All_Pro_Bills

Put another way, at the end of the day it's results that matter not effort.

You are right, the team will be sold and another owner or ownership group will take over control of the team. What people are looking for is some insight into the relocation question. And they are not going to get it. An answer to that question at this point would do great harm to current ticket sales. With the exception of hardcore fans if it was known the team would relocate then the majority of people might not attend games any longer. And if they knew the team was staying they'd probably hold onto their funds until a new owner took over with the hope that things might change for the better. Its likely that the interested parties are known but the specific outcome of the bidding is not so the exact result, stay or move, is not clear.

The irony here is that Wade apparently caved in and started Johnson over his choice which was Flutie but then held his ground and refused to fire the special teams coach. That's where he drew the line. Not invoking principal and his authority as head coach when it came to making the decision on who to start at QB and protecting the team but rather when it came to protecting a personal friend from dismissal.

This team has multiple problems that trading FJ is not going to solve. From what I’ve observed these are erratic quarterback play and inept defensive performance in 3 blowout losses. As far as quarterback goes there isn’t a long term solution on the roster unless you believe T. Jackson has starter potential and is capable of running the offense that Gailey wants to execute. His physical toolset is better than Fitz but can he assimilate the offensive game plan to a level necessary to play competently this season? I think we can write off Thigpen as a solution. To throw the idea out there, to me the most obvious thing to do would be to play Fitz into the bye week acknowledging he’s no franchise QB (hoping they can go into it at 4-3 or 3-4) and then use the bye week and bring Jackson in the take over the position for the remainder of the season. Then plan using the draft to acquire the Franchise QB in round 1 through whatever draft position and picks are at their disposal to pick at their spot of move up via trade. The defense is another story. There’s no excuse for the defensive line, regardless of the scheme or coaching, to play this poorly. It’s either chemistry, motivation, or lack of effort and that ripples through to the LBs and DBs. That said, I think the defensive scheme and strategy is passive and predictable so either the coordinator starts to dial up some aggression and confusion for the offense or he gets the boot. You look at the top defenses and they have many attributes in common, great talent, aggressive scheme, and the ability to create a lot of uncertainly for the offense by using multiple formations, blitzes, coverage schemes, etc. I’ve seen none of that from this team.

From what I've seen Gilmore, for a rookie at a tough position, has pretty much met expectations of a 1st round corner. With some experience and progression he has the potential to be a very good corner. I am waiting to see some kind of pass rush before pointing to any specific player in the secondary as the source of the problem. Playing corner for the Bills is like covering a guy playing 2 on 2 street football with a designated QB and no pass rusher. The receivers are zig-zagging around for 20 seconds (running behind cars, setting picks!) and sooner or later they're going to get open.

There's nothing I dread more at this point than seeing the 'reset' button being pushed on this perpetual rebuilding effort. But it looks like we're headed in that direction. 3 years and who's next? And can expect anything to change? Other than as you say the names. That is what is discouraging, not the losses, not the poor play but the never ending cycle of futility. And I disagree with the OP's conclusion that this fan base is weak. Far from it, this fan base has endured more pain and suffering than almost any fan base on the planet of any sport. And they keep getting up to go another round.

The ultimate party to blame is us, the fans. We continue to buy the product year after year regardless of the sub-standard results and consistent losing seasons. I was listening yesterday to WFAN in NY talk about the Jets and that there are some 12,000 seats unsold for tonights game against the Texans. And a statement was made that 'the one thing owners hate is empty seats'. That will get a coach and GM fired more than anything. But one thing fans boycotting the game in NY won't do is force a decision of the Jets to relocate. Boycotting the product is certainly something Bills fans could do, and have done in the past such as during the dark ages of the mid-80's. But the relocation 'card' is at play here and its one that most franschise's fans do no thave to deal with - the constant threat of relocation. For Bills fans its a form of extortion. Buy the product and the team might stay but don't buy it and they'll surely relocate. Ralph and his financial management team know this and they are more than capable of playing this extortion game against the fans year after year recentlty. By not revealing a succession plan they can perpetuate this situation since letting us all in on what is going to happen would eliminate their ability to use this weapon to fill seats until that plan is executed. If fans knew the team was leaving anyway the stadium would be empty right now. If they knew the team was going to stay they'd save their money now and buy tickets later when the new ownership group was in place with the expectation that things were going to improve. Continuing an environment of uncertainly with regards to relocation and fan support guarantees that the revenue stream and profits will be uninterrupted for as long as is necessary until the time comes for that decision to be made.

