Buffalo in Trouble-o?
A tank really isn't in our vocabulary.
Word just got out from the Bills' center, Eric Woods, that "tanking isn't really in our vocabulary". From the looks of how things are going over in Buffalo they should either upgrade their dictionaries (preferred) or convince the front office that the talent they have doesn't stand a chance in their division. "Tanking" is throwing a season, or even multiple seasons in a sport dedicated to rebuilding a team for the future. Let me paint a picture for you. When you think "tanking" you think 2013-2015 Philadelphia 76ers. Why? They won a total of 28 games out of 164 over a two-year span. Also, they landed top draft picks in consecutive years in 2016 and 2017 which are Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, respectively.
Now, let me tell you why the Bills should consider this option:
-Tyrod Taylor, enough said;
-LeSean McCoy, their best player, is aging he just came off of his second best season in the league, but losing a player of his caliber is coming sooner than later;
-Taylor was faced with the pick your poison option between taking a pay cut or simply being cut just weeks before the preseason started;
-Sammy Watkins was just traded, a player on the verge of keeping Buffalo on the winning side of the league; and
-Ronald Darby, another young player drafted by the Bills, being traded as well for a less valuable piece.
As Wood said in a recent quote from Conor Orr, "... Throughout my career here we've had a lot of negative chatter and we've been close the last few years, 9-7, 8-8, 7-9 so we're on the verge. We're looking to take that next step this year." Now, based on those records that's "OK" over in the NFC, but in the AFC those records don't get you anywhere, barely even the Wild Cards. Not while you have the defending Super Bowl Patriots in your division and the 12-4 Raiders in the Wild Card rounds, not Divisional, Wild Card. So, whatever verge they are on take that next leap, it has to be a huge one if they seriously plan to compete for a playoff spot. Losing their best wide receiver with a shaky quarterback in Tyrod Taylor certainly doesn't set you up for the next leap either.
Now if I were in charge of managing the Buffalo Bills this off-season and I wanted to set my team up for this big leap I would NOT trade my star receiver, NOT threaten my quarterback with his job, and NOT trade one of my young and developing defensive backs. This team may not be "tanking" but they certainly have some work to do on improving the talent, confidence, and morale on the team to start being playoff hopefuls in the near future.
This story was written by Shane, member of GSI Unbiased Opinions.
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