Grade the Bills Free Agency period (thus far)

[The King]

The Bills have gone out and done exactly what they said they would do. Addressed their needs without making a huge splash in Free Agency, although I do think the made a nice little ripple.

How do you grade the Bills after one week of Free Agency?
Here are Buffalo's moves thus far.

Cut:
QB - Kevin Kolb
LB - Willie Jefferson

Resigned:
K - Dan Carpenter
WR - Chris Hogan
FB - Frank Summers
TE - Scott Chandler
G - Antoine McClain
TE - Mike Caussin

Signed:
CB - Corey Graham
LB - Keith Rivers
LB - Brandon Spikes
RB - Anthony Dixon
G - Chris Williams

Unsigned:
DE - Alex Carrington
S - Jim Leonard
LB - Arthur Moats
T - Thomas Welch

Lost:
S - Jairus Byrd (New Orleans)

[Mr. Miyagi]

Let's get Jimmy Leonard resigned.

[YardRat]

You left out extending A.Williams.

[Meathead]

leonhard was avail in the middle of last season for a reason. he will be lucky to play anywhere, no need to use a camp spot on him

[jimmifli]

Grade F.

What happened to Askew? He's a vital part of our offseason plans!

[SquishDaFish]

B

[JoeMama]

thiz is wuss bwandon smashin teh competishun :smashfrea

thiz is mi after we cut stuupid jaiwuz burd :whew:

and finelly thiz is mi celebwating how guud we are att fwee ajency in generel :dance2:

A+++_+-+++

[DesertFox24]

I gave the grade a B.

We lost a great safety in Bryd, but I think we got better at the LB corps.

Also liked the depth Graham brings.

Althought Chris Williams is an athlete I am not sure about him, that being said the Bills can easily cut him next year if he sucks with little to no cap ramfications.

Losing Bryd hurts but every team loses guys fans dont want to lose every year.

As long as we can keep guys like Gilmore, Glenn, Dareus, and Kiko then I am ok

[Skooby]

C, had they retained Byrd or gotten value back for him & then it's an A.

[Meathead]

What happened to Askew? He's a vital part of our offseason plans!

for some strange reason hes never signed before apr 1st

[Novacane]

B They have signed players at positions we all wanted them to. Not sure Williams and Rivers are all that great but I'm willing to wait and see. If they end up contributing as starters it will be an A. I don't think Byrd is a huge loss. I know he's one of the best safeties but that's a position I just don't value as much as others.

[DraftBoy]

C, not sure they got any better or much worse at this point.

Some odd moves, mixed with some solid ones.

[Skooby]

C, not sure they got any better or much worse at this point.

Some odd moves, mixed with some solid ones.

Not getting value for Byrd = odd move.

[GvilleBills]

Incomplete, but loving it so far.

[YardRat]

They've done pretty well addressing some of their needs, whether that parlays into play on the field remains to be seen.

I'm excited about Spikes and Graham. I hope Rivers and especially C.Williams turn out to be more than a lateral move. Dixon will depend on how and how much they use him.

Free agency aside, it's nice to know that this front office is willing to make moves beyond this period and the draft if they feel they can upgrade the roster (Lewis and Hughes trades) and it will be interesting to see if they pull something like that off again this season.

[Meathead]

in terms of the add and if you include their own fas that they resigned (you should) then its clearly an A. they got their top want in Spikes, added three other starters, and got perhaps the best cb3 available which is a starter on most passing downs

you do have to count losing byrd but im not sure they could have done anything different at all. the only thing you could say is that they should have locked him up two years ago. but perhaps they did and he declined. hes been pretty single-minded about being the top paid safety so i believe he didnt give them any other option

so the final grade depends on how you grade the loss of byrd. if you think its a fail bc they didnt get anything for him then overall is prolly a C at best. if like me you think they did all they could but byrd made it impossible then itll be closer to the A for just the adds

and personally i do indeed think they got better. williams/searcy will be at least 80% of the best tandem involving byrd the bills could field, and they more than made up for that max 20% loss with their other adds. very nice fa period so far and theres still time for several more team improving moves

ten wins

[better days]

Not getting value for Byrd = odd move.

I would agree, but Whaley said there were a lot of moving parts to try to get a trade done, such as finding a team willing to trade for him.

I think the Saints were the only team willing to pay the big money to Byrd & were not willing to both trade for him & pay that money.

[Skooby]

I would agree, but Whaley said there were a lot of moving parts to try to get a trade done,

= I was too lazy & complacent knowing that I can't be held accountable for any failures this team has on the field. A comfortable front office = 14 straight years without making the playoffs.

[clumping platelets]

Incomplete......offseason not done yet

[Don't Panic]

I'd still love to bring back Moats. I think a return to ST excellence could be the difference between us making the playoffs and not.

[better days]

= I was too lazy & complacent knowing that I can't be held accountable for any failures this team has on the field. A comfortable front office = 14 straight years without making the playoffs.

Russ & Whaley have only been running the Bills for one year.

This post like the thread you started about the front office is a huge FAIL.

