Buffalo Bills: ESPN and NFL Network give high praise for offseason moves

The Buffalo Bills have had a whirlwind offseason so far, but ESPN and NFL Network have definitely taken notice, grading the team positively.

There’s a lot of new at One Bills Drive this offseason and it’s likely a lot of new that will end up staying for a long time. According to ESPN and NFL Network, the moves made by the Buffalo Bills this offseason will prove that statement true.

The Buffalo Bills never really get a whole lot of recognition from ESPN and other high-profile outlets, but that’s starting to change this offseason. Sure, Rex Ryan brought a good amount of attention, but it wasn’t the right attention.

What ESPN and NFL Network are saying about the Bills right now, that’s the right attention.

First, let’s look at what ESPN had to say.

In a recent article, Mike Sando (ESPN Senior Writer) filled out report cards for all 32 NFL teams — with the help of some prestige NFL executives, coaches and evaluators. Not only did he give the Buffalo Bills a B+ this offseason, which boasts a new scouting department, coaching staff and a completely revamped roster.

Here’s the excerpt from the article, thanks to BuffaloBills.com:

"The Bills finally have a head coach (Sean McDermott) and general manager (Brandon Beane) who appear aligned philosophically. That greatly improves their chances for long-term success, a leading reason Buffalo gets a high grade here. The Bills also recommitted to quarterback Tyrod Taylor for at least another season after the team’s previous leadership wavered on him. Why get worse at the most important position?“The best decision they made was bringing back Tyrod,” an exec said. “Losing [Mike] Gillislee does hurt a little bit. LeSean McCoy had a great year, but it would have been nice to give him more of a breather once in a while, and that becomes harder. Their draft was solid. [Tre’Davious] White, [Zay] Jones and [Dion] Dawkins, everyone agrees they will be pretty good players. Getting [Nathan] Peterman in the fifth was pretty good value. That made sense to me.”The Bills spent heavily for Micah Hyde heading into a draft that was packed with talent at the safety position. McDermott, a former defensive backs coach, must have really wanted a sure bet in the secondary after letting Gilmore walk out the door."

Basically, that excerpt says they liked practically every aspect of the Buffalo Bills‘ offseason so far — and I would agree.

Bringing in a new GM, scouting department and coaching staff was a big step, but the Pegulas handled it perfectly. They took their time and made sure each move was best for the team — short term and long term. They didn’t leave any stone un-turned and allowed Sean McDermott to shape the team how he wanted it.

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That wasn’t the only positive feedback coming from national media.

In a recent video, which can be seen here, former running back and current analyst for NFL Network Michael Robinson was asked which team in the AFC East poses as the biggest threat to the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

His answer, of course, was Buffalo. Here’s what he had to say:

"I’m going to go with the Buffalo Bills. I trust Tyrod Taylor. The guy does not turn the football over, just six interceptions last year. Some of the additions including head coach Sean McDermott and the defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier because last year this defense left their cornerbacks on an island way too often. That can’t happen.And they have LeSean McCoy and they run the football with authority. That’s what’s going to be important if you want to beat the New England Patriots. They’ve got to feel your will and know you mean business. If they get McCoy going and get him in space it doesn’t matter who is on the defensive side because he’ll make them miss.”"

The Buffalo Bills were able to shut out the Patriots last season in Gillette Stadium 16-0 last season, but it was when they were without Tom Brady.

They will look to do it again this season — with Tom Brady.

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Do you agree with both ESPN and NFL Network? Leave your thoughts below!