SI Article on Bills Successful Re-load

[Ethan in Cleveland]

5 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

The point that this article misses and that McDermott was too modest to admit is that McDermott built his team with the expectation that this is exactly what would happen as players leave. When he came to Buffalo, he said the objective was to get better every season. He and Beane were very clear that they intended NEVER to rebuild, just to get better. 

I think what they said was to build a team that was competitive for the long term. 

They have clearly failed at getting better every year becuase they have regressed ever since the 13 second game. 

I can't think of any team in the NFL that has a HOF level QB that has ever gone into full rebuild mode. 

Even those on here that are the most anti-McDermott posters would say this was a reload.

KC, SanFan, and Detroit will tell us if this team is truly a contender or not. They will have the division won by Dec 14th. Then it's is just stay healthy for the playoffs. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

6 minutes ago, FireChans said:

But that’s not a unique situation. They constantly start the year underperformed and behind the 8 ball.

 

Not defending McD here, but Burrow and Zac Taylor are running a LOT of mileage out of that single SB run 4 years ago.

Oh I agree! Could you imagine this place if Bills lost at home to Pats in week 1?  To be fair Burrow has been injured for several games of those four years. 

Their D is terrible. Bills should be able to score at will and if they can play a deep shell keep their WR group in check. Bills D is better suited to stop Cinci than Chargers or Ravens. 

[balln]

12 minutes ago, FireChans said:

But that’s not a unique situation. They constantly start the year underperformed and behind the 8 ball.

 

Not defending McD here, but Burrow and Zac Taylor are running a LOT of mileage out of that single SB run 4 years ago.

Yea they’re 1-1 vs kc in playoffs and got a gift late hit on patty cakes to lose that close game. And curb stomped buf in buf.

 

in my eyes they’re way more successful than McD and bills in post season

[TheyCallMeAndy]

That narrative was so overblown and obnoxious. Teams evolve, good ones do anyways.

[Mikie2times]

1 hour ago, DrMaxPower said:

Allen is discussed plenty in the article.

 

I personally believe this prevailing attitude that only the QB matters and everything else just falls into place is nonsense. It takes a village, even when you have a QB.

 

Plenty of good quarterbacks have crappy years on bad teams. Chicken or the egg scenario.

That’s not what the data shows 

1 hour ago, julian said:

What is this telling me ? Im old and learnings and thinkings along with graduating grade 10 have me stumped lol.

 

that was an actual question, not being a smartass just wondered what you think it says.

The league average win rate with QB play at Josh’s level is exactly what we have done. 
 

 

[Mikie2times]

47 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Are we sure Cincinnati is gonna make the playoffs?

 

I’m kinda over this regime. But McD doesn’t let the team sleepwalk to third in their division like every year.

Would you trade what we have done for what the Bengals have done? Multiple conferences title appearances and a Super Bowl appearance? 
 

Keep in mind they lost Burrow last year and still nearly made the playoffs. 
 

I don’t know how you couldn’t trade that. The AFC East champs is like being the fastest one legged man at this point. 

[Savage]

1 hour ago, DrMaxPower said:

https://www.si.com/nfl/bills-bond-on-and-off-the-field-paying-dividends-afc-east

 

Good article on the foundations that have allowed the Bills to reload instead of rebuild.

 

I think sometimes we are too close to the situation to fully appreciate what we have. For as much as people want to crap on McD, he's one of the best in the league and we'd be hard pressed to replace him with somebody equal, let alone an improvement.

Where’s the success?

 

[DrMaxPower]

2 minutes ago, Savage said:

Where’s the success?

 

If you're not 1st, you're last amirite?

 

Silly. They've got the 2nd best win percentage in sports over the last 5 years. All sports.

Edited 8 hours ago by DrMaxPower

[Mikie2times]

1 hour ago, DrMaxPower said:

Allen is discussed plenty in the article.

 

I personally believe this prevailing attitude that only the QB matters and everything else just falls into place is nonsense. It takes a village, even when you have a QB.

 

Plenty of good quarterbacks have crappy years on bad teams. Chicken or the egg scenario.

Last thing I’m going to add to this. When teams march out Mason Rudolph, Geno Smith, a 90 year old Aaron Rogers, yes, it only matters that we have Josh. It is enough to win 3 out of 4 of those games as we have for a long time. Where the things you call out matter is when you face other great QB’s. Then you need the roster, the coaching, and the rest of it. Which is why we can’t get past the divisional round. 

[Savage]

1 minute ago, DrMaxPower said:

If you're not 1st, you're last amirite?

 

Silly. They've got the 2nd best win percentage in sports over the last 5 years. All sports.

I agree.

 

it’S good to be good, but not always the bridesmaid, and never the bride.

