Last week after the 2020 NFL Draft, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane spoke with the media to answer a bevy of questions. Among them were queries about how much he pays attention to what the other AFC East teams do as the draft unfolds. Also among those questions was if now is the time to step up and beat those teams, of which Buffalo has chased from behind for so long.
With regards to the draft and the division, Beane admitted that he did pay a lot of attention to what the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and New England Patriots were doing but at the end of the day he compared it to another sport.
“It’s truly like playing golf, you can only control how you play on the course—you can’t do anything to your competitors and so you do keep an eye out so you know what, what’s coming at you,” said Beane.
Beane stated that it is important for the team to trust what they are doing and the preparation they put into the draft. Buffalo did not want a pick by one of the other teams to force them into picking someone else. For example, if the Jets picked a stud receiver then they did not want to counter that by picking a cornerback. The team wanted to stay true and to trust their board.
With the draft being over and the focus shifted to the upcoming season. Beane was asked if the team is trying to draft players to beat the Kansas City Chiefs and those top teams, but he stressed that the goal first and foremost is to win the division.
“We haven’t won it since the mid-90s, and until we do that, we’re not gonna be able to host a playoff game in Buffalo and that’s the next goal,” said Beane
Buffalo has a good chance to make that goal become a reality this year. They are coming off a great season where they made the playoffs for the second time in three years with head coach Sean McDermott. The Patriots likely won’t be the same team for what seems like a generation due to the absence of quarterback Tom Brady. Yes, the Jets and Dolphins should be better than last year, but enough to compete against Buffalo for the AFC East crown? If the Bills want to show the rest of the NFL they have arrived, then this is the year to do it.