transient

If I'm wishing, there are countless names higher up on my list.

I guess my hesitance to commit is because I'm not sure. As I said, I felt they needed to switch, but I felt it should have been done sooner. Given the circumstances and the untenable situation starting Johnson ultimately created, in retrospect I probably would have stuck with Flutie, however I don't think he would have won the game. So now I've just started a QB that I didn't think could win the game given his level of play at the time in an effort to maintain cohesiveness and not screw up another player that I'm not sure given the available preparation time could win the game, not to mention win it by enough so that his detractors didn't skewer him and crumble his fragile ego even further. Ultimately, I think Phillips tied his own noose with that one (or RW tied it for him?), and I'm glad I wasn't the one making the decision.

I know there is one play in that game that DEFINITELY would have changed the outcome, and it had nothing to with Johnson. So, if you are posing this as a "if you could hop in a time machine and change one thing" sort of question, then yes, I would start Johnson and implore the special teams not to abandon their lanes. For the record, I am not a Flutie fan or a Johnson fan, I'm a Bills fan. I agree that the time to switch QBs would have been several games prior. I also wanted them to switch, cuz IMO Flutie was done. I felt the timing was poor (kinda like firing your OC and cutting your starting LT mere days before the season started). To rehash but paraphrase my whole beef with the "QB controversy" - - RJ young, brought in to be franchise QB, of which there are few - DF, older with limited upside, signed to back up - RJ plays well early, but can't stay on field - DF plays well in relief - RJ, who in hindsight was not only physically but mentally fragile, loses job due to injury. This likely accelerates his downward career path. - Bills are contenders during this time, and need to make a decision, but don't, which divides team - 3 seasons of guess the QB = 3 seasons we could have figured out RJ wasn't the one and moved on, OR we could have kept him in backup role (ala Aaron Rodgers) until it was time to move on from DF My issue with the timing of QB change in regard to the QB controversy was it set the team and the QB up for failure. Little prep time for either to get on the same page, facing good defense on the road. The only way RJ could have ultimately succeeded there would have been to light the place up, which he didn't. Instead, he plays atrociously, but pulls it together for a FG that should have won the game. Instead fate kicked him and the team in the nuts, which you could say defined his career and the Bill's existence. More than just a lost game, I think the outcome, the circumstances surrounding, and the controversy that followed it pulled out the last little piece of chickenwire that was holding RJ's brain together, and unleashed the mental fragility full on. More than a lost playoff game, I think the decision was no win in the grand scheme of things for the organization. I also think the outcome and the controversy that followed were entirely predictable. I put the blame for the loss and the controversy on Phillips, or whoever ultimately handled the whole situation in such an amateur way, and not RJ or Flutie.

Beerball, didn't you recently have problems with your head? You should probably refrain from slamming it against a wall so much over something so pointless as a neverending crusade against reason.

The thing is, I'm not arguing that it was the right or wrong decision. I take issue with the assertion that the outcome would have been different. It may have been, it may not have been. If it was such a given that we would have won with Flutie, he would have played. No one can argue about what would have happened with Johnson, cuz it happened. He played atrocious, but he put them in a position to win at the end of the game. Asserting that Flutie would have played much better is speculation at best, and I personally feel more akin to fantasy, given the defense he was facing and his level of play leading up to that game.

So, the definitive word comes from a coach who is doubting his own decision? If this genius was a such a fortune teller, did he then go with the wrong QB on purpose? There is no logic in this. My point was that offensively we were just as likely to struggle with either QB given the quality of the defense we were facing. Assuring the world we would have won if Flutie would have played because the son of Bum says it's so is... foolish.

Winston Wolfe? Is that you?

The Titans defense gave up an average of 16 ppg that season, and they were playing their best football heading into the playoffs. Ultimately, they held the greatest show on turf to 1 TD until Warner completed the 73 yard game winning TD in the final minutes. Flutie was playing statistically the worst football of his Bills career at the time. Regardless of whether or not it was the right choice to start Johnson, thinking that if we had started Flutie we would have miraculously lit up that defense doesn't make sense. The outcome likely would have been the same, a defensive battle between two defensive minded teams. Regardless of his horrid numbers, Johnson led the team down the field with one shoe on to set up what should have been a game winning FG. If it had been Flutie who had done that in the waning seconds after having an atrocious day against a very good defense, and then the kick coverage put on one of the most embarrassing displays in NFL history, would you feel justified that he had done all he could to win the game, or would you vilify him for his statistics?

