Bills Scouting Dept.

[justasportsfan]

My question is about Buddy Nix’s scouting staff. How big is the staff? What level of compensation does the average pro scout receive? Since scouting (i.e. hitting with your draft picks) is going to be so important to the Bills success I would like to see the Bills attract the best possible talent they can find to their scouting staff.

This will obviously require opening the purse strings to entice scouts to work for Buffalo. But, it seems like a great value proposition compared to the millions teams like the Redskins throw at free agent signings (with varying results).

I don’t how much it would cost, but I would think an extra million or two spent on hiring the best scouts would be the best investment the Bills could make.
Go Bills.

Tim N
Alexandria, VA

CB: There are 15 people, counting Nix, Tom Modrak and Doug Whaley on the college scouting staff. The most recent addition was Darrell Moody, who was most recently with the Chargers and serves the Bills as a National Scout, which means he’s not tied to a specific region of the country to scout.

That is one of the largest college scouting contingents in the league. Most NFL clubs average between 8 to 12 scouts. Cleveland, by my count, came the closest to Buffalo with 13. Indianapolis has 12 counting Bill Polian. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has just one person that organizes the scouting department, but their scouts are the members of their coaching staff.


http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2010/10/15/fan-friday-10-15/

[Commissioner]

Whoever scouts defensive lineman stinks..... I hope the guy that ranked Maybin high on the draft board is fired. There's no excuse for missing like that when me and my friends knew he wasn't worth it.... and all we did was look at ESPN highlights and the fact that he had little experience and played college ball at 230lbs.

[k-oneputt]

It's not about the number of scouts but the talent of the scouts.
The Bills can have 12-13 scouts, but if they all suck, which they actually do, what's the difference ?

[Bangarang]

Whoever scouts defensive lineman stinks..... I hope the guy that ranked Maybin high on the draft board is fired. There's no excuse for missing like that when me and my friends knew he wasn't worth it.... and all we did was look at ESPN highlights and the fact that he had little experience and played college ball at 230lbs.

Wasn't Jauron drooling over Maybin and wanted him badly?

[T-Long]

yeah Jauron made the Maybin call, so don't hammer the scouts on that one.

[k-oneputt]

yeah Jauron made the Maybin call, so don't hammer the scouts on that one.

Even if they get a pass on Maybin there are ten years of blown picks to hammer on.

[WeAreArthurMoates]

Even if they get a pass on Maybin there are ten years of blown picks to hammer on.

The difference though now is that our new national scout. Moodey is good one

[Ingtar33]

It doesn't matter how good your scouting staff is if the coaching staff or gm or owner ignore them.

part of what made scouting so frustrating was spending months of your life dedicated to finding the best football players in the country then ranking them, only to have the owner/coach/gm ignore all your work and go after the kid who had the great game in the bowlgame which they were watching at home one night; or who runs a 4.2 at the combine.

This is what happens all the time.

The coaches/owners/gms pay attention to the draft for maybe a month... if you're lucky... the well run teams use that month to learn what the scouts think about the players, and learn a little themselves. Since most owners are old men, it's rare they do this, but it doesn't stop many of them from basically interjecting themselves into the first few rounds of the draft (or if the team is really unfortunate, all if it) anyway.

[Ginger Vitis]

Ingtar is it normal for a GM to hit the road and scout for 2 weeks during the NFL season like Buddy Nix is about to do? Why would Wilson have Nix do this when they have scouts ?

[EDS]

yeah Jauron made the Maybin call, so don't hammer the scouts on that one.


Is this really true? How do we know?

[better days]

Is this really true? How do we know?

It has been reported that Jauron had the 1st rnd pick while he was in Buffalo.

When hired, Nix said he would never take a player that was a one year wonder in the 1st rnd.

Without naming names, he let it be known that he had nothing to do with the Maybin pick.

[Ed]

Is this really true? How do we know?
I don't know if there's proof, but it was reported at some point last year that Modrak actually wanted to draft Cushing. I think it was assumed that he was overruled by Jauron.

[Ingtar33]

Ingtar is it normal for a GM to hit the road and scout for 2 weeks during the NFL season like Buddy Nix is about to do? Why would Wilson have Nix do this when they have scouts ?

not normal at all... most GMs barely pay attention to college football during the season, there are some who do however.

