It's still hard to believe that the Bills got Hughes for Kelvin Sheppard. Hughes has become one of the best edge rushers in the game and Sheppard has 5 total tackles this year.
and yet some Bills fans want to fire Whaley because he took a chance on EJ Manuel that didn't work out.
that trade was pure theft.
It was a great trade for the Bills. When I look at the current regime I start when they took over in 2010. Whaley does not get a pass because he was assistant GM for most of those years. So let's not forget drafting CJ just to give away Lynch. Those 2 moves right there are an equalizer for the Hughes deal. One trade does not erase the Williams trade, an inept offensive line that has had enough picks spent on it to be better. The team needs to make the playoffs for the Whaley regime to be kept IMO. If the team can keep winning despite 2 turnovers a game from Orton then maybe they should look at giving Whaley & co. a chance to find an answer at QB. Otherwise, just move on.
I did not like the Spiller pick at all. Also didn't like giving up on Lynch when they did, and a lot of moves that were made around those times. But I feel a lot better about Whaley than I did about Buddy
I'm more excited about the defense this staff has finally put together, as I've been saying for years that was the best hope to turn this franchise around.
Mario Williams was a massive get in free agency
Jerry Hughes was a great trade
Kiko Alonso was acquired via a draft pick they traded for
Brandon Spikes and Corey Graham signed in free agency
Nigel Bradham and Preston Brown drafted
also feel good about the depth they have on this team.
Jairus Wynn, Manny Lawson, Stefan Charles, Corbin Bryant all look like quality backup linemen
LBs lost Alonso and have had guys in and out of the lineup, but it hasn't been a weakness.
Secondary has plenty of corners to match up against spread offenses. Safeties are a potential weakness, but that's not a huge surprise after losing Byrd (even though they did make him a competitive offer to stay).
Yes, the offensive line is a big concern. Part of that should likely fall on Marrone as that's supposed to be his specialty. Most people knew Chris Williams was going to be a flop. It's a bit too early to write off the young guys this team is relying heavily upon as they are rookies, but it would have been nice to bring them along more slowly. Cyrus Kouandjio looks like a 2nd round bust for now, but they did trade down there and add the pick that got them Richardson so hopefully one of those guys develops into a starter. Legursky doesn't appear to be playing well for San Diego but I was confused as to why they gave up on him. Also not sure why Kraig Urbik has been benched given the issues they are having.
It would be nice to have the QB position settled long-term, but I feel pretty good with Orton out there for now at least. And hopefully EJ will play better next chance he gets as it can't hurt a young QB to take a step back and watch how a vet like Orton handles things. Bringing in Orton as QB2 was a nice aggressive move for Whaley to make when he saw the team needed it.
How many teams would lose their top-2 RBs and have quality backups ready to go in Dixon/Brown? Both are better than Tashard Choice at least.
They also dumped Stevie Johnson, which kind of sucks as he would been an ideal fit in the slot right now but Hogan is coming through ok and Williams provides depth on the outside.
Every team has moves and draft picks that don't work out, but this team is making more good moves than bad moves of late and it's showing with results on the field.
