Brandon Beane Set To Double Down on 2022’s Big Disappointments

[Gugny]

21 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Davis was only a disappointment because people had unreasonably high expectations for him. I suggest you look up #2 WR around the NFL last year and I think you would be surprised at where Davis ranked among them. That high ankle sprain really limited him a lot more than he let on for 4-5 games at least, which likely hurt his production.

 

 

Beasley is definitely standing up for Davis on Twitter.

[blacklabel]

On 4/6/2023 at 10:04 AM, John from Riverside said:

Basically, except for Tremaine Edmunds, not much is changed from this 13 and 3 team from last year

 

It’s kind of humorous to me to listen to some of them talk it’s like we were seven and nine

 

Lotta guys played hurt and it wasn't pretty at times but they won. Would I like to see Josh have some time back there and not have to take off scrambling after 0.8 seconds? Yeah, but I'm not gonna jump online and crap-talk the players or proclaim they should be cut or replaced. 

 

It reminds me of this older fella I used to work with way back when. We would watch the Sabres games and every time a puck got past Ryan Miller he would be like, "He's a bum! Get him outta there!" And replace him with who, exactly? Players are in their spots because they are the best option on the team. It feels like a lot of fans find it so simple to just cut bait with any player at any time and just go out and pick up a guy who they expect to be ten times better than the previous guy. It's enough to make you wanna shmack your head against the wall. This stuff is supposed to be fun. Since the playoff loss it's like some folks here are on a crusade to try and make others believe this team is doodie. Bah. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

On 4/5/2023 at 11:47 PM, JohnNord said:

I took another listen to the Brandon Beane interviews after the season and at the combine.  What stuck out to me was his defense of players than were much maligned by the fan base.  
 

In my opinion, the three of his former draft picks who didn’t “take the next step” in 2022, are being counted on to “take the next step” in 2023.  
 

This season will prove to see if The Bills faith in these players will be rewarded. 
 

Spencer Brown

Brown was the Bills worst lineman at times in 2022 which is notable considering how poorly Roger Saffold played.  
 

Still, Beane was effusive in his praise and defense of Brown.  He point blank said he had confidence in him and listed some reason for his poor performance in 2022.
 

These comments make me think that the Bills won’t invest a high draft pick at tackle and will again roll the dice that Brown greatly improves.  

Gabe Davis

Like Brown, Beane was quick to defend Gabe citing “unrealistic expectations” from his amazing playoff performance and a numbers of injuries. 

 

Losing faith in Davis as a true WR2, many fans wanted the Bills to make a big move.  Some foolish fans convinced themselves to believe the lying huckster on Twitter “ErieCountyBills” who said they were trading for DeAndre Hopkins.  All false hope.

 

It’s doubtful the Bills make a huge move at WR like OBJ or Hopkins given the context,    Because Davis is a FA in 2024 I can see a scenario where they draft a WR in the first 3 rounds.  But again, when it comes to WR2 in 2023, the Bills are putting their faith in Davis to improve yet again.  
 

Ed Oliver

Same story with Ed Oliver.   Nice player.  Not a difference maker unless he plays against a BAD offensive line…or on Thanksgiving.  

 

Beane again defended Oliver mentioning how the things he does go unnoticed and that he fought through injuries.  He did mention that he left “more meat on the bone.”  But Beane could have said this during any of Oliver’s seasons in Buffalo.  
 

Because of his guaranteed 5th year option, The Bills likely didn’t have a choice but to have faith in Oliver.  But I can definitely see the Bills use a higher draft selection on a DT given the contract situation.  
 

The concern for me, is that we’ve seen the Bills make similar excuses for players in the past and it hasn’t worked out (Star, Cody Ford, Zach Moss, AJ Epinesa, Boogie Basham).  IMO a big part of next season will be whether the faith the Bills placed in these former draft picks will pay off…

Some players need time to develop. People act like the writing is on the wall for Basham & Epenesa. Even Rousseau to an extent. These guys still could become good or great players. It’s nice to have guys dominate on their rookie contracts, but the DE position usually takes a few years and to come into their own. Basham only has 2 seasons under his belt.

I am a huge Gabe Davis supporter. Take away his drops (which has never been an issue in years prior) and he would’ve been well over 1000 yards. 836 + 7 TDs is a SOLID season and statistically puts him in the upper echelon of #2s. Combine his numbers w/ Diggs and that his amazing production from your 2 outside WRs. Hopkins would be nice, but he is a luxury considering the glaring problems on the offensive line.
 

