It’s not the draft execution so much as it’s the draft strategy

[Ga boy]

1 hour ago, Dopey said:

We were 4-3 vs playoff teams including the playoff loss. 

Ravens scored 19 on us

Even in a loss to Miami(a playoff team) we held them to 212 total yards. 

The SB champs scored 20 in us. 
Are they supposed to let up on non playoff teams? 

Good take.  Nice to be reminded of this.  When our offense is humming, our D looks and plays better.  I bet the offense looked good in those 4 wins.  We need to pretty much stay put with our D and  rev up the offense.  Give JA17 a second more time and the D will look better.

[Don Otreply]

6 hours ago, BobbyC81 said:

Let’s see.  The Bills were 4th in points in 2022, 3rd in 2021 and 2nd in 2020.  OMG, it’s a decreasing trend!
 

Looks like a powerhouse offense to me.

That gets bumped out of the playoffs for the last three seasons, the team has a lot going for it to say the least, but there are short comings on both sides of the ball, and the buck stops on the GMs HCs & coordinators desks, it is they who are not adapting or the players are not doing what they want done, either way, it’s on them to make appropriate changes in play design or personnel to achieve the goal. 
 

GO BILLS!!!

[BarleyNY]

13 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Coming off last year, the offense had just set NFL playoff records over its two games.  Josh Allen had 9 TDs and almost 800 yards in 2 games with no turnovers.  But…Our defense just surrendered 42 points, including giving up 17 points in final 2 of regulation and opening drive of OT.  
 

It was not crazy to look at our playoffs and feel much better about the offense than the defense heading into last season.  Davis seemed to be on the rise too, just about everyone expected more from him this year than what he did.  
 

Between the previous 2 seasons of 2020 and 2021, we combined to score the most points in the entire NFL.  Literally the most points of any team over that span.  

 

You also are ignoring we still drafted Cook in the 2nd and Shakir to go along with signing some guys for the offense like Crowder and trading for Hines mid season.  The offense was not ignored to the degree you are trying to say here.  And we badly needed a CB given Tre was far from ready.  
 

End of the day, Crowder got hurt and Dorsey failed to incorporate Cook, Shakir and Hines effectively into the offense most the season.  

So like I said in my last post, really hard to fault the FO for seeing the defense as a bigger issue after the KC loss than the offense was. 

 

First, I’d say that looking at the draft to solve short term needs is generally ineffective and leads to reaches and other mistakes. The Bills have made this mistake in the last couple of drafts with their early picks. I’m not saying that all of the players won’t work out, but they certainly painted themselves into a couple of corners. The draft should be for long term roster building and the deficiencies on offense show a lack of attention over the long term to those needs. 

[bigK14094]

I just read a 2020 redraft article on the Athletic.  Gabe Davis was shown as a late 1st rounder.  Hmmmm...Bean doesn't miss them all.  Despite Davis problems this  year (22) he is great for a late rounder.

Edited February 21, 2023 by bigK14094
Spelling

[Alphadawg7]

1 hour ago, BarleyNY said:

First, I’d say that looking at the draft to solve short term needs is generally ineffective and leads to reaches and other mistakes. The Bills have made this mistake in the last couple of drafts with their early picks. I’m not saying that all of the players won’t work out, but they certainly painted themselves into a couple of corners. The draft should be for long term roster building and the deficiencies on offense show a lack of attention over the long term to those needs. 

 

I am not saying this to be rude, but all your comments are like you have no recollection of the state of the roster during the offseason after the KC game.  We were not just down Tre, we lost Levi too and had no corners on the roster that could for sure start.  It was our biggest hole, it was not a short term need.  We only had 5 corners on the roster in 2021 to begin with, then lost both starters.  It is also why we later took Benford, we needed more corner help than even just 1 guy because we were so thin.

