Sisyphean Bills

When a franchise only drafts little more than 1 multiple-season starter (say nothing of being a standout player) a year in a 7 round draft, their rate of progress is never going to acquire enough talent to truly be "re-building". In today's NFL, a competent front office can turn an average team around fairly quickly with strong drafts, good free agent moves, and shrewd trades. It's actually statistically more rare to go 10 years with total futility, no playoffs, than it is to get to the Super Bowl.

Maybe Kelsay is just paid too much to sit on the bench. Not that the bean counters have any say on anything.

At this rate, is 3 years enough time? They really didn't address any holes on offense this year. Say they draft a franchise QB next year in the draft, for arguments sake. That's year 2. Year 3, he'll be in his second year. Even if he is another Phillip Rivers, he may not be ready to take out of the oven then. Say nothing of the holes on the line and at WR and TE and FB and on the defense...

Who did we play today? A major market team?

Only the Bills... in the year that the players are voting to decertify the NFLPA so there is no CBA, a possible lock-out, anti-trust legal suits, potential changes to the draft itself...

So is the idea that having a guy take his hand off the ground will magically transform him into a pass rusher extraordinaire losing some luster?

Hardly. Actually, I was thinking this was a coaching decision on par with installing a no-huddle offense to be run with a gutless QB and behind a line where no one on the line had played 1 NFL snap in that position for the Bills before. In a word: Embarrassing.

Truth. Most of the starters are the same guys that got Dick Jauron fired mid-season last year. There are a few backups to backups getting more playing time and guys playing positions they've never played before. Oh, and I should mention some below average free agents.

He is horrific in space. Just terrible.

He's not a fan. He said so himself.

Wasn't the idea that he would improve the running game by himself?

But the HC and GM are on the same page.

Anybody see Lee Evans?

It's not like they give you a trophy if you go into the locker room with timeouts in your pocket.

Think we'll have a shot at him in the 6th round?

What's to like about a QB that led his team to a Super Bowl, 5 NFC Championship games, and 4 straight division titles this decade? I mean the Bills ... oh wait ...

When do you get off the snide though? If you won't bring in better players until the situation is right and you already have better players, then when do you bring in the better players?

Speaking of which, who plays C for the Bills if the Hangman can't go? (He's missed some practice this week.) Do they move Wood to the pivot and Howard goes to RG? Bigger picture, sounds like Wang and Urbik aren't exactly ready and with Bell and Meredith platooning because Bell is trying to play on one leg, Howard is the only depth there is...

Just guessing, but the feeling is probably mutual.

Assuming that the Bills will not trade Lynch for whatever reason, it makes the move to draft Spiller seem fatuous. Why add to an area of strength if you cannot use that to address areas of weakness?

Leave it to the Bills to move Lynch for a CB... I mean they only have 10 DBs on the roster (11 if you count the practice squad) and their 5th best CB was a high draft pick who should be in the prime of his career.

Another way of thinking about this is that the Bills have room on their roster for UDFAs because they've done such a poor job drafting. The core of the team today should be: JP Losman (bust) Lee Evans (1st string) Roscoe Parrish (2nd string) Kevin Everett (gone injury) Marshawn Lynch (3rd string) / Willis McGahee (gone) Mike Williams (bust) Donte Whitner (1st string) Ashton Youboty (3rd string) Tim Anderson (bust) John McCargo (Capt Inactive/bust) Chris Kelsay (1st string, ) Edit: That list is a hit ratio of 3/12 (only 25%). (Many would argue that Kelsay should not be a team leader and "success" because of his poor play, yet he is.) The Bills aren't very good because they draft badly.

You mean like when they had worked out trading Dockery to Detroit for a 7th rounder and then decided it wasn't worth the time to fax the paperwork into the league office? Dockery flies to Detroit for a physical, gets a call from his agent he's a free agent, and bolts to Washington before his suitcase hits the luggage carousel...

Not interested in splitting hairs or weaseling definitions about who is and is not a "top" free agent, but last year there were players that passed on offers from the Bills, e.g., Laveranues Coles and Pisa Tinoisamoa. There is also the evidence that the Bills never had any chance with Shanahan. I've heard similar sentiments on behalf of players that they wouldn't even consider the Bills because they want to go to a contender, good situation, etc.

Add also recent history. I said at the time that the hens would come home to roost... The Bills blew up their OL 2 years ago, largely because of contract/money. They released both Dockery and Walker who were brought in as free agents. Both are starters on their former teams this year in the same positions. Actions speak louder than words: Russ "Hard Ball" Brandon sent the message to free agents that the Bills expect players to play above their contracts, and if they don't then they will be dumped. Some of this was exacerbated by "continuity" as the Bills coaching staff seemed to go in a direction du jour on offense.