Sisyphean Bills

Here's some more translations:

[*] It also helps to put up huge numbers and to win games.

I did round up. But I didn't factor in the power of wishful thinking. So, on balance, yeah, there is a chance.

Well, mathematically-speaking and assuming all things being equal, there is a 0.1% chance of that happening. Smart money at Vegas is on this prediction not paying.

Buddy Nix just said in that video on buffalobills.com that he, Russ Brandon, and Doug Marrone had meetings every day to discuss the team. From that statement, and the conjecture that it's pretty unlikely Brandon goes to those meetings and never says a word, it seems clear that all three of them were involved in "football" decisions.

I do get your frustration, and thanks for helping me see that point. I agree with the wait-and-see take completely. You have every right to your opinion. And, so do other posters. You have a marvelous ability to see every move this organization makes as a big positive. And, in the context of football discussions, that's a great thing for good debate on this board. The only thing I don't appreciate is your attacking other fans here on the board for expressing their opinions, doubts, concerns and criticisms. The Bills deserve criticism. They have earned criticism by their own ineptitude. If no one can find fault with a 16-32 record, then this board reduces to nothing but mindless applauding automatons. FWIW, I can still remember the glory days of this franchise and there were people very critical of the team then. They won more games than anybody, but there was always something for someone to criticize. If the Bills never lost another game in our lifetimes, you'd probably still find posts that weren't blowing sunshine all over your monitor.

The point (and I even included emotions!) was that it is just as easy to paint everything entirely black as it is white. How often have the Bills made changes since the John Butler firing and how often has that change equated to quantifiable success on the football field? That's not "spewing venom"; it is objective reality. But, nah, it's just another chance to prematurely whip out the old "this time it is different" and "I'll tell you how to be a fan" rhetoric yet again. (By the way, this shtick is as wrong as it is well-worn. While swinging your paint brush vigorously, you don't even realize that posters you've casually stuffed in the haters box can actually be hopeful about some of the recent changes.)

Even people with T.Rex arms shouldn't find it too big a reach to complain about something over the last decade plus. I mean when the fan sprays it all over you, how far out of your way did you really go? Still, Bills fans are nothing if not resourceful. If there is nothing to applaud or celebrate about we invent something.

If you actually watched the games, this point is debatable. They did indeed improve from wretched, but the defense was still lousy and got gashed. The Seattle game was well after the bye week, for example, and that looked like an Oregon vs. Arkansas State game.

That part is debatable and some people, including media types, have actually disputed it. The process was certainly handled much more aggressively. Instead of waiting for the hundreds of calls from agents to light up the cellphone, the Bills aggressively went out and targeted coaching candidates and made, what was for them, a stunningly quick decision and before most, if not all, other vacancies were filled. There is no doubt that the process was conducted differently just given the observable details.

This doesn't really jive with what Russ Brandon said himself about the Jason Peters situation. He said on NFL radio that Jason Peters had come to him personally to talk about his contract and he told Jason in no uncertain terms that he was not a priority, that Overdorf was going to work on Lee Evans' contract, and that Jason should get the !@#$ out of his office. That does not paint a picture that the rapid deterioration of the relationship was exclusively Overdorf's doing. Of course, the gasoline-on-the-fire of paying a bottom tier LG nearly the exact same contract as the best LG in the NFL received 1 year prior precipitated many bad feelings for a guy that had taken some "home town discounts" (his agent's view certainly) prior as well, so Overdorf and Levy did have their role.

Not sure, but sound like he hopes to make at least $10 billion. Then again, the extra M might mean $100 trillion, so that might mean he hopes to make $10 quadrillion. He could pay off the national debt like it was a cheeseburger.

Do not put words in my mouth. That is not what I meant as I previously explained. There is more than one way to "lock in." Again, we'll have to agree to disagree.

Actually, I wasn't quibbling about the money in the contract. I don't care how much money comes out of Ralph's pocket. The point that I was making was that they locked Fitzpatrick in as THE guy.

Whether you want to call it "good faith" or "panic", the Bills were premature and did not wait it out for a more complete evaluation. It looks like everyone agrees that they "bought high", at the peak of Fitzpatrick's success. It's not the only time either. See: Jauron, Dick.

The really damaging part was that it lead them to believe and plan as if they could soft-pedal the QB need in 2012, forcing desperation in 2013. Still, if Manuel turns into a great QB, then it is moot and we're all happy. On the other hand, if 2013 turns into another 2002 crop of QBs, then it was a strategic miscalculation that will cause pain for us for another 5 to 7 years.

I believe you are entitled to your opinion and thank you for sharing it with other Bills fans. We just don't agree. I see Nix as involved and actively engaged in the direction of this team the last 3 years. He owns a piece of it, good and bad.

It goes beyond Gailey. Buddy Nix came in and spelled out his vision of building via the draft, etc. He started as a very conservative GM and hired an old school coach. As to the argument (not yours) that "nobody's perfect" and "hindsight being 20/20", one can go back through my posting history and see that I have compared the Gailey/Nix regime to the Carroll/Schneider and Shanahan/Allen all along because there is no ambiguity as to working against different competition in different eras of the NFL. 1 of the 3 of those pairings failed with the head coach being fired and is no more. The other 2 were far more aggressive in general, continue to make moves for the team overall and especially the QB position, and made the playoffs and have energized their fans. People jump right to the "yeah, but they have a QB" line without even mentioning or acknowledging that it was the aggressive make-up of those front-offices that got the QBs there in the first place. Agreed. Especially in light that he said so himself. Straw-man. I never said that.

It is certainly a view tailor-made to absolve Buddy Nix at every turn and cast the blame all around him. Unfortunately, Buddy Nix actually was (and is) involved and does make decisions. He says so himself, as do others in the know. Gailey was trying to save his job? How did that work for him again? Marrying himself to Fitzpatrick was not about saving his job, it was just the latest example of Gailey sticking with a QB that wasn't good enough. What was that line Buddy and Chan always used? "If you've seen him do it before, there is a good chance he'll do it again." Self observation? Maybe it is premature, but Buddy started this job post-retirement age and because he didn't like golf. He's not getting younger. He better have a plan in place to develop his successor and have him ready to take the reigns soon, or it is just a black mark on a resume that, so far, has been unimpressive.

Got a ways to go to catch the Nassib thread...

As well the coaches should, of course. Especially in Buffalo, where it is their jobs, more than anyone else's, that are on the firing line. On the other hand, getting rid of players that Gailey and company wanted in Buffalo is at odds with giving Buddy kudos for putting together a talent laden roster. Gailey ran a spread offense for 3 years and the Bills just spent 3 of their 4 top draft picks on trying to improve the offensive passing game. Sometimes things just don't reconcile.

He had 14 rushing attempts. That's less than 1 a game. He had 14 pass catches. Again less than 1 a game. And he started 2 games. The customary "Smith is valuable" defense is because he plays dozens of positions. Unfortunately, Gailey hardly ever used the guy until the team was decimated by injury. Now, Marrone may be planning to go with a heavy dose of Wilcat offense, but...

Because sometimes quality trumps quantity.

Sounds like a starter.

Why would you choose teams that are historically poor at drafting for a movie about the draft anyway? (Now, it's about the Cardinals...)