Personally i think it's just theater to make nix look like he's doing something in the middle of this mess. what's he going to see in 2 weeks that he won't see after the season when his scouting dept breaks down the players available for the draft?

Lord knows I couldn’t formulate a solid opinion about anyone in just 2 weeks of scouting.

[Ed]

not normal at all... most GMs barely pay attention to college football during the season, there are some who do however.

Personally i think it's just theater to make nix look like he's doing something in the middle of this mess. what's he going to see in 2 weeks that he won't see after the season when his scouting dept breaks down the players available for the draft?

Lord knows I couldn’t formulate a solid opinion about anyone in just 2 weeks of scouting.
He may not be able to form any solid opinions, but at least it starts the process of getting familiar with as many prospects as possible. With how critical our next couple drafts are going to be, I would hope that everyone in our front office is watching as much college football as possible.

[Commissioner]

Wasn't Jauron drooling over Maybin and wanted him badly?

I read Maybin was Jauron's pick... but I'm sure he based that off of scouting reports. I doubt he would of been all about picking Maybin if the scouts said, he's raw, underweight, little college experience, and does not translate to defensive end in the NFL... "huge project".

[Luisito23]

Bills Scouting Dept.


Is garbage.

[Turf]

I just wish the scouting dept would do the obvious right thing, and stop trying to impress everyone with doing something different.

[k-oneputt]

I just wish the scouting dept would do the obvious right thing, and stop trying to impress everyone with doing something different.

That is the real problem. Trying to show everyone how smart they think they are. Drafting players who play a college position and can't wait to change said position. Or the classic North Dakota Midwestern Central State pick that is so good but he is actually playing at said school because he wasn't good enough to play higher. You might hit 5% of those guys.
They had better hope that Troup and Carrington can play because they passed on some good players at the same positions.
They try to always overthink the pick trying to prove something.
Maybin/Orakapo, Whitner/Ngata, McCargo/Mangold.
Thus ten years of sucking ass. Everybody in that scouting dept. should be fired. Somebody put those names into the owners/gm's/headcoach's head.

[better days]

I read Maybin was Jauron's pick... but I'm sure he based that off of scouting reports. I doubt he would of been all about picking Maybin if the scouts said, he's raw, underweight, little college experience, and does not translate to defensive end in the NFL... "huge project".

Well since the draft mags pretty much said the same thing as you just did, the scouts most likely did also.

[Turf]

Maybin/Orakapo, Whitner/Ngata, McCargo/Mangold.
Thus ten years of sucking ass. Everybody in that scouting dept. should be fired. Somebody put those names into the owners/gm's/headcoach's head.

Exactly what I was trying to detail. Thank you. Make the obvious freakin choice and stop trying to be sooo smart.

[ChristopherWalken]

Ing...

Thanks for your input/experience. Could you give us a few examples of teams in which the GM/Owner/Coaches (etc) refrain from interfering with the scouting staff?

[jamze132]

All I know is that Modrak has been the constant over the past few unsuccessful drafts.

:scratch:

[Ingtar33]

Ing...

Thanks for your input/experience. Could you give us a few examples of teams in which the GM/Owner/Coaches (etc) refrain from interfering with the scouting staff?

understand this is mostly anecdotal, rumor and hearsay (and a little personal knowledge as well tossed in)... but the owners of the Vikings, Colts, Patriots, Chargers, 49ers, Jaguars, Lions, Bears, Packers (obviously, no owner to worry about there), Dolphins pretty much leave the team to run itself.

Every gm will have input in the draft, some defer to the coach, some don't... Every coach will have input in the draft...

Owners which I know tinker in the draft would be Ralph Wilson (Bills), Al Davis (Raiders), Bud Adams (Titans), Woody Johnson (Jets), Jerry Jones (Cowboys), Mike Brown (Bengals), Dan Snyder (Redskins), Bill Bidwell (Cardinals), and Dan Rooney (Steelers)

[Mad Max]

There are only two ways to manage a pro sports team in order to build a winner.

A.) Hire the right guys. Pay them what it takes. And GTFO of the way. Rooney, Kraft, the Colts owner..wtf is his name? I have no idea that's how low key he is.