As far as Ed Oliver goes…I think he is a massive disappointment for his draft position. Buffalo should unload him for whatever they can get. It’s pretty sad when you get outplayed by journeyman 31 yr old Daquan Jones. There is really no drop off whether Oliver is on or off the field which makes him expendable. Buffalo should try their luck on a later round athletic developmental prospect. The top picks need to be offensive oriented. The defense is still going to be a top unit without Edmunds or Oliver. 

Edited April 7, 2023 by ChronicAndKnuckles

[Thurman#1]

49 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

Yeah, it's time for them to up their game on draft day.  

 

I'd like to think they learned their lesson drafting for need in 2019 picking Cody Ford but then last year they went straight-up need in rounds 1-2, so I'm not confident much has changed.   

 

Their drafts all seem engineered to be safe.  Not a lot of calculated risk, aside from the move to take Josh 5 years ago.  Aside from that, it's been a lot picks with limited ceilings, though I thought Rousseau was an excellent decision 2 years ago.  

 

 

I'd strongly disagree with "safe" and "limited ceilings." They've made extreme athleticism a consistent focus. We go after guys with really high RAS scores, and those guys don't generally have low ceilings.

 

[Einstein's Dog]

19 hours ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

To me, the Bills approach this offseason is the same as it was in 2021 and 2022. 

On the whole, their approach seems to be keep as much of the team together from the 2020 run as possible. 

 

So, it looks like the improvement will have to come from within the existing players on the roster. I can see the player in Round 1 going to MLB, DE or DT, and Round 2 maybe the Bills go WR? 

 

Still, outside of a homerun pick (like a DK Metcalf kind of revelation), a rookie WR still slots in somewhere behind Diggs and competing with Davis, Harty and Knox for meaningful targets. 

I agree with most of what you are saying, similar approach to years past.  But just last year the FO made the Von move.  I was hoping for a veteran WR move but seems like a long shot.

 

As for year over year improvement it may come down to improving existing players, but also can be done with improved coaching. 

 

McD can use the players in a more aggressive and less predictable style.   Dorsey could get the short swing game to another level (with the improvement of Cook/Shakir/Allen).  And Kromer needs to get his act together and get this OL cohesive (I had big expectations that went unfilled last year).

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

 

Davis was only a disappointment because people had unreasonably high expectations for him. I suggest you look up #2 WR around the NFL last year and I think you would be surprised at where Davis ranked among them. That high ankle sprain really limited him a lot more than he let on for 4-5 games at least, which likely hurt his production.

 

Very true. And his route tree has an extremely high percentage of go balls and deep routes with lower catch percentages. He's averaging what 17+ ypr? If he had a catch percentage in the high 60% range with that ypr he'd be an all-pro candidate at the position. Those are not reasonable expectations for a #2 WR. 

 

I still go back to that Colt's WC game and we really owe it to Davis and Allen in that game for delivering the Bills their first playoff win in 25+ years. IMO, Davis just needs to see a touch fewer targets as Allen and Dorsey make a commitment to get the ball to the RB's and TE's more. 

[Einstein's Dog]

1 hour ago, BillsVet said:

 

Yeah, it's time for them to up their game on draft day.  

 

I'd like to think they learned their lesson drafting for need in 2019 picking Cody Ford but then last year they went straight-up need in rounds 1-2, so I'm not confident much has changed.   

 

Their drafts all seem engineered to be safe.  Not a lot of calculated risk, aside from the move to take Josh 5 years ago.  Aside from that, it's been a lot picks with limited ceilings, though I thought Rousseau was an excellent decision 2 years ago.  

Draft strategy changes after having a franchise QB and becoming a contender.  The Bills now need early draft picks who will contribute for the next 4-5 years at positions of decent value.  Groot, Elam, and now a mlb fit this strategy and are smart moves.

 

It is kind of a safe move in a way to draft the mlb.  Seems like they would get their choice of a top tier mlb and would comfortably be able to get him starting by mid-year and use them for at least the next 4.   

[pigpen65]

Don't forget Ken Dorsey

[John from Riverside]

17 hours ago, Chaos said:

According @Airsevennot only is the Bills roster mediocre, Josh Allen is a liability.  13-3 must have been a miracle. 

Anything airseven says should be taken with a grain of salt
 

And then immediately thrown up

Edited April 7, 2023 by John from Riverside

[ColoradoBills]

2 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Hi, my hand's up. 

 

Mitch Morse is more than a tick above a good NFL center.