[better days]

= I was too lazy & complacent knowing that I can't be held accountable for any failures this team has on the field. A comfortable front office = 14 straight years without making the playoffs.

And the Bucs tried to trade Revis but had to cut him because they couldn't find anyone to trade for him.

And the Bears tried to trade Peppers but had to cut him because they couldn't find anyone to trade for him.

I guess the Bucs & Bears are too lazy & complacent. Or maybe it is as Whaley said it is not easy to find a trade partner for a player other teams know will be on the market anyway.

[Strongman]

I gave them a "C" because I didn't see them becoming substantially better or worse. If these FAs improve them, it will only be marginally.

[DrGraves]

B. Like the plug-ins we added to our most needed positions IMO (guard, CB, LB). Not that those players were the top of their position, but they are an upgrade over what we currently had. I don't like losing Byrd but it was to be expected. It would have been an A had we traded/tagged him. Still don't understand why we didn't tag him... if he plays, great! that helps us again this year, if he's "injured/holds out" who cares that is his loss and we have the cap space to use anyways.

Lastly, I like the moves we made because it gives us some more flexibility in the draft to perhaps go after the best players available over needs in some spots.

[SpikedLemonade]

I gave them a "C" because I didn't see them becoming substantially better or worse. If these FAs improve them, it will only be marginally.

Same.

[DesertFox24]

= I was too lazy & complacent knowing that I can't be held accountable for any failures this team has on the field. A comfortable front office = 14 straight years without making the playoffs.


You guys do realize that had we tagged Bryd we could not have traded him until he signed the tender. In other words the guy held out last year and if he held out again we would have got nothing and been tied to 8.5 million franchise tag.

Yes I wish we could have signed him or got something for him but he had all the cards and Whaley did not want to hold the team hostage.

[jimmifli]

I gave them a "C" because I didn't see them becoming substantially better or worse. If these FAs improve them, it will only be marginally.
I think the defensive side of the ball improved dramatically.

Spikes fills a big hole, allowing Kiko to fill a massive one. That's two upgrades and it's going to make a huge difference. The defense will be able to get off the field, more 3 and outs, shorter drives, more rest for the heavies, better 4th quarters... One player can make that big a difference. The step down from Byrd to Williams isn't huge, and I think the upgrade to CB will probably counter that decline. But that leaves the decline at SS, Williams played really well last season, and I don't think any of the other guys can match that play. SS remains a huge question mark.

But overall I think we will see a big difference.

On offense we replaced a guy who was a bad pass blocker and horrendous run blocker with a guy that was a horrendous pass blocker and a bad run blocker. I'm not sure it's an upgrade at all and we paid through the nose for it. That signing looks desperate.

A "C" is probably fair. Getting nothing for Byrd was awful. Paying a fortune for an underperforming guard was awful.
Getting the best run stuffing MLB in the NFL was ****ing awesome. Adding CB that's as good (or really ****ing close) to our starters was also awesome.
The rest I don't see as impact moves.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Getting the best run stuffing MLB in the NFL was ****ing awesome.

I think hyperbole is the single greatest threat facing America today.

[jimmifli]

I think hyperbole is the single greatest threat facing America today.

Spikes’ has struggled in the past in coverage, but there is no denying he is one of the best run stopping linebackers in the league.

Per Pro Football Focus, Spikes received a 11.6 rating in run defense, which not only leads the NFL, but it was nearly doubled that of 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1994412-2014-free-agency-analysis-and-grades-afc-east/page/2

I'm not saying he's the best MLB, and I don't take PFF as gospel... but he's had the reputation as a great run stuffer since college and they grade him out as twice as good as the next guy. I don't think it's hyperbole at all. There's a reason a bunch of us have been calling for him since November.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1994412-2014-free-agency-analysis-and-grades-afc-east/page/2

I'm not saying he's the best MLB, and I don't take PFF as gospel... but he's had the reputation as a great run stuffer since college and they grade him out as twice as good as the next guy. I don't think it's hyperbole at all. There's a reason a bunch of us have been calling for him since November.

That same link claims PFF has us ranked as the fourth best run defense. I think their rankings are closer to heresy than gospel :rofl:

[Strongman]

I think the defensive side of the ball improved dramatically.

Spikes fills a big hole, allowing Kiko to fill a massive one. That's two upgrades and it's going to make a huge difference. The defense will be able to get off the field, more 3 and outs, shorter drives, more rest for the heavies, better 4th quarters... One player can make that big a difference. The step down from Byrd to Williams isn't huge, and I think the upgrade to CB will probably counter that decline. But that leaves the decline at SS, Williams played really well last season, and I don't think any of the other guys can match that play. SS remains a huge question mark.

But overall I think we will see a big difference.

On offense we replaced a guy who was a bad pass blocker and horrendous run blocker with a guy that was a horrendous pass blocker and a bad run blocker. I'm not sure it's an upgrade at all and we paid through the nose for it. That signing looks desperate.

A "C" is probably fair. Getting nothing for Byrd was awful. Paying a fortune for an underperforming guard was awful.
Getting the best run stuffing MLB in the NFL was ****ing awesome. Adding CB that's as good (or really ****ing close) to our starters was also awesome.
The rest I don't see as impact moves.

