Ronin

In today's NFL you simply do not draft a QB in the middle of the 1st round and not start him within the first handful of games if not immediately. Especially with all of the new rules favoring the passing game to make it easier to throw the ball.

Great, if even half true, then he should be a top-5 CB this season. If he isn't, what would that suggest?

Sorry, but if you'd bother to look at McKelvin's PRs and KRs you'd find that he was above average, easily, most of the time in the NFL. He had two off seasons as a KR, and his PRs in the NFL have been limited otherwise. Get your facts straight. If you don't think that a career 16.3 PR avg. in the NFL is above average, well, not sure you know much of anything. Boy, reading comprehension sure isn't a strong suit here. Read again. He's reached it. What I actually said was that if he ever wants to be more than Florence he's going to have to take a step up this season. The amount of assuming going on here that it's a given is astonishing. Bills fans should have learned better by now. Williams was better as a rookie than he was as a soph as merely one local example.

To those points in order: Were you aware that Pettine's Jets have been ranked on or about where the Bills have been ranked in generating sacks/pass pressure on his watch? So what, it's all going to be different because he's on Buffalo now? I don't think it's immaterial at all. I guess you could think that if you don't think that talent is required and that a simple scheme can overcome talent. I thought that as Bills fans we've gotten beyond that sales pitch. I guess not. He didn't start as a rookie for a reason and that reason was hardly all because of Fred Jackson. In his second season it too was lackluster and there was absolutely no reason besides lack of performance and the coaches stating that he tired quickly as to why he didn't play more. As to Gilmore, I didn't say that. Read it again. I said in order to avoid being little more than Florence was he'll have to step up this season. If he regresses, not uncommon in the NFL, or does not improve, he'll essentially be what Florence was. He matched Florence in his rookie season, which is good, but he's hardly top shelf at the moment, he'll have to prove that this season. I'm not making a prediction either way, but I'm also not making an assumption that it's a given based on a wealth of NFL history to back it up. Same for Spiller. What, he'd be the first RB to have praise heaped upon him coming into the league, underachieving, then posting one killer season before leveling out to average or thereabouts? Hardly. I cited McFadden, who was notably better than Spiller rushing in college, and Chris Johnson at a somewhat higher level. In fact, McFadden's third season was about as close to a carbon copy of Spiller's last season as it gets. Also, Spiller only scored 3 rushing TDs in the last 14 games last season.

Agreed, but most teams have far better than McKelvin, Brooks, Rogers, or Williams as their 2nd CBs too. I think we can agree that the team really only has Gilmore as a solid NFL starting caliber CB. So in essence one CB spot will be weak again this season. Same with Safety. Byrd, if he signs, is above average based on two of three seasons. But Searcy is still largely mystery meat at the position. The glue that holds the D together, linebackers, is incredibly weak. That's a problem that no one seems to want to discuss, even the coaches. IMO it's going to kill them and the D this year. Bottom quartile for sure. You need more than three players to pressure the QB. Mario, Williams, and Dareus can't do it all. I don't think that there's one other player currently on the team that logged a sack last season.

Here are my thoughts on those things; Gilmore's future depends upon this season. Right now he proved that he can start in the NFL, but he still has lots of work to go in order to avoid being someone of say Drayton Florence's caliber, somewhat adequate but little more. It's hardly a given that he's going to take that step, but there's good hope. As to applying pressure, it can hardly get worse w/ this unit. They massively underachieved last year. On paper this DL rivals the best ever for the Bills. So that should happen. Here's the problem tho, the linebackers are arguably the weakest unit that the Bills have ever had. I mean seriously, who's playing MLB/ILB this year? There's not one that's proven outside or in. That will contribute to hindering the pass rush, but more importantly it will render the pass rush useless if teams pick up our blitzes and pass rush and employ a short passing game or effective UTM running game and if they get to the second level, who's going to be stopping them? Sure, it's all fun to think that five LBs are all going to step up to all-pro level this season, but that's not going to happen. A better expectation should be if two players can prove that they can even start at the NFL level in the LB unit. The jury's not out on McKelvin, he's been in the league for what, five, six seasons already. He blows as a CB. I'm surprised he's still even on the team. They should have released him and kept Florence. As to Wanny's D being a joke, indeed it was, but consider this, perhaps Mario's highly overrated. I pointed out his numbers in Houston and how they were massively overrated when we signed him. Anderson is overrated too, big time. So maybe that's the reason why the pass pressure wasn't there. Now Mario's got this distraction of perjury and his ex distracting him. Even so, the notion that the pass rush will determine how well the D plays is only half true. The other half of the equation is whether or not opposing DCs figure it out, which most should, and then go to short passes and runs. So now you have receivers and RBs past the DL, who's going to stop them from averaging 6 ypp? There isn't anyone.