 

He's well above average. Flitting around the bubble of the top ten or so.

 

Very very athletic and a very good pass blocker. A really good run blocker too at pin and pull techniques and getting to guys on the second level. He's not a good straight-ahead smashmouth run guy, that's not his forte. But he's very good at knitting the line together with good communication and making the guys near him better.

 

Do we need to get someone to replace him fairly soon? Yeah, fair enough. But it might be Bates, who is not a backup, and whose best position might well end up being center. Might not, but it could be.

 

Fair enough on your e v a l of Morse.  Then my point holds even more water.  Beane needs to get a good replacement for him when he is done.

The thing is, none of us know when that need will be.  With his history it could be at any time.

Edited April 7, 2023 by ColoradoBills

[John from Riverside]

1 hour ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

I'd strongly disagree with "safe" and "limited ceilings." They've made extreme athleticism a consistent focus. We go after guys with really high RAS scores, and those guys don't generally have low ceilings.

 

Agreed
 

Take a guy like shakur who barely played last year if that draft pick works out, then a lot of the wide receiver problems are solved

 

They should still keep building at the position, but we have some players on this team that may end up being very good

3 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Fair enough on your e v a l of Morse.  Then my point holds even more water.  Beane needs to get a good replacement for him when he is done.

The thing is, none of us know when that need will be.  With his history it could be at any time.

His replacement is on the team. His name is Ryan Bates.

[ColoradoBills]

6 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

His replacement is on the team. His name is Ryan Bates.

 

Bates has filled in about a half dozen times for Morse in his career.  He's done pretty good as a backup.  He is trained to be an OG during

his NFL time not a C.  I personally don't see how anyone can assume he is as good or better than Morse if he is assigned the spot permanently.

 

It seems to me that keeping him as an OG and a backup C is wise.  I'd rather see a C drafted that has spent his college career doing the job.

If he is the heir apparent, then I would like to see him get a lot more snaps at the position this training camp.

I would like to know what Beane thinks about the future of the position.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

It's draft time. Take everything you hear from a GM with a grain of salt 

[Don Otreply]

What it all comes down to is having healthy talented players, a coaching staff that utilizes their personnel in an advantages and unpredictable ways, and is actively willing to make meaningful adjustments on both sides of the ball as needed.  It appears that during this past season we had not enough of any of those things to win through the post season, ( part of why Frazier is gone).  The questions going forward are; 1) are our players healthy and talented enough, and 2) will our coaching staff step up and implement meaningful play design/scheme adjustments on both sides of the ball to reach the end goal?  I think Beane & company believe they are, as to the fans confidence they pull it off? Well, that’s for each one of us to  decide…, 

 

GO  BILLS!!!

[Straight Hucklebuck]

18 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

I don't know many Bills fans portraying Mitch Morse as anything more than a tick above a good NFL Center.

His replacement IMO is NOT a backup like Bates.  Next season a top Center is needed to be drafted.  

 

 

I don't know what you're trying to get at other than that OBD is lacking in judgement.  I may be wrong in that, but that's how your post reads to me.

The 2023 overall draft is not going to be determined as to what the 1st round pick is going to be by position.  It will be, IMO, what the overall

picks are chosen.  It's a weak draft and the 1st round pick is a risk at best.

I think the roster is topped out talent-wise and doesn't have many levers to pull for increased chances to win a Super Bowl. 

 

Getting Von and Micah back will offset the loss of Edmunds, but offensively, the talent on the unit is the same. The offensive line will play approximately the same in my opinion. 

 

I don't see anything yet that tells me Josh's approach to offseason conditioning is different, but OTAs can definitely confirm that. 

 

Same coaches, same approach. 

 

No cap space. 

 

Beane has had a good offseason for how little money he had. It was go big with a Hopkins trade or re-signing Edmunds as one big ticket, leaving holes everywhere else, or letting Edmunds walk and getting capable, albeit plateaued veterans everywhere else for starters and increased depth. He did a little of everything - Poyer, two offensive lineman, two WRs, re-signed Phillips, etc. 

 

Only elite drafting will really ignite this team to get over the hump in my opinion. They're around the top, but don't have much in the way of levers to get over the Chiefs. I'm hoping the Bengals regress, but I'm not sure they will because they were able to keep both coordinators. 

 

 

[John from Riverside]

Obviously, the plan was to keep 13 and three season team together and make some tweaks
 

It’s not sustainable if we don’t draft well

[ColoradoBills]

11 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

I think the roster is topped out talent-wise and doesn't have many levers to pull for increased chances to win a Super Bowl. 

