San Jose Bills Fan

I understand your point but I think 3 years is certainly enough to make a to-date evaluation. He can be given completed grades for some of his actions and incompletes for others. I disagree with you if you're saying that Nix can't be graded at all.

Quite honestly I think the numerous paragraphs on this subject are superfluous. We can talk about drafts and marquee free agents and street free agents. We can talk about roster turnover, who was already here and who wasn't. The math is easy, IMO. It's fair to rate Buddy's job performance seeing as he's been in his job for 3 years. He's done some good things and he's made some mistakes. I'd say he done an average job except for the fact that he hired the wrong coach and that both of them hitched their wagon to the wrong quarterback. Really, isn't it that easy? edit: And the scoreboard reads 16-32.

I agree with both you guys that we're actually better equipped for a 3-4. That said, the D will probably be a hybrid cause if the Bills plan on playing any Fairbanks-Bullough type 2-gap scheme, they're still missing the NT, IMO. If the Bills were able to find one of these huge, athletic Samoan/Tongan guys in the 3rd or 4th round, that would be great. A boulder in the center with a DE rotation of Mario, Dareus, and Carrington? They'd be all set.

And by all means tell that to those who actually objected to the topic. I was not attempting to have a serious discussion. Just keeping myself amused.

I agree totally with your post. I get angry over perceived injustices every day. Even at my age, I'm very much into justice and fairness due to my generally idealistic nature. That said, as I try to avoid the heart attack/stroke that my Type A personality is inexorably directing me towards, I try to not let these stories get me angry. My detachment is a coping mechanism but also a pragmatic tool that is helpful for myself and others. Be intellectually angry, but don't let it pin the needle on the blood pressure monitor.

Apparently because of the abuse of opium and the lack of electroshock therapy.

And what do your eyes tell you about the relative sizes of Wilfork and Dareus? Anways, Dareus as a draft prospect was characterized as a slightly larger Warren Sapp; a guy who played with quickness, explosion, and leverage. We didn't see enough of that this year. Makes you wonder if he should go back to 319 pounds he was at the combine from the 340 pounds he was said to have played at this year. Listed heights and weights only take us so far.

Why does it always have to be one or the other?

I have no opinion about Nassib at this point one way or another although the Senior Bowl will be my first big step in that direction. As for your bolded question, not too often. But he was crowing after the draft about how he told everyone who would listen that Cordy Glenn was a guard.

I agree. I thought that while there was a good chance that he would get another poke at it, that he deserved to be fired. I do believe however that his "power" within the organization has been compromised. That's my hope anyways.

And now the official opening of the "Smokescreen Season" has begun where you can take things at face value or not. LOL

I understand the merit of this viewpoint but I think we're getting into some circular reasoning with it. Anyways, the draft is 3 months away, we haven't even gotten to the combine yet, and more to the point, the Senior Bowl has yet to be played.

Well don't make it like it's an American thing. It's much more simple than that. Basically "life is not fair." If you have expectations that it is, you're gonna be disappointed. I always tell youngsters, life is not fair. Deal with it. It's not like the United States has a monopoly on injustice. At least we are purportedly trying.

I haven't watched Ogletree but again I strongly object to an ILB at #8. The great Patrick Willis was picked at #11. NaVarro Bowman was taken at #91. Sean Weatherspoon is a great inside linebacker and he was taken at #16. David Harris (#47) and Curtis Lofton #37) while underrated are two of the best ILBs in football. It's much more difficult to find pass rushers lower in the draft and the Bills while heavily invested, are still poor at rushing the passer. Stylistically, the closest person to Aldon Smith in this draft is Dion Jordan from what I've seen.

As I've said before, we're watching "The Education of an NFL GM." In true Buddy fashion, he's been pretty forthcoming about his mistakes. He's implicitly admitted to and reversed on numerous stances he's taken in the past. You don't hear him talking about "sleeping" during free agency anymore, and in fact they made a huge splash last year. You don't hear him taking a stance against trading in the draft anymore. And in fact they pulled off a draft day trade last year, albeit a bad one. I doubt you'll see him rushing to the podium with the pick as he did with Spiller instead of allowing for the possibility of a trade offer too good to decline. You finally see him acknowledging the premium placed on QB value which is the exact point he had been missing previously. Buddy has been learning publicly that the difference between a scout and a GM is quite substantial. FWIW, he has tacitly admitted to his mistakes.