 

So drafting a corner was in no way "using the draft to solve short term needs", it was our biggest hole on the team.  And in a division with Hill and Waddle and a conference where need to go through the Chiefs and Bengals, entering the season with no starting CB's was never going to happen.  There were plenty of people in denial about needing a corner, people who just thought Tre was going to magically be back to himself and start week 1 and Dane was going to anchor the other side.  But that was a lot of wishful thinking and never likely to happen.  The reality was, we needed a corner and corner was a strength of the draft.  KC even traded up to get a corner (and just won the SB) because it was so obvious corner at our pick made the most sense based on who was on the board and the needs of our team.  

 

So that was a long term roster building move, and good corners are expensive, best way to acquire talented CB's on a team with a tight cap is through the draft.  

Edited February 21, 2023 by Alphadawg7

[BarleyNY]

7 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

I am not saying this to be rude, but all your comments are like you have no recollection of the state of the roster during the offseason after the KC game.  We were not just down Tre, we lost Levi too and had no corners on the roster that could for sure start.  It was our biggest hole, it was not a short term need.  We only had 5 corners on the roster in 2021 to begin with, then lost both starters.  It is also why we later took Benford, we needed more corner help than even just 1 guy because we were so thin.

 

So drafting a corner was in no way "using the draft to solve short term needs", it was our biggest hole on the team.  And in a division with Hill and Waddle and a conference where need to go through the Chiefs and Bengals, entering the season with no starting CB's was never going to happen.  There were plenty of people in denial about needing a corner, people who just thought Tre was going to magically be back to himself and start week 1 and Dane was going to anchor the other side.  But that was a lot of wishful thinking and never likely to happen.  The reality was, we needed a corner and corner was a strength of the draft.  KC even traded up to get a corner (and just won the SB) because it was so obvious corner at our pick made the most sense based on who was on the board and the needs of our team.  

 

So that was a long term roster building move, and good corners are expensive, best way to acquire talented CB's on a team with a tight cap is through the draft.  

Prior to the draft I not only predicted that the Bills first round pick would be a CB, but I predicted that we’d trade up slightly to take that CB. The reason was that it was so incredibly obvious we’d have to draft one we would get jumped for our player if we didn’t move up. That is the epitome of drafting for need.

 

I don’t know how you can talk about how important corners are in our division, but completely ignore how important better wide receivers would be. I’d think WR2 and WR3 would be worth investing more than day 3 picks. Meanwhile we’ve got two first round picks invested in CBs. The lines are even more unbalanced. Two firsts and a huge FA contract on the DL with two seconds backing them up. Meanwhile the OL has a second and a third on it - less than what’s backing up the DL.

 

I do not begrudge using some resources on the defense - especially at CB and DL, but there’s no balance here. Josh Allen is by far this team’s biggest asset. My point is that we should invest in optimizing that asset. The fact that this is an offense driven league only make that more critical to the Bills success. 

[FireChans]

13 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Prior to the draft I not only predicted that the Bills first round pick would be a CB, but I predicted that we’d trade up slightly to take that CB. The reason was that it was so incredibly obvious we’d have to draft one we would get jumped for our player if we didn’t move up. That is the epitome of drafting for need.

 

I don’t know how you can talk about how important corners are in our division, but completely ignore how important better wide receivers would be. I’d think WR2 and WR3 would be worth investing more than day 3 picks. Meanwhile we’ve got two first round picks invested in CBs. The lines are even more unbalanced. Two firsts and a huge FA contract on the DL with two seconds backing them up. Meanwhile the OL has a second and a third on it - less than what’s backing up the DL.

 

I do not begrudge using some resources on the defense - especially at CB and DL, but there’s no balance here. Josh Allen is by far this team’s biggest asset. My point is that we should invest in optimizing that asset. The fact that this is an offense driven league only make that more critical to the Bills success. 

The Bills draft for defense and use FA for offense primarily. It’s been a little one sided perhaps, but the offense is basically an FA fest compared to the D. 
 

I think Beane’s strategy is that competent OL players can be found for relatively cheap dollars. The list of OL signed since 2018 is staggering, we just haven’t gotten enough guys who are competent.

