Front office lacks urgency

[mjt328]

Last March, Bills GM Buddy Nix joked with reporters about his inactivity
on the free agent market, while the front offices from other teams stayed up
well past midnight to work big money deals with agents.
"They asked me if I was going to be there," said Nix. "Hell no, I ain't going to be there. I'm
going to bed."
Of course, what Nix meant was that he believes in rebuilding a franchise through the draft, and not through free agency. But to frustrated sports fans that already question their team's commitment to winning, it was a certainly poor attempt at humor.





But still, it's hard not to look at this front office without sensing an attitude of apathy and laziness. Quite simply - nobody seems to be in a hurry for the Bills to get better.
Other teams (see New England, Philadelphia, Green Bay) are experts at managing every cent of the salary cap, stockpiling draft picks, getting maximum value on every single trade, aggressively pursuing the top free agents and exhausting all possibilities for
improving their rosters. It's a "win at all costs" mentality.
The Bills are constantly caught in the "wait for next year" mentality - refusing to
re-sign players for their market value (Paul Posluszny), relying on sub-par
talent at key positions (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Demetrius Bell) and hoping for big
contributions from unproven youngsters (Torrell Troup, Arthur Moats).


Full Article: http://buffalobillsstampede.blogspot.com/2011/08/front-office-lacks-urgency.html

[PromoTheRobot]

Teams that are a few moves away from the Super Bowl make free agency moves to find the last few pieces. Teams like the Bills need to build a foundation though the draft first.

PTR

[Night Train]

11 years of disfunctional front office moves can always be solved in a week of signings....wait..

[psubills62]

When was the last time Green Bay (or NE) aggressively pursued the top free agents? Heck, when was the last time GB made trades for that matter?

Difference between those teams and us are that they have talent, particularly at the QB position. They're ready to go all in and get that SB ring. We aren't.

As I've said before, rebuilding is going slower than I thought it would, but Nix and co. seem to be doing a decent job of adding talent to the team. They're going the patient, Baltimore/Pittsburgh route of building a solid/great defense first, then build the offense that complements it. JMO.

[OpIv37]

When was the last time Green Bay (or NE) aggressively pursued the top free agents? Heck, when was the last time GB made trades for that matter?

Difference between those teams and us are that they have talent, particularly at the QB position. They're ready to go all in and get that SB ring. We aren't.

As I've said before, rebuilding is going slower than I thought it would, but Nix and co. seem to be doing a decent job of adding talent to the team. They're going the patient, Baltimore/Pittsburgh route of building a solid/great defense first, then build the offense that complements it. JMO.
but you can't be TOO patient because then new holes open up.

Take the DL for example. Right now, assuming Dareus and Troup develop, we are set with Dareus, Troup, Williams, Edwards and Carrington. But Edwards and Williams have some miles on them. If it takes us 3-4 years to get the rest of the D situated, they may be gone or on the downhill side of their careers, and then we have no depth on the DL.

In addition, under the Bills' current plan, there is no room for error. One or two bad draft picks, and we're ****ed. To stick with the DL, worst-case scenario: Carrington plateaus and Dareus is another first-round bust. Now, our DL needs work, but we still haven't fixed LB, OT, or QB. We'd be no further ahead than we were when Nix and Gailey first took over.

That's the problem with this team. Obviously, going for broke in FA isn't the answer, but neither is sitting back and waiting for the right draft picks to come along. There has to be a happy medium.

[psubills62]

but you can't be TOO patient because then new holes open up.

Take the DL for example. Right now, assuming Dareus and Troup develop, we are set with Dareus, Troup, Williams, Edwards and Carrington. But Edwards and Williams have some miles on them. If it takes us 3-4 years to get the rest of the D situated, they may be gone or on the downhill side of their careers, and then we have no depth on the DL.

In addition, under the Bills' current plan, there is no room for error. One or two bad draft picks, and we're ****ed. To stick with the DL, worst-case scenario: Carrington plateaus and Dareus is another first-round bust. Now, our DL needs work, but we still haven't fixed LB, OT, or QB. We'd be no further ahead than we were when Nix and Gailey first took over.

