New England Patriots AFC East Offseason Analysis: Buffalo Bills
By Hal Bent
Jun 16, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills runningback LeSean McCoy (25) during minicamp at Ralph Wilson Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Here is the situation in Buffalo: the veteran quarterback who came in mid-season and righted a struggling offense and did enough to lean on a dynamic defense to get the team to nine wins shockingly retired after the final regular season game. The head coach–who seemed a budding talent in the league–quit on the team without another job lined up and left the franchise grasping at straws. In response, the front offense hires a head coach had 38 losses in his past four seasons.
The last time the Bills faced this head coach’s former team that unit completely quit on him and they were blown out 38-3 despite the game moved to a neutral and field and the Bills unable to practice all week due to a crazy November snowstorm. He took over a strong defense and after two playoff runs by his third season his teams never topped .500. He could never develop a quarterback and the offense went from mediocre to terrible during his time in control. Somehow, the Buffalo Bills overlooked all this and hired former New York Jets coach Rex Ryan to lead their squad in 2015.
The first major move was trading second-round steal linebacker Kiko Alonso to Philadelphia for running back LeSean McCoy. This is the move that will define the Bills’ franchise for the next several seasons. McCoy required a hefty contract extension to come to western New York and the Bills will be paying a premium for a running back in the pass-heavy modern NFL.
At quarterback, the Bills traded for quarterback Matt Cassel. Cassel was outplayed in Minnesota by young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. However, with disappointing former first round draft pick E.J. Manuel and former Baltimore back-up Tyron Taylor on the roster, the Bills look severely handicapped by their lack of a competent signal caller. In an offseason with quarterbacks such as Jay Cutler, Sam Bradford, Nick Foles, and Josh McCown available, the Bills went fishing at the bottom of the barrel to dig up Cassel. After investing two first round draft picks to get Sammy Watkins at wide receiver, why not get a quarterback to get him the ball?
Next: Taking A Look At Other Big Moves