tennesseeboy

Maybe I'm missing something. I would think the trick to building a playoff team is to start by addressing your areas of greatest need. I don't see any three year "window" where everyone stays put and you have the luxury of drafting and sitting on your hands for a year or two. I think you have to say "what will it take to make the playoffs in the third year?" The first part is to keep the coaching staff and develop a winning attitude. You do that by winning in the first two years. Not five wins...not seven wins...but nine wins...You give the playoffs a run in year two and you make it in year three. You start in the trenches. Is your front seven on d going to make a difference? I guess the 3-4 move is Nix/Gailey's move in that direction. Puzzling but I give them some credit for at least moving in the direction of addressing the defensive weaknesses. (I find it strange in light of the fact that at least part of our defensive problems last year were a lot of injuries and perhaps not the 4-3 defense.) On offense its the offensive line. There were opportunities that have not been taken advantage of. trading up or down was a possibility. Free agency was a possibility. Trading was a possibility. Didn't get done. Unless two of the existing round of suspects step up to the plate the offense will be flat again.

Maybe I'm missing something. I would think the trick to building a playoff team is to start by addressing your areas of greatest need. I don't see any three year "window" where everyone stays put and you have the luxury of drafting and sitting on your hands for a year. I think you have to say "what will it take to make the playoffs in the third year?" The first part is to keep the coaching staff and develop a winning attitude. You do that by winning in the first two years. Not five wins...not seven wins...but nine wins...You give the playoffs a run in year two and you make it in year three. You start in the trenches. Is your front seven on d going to make a difference? I guess the 3-4 move is Nix/Gailey's move in that direction. Puzzling but I give them some credit for at least moving in the direction of addressing the defensive weaknesses. (I find it strange in light of the fact that at least part of our defensive problems last year were a lot of injuries and perhaps not the 4-3 defense.) On offense its the offensive line. There were opportunities that have not been taken advantage of. trading up or down was a possibility. Free agency was a possibility. Trading was a possibility. Didn't get done. Unless two of the existing round of suspects step up to the plate the offense will be flat again.

I wasn't all that impressed with him at Tennessee. I guess he might be okay but I would have a hard time seeing him as any particular cut above what we presently have.

Simply put, he played well in the games he was called upon to play last year. We can use players like that, and need depth in the o-line. I don't much care what 31 or 32 GM's say...he's better than any other back ups we have, and if Wood isn't recovered he could start. This character crap is the kind of thinking that drafts Mike Williams over Bryant McKinney.

The kind of player we should want is one who can play football in a position of need. Offensive line is a position of need and Icognito played well last year. With Wood questionable and the number of injuries in football failing to keep him was a colossal blunder. If you want character play Mother Teresa at left tackle and see what happens.

Eben Britten (starting right tackle for Jacksonville) 2010 Baluga or Anthony Davis were available and either would have helped us more than Spiller is going to. Not to mention various experienced tackles who were available in free agency or possible trades, the possibility of trading up to get a quality left tackle. There is a problem. It hasn't been fixed.

2009 Michael Oher (starting LEFT tackle for Ravens)

where in north carolina are you starting from? I'm not sure why you want to avoid 90 as it seems the best way to to (I come to buffalo from the NC Tennessee From gomapper website these directions work. 4. I-26 W/US-23 N 6. Take exit 8B to merge onto I-81 N toward Bristol Entering Virginia 91.9 mi 7. Take exit 72 to merge onto I-77 N toward Bluefield Partial toll road Entering West Virginia 74.0 mi 8. Take exit 48 for US-19 toward N Beckley/Summersville Toll road 0.4 mi 9. Continue straight 1.7 mi 10. Continue straight onto US-19 N 66.6 mi 11. Merge onto I-79 N/US-19 N via the ramp to Clarksburg Continue to follow I-79 N Entering Pennsylvania 136 mi 12. Take the exit onto I-70 W/I-79 N toward Washington Pa Continue to follow I-79 N 143 mi 13. Take exit 178A to merge onto I-90 E toward Buffalo Partial toll road Entering New York 84.1 mi 14. Take exit 57 for NY-75 toward Hamburg/E Aurora Toll road 0.8 mi 15. Keep right at the fork to continue toward NY-75 N/Camp Rd and merge onto NY-75 N/Camp Rd Continue to follow NY-75 N Partial toll road 3.0 mi 16. Continue onto NY-5 E/Lake Shore Rd Continue to follow NY-5 E If coming from Buffalo take the Leroy exit Route 19 which goes straight up into Brockport. I lived there for many years and worked at SUNY Brockport.

got rid of mine the day I left the police dept.

