Sisyphean Bills

Mike McCarthy just said they signed Dimitri Nance off the Falcons practice squad. He also mentioned that they have more than 11 starters on their defense, "and I won't apologize for that." Must be rough.

At some point, you'd hope your GM would figure it out that not everyone outside of the building is "The Enemy". That there are actually good players on other teams that could, if they were brought into the building, help your team win football games.

The Bills don't have needs? Have you ever seen them play?

Well put. Trotting out the flim flam excuse that "player X isn't perfect in every way" when the Bills have lesser to no talent at the position isn't very reassuring. A team doesn't get better sitting around waiting for the next Peyton Manning, Barry Sanders, and Bruce Smith to fall out of the sky simultaneously into their laps. If a team actually shows they have a pulse, a clue, and are trying to build something successful, the actions themselves can make the team a more desirable destination. The Packers underwent some turmoil a few years ago when they parted ways with Favre, but few today would say that the Packers are a bad team without hope and are perceived by most around the league as a joke.

She's not wrong.

While this is a fair point, Hardy was, I believe, 4th string WR this pre-season (when he wasn't in the training room). He was behind street free agents. Side note related to scouting players: When Hardy was drafted one huge red flag I recall on his report was that he had no clue what a route tree was and had never be taught at Indiana some of the basics of the position. As a rookie, people observed he was helpless to get off a jam. He had some physical attributes on paper, but sometimes a team needs to draft football players, not physical specimens.

I didn't realize there was a UFL team in Seattle.

Dick tried this and got pole axed mid-season.

And he got tossed by the Raiders because they favored ... wait for it ... Langston Walker.

But we stuck it to the Steelers.

I'll email you some matches so you can set fire to his straw-man.

I'm going to dub this the "Sitting There With Your Thumb Up Your Ass" argument. How many great, young lineman become available in free agency? Very, very few and the reason for that is patently obvious. How many great, young lineman want to come to Buffalo? Let's just say zero for simplicity's sake. Again, for obvious reasons. So, the franchise builder's strategy is sit there with your thumb up your butt until such time as a good, young lineman is available and wants to play in Buffalo? Why? Because there is no other way to get better than to jump on the next Steve Hutchinson that comes available? [Answer: I think the truth is exactly as Nix said in a press conference; he doesn't believe in paying another guy's players. His philosophy is to build through the draft.] That doesn't really explain why they went out and overpaid for a terrible, journeyman RT who's still not "developed". FWIW, the argument that the Bills couldn't find anyone better than Green may be true. But, that's pretty damn sad on many levels.

http://www.kffl.com/static/nfl/features/freeagents/fa.php?option=OL&y=2010 Seems like there were a few free agent lineman. Beggars shouldn't put on elitist airs.

They didn't ask me, but I could have told them they were hunting the wrong dog in trying Kelsay at OLB; also, Stroud is a 3-tech, Williams is not a NT, etc. Any knucklehead coach can put them in those positions, but that doesn't mean they have the skills to excel there. You self scout to get an idea of what your players can do. How is it any different than drafting a player out of college? In college they aren't going to have the same talent around them, aren't going to be in "your system". You have to be able to look at the athlete and project him into your system, know how he can help you, and how you can hide his weaknesses. Like GG posted, their actions belie their stated reasons. The talent on the defense was assembled for a Tampa-2 defense, not for the 3-4 package they want to run. As far as, "you can't do it all in one year" ... that's a nice sound bite, but it doesn't explain away inaction. Despite the fact other regimes have turned their fortunes around very quickly, some even in 1 year, there is a middle ground here. One does not have to stand pat with the scraps the last guy left behind and burn a season re-evaluating his players, the players that got that guy fired it should be pointed out. Take the OT position. It was pathetic and their best T retired. Their other T is one of the worst in the NFL and coming back from a major injury. Why pick up 1 garbage T in free agency and draft another in the 5th round and fold up that tent and go home? It wasn't exactly unknown that Green isn't any good. Why stop there? Why not make more moves and try to create some legitimate competition? There is no cap. There were free agents available. So what if it is just a stop gap? Green is a stop gap himself. It's too early to say one way or the other. So, no, it's not hard at all not to swallow that.

It's most likely just a matter of time before Gailey figures out what Perry Fewell knew and Dick Jauron refused to admit. Despite the "Trent did some good things" feel-good PR fluff, these guys have said they take no responsibility for what happened the last 10 years before they got here. In other words, everyone is/should be under the microscope: produce or find your life's work. (We'll just have to see if they are as good as their word.)

Compare Trent Edwards to Phillip Rivers as far as temperament. I've never been impressed that Edwards was a leader. His WRs never really wanting him to be their QB is just one aspect.

Why not watch some film of their past work? Why not bring in some guys the new staff is familiar with? (Oh wait, Gailey hasn't been a head coach in the NFL in over a decade.)

Not so sure about that. Trent is starting after all and as Sully said the "open" competition wasn't.

Gailey implied in the PC that he got away from the running game because it wasn't working. The OL wasn't able to move anybody or make the holes and the backs weren't hitting them or hitting them right when they were there. Reading between the lines, he's saying this offense isn't ready. It could be that his efforts as a mad alchemist hit on the just the right ingredients or that he gets disillusioned of the notion that there was a cohesive talent base on this offense that he can mix into his strange brew.

On the other hand, Nix sent a mixed message. He said that this team isn't as bad as the Chargers team was when they got there. He talked about the upsides of players like Edwards, Bell, and Urbik. He talked about how he was gushing about all the things he thought this team could be to Ralph Wilson over the summer. He said he likes to focus on what players can do, not what they can't. That they are still trying to figure out what they can do. None of that is exactly what you'd expect to hear when talking about a grueling rebuild project where everything from a broken foundation to a leaking roof need repairs. Of course, walking both sides of the street, he mentioned how one can't fix everything all at once. On the other hand, if one is going to fix things it might be suggested that one has to identify the problems, be able to prioritize the big issues, roll up the sleeves, and get to work. Seeing if there are hosed on sump pumps that can be patched together with duct tape might even be called procrastinating while you are looking for the perfect antique wardrobe and oriental rug for your dream bedroom... Just being devil's advocate. I like that we have a good scout in Buffalo now.

TE

Falcons

True. It's not a high probability that Ralph hangs on for another decade or two. I hope he does though.

The whole thing is a mess.

Let's remember that there are kids playing football in Jr. High that have as much or more experience than Bell. I don't understand blaming Trent for that play. No way does a coach draw up a flustercuck blocking scheme like the OL executed there. It isn't believable in the slightest. Levitre got absolutely blasted on that play. Bell chases his guy all the way to the inside on the stunt. Edit: It looks like Hangartner is trying to go to his left, but Levitre is already behind him and Bell is running past him in the other direction. Having said that, Trent doesn't have good instincts and elude it either.