That's going to be more difficult than some may think given the lack of a solid linebacking unit. Team's won't have to throw on us if we design the D completely around blitzing, which seems to be what Marrone/Pettine are indicating. If teams can hit the dumpoff/short passes OTM and run the ball, if they get past our top-shelf (price wise anyway) DL then they shouldn't have any trouble shredding whomever the starting LBs are and half a secondary for the most part. Having been a Bills fan for over 30 years I cannot recall a weaker LBing unit. Not by a long shot.

LOL Who knows, all we're being told is how to expect all kinds of amazing things. What they don't tell you is that those things work(ed) in college but probably don't have nearly the same chances for success in the NFL. My first question for anyone that thinks that the D is going to be good is who's playing LB this year? All I see is a roster full of depth caliber LBs. I don't see a single bona fide starting LB on the roster presently. Arguably Bradham is the best, but he hasn't come close to proving that he can start. For a real laugh look at which LBs on the team have starting MLB experience, at any level. I think that 6 wins is generous. If this team can simply sort out its offense, hope that Spiller can play at a high level when getting 20+ touches/game, find a solid #2 WR and get good line play sans Levitre, and finish the season w/ an offense ranked above average, they should consider it a good season despite the notion that the D figures to get run over this year. Many, including me, still have my doubts about Spiller being able to play that much at a high level. He sucked for two seasons, started off last year w/ two enormous games that skewed his stats the entire year, games against horrid teams, and the coaching staff said that he tired quickly. Despite the fact that the coaching staff last year sucked, they must have gotten that notion from somewhere. Either way, the difference between Spiller's '10 and '11 seasons and last year's are pronounced. He could easily be another McFadden or Chris Johnson type that puts up one big season before falling back to earth. His level of play last season is not sustainable over the long haul however, and if it were to be, then he'd be among the top few RBs of all time. The problem w/ that theory is that he sucked in his first two seasons. If he really were that good he wouldn't have been so bad and bordering on bust for two years. Thanks! Either way, massively inflated was the point. McKelvin blows as a CB. Still think you're way high on McKelvin. I'd rank him below all starting CBs making him no higher than 65th on a good day. Figure what, each team carries 5/6 CBs, making it at least 160 in the league; I'd rank McKelvin, again, as a CB, not as a returner, no better than 100th, again, on a good day. I have no idea why anyone thinks he's any better than a nickel CB on a good day, 3rd on the DC otherwise. He's had ample opps to prove himself and has failed miserably. Also, not sure how you base Brooks as being better than Rogers, he's hardly played. IMO Rogers is the better CB, at least based on last year's performances. As with all things Bills tho, it's debatable.

Another article by homer Galiford. Gilmore's far from top notch right now. He's got lots of work to do before he gets there. Bills fans should just be hoping that he develops better than Williams has. McKelvin, average to above average? I know Galiford has, but he writes like he's never seen McKelvin play CB. McKelvin's an above average returner, some seasons, but as a CB he sucks. He's low end, purely a depth caliber CB.

