All_Pro_Bills

By all accounts the Bills reached by selecting Manuel at 16. Clearly need took priority over value. Could they have improved the team in another area by making a different selection and waiting to take Manuel in round 2 risking that somebody else might select him? Sure, but I suspect they evaluated the risk of waiting and decided to pull the trigger on the pick given the circumstances. Now we have to wait and see if Manuel becomes the 'franchise QB' that the front office and coaching staff is expecting. If he does then it will not matter in a couple years where he was selected. If he turns out to be a bust or just average then we can look back at the 1st round here as another example of why the Bills have missed the playoffs 13 straight seasons. The kid has the intelligence, physical, and leadership skills to perform at a high level as an NFL quarterback. Add to that a good attitude and a willingness to work and learn, with no apparent baggage, along with what sounds like a stable family environment, and you get the kind of player teams look for. I don't worry what the experts say because if you do what they think is right then you get a good grade but if you don't then you don't get a good grade. And given the pre-draft process the BIlls did a pretty thorough examination of the potential candidates before making their decision.

I think you pretty much boiled down the decision process here. Do you go with the 'safe' pick, pick a guy that might be 'boom' or 'bust', or simply swing for the fences. Its a matter of managing risk relative to your situation and needs. If a team like the 49ers picks Austin and he's a bust then the negative impact to them is pretty close to zero because they have a pretty solid lineup top to bottom. But if a team like the Bills picks him and he's a bust then the impact is great because making that pick resulted in not addressing another need or improving in another area. So if you're the GM you've got to be able to accurately assess the risk and reward of the pick and the chances of success or failure. IMO, and nothing against Austin and his skillset, but if you're the Bills you pass here and go the safer route. We'll see tonight..

The point made is grounded in reality. What were the options here? Trade for Flynn, make a play for Palmer? The Bills signed a QB with NFL experience, some good, more bad, for relatively little money and did not give up any other assets, players or draft choices to do it. This gives the team a little more flexibility in the draft. There are plenty of question marks surrounding Kolb and to expect him to lead the league in any positive category is a fantasy at this point but in my view this was the best move the team could make at the time given the circumstances. The Bills situation in Buddy's language "you're at the bar still alone, it's 3:55 am, and the lights are about to go on. You can't be picky at this point. You got to make a move on what's there not wait on what you want which just ain't gonna happen."

The Bills could attempt to sign Palmer (a proven starters rather than trade draft picks for Flynn), who should be serviceable behind a half-way decent offensive line along with a good set of running backs. This while keeping your sights on the draft to bring in a potential QB for the future in either the 2013 or 2014 drafts and provide some flexibility to look at BPA at positions of need throughout the draft process.

No worries. Derrick Dockery is still out there. Arguably the worst free agent signing ever by the Bills relative to the contract size and the actual performance of the player.

I have mixed feelings about the Bills bringing Vick on board but what this shows me is the team is willing to investigate and access all options available. 'Leave no stone unturned' so to speak..

Bowman was mugging Roddy White on that play in the NFC Championship. So the saying goes live by the sword, die by the sword. IMO, given the 'guidelines' the ref's had set for reciever/defender play during the game they made the correct call by not throwing the flag. The message was this is the way we're going to call the game. In the strictest interpretation of the rules it was definitely holding. But again it wasn't an absolute question of whether it was a hold or not. Was the play within the context of how they called the entire game? I think yes. Let's face it, that's a no win situation for the officials. If they throw the flag we end up with a bunch of bitching session threads whinning about how the ref's decided the outcome of the game.

And I thought it would just be a case of a decent secondary coach telling him: "when you see the receivers pupils widen as their brain tells the vision center to focus the eyes on the ball coming towards them, turn your head around toward the line of scrimmage and look for the ball that is flying through the air towards you and the receiver"!

For the Bills, I would not chase after Revis but rather be content to let him play out his contract with the Jets while we see if his play is consistent with his performance prior to his injury. Figuring you're going to pay top dollar regardless, let him hit the free agency market in 2014 and make a play there rather than surrender several high draft picks and take on the risk that he might not be what he was prior to getting hurt. If some other team wants to trade and give up a lot of high picks then good luck to them.

I watched a few ND games during the season and thought Te'o played well but in the biggest game of the season, perhaps in his life I expect, he was a non-factor. You can say the entire ND team got pushed around pretty well but that performance has got to raise some questions. I think the pre-draft combine is going to help settle the discussion around Te'o or Jones or Ogletree. But right now all things considered I would say 'pass' on Te'o. I am not sure about 'reaching' for a QB at #8. How many teams are targeting a QB in round 1? 2 or 3 maybe? Not sure but you might be better off gambling a bit and taking the 'value 1st, need 2nd' route with an impact guy at another position in round 1 and then find your guy is still out there when you pick in the 2nd round. Trading down is always something to consider but easier said than done since you need to find a partner willing to part with additional picks for moving up to get a guy they really want.

