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...s-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.

[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.