You're not wrong. Can you ID a worse linebacking corp in the game today? As of now we're starting whom, Bradham, who was underwhelming last season after some hype, all but complete mystery meat in Alonso, if he even starts, and then which one plays MLB/ILBs? Otherwise, all that's on the roster is all backup caliber, including Bradham and Alonso until proven otherwise, players like Chris white, Moats, Lawson, Scott. Seriously, who on the roster is capable of playing MLB/ILB right now, and halfway decently? The entire roster is full of OLBs. All I see is who CBS Sports has in the depth chart, namely Brian Smith and Marcus Dowtin. I don't know the first thing about either player and had to dig just to find out that Dowtin was on two teams last year as an undrafted rookie, and Smith was on the mighty Browns last year and couldn't find his way onto their depth chart as an undrafted rookie. Those are currently our two starting MLBs. We cut Barnett why now? ... another one of the dumbest decisions in this team's history. Teams are going to be gaining an awful lot of yards this year once they get their players past our front four. That's the worst LB unit in the NFL right now. At WR right now we have quantity, but beyond Johnson, who's no Andre Johnson, again, until they actually step up all that's there are bodies. The poor record on drafted WRs for the team is long; Hardy, Graham, Easley, Parrish, Aiken, Josh Reed. Of 9 WRs drafted in the first four rounds over the last ten years the only one that ever turned into a solid starter was Lee Evans. Johnson was a 7th rounder. In the secondary Gilmore has to take that step this year from somewhere in the average range, next to him there isn't anyone, Williams isn't good. Searcy hasn't proven anything as presumably a starting S this year. Byrd has the team by the stones. If they don't sign him to what he wants then this secondary is well below average too. Even with him it's what, average on a good day assuming that Gilmore steps up some. There are a lot of holes, and just like every other seasons fans are all talking about how 80% of their draft picks are going to make an impact. The truth is a lot closer to if the team can get just three of their draftees to make an impact this or next season they'll be way ahead of their modern organization standards. Meanwhile look at Miami, I really think that they can take the division this year. That's four games (Pats too) that the Bills simply won't win. If they go .500 in the rest that's 6-10. Remember, you're talking about an owner that fired Polian who was directly responsible for well over 90% of the team's playoff success either directly or indirectly as the team he built spilled over into the Butler era as playoff appearances slowly trickled away as his team dissolved. Prior to Polian, 16 years of NFL play the Bills had only 3 playoff appearances and went 1-3 in those postseasons. As we all know, the team hasn't sniffed the playoffs since the Butler era and hasn't won since three seasons after Polian was fired. Bottom line, Wilson hasn't a clue.

Aaaand, once again, when that punter makes some of the biggest offensive plays of the season ... ... I think he's earned a right to say whatever TF he wants, don't you? How many punters can run like that? I say one, maybe two if you can find another. BTW, the offense put up 0 points (apart from 3 by Lindell which is technically special teams) in that 24 point loss. As well, how many punters do you know that can take a hit like this, get up, and walk away from it normally?; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPiZjUf9TcQ Anyone that thinks that Moorman was anything close to an average punter, asides from his punting average etc., hasn't watched enough of him. Either way, on this defunct team bereft of any brains, I dare say that he's more than earned a right to say anything that he wants. And what, you'd rather listen to a whole bunch of other players that didn't do what they got paid to do? ... or past coaches and GMs that can be looked at as morons now? Moorman can say whatever he wants to, he's earned it in Buffalo. Exactly, and it's high time that more players did. If after this season the team sucks again I for one would sure like to hear that some of the players are tired of the same old same old instead of more newspaper garbage about how they trust the coach and know that he has a plan, barf gag. I have no idea how Marrone & Co. are going to do, but we all know, or should, that they have a major uphill battle to succeed in the NFL. Collegiate coaches w/ .500 records in minor conferences don't merely waltz into the NFL and start placing championship teams after a few seasons. Far more notable NCAA coaches w/ infinitely more stellar records and NCAA accolades don't do that regularly either. Saban failed miserably as merely one example. But, if Marrone & Co. do fail, I'm just wondering how many years of broken record recordings of "we've gotta trust the experts who know more than we all do" prior to announcing what may end up being the obvious after one season. Again, sure, like everyone I hope he turns this train wreck around, but as well and again, the odds are against it happening on so many levels. The biggest thing that this org has going for it in that way is that no one has any data points to be able to predict Marrone's NFL success on. The biggest thing he's ever done, practically and really, is coach an offensive line. LOL That's the kind of thinking from within that has made this organization what it has become. Unfortunately for such sentiment, Moorman, as a punter, did more for this team offensively via field position than just about any other player on the team over the same duration. In fact, one season we had such a ridiculous advantage, statistically speaking even, over every other NFL team in field position that he helped create.

