overwhelming majority of cases that is where rosters are shaped for the season ahead and the 2017 Bills were no exception. The only significant contribution Beane made after that was subtracting talent not adding it and while I get why he did it - to improve the team in the long run, 2018 and beyond - the Dareus loss hurt almost immediately on the field and while I can take a "culture" argument on Sammy it doesn't hold for Darby. 

 

I would add replacing Sammy Watkins "culture" by Kelvin Benjamin "culture" is hardly a slam dunk win for Beane and he doesn't even have the excuse that he didn't know Benjamin well.

 

Beane is a excellent GM but let's not pretend he didn't make a lot of mistakes in his first year.  The top four players in his first free agent class by contract value were Murphy, Star, McCarron and Vontae Davis, three busts and one ok but way overpaid player.  Luckily he hit it big on his first draft and has clearly learned along the way.

 

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by Billy Claude

[NewEra]

3 hours ago, Billy Claude said:

 

I would add replacing Sammy Watkins "culture" by Kelvin Benjamin "culture" is hardly a slam dunk win for Beane and he doesn't even have the excuse that he didn't know Benjamin well.

 

Beane is a excellent GM but let's not pretend he didn't make a lot of mistakes in his first year.  The top four players in his first free agent class by contract value were Murphy, Star, McCarron and Vontae Davis, three busts and one ok but way overpaid player.  Luckily he hit it big on his first draft and has clearly learned along the way.

 

 

Yes, he’s many many mistakes…..

 

yes, every GM in the history of every sport has made many mistakes.  
 

Not every GM hits an inside the park grand slam down 3, 2 outs with an 0-2 count.  Beane did.  One must not forget, we didn’t have the 7th pick in the 2018 draft…..until Beane made it happen.  The moves he made in the previous season led directly to acquiring the pick we used to select Josh Allen.  
 

The rams traded us a 2nd round pick we used to trade up for Allen so they could acquire Sammy Watkins.  Bad trade for the Rams and their GM….who just won a super bowl.  Every GM makes mistakes.  MANY mistakes.  It’s part of being a GM

[Billy Claude]

42 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Yes, he’s many many mistakes…..

 

yes, every GM in the history of every sport has made many mistakes.  
 

Not every GM hits an inside the park grand slam down 3, 2 outs with an 0-2 count.  Beane did.  One must not forget, we didn’t have the 7th pick in the 2018 draft…..until Beane made it happen.  The moves he made in the previous season led directly to acquiring the pick we used to select Josh Allen.  
 

The rams traded us a 2nd round pick we used to trade up for Allen so they could acquire Sammy Watkins.  Bad trade for the Rams and their GM….who just won a super bowl.  Every GM makes mistakes.  MANY mistakes.  It’s part of being a GM

 

I have no problem with giving Beane credit for the moves he made to get Allen or with the excellent job he has done as GM overall.   

 

I just think that the idea that he had to get rid of Watkins due to a bad culture fit is way overblown.  I personally think that they got rid of Watkins because they were tanking (even though they will never admit it).

 

[teef]

7 minutes ago, Billy Claude said:

 

I have no problem with giving Beane credit for the moves he made to get Allen or with the excellent job he has done as GM overall.   

 

I just think that the idea that he had to get rid of Watkins due to a bad culture fit is way overblown.  I personally think that they got rid of Watkins because they were tanking (even though they will never admit it).

 

i'm not sure watkins culture issue was over blown at all.  even sammy has stated he didn't do what he should have.  he didn't practice the way he should have, complained about how he was used without giving his all, was often hurt, etc.  he just wasn't going to be part of this team moving forward.  tanking or not, he had to go.

[NewEra]

25 minutes ago, Billy Claude said:

 

I have no problem with giving Beane credit for the moves he made to get Allen or with the excellent job he has done as GM overall.   

 

I just think that the idea that he had to get rid of Watkins due to a bad culture fit is way overblown.  I personally think that they got rid of Watkins because they were tanking (even though they will never admit it).