[DrMaxPower]

15 minutes ago, Mikie2times said:

That’s not what the data shows 

The league average win rate with QB play at Josh’s level is exactly what we have done. 
 

 

 

You'd be hard pressed to find a personel executive that would put Purdy's talent over Herbert's.

 

Situation matters. A lot.

[PBF81]

1 hour ago, Saxum said:

 

Clearly the crappers will disagree but they are obvious in almost every thread they are saying he should be replaced.

 

As to that, if that's OK with everyone, LOL, let's wait until the playoffs.  The teams we've beaten in 7 wins are 20-40 and not a one is headed to the playoffs.  We haven't beaten a single team with a positive Point Differential, we're 0-2 against them.  

 

This division besides us is historically bad, it's tracking for the worst other three teams besides the division leader, ever.  

 

Even the Pats w/ Brady never had it so easy.  

 

We always win the Regular Season with Allen at QB, let's see if we can do anything in the postseason this year.  For that too it's appearing to be the easiest postseason ever for us in franchise history.  There's not a single AFC team that's looking great.  

 

We currently have the third easiest schedule in the league.  Beating all the bottom feeders isn't what makes a team great.  

 

 

4 minutes ago, DrMaxPower said:

If you're not 1st, you're last amirite?

 

Silly. They've got the 2nd best win percentage in sports over the last 5 years. All sports.

 

And one Divisional Round playoff win.  Don't forget that.   

 

 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

We could definitely do worse. I’m still hopeful we will break through the div round as soon as this year and roar into the Super Bowl. I’d give us a much better shot than most of the rest of the field in the AFC this year.

[PBF81]

13 minutes ago, Mikie2times said:

The AFC East champs is like being the fastest one legged man at this point. 

 

I'm tellin' ya.  It's definitely not something to be crowin' about.  

 

 

[ToGoGo]

McDermott is the scapegoat for all the fans with issues. 
 

Only a Super Bowl will exorcise the demons inside many of those fans. 
 

[chongli]

53 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

Who says it was "successful"? Before the Cardinals won yesterday, we hadn't beaten a team that has a winning record. If we can't beat Baltimore or KC in January, then it wasn't successful.

The fact that our division has become the worst in football isn't our win.

 

We beat 4-3 Seattle.

[Mikie2times]

11 minutes ago, ToGoGo said:

McDermott is the scapegoat for all the fans with issues. 
 

Only a Super Bowl will exorcise the demons inside many of those fans. 
 

Isn’t that the goal? A Super Bowl? Something beyond what one would expect? Did you not expect a Wild Card appearance in the worst division in football with a hall of fame QB? That is the absolute floor and exactly what we have accomplished. 
 

Sorry I don’t join the ball wash club after every regular season win vs Mac Jones. 
 

If you want me to change my tune win a game that matters in the postseason. That SHOULD matter, to all of us. Until that happens it’s not very hard to see these threads as exactly the reason things will never change. Which is exactly why I’m a prick in every one of them. 

Edited 7 hours ago by Mikie2times

[Shaw66]

52 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

I think what they said was to build a team that was competitive for the long term. 

They have clearly failed at getting better every year becuase they have regressed ever since the 13 second game. 

I can't think of any team in the NFL that has a HOF level QB that has ever gone into full rebuild mode. 

Even those on here that are the most anti-McDermott posters would say this was a reload.

KC, SanFan, and Detroit will tell us if this team is truly a contender or not. They will have the division won by Dec 14th. Then it's is just stay healthy for the playoffs. 

Yes, they said competitive for the long term. They also say it's about continuous improvement. 

 

I think it's quite possible we won't know if they're a contender until January.  I think the Bills need to go 2-2 against the Rams and the three you name, and maybe even only 1-3.  How they do against those teams is more an indicator of whether they're competitive at that level or not. Whether they're a contender will depend on that and on injuries. Getting Keon back, for example, may be healthy. I think they're a much different team with Keon and Cooper. 

[PBF81]

11 minutes ago, ToGoGo said:

McDermott is the scapegoat for all the fans with issues. 
 

Only a Super Bowl will exorcise the demons inside many of those fans. 
 

 

So you think that it's an unreasonable expectation to be able to at least appear in one, but moreover actually win a Super Bowl with a QB like Allen then?  

 

 

[DrMaxPower]

1 minute ago, PBF81 said:

 

So you think that it's an unreasonable expectation to be able to at least appear in one, but moreover actually win a Super Bowl with a QB like Allen then?  

 

 

Who on earth is saying anything of the sort?

 

There's a big gap between that and 'fire McDermott because he's so inept, the grass must be greener elsewhere'.

 

We all want to win. Some don't want to throw out the baby with the bathwater because it hasn't happened yet.