 

I will say it again, the Bills went out and addressed their three biggest needs last off-season. Premiere pass rusher, IOL, and CB. The pass rusher worked out until injury, the IOL was a total bust and the jury is out on the CB. And that’s how a team that was supposed to take a step forward, doesn’t. The execution failed.

Edited February 21, 2023 by FireChans

[BarleyNY]

20 minutes ago, FireChans said:

The Bills draft for defense and use FA for offense primarily. It’s been a little one sided perhaps, but the offense is basically an FA fest compared to the D. 
 

I think Beane’s strategy is that competent OL players can be found for relatively cheap dollars. The list of OL signed since 2018 is staggering, we just haven’t gotten enough guys who are competent.

 

I will say it again, the Bills went out and addressed their three biggest needs last off-season. Premiere pass rusher, IOL, and CB. The pass rusher worked out until injury, the IOL was a total bust and the jury is out on the CB. And that’s how a team that was supposed to take a step forward, doesn’t. The execution failed.

Just because their execution failed doesn’t mean it was the correct strategy.

[FireChans]

5 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Just because their execution failed doesn’t mean it was the correct strategy.

Sure, but it also doesn't mean it was the "incorrect" strategy.

 

Do you think the season goes different if Saffold is a top 15 G, Kaiir is a starter in camp and never lets the job go (like Tre White did 6 years ago), and Von never tears his ACL?

 

I do.

[Paup 1995MVP]

22 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

The issue has been that Fraziers defenses have continued to lay down and look totally out classed in our playoff losses, especially the past 3 years.  He has given up 107 points and 1403 yards just in our last 3 playoff losses.  Those 3 teams would all lose the next week and combine for just 56 points and 1034 yards in those games, substantially less than when they played against our D just one week earlier.  In fact we gave up more than double those points to those same teams, and we had MUCH higher ranked defenses those years too.

 

And when you see those juggernaut offenses get slowed down and lose after having their way with Buffalo, it is hard to fault the FO feeling like our defense needs to get better.  And the most frustrating part about it was that our defense had a lot of talent on it, so it felt like making an improvement in a specific area would take that D to the next level.  

 

So I have a hard time faulting Beane for believing defenses improvements would be what helped get us over the top, especially with an already potent offense where Allen was still ascending and expected to keep getting better.  Plus this year, there were quite a bit more expectations from Gabe Davis who really put up a rather disappointing season, and so much so that there are real questions if he is even capable of being a quality #2 WR or better suited to be a #3.  

 

But lets also not forget, we have spent many valuable draft picks on offense as well along the way, it wasn't totally ignored like a lot of people seem to want to believe.  Investing a first into Diggs, and multiple 2nd's and 3rds on OL, RB's, and TE.  

 

And even looking at the drafting of Cook and Shakir last year.  Our first year OC struggled to involve them most the season in the game plan.  And with Cook, they struggled more to use him in the way they envisioned which was as a receiving weapon for Josh.  Then they traded for Hines to also help in the passing game as a weapon for Josh...and again, Dorsey couldn't get him involved.  

 

So I also can't fault Beane for a first ever OC not being able to better utilize the players on the roster.  However, the top heavy investment into D for me is more a result of Fraziers Defenses getting embarrassed in the playoff losses ending our season.

There is nothing wrong with drafting defense.  Every team wants and needs at least a decent defense.  Our problem is a lot of the guys we are drafting or bringing in on defense are just not real good.  Or we are not coaching them up.  Or the system we are playing is not right for these players skill set.  Epenesa and Basham have done next to nothing as 2nd round picks.  Rousseau has been better, but certainly not dominating.  Other then Von Miller, who is a real impact player on the D Line.  Ed Oliver has not played like a top 10 pick.  We had Hughes and Addison.  They were pretty much done in 2021.  Settle did nothing this year.  DaQuan Jones was good for us.  But certainly was not an absolute terror.  Lawson and Phillips were solid, but not very good to great.  At LB Milano is a stud.  Edmonds was good this year.  But still is not overly instinctual.  And is not worth the money someone will pay him going forward.  Who else have we brought in at LB?  Bernard Dodsen Andre Smith  Baylen Spector AJ Klein and Matekevich.  Nothing overly special there.  Although I think Spector may have some game, and Klein is a cagey veteran who plays smart.  The strength of the D has been the secondary.  But losing Hyde and Poyer being injured a bunch, and the Tre White knee injury certainly set the secondary and the D back.  Hopefully the coaches will find a way to maximize the talent of Elam and Benford, and can get both on the field at the same time.  For my money I would let Dane Jackson Jaquon Johnson and Dean Marlowe all walk.  None of them should be playing in an NFL secondary.  

