Bills GM Brandon Beane Deserves Some Heat Too

On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined by Matt Warren from SB Nation to discuss a variety of Buffalo Bills related topics, including general manager Brandon Beane deserving his fair share of criticism and blame after the Bills fell to Kansas City on Sunday and failed to reach the Super Bowl.
Coaching was definitely an issue at times with Buffalo in a narrow three point loss as was a handful of players who woefully underperformed when the Bills needed it most. Both areas have been the target of criticism but Beane deserves to get his slice of the blame pie as well. The guys talk about how while he's made a lot of terrific veteran personnel decisions and nailed some draft picks, he's also made some mistakes with highly touted players that really hurt the Bills on Sunday.
Among them discussed is first-round draft pick Dalton Kincaid, who had a nightmare at Arrowhead on Sunday, as well as Bills first pick from this year's class, Keon Coleman, who had just one catch on the day and only three for the entire playoffs. Sprinkle in Kaiir Elam, who's proved to be an absolute bust and you have a high drafting problem in Buffalo. Hell, you can even add in how first round pick Greg Rousseau kind of threw away a very good regular season by faceplanting against Kansas City.
There's also the Von Miller situation, the trade for Amari Cooper who never really lived up to the hype this season and other moves discussed Beane's at least partially on the hook for.
They also go back to coaching and discuss some of the key elements of the game, including a pair of revealing comments about not knowing what the Chiefs were going to do in keyi spots of the game from two Buffalo veteran starters. That plus an exploratory look on how things may play out for Buffalo this offseason and much more.
Major props to Talking Buffalo sponsor, Sonny Red’s at 1841 Abbott Road in Lackawanna, just minutes from Highmark Stadium. We consider them THE most underrated spot for wings, pizza and other great food in Western New York plus it’s a great place to drink and have a great time.
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[@daveh2940]

your right beane should not get a free pass

[@haiasieel6099]

Von Miller still being on this team is an INDICTMENT on Beane.

[@joeschmoe435]

We actually had a free out when he got caught beating the shit out of his girlfriend. Broke the conduct policy

[@adamant5550]

Beane deserve much of the blame in my opinion. You cannot continue to miss on high round picks year and year and not have it come back to bite you in the long term.

[@AreolaGrande94]

I think we're seeing that Joe Brady's offense just doesn't utilize receivers the way most teams' do. Stefon Diggs' production fell off the face of the planet the second he took over. I don't know the exact numbers, but I think we only had one or a couple times a receiver had over 100 yards, and that was your slot guy in shakir. For whatever reason the receivers just don't get production in this system. It's all backs and slot guys and (supposed to be) tight ends. Amari Cooper's lack of production cannot be because he just forgot how to play receiver as soon as he put on a bills' jersey. We don't dare say anything bad about joe Brady, but he just doesn't scheme things for wideouts except those dumb screens that only shakir can turn into yac.

[@talkingbuffalo]

It's a great point. I mean it's hard to be too critical when they score as many points per game as they do---but there's times when you NEED your WR's to be studs in a specific game and this collection almost seems incapable in this offense.

[@retrocny5625]

