Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills 2021 Offseason Part III: The Draft

[Taro Tsujimoto]

 

[SundherDome]

It has to be an amazing feeling to sign a contract and be rich as f***.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

Q&A: Mitchell Trubisky goes in depth on why he decided to sign with the Bills | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com

 

[Dirty Dog]

Q&A: Mitchell Trubisky goes in depth on why he decided to sign with the Bills | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com

it was a smart career move for him

 

[Husko]

it was a smart career move for him

I actually think it’s wild he wasn’t given a chance to start compared to some of the other guys around the league that were. I know he hasn’t really panned out, but he’s been decent and won more games than he lost. Also seeing Foles fail miserably in the same system makes him look a lot better in comparison. Very happy to have him in the fold.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I actually think it’s wild he wasn’t given a chance to start compared to some of the other guys around the league that were. I know he hasn’t really panned out, but he’s been decent and won more games than he lost. Also seeing Foles fail miserably in the same system makes him look a lot better in comparison. Very happy to have him in the fold.

I fully agree. He gets goofed on a lot but has a knack for winning and is statistically solid. If you watched enough of his games, he is pretty infuriating and shows worse than his stats. But that is not a great organization for QBs.

but he deserves a shot more than some other QBs. I bet he gets a shot somewhere after his year with us.

 

[Buffaloed]

Former Bills GM Doug Whaley puts full onus for EJ Manuel pick on Buddy Nix
“At the time, I was Assistant GM, and the GM there was Buddy Nix, and he had talked to me before about, ‘hey, before I get out of here, I’m going to make sure that we have a quarterback’ ... And unbeknownst to me after the draft, he was going to retire. So I gave you the backdrop of that to say this: don’t ever back yourself into a corner by saying, ‘I want to get a specific position,’ because then you overdraft, which leads to some mistakes. So, EJ Manuel, that was (Nix’s) favorite quarterback out of that draft. He wanted to get him and he didn’t want to lose him. Now I know why. So he got him in the first round. He removed all doubt. If we would have drafted him in the third round – which that’s probably where he should have gone, maybe third or fourth round – he may have still been in the league today as a backup. But don’t back yourself in a corner or of overdraft because of need.”

I think Botterill was pulling the strings from his assistant GM position with the Pens and that's what got him on the Pegulas radar.

 

[missingmika]

Former Bills GM Doug Whaley puts full onus for EJ Manuel pick on Buddy Nix
“At the time, I was Assistant GM, and the GM there was Buddy Nix, and he had talked to me before about, ‘hey, before I get out of here, I’m going to make sure that we have a quarterback’ ... And unbeknownst to me after the draft, he was going to retire. So I gave you the backdrop of that to say this: don’t ever back yourself into a corner by saying, ‘I want to get a specific position,’ because then you overdraft, which leads to some mistakes. So, EJ Manuel, that was (Nix’s) favorite quarterback out of that draft. He wanted to get him and he didn’t want to lose him. Now I know why. So he got him in the first round. He removed all doubt. If we would have drafted him in the third round – which that’s probably where he should have gone, maybe third or fourth round – he may have still been in the league today as a backup. But don’t back yourself in a corner or of overdraft because of need.”

I think Botterill was pulling the strings from his assistant GM position with the Pens and that's what got him on the Pegulas radar.

If you’re going to draft for position at least take the best player at the position.

EJ Manuel was the best QB drafted that year, so our scouts did a good job of finding the best QB in the bunch. It just stunk the batch was rotten.

 

[Husko]

If you’re going to draft for position at least take the best player at the position.

EJ Manuel was the best QB drafted that year, so our scouts did a good job of finding the best QB in the bunch. It just stunk the batch was rotten.

I actually don't even know if he was... Guys like Glennon and Barkley have at least stuck in the league, and Logan Thomas is a pro bowl TE now

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[SundherDome]

2nd and a four isnt a bad haul, makes the game this year more interesting.

 

[kirby11]

Anyone else confused by what all Atlanta did given the recent news that Julio asked for a trade before the draft?

Like, if you knew that, wouldn't you take Fields at four or potentially trade down a bit to a non-QB-needy team to grab him?

Instead, they have no one besides Ryan who's clearly declining a bit and they have no real weapons to speak of outside of Ridley and Pitts. I feel like they're gonna end up in the QB purgatory spot of good enough to miss out on a high draft pick without actually being a true contender

 

[Husko]

Anyone else confused by what all Atlanta did given the recent news that Julio asked for a trade before the draft?

Like, if you knew that, wouldn't you take Fields at four or potentially trade down a bit to a non-QB-needy team to grab him?

Instead, they have no one besides Ryan who's clearly declining a bit and they have no real weapons to speak of outside of Ridley and Pitts. I feel like they're gonna end up in the QB purgatory spot of good enough to miss out on a high draft pick without actually being a true contender

Yep. If you knew you were trading Julio, you should've taken the QB.

But here's the rub. It's a new FO and coaching staff. Taking a rookie QB starts your clock. By not taking one and watching Ryan flame out with a horribly cap strapped roster they probably buy themselves an extra couple of years. Classic example of team's best interest not necessarily aligning with decision maker's best interest.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

Anyone else confused by what all Atlanta did given the recent news that Julio asked for a trade before the draft?