 

Overall, when you look at the defense, there is just not enough talent and athleticism.  I think that falls on Beane.  Combined with the scheme not matching up with the skills of the players on the roster.  (One shout out goes to Taron Johnson.  He gets the most out of his game every season and every game.  But a guy his size should not be expected to make so many tackles.)  The defense just seems like a big cluster.  And once Von went down, teams figured us out.  And guys were wide open all over the field in every game at the end of the season.  A lot of work needs to be done to tighten things up on the defense.  Lets hope Beane McDermott and staff are up to the challenge.

[Alphadawg7]

3 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Prior to the draft I not only predicted that the Bills first round pick would be a CB, but I predicted that we’d trade up slightly to take that CB. The reason was that it was so incredibly obvious we’d have to draft one we would get jumped for our player if we didn’t move up. That is the epitome of drafting for need.

 

I don’t know how you can talk about how important corners are in our division, but completely ignore how important better wide receivers would be. I’d think WR2 and WR3 would be worth investing more than day 3 picks. Meanwhile we’ve got two first round picks invested in CBs. The lines are even more unbalanced. Two firsts and a huge FA contract on the DL with two seconds backing them up. Meanwhile the OL has a second and a third on it - less than what’s backing up the DL.

 

I do not begrudge using some resources on the defense - especially at CB and DL, but there’s no balance here. Josh Allen is by far this team’s biggest asset. My point is that we should invest in optimizing that asset. The fact that this is an offense driven league only make that more critical to the Bills success. 

 

To be clear, I am all about improving the offense this year.  My only and original point is that I don't fault the front office last offseason seeing bigger issues on the defensive side of the ball given how our offense and defense performed in the post season and the major holes at CB and also still lacking a pass rush.  

 

In terms of this year:

 

Because I do not trust Frazier at all anymore and hate that he seems to be here again, I would let Edmunds, and probably Poyer walk and I would try and trade Oliver this offseason.  I would target Al-Shaair out of SF as a cheaper Edmunds replacement.  Oliver I would trade based on the fact I think his cost will exceed his value next year and I have a hard time seeing them pay him what he will likely get in FA.  I do not think he is consistent enough to warrant the cap hit it will take to retain him, and rather than let him walk, I would trade him for more picks in this draft to continue to revamp this team.  A combo of Jones, Phillips, and Settle is a strong enough DT core and they can still add another guy in FA or the draft.  

 

I would spend a large portion of the money saved this year and next (not having to pay Oliver) to focus on the offense, as well as some components in the draft.  Get 2 to 3 new OL starters, another stud playmaker at receiver (after Davis showed he isn't the answer), and an upgrade at RB to go along with it.  In FA, someone like D'Onta Foreman would be a quality signing to compliment Cook, or they can always look to the draft too if there are guys they covet there.  

 

BUT:  All that being said, I still do not fault the FO for seeing the defense as a bigger weakness last offseason given the holes we had and having just fielded the #1 scoring offense over the previous 2 seasons in the entire NFL.  