Don't worry. Like Penn St. and Oregon some wealthy booster will come along and throw a few million his way to keep him at ND and convince Kelly his desire to stay at the school and finish the job. No violation of the sacred NCAA rules here with more or less bribery on one side and extortion on the other. Just make sure no player takes a free stick of gum or a pencil or the NCAA will come down hard on your program with sanctions to protect the non-professional status of college sports. Gotta love it!!

When Dick was let go and Chan was hired my first impression was 'here we go again'. Another guy that nobody wanted hired by the bottom feeding Bills once again scraping the bottom of the coaching barrel. Whether or not Marrone is a good hire will be determined in time by wins and loses on the field. But as said before it does feel different this time. For one, the fact that several other team had targeted our guy and the Bills agreed to terms on what you've got to believe was their first choice. And the new HC appears to want to be here. And rather than go after what some would call 'proven failures' they went out and got a fresh, energized, up and comer. Not ready to drink the kool aid yet but like the new approach and strategy coming out of OBD to this point. Now if they can hit on free agency and the draft we might see a competitive team on the field week to week. That's my only expectation at this point.

I questioned the OC choice since the stated objective was to get coordinators with NFL experience but understand the rationale behind the choice. The key to me is the Bills got a coach that many other teams desired and not some recycled/fired castoff that the previous team determined could not be successful or a guy nobody else wanted. Although we won't know for sure until we start to see the results on the field in September I get the feeling its different this time and the light has finally gone on with the organization and the team is going to be more creative, aggressive, and tougher to play against next season. Filling out the staff, preparing and particpating in free agency and the draft are going to answer some of the questions. IMO, a time to have some valid sense of excitement and hope for the first time in years.

Perhaps a likely scenario which could be faced by Brandon but what to do? What he would do is unclear but if it was me I would entertain the decision but would need to know just who Coach 'X' had in mind to replace Buddy. Its one thing to suggest there is a problem with Buddy's philosophy but for me I'd want to understand the solution rather than a hypothetical there is somebody else I want, and research it, before making that decision. The other thing to consider about Buddy is he is for all purposes a 'short timer' with the idea that he will be transitioning the GM role to Whaley at some point. He knows the clock is ticking on his tenure so whether that is this season on next should not matter much in the big view of things. If winning is established as the highest priority of the organization then I think all options should be left on the table in order to reach that goal. Hearing that stated and then seeing it in action over this off season will be something to watch.

I think it's a great improvement to have a guy in charge that will be on site and on the job 24/7. Whether this means Brandon is going to come through and change the organization for the better or if we'll continue to whallow in mediocrity is unknown. IMO, it's best to wait a few weeks to see what transpires with the HC and coaching staff hires and for anything else organizationally that might be done to support the final product on the field.

I'm probably the minority voice here but with the right coach and a new QB, some key draft picks and a couple smart free agent pickups I think this team can compete for a playoff spot next year. Probably a total of 5 new starters needed. Picking up either Manti Te'o or Jarvis Jones to shore up the LB's in the first round and taking a QB with the second pick (most 'top' QB's should still be on the board) would be a good start. A free agent WR to complement Johnson along with a veteran QB and a veteran LB are on my wish list. Looking at this year's team a competent coaching staff should have been able to wring out another 4 wins with this group and the favorable schedule. That would have put them at 9-6 with a shot at one of the 2 wildcard spots (assuming one of those extra wins was against the Colts which is a game they should have won). If everything goes right for us for just once it could be 1 year or 2 at most..

Gailey is right that Fitz 'gives us the best chance to win' but what he doesn't say or acknowledge is the HC's system and the scheme exposes Fitz's weaknesses and flaws by making him pass 35+ times per game vs. utilizing a balance of run/pass with two very good running backs. The only game I remember them emphasizing the run was the Jacksonville game when it was too windy to throw for both teams. With a better gameplan he might have been able to squeeze out a couple more wins with Fitz and this putrid DC and defensive scheme but its too late for that and all three (Gailey, Fitz, Wanny) should be sent packing at the finish of the season next Sunday. My nightmare scenario would be Gailey getting canned and Wanny being promoted to HC. Even this organization can't be that stupid. Can it?

