Rex & Whaley want to be retained, so we drafted players for future use only

[Skooby]

The news I heard is Rex & Whaley are trying to do things to save their jobs. Our picks were based on future use / development more than use this season. That way they have a solid argument that we will get better next season, next season.


P.S. Here's a quote / link to Whaley's blabber:

"At least three [starters]," Whaley said, via NFL Media (http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/0ap3000000661728/Doug-Whaley-Draft-was-better-than-a-movie-script). "Shaq Lawson is going to walk in off the bus starting. Reggie Ragland and then Adolphus Washington -- all three of those guys will start right off the bus. And we're excited for some guys from the fourth through sixth rounds that will contribute for us."

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/buffalo-bills-doug-whaley-shaq-lawson-reggie-ragland-adolphus-washington-start-week-1-051116


Have at it OP, I did this because I'm sick of this crap. Plan on the local / national press questioning everything soon, it's obvious we can't field a NFL starting team & drafting dudes first with known shoulder issues isn't really helping the team today. I'm really upset about this.

[Skooby]

The bus carrying all 3 of those guys together to be able to start is scheduled to arrive around May 2017, so be prepared.

[stuckincincy]

RWS sellouts year after year. Case closed.

[Ginger Vitis]

Are your sources telling you Whaley/Rex know they are going to lose and not make the playoffs in 2016? And 2017 is the year?

[Skooby]

Are your sources telling you Whaley/Rex know they are going to lose and not make the playoffs in 2016? And 2017 is the year?

Yes. We are being tracked to finish 12th in the conference, only San Diego / TN / Cleveland to finish worse (In that order 14-16). I'm actually quite upset about this, it's sickening. That doesn't mean we couldn't do better but the management has basically planned for the future, looking past this season. The odds on Whaley or Rex being let go are low, the owner already has all this news.

So OP is onto something even though he supposedly knows "nothing", he's perpetually preparing us for stuff like this. I'm still hopefully because of the homer in me but TBH, we looked pretty F-d.


P.S. Ragland going down today makes it even worse, Pegula was there as well.

[Ginger Vitis]

Yes. We are being tracked to finish 12th in the conference, only San Diego / TN / Cleveland to finish worse (In that order 14-16). I'm actually quite upset about this, it's sickening. That doesn't mean we couldn't do better but the management has basically planned for the future, looking past this season. The odds on Whaley or Rex being let go are low, the owner already has all this news.

So OP is onto something even though he supposedly knows "nothing", he's perpetually preparing us for stuff like this. I'm still hopefully because of the homer in me but TBH, we looked pretty F-d.


P.S. Ragland going down today makes it even worse, Pegula was there as well.

Why does the Bills front office think after 8-8 last year they are going to take 2 steps back and finish 12th/13th this year?Shaq Lawsons injury? Dareus being out of shape? Inevitable Taylor gets hurt and Manuel will have to play? Players look like crap in minicamps and training camp?

[RobRyanFan]

Yes. We are being tracked to finish 12th in the conference, only San Diego / TN / Cleveland to finish worse (In that order 14-16). I'm actually quite upset about this, it's sickening. That doesn't mean we couldn't do better but the management has basically planned for the future, looking past this season. The odds on Whaley or Rex being let go are low, the owner already has all this news.

So OP is onto something even though he supposedly knows "nothing", he's perpetually preparing us for stuff like this. I'm still hopefully because of the homer in me but TBH, we looked pretty F-d.


P.S. Ragland going down today makes it even worse, Pegula was there as well.

I noticed that. Terry was in a golf cart directly in front of where Ragland got injured.

[YardRat]

Losing isn't usually the best business model to follow if you're trying to keep your job in professional sports.

[Mace]

Losing isn't usually the best business model to follow if you're trying to keep your job in professional sports.

Kind of like how masses of fans staying away from games to punish a team for losing isn't a good business model for making a team successful or keeping it.

[Mr. Pink]

Dunno why they would go with that model for building the team, I think they're pretty safe regardless what happens this year barring a 3 or 4 win collapse. I've been called negative all over this board over the years and I don't even see that being a possibility. The team has enough talent to be a middling team, like always, and pick around 14th in the draft in 2017.

However they're gonna have a huge selling point coming into next year basically saying we're going into the 2017 season with two first round high caliber talent rookies. Don't think Shaq Lawson sees the field this year.

Next year is gonna be the measuring stick on if Whaley and Ryan stay. And I can see them both staying even if we don't make the playoffs then. Say a 9-7 finish and one game out of the last wild card. 2018 will likely be the playoffs or they're fired year.

[Skooby]

In other words, "Just wait until 2017." That's when it will all come together.

http://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/25413/bills-depleted-draft-class-could-cool-rex-ryans-warm-seat

Sorry it took so long to show up.

[stuckincincy]

http://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/25413/bills-depleted-draft-class-could-cool-rex-ryans-warm-seat

Sorry it took so long to show up.

Thanks, Mitch...good article.

[feldspar]

I might be better off googling my favorite movies, and read the posts from people who gave them one star.