[BarleyNY]

13 minutes ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

There is nothing wrong with drafting defense.  Every team wants and needs at least a decent defense.  Our problem is a lot of the guys we are drafting or bringing in on defense are just not real good.  Or we are not coaching them up.  Or the system we are playing is not right for these players skill set.  Epenesa and Basham have done next to nothing as 2nd round picks.  Rousseau has been better, but certainly not dominating.  Other then Von Miller, who is a real impact player on the D Line.  Ed Oliver has not played like a top 10 pick.  We had Hughes and Addison.  They were pretty much done in 2021.  Settle did nothing this year.  DaQuan Jones was good for us.  But certainly was not an absolute terror.  Lawson and Phillips were solid, but not very good to great.  At LB Milano is a stud.  Edmonds was good this year.  But still is not overly instinctual.  And is not worth the money someone will pay him going forward.  Who else have we brought in at LB?  Bernard Dodsen Andre Smith  Baylen Spector AJ Klein and Matekevich.  Nothing overly special there.  Although I think Spector may have some game, and Klein is a cagey veteran who plays smart.  The strength of the D has been the secondary.  But losing Hyde and Poyer being injured a bunch, and the Tre White knee injury certainly set the secondary and the D back.  Hopefully the coaches will find a way to maximize the talent of Elam and Benford, and can get both on the field at the same time.  For my money I would let Dane Jackson Jaquon Johnson and Dean Marlowe all walk.  None of them should be playing in an NFL secondary.  

 

Overall, when you look at the defense, there is just not enough talent and athleticism.  I think that falls on Beane.  Combined with the scheme not matching up with the skills of the players on the roster.  (One shout out goes to Taron Johnson.  He gets the most out of his game every season and every game.  But a guy his size should not be expected to make so many tackles.)  The defense just seems like a big cluster.  And once Von went down, teams figured us out.  And guys were wide open all over the field in every game at the end of the season.  A lot of work needs to be done to tighten things up on the defense.  Lets hope Beane McDermott and staff are up to the challenge.

Honestly, I agree with all of that. I think the failures you list are another reason I’d like to see more resources allocated to the offense. I’m not saying that we should neglect the defense, but in this league and with our QB the offense should get half or a little more than half. To date it hasn’t been anywhere close to that. 

[FireChans]

19 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Honestly, I agree with all of that. I think the failures you list are another reason I’d like to see more resources allocated to the offense. I’m not saying that we should neglect the defense, but in this league and with our QB the offense should get half or a little more than half. To date it hasn’t been anywhere close to that. 

Would it surprise you to learn the Bills drafted 4 OL players in the last 2 years?  They all just sucked.

 

"We need to focus on drafting for offense" becomes "drafting for need" pretty quick. Something everyone seems to freak out about all the time.

[Alphadawg7]

28 minutes ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

There is nothing wrong with drafting defense.  Every team wants and needs at least a decent defense.  Our problem is a lot of the guys we are drafting or bringing in on defense are just not real good.  Or we are not coaching them up.  Or the system we are playing is not right for these players skill set.  Epenesa and Basham have done next to nothing as 2nd round picks.  Rousseau has been better, but certainly not dominating.  Other then Von Miller, who is a real impact player on the D Line.  Ed Oliver has not played like a top 10 pick.  We had Hughes and Addison.  They were pretty much done in 2021.  Settle did nothing this year.  DaQuan Jones was good for us.  But certainly was not an absolute terror.  Lawson and Phillips were solid, but not very good to great.  At LB Milano is a stud.  Edmonds was good this year.  But still is not overly instinctual.  And is not worth the money someone will pay him going forward.  Who else have we brought in at LB?  Bernard Dodsen Andre Smith  Baylen Spector AJ Klein and Matekevich.  Nothing overly special there.  Although I think Spector may have some game, and Klein is a cagey veteran who plays smart.  The strength of the D has been the secondary.  But losing Hyde and Poyer being injured a bunch, and the Tre White knee injury certainly set the secondary and the D back.  Hopefully the coaches will find a way to maximize the talent of Elam and Benford, and can get both on the field at the same time.  For my money I would let Dane Jackson Jaquon Johnson and Dean Marlowe all walk.  None of them should be playing in an NFL secondary.  

 

Overall, when you look at the defense, there is just not enough talent and athleticism.  I think that falls on Beane.  Combined with the scheme not matching up with the skills of the players on the roster.  (One shout out goes to Taron Johnson.  He gets the most out of his game every season and every game.  But a guy his size should not be expected to make so many tackles.)  The defense just seems like a big cluster.  And once Von went down, teams figured us out.  And guys were wide open all over the field in every game at the end of the season.  A lot of work needs to be done to tighten things up on the defense.  Lets hope Beane McDermott and staff are up to the challenge.