In the case of a player like Warren Moon, where his numbers were equally impressive in both leagues, I could agree with you. In the case of Flutie, I do not. I'm sure there are a lot of players with impressive CFL numbers who never played in the NFL. By your logic they should be in the HOF as well.

Do not confuse single mindedness nor competitive spirit with leadership. IIRC, there was a lot of dissention in the locker room among teammates when Flutie was there. Also, using Flutie's name in the same sentence with HOF peers will not get him into the HOF.

How dare you use statistics to make a point. It takes all the fun out of it.

And who cares about fact when you have a crusade to further, right?

Also, funny how all of the Flutie lovers revere him like a deity... like... like... DIT-KA and da BEARS. Fact is he was a gadget player who had some good games, made some unconventional plays that were fun to watch, benefited from a great defense in '99, and ultimately wasn't the answer at QB (both from an age and talent standpoint)... a reality that people who neither loved nor hated him likely realized the entire time he was in Buffalo. The shame of the situation is his "emergence" kept the team from evaluating RJ, realizing he wasn't the answer, and finally moving on for 3 seasons longer than it should have. You may want to check some of Bledsoe's #s, as he put up a number of 300 yard games, as well as a couple 400 yarders. I think JP had a couple, also. There may be no 300 yard games on the current roster, or in the last ~30 games, but none since Flutie is an egregious overstatement that betrays your proclivity to worship at the alter of Flutie.

IMO, the "magic" died on a Monday night against the Jets w/ Belichick as the DC. Instead of bringing the heat and allowing Flutie to scramble and improvise, his D held contain on him, didn't overpursue, clogged the underneath short to mid routes, and dared him and his arm to get the ball more than 10 yards downfield. The blueprint was there, and as you said, as soon as he had to be a traditional QB, it was over.

They are to ESPN what Chuck Norris is to the rest of humanity... that, and Belichick* reportedly has home sideline footage of Clayton in a compromising act of idol worship. BTW, since the offseason is apparently over, based on the fact that we are already rating them, does that mean the real games start soon and we will no longer be innundated with pointless, non-journalistic ESPN blog fodder? Just curious.

I feel this is a bit too oversimplefied. Not only are players graded by talent, but by how they would fit into a system. Under DJ, on D it was undersized and speed (sort of) which describes Maybin (who may not have been the best talent, but may have been deemed a better fit, and therefore graded higher by the Bills), and who knows what the hell the theme was for offense. Cromartie, Jackson, Jackson, Umenyiora, and Harris all were drafted into situations where there were already other pieces in place, which I'm sure helped. And Cromartie comes with some baggage (9 kids by 5 women and counting). Essentially, with the exception of Harris, at the time of their drafting the players you cite all went to much better teams than the Bills, and he truly came into his own under Ryan's defensive scheme. I think we'd all agree that it is hard to grade any receiver we've drafted since Bledsoe's first season with the Bills, cuz you don't know what they look like in an NFL offense. It appears that the new regime has a better idea of what they want the team to look like on the field, which ultimately will help them in identifying the talent to run it. Also, w/ Nix (a talent evaluator himself) as GM, I would tend to bet he has a bit more to do with the final makeup of the draft board, and more say in who is ultimately taken than DJ, Levy, or Brandon did (and rightly so).

I'm not so certain of that... my point was merely that successful GMs/coaches have usually failed somewhere along the line after having been given a chance, or risen from obscurity. I'm sure there are a littany of others who have failed throughout their careers without ever enjoying even modest success. The current arrangement is just as likely to fall into one of those scenarios as it is to be somewhere in between, we just don't know. The reference to Gailey's NFL coaching experience was more to say he didn't fail miserably his first go round, and there is no reason to think he couldn't learn something from it and improve. 0-2 in the playoffs yes, but with what was essentially the late 90s Bills, aging veterans clawing to hold onto their waning careers. As for the coaching hires, the most uninspiring was DJ, based on his track record, one winning season aside. As for Williams and Mularky, I think they were essentially the same as Frazier, coordinators on the rise with no way of knowing if they would be able to pull it off as head coaches. Due to the cap mess, Williams never even had a chance (not suggesting he would have succeeded, just that he was a sacrificial lamb).