Like, if you knew that, wouldn't you take Fields at four or potentially trade down a bit to a non-QB-needy team to grab him?

Instead, they have no one besides Ryan who's clearly declining a bit and they have no real weapons to speak of outside of Ridley and Pitts. I feel like they're gonna end up in the QB purgatory spot of good enough to miss out on a high draft pick without actually being a true contender

I think Ryan's contract made moving on from him this year pretty much a non-starter, so you'd be committing to someone sitting the whole year. It would probably also depend on their evaluations of Fields/Jones too. If they didn't like those two guys, trading down for draft capital next year (like the Bills did trading down for White and a pick they used to help trade up for Allen/Edmunds the next year) would be a plausible strategy. Same with if they didn't want to waste a year of the rookie QB contract on the bench.

 

[SundherDome]

Anyone else confused by what all Atlanta did given the recent news that Julio asked for a trade before the draft?

Like, if you knew that, wouldn't you take Fields at four or potentially trade down a bit to a non-QB-needy team to grab him?

Instead, they have no one besides Ryan who's clearly declining a bit and they have no real weapons to speak of outside of Ridley and Pitts. I feel like they're gonna end up in the QB purgatory spot of good enough to miss out on a high draft pick without actually being a true contender

My rational is they have one to two more years of really good Matt Ryan. He is still very good statistically speaking. They probably didn't love the second tier of QBs and they see what an elite TE can do for an offense and a potential rookie QB. Their division is also not the greatest as Carolina and New Orleans are ripe for the picking, so a wild card spot could be feasible, possibly division if Brady gets hurt. Moving on from Ryan this year was also a non-starter.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

 

[tsujimoto74]

If the Pegulas auctioned off that ball, they could probably hire an entirely new Sabres scouting staff with the proceeds

 

[Husko]

My rational is they have one to two more years of really good Matt Ryan. He is still very good statistically speaking. They probably didn't love the second tier of QBs and they see what an elite TE can do for an offense and a potential rookie QB. Their division is also not the greatest as Carolina and New Orleans are ripe for the picking, so a wild card spot could be feasible, possibly division if Brady gets hurt. Moving on from Ryan this year was also a non-starter.

Perhaps. And maybe in a more run-focused system that maybe they run with their new coaching staff he will be fine. But it was definitely a case where his play last year looked a lot worse than the stat sheet shows. He was especially headache-inducing in games without Julio. Do I think it's possible he turns it around? Sure. But if I had to bet my money is definitely on him being closer to washed than good.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

How Milano stayed in Buffalo

When we were on the precipice of free agency, Matt called me and said, "Hey, go get a deal with the Bills. Get it done. I want to stay here,’” Segal explained

Still getting used to reading stuff like this.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

Anyone else confused by what all Atlanta did given the recent news that Julio asked for a trade before the draft?

Like, if you knew that, wouldn't you take Fields at four or potentially trade down a bit to a non-QB-needy team to grab him?

Instead, they have no one besides Ryan who's clearly declining a bit and they have no real weapons to speak of outside of Ridley and Pitts. I feel like they're gonna end up in the QB purgatory spot of good enough to miss out on a high draft pick without actually being a true contender

I think they went BPA which was the TE.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I don’t think it’s that wild of a strategy to get your roster set a little bit, get some key pieces in place, have some of your system in place BEFORE drafting a QB if you are a new gm/hc.

@Husko is right, your clock starts ticking when you draft a QB. Might as well start a year early before you start the clock. McDermott did it here.

 

[SundherDome]

Perhaps. And maybe in a more run-focused system that maybe they run with their new coaching staff he will be fine. But it was definitely a case where his play last year looked a lot worse than the stat sheet shows. He was especially headache-inducing in games without Julio. Do I think it's possible he turns it around? Sure. But if I had to bet my money is definitely on him being closer to washed than good.

He had a good year though, I don't expect him to fall off like say, Flacco.

 

[SundherDome]

I don’t think it’s that wild of a strategy to get your roster set a little bit, get some key pieces in place, have some of your system in place BEFORE drafting a QB if you are a new gm/hc.

@Husko is right, your clock starts ticking when you draft a QB. Might as well start a year early before you start the clock. McDermott did it here.

I don't how they viewed the Qb's but picking that high might not happen again for them. Mcd was also in a spot where he was getting a new GM in a few weeks and probably didn't know which path he would go but everyone needs more 1st rounders and a shutdown cb

 

[Rowley Birkin]

I don’t think it’s that wild of a strategy to get your roster set a little bit, get some key pieces in place, have some of your system in place BEFORE drafting a QB if you are a new gm/hc.

@Husko is right, your clock starts ticking when you draft a QB. Might as well start a year early before you start the clock. McDermott did it here.

IIRC from the last time i looked at his contract - Ryan is there for another 2 seasons guaranteed. This & next.

 

[SundherDome]

IIRC from the last time i looked at his contract - Ryan is there for another 2 seasons guaranteed. This & next.

In essence that third year still has some steep dead money