That's the problem with this team. Obviously, going for broke in FA isn't the answer, but neither is sitting back and waiting for the right draft picks to come along. There has to be a happy medium.
New holes only open up if 1) talent isn't developed, and 2) talent isn't re-signed. In those cases, I'd agree that holes are going to open up if it takes too long. This is why it's pretty important to hit on every part of the draft. If you can turn those 6th and 7th rounders into quality depth, then you can build a team faster than you lose it, in general.

No matter what route you take and how active you are in FA, it's almost imperative that a team hits on their top few draft picks each year.

Concerning your second paragraph...you're right that Edwards and Williams have some miles on them. But they're two guys! Are you saying that it's going to take us 3-4 years to get our D situated, but during those 3-4 drafts (we should have 21-28 picks), we won't be able to spare even two picks to attempt to replace those guys? Ideally, Edwards would be a rotational end by then and Williams would also be a rotational guy, maybe specifically for pass-rushing situations. With the obvious priority Nix and co. put on the DL, I'd have to think they'll spend a pick or two to get guys to replace them. And since they do tend to sign 2-3 FA's that are at least depth each year, we could go that route as well.

The thing is, if Dareus and a number of our other draft picks bust, then yes, we're sunk. And yes, we'd be in slightly better position in terms of team talent if we signed a couple other top FA's like Clabo. But overall, the draft is going to be the key no matter what. We have to depend on these guys to develop and our coaches to develop them.

[justasportsfan]

Nix comes from the school of John Buttler who didn't build SD in one season and didn't build with FA's.

It wasn't until the 4th year when the Chargers went 12-4. Since then up until Nix left SD, the chargers have been perennial playoff team.

He's trying to do the same here and only time will tell if he can do it.

[OpIv37]

Nix comes from the school of John Buttler who didn't build SD in one season and didn't build with FA's.

It wasn't until the 4th year when the Chargers went 12-4. Since then up until Nix left SD, the chargers have been perennial playoff team.

He's trying to do the same here and only time will tell if he can do it.

and that's exactly why I'm not excited for football at all this year.

I understand the reality that this team is a mess. And I understand that even if we went for broke and signed every FA out there this year, it wouldn't guarantee success.

But at the same time, it's extremely frustrating as a fan to have to keep waiting. You and I disagree on a lot of things, but you, me and the majority of this message board are the same in one important way: we're still here. Despite how bad this team has been over the last 12 years or so, we still buy tickets, watch games on TV, buy and wear merch, follow the team in the off-season and post on this message board.

And the reward for our patience and loyalty is.... that we have to continue to be patient. AAARRRRRGGGGHHH. **** you, Ralph.

[Mr. Pink]

I'm patiently waiting for an owner who will keep the team in Buffalo and give a crap about winning some football games not just lining his pockets with more profits.

[justasportsfan]

and that's exactly why I'm not excited for football at all this year.I understand the reality that this team is a mess. And I understand that even if we went for broke and signed every FA out there this year, it wouldn't guarantee success.

But at the same time, it's extremely frustrating as a fan to have to keep waiting. You and I disagree on a lot of things, but you, me and the majority of this message board are the same in one important way: we're still here. Despite how bad this team has been over the last 12 years or so, we still buy tickets, watch games on TV, buy and wear merch, follow the team in the off-season and post on this message board.

And the reward for our patience and loyalty is.... that we have to continue to be patient. AAARRRRRGGGGHHH. **** you, Ralph.


The thing I like about Nix is that he is sticking to his plan. Donahoe didn't. He grabbed a bunch of FA's , made them play 2 years and then when they were primed to make a playoff run, they started JP at qb. That screwed ervything up. The vets had no time to wait for JP to develop.

Under Nix the core players are not far apart in age and experience. The Fa's he's brought in are here for the short term and aren't costing much.

[OpIv37]

The Fa's he's brought in are here for the short term and aren't costing much.

It's good that the FA's we have aren't expensive, but that only matters if that extra cash is somehow re-invested in the team. Use it to lock someone up long-term or bring in a quality FA. Unused cap from one year doesn't carry over to the next. That's the problem with this team- they never seem to maximize their opportunities to improve.

[Forward_Lateral]

All of you people that want the Bills to run out and sign a bunch of older free agents would be the same ones *****ing in a few years when the Bills are crappy again, and in cap hell at the same time.