 

The dude admitted to staying up til 3am getting obliterated every night.  Couldn’t stay healthy (which has continued every year since the trade).  He was setting a bad example, an expiring contract and had some worth.  They capitalized and landed a pick that would help us land allen. Looked to me like they were all in on drafting a QB in 2018 and adding draft picks would be key to making that happen.  They were 💯 correct.  
 

They were tanking on purpose….yet made the playoffs. Interesting  

[Billy Claude]

2 hours ago, NewEra said:

The dude admitted to staying up til 3am getting obliterated every night.  Couldn’t stay healthy (which has continued every year since the trade).  He was setting a bad example, an expiring contract and had some worth.  They capitalized and landed a pick that would help us land allen. Looked to me like they were all in on drafting a QB in 2018 and adding draft picks would be key to making that happen.  They were 💯 correct.  
 

They were tanking on purpose….yet made the playoffs. Interesting  

 

I am not arguing that Watkins did not have issues.  He clearly did.   Just that Watkin's issues was not the main reason he was traded.  The main reason he was traded was his contract was expiring and the front office really did not expect the Bills to be any good so they got what they could get.

 

If it was all about culture, why did they bring in Benjamin has much less talent but is just as bad culturally (something Beane must surely should have known about). Tanking in this case, is not coaching to lose individual games since I don't believe McDermott would every do that.  Tanking in this case is setting up your roster to fail. I don't think there is any doubt that F.O. expected the Bills record to be much worse that year and then had to scramble when the Bills were still in the playoff picture late in the season. 

 

I think going into the season Beane was expecting a 6 to 7 win team.  As it was, the team really was not very good but was extremely lucky and I am not talking about Andy Dalton.   Hauschka probably hit all his important field goals that season, including some very long ones. There were also a lot of questionable calls that went the Bills way, the Von Miller taunting call on Tyrod being the most obvious.  Finally, as someone mentioned earlier, that team had a historically bad worse point differential for a playoff team.  Nothing wrong with taking advantage of being lucky as long as you don't base your future plans on it (as the Bills definitely did not do).

 

Given all that, Beane did a masterful job responding to the unexpected situation and moving up to snag Allen.  However, I don't think he felt he would need to give up as much as he eventually did, the expectation was probably that the Bills would have a much earlier draft slot than 21.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by Billy Claude

[GunnerBill]

12 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

If I recall correctly Peter King reported that the Darby move was both because he never bought into or was a perfect fit in McDermott's scheme.  I may be wrong on this though as the memory is a little foggy.  It helps to find a willing trading partner with Philly as Schwartz coveted him as he was the perfect fit for his scheme.

 

Edit:  Here's the Bills section of King's 2017 article... following that trade...

 

“We researched trades at this time of year,” Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said Sunday afternoon, “and there’s aren’t many like this.” Trades for picks, the Bills’ GM meant. There was Sam Bradford from Philadelphia to Minnesota last year for first- and fourth-round picks, Vontae Davis from Miami to Indy for a second-rounder in 2012, and Greg Olsen from Chicago to Carolina for a third-rounder in 2011 … all in the preseason. Beane did two of them in one day. On Friday he sent wide receiver Sammy Watkins to the Rams for a second-round pick plus cornerback E.J. Gaines; then he traded cornerback Ronald Darby to Philadelphia for a third-round pick plus wide receiver Jordan Matthews.

 

Everyone would say Darby is a better corner than Gaines, and Watkins is a better wideout than Matthews. I don’t worry about the Darby deal for Buffalo, because he hadn’t bought into the new administration of Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, and because he wasn’t a great scheme fit for McDermott’s zone coverage. Buffalo did get a gutty, durable (Matthews played 46 of 48 games in three NFL seasons) possession receiver who will take Watkins’ spot in the Bills’ offense. The Watkins deal could hurt in the long run, for two reasons. He’s healthy this year after being plagued by a nagging foot injury. And the veterans on the Bills loved him, and won’t be happy with this deal. I can’t imagine LeSean McCoy singing kumbaya over this trade for the future. He wants to win now.