It's not that they don't utilize receivers, it's that the receivers don't get open because they're not great receivers lol. Shakir is ok. The rest are slow, not savvy route runners, not great at getting separation or faking guys out with their releases. If you watch the film, you see that brady runs the same passing concepts that everybody runs. Levels. Flood/Sail. Shallow cross. Mesh. Verticals. Drive. Smash. Dagger. Shock. TE Leaks.If you don't know these words, they're basic passing concepts that have been utilized for longer than I've been alive. There's only so many routes a receiver can run and you utilize combinations of routes depending on what you think the coverage is gonna be, to attack certain areas of the field to stress a certain coverage. In cover 2 for example, a lot of people run flood. It's a combination of 3 routes on the same side. One receiver runs to the flat, one receiver runs a go, one receiver runs a corner. Goal is to attack the sideline. The CB on the outside has to decide whether he takes the flat or the corner route because he can't guard both in cover 2. And the safety has to attach to the vertical route otherwise it's a one play touchdown deep. Hopefully you understand what I mean. Issue is, we just don't have a good receiver room. Some of them are good at TIMES. But not consistently. Shakir is decent if he gets a free release but even he's not an excellent route runner and doesn't have all these fancy releases that a guy like Diggs had. He doesn't have a great first step. The best thing about Shakir is his ability to play through hits and break tackles and get YAC. Brady has done a really good job getting around our receiver room issues with his scheme. He uses a lot of pre-snap motion to confuse defenses, he uses a lot of switch releases and natural picks to get guys open. And he utilizes something called 4 strong, which you've probably heard Tony Romo talking about when he covers our games... 4 receivers all to one side. DIfficult to defend in certain coverages. People shouldn't forget. Brady was the passing game coordinator for that record breaking heisman season by Joe Burrow @ LSU. He knows what he's doing. The fact is, he spends all offseason pouring over the personnel we have and figuring out the best system we can use to get the most out of them. When your best receiver in an AFC championship game is Mack Hollins, it kinda speaks volumes doesn't it? I love Mack, I love his attitude and the edge he plays with and I think that team really needs that from him....but man...this team needs a dog at receiver. It needs a Jamar Chase, or a Jefferson, Lamb, etc. It needs that alpha guy on the outside who can win his routes by himself, no matter the play, and has the long speed to keep defenses honest. That opens up things for the other receivers, and we just don't have that guy right now...and it's holding this offense back from reaching a different level. We had it in Diggs for a few years, but the relationship got ruined and we got all that extra shit from him and the team decided it wasn't worth the hassle anymore.

[@adamant5550]

Bingo!

[@rodman7224]

With all that said Cook was 13 for 85 he was running all over the Chiefs and we stopped using him which is why we lost that game and we are having these conversations now

[@retrocny5625]

Yes he does. He absolutely does and frankly watching this team all season, despite the fact Josh and Cook carried us, I couldn't help but wonder... why are so many of our 1st or 2nd round draft picks essentially busts? Elam? 1st round pick. Bust. Coleman? If he doesn't show MAJOR development in year 2....bust. Bishop? Unless I see a major leap in year 2, he's a backup safety. Ray Davis was a decent pick as a sort of utility back but he's not Cook. Cook was their best offensive pick in the last 3 years or so. It just feels like this guy, the scouting department, they're hitting on very few early round picks. They find some gems in the mid rounds, but you've had Josh Allen for 8 years now. He's going to be 29 next year. They just haven't been able to build an ACTUAL championship caliber team around him and I feel like for the most part they've been very conservative..until they went out and made the mistake in giving a 33 year old edge rusher a fortune in free agency, a guy who hadn't been HIM since 2019. You look at the Chiefs? Yea there GM has made plenty of mistakes, but they've hit on a lot of guys too. We drafted Elam, they drafted McDuffie. McDuffie is an all-pro level corner. Elam is a bust lol. Has Beane EVER drafted an offensive pro bowler or all-pro player? We had to trade for Diggs. Where are this team's dogs? Where is Josh Allen's version of Andre Reed? A guy that the Bills drafted in the FOURTH round and went on to become a hall of famer after playing for 15 years straight. We drafted Kincaid instead of Sam LaPorta. Anyone regretting that move right about now? I think they really need a major change in how they evaluate and scout talent, and they need to REALLY hit on their draft picks this year, because it's been way too hit or miss. Beane should not get a free pass at all, and they've simply dropped the ball at team building. It's gonna take a championship caliber team to beat the Chiefs, let alone win a super bowl. There's no shortcuts. Noone is gonna hand it to us. And STOP fucking trading with the Chiefs on draft night. Get some DOGS on this god damn team. You've got a good chunk of dead cap coming off the books this offseason from the Diggs deal. Find a way to add an established high impact player to this defense or a number 1 receiver. You're running OUT OF TIME. The Ravens knew this last offseason they had to take a major swing, so what did they do? They went out and signed Derrick Henry in free agency. They made a splash, they added a game changer to that roster and ran the offense through him. It's time for us to have a similar mentality, maybe just don't give a massive long term contract to a guy in his fucking 30s this time. The Chiefs are simply a more COMPLETE football team, and a better coached one at that, then the Bills. And they always have been. Their players make the big plays when they have to have them.