[OpIv37]

The thing I like about Nix is that he is sticking to his plan. Donahoe didn't. He grabbed a bunch of FA's , made them play 2 years and then when they were primed to make a playoff run, they started JP at qb. That screwed ervything up. The vets had no time to wait for JP to develop.


Also, most of us agree that Fitz isn't the long term answer at QB. By the time we get our hands on one, we could be in the same situation with a team that can't wait for a QB to develop.

And long term, Nix's plan is probably the way to go (assuming he implements it properly), but short term, it means 2011 is training camp for 2012.

[Mr. Pink]

Also, most of us agree that Fitz isn't the long term answer at QB. By the time we get our hands on one, we could be in the same situation with a team that can't wait for a QB to develop.

And long term, Nix's plan is probably the way to go (assuming he implements it properly), but short term, it means 2011 is training camp for 2012.


Meanwhile if they missed on the past 2 drafts, the 2010 draft looks like a miss so far, the teams record will suffer and Gailey will be fired after 2012 which means....

More rebuilding and systems from different people!

[justasportsfan]

Also, most of us agree that Fitz isn't the long term answer at QB. By the time we get our hands on one, we could be in the same situation with a team that can't wait for a QB to develop.

And long term, Nix's plan is probably the way to go (assuming he implements it properly), but short term, it means 2011 is training camp for 2012.

See Brees and Rivers and where Chargers are at today. They have remained playoff contenders even though they haven't made big splashes in FA through the years. Same goes with Pitts and Colts.

[mjt328]

When was the last time Green Bay (or NE) aggressively pursued the top free agents? Heck, when was the last time GB made trades for that matter?

Difference between those teams and us are that they have talent, particularly at the QB position. They're ready to go all in and get that SB ring. We aren't.

As I've said before, rebuilding is going slower than I thought it would, but Nix and co. seem to be doing a decent job of adding talent to the team. They're going the patient, Baltimore/Pittsburgh route of building a solid/great defense first, then build the offense that complements it. JMO.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Just because a team is mostly built with draft picks doesn't mean they didn't succeed in part because of aggressively pursuing veteran players.

Green Bay signed Charles Woodson as a FA in 2006. He is a huge piece to their defense. Ryan Pickett is a vital piece to their pass rush. He was a FA.

New England has tons of FA pickups and trades over the years. Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Corey Dillon, Rodney Harrison, Junior Seau, Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, etc. etc.

[psubills62]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Just because a team is mostly built with draft picks doesn't mean they didn't succeed in part because of aggressively pursuing veteran players.

Green Bay signed Charles Woodson as a FA in 2006. He is a huge piece to their defense. Ryan Pickett is a vital piece to their pass rush. He was a FA.

New England has tons of FA pickups and trades over the years. Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Corey Dillon, Rodney Harrison, Junior Seau, Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, etc. etc.
My point exactly with regards to GB. Five years ago - pretty much one guy. How many guys have the Packers signed since, hm? And for NE - how many SB's have they won since they became strongly active in FA? They've been active, but how many of those guys were top FA's or traded guys? Moss, maybe, but he was only valuable to a team that could harness his skills, which the Pats were. Adalius Thomas was a premier FA as well. The others? Not so much.

Nobody's saying that FA has no place in building a roster. The draft is where it starts and ends, though. FA is simply meant to be add other pieces to the puzzle, usually complementary pieces.

[bf1]

Bumbling Buddy has one thumb up his ass with one hand and a glass full of moonshine in the other. :down:

[OpIv37]

See Brees and Rivers and where Chargers are at today. They have remained playoff contenders even though they haven't made big splashes in FA through the years. Same goes with Pitts and Colts.

um, the Saints got Brees via FA.

[justasportsfan]

um, the Saints got Brees via FA.
um, you missed my pint. The Chargers got Brees and then got Rivers. They haven't missed much of a beat between both qb's. They have remained a playoffs team using the draft.

[OpIv37]

um, you missed my pint. The Chargers got Brees and then got Rivers. They haven't missed much of a beat between both qb's. They have remained a playoffs team using the draft.

They also benefit from being in a **** division.

The way the Chargers operate may work in the AFCW, but it's not going to work in the AFCE.