 

The reality of this situation, though, is that the Bills are not going to win now, even if Darby and Watkins had been playing great. Playing for 2018 is smarter. And Buffalo also had to worry about Watkins and the cap. Because the team didn’t exercise the fifth-year option for Watkins, ensuring that he’d be a free agent after this season, Beane would have had to try to sign Watkins late this season (when the team has just $8.1 million remaining under the cap) or likely face franchising him next spring. So they risked Watkins playing great this year and looking dumb for letting him go … or trading him now for real value. A pick around number 40 or 45 in 2018 appealed more to Beane.

 

The trades leave Buffalo and Cleveland with a league-high six picks in the first three rounds next year. “The onus is on me and my staff,” Beane said on Sunday. “We have to draft well. We’ve taken the first step—accumulating high picks.”

 

Interestingly, Beane said: “If this was baseball, we’d probably have kept Sammy, because we wouldn’t have had the cap to worry about. But every decision you make in football, with the cap, is a calculated risk. We had four inquiries for Sammy, and three offers, and got to a point where the Rams were willing to give a high pick, and we thought it was the best thing for us.”

 

The Rams, with speed threat Tavon Austin idled by a hamstring injury, now could have a three-man starting receiver set of all new guys: vets Robert Woods and Watkins, and rookie Cooper Kupp. With the uncertainty surrounding 2016 top overall pick Jared Goff, it’s hard to envision Watkins putting up premier-receiver numbers. So the Bills may not look bad. But at some point they’ve got to start keeping their top picks. That’s a big reason why Buffalo hasn’t been in the playoffs in 17 years. 

 

First thing I thought Friday when I saw Beane had traded Watkins and Darby: Owners Terry and Kim Pegula have to mentally commit to Beane and McDermott for the next five years. Period. The mayhem in Buffalo must stop.

 

• Five general managers in the past decade. GMs of the Bills since 2007: Marv Levy (2007), Russ Brandon (2008-09), Buddy Nix (2010-12), Doug Whaley (2013-17), Brandon Beane (current).

 

• Six coaches in the past decade. Coaches of the Bills since 2007: Dick Jauron (2007-09), Perry Fewell (2009), Chan Gailey (2010-12), Doug Marrone (2013-14), Rex Ryan (2015-16), Sean McDermott (present).

 

Of the 20 players Buffalo chose in the top four rounds between 2012 and 2016, only six remain on the team—and a couple of those could be on the chopping block on cutdown weekend. The three solid players that remain from the top of the five drafts between 2012 and 2016: defensive end Shaq Lawson (though still unproven because of injury), guard John Miller and tackle Cordy Glenn. Three of 20. That’s a .150 batting average. That’s absolutely awful.

 

That was the thinking at the time. But he played pretty darn well for Denver in a mainly zone scheme last year do that was overblown IMO. 

[Buffalo03]

1 hour ago, Billy Claude said:

 

I am not arguing that Watkins did not have issues.  He clearly did.   Just that Watkin's issues was not the main reason he was traded.  The main reason he was traded was his contract was expiring and the front office really did not expect the Bills to be any good so they got what they could get.

 

If it was all about culture, why did they bring in Benjamin has much less talent but is just as bad culturally (something Beane must surely should have known about). Tanking in this case, is not coaching to lose individual games since I don't believe McDermott would every do that.  Tanking in this case is setting up your roster to fail. I don't think there is any doubt that F.O. expected the Bills record to be much worse that year and then had to scramble when the Bills were still in the playoff picture late in the season. 

 

I think going into the season Beane was expecting a 6 to 7 win team.  As it was, the team really was not very good but was extremely lucky and I am not talking about Andy Dalton.   Hauschka probably hit all his important field goals that season, including some very long ones. There were also a lot of questionable calls that went the Bills way, the Von Miller taunting call on Tyrod being the most obvious.  Finally, as someone mentioned earlier, that team had a historically bad worse point differential for a playoff team.  Nothing wrong with taking advantage of being lucky as long as you don't base your future plans on it (as the Bills definitely did not do).

