Ryan "Rick" Bates Watch Thread

[Sierra Foothills]

38 minutes ago, NastyNateSoldiers said:

I always thought Feliciano was much better as a center then a guard. He should be a steal for the Gmen

 

Agree 100%.

 

Eric Wood was much better at center than at guard too (where he played some snaps the first few years of his career).

 

My theory on this (eyes rolling) is that the center doesn't have to reach as far to engage a defender so if he has above average strength, that proximity plays to his advantage.

 

Wood had good mobility but both he and Feliciano had/have above average strength and would normally win if they could get their hands on the defender.

[strive_for_five_guy]

3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Everyone on the DL is a rotational piece.

 

There's a confliction in what you say. 

 

We signed a DT for arguably more than $6M/season, but he took 60% or more of the snaps at DT his last two seasons, so he wasn't by any stretch a 4th string. 

We signed a DT who was arguably #2 on the depth chart all season, but we didn't sign him for $5M a season (try half that)

So I'm really not sure who you're talking about

 

It also seems like you're defining a guy who started the season down the depth chart but may have moved up it and started a couple games as a "4th string" on another team, but a guy who started the season as #3 on the Bills depth chart at G as a starter.  Not a problem, just seems kinda inconsistant

 

 

I don't think McDermott in any way shape or form keeps guys whom he views as his "best hand" on the bench in favor of milking vets.

 

I think he does sometimes make mistakes.  Peterman was one of them.

 

IMO (no evidence for this) sometimes I think they promise vets like Gore or Sanders a certain amount of playing time if they sign here.

Whatever it is (maybe trust too?), seems like the vets get first dibs at playing time under McDermott, until almost undoubtedly proven otherwise.

[NewEra]

10 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

Yea… guess we can just rely on Josh Allen again to carry the offense to victory when the offensive line is getting blasted…. I mean, if the Bengals and that putrid offensive line can get to the SB the Bills can(although I don’t think ours was too far off from their line and they’ve actually addressed that hole). 

You’ve been screaming for an elite pass rusher for how long?  Well….. you have Von Miller.  The bengals had 10X the cap space as us.   They fixed their OL. Easier to do with your QB on his rookie contract    You can’t just compare every team to us and rant that we didn’t do what they did.  Situations be different. 

 

I just don’t understand what you expect of Beane.  To begin the offseason, you said you were hoping we could add 2 playmakers on both sides of the ball. He added the biggest defensive playmaker on the market. One that no one really thought we had oflanding  He added Howard, crowder, Duke Johnson, Saffold.  von Miller, Daquan jones and tim settle.  We had 2M in cap space.  
 

you always cry and whine about us not going all in.  Well….Beane went all in…..and you’re still crying and whining. 
 

RG must be addressed.  CB2 must be addressed.  They will be. And then you’ll find something else to whine and cry about. 

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by NewEra

[Numark3]

3 minutes ago, NewEra said:

You’ve been screaming for an elected pass rusher for how long?  Well….. you have Von Miller.  The bengals had 10X the cap space as us.   They fixed their OL. Easier to do with your QB on his rookie contract    You can’t just compare every team to us and rant that we didn’t do what they did.  Situations be different. 

 

I just don’t understand what you expect of Beane.  To begin the offseason, you said you were hoping we could add 2 playmakers on both sides of the ball. He added the biggest defensive playmaker on the market. One that no one really thought we had oflanding  He added Howard, crowder, Duke Johnson, Saffold.  von Miller, Daquan jones and tim settle.  We had 2M in cap space.  
 

you always cry and whine about us not going all in.  Well….Beane went all in…..and you’re still crying and whining. 
 

RG must be addressed.  CB2 must be addressed.  They will be. And then you’ll find something else to whine and cry about. 

 

 

He has been complaining every step of the way as this team has built itself into the superbowl favorites.  I mean, it says a lot about his opinions that what he complains about....works

[NewEra]

Pretty sure I’ve been reading different versions of the same exact thing for the last 17 years.  

[CSBill]

Checking in to see if the deadline has come? Is it business days, or does the weekend count?

 

The silence out of OBD deafening, I guess I need to get over it and accept that Mr. Bates is gone.

 

But I'm left wondering what the plan at RG is?