The thing that is maddening about this whole post-draft analysis BS is that pundits grade a draft based on their perception of your needs as opposed to the players you've acquired. Who cares if you just drafted the next offensive or defensive rookie of the year when you could have reached for a recognizable name to fill a hole with a player destined to fail. These are likely the same idiots who lauded the Jamarcus Russell pick. As for the draft and the QB postition in general, I still feel that a FO has to have an absolute conviction about a guy, and then has to have the stones to assure they acquire him, otherwise you spend the next 15 years trying to fill the void with projects. That is the one position I think you are justified in mortgaging the future on if you're convinced he'll succeed. I don't think there was a single QB in the draft this year who fit that description. I agree with Nix's assessment that the QBs available were essentially already on our roster. As for LT, I have a sneaking suspicion that aside from the top two, the Bills brass had the remainder ranked very similarly on their board, in which case why not wait until there are one or two left from that group before you pick one... it's called value. It seems like the concensus is that the Bills drafted high motor, high character, self motivated, value players that didn't fit their perceived needs... therefore their draft must have sucked.

Lest we forget that long before there was Polian and Dungy, there was Polian and Levy... a previous scout with no GM experience and a losing coach from KC... or that prior to Belichick and Pioli, there was Belichick in CLE who looked way out of his league as a head coach. Everyone has to start somewhere, and most successful coaches/GMs learn from failure somewhere along the way. Gailey has had success both as an OC, and head coach, and Nix's resume is nothing to sneeze at (not to mention he hails from the Polian tree, if you will). I agree with the wait and see, but I'm more optimistic than the DJ hire for two big reasons 1) We actually have a GM with what appears to be a vision, and not a figurehead ala Levy or Brandon 2) Gailey has had more than just a single season of production in any role he's filled, unlike DJ's one winning season.

And he was in the supplemental draft in the first place because he was ineligible to play his junior season because his grades were below that deemed acceptable by his coach.

I agree in theory that it makes sense to wait. However, the other side is, if the dance partner is there, the deal is there, and the possibility of going after NO's Brown instead is there, AND you're certain you want to trade Gaither, then why not do it before it becomes a headache.

Brown was injured last year. Bushrod started most of the season in his place. Prior to that Brown was in the ProBowl in 06 and 08, FWIW. The reason Brown is on the block is cuz NO won the Superbowl without him, and he is soon to be up for a big contract. As an interesting side note, he's not presently listed on the NO Saints roster on ESPN... nor is Gaither currently listed on BAL's roster on ESPN. Nor is either player listed on their current team's roster on either official team website.

Week 1 Buffalo vs. Miami Dolphins L Week 2 Buffalo @ Green Bay Packers L Week 3 Buffalo @ New England Patriots* L Week 4 Buffalo vs. NY Jets W Week 5 Buffalo vs. Jacksonville Jaguars W Week 6 BYE Week 7 Buffalo @ Baltimore Ravens L Week 8 Buffalo @ Kansas City Chiefs W Week 9 Buffalo vs. Chicago Bears L Week 10 Buffalo vs. Detroit Lions W Week 11 Buffalo @ Cincinnati Bengals W Week 12 Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh Steelers L Week 13 Buffalo @ Minnesota Vikings L Week 14 Buffalo vs. Cleveland Browns W Week 15 Buffalo @ Miami Dolphins L Week 16 Buffalo vs. New England Patriots* W Week 17 Buffalo @ NY Jets W 3-5 at midpoint, but signs of progress in second half to finish 8-8.

I thought it was because of his giant melon. Honestly, I think Fitz would be HOF QB if he didn't have to adjust his throwing motion to offset the centripetal force of his head.

One of the things that often gets overlooked about the Super Bowl years is that there was a huge transition in how teams operated due to the establishment of the salary cap and the creation of free agency. When the Bills were starting their run, they did it through player development. People point to our offensive line and how good it was and forget that a number of those players were groomed for 3-5 seasons before starting. Our success in the 90s is largely due to identification and DEVELOPMENT of talent. I feel like a number of consistently good teams of that era that operated similarly, ie 49ers, have been slower to adapt to the current environment. To succeed today you need to recognize talent that can start now in your system, and you need to be able to address FA departures a season or two before they become inevitable. NE* has done that well and has set the benchmark for it (though I think they're slipping). Ralph's biggest issue post Polian/Butler is that he has not brought in people with a coherent vision of what they want to build. He brought in Donahoe, who was widely considered the best GM candidate available at the time, and it blew up in his face. He brought in two up and coming coaches who were on everyone's radar and it failed (though with the salary cap mess, Williams was more of a sacrificial lamb). He tried to stick with Jauron in the interest of maintaining some continuity to build on, and Jauron changed up his whole offensive staff/OL on the eve of the season after trying to institute a no huddle offense that the team wasn't set up to run. I can't speak to the 70s and early 80s, but the 2000s have been the result of personnel decisions that no one could have expected to turn out as poorly as they did. Let's hope Nix and Gailey buck this trend.