That might be a better use of my time rather than reading this **** from you fabulous people in the know.

[Goobylal]

How do you get that they drafted players for future use? Ragland was going to be a starter until he went down. They already named Washington a starter. And they thought Lawson could play the season with his shoulder issue and get it fixed afterwards. Those are the top three players. After that it's a crapshoot whether they'll contribute.

[swiper]

Are your sources telling you Whaley/Rex know they are going to lose and not make the playoffs in 2016? And 2017 is the year?

He has to check with his research department before he can answer that.

[Skooby]

How do you get that they drafted players for future use? Ragland was going to be a starter until he went down. They already named Washington a starter. And they thought Lawson could play the season with his shoulder issue and get it fixed afterwards. Those are the top three players. After that it's a crapshoot whether they'll contribute.

You'd people question the mortician during the funeral. This crap was planned to assure employment for the current staff. You're reading how the injuries have given Rex a much cooler seat, right in a article about it about a week later. Shaq moved his shoulder in late-may & is out until at least ~mid-season, non-contact injury by the sled. Things happen for a reason, Shaq was injured when we drafted him. If you buy the 3 starters off the bus theory / winning the off-season BS, you're nuts.

Rex has many many millions on the table, use your head and not your thumbs.

[Night Train]

Wins and losses will determine the future of ReX and Whaley.

This isn't Cinci where they do just well enough to reach the playoffs and immediately lose with bad QB play. Then declare the coach will never be fired.

[trapezeus]

Mitch, I just don't buy that they knew shaq needed surgery. why say you have a day 1 starter then? pegula knows better than anyone, that buffalo sports fans are ok with the rebuild if its made up front. we took the tank in stride knowing what was on the line.

but the sabres have brought in new blood to make it better. the bills are still running the old guard and they are finding new ways to mangle this.

if the bills really end up in the back of the pack, they need to start over fresh. and I guarantee you bills fans will feel a great weight lifted and a legit chance to win. this constant change under Brandon to have him still be pulling the strings on everything has shown that the ceiling to that approach is 9 wins. Simply not good enough.

[Skooby]

Mitch, I just don't buy that they knew shaq needed surgery. why say you have a day 1 starter then? pegula knows better than anyone, that buffalo sports fans are ok with the rebuild if its made up front. we took the tank in stride knowing what was on the line.

but the sabres have brought in new blood to make it better. the bills are still running the old guard and they are finding new ways to mangle this.

if the bills really end up in the back of the pack, they need to start over fresh. and I guarantee you bills fans will feel a great weight lifted and a legit chance to win. this constant change under Brandon to have him still be pulling the strings on everything has shown that the ceiling to that approach is 9 wins. Simply not good enough.

So what does a 9 win max person do to hold onto their only shot at a very high paying job / position for another season or two?

[trapezeus]

I don't doubt that they are reading the analytics and seeing that this team is heading for the bottom half of teams. and they are trying to massage it that they need another draft to fix things, but the bills have had 6 coaching changes since 2000.

Each year there have been between 3 and 10 other teams that have replaced coaches. each year at least 1 coach takes their team from no playoffs to playoffs in a year. we haven't done it in 6 tries. why are we the exception that needs all this time and can't even make it interesting.

we are never hot in the back stretch fighting to get in. we are always just pissing away every opportunity with boring late games where we can't move the ball, where we can't dominate any game. we are middling the whole way through. why are we the only team that is so tedious to achieve success?

to me, that is the front office, and terry should see he has the darcy "I need more time" reiger in Brandon and company. you literally couldn't do worse to start over fresh and go winless that first season. bills fans wouldn't be upset because it would be a true reboot.

[justasportsfan]

Im glad the broncos waited for 2017 for their D to come together and win the sb.

[Goobylal]

You'd people question the mortician during the funeral. This crap was planned to assure employment for the current staff. You're reading how the injuries have given Rex a much cooler seat, right in a article about it about a week later. Shaq moved his shoulder in late-may & is out until at least ~mid-season, non-contact injury by the sled. Things happen for a reason, Shaq was injured when we drafted him. If you buy the 3 starters off the bus theory / winning the off-season BS, you're nuts.

Rex has many many millions on the table, use your head and not your thumbs.

LOL. OK, let's assume that they didn't plan on having Lawson play the season with the shoulder issue. Are you suggesting that they knew that Ragland would get injured and miss the season? And they still have Washington as a starter. That would have been two starters from the rookie class which is still a pretty good haul, plus a develpmental QB pick who won a national championship and a later pick and UDFA working out.

IOW, your theory holds no water. No way! They may be able to use the injury excuse to give themselves another year, but it wasn't planned.

[stuckincincy]

That Lawson was going to be need of repair was detected by other teams. That ended up in him dropping down to BUF at #19.

[Goobylal]

Not sure how the "No way!" got in my post above, so please Ignore it!

[Skooby]

That Lawson was going to be need of repair was detected by other teams. That ended up in him dropping down to BUF at #19.

NO WAY !!!

J/K Goob !!