Where the hell were you during those years that he was on the team? It could easily have been argued that he was the team MVP for at least a couple of seasons. As well, some of the most exciting offensive plays where he'd run the ball were punt fakes. What, you became a fan last week or something. Seriously, anyone that would criticize Moorman hasn't seen him play. Anyone that hasn't seen him play hasn't seen the team play. I disagree. Either way, a much bigger part of the problem culture is fans that are satisfied with 8-8 and that keep giving such a crappy organization their money for much less even on a perennial basis. You want to see things change, let's quit selling out home openers and leave the stadium half empty thereby sending a message. Honestly, what kind of a person enjoys going to games knowing that the team won't put out a competitive product, or in cases like this season where it's a coin flip at best, ... at best, and knowing that their team is a long shot to even make .500? Losers are as losers do. I personally don't support losing, idiocy, grasping at straws, or fancy marketing over solid management. I know I know, this time's going to be different, the umpteenth time is the charm. Never mind that absolutely no one on the offensive coaching staff has held a meaningful role in the NFL ever and only the coordinator on D has.

As well, the reason why it's sold out is because Pats fans bought most of the tix. It will be half a home game for them. They can't get tix in Foxboro so the 6 hour drive to B-lo is worth it for them especially since the tix are so inexpensive.

And then people like you scratch their little noodles and wonder why other people that make forums like this one better never come. LOL

Again, not trying to provoke you, but there's absolutely no basis for that hope. None whatsoever other than simply hope for hope's sake. This team is so far away from 8-8 that if they're lucky, literally, lucky, they may be 8-8 in 2015. It's the fan/heart part of you that thinks that. The head/brain/reason side supporting such a notion simply doesn't exist and any assessment that says it does is being absurdly skewed by the emotional side. Allow me to ask however, do you enjoy watching the games in recent seasons? I mean really, do you enjoy sitting down on Sundays and watching the Bills play, or try to play perhaps is more aptly worded? If so, then you are in an extreme minority, even among others that post here regularly. Unless getting angry and frustrated ranks as a good time for you or them, clearly no one actually enjoys the way that the Bills play except for maybe a game or two, usually against a bottom-tier opponent like KC last season. Heck, even when they win some of their few games, it's quite often because some even more hapless team like KC, the Jags, or Jets simply plays even worse presenting the battle of the invalids. I'm only asking because I'm sure I'll get slammed by most people for these posts, but those same people will be b***hing up a storm come October, complaining about all the time and money they've wasted, while those aligning with my thinking sit there and scratch their heads at why these same people keep pouring lemon juice into their wounds in self-inflicting fashion. It's comical to watch from the outside, but apparently those doing it cannot see it. Because I don't enjoy watching the team "play." I really don't. If I try and watch them it causes more distress knowing how the Bills once played but then watching the futility both in coaching as well as play, not to mention inferior players continually getting abused by better players on winning teams. I'm not a big Ravens fan, but living within a few hours of their core and in their region, it's a pleasure simply watching them play football. I don't get excited about them as I do the Bills, but you know what, it's far more entertaining watching their on-field product. Far more. So I rarely watch entire games anymore. I'd rather just watch good football and hope that a new owner replaces Wilson sooner rather than later and that the team's "brain" finally becomes something other than cement poured in between the organization's ears. Fan or not, it's like watching one of your kids do something tremendously stupid that you know that they know isn't a great idea, but because they insist they do it anyway. That doesn't mean that you have to watch them do it much less want to. It merely adds insult to injury. Anyway, I'm asking because I would watch the games even if they were 4-12 every season, IF they actually played competent football, but they don't. For a decade it's like watching a JV version of an NFL team try to compete with varsity teams. I'm half expecting our coaches to be allowed to walk onto the field to correct players as if it's some kind of 5th-Quarter or something. And again, even when they win, it's often, arguably more often than not, still while not playing competently, merely less incompetently than the opponent. At the same time, I've always found it difficult to get excited over a winning season, like 2004, that was built on a house-of-cards schedule featuring the walking wounded and even worse teams than us repeatedly. As if losing to the Steeler 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th teamers wasn't the tell tale indicator as such. Yet, the following season all everyone was talking about was that 6-1 finish against crap teams without pointing that out and it led to false hopes, ... again. Unfortunately there is no one in a position of influence, much less impact decision making, at OBD that has a vision like Polian ever had. That's the core problem. Either way, there's going to be a lot less room for error and playing teams that are less competent than the Bills are this season with its more difficult schedule and the Fins having improved notably.