[justasportsfan]

They also benefit from being in a **** division.

The way the Chargers operate may work in the AFCW, but it's not going to work in the AFCE.
Doesn't matter if they are from a weak division. The are playoff contenders and one of the better teams every year. Part of the reason their divisionis weak because on of the teams tried to bild via FA.

What about Pitts? have you seen them make any huge FA splashes during their sb years?

As for the saints, they replaced Shockey with a guy they drafted. They replaced Bush with Ingram. Why didn't they grab FA's to replace those guys?

[Buddo]

I've not read the whole article, but there are certain points in it that simply don't really hang with the general theme.
The attempt to sign Clabo, being a big knock against that.
Nix tried to make a serious move there, and it didn't work out, but the effort was made.
I believe Nix knows exactly what players he is or isn't interested in, and for his own specific reasons.
I also think there's an element of 'safety first' in how he approaches FA - and I don't mean in terms of spending - in that he wants guys who will blend in with the general approach he wants from our players.
For the moment, I feel there's a degree of guardedness, about who they will or won't sign, in terms of upsetting the locker room.
Another aspect of this business of not being bothered by FA, or displaying urgency, that doesn't sit quite right, is how active they are when they want to be, especially last year with the waiver wire etc.

It's very easy to stick pins in lists of FAs and come up with names who might be upgrades for the moment, but who also might not work out as well.
Small upgrades over young players who are still gaining experience at their positions, may well be counter productive.
For the moment, I think we are still in a balancing act, and we need to see what we have with our draft picks - particularly from last year, in Troup and Carrington, maybe Batten also. Easley may still get himself properly fit.
Imho, there aren't a whole heap of FA signings around the league, that have made particularly significant impacts, aside from Brees and Pennington, both of whom are QBs. (In more recent years)
The most successful pickups elsewhere, particularly in NE, have been from trades, in Welker and Moss.
That isn't to say that teams haven't benefited from other guys, but rather that the big difference makers in FA, have been few and far between.
I rather suspect that the list of FAs who perform as well as, or better than, with their previous team, is largely outnumbered by those who don't measure up.

TBH, personally speaking, I'm encouraged that Nix did go hard after Clabo, as he was one of the best available FAs at his position. Says to me that Nix knows when he can get a genuine upgrade, and is prepared to do something about it.
For the rest, I'm sort of in line with the general approach. I think we are another good draft away from having a big enough, good core group, from which to start being more hard in terms of incremental upgrades.

I really like our draft class from this year, and I think Dareus is going to make some serious noise around the league. I think he alone is a reason to be excited about watching the Bills this year, but I don't think he will be the sole reason. There are some very encouraging signs coming from a certain OLB.
We have a functional offence, that actually looks like a proper NFL offense, for the first time in literally years. That has room for improvement, especially in terms of getting a water bug involved.

I really do wish we had signed a recognised FA TE though. ;(

I really don't know why this came to mind, but I have an oddball prediction, and that is that we will go to Dallas, and beat the piss out of them, and Ralph will be seen giving Jerry Jones the finger, on the world's largest jumbotron. ;)

[OpIv37]

Doesn't matter if they are from a weak division. The are playoff contenders and one of the better teams every year. Part of the reason their divisionis weak because on of the teams tried to bild via FA.

What about Pitts? have you seen them make any huge FA splashes during their sb years?

As for the saints, they replaced Shockey with a guy they drafted. They replaced Bush with Ingram. Why didn't they grab FA's to replace those guys?

It does matter that they're in a weak division because they wouldn't be playoff contenders if they had 4 games a year against the Jets and Dolphins like we do.

And the Bills wouldn't be playoff contenders in the AFCW, but I doubt we'd be drafting 3rd either.

And not every player needs to be replaced via FA. FA is one way to upgrade the team, not the only way. But it's one the Bills don't utilize properly.

[OpIv37]

I've not read the whole article, but there are certain points in it that simply don't really hang with the general theme.
The attempt to sign Clabo, being a big knock against that.
Nix tried to make a serious move there, and it didn't work out, but the effort was made.


If we've only learned one thing from the last 10 years, it should be this: It's time to stop giving credit for effort. From here on out, I will only be impressed with results.