 

Getting Von and Micah back will offset the loss of Edmunds, but offensively, the talent on the unit is the same. The offensive line will play approximately the same in my opinion. 

 

I don't see anything yet that tells me Josh's approach to offseason conditioning is different, but OTAs can definitely confirm that. 

 

Same coaches, same approach. 

 

No cap space. 

 

Beane has had a good offseason for how little money he had. It was go big with a Hopkins trade or re-signing Edmunds as one big ticket, leaving holes everywhere else, or letting Edmunds walk and getting capable, albeit plateaued veterans everywhere else for starters and increased depth. He did a little of everything - Poyer, two offensive lineman, two WRs, re-signed Phillips, etc. 

 

Only elite drafting will really ignite this team to get over the hump in my opinion. They're around the top, but don't have much in the way of levers to get over the Chiefs. I'm hoping the Bengals regress, but I'm not sure they will because they were able to keep both coordinators. 

 

 

 

A good draft is definitely needed.  I know a lot of fans want that big signing to put them over the top.  It most likely is not happening.

That being said, I don't see how that necessarily has to be true.  Last season was a bit crazy and like Jordan Poyer said in his welcome back

presser when asked the question, "What pieces do the Bills need to get it done", his reply was "finish".  

 

A whole lot of little things done better this year compared to last could do it in my opinion.  I'm holding on to that hope.

[McBean]

Won’t end well for McDermott and his puppets.

 

But hey, shouldn’t we be just ELATED he’s gotten us to the playoffs and broke the drought by a fluke Andy Dalton last second TD!??

 

We’re getting passed before our eyes. Already passed and far behind KC and Cincy in the AFC. Other teams are coming. Right on our heels. We are wasting the top talented QB in the league at the same time. Window is closing and we are sitting on our thumbs doubling down on mediocre players. Also, we continue to not build around the alpha of the team.
 

Another year will pass and we’ll be lucky to make the playoffs. If we do, early exit is likely. Sucks I’m so bearish on my team for 25+ years, but I can’t ignore the eye test. Until McDermott and his clan are shown the door, Lombardi will be postponed.

 

Sad!

[Thurman#1]

1 hour ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Fair enough on your e v a l of Morse.  Then my point holds even more water.  Beane needs to get a good replacement for him when he is done.

The thing is, none of us know when that need will be.  With his history it could be at any time.

 

 

And that's fair enough too. 

 

Same with everyone, really. But him a bit more than most.

 

I think Bates is more and better than you think. Hard to say for sure, but that's what it looked like to me.

 

And they could certainly draft a guy who is C/G flexible and could move in there when needed.

1 minute ago, McBean said:

Won’t end well for McDermott and his puppets.

 

But hey, shouldn’t we be just ELATED he’s gotten us to the playoffs and broke the drought by a fluke Andy Dalton last second TD!??

 

We’re getting passed before our eyes. Already passed and far behind KC and Cincy in the AFC. Other teams are coming. Right on our heels. We are wasting the top talented QB in the league at the same time. Window is closing and we are sitting on our thumbs doubling down on mediocre players. Also, we continue to not build around the alpha of the team.
 

Another year will pass and we’ll be lucky to make the playoffs. If we do, early exit is likely. Sucks I’m so bearish on my team for 25+ years, but I can’t ignore the eye test. Until McDermott and his clan are shown the door, Lombardi will be postponed.

 

Sad!

 

 

"Sad"?

 

Yes. You clearly are.

 

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by Thurman#1

[John from Riverside]

7 minutes ago, McBean said:

Won’t end well for McDermott and his puppets.

 

But hey, shouldn’t we be just ELATED he’s gotten us to the playoffs and broke the drought by a fluke Andy Dalton last second TD!??

 

We’re getting passed before our eyes. Already passed and far behind KC and Cincy in the AFC. Other teams are coming. Right on our heels. We are wasting the top talented QB in the league at the same time. Window is closing and we are sitting on our thumbs doubling down on mediocre players. Also, we continue to not build around the alpha of the team.
 

Another year will pass and we’ll be lucky to make the playoffs. If we do, early exit is likely. Sucks I’m so bearish on my team for 25+ years, but I can’t ignore the eye test. Until McDermott and his clan are shown the door, Lombardi will be postponed.

 

Sad!

Until we actually get past this is all just conjecture
 

Those teams have to show they can beat us

 

Our current rivals are Kansas City and Cincinnati