LOL Not commenting on my emotional position one way or another, but seriously? There are a number of these threads every single offseason and even for the first six weeks of the season until the realities kick in and paint a picture that should be obvious now, ... but apparently isn't. No, we really don't have to wait. You could put Vince Lombardi reincarnate as coach of this team and it's still a world away from being competitive. Teams with the talent comparable to what's in Buffalo simply don't compete, and teams looking like this in March simply don't get better between April 1st and the season opener to the extent necessary whereby they can compete. Seeing it any other way at this point, while perhaps being painted as uncertain, and not to be provocative, is naive if not ignorant of the NFL. The only question is what can you actually do about it? There is some power within you, but you're not exercising it if you take the position of "wait and see" and support the team with your wallet doing the same-old-same-old tango every season only finding that when the music stops your eyes were closed and your dance partner was imaginary. Yes, many fans, that I know anyway, love the Bills so much that they've bailed on them, much like a family gives up on a recalcitrant alcoholic that absolutely refuses to do what's in their own best interest to any extent that any further relationship becomes nothing but enabling the wayward person. So too, this organization is wayward. There is absolutely nothing to suggest that it is even capable of producing success as defined in the NFL. It's only, literally, only single era of success occurred nearly two decades ago now, and the person single-handedly responsible for it wasn't even installed into power by design, it was a hasty decision forced by very unfortunate circumstances, or else even that relatively brief era in over 40 years of NFL membership wouldn't even have existed. Then, by that same organization's wisdom, they saw fit to pull the plug on that era, as I guess that half a decade of success was simply too much for an owner that had no idea how to achieve it otherwise, that they couldn't stand it any longer. So here we are, just as we were prior to the Polian era. The Bills have had no sustained success, none whatsoever, and to the tune of really just three playoff seasons with a 1-3 record in them if we consider that the '90s team always had remnants of the team that Polian built still on it as its effectiveness faded with its last playoff appearance having been in the '99 season and its last playoff win having come in the wildcard round of the '95 playoffs. There is no reason, none, nada, zilch, to think that it will change unless the proverbial lightning indeed strikes twice in the same spot. That's highly unlikely however. Highly unlikely. FF to today. You have another situation for which success would be all but a miracle if things pull together under yet another coach, this time from the collegiate ranks so that the "naysayers," really those rooted in reality, have little concrete ammo to preordain what already appears to be the next blatant failure, with the only ammo on the supporters of the new regime being the same lack of ammo and essentially what you've stated, namely ... What else can you do? You have no choice. The only choice(s) that you have is how many of your resources (time, money, emotions) you're going to expend this fall. Sitting in front of a PC interacting w/ other fans/friends discussing this doesn't cost you/us much, and we'd be doing it on some other topic anyway, so may as well be something in common. But that and two bucks will get you a plain coffee at a decent coffee shop. I can't speak for you or anyone else that posts here regularly, but I know as a fact I'm speaking for a growing number of people, hardcore Bills fans, some of which sat through all of the home playoff games of the '90s with me and others, or camped out overnight in sub-freezing temps just to get four (limit) tix to those games, we won't be spending anymore of our money, time, or other resources during the season until the team has competent ownership and a competent front office. The window dressing (coaching staff) keeps changing like diapers on an infant, fresh and clean when they go on, stenching to the nines when they come off, the wipes and turd polish applied, and a fresh pair put on, but the core problem seems to go all but unnoticed and certainly unchallenged for the most part. The team would have been better off keeping Gailey & Co. and having clean swept the front office. Gailey would have been replaced soon after that. Anyway, when you say , we may not know what they have in mind, but we certainly know what the end result is going to be. The coaching staff does not have anywhere near the experience and the roster has nowhere near the talent to even approach being competitive in the NFL nor will that condition exist for at least several seasons if things go perfectly, which they won't with this front office. It's going to be the same diaper load that we've gotten since Polian's departure and the last vestiges of his team were rinsed from the system, both front office as well as talent. That day was the day that Tom Donahoe was hired, and he installed a front office that has been the gift that keeps on giving. You can fully expect the Draft this year to be on average no different than past ones with poor due diligence having been conducted, players reached for, etc. You can expect the new coaching staff to be handcuffed by the same lack of talent. You can expect the release of a couple of players next season that you now consider pivotal to rebuilding. You can expect whichever QB that they select to be the wrong one. You can expect more stupid free-agent signings overpaying for talent, particularly after this year when they end up with an even worse record than last season. There is no reason, none whatsoever, to think that this team will even hit the 6 wins it had last season, especially when it's clear the the schedule is much more difficult and now that Miami has improved significantly too. The team will be lucky to win one game against either the Fins or Pats and the Jets despite their issues are no gimme for them either. It's one thing to post here for free and not benefitting the marketing dept. of the team. It's another for a business, an NFL team called the Bills, to take money from the taxpayers of Erie Cty. and NYS for a failed business venture and flawed product. It's also another for fans to insist to others that they need to spend their money on such a faulty product that's already forced money from their wallets via corruption in the government(s). If you, or anyone, wants change, then don't pay a dime for anything. The team will get the message, and the executive staff will be fired just as they usually are for most corporations, and with any luck, the new ones will have a clue. Fans keep throwing darts at the dartboard to try to tag the blame, but they keep missing the target, which is the core of the team, the management/front-office. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to change until everything even remotely tied to Donahoe or former Pittsburgh is rinsed from this organization completely. Yet, everyone keeps supporting it, like Whaley. Fans get what they support, and those paying the most, for whatever it is that they buy, tix, merchandise, whatever, do the most harm to the cause of getting solid play in Buffalo again. When, and only when, the stadium sits mostly empty, will the organization change enough to get the right people in place that know what they're doing to be able to create a winning business, but not until that time. It doesn't matter who the coach is in the meantime under the team's current cheapskate and idiotic policies. Don't blame the messenger, that's just the state of the Bills. This year-in-year-out exercise whereby anyone not buying into the current "experts'" ways are lambasted has long since worn out its welcome. Meanwhile, all of those people that we've been told are experts and know what they're doing unlike those of us complaining the loudest, are either now out of jobs in the NFL or have been subordinated to lesser roles exactly because the very last thing that they were was experts in their roles here. Unfortunately, the odds of not seeing the same or similar discussion here about a new coach on March 23rd, 2016 are all but nil. The only thing that's important right now is who the new owner(s) will be, and what their long-term plans are, and if they involve Buffalo, who they put into the front office and hopefully after having swept out every last person in there on the player/personnel side presently. So yes, we are all fans, but some of us are just tired of being insulted and patronized as if we're nothing more than here to keep those in the front office employed.

