Chaos Posted January 23 Posted January 23 My observation of the Bills - Chiefs game was that neither defense was effective in the game. Bills forced one punt. Chiefs only forced punts after Bills self-inflicted wound's of dropping passes. Chiefs came to the game with a highly respected offense. Bills came to the game with a broken and aged defense. Against two of the top offenses in the NFL both were equally ineffective. Its not clear to me that a defense can be built to stop these top offenses. Personally I feel like filling in the defensive hole with premium draft picks won't move the dial in the playoffs. I don't think we need a major rebuild on defense to hold the Chiefs to only 1 punt in a playoff game. I think we can patch together a defense capable of doing that. On the other hand, it seems like the much improved 2023 oline and the addition of Dalton Kindcaid put us one step closer to being an unstoppable force. If we could use draft capital to add another sure handed WR, the we might have scored 35 against the Chiefs. Another way of saying it is , fix the defense with the defensive equivalents of Sherfield and Harty level players, and shift to building the NFL's best offense. Having the best NFL offense is in reach. I am open minded to learning about how we can retool the defense to stop the Chiefs in the playoffs, but we have never yet done that, healthy or injured. Quote
Gregg Posted January 23 Posted January 23 (edited) Build around Allen. I actually think the defense when healthy is good enough. Diggs at this point is probably a #2 WR. The Bills need to find their "Garrett Wilson" type of WR in this upcoming draft. They need a game changer for Allen. Diggs has been that guy but the 2nd half of this season he wasn't. Who knows if he will rebound in 2024. Edited January 23 by Gregg 2 Quote
Gregg Posted January 23 Posted January 23 12 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said: A new Head Coach! Agree but it won't happen. With Belichick, Harbaugh, Vrabel out there to name a few then this is a good time to make the change. 1 Quote
BillMafia716ix Posted January 23 Posted January 23 You build around the superstar QB. Weapons, weapons and more weapons!! Period. 1 2 1 Quote
GunnerBill Posted January 23 Posted January 23 We need more explosion on the outside. Sure I think we need a couple of pieces on defense - DL and Safety will have holes - but the primary focus should be explosive outside playmakers. I will give them some credit... they focussed on OL last offseason (a year too late by my estimation) and it worked. They added Kincaid, that worked too. But the explosion outside needs to come this year. 1 Quote
Dunkirk Donski Posted January 23 Posted January 23 4 minutes ago, BillMafia716ix said: You build around the superstar QB. Weapons, weapons and more weapons!! Period. Green check mark for you 🍻 Quote
Chaos Posted January 23 Author Posted January 23 5 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said: A new Head Coach! I understand this sentiment. I don't think it is likely though. I also think it is a separate question from roster building though. But we have another season of experience with Sean McDermott. While it is popular to credit all of Belichek's success to Brady, the only thing we know for sure is that he was 1 for 1 in being successful with an elite QB. It seemed to me that over his career arc witht the Patriots, his vision on what it would take to win the super bowl changed from year to year and adapted to the personnel on hand. My personal impression is that Coach McDermott has "A vision" on how to win a championship, and that he is on a constant quest to get the personnel to implement that vision. It feels a bit like a Don Quixote quest to prove that his "complimentary football vision" can in fact win a championship and that the organization must pull together to prove this. Stylewise I would prefer a coach who adapts to his teams personnel and optimizes that situation. McDermott knows football. He is a good football coach. I would be happy to see him abandon his quest and pivot in this direction equally as much I would like to see a new coach. I 1 Quote
Livinginthepast Posted January 23 Posted January 23 Kelly had so many weapons at QB, Reed, Lofton, Metzellars and Thurman Thomas who could do everything effectively. He also had a great group of supporting but players like Beebe, Davis etc. Kelly was a great QB but he never could have done what he did without those guys. I think Josh could be even better than Kelly with a similar cast of characters. We need to go all in and find the modern versions of all these guys. We already have some pieces but need to add way more depth. Quote
BarleyNY Posted January 23 Posted January 23 10 minutes ago, BillMafia716ix said: You build around the superstar QB. Weapons, weapons and more weapons!! Period. Yep. The Bills biggest advantage is at QB. Maybe lean into that for a change. 1 1 Quote
Solomon Grundy Posted January 23 Posted January 23 13 minutes ago, Gregg said: Agree but it won't happen. With Belichick, Harbaugh, Vrabel out there to name a few then this is a good time to make the change. Some don't think Vrabel is suitable here. I think he'd be perfect, personally 1 Quote
TheyCallMeAndy Posted January 23 Posted January 23 This thread is misleading, with the expiring contracts this offseason HAS to be defensive focused because we, game-day quality wise, have under contract: 1 DT 3 DE 3 LBers 1 Safety That’s before potentially needing to replace Poyer and White. Quote
Chaos Posted January 23 Author Posted January 23 3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said: We need more explosion on the outside. Sure I think we need a couple of pieces on defense - DL and Safety will have holes - but the primary focus should be explosive outside playmakers. I will give them some credit... they focussed on OL last offseason (a year too late by my estimation) and it worked. They added Kincaid, that worked too. But the explosion outside needs to come this year. Oline became a strength this year. However, Morse is ancient, and Brown can be improved upon. I would not be opposed to the Bills further solidifying or upgrading these posisitons with early draft picks. Its possible to get immediate impact from a rookie WR, but in real life without a top draft pick, its more of a crapshoot, and you can find these players in middle rounds. Its not clear that pick 28 would guarantee success vs pick 56 or 84. Quote