• Ford = Ugh! Maybe with a new coach he becomes what they had hoped. But hope is a very poor strategy.
• Tommy Doyle has been suggested = I doubt it.
• A vet signing = This fits Beane's MO, so more likely than the two above, but the clock is ticking.
• Draft a "Day One" Starter = No guarantees (isn't that what Ford was supposed to be?). A big risk, high reward thing.
• Or all of the above (and maybe a mid or late round draft pick as well), and "let the best man win." = This too, is risky. What about protecting QB1? Having a weakness at RG all season will be troubling.

So back to the original issue: Why let a dependable player like Bates walk when there is no obvious upgrade (or even equivalent) replacement in place ???

 

Beane has been a brilliant this off-season, but this one puzzles me.

[ddaryl]

4 minutes ago, CSBill said:

 

Beane has been a brilliant this off-season, but this one puzzles me.

this one and the CB situation is concerning at this junction

[Paul Costa]

Trust The Process 😀 Beane & Company have transformed our Football 🏈 Organization into one of the best in the NFL. He has a plan. You need not be worried. Just because you can’t see it don’t be troubled. Did you expect Von Miller in Buffalo 🦬?

[Buddo]

3 minutes ago, ddaryl said:

this one and the CB situation is concerning at this junction

 

Well, if the Bears have made it difficult, if not impossible for the Bills to match the offer (guesswork, not known), then at least there will be some money becoming available to address further one of those positions.

 

Tbh, I would expect a vet CB more likely to happen, as I think that's a more pressing need, and you will probably have to give any decent one, a few million, even if they are 'ring chasing'.

 

The FO seem to have done alot of work on the C/G position for the draft, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them use a decent pick on one, and another on a late rounder.

 

[ddaryl]

19 minutes ago, Buddo said:

 

Well, if the Bears have made it difficult, if not impossible for the Bills to match the offer (guesswork, not known), then at least there will be some money becoming available to address further one of those positions.

 

Tbh, I would expect a vet CB more likely to happen, as I think that's a more pressing need, and you will probably have to give any decent one, a few million, even if they are 'ring chasing'.

 

The FO seem to have done alot of work on the C/G position for the draft, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them use a decent pick on one, and another on a late rounder.

 

I agree but its still concerning until its resolved

Depending on a rookie in either position is equally concerning. I hope the rookies come in and win position battled convincingly but that's a tall order. Still hoping for a vet signing for both position to go along with 2 drafted players

[Doc]

57 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Who’s crying? 
 

The move for Miller was big. They absolutely needed a guy like that and they got him…. I was hoping their other priority would be to address the offensive line(and they still can as I’ve said numerous time) but right now they don’t have the necessary cap because they’ve mismanaged the defensive line by throwing money at it with poor signings since they’ve been here…. and have stuck to the rotation, which means investing more picks and cap there at the expense of other positions…. Let’s hope you are right and they find a way to get some good offensive linemen in here.

 

They still have moves they can make to free up cap space.  And the fallback option is probably Daryl Williams at RG again.

[oldmanfan]

1 hour ago, ScottLaw said:

Who’s crying? 
 

The move for Miller was big. They absolutely needed a guy like that and they got him…. I was hoping their other priority would be to address the offensive line(and they still can as I’ve said numerous time) but right now they don’t have the necessary cap because they’ve mismanaged the defensive line by throwing money at it with poor signings since they’ve been here…. and have stuck to the rotation, which means investing more picks and cap there at the expense of other positions…. Let’s hope you are right and they find a way to get some good offensive linemen in here.

They bring a guard or two in, you’ll switch to complaining about CBs.  They solve that you’ll beeyatch about the punter or something else.  Everyone gets your little act by now.

[atlbillsfan1975]

1 hour ago, ddaryl said:

this one and the CB situation is concerning at this junction

The one thing I learned last week was the Bills have allocated roughly $2.5 mil for Bates. This happens when you tender a player an offer.  If Bates signs someplace else that money gets added back to the Bills cap. Maybe one of those positions then gets addressed. I think the draft is also a place Beane feels very comfortable addressing IOL and CB.

Edited March 27, 2022 by atlbillsfan1975

[Turbo44]

8 minutes ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

The one thing I learned last week was the Bills have allocated roughly $2.5 mil for Bates. This happens when you tender a player an offer.  If Bates signs someplace else that money gets added back to the Bills cap. Maybe one of those positions then gets addressed. I think the draft is also a place Beane feels very comfortable addressing IOL and CB.