While true, the number of QBs in the Draft with similar credentials that end up never doing **** are voluminous. Finding a franchise QB is tremendously difficult. How many teams have one? What, 12? Definitely fewer than half the teams. Also, how one defines a franchise QB is somewhat relative. NE, Denver, Houston?, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Giants, Dallas?, GB, NO, Detroit?, Atlanta, and as of this past season, Washington, Indy, Seattle, and SF. Of those, several will be falling off ranging from anytime to over the next few seasons. When you contrast that with the number entering the Draft every season, the odds of success are slim to none. On average, based on the above, about one/year enters the system. Some years it's more like the '83, '04, and '12 Drafts, but most produce none. This seems to be one of those years that may not produce one. Yeah, so much so that he couldn't find his way to voluntarily replacing iron feet Bledsoe with Brady, he had to have his hand forced. Then with an extremely moderate season from Brady simply lacking in stupid mistakes, he took a flyer and won out.

LOL ... I'm tellin' ya. Meanwhile, Levitre's done more than Mario, and yet everyone was haling Nix's Mario signing last year. It's incomprehensible. Again, the fans, particularly the ones that spend much of their lives in forums, deserve this team.

Levitre and/or his agent put that news out several days prior to his having signed elsewhere. Otherwise, who cares what you think a top-notch OG is worth, it's market value. So your, or anyone else's opinion in the matter, is irrelevant. What, if you don't think that a 2013 Chevy Silverado is worth say $38K, what, you buy a cheaper half-size truck and convince yourself that you can do the same with it? Who says it means that? That's pure speculation. What isn't speculation is that Nix took a team better than it is now and has rendered it to be horrid. That's a fact. Defend him as you may/wish, but there are no excuses.

Wait, we owe Nix the benefit of the doubt. He knows a lot more than we do. ... oh, sorry, I'm in a time warp going backwards a year plus. My bad. On deck: Whaley, the next expert who's done all the right things during his stay in Buffalo while it'll have been Nix that did all the wrong ones. We'll owe him the benefit of the doubt too. The fans deserve this team for supporting the complete buffoons in the front office all these years. Spray the place already and get rid of the lot.

Come on now, first of all you're obviously not a "real fan." Go have some koolaid and come back. ; ) As well, you should know better than to introduce facts here that don't support the sunshine up the wazzoo theories.