The closest thing I can think of would be in Miami last year with Ryan Tannehill and Mike Sherman who was Tannehill's head coach in college and OC for his rookie year in Miami. I think they got generally good reviews but on the other hand, didn't set the world on fire. That's an interesting way of looking at it. I guess you could also say, they would know how to play to his strengths.

In my mind the debate between pass rusher vs run stuffer is non-existent. Pass rusher every time for me. However I don't know much about Okafor and we don't know too much about what the Bills D will look like. One thing I'll guess is that if the Bills have a choice between a classic rushbacker type or more of a 4-3 pass rushing end, that they'll go with the rushbacker.

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Yes you misread my intent. The bolded doesn't say "share your belief," it says "share the belief." I was using your point about Fitz (which I agreed with and admitted I was wrong about him as a starter) to springboard into what I thought was an irony about his tenure in Buffalo: that he could have been better had he been pushed which is the one thing that Chan and Buddy didn't do.

This is what happens when a bully bullies you and you don't stand up for yourself. While I understand the hawkishness of the NFL (it's a business) their behavior still bothers me. On the other hand, I have very little sympathy for this guy. Maybe if I met him or saw an interview I'd feel differently. That said, this is not much different than what happens in nature.

Great stuff! I love both the historic information (much of which I recall) and also the meandering but purposeful stream-of-consciousness. Names like Wilson Whitley, Ben Williams, and Phil Doakes were elicited from reading your excellent post.

I didn't make the conclusion that you are adverse to a qb competition. How did you come to the conclusion that I had?

I strongly agree with the bolded statement partly for the reason you state: that the predictability of next year's market is not as easy as most people seem to think it is. But also, there's a tug-of-war in sports between making decisions for the long term and making them for the short term. There are only a few teams who have the luxury of being able to consistently make long term decisions. This is sad and ironic because long term decisions are usually the best. However owners and fan bases are impatient and the vast majority of decision makers in sports are under immense pressure to win now (the future be damned). I can understand the concept that we should wait till next year to draft our quarterback but I don't want to employ that concept.

It is true that Fitz (in retrospect for me), was always a backup talent. I hoped for more but was wrong. However the ironic answer to the bolded above is one word: competition. In most athletic endeavors, competition has a way of extracting that final few percent of performance and it was the one thing Chan and Buddy never provided for Fitz. I personally do not share the belief that you make your starting QB cozy and secure. The only starting QBs who should feel secure are the guys who've actually earned it. Incumbency is not something you just give to someone hoping that it improves their performance. I believe that competition brings out the best in people, especially with regards to NFL quarterbacks. Why would you want someone in that job who can't handle the pressure of a job competition? Are fighter pilots just given their jobs with a large vat of piece of mind or are they evaluated and judged every time they go up in that plane? Bottom line, Fitz could have been a bit better had Chan and Buddy pushed him. AND If Fitz had lost a competition it would only mean that the Buffalo Bills would have a better starting quarterback (and a better backup too).

Agree with you on this one. The math is very easy. No need to waste paragraphs defending the record of a GM who has been mediocre so far. I hope he gets it right this year. Agree with you on this debate. Slight tangent here. It's funny when I hear things like "players win and coaches coach" or "players make coaches look good" or "show me a good coach and I'll show you a talented team" or other such nonsense. Do people really think the Bills would have gone 16-32 with Jim or John Harbaugh coaching instead of Chan Gailey? Good coaches have teams that overachieve. Bad coaches have teams that underachieve. The difference if often making or not making the playoffs. There's a reason Bum Phillips said what he said of Don Shula. Back on topic, Buddy was very good to Chan. Buddy gave Chan three full years and supported and staunchly defended him until the very end. From all appearances, Buddy allowed Chan to make the coaching hires and personnel decisions that Chan desired, and tried to acquire players that Chan wanted (ie- CJ Spiller, Brad Smith). Buddy is lucky to have the opportunity to make a second go round on a Head Coach (I said this was possible numerous times during the fall when things were going badly; that Nix could stay even if Chan was canned). Some but not all GMs get a second chance. Hopefully our 4th year GM has learned from his mistakes.