Effort with no results is failure.

[YardRat]

There is so much wrong with just the little bit quoted in the op that it isn't worth reading the entire article.

[better days]

but you can't be TOO patient because then new holes open up.

Take the DL for example. Right now, assuming Dareus and Troup develop, we are set with Dareus, Troup, Williams, Edwards and Carrington. But Edwards and Williams have some miles on them. If it takes us 3-4 years to get the rest of the D situated, they may be gone or on the downhill side of their careers, and then we have no depth on the DL.

In addition, under the Bills' current plan, there is no room for error. One or two bad draft picks, and we're ****ed. To stick with the DL, worst-case scenario: Carrington plateaus and Dareus is another first-round bust. Now, our DL needs work, but we still haven't fixed LB, OT, or QB. We'd be no further ahead than we were when Nix and Gailey first took over.

That's the problem with this team. Obviously, going for broke in FA isn't the answer, but neither is sitting back and waiting for the right draft picks to come along. There has to be a happy medium.

Nix said if you draft well, you can turn an entire team over in 4 years & be successful. So I plan on giving him four years then I want to see results.

[guy]

I'm patiently waiting for an owner who will keep the team in Buffalo and give a crap about winning some football games not just lining his pockets with more profits. i guess you really dont know anything about the history of the team you are supposed to be a fan of.

[justasportsfan]

It does matter that they're in a weak division because they wouldn't be playoff contenders if they had 4 games a year against the Jets and Dolphins like we do.


thats BS because the chargers have beaten the Patriots and Jets in that span. They have also beaten teams like the ravens and the Colts as well. Its a fact. For you to say how they would have done because the AFCE is strong even though they've beated those teams in wrong.

Another thing, thats like saying the Packers won't go anywhere because they belong to a weak division. They are the SB champs.

[EDS]

New holes only open up if 1) talent isn't developed, and 2) talent isn't re-signed. In those cases, I'd agree that holes are going to open up if it takes too long. This is why it's pretty important to hit on every part of the draft. If you can turn those 6th and 7th rounders into quality depth, then you can build a team faster than you lose it, in general.

No matter what route you take and how active you are in FA, it's almost imperative that a team hits on their top few draft picks each year.

Concerning your second paragraph...you're right that Edwards and Williams have some miles on them. But they're two guys! Are you saying that it's going to take us 3-4 years to get our D situated, but during those 3-4 drafts (we should have 21-28 picks), we won't be able to spare even two picks to attempt to replace those guys? Ideally, Edwards would be a rotational end by then and Williams would also be a rotational guy, maybe specifically for pass-rushing situations. With the obvious priority Nix and co. put on the DL, I'd have to think they'll spend a pick or two to get guys to replace them. And since they do tend to sign 2-3 FA's that are at least depth each year, we could go that route as well.

The thing is, if Dareus and a number of our other draft picks bust, then yes, we're sunk. And yes, we'd be in slightly better position in terms of team talent if we signed a couple other top FA's like Clabo. But overall, the draft is going to be the key no matter what. We have to depend on these guys to develop and our coaches to develop them.

The starting defense this season will likely consist of 6 players 30 or older (Edwards, Kelsay, Barnett, Wilson, McGee and Florence), with the possibility that another 30+ player (likely Davis or Torbor) starts as well. That is an awful lot of older guys for a team that is CLEARLY in the rebuilding phase.

[psubills62]

The starting defense this season will likely consist of 6 players 30 or older (Edwards, Kelsay, Barnett, Wilson, McGee and Florence), with the possibility that another 30+ player (likely Davis or Torbor) starts as well. That is an awful lot of older guys for a team that is CLEARLY in the rebuilding phase.
Not really. A good number of those guys are only going to be here for another year or two and are clearly being phased out. Edwards will be a rotational DE, Barnett should only start for this year, I do think Kelsay will be phased out after another year or two, Wilson is older but not much wear, McGee is being phased out and Florence will stick around for a couple more years. Davis is in the last year of his contract and maybe be kept around as a mentor, and I expect Torbor to not even make the roster this year in favor of the younger guys at the position.

It's good to have veterans around to help the transition. It's pretty clear to me most, if not all, of those guys will be reduced to depth/rotational roles at best in a few years.