[@janelschell253]

Yea Maxx Crosby!! He said he thought Buffalo was going to draft him and he loves Josh

[@rodman7224]

Who knew Max was going to be Max the draft is always a gamble

[@davidsoria7701]

Worthy had 85 receiving yds. & 16 rushing yds. And a Tuddy.

[@joeschmoe435]

Who gives a shit about that 140 lb boy. The real crime was not drafting McConkey

[@davidmaly5464]

I'm not as mad as I should be .... We were playing with house money.... This year should have been a rebuild year.... The offense is great .... 2nd most points scored this year.... Most in bills History.... We have the 2 highest scores against KC this year... Josh is MVP .... Defense needs upgrades for sure .... Need a dominant 3 down DT in the draft .... another pass rusher and CB with our 2nd round picks .... Like Bishop .... He's going to be a pro bowl safety.... We were 3:33 with 3 timeouts with the ball in Josh's hands against arguably the best dynasty in history of the game that only really lost 1 game all year .... To us....

[@joncohill3033]

Cooper dejean would have fit nice

[@talkingbuffalo]

He sure would've

[@GraigPresti]

Coaching, Coaching, Coaching... McChoke is the coach, that's the job description. Simple. If the CEO fails at the goal for 9-10 years, you don't keep him and blame the employees. Serious question that no one can answer... Seriously, How many more years do the homers want to give him? 3,4,5,6,7,8, 20? They can never answer the question.

[@adamant5550]

It's an entire organizational failure in my opinion. The pair of Beane and McDermott (throw in Pegula too) are just not serious about winning a Super Bowl. Look at what the Eagles do. Look at what the Chiefs do. Look at what the Pats did for two decades. Those are championship caliber franchises. The Bills are unserious.

[@joeschmoe435]

The problem is there aren't many better options than McD. I could very easily see Buffalo letting him go, then getting sucked back into "musical chairs" with coaches. You have to get the right coach - personally would like to see them hire Gruden

[@joeschmoe435]

Damn right he deserves some heat. Each year we have things that need to be improved with no cap to work with because of terrible signings. Von Miller, Dawson Knox, Curtis Samuel are getting a huge chunk of the cap % and contributing very little His early draft picks have for the most part been terrible.

[@mikehartl8665]

@@joeschmoe435 Don't forget to include Ed Oliver in the overdrafted and overpaid club.

[@joeschmoe435]

@@mikehartl8665 I thought about it. I am disappointed with Oliver, but not to the extent that I would consider him a full on bust like some others. We definitely could do better for the money he's getting

[@Brianp150H]

They had to trade for Cooper after it became evident that Coleman wasn't going to be enough.

[@joeschmoe435]

90% of us knew he wasn't going to pan out before the draft. No separation, extremely slow 40 time. All things that were very clear for the entire season. And hell even his contested catch ability depends on getting away with offensive pass interference. The guy has 2 plays in his arsenal - a slant and fade

[@LeeB-p1h]

Bills players were complaining to the refs that Chris Jones was lining up off sides. each time they ran the play . and he definitely was

[@joeschmoe435]

He was jumping before the snap too. Buffalo should have changed the snap count or something once they saw the refs were going to let him get away with it all night

[@daveh2940]

ya score 29 points ya should win bills defense is way to soft no pass rush again , secondary needs some big upgrades hamlin , elam bye bye

[@buffaloalex1]

Beane is always going to the Thrift Shop. Josh deserves better. He’s definitely a hall of famer. 💪💪

[@darnelldavis7842]

Exactly 💯 I agree

[@mazzvidz]

If the NFL ended today… Allen isn’t in the Hall of fame. Never made first team All Pro Never won offensive player of the year Never won MVP Never led the league in passing yards Never led the league in passing TD’s The only accolades to his name are 3 pro bowls. That’s not an MVP career. It takes A LOT more than that. He’s good, but not one of the greats.

[@dutchflats]

Ownership!

[@adamant5550]

I cannot understand why we only seem to draft players from sub-par colleges. Have we ever drafted a player from the SEC during Beane's tenure?

[@robpole4150]

Love you guys but know your football. It is the Dam defence!! We need dogs on that side of the ball. Patrick Mahomes plays the Buffalo defense, not Josh Allen!!!