There are a number of #12's. If you are going to make such allegations you might want to provide names to protect the innocent.

Gailey wants to win with the team he has. I suspect if Mitchell performs better in the 3-4 than other linebackers, you'll see him start. Its not like we have sure fire pro-bowlers ahead of him and in at least two or three cases we have people who have never played linebacker. If Mitchell recovers from his injury and plays with the spirit he has shown, he'll get his chance over time.

I think all things being equal he would retire or push for a trade. He is probably not big on playing a linebacker position. However you have a good point as to the money and it might be fine for him to skip camp/whine and ask to be traded/and then do what he has to to punch a clock and collect the money. He doesn't have to impress anyone, doesn't have to start, just go through the motions and pick up the check.

come to think of it there should be SOMETHING about the Beatles. Hard to believe they would miss that. I guess Vietnam is going to come up soon as well.

I agree and don't understand the five win predictions and the feeling that five wins will be a satisfactory season. I think seven is standing still and I would hold the coach's feet to the fire expecting nine wins. You don't get anyway being satisfied with five wins and hoping that the front office gets its assingear sometime next season.

1. If it were true we have a need for a right tackle. 2. He has played left tackle at the highest level in college and played it for a number for games pretty well last year. I don't think I'd characterize him as a "right tackle" at this point. 3. Maybin is defensive end playing linebacker (pretty crappy nfl defensive end at that.)

very good series. One of the few I make room in my day for. I like the themes that you see developing like the growth and importance of television, and the guy who just seemed to land in the role a few years ago becoming more and more important. His comment about sports advertising as a possible advertising market on television and everyone just glossing over at the possibility was really cool.

tom flores--we got rid of Daryl Lamonica and Glenn Bass and fell into the worst hole ever with that trade to Oakland. Mike Williams--passed on Bryant McKinney Walt Patulski--ok player but we could have gone for Franco Harris very bad number one over-all pick. Gregg Williams--I'm so sick of his revising everything he did at Buffalo to blame others.

The change is a big commitment, and it is one that required using draft picks to get players who fit, and to recognize that we have a lot of very good players who don't fit (Schobel, Kelsay, probably Williams) and a bunch of "linebackers" and "defensive ends" being asked to be good out of their normal positions. If they lacked the talent to make it in their regular positions, I can't get excited about their chances in a new position. Williams came in and went from a 3 to a 4 (Hansen left because of it). I don't understand the drastic change on defense when the major problem was offense. Our defense had a plethora of injuries last year. I'm at a loss how we put so much effort and so many resources in revamping the D when the O has been moribund for years.

three years is possible. I think if Gailey and Nix finally show some stuff (they haven't yet), address the two obvious needs at qb and offensive line, keep the existing players of quality (especially at running back), there is no reason we shouldn't be into the playoffs in the third year of their reign. There actions to date don't make me optimistic, but hey its early yet. Let's see how they handle this season.

I think it is a crazy optimism on Matthews part, but its nice to see. And maybe some of it will come true.

Pie in the sky, but at least some of the predictions could come true. Gailey's game day coaching, the 3-4 working (coupled with a bunch of injured defensive players making a good recovery). The offensive line situation makes the qb stepping up, the #2 receiver panning out, and the creation of an awesome running game (despite great running back talent) a lot harder to predict. Special teams should be better with the change from April to Dehaven,( although I still think April is a very good special teams coach. Don't know what the hell happened last yearz0 A change is due. I'm not too optimistic about the playoffs, but I'm holding to my nine game win stretch goal for this team this year.

Wow..that is one hard blow to take. I pray for him and his family.

I don't think a guard is the "key" to the bills offensive line. The nature of the beast is that you have to have five (or in the likely of injuries, the need for a long-snapper and just plain exhaustion, seven or eight offensive linemen. Wood is good...if he's recovered. Levitre and Hamgartner are okay...after that we've got a lick and a promise.

I agree, he was a gutsy guy. I suspect we'll survive without him, but he played with everything he had. I wish him well.

I saw the parade that brought them to town and saw many a game in war memorial. Can still name the starting lineup of our AFL championship team, including Paul Maguire the Punter and second (or maybe third) string linebacker. I was in the service during the horribly bad years of Dan Darragh and Kay Stephenson and their ilk. Came back for Joe Ferguson and the Juice. The Superbowl years et al. Born and raised in Buffalo and love the Bills. I don't think they are well run right now and they are on a path downward from high mediocrity...but I'm hoping....