I was into the game in the first half until the bonehead decision to try to make something of the 'excellent' starting field position of their own 17 after recovering the 49ers fumble with less than a minute left in the half. Down by one score and knowing your teams struggles lately most coaches would opt to run out the clock and go into halftime down one score knowing you get the ball first in the 2nd half. Not our coach, he's 'going for it'. I'm pretty sure we were all thinking the same thing was going to happen and right on script the Bills cough up the ball right back. Now you go into halftime down 17-3 and the game is for all intents and purposes over. Simply pathetic and inexcusable game management and situational awareness by the HC.

If you have Kolb on your fantasy team you start him next week. The Cards have a pretty good defense. RIght now I can't see the Bills winning this game unless some dramatic turnaround occurs next Sunday. I've come the grips with the hard truth that this team will see no success on the field until ownership changes hands and along with that comes a lot of uncertainty about the team staying in WNY.

We need a better QB and without one this team is not going anywhere. I had always thought his intelligence could compensate somewhat for his lack of physical skills but I was wrong and his judgment and accuracy have been terrible. He seems incapable of running the offense he's been asked to lead. Rather than improving this team is regressing and is uncompetitive. And I expect that Chan and Dave are finished before the season is over.

time for the back up..

Nice call Chan - what a jerk. 49ers 2 timeouts with 45 seconds left the guy can't just run out the clock and get the ball first after halftime. HQ just lost the game for the players. That TD throw was so predictable. Who didn't see that was going to happen after the fumble? Fire the guy on Monday! Enough already with this nonesense...

Something that most astute fans determined pretty quick watching the game on Sunday yet the person that could actually do something about it apparently missed the obvious. This is the most disturbing aspect of the situation, Plus we have a head coach that abdicates responsibility for the defense to a coordinator that devises an inferior gameplan and does not seem to grasp the concept of adaptation and the dynamics of strategy and tactics that are needed to be used during the game. Play after play without adjustments or variation NE knew exactly what was coming and tore through that defense. You can bet that the Bills players on the field knew the scheme was awful and were confused and demoralized that the DC refused to adjust.

Got to say that Russ Brandon is an absolute marketing genius. Year after year this team creates the message of 'hope' among the fans and keeps the faithful coming back for more. Only to disappoint us time and time again. Heck, its been dragging me back in year after year. Sign a free agent here and there, bring in a new regime, have a 'great' offseason. Blue skies and winning are always just around the corner with the latest change but never do seem to appear. This guy could sell a glass of water to a drowning man or one step better the idea of a playoff berth to Bills fans.

NE players won't be receiving any fines or penalties for last Sunday's game. The regular officiating crews are back along with the preferential treatment certain teams and players receive. That's something I didn't miss during the lockout.

I'm not going to disagree with you and I have zero experience as an NFL defensive coordinator but I know what I see and no professional defense should surrender 86 points (plus 1 int for a TD and 1 punt return for another 14) in two division games. Whether its talent, execution, or scheme implemented by the DC I am weary of excuses and explanations. After 12 seasons of non-playoff futility and several GM/HC changes this is unacceptable. This regime is in its 3rd year and IMO given that timeline we are way past the point of using the talent excuse. You've had 3 seasons to get things in order and get the necessary talent and strategy in place. Either you can do it or you can't since its been demonstrated time and again that competent management and coaching can turn a profession program around in that amount of time.

NE ran their offense like they attended the Bills defensive practices the week before the game. Predictable is the word, they seemed to know everything the Bills would do, which was stick with the same basic set throughout the game with little variation. The gameplan was awful and the results even worse. I'd rather have Madden NFL 2012 calling the defense than Wanny.