 

I think that is more the issue...our system is the core problem is my personal opinion, and its why I have turned sour on Frazier.  Our number 1 and number ranked defenses were inept in the postseason the past 2 seasons which were clearly our best shots since Kelly era at a SB.  Meanwhile, the very offenses that dominated us were held in check the next week and both lost to teams with the 16th and 17th ranked defenses.  

 

Additionally, after putting up 2 sacks for the Bills last year, and 4.5 sacks the 2 years prior to that...Hughes was let go and put up 9 sacks on the leagues worst team this year.  Despite the fact he was labeled washed by most everyone here at his age.  

 

At some point, when our defense is hemorrhaging points and yards every post season exit and you are still not getting pressure despite the investments in the front 7 to get pressure you have to start looking at the system.  Not only did we give up a FG to Chiefs in 13 seconds last year, we did it again this year in just 12 seconds at end of first half in KC.  

 

I have lost all faith in our defensive system being the right fit.  I know it also has McD's fingerprints on this defense, but I think this defense can use some new thoughts and concepts to incorporate into it.  Not to mention, McD already had to strip Frazier of his play calling duties before in the past, and the D instantly improved.  In the Cincy game, it was reported by Tim Graham that McD was screaming when he saw our DB's ten yards off the LOS on a key 3rd and 4 as well, but Frazier and the D didn't adjust and gave up the easiest conversion.  

 

Something has to change defensively IMHO.  And while I don't expect any kind of complete over haul while McD is the HC, I would like to see some new thoughts, new play calling, and new blood inserted into it.  

[BarleyNY]

2 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

To be clear, I am all about improving the offense this year.  My only and original point is that I don't fault the front office last offseason seeing bigger issues on the defensive side of the ball given how our offense and defense performed in the post season and the major holes at CB and also still lacking a pass rush.  

 

In terms of this year:

 

Because I do not trust Frazier at all anymore and hate that he seems to be here again, I would let Edmunds, and probably Poyer walk and I would try and trade Oliver this offseason.  I would target Al-Shaair out of SF as a cheaper Edmunds replacement.  Oliver I would trade based on the fact I think his cost will exceed his value next year and I have a hard time seeing them pay him what he will likely get in FA.  I do not think he is consistent enough to warrant the cap hit it will take to retain him, and rather than let him walk, I would trade him for more picks in this draft to continue to revamp this team.  A combo of Jones, Phillips, and Settle is a strong enough DT core and they can still add another guy in FA or the draft.  

 

I would spend a large portion of the money saved this year and next (not having to pay Oliver) to focus on the offense, as well as some components in the draft.  Get 2 to 3 new OL starters, another stud playmaker at receiver (after Davis showed he isn't the answer), and an upgrade at RB to go along with it.  In FA, someone like D'Onta Foreman would be a quality signing to compliment Cook, or they can always look to the draft too if there are guys they covet there.  

 

BUT:  All that being said, I still do not fault the FO for seeing the defense as a bigger weakness last offseason given the holes we had and having just fielded the #1 scoring offense over the previous 2 seasons in the entire NFL.  

I largely agree with your preferred direction moving forward. I just think the draft is about the long term and we’re seeing issues with our offense because it has taken a backseat to the defense during this regime. We’ve got an elite QB and WR1 plus good young players at LT and TE1. Beyond that we’ve got a good, but aging C with injury concerns and maybe a little hope at RB and RT, but no sure things there. If the Bills had put some real offensive talent in the pipeline we would not be looking at the problems we are starting to see today. 

[FireChans]

3 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

I think that is more the issue...our system is the core problem is my personal opinion, and its why I have turned sour on Frazier.  Our number 1 and number ranked defenses were inept in the postseason the past 2 seasons which were clearly our best shots since Kelly era at a SB.  Meanwhile, the very offenses that dominated us were held in check the next week and both lost to teams with the 16th and 17th ranked defenses.  

