Sisyphean Bills

3 years of building a team and the identity of the offense is "do whatever it is that the defense dictates we should." The defenses identity is similarly, "just hope the D-line does something extraordinary."

Yet oddly enough you can watch the game film and see when Wannstedt sunk his safety to get 8 in the box against the Titans, the Titans ran the ball anyway and gouged his defense repeatedly.

When is the last time you heard an NFL coach say he couldn't run the ball against seven in the box?

Well, at least we know he's not asleep at the helm.

Kind of an amazing admission given that it is widely known Phillips likes to stick in his base defensive personnel. As far as the passing game and Spiller, the Bills got 40% of their passing game out of the backfield (Jackson and Spiller) and those two accounted for the majority of the offensive touches between them. What was really lacking by comparison was the 3 wide outs, who had only 1 more completion than the RBs in the passing game. The Texans were right not to fear the Bills 3 wides -- the Bills don't have enough weapons in the passing game to make anyone worry. TJ Graham was a decoy at best and after him there was no production at all between Martin and Smith in either phase.

Wade Phillips is known as a DC that likes to stick with his base defense as much as possible. Why would this surprise the Bills?

The football gods giving Buddy Nix a quick dish of crow perhaps?

I was expecting to read something about the clicking of ruby slippers here ...

It is true that the last time Fitzpicks was the starting QB of a winning team was when he was with the Harvard Crimson.

The Bills only trade up for those John McCargo, JP Losman types.

Not from what they are reporting. The NFL voided that contract because the contract allowed Payton to void the deal if Loomis was suspended, fired, etc. It's an ironic twist that the NFL's objection to the contract also voids the contract, essentially enforcing their specific objection. If you are a Saints fan and a conspiracy theorist, you got to be wondering if the NFL is just gunning for your team and kicking them back to the laughingstock group of franchises.

I'm not sure if you consider the Cowboys a bottom tier team or not. I don't think that. Although Jerry Jones does suck as an owner/GM. It's shaping up to be an interesting off-season and there is likely to be several franchises that blow up their front offices.

Buddy doesn't trade draft picks to move up, but he will trade them for a QB in the last year of his contract and that the coach has no intention of ever putting on the field.

You misunderstand. Payton isn't coming to Buffalo.

Taking a chance on an eager, young, innovative coach isn't always a bad idea, is it? But there has to be somebody that can be lured out of retirement...

Well, let's set this straw-man on fire. List all the NFL teams that have a QB that has never had a winning season as a pro, are in a position to draft a franchise QB (hint: we're not talking a 7th rounder), and would then choose to sit their big man on campus to learn behind the incumbent. Luck, Tannehill, Griffith, and Weeden were all handed the job. Newton, Gabbert, and Ponder were handed the job last year. Bradford was the day 1 starter the year before that. Stafford, Sanchez, and Freeman were day 1 starters the year before that. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco the year before that. So, in the last 5 draft classes, there has been 1 exception to this. Jake Locker who sat behind Matt Hasselbeck who has an 80-71 record and QB'd a team to the Super Bowl. So yeah, I'd say the preponderance of the evidence very decidedly indicates that most any NFL team in these cleats has no trouble figuring out how to get their rookie franchise guy on the field. This isn't the 1960s any longer, but what the heck, let's draft a RB.

In those daily meetings with Ralph, they are going to tell him losing is tough luck because they can't figure out how to get a young franchise QB on the field like any other NFL franchise?

Interesting that Gailey is not a lame duck this year. Changing coaching staffs for the sake of change isn't the answer, but then isn't that what they did on defense? Wannstedt has been a major downgrade, in fact, from George Edwards. It doesn't really follow that he can have complete faith in Gailey, yet be critical of a series of Gailey's decisions which have impacted a defense producing horrific results (and coincidentally undermined most of the investment made in 3 draft classes).

We're going to die with our front four.

He has been pass wacky. Now, he has Eli Manning and that makes a difference.

Looking at RBs on the best teams by record this season... Michael Turner - 5th round Matt Forte - 2nd round Adrian Foster - undrafted Ahmad Bradshaw - 7th round Frank Gore - 3rd round Ray Rice - 2nd round Cedric Benson - 1st round / Alex Green - 3rd round Adrian Peterson - 1st round Stevan Ridley - 3rd round So, while there are 1st round backs like Peterson, Lynch, and McGahee in the top 10 rushers in the NFL, most of the teams with 5-3 or better records get their ground game out of talent not drafted in the 1st round. Side note: 4 of the top 10 rushers so far in 2012 were 1st round picks. 2 of those drafted by Buffalo. Both of them no longer on the team. Drafting 1st round RBs, especially when they go on to play their best elsewhere, is indefensible strategically.

Yet, Jauron had a better overall record.

You didn't parse what I wrote correctly. Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin were never interested in coaching in Buffalo. And even some Bills fans would debate you that Marv Levy was a top notch coach. Yes, in general, an NFL team can find a good, even great, coach on the market. But, I was talking about the Bills. Yes, they hired Chuck Knox a couple of generations ago, but that has really been it. Buffalo is not a destination big name coaches are going to consider. That's why they fly Brandon to Denver to meet with Shanahan and end up with a Jauron or Gailey.

To be fair, Donahoe understood this and did try to hire young up-and-comers instead of getting on the retread merry-go-round, a place the Bills have often gone with very little scattered success over their history.

Sounds like he's just regurgitating the pablum Dave Wannstedt is doling out. "Don't worry, stay positive, be consistent, we're fine... now how did I put this football in this waste basket?"