Especially since ST doesn't exempt you from blackout rules if you live in the region. Agree tho, for $20 it's free wings and a beer or two out each week. Plus, you can watch the other games along side and during commercials and for reviews.

Most people here aren't going to agree with this or even think that it's true, but the problem with this organization is that the entire front office still reeks from Tom Donahoe's influence. The primary guys that he installed are still there and are obviously buffoons. The fact that they get paid to do what some of us could easily do better on a part-time charity basis is irrelevant. They're all still here and even the new FO pretty boy, Doug Whaley, is one of them. So why people seem to think that he's some rising superstar when he's been an integral part of the problem simply boggles the mind. He too hales from Donahoe's Pittsburgh Friends & Family hiring jobs program. This organization is as much good-ole-boy network as any organization in the league if not the worst. Until that changes then anyone expecting anything different does so at their own risk. And for some it's no risk, they have no lives despite lectures of success etc. For the rest of us, we have other things to do and family to spend time with or other pursuits to undertake so that we don't feel obligated to be "good fans" which many simply construe as financiers of this lame organization. X dollars for tickets, $25 for parking, $20-30 for nominal refreshments of high school cafeteria quality, etc., all while watching a poor product in its industry. Being a fan does not mean that one must put up with mediocrity, which we usually don't even get as over the last decade have more gotten pure crap. Being a fan means expecting more and holding accountable those that are supposed to provide it and when they can't, supporting finding people that can. This is an entertainment business lest we forget. Who's entertained by what this team provides? Not me. Clearly not you or the thread starter. So let those that either have nothing else to do with their time and money, and those so proudly "successful" that they can justify wasting their time and apparently overly abundant resources on something akin to the consumer equivalent of Chinese made crap that doesn't work from the moment you take it out of the box that it came in. When this team figures out how to succeed, and does it, then true fans such as yourself and the thread starter, myself, and the many many others that see reality for what it is will come back and support the team. Right now it is not worthy of our support whether some choose to support it or not. This ain't a jobs program for friends of the organization, it's a business, and one that outside the truest parameters of a real free-market business takes money from taxpayers, many of whom are against having their money taken for it, operates as such which should render it even more, not less, accountable. My Bills fan friends and I attended every '90s Bills home playoff game and many of us slept out overnight to get tix at Marine Midland Bank in Rochester, a number of times, to get tix to those games. We also sat in the stadium when the upper decks were all but empty and you could pretty much have your pick of seats in the end zones back in the early and mid '80s upon attending almost any game. So for anyone to suggest that we're not fans merely shows the hubris of other fans. Bottom line, the team's front office sucks moose balls. The marketing and ticketing depts. all but deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for being able to sell the proverbial ice to an eskimo, but after that, the rest of the front office can take their 2 IQ points and rub 'em together to try to start a fire. No one's asking for a perennial Super Bowl winner here, no one. But it would be refreshing to see a team that creates itself with some kind of obvious plan that's evident, and one whereby the coaches do not routinely get embarrassed and outcoached by the most mediocre of coaches in the league not to mention themselves at times. It would be nice to see some competent football for 4 full quarters on a routine basis, win or lose. Who wants to go see coaches that make idiotic decisions, have their teams perpetually unprepared and unable to adjust at halftime, see worse teams beat them, and essentially show up for two or three critical games a season while showing up with their pants down around their ankles for the other dozen-plus! Well, some of those that apparently enjoy that are the more successful among us in life if they are to be believed. LOL The rest, well, probably much like most of the others in this thread that know better, that Marrone, despite being the 100% mystery meat product that he is in the NFL, is going to be a beast just because a bunch of media men told them so. LOL The odds are that on March 7th, 2016, the same people are going to be opining the same things with the next head coach and/or GM in place. For now it's still a free country. I'm with the thread starter though and have been for several years, at least, in not wanting to waste any of my life or resources on something being offered me as a product whereupon I find myself being insulted that anyone would think that I would accept such a shoddy product at full price. At the same time, there's nothing to suggest that those that are "more successful" in life, that spend their money on such a shoddy product are wrong either. If that's what they enjoy spending money on, to me it says more about their standards, and standards as fans, than anything else. But hey, some of us have standards for what we accept, and some don't.

LOL

I'd guess that it's far less likely than you're imagining. Either way, I'd find it difficult to believe that it's changed to the extent that he now favors a QB that did notably less against notably softer competition.