Not the complete 2.5m gets added back cuz the next highest contract hits the cap now - so prob a minimum contact of around $900,000. So around 1.6m becomes available - not a ton…..

 

I think the deadline to match is Wednesday 

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

7 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Complaining? Just stating facts… everyone seems to think CB is the glaring hole… at the moment their offensive line is essentially the same poor unit it was last season if Bates goes else where…. Only hoping they find a way to address it and prolong the longevity of the guy that really makes this team as good as it is in Josh Allen. 
 

No way I’ll B word about the punter… If they find a way to improve the offensive line I don’t expect them to punt much at all this season assuming McD stays aggressive. 👍🏻

I don't think the Bills need a dominant offensive line. What so they can run the ball and take the ball out of Josh's hands? Nah. Running a lot is for losers.

 

Just be decent in pass pro and you're good. If Doc is correct and the fallback is Williams then he fits that thinking. Kromer will help too, you've ignored that. The OL seems fine to me. Upgrade it for what purpose exactly?

 

I feel the same about corner. Early in their tenure Derm and Frazier were forced to start an in-season FA called Ryan Lewis at CB and you couldn't tell the difference. The Bills have Tre White and Dane Jackson. They're mostly good. They need a depth piece who can maybe start early in the year if Tre isn't quite ready. Draft one in the 3rd or 4th and be done with it.

 

There's a lot of concern going around over these perceived needs and yes they need to add decent players but these aren't spots where they need all-pros.

[Einstein's Dog]

19 hours ago, Einstein said:

I’m genuinely surprised that Beane allowed a measly $1 million to be the difference between keeping and losing Bates.

But then we would be saying how surprised we are that for a measly additional $1 million we could have added Trai Turner.

[Motor26]

4 minutes ago, 2020 Our Year For Sure said:

I don't think the Bills need a dominant offensive line. What so they can run the ball and take the ball out of Josh's hands? Nah. Running a lot is for losers.

 

Just be decent in pass pro and you're good. If Doc is correct and the fallback is Williams then he fits that thinking. Kromer will help too, you've ignored that. The OL seems fine to me. Upgrade it for what purpose exactly?

 

I feel the same about corner. Early in their tenure Derm and Frazier were forced to start an in-season FA called Ryan Lewis at CB and you couldn't tell the difference. The Bills have Tre White and Dane Jackson. They're mostly good. They need a depth piece who can maybe start early in the year if Tre isn't quite ready. Draft one in the 3rd or 4th and be done with it.

 

There's a lot of concern going around over these perceived needs and yes they need to add decent players but these aren't spots where they need all-pros.

Ummm Josh was the most pressured QB in the NFL last season, so they weren’t even decent in pass protection. What about the oline seems fine to you? 

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

2 minutes ago, Motor26 said:

Ummm Josh was the most pressured QB in the NFL last season, so they weren’t even decent in pass protection. What about the oline seems fine to you? 

They also had Feliciano and Ford starting games and no Kromer.

 

If they were to add Williams at RG what's the issue with the OL?

[Blank Stare]

Posted this over in the cap thread, but thought it might be better here:

 

One of the questions you have to answer is whether you think what little salary cap space we have left (or a few extra moves that would have to be made depending on the bears offer) should be used to retain Bates and forego a veteran corner OR let Bates walk and go grab a guy like Haden to hold the fort until Tre is back. 
 

My preference is to retain Bates. Reason? I think he can be a good guard in this league and it should be all about doing everything you can to protect and enhance Josh. Yes, you can grab a starting guard in the draft, but I’m not sure I want to wait for that guy to “get it”. Kromer helps with that, but I still prefer to keep Bates and draft a depth guard in the mid to late rounds of the draft. With respect to corner, I think this staff believes in Dane Jackson. This is also the position I feel most comfortable about McD’s ability to draft a guy (not necessarily in the first round, but I wouldn’t hate that) and coach him up. 

[Motor26]

Just now, 2020 Our Year For Sure said:

They also had Feliciano and Ford starting games and no Kromer.

 

If they were to add Williams at RG what's the issue with the OL?

Williams sucks, Brown wasn’t very good last year. Those two next to each other just wasn’t good. If you think the OL is in a good place right now then I don’t know what to tell you.