Gregg Posted January 23 Posted January 23 Just now, Solomon Grundy said: Some don't think Vrabel is suitable here. I think he'd be perfect, personally I think Vrabel would be a nice choice here. He would build a tough team similar to what the Ravens and 49ers are. In Buffalo especially late in the year you need that type of team. 1 Quote
Chaos Posted January 23 Author Posted January 23 Just now, TheyCallMeAndy said: This thread is misleading, with the expiring contracts this offseason HAS to be defensive focused because we, game-day quality wise, have under contract: 1 DT 3 DE 3 LBers 1 Safety That’s before potentially needing to replace Poyer and White. I don't think it is misleading. The point is that a mediocre defense can probably hold the Chiefs to one punt in the playoffs. And a good defense will also only hold them to one punt in the playoffs. In three playoff games against the chiefs, the McDermott defenses forced exactly four punts total. This includes fully healthy defenses). Quote
Solomon Grundy Posted January 23 Posted January 23 Just now, Gregg said: I think Vrabel would be a nice choice here. He would build a tough team similar to what the Ravens and 49ers are. In Buffalo especially late in the year you need that type of team. You must have read my post in the other thread😎. My sentiments exactly!! This is Buffalo, NY. Not sunny, dry Florida 1 Quote
SoCal Deek Posted January 23 Posted January 23 If you read any of the Cap threads you’ll find that the Bills hands are pretty much tied next season. They shot for the moon with some loaded salaries and the bill is coming due. Time to take your proverbial lumps. So, to answer the OPs question: you stockpile cheap draft picks and pray that more than a few pan out. Oh yes, that’s true in ALL facets of the roster…..including Special Teams! Quote
Solomon Grundy Posted January 23 Posted January 23 4 minutes ago, Gregg said: I think Vrabel would be a nice choice here. He would build a tough team similar to what the Ravens and 49ers are. In Buffalo especially late in the year you need that type of team. Offensively, this team needs receiving help and a Gus Edwards type of RB. 1 Quote
dave mcbride Posted January 23 Posted January 23 14 minutes ago, GunnerBill said: We need more explosion on the outside. Sure I think we need a couple of pieces on defense - DL and Safety will have holes - but the primary focus should be explosive outside playmakers. I will give them some credit... they focussed on OL last offseason (a year too late by my estimation) and it worked. They added Kincaid, that worked too. But the explosion outside needs to come this year. From The Athletic: “1. The Chiefs beat the Bills in the playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons. Two quick takeaways, one for each team. • What the Bills must do: Defensive injuries give Buffalo a potential out for its inability to stop the Chiefs when it mattered, but it’s an out the organization cannot afford to take. The issues on that side of the ball run deeper and will require some form of roster overhaul for the future. Thirty-five defensive players logged at least 10 snaps for the Bills and Chiefs on Sunday. Seven of the eight oldest played for Buffalo: Linval Joseph (35), Von Miller (34), Micah Hyde (33), Jordan Poyer (32), A.J. Klein (32), DaQuan Jones(32) and Leonard Floyd (31). The Bills keep getting older on defense while the Chiefs have gotten much younger. The chart below shows the average ages on defense for the Chiefs and Bills since 2019, using data from TruMedia. The averages are weighted for playing time to provide higher resolution. The Chiefs ranked fifth in defensive EPA per play during the regular season with eight defensive starters drafted since 2020. The Bills ranked seventh but are older, smaller and more injured, giving them less staying power, which showed up Sunday. (Kansas City has consistently averaged about five pounds heavier per defender on a snap-weighted basis, using unofficial player weights.) “Buffalo is an effort-pursue defense that is going to take speed over size every time,” an opposing coach said of the Bills, “so their best player is (linebacker) Matt Milano, and he’s small (221 pounds) and he got hurt. At the end of this game, when everybody wants them to get a stop and get the ball back for Josh Allen, Kansas City gets the first down easily.” Buffalo and Kansas City, unlike their counterparts in the NFC bracket, are paying top dollar for their quarterbacks. That forces them to budget accordingly for the long range. But with age comes higher salaries. Buffalo has 10 defensive players earning at least $3.5 million per year this season. Kansas City has three. The Chiefs made a calculated bet in the 2022 offseason, trading Tyreek Hill for picks and investing heavily in defense in the draft, and they made those investments count. They leapfrogged the Bills in the first round for cornerback Trent McDuffie, who was a first-team All-Pro this season. George Karlaftis, taken nine picks later, has added to an impressive homegrown pass rush. The Bills have taken some swings on defense in the draft, but without the same results. After Kansas City took McDuffie, Buffalo made a small trade-up for cornerback Kaiir Elam, who has just eight starts through two seasons. The Bills spent a first and two second-round picks on pass rushers (A.J. Epenesa, Gregory Rousseau and Boogie Basham) from 2020 to 2021, but none has been as productive as Karlaftis, leading them to splurge on a 33-year-old Miller in 2022. The Bills have many things to figure out this offseason, including what direction the offense is headed following an in-season coordinator change on that side of the ball. Defensively, they need to follow the Chiefs’ lead in reversing the aging process.“ https://theathletic.com/5215245/2024/01/22/chiefs-bills-nfl-divisional-playoffs-ravens-lions/ 1 2 Quote
TheyCallMeAndy Posted January 23 Posted January 23 3 minutes ago, Chaos said: I don't think it is misleading. The point is that a mediocre defense can probably hold the Chiefs to one punt in the playoffs. And a good defense will also only hold them to one punt in the playoffs. In three playoff games against the chiefs, the McDermott defenses forced exactly four punts total. This includes fully healthy defenses). I get that, but it’s pretty likely more defensive guys get added since on offense we probably only have to replace a few WRs and some RB depth. I think we will see David Edwards and Ty Johnson return. We may only see 4 impact additions on offense, while defense could have 6-7. Quote
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