[@griselame]

rosteer not good enough, mediocre drafts. But people still shell shocked from the drought years so god forbid you even want to have a discussion about it. Year 9 of a process that is going nowhere. Good enough, but not great.

[@talkingbuffalo]

Sounds harsh but in reality your point isn't unreasonable.

[@griselame]

@@talkingbuffalo we'll be remembered as the 2020s version of the 70s Houston Oilers & the 80s Cleveland Browns. Bridesmaids. Time to get rid of Marty Schottenheimer Junior (or Marvin Lewis 2.0, whatever way you want to put it)

[@rodman7224]

He wanted to save picks instead of bringing in Myles Garret and he let Tre Edmunds walk and he was a tackling machine something we just can’t seem to do well

[@darthstigater6642]

After what we lost in the offseason we should be happy to get where we got. This was supposed to be a "Let's take a step back to get under the salary cap" year. Most talking heads didn't have them winning their division. I have seen the Bills lose many times and it hasn't stuck with me like this one because of the garbage officiating... and Tony Romo not keeping his mouth shut about who has been on concussion protocol lol

[@michaelandrew8493]

Yeah Allen is elite but his other picks Oliver is okay. Rousoo is okay. Elam sucks. Kincaid disappointing. Keon was useless

[@mazzvidz]

Keon is a rookie and Kincaid played on two blown knees all season. This is a dumb take.

[@Jimbo12716]

Whats the excuse next year ​@mazzvidz

[@dalebechtel8904]

Beane has found some gems in later rounds. It’s the first second rounds that he has not done enough. Groot is a nice player but he’s not a game changer nor is epenessa. This is what we are stuck with year after year. And why did he not draft 2 receivers last year ? Frustrating that we are here again.

[@0rthogonal]

Why would this guy not want the Defense to improve and just focus on Offense? That is basically just becoming Detroit. You will win a lot of games but variance in big games with good teams will kill you in a deep playoff run. You absolutely need to improve the Defense.

[@jessiahclark4246]

Bills need to get George Pickens

[@michaelhenry8890]

Sean McDermott is the problem folks. He’s a defensive head coach and his defenses CONSISTENTLY get torched in the playoffs. Did the chiefs even punt ? The ravens didn’t. When’s enough, enough? He was the guy to get us from no playoffs to playoffs. He is not the guy to get us from playoffs to the Super Bowl. That’s evident as all can be at this point.

[@Jimbo12716]

He fucked up

[@jessiahclark4246]

He looked rattled because he didn’t like the game plan on offense

[@amandaelizabeth2849]

o line got beat on bad start

[@mazzvidz]

Ahhhhhh it’s the finger pointing time of year again. Bottom line.. up by one in the 4th quarter… Allen can’t put the game away. Down by 3 with 3 minutes, all your time outsides (KC has none) Allen can’t get it done. Time and time again… Allen with the ball in his hands with an opportunity to win the game. He can’t get it done. This year same as the last. 0-6 in overtime! 9 out of 10 times, you can’t rely on Allen to win the game for you on the last drive. If Mahomes or Burrow or Jackson is under center… we win that game. That’s a fact…. And that’s why all those guys have first team all pro honors, MVPs and offensive player of the year awards and Allen doesn’t. This is why Diggs wanted out.

[@griselame]

put a better team on the field and you may also have won. If the Chiefs and Patriots before them can dominate year in year out, so can the Bills... if they build a good roster

[@mikehartl8665]

You're crazy. Bills were outcoached with that 4th down blitz and Allen still put the ball in his crappy receiver's hands. Blame belongs everywhere except on JA!

[@synerki4805]

This is bait. I refuse to believe anyone is this stupid.

[@davidsoria7701]

Josh had the ball in final minutes past two years. With a chance for his legacy drive and had a chance to cement his "DRIVE" & win the game & milk the clock and both times didn't get it done,THAT is a reality!

[@Brianp150H]

The same Lamar Jackson that had a putrid first half last week? The same Joe Burrow that lost to the Chiefs in the regular season? Josh Allen had 3 guys in his face and got the ball 30 yds downfield to a wide open Kincaid who dropped it. I don’t need to read that he should have thrown a better ball. We’re lucky that wasn’t a sack like it would have been with Burrow. The team as a whole needs to make more plays. Josh isn’t to blame for every failure. He’s not without blame either.