tennesseeboy

Try throwing out some bathwater while your dumping the babies.

Well...we'll find out how smart Nix is in the next few days if this over the hill nobody of no trade value gets picked up. We'll REALLY know how smart Nix is Schobel gets playing time or (GOD FORBID) actually starts for some team.

Given Nix's putting himself in a position where he has told the other teams in the league that he doesn't want schobel here and he doesn't think Schobel is a valuable trade opportunity, most teams would just wait for the inevitable cut and go after him. Nix has pissed away a trade opportunity.

his biggest mistake was going 3-4 at all. He is doing it on the cheap playing poor defensive ends and hoping they will be better linebackers ? He has effective neutralized at least two of the few effective front seven players (Schobel and Mitchell). He has used valuable resources necessary to restart a moribund offense. Those are his mistakes.

hmmm..jackson, lynch, Bell and Simpson and Spiller on the way. Didn't the FO see this coming?

Great report...thanks.

The inventor f the cheese doodle. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/business...mp;ref=business

Judging from the draft and failure to address glaring holes - "Wait til next year"

he didn't say we didn't have a team here..he just questioned whether they actually played football. The answer to that question is to go out and get nine or more freaking wins THIS year. Or we could say we're rebuilding and will start playing football in 2012.

yeah...money has nothing to do with it. He is reading the Wall and making his decisions on what we say about him. If he leaves it will probably be because he isn't getting playing time, the weak blocking he is getting and the cheapness of the organization...but that's just my opinion. Come to think of it....HE ISN'T EVEN HERE YET!

Doc, I agree that VERY much hinges on how our tackles perform. If Green plays right tackle and is a good run blocker, we could be very dangerous in the run game. If we are very dangerous in the run game we could have a very good time of possession situation (see the Giants game plan against the Bills in the first superbowl). It would go a long way toward making us competitive. I am skeptical of our tackles, but I would be delighted to be wrong.

I agree that the qb crop this year was quite weak. I'd have done that in free agency or trade (Donovan McNabb or Jake DelHomme) and gone for the tackles, Baluga or Davis. Mark my word, when the season starts they will both be starting. When the season starts Spiller will be at best aspot player. When you get a high number one pick you either pay the highest contract (OJ) (Bruce) or you lose the pick (Cousineau) The talent that drains away in free agency year after year and the lack of effort to sign or resolve disputes is where Ralph is cheap.

The stadium might have been viable if the UB Amherst campus had also been built there. The land around the stadium would have been occupied by a very large university, with saturday college games and sunday pro games. The biggest mistake was made back in the late 60's with the decision to go to the Amherst site for the campus. It effectively doomed the City of Buffalo downtown. Maybe the worst mistake Buffalo ever made...well, after trading LaMonica.

well...ralph actually is cheap. However, I don't think that had to do with not picking a qb. I think they rightly or wrongly wanted the best player available, were presented with the best player available who might actually be the best running back in the draft and decided the hell with other needs we'll go for him. I can live with that but would have expected them to go heavy on OT's and Defensive linemen (because of their totally restructuring the defense). after that, or to have addressed the OT/QB needs in free agency or trade. Spiller was a gutsy against the grain decision and one that discounts the gaping holes at tackle, and would be fine if we had addressed the tackle issue some other way or with the remaining draft choices.

Let me be clear on where the bills are in my opinion, lest people think I'm too negative. Assuming Green and someone else can be marginal at the OT positions there is no reason we should not win more games than last year. Last year was a snakebit year with coaching changes on a weekly basis, a spate of injuries, and poor coaching. There is no reason this team right now couldn't win 7 or 8 or even 9 games with good coaching.

on defense we have a whole new and untested defensive line structure and a bizarre situation with defensive ends converting to linebacker. We have lost Aaron Schobel, our best defensive lineman. On Offensive line we have no viable starting tackles. I'm sorry but Green was a relief for Oakland (OAKLAND!) to be rid of and is probably no better here. Incognito who was a capable starting gaurd was gone (and whine about him til sunset...he'll probably start for the Dolphins). Wood has yet to show a complete recovery in games. We're still stuck in the mud at quarterback, tight end and are marginally better at running back, although I don't think we really needed to get marginally better at running back. The "marginally better" assumes Spiller is going to sign in time to do anything this year. There were plenty of real opportunities to get better, or at least not get worse. We didn't do it. I for one am not happy with giving Buddy and Chan a "bye" for a number of years in the drive to get better.

You don't go about rebuilding by getting worse. We are worse than we were at the close of last season. worse in receivers, worse on the O-line in starters and depth and worse on defense. I don't see that as a good start.

what he said.

he'll retire if he has to stay with the bills. He would and his agent would almost certainly be interested in playing in a 4-3 situation especially if it is a winning team. He isn't coming off a major injury and still has quite a bit in the tank. If we were in a 4-3 he'd be our starter. He's worth a draft choice for sure.

new coach and gm inaction in free agency, trade and draft to fill gaping holes at the offensive tackle positions and qb No other reason. The team they inherited was better than the record last year. It was lucky to have the record it did with horrendous injuries, bizarre coaching changes, and poor qb play. There is no other reason we can't field a playoff team this year.

Context? He has been playing quite successfully as a defensive end in a 4-3 for a number of years, isn't coming off a significant injury, doesn't want to play a 3-4 and might not want to play for Buffalo. He should be fairly attractive in a trade with any number of teams, including the patsies, houston and tennessee. According to the article the present FO has started negotiating by stating that he would be difficult to trade. Usually if you're selling something you kind of play up its value. I guess this is a new strategy.

he'll be a head coach one of these days.

Bills-WTF?

I love the statement by the Bills organization that "it will be difficult to trade him". That's a good way to start a negotiation. You probably don't want this guy but we really don't want him at all and how about you take him for a draft choice. "Okay Buffalo, we'll take him and you give us a third." Oh...ok. The guy is a viable starting defensive end in a 4-3. If we were in a 4-3 he'd be a lock at the position. HOW COULD HE BE DIFFICULT TO TRADE?

those things are not minor. Red flag time on this one.