Unless Nix/Gailey end up staying we're in for another 3 year plan. The team simply doesn't seem to be able to seriously attract and sign 'top' candidates for the GM and HQ positions. And we have to settle on 2nd tier choices that put the team at a competitive disadvantage before they even take the field of play. There are several reasons for this and none of them have to do with the city of Buffalo or the state of the local economy or 'cheap' ticket prices or the stadium facility. The problem is the negative league-wide perception of ownership and the organization. There are many paths to success but until this perception changes we can debate and cite examples of other franchises until the end of time. The Mario signing gave us a brief time in the limelight but the poor showing of the team this season killed that good feeling. This situation will continue until either, or both, ownership or the organizational culture in place changes. At some point in the off season press conference Mr. Wilson will announce changes and conclude correctly that the team simply doesn't have the talent in place to complete with the top teams. Something we've heard far too many times. Unfortunately he appears to be failing to look at the place where the talent is most deficient, in the front office organization and the coaching staff. Maybe doing something different at the top would start to change all that but I doubt that is what we're going to get this time around. The Bills version of Ground Hog Day continues..

Never questioned any of that but rather if anybody in LA really cares or wants a team that they're willing to pay actual dollars to support. The Rams moved to smaller market St. Louis, the Raiders left choosing to go back to Oakland to an outdated facility (granted the LA Collesium was lacking too). So where's the grassroots fan support? There doesn't seem to be enough. And while a new facility might entice a team that in itself will not generate a lot of fan interest beyond the initial curiosity seekers. Right now the NFL gets maximum exposure and revenue via TV (and cherry-picking the best games to broadcast) without spending a penny there. Its been about 20 years without a team, and if it takes 20 years to do something it should be obvious that putting a team in Los Angeles is not a high priority of the league.

There is no upside to playing Jackson. Better to not play him at all. Worst case he leads the Bills to 2 wins and pushes us way down in the draft order for April. Then also plays himself into a free agent contract offer at the end of the season from somebody else willing to pay him more than the Bills. So we lose a 7th rounder, lose the guy in free agency, and ruin our chance for a better draft slot.

Vick might be too physically beat up to be an effective QB at this point from concussions and other injuries. And he's a 'coach killer' and a bigger turnover machine than Sanchez was this season. At least Vick going to the Jets would mean the Bills finishing no worse than 3rd next season.

I am not clear if the scheme is flawed but rather the game plan certainly is from what I've observed. Maybe I've missed some subtle nuances but it seems the Bills gameplan is the same week after week regardless of the opponent. It is so predictable that the opposing offense knows exactly what they will face play after play and has little trouble dealing with the situation because everything they face is so certain without the confusion factor that causes offenses to make mistakes in execution. A good DC will vary up his approach given the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing offenses they play against. This has got to improve by learning from mistakes or a new DC that understands how to gameplan and call a game. I can foresee the tandem of Brooks and Gilmore as the starting CB's coming out of training camp. Would like to see them retain Byrd and believe that G. Wilson has lost a step and taken some bad angles on several occasions. Those two drops against the Rams which might have saved the game did not help either. Look for a new starting strong safety next season. The starting LB group needs a complete overhaul. They are bad against the run and worse against the pass. Nobody, except maybe Barnett, can cover a TE or RB. So maybe three new starters at SS, 2 at LB, and a new DC would be in order here.

Eric said what every other player must be thinking. So kudos to him for telling the truth. As for the Toronto series, at this juncture in time what's the point of it all? The Bills get a disadvantage by surrendering a home game to what's no better than a neutral site, Toronto is not likely to get an NFL team as a result of this experiment. Rogers is paying way too much. That leaves the only obvious benefit of more coin in the pockets of Bills ownership.

A guy that had the fire for the game while coming back for a second stint and saw some success was coach Lou Saban. He resurrected OJ's career and made the Bills into a somewhat competitve force. Then he left again and we plunged back into the darkness of losing once again. I am too young to remember the exact circumstances of his second departure but I believe it was not a friendly parting of the ways. I am just guessing but I don't think Polian has the urge to return here for a second run under current ownership. Especially since the people he had issues with, specifically Littman, are still here and more entrenched than ever.

IMO, your comments are right on target and you've laid it out clearly and logically. This organization suffers from a perpetual dysfunction. If the NFL was a truely competive business the Bills would have been out of business years ago unable to 'sell' a defective and low quality product. Ownership has benfited to a high degree from the revenue sharing arrangement, success of other franchises in building the NFL brand, and taxpayer subsidies for the stadium and other services. The value of the Bills is more a function of belonging to the NFL monopoly vs. value inherent in the franchise itself. In simple terms, ownership has gotten wealthy by taking pretty much a free ride through the success of others. My only other additional comment would be that I've concluded many years ago that winning has never been a real priority of ownership. And the few era's of success the team experienced were more a result of dumb luck and random actions vs. any sort of plan to compete on the field. So its doubtful that Mr. Wilson, his heath in question, is going to 'see the light' at this point and do anything fundamentally different at this point in time. Reality may well be we're stuck with this infinite mediocrity until the time comes for a change at the top. A reality that I personnally find to be very depressing and hopeless taken from a fan's perspective.