 

Additionally, after putting up 2 sacks for the Bills last year, and 4.5 sacks the 2 years prior to that...Hughes was let go and put up 9 sacks on the leagues worst team this year.  Despite the fact he was labeled washed by most everyone here at his age.  

 

At some point, when our defense is hemorrhaging points and yards every post season exit and you are still not getting pressure despite the investments in the front 7 to get pressure you have to start looking at the system.  Not only did we give up a FG to Chiefs in 13 seconds last year, we did it again this year in just 12 seconds at end of first half in KC.  

 

I have lost all faith in our defensive system being the right fit.  I know it also has McD's fingerprints on this defense, but I think this defense can use some new thoughts and concepts to incorporate into it.  Not to mention, McD already had to strip Frazier of his play calling duties before in the past, and the D instantly improved.  In the Cincy game, it was reported by Tim Graham that McD was screaming when he saw our DB's ten yards off the LOS on a key 3rd and 4 as well, but Frazier and the D didn't adjust and gave up the easiest conversion.  

 

Something has to change defensively IMHO.  And while I don't expect any kind of complete over haul while McD is the HC, I would like to see some new thoughts, new play calling, and new blood inserted into it.  

We should sign a truly elite pass rusher to deliver in big moments.....

[C.Biscuit97]

With all due respect, this stuff is silly. When you are a SB caliber team and don’t make it, you can pick apart your team and their drafts. It’s why it’s so crazy how mad people get at drafts. KC passed up on Tee Higgins for CHE. The pats had a ton of terrible picks. If your team is good enough, you can overcome it. 

[BillsVet]

37 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Just because their execution failed doesn’t mean it was the correct strategy.

 

Buffalo's draft picks typically are reflective of the HC.  As in, all too often OBD takes the safe approach that limits risk, but means the reward is typically smaller. 

 

The one time they abandoned that principle was taking Josh, who was physically the most gifted talent in that draft.  Rousseau and Spencer Brown fit that concept, but then they went back to safe in 2022 taking Cook and Bernard along with another RD1 CB.  They're just not bold very often and that's the price teams need to pay to remain competitive.   

 

These 6 off-seasons have been a slow grind of improving, over-paying or paying market value for talent, and struggling to keep up with the league's elite.  In that regard, their strategy is safe and frequently decisions to support that are not executed well.    

[LABILLBACKER]

3 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

First, I’d say that looking at the draft to solve short term needs is generally ineffective and leads to reaches and other mistakes. The Bills have made this mistake in the last couple of drafts with their early picks. I’m not saying that all of the players won’t work out, but they certainly painted themselves into a couple of corners. The draft should be for long term roster building and the deficiencies on offense show a lack of attention over the long term to those needs. 

The team needed to start building a dominant OL in front of Josh after the Houston game. But from 20-22 they chose to emphasize defense which put Josh in the impossible position to "do it all".  Now that alot of these defensive acquisitions (draft/FA) have failed, we ask even more of Josh to dig this team out of it's bad decisions.  This is ALL on McB.

Edited February 21, 2023 by LABILLBACKER

[BarleyNY]

15 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Would it surprise you to learn the Bills drafted 4 OL players in the last 2 years?  They all just sucked.

 

"We need to focus on drafting for offense" becomes "drafting for need" pretty quick. Something everyone seems to freak out about all the time.

I forgot about Tenuta. So that’s one each in rounds 3, 5, 6 & 7. Plus Saffold. Whoop. Meanwhile the DL gets Von Miller, several other FAs and one pick each in rounds 1 & 2. Let’s discuss the difference there. Hit rates plummet as the draft goes on. Round one breakdown is about: 1/3 of players are good enough to stay with their team after their rookie deal, 1/3 are good enough to play out their rookie deal and then play elsewhere and 1/3 bust. Round two is about 25% same team, 35% different team, 40% bust. It slides down from there. By the time you get to day 3 you’re buying lottery tickets. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t have taken some shots, but it’s not the same thing as using premium picks.