B.) Immerse yourself in your team as an owner. The late George Steinbrenner and Jerrah Jones come to mind. Say what you will of them, but they built winners.

Know not just the dollars and cents of the FO, but spend the time necessary learn the dynamics of the on the field product. Have daily contact with scouts, watch film that they bring back, etc.

The owners like Ralph who half-ass it by hiring nobodies, never was', or barely theres, and then compound those hiring decisions by meddling with player personnel decisions (with just a perfunctory idea of what they're doing) seem to always field teams like the 2010 Buffalo Bills.

[SABURZFAN]

the way i see it, Nix could come into the Billszone and get better results using some of us as their scouting dept.

[billz83]

the bills just straight suck at drafting..thas the simple reality of it..whoever is responsible for the last 10 years of drafting should not only be fired by the bills but be banned by the NFL for being so terrible..and itz not like this happens once a year but 2-4 TIMES a year..EVERY single year..wilson needs to hold these clowns accountable but of course hes too busy hibernating in his coma.

[DesertFox24]

The problem is not with the scouting department. The problem was who are GM was.

Levy was a coach and drafted for need, TD was decent but he was not a scout he was a pro player guy, Brandon did whatever ever Jauron wanted.

Buddy Nix is a scout and will hit the road and scout. I imagine he will start pounding the road after the trading deadline, since he pretty much said he wants some tape and then he will start going to games.

The last time we had a scout as GM was Polian and then Butler. Also with the increased number of scouts we will probably be drafting a lot more small school players.

Also Cincy only having one scout explains why they only draft big school prospects lol.

[k-oneputt]

You mean Cincy drafts those PAC-10 guys like Maulaqua, Rivers, Palmer, Ocho Cinco and we draft those small school guys like McKelvin, Troup, Carrington, Moats, Batten ?

[DraftBoy]

The problem is not with the scouting department. The problem was who are GM was.

Levy was a coach and drafted for need, TD was decent but he was not a scout he was a pro player guy, Brandon did whatever ever Jauron wanted.

Buddy Nix is a scout and will hit the road and scout. I imagine he will start pounding the road after the trading deadline, since he pretty much said he wants some tape and then he will start going to games.

The last time we had a scout as GM was Polian and then Butler. Also with the increased number of scouts we will probably be drafting a lot more small school players.

Also Cincy only having one scout explains why they only draft big school prospects lol.

Cincy only has one scout because they use Blesto or National. Not sure which one they use.

[DesertFox24]

Cincy only has one scout because they use Blesto or National. Not sure which one they use.

Yeah I know I was just making a joke because I RARELY see them draft a small school prospect God forbid an FCS, not saying they don't. It is just a running joke between me and my friends, we look at the available guys and are like who is from the biggest school ok that is there guy, and we are correct some of the time lol.

[DraftBoy]

Yeah I know I was just making a joke because I RARELY see them draft a small school prospect God forbid an FCS, not saying they don't. It is just a running joke between me and my friends, we look at the available guys and are like who is from the biggest school ok that is there guy, and we are correct some of the time lol.

You're right though in recent years that trend has started to change slowly with the drafting of guys like Jerome Simpson (Coastal Carolina) and Bernard Scott (Abilene Christian) but in general they are very very wary of small school guys.

[DesertFox24]

You're right though in recent years that trend has started to change slowly with the drafting of guys like Jerome Simpson (Coastal Carolina) and Bernard Scott (Abilene Christian) but in general they are very very wary of small school guys.

Agree, which is why we found it funny considering some of the best players in the league came from small schools.

Anyway hearing that we have 13 full time dedicated scouts makes me feel good that the bills are going to turn over every stone to find players, and with a scout as the head guy I think we are going to go best player at every spot and that is how it has to be.

Buddy Nix said that you like to get a player that fills a need but if there is a better player with a better grade you have to take him. Now if you have two players with the same grade you take the need player. Him taking spiller was all the proof that I needed to know that in 3 years we are going to have a talented football team. I also like the fact that he only took one one year wonder who was a 5th year senior who attend Uconn on an academic scholarship and is 6'3 and ran in the 4.3s, best part is he is a 4th so if he sucks no big deal.

I also loved that we took 7 team captains and with the exception of Easley all of our picks were productive for more than one year. Which needs to be kept in mind come 2011 draft.