I saw the same thing. One thing the regular refs do that the replacement refs did not is give preferential treatment to some of the 'star' players. The replacement officials for all their shortcomings were impartial when it came to their calls (good or bad). While the sports media had a field day pissing and moaning about the replacement officials you'll never hear a peep out of any of them about this obvious situation every Sunday. When I saw it was one of the league darlings, Green Bay, get screwed by a bad call I knew the strike would be over shortly. If it was the Bills instead, we'd still have the replacements.

You hit the nail on the head here. The Bills have been disadvantaged via coaching matchups, I dare say since Wade was run out of town. Not that Wade was top tier but he did put out a great defense and was the last coach to take us to the playoffs. The hard truth since is that working under the current ownership as head coach has not been a hot gig for members of the coaching profession, So we get a constant flow of 'B' level coaching and it shows on the field every Sunday and especially when going up against the top teams.

100 points allowed in 2 division games is valid cause for concern. These are the teams you need to beat to get into the playoffs. At this point I can envision the Bills dropping all 6 division contests this season. Miami, although they are 1-3, played hard and tough against an undefeated Arizona team on Sunday falling once again in overtime. The Bills on the other hand folded rather the going down fighting in the second half as soon as NE took the lead. The Bills defensive gameplan was so bad and without adjustments it appeared that NE's offense completely understood the Bills defensive strategy like they attended the Bills practices and knew exactly what to expect. And on offense continuing to have Fitz throw the ball 30+ times is asking for trouble. This shows a lack of creativity and flexibility needed to approach each game as a unique set of challenges rather than following a cookie cutter approach on offense. I'll wager the approach Gailey takes against the 49ers, even without two o-line starters, is not significantly different than what we saw on Sunday. IMO the front office is doing a decent job of gathering players but the coaching staff is falling down on the job here. Something we've gotten used to seeing for what seems like forever. Looking at the next 5 games and how they've played to date it's not hard to see the Bills at 3-6 unless a light goes on somewhere and this defense starts to meet expectations. That said, I;ll be rooting for them but there's nothing wrong with being discouraged by what we've seen so far.

11). The Bills defense was so bad today I even had moment of nostalgia for Dick Juron. I was yelling at the TV so much for the Bills to show some different looks on defense that my wife had enough and told me to leave the room. Base 4 man line/rush, no stunting, no blitzing, dropping the 4th guy to rush 3 a couple times. Stupor Mario invisible again. Made Brady's day easy. 100 points allowed in 2 division games ain't gettin' it done..

My thoughts too. Almost any place you visit or live is going to have good and bad attributes. People always associate snow with Buffalo but there are no wildfires, earthquakes, mudslides, tornados (rarely), hurricaines, or erupting volcanoes to worry about either. And in the Summer you can go outside in the middle of the day and not die from heatstroke in 10 minutes. Does Buffalo have its share of issues? Sure, but so does every place else. The twin morons on the radio show seems to be a standard routine around the country with loud, rude, and stupid replacing what used to pass as entertainment or constructive dialogue.

This seems true. The replacement ref's incompetence is unbiased while the regular officiating crews baby 'star' players like Brady and give teams like the Pats the breaks. The fact that one of the league darlings, the Packers, rather than some also-ran got screwed by the officials on Monday night magnified the gaffe.

You don't build a billion dollar business by bullying your employees. The current situation is an unmitigated disaster. The quality and integrity of the product is now being questioned. At first by a few but now by almost all segments of the sport, coaches, players, fans, the media. Even people that don't watch football know the replacement ref's screwed the pooch last night. I'll wager its even on the evening network news shows tonight and they rarely cover sports. And today the NFL issued a statement that the 'got it right'. They've got to be kidding! It shows an arrogance and contempt for integrity that is beyond words. And why is it a bad deal? Perhaps you have more insight into the process here but IMO that amount of money is totally insignificant to the league. And if its profits not revenue you argue then I hope each owner is happy with an extra $93k in his pocket while watching game after game of player scrums after the whistle, indecision, inconsistency, with coaches looking to intimidate and abuse the officials. The fact is the owners will make that up 100 times over in the next TV contract so to me its got more to do with their belief they can just push anybody around that they care to rather than a quesiton of funding.

I read somewhere yesterday that the sticking point is that issue which amounts to .11% of annual league revenue. Compared to the potential damage to the league and the product from these prime-time gaffs that seems like a small price to pay. That's $93k per team.