Metamorphosis year

[4merper4mer]

It’s pretty clear to anyone with an objective pair of eyes that 2024 has already been and will continue to be a year of change for the Bills franchise.  Even whe setting aside the looming new stadium and other topics beyond players and coaches, massive change is clearly afoot.  
 

We’ve been a good team for the last few years, we have the number one building block needed for an NFL team, a QB with elite skills, but our first roster build around that QB failed, and we will see where our second build leads, but……this year is neither,  it’s the change year.  Like it or not, 2024 is lost.  Because:

 

We got rid of our best non-QB offensive weapon

We decided to get rid of leadership anywhere and everywhere we could 

We’re still saddled with useless players on ridiculous contracts and/or paying off cap hits from departed players

We have a coach that prefers defense to offense and as such opted for ineptitude at OC for this year

There are clearly players still on the roster that either shouldn’t be, or who the coaches would prefer off

 

Given all of the above, it is silly to expect much from 2024.  The big question is how it will position us for 2025 and beyond.  Below are what I’d like to see happen in and after 2024 to help position us for 2025.  They are not in order of importance really.  Most or all will need to happen.

 

1. McDermott fully realizing complementary football doesn’t simply mean a nerfed and vanilla offense letting the defense get more rest during the year, but also allows for situational strategy and games where we are high octane.  
2. An off season hiring of a real OC, not a puppet.

3. Bye Bye Von.  Take your big talk with you.

4. Apparently some our our leaders and their styles hurt the feelings of some snowflakes so Diggs, Morse, Tre, Poyer, and more are gone.  Emergence of new leaders and new leadership styles is a must.  If you’re going to get rid of a player like Diggs because he hurt some feelings, you’re going to learn the easy way or the hard way, that sometimes hurt feelings are necessary.  You simply can’t have a bunch of “fun” leaders.  Josh or someone will need to fill that void as the team navigates the turbulence inevitable in any season.  Based on recent press disclosures, the amount of respect for Josh around the league is slim to none,  I wonder how much of that stems from his lack of seriousness.  Rousseau is no longer everyone’s understudy.  Now is his time.  Who will be the others?
5. Like #1 but different……McDermott either deciding to simply get rid of players he doesn’t like or deciding to live with them.  No more trying to play the middle with back handed compliments like the ones he throws at James Cook for example.  You can’t change everyone,  Either roll with them or don’t.  
6. Let players that clearly don’t want to be here walk,  I’m not sure why Douglas doesn’t want to be here but it’s pretty obvious.  
7. Be objective and clear the decks of traveling hospital wards like Milano even if they were great while they were here.

8. Ditch enablers to the goofball leadership style even if they are decent players.  Get something for them.  I really like Dawkins and Knox as players and think they are underrated but they also don’t appear to take winning seriously.  There is too much of that in the locker room.

9. Beane’s accurate assessment of all of the above as 2024 plays out.  The cap stuff will be mostly gone moving into next year.  Does he go right after it in 2025 or is it time for a major re-set?  No more a little bit of both.

 

2024 is a metamorphoses year.  We will emerge in 2025.  Are we in a cocoon this year so we’ll emerge an ugly moth or are we in a chrysalis so we can emerge a beautiful butterfly?   We’re about to find out.
 

Edited August 29 by 4merper4mer

[Matt_In_NH]

I can't read this cause the sky has fallen on me

[oldmanfan]

Where to start?

 

1.  2024 is lost.  Ok Nostradamus.

2.  Got rid of leadership?  Or had guys getting older that have moved on.

3.  Ineptitude at OC.  I guess, unless you actually watched the last half of last year.

4.  Players don’t take winning seriously.  Seriously, that’s just nuts.

 

I’ll stop there

[Freddie's Dead]

TLDR.  Lost me at "complimentary".  Complimentary football is Josh saying "Nice catch Dalton", and Dalton replying, "Nice throw Josh".  

Edited August 29 by Freddie's Dead

[4merper4mer]

2 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

TLDR.  Lost me at "complimentary".  Complimentary football is Josh saying "Nice catch Dalton", and Dalton replying, "Nice throw Josh".  

Fair enough.  Will edit.

[JP51]

I will say this... 2024 is a necessary year of change. I love that they are making them.  A fair part of the core of this team after 5 years didnt get it done and was aging, diminishing in skill and cost of their cap hits was prohibitive. This team I dont believe if it was the same as the 2023 would improve in 2024.  I like Beane acknowledged the need to adjust the core, because more cost effective and begin to adjust prohibitive contracts for the future and or bite the bullet. The goal is clear, re tool the overall core of the team while keeping the peak performing core of the team together (Allen, Dawkins, Oliver etc...) and focusing on other players like Cook, Kincaid,Bernard etc.... to be part of the new core. 

 

I dont expect an improvement this year. Then again if all the IFs pan out... we just might. Will be an interesting season but to me a necessary one if we are to finally achieve the ultimate goal... I for one will be white knuckled the whole way. 

[Breakout Squad]

Douglas doesn’t want to be here? Where does that come from??

 

I can’t wait for the season to begin. The ‘hot takes’ are nauseating. 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

…..that level of pessimism…. must be exhausting. 

 

[Nelius]

This seems like a lot of words to once again push your ridiculous “Josh in an unserious goofball” narrative that you’ve been vomiting up for about a year now. You also made no attempt to separate Morse and Tre from Diggs, as if they were all offloaded for being “meanies” that the “very unserious” Josh Allen didn’t like…

 

Bad take rooted in bad faith. I look forward to revisiting early and often.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

[Malazan]

Someone needed some attention this morning

[Steve Billieve]

You sound fun

[LeviF]

The Metamorphosis was published in 1915.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did not read your post.

[DrDawkinstein]

2 minutes ago, LeviF said:

The Metamorphosis was published in 1915.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did not read your post.

 

I came in here for pictures of bugs.

[strive_for_five_guy]

I’m really hoping we can revisit this thread at the end of the year, and say that you were way off!

[ColoradoBills]

     Here you go @DrDawkinstein

Edited August 29 by ColoradoBills

[That's No Moon]

8 minutes ago, LeviF said:

The Metamorphosis was published in 1915.

Can we get Mike Kafka from the Giants staff?

 

Or is this going to be more of a Jeff Goldblum type metamorphosis?

9 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I came in here for pictures of bugs.

[Jauronimo]

9 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I came in here for pictures of bugs.

I really thought this was going to be another fire McDermott thread presenting an argument that he was turning into a cockroach

[4merper4mer]

11 minutes ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

I’m really hoping we can revisit this thread at the end of the year, and say that you were way off!

Me too.  Probably not though.

[SoCal Deek]

I'm not sure what people expect. The Bills went all in a couple of years ago in hopes of overtaking the Chiefs after 13 seconds, and an AFC Championship game during Covid. It did not work. They advanced no further than they had leading up to that point. Now, the piper had to be paid, so we'll see if they can keep the engine running with rubber bands and duct tape in 2024 while still playing a schedule fit for a reigning Division Champion. Enjoy the ride!

Edited August 29 by SoCal Deek