[Bill Cody]

We got three starters off a bus headed to the infirmary

[Pinkerton Security]

LOL. OK, let's assume that they didn't plan on having Lawson play the season with the shoulder issue. Are you suggesting that they knew that Ragland would get injured and miss the season? And they still have Washington as a starter. That would have been two starters from the rookie class which is still a pretty good haul, plus a develpmental QB pick who won a national championship and a later pick and UDFA working out.

IOW, your theory holds no water. No way! They may be able to use the injury excuse to give themselves another year, but it wasn't planned.

THIS. This is why this post is garbage. Go away Skooby. They got 3 of the most NFL ready guys in the draft, ill even give you the benefit of the doubt about Shaq's injury concerns and say 2. Two immediate starters in the first 3 rounds is a good haul - Ragland's injury couldn't be foreseen.

[Skooby]

THIS. This is why this post is garbage. Go away Skooby. They got 3 of the most NFL ready guys in the draft, ill even give you the benefit of the doubt about Shaq's injury concerns and say 2. Two immediate starters in the first 3 rounds is a good haul - Ragland's injury couldn't be foreseen.

You read it here and then 5-6 days later it shows up, again. People better wake up and listen.

[stuckincincy]

THIS. This is why this post is garbage. Go away Skooby. They got 3 of the most NFL ready guys in the draft, ill even give you the benefit of the doubt about Shaq's injury concerns and say 2. Two immediate starters in the first 3 rounds is a good haul - Ragland's injury couldn't be foreseen.

If you have to pencil in 2 or 3 rookies as "immediate" starters, you are a club with problems.

[feldspar]

If you have to pencil in 2 or 3 rookies as "immediate" starters, you are a club with problems.

Not really necessarily.

I think most teams plan on starting their first pick. The Bills would have picked Ragland in the first had Lawson been off the board. So there you go. They went on record saying that they felt they pretty much got 2 first round picks after trading up to get Ragland. There is nothing dubious about it.

Washington isn't so much a starter, but more of a rotational guy since Kyle Williams and Dareus are the real starters there.

And every team has weaknesses. Every single one.

[stuckincincy]

Not really necessarily.

I think most teams plan on starting their first pick. The Bills would have picked Ragland in the first had Lawson been off the board. So there you go. They went on record saying that they felt they pretty much got 2 first round picks after trading up to get Ragland. There is nothing dubious about it.

Washington isn't so much a starter, but more of a rotational guy since Kyle Williams and Dareus are the real starters there.

And every team has weaknesses. Every single one.

Sure...many teams tout one of their picks as a being a potential starter. Few of them get on the horn and declare that they found three. A more honest approach by OBD would be to say "we really stunk on D last season, so we are going to replace 3 of our bums or former bums with these untested rookies and throw them to the wolves."

[X-Era]

So we lost two guys to injury? Is this different than any other year?

Who knew on April 27th that Reggie Ragland would partially tear his knee? Raise your hand.

I'm happy with our draft class. Still.

Where we made the mistake, until recently, was in not signing solid vets in case of injury. But, Spikes and Hawthorn fixed that as well. I would still like a backup edge rushing vet.

[Goobylal]

NO WAY !!!

J/K Goob !!

Again the Bills expected him to have the surgery, but after the season.

[feldspar]

Sure...many teams tout one of their picks as a being a potential starter. Few of them get on the horn and declare that they found three. A more honest approach by OBD would be to say "we really stunk on D last season, so we are going to replace 3 of our bums or former bums with these untested rookies and throw them to the wolves."

First of all, it was two starters, not three.

Secondly, do you really expect any team to come out and actually say something like that? Every team gets new starters every year, but they aren't going to come out and publicly call the players they are replacing bums.

The Bills just obviously felt good about Lawson and Ragland, and that is all there is to that. They didn't pick those guys for nothing...for them not to play. Everyone is untested until they're tested. How do they get tested? That's right, by playing games. Next, I'll just explain the principles of simple logic to you if you don't understand them.

[stuckincincy]

First of all, it was two starters, not three.

Secondly, do you really expect any team to come out and actually say something like that? Every team gets new starters every year, but they aren't going to come out and publicly call the players they are replacing bums.

The Bills just obviously felt good about Lawson and Ragland, and that is all there is to that. They didn't pick those guys for nothing...for them not to play. Everyone is untested until they're tested. How do they get tested? That's right, by playing games. Next, I'll just explain the principles of simple logic to you if you don't understand them.

First - it was 3 starters:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000661750/article/whaley-bills-will-have-at-least-three-rookie-starters

Secondly, I "suggested" a more honest approach. That was my opinion. Tongue-in-cheek, if you've heard the phrase. Work on your own logic if you think I think that they would actually do that. Gold star to you for informing me that rookies have to play to get experience.

The Bills' have a history of putting out hype before season's start...Smash-mouth football! Hurry-up no-huddle offense! (which I thought was a dumb thing to do to the rookie EJ Manual - instead of letting him take his lumps and learn about recognizing defenses and longer-developing plays, they had him flinging to a quick read, handing off, or scooting).