The run defense improved with the Spikes signing, but I also think our pass defense will be arguably worse with his coverage skills and with Byrd leaving. I am glad to see A. Williams being extended as he played well last year. I also think Searcy is underrated. He and Williams will help offset the void left by Byrd, but not completely fill it.

I was really hoping they would address the OL more than they did and also upgrade the TE position. We need someone that can help EJ out on 3rd downs to keep his drives sustained.

[jimmifli]

That same link claims PFF has us ranked as the fourth best run defense. I think their rankings are closer to heresy than gospel :rofl:
That's the cumulative grade of all our defensive players. I don't think that's far off. If you know their grading scheme, they only give scores when they are sure they understand the assignment of the play. I would say this defense is near the top of the league talent wise, especially when looking at Run D.

The discrepancy between the grade and the actual result comes down to a few things:

1. Scheme
2. The 3rd worst average drive start
3. The highest number of drives against

Our average yards per drive was only beat by Seattle. The run D stats look bad because teams spent the 4th quarter killing the clock and our offense was so bad opponents got a lot of chances to kill the clock.

10th in yards, 13th in points, 8th in rushing TDs against etc....
In most of the team defense stats we come out top ten. It shouldn't be a big surprise that someone grades the talent as forth best. I don't think that's heresy at all, and I don't think that discredits their ranking of Spikes.

[better days]

The run defense improved with the Spikes signing, but I also think our pass defense will be arguably worse with his coverage skills and with Byrd leaving. I am glad to see A. Williams being extended as he played well last year. I also think Searcy is underrated. He and Williams will help offset the void left by Byrd, but not completely fill it.

I was really hoping they would address the OL more than they did and also upgrade the TE position. We need someone that can help EJ out on 3rd downs to keep his drives sustained.

On third & long which should be the situation quite often with Spikes run stopping ability, the Bills will be in a Nickle defense & Spikes will be on the bench.

I don't think the pass defense suffers at all.

[jimmifli]

The run defense improved with the Spikes signing, but I also think our pass defense will be arguably worse with his coverage skills
I don't. He's not replacing Kiko. Kiko is still on the field, it's Hughes, Moats, Bradham or Lawson that is coming off the field.

I think Spikes is pretty similar in coverage to Hughes, Moats and even Bradham. He's probably not as good as Lawson, but if he's used only in running situations (when those other guys were being used) I don't see much of a down grade actually happening. Our run defense improved dramatically without much if any sacrifice to our pass coverage.


and with Byrd leaving
Yeah that hurts. I think Williams played well and might actually come close to filling his shoes. But even IF that happens that leaves a pretty big hole created by Williams moving. But we also added a CB that's almost as good (maybe is as good) as our starters. I think the defense will be better. We've got half an NFL team.

The offense seems so hopeless I want Chan as the OC.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

That's the cumulative grade of all our defensive players. I don't think that's far off. If you know their grading scheme, they only give scores when they are sure they understand the assignment of the play. I would say this defense is near the top of the league talent wise, especially when looking at Run D.

The discrepancy between the grade and the actual result comes down to a few things:

1. Scheme
2. The 3rd worst average drive start
3. The highest number of drives against

Our average yards per drive was only beat by Seattle. The run D stats look bad because teams spent the 4th quarter killing the clock and our offense was so bad opponents got a lot of chances to kill the clock.

10th in yards, 13th in points, 8th in rushing TDs against etc....
In most of the team defense stats we come out top ten. It shouldn't be a big surprise that someone grades the talent as forth best. I don't think that's heresy at all, and I don't think that discredits their ranking of Spikes.

I'm looking at average yards per carry, as that's the largest number and the least affected by outliers. We gave 4.4, 23rd in the league. Now, obviously thats not the gaping black hole of suck we were over the last few seasons, but I'm not sure how I can accept a metric that claims we were top 5 in the league against the run with that kind of performance.

And for that matter, we were 20th in points against, not 13th. I think you had the graph flipped.

[Strongman]

I think the defense will be better. We've got half an NFL team.

The offense seems so hopeless I want Chan as the OC.

I hope you are right about the D. The only drawback I can see is against teams like New England that throw an awful lot on 1st and 2nd downs.

Yeah, I was really hoping they would go after some FAs for offense and not rely mostly on the draft to get players. I don't have a lot of faith in Hackett's ability to run the offense and develop our players.

[better days]

I hope you are right about the D. The only drawback I can see is against teams like New England that throw an awful lot on 1st and 2nd downs.

Yeah, I was really hoping they would go after some FAs for offense and not rely mostly on the draft to get players. I don't have a lot of faith in Hackett's ability to run the offense and develop our players.

The Pats* beat the Bills last year with the run, not the pass, especially the 2nd game.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

The Pats* beat the Bills last year with the run, not the pass, especially the 2nd game.

The second game was played in a torrential downpour.

[better days]

The second game was played in a torrential downpour.

ALL late season games on the East Coast are played in bad weather.

That is one of the reasons it is important for an East Coast team to be able to run & the ball & stop the run on defense.