 

Given all that, Beane did a masterful job responding to the unexpected situation and moving up to snag Allen.  However, I don't think he felt he would need to give up as much as he eventually did, the expectation was probably that the Bills would have a much earlier draft slot than 21.

 

 

 

 

 

They didn't bring in Benjamin until mid season and the reason they did was because they were sitting at 5-2 after 7 games. I don't think they expected to be there but once they realized they had a real legit at making the playoffs, they decided to make a move that they thought would help them get there. 

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, Billy Claude said:

 

I am not arguing that Watkins did not have issues.  He clearly did.   Just that Watkin's issues was not the main reason he was traded.  The main reason he was traded was his contract was expiring and the front office really did not expect the Bills to be any good so they got what they could get.

 

If it was all about culture, why did they bring in Benjamin has much less talent but is just as bad culturally (something Beane must surely should have known about). Tanking in this case, is not coaching to lose individual games since I don't believe McDermott would every do that.  Tanking in this case is setting up your roster to fail. I don't think there is any doubt that F.O. expected the Bills record to be much worse that year and then had to scramble when the Bills were still in the playoff picture late in the season. 

 

I think going into the season Beane was expecting a 6 to 7 win team.  As it was, the team really was not very good but was extremely lucky and I am not talking about Andy Dalton.   Hauschka probably hit all his important field goals that season, including some very long ones. There were also a lot of questionable calls that went the Bills way, the Von Miller taunting call on Tyrod being the most obvious.  Finally, as someone mentioned earlier, that team had a historically bad worse point differential for a playoff team.  Nothing wrong with taking advantage of being lucky as long as you don't base your future plans on it (as the Bills definitely did not do).

 

Given all that, Beane did a masterful job responding to the unexpected situation and moving up to snag Allen.  However, I don't think he felt he would need to give up as much as he eventually did, the expectation was probably that the Bills would have a much earlier draft slot than 21.

 

 

 

I agree with all of that which is exactly my point. Beane didn't really contribute to the 2017 drought ending. The tear down and the rebuild since then he deserves huge credit for. My point was only to say to me Beane's recore is 3 playoff seasons out of 4 not 4 out of 5. To count a season on a GM's resume he should have to have overseen FA and Draft IMO. 

[Doc]

1 hour ago, Billy Claude said:

I am not arguing that Watkins did not have issues.  He clearly did.   Just that Watkin's issues was not the main reason he was traded.  The main reason he was traded was his contract was expiring and the front office really did not expect the Bills to be any good so they got what they could get.

 

If it was all about culture, why did they bring in Benjamin has much less talent but is just as bad culturally (something Beane must surely should have known about). Tanking in this case, is not coaching to lose individual games since I don't believe McDermott would every do that.  Tanking in this case is setting up your roster to fail. I don't think there is any doubt that F.O. expected the Bills record to be much worse that year and then had to scramble when the Bills were still in the playoff picture late in the season. 

 

I think going into the season Beane was expecting a 6 to 7 win team.  As it was, the team really was not very good but was extremely lucky and I am not talking about Andy Dalton.   Hauschka probably hit all his important field goals that season, including some very long ones. There were also a lot of questionable calls that went the Bills way, the Von Miller taunting call on Tyrod being the most obvious.  Finally, as someone mentioned earlier, that team had a historically bad worse point differential for a playoff team.  Nothing wrong with taking advantage of being lucky as long as you don't base your future plans on it (as the Bills definitely did not do).

 

Given all that, Beane did a masterful job responding to the unexpected situation and moving up to snag Allen.  However, I don't think he felt he would need to give up as much as he eventually did, the expectation was probably that the Bills would have a much earlier draft slot than 21.

 

His contract was expiring at the end of the year because they declined his 5th year option.  And that was because of his issues (poor attitude, effort and availability).