sllib olaffub

This attitude of sticking with Fitz until something better comes along is fine as long as the front office makes a proactive attempt at getting "something better" in the form of aggressively going after the good QB's available in the draft. Really, that is about the only way of getting a franchise QB these days. Once every 4 or 5 years a franchise QB will come available in F.A., and if that were the case this year with Green Bay's Flynn?, then I'd say the Bills should also pursue him. My point is this - if the Bills aren't trying everything in their power to replace Fitz with a QB who is capable of winning consistently, then the Bills are merely saying they are content with Fitz. Think of the Big Teams - Green Bay, Pittsburg, Dallas, Washington, the Jets; these teams wouldn't just sit back and ride the Fitzpatrick wave. They'd be finding really good competition, or a replacement for him. Until the Bills act as if they are really expecting to win, they aren't going to just "find something better" like wins. You don't "just find" wins. You make it happen.

I have to agree here - not that that alone makes for a champion; but, That position, like having an all-pro secondary, can change the way teams play you. A truly dominant, stacked D-line makes running and passing almost impossible, and can limit what an offense is capable of to such a degree that the only options left are easily guarded against. Therefore, a really dominant D-line can at times take over a game. Having that is akin to having a great QB on offense. I'm of the opinion that we have two great D-Tackles in Williams and Dareus. They are capable, together, of stuffing the run and of creating pressure ON THEIR OWN. IMAGINE what they could do TOGETHER, not to mention with A MONSTER DEFENSIVE END playing beside them! I mean, that is a recipe for success, and I hope the Bills not only get a D-End, but get an OLB too, so the O-line has no chance!

when healthy, Fred Jackson is without a doubt one of the best running backs in the NFL - and, he's quiet, a team player, a good no trouble off-the-field guy. This dude put up really good YPC numbers regardless of our line or offense, and with terrible QB's. If the Bills don't want him, they should at least let him get healthy, show off he is healthy, and trade him for some value! That is my biggest criticism of Buddy Nix - he doesn't get the best value out of his players leaving, and he is stubborn about getting players via trades. There is a whole avenue of player potential gone to waste because he is "old school" or whatever, and doesn't want to make the trouble to figure out how to leverage his assets when he's got them.

What wins in the NFL and how far away is Buffalo? You need a very good QB - and Fitz is not that guy. You need capable recievers. You need to have at least one dominant feature on both sides of the ball - (great pass rush/great pass offense, or, great run stuffing D, great running offense) You need to be able to do some things really well, at the least. Buffalo does nothing really well. Looking at the Giants and Patriots, a few things stood out to me in contrast to Buffalo. One - the Patriots, as much as I dislike them, do a lot with a bit of a handicap. I mean, their front office and coaching staff has been picked upon for the last seven or eight years, I think. They're constantly having to reassemble a staff, and they deal with having to pay big money to some guys - and they do that stuff well. Buffalo isn't close to having to make the tough decisions New England has had to make personnel wise, and they still botch things up. Also, the Giants - man, can they draft! They are aces at drafting D-linemen and Recievers. The Bills could only be so lucky! What does Buffalo's Defense lack more than anything, IMO? A nasty, go after the QB and make him scared kind of Linebacker or D-end. We need an aggressive, flying all over the place kind of man on the line to fire guys up and help instill fear into the opposition. Because, as it stands right now, we've got no man on our Defense with that kind of attitude. This year is Nix's year to go out there and get us some pass rushers, and to put the finishing touches on this defense. He's had two drafts - both heavy on Defense, and now has Wanny. If he can't put together a good defense after having three drafts and having Wannstedt to lead it, then he might not be the guy for the job. I like some of his picks so far, but he needs to find a real all-pro D-lineman/linebacker to put it all together.

I like the switch, too, because of our personnel on the roster. HOWEVER - when Gailey said it becomes increasingly difficult to find those OLB's for the 3-4, that really irritates me! Hard to find? When were they looking? In the two years they've run this 3-4, when have they SERIOUSLY tried to pick up talent? That really irritates me! I mean, what are they REALLY saying? That DE's and 4-3 linebackers are easier to find IN THE LATE ROUNDS of drafts, OR AS LOW RANKING FREE AGENTS? And, to have wasted 2 years on aquiring the talent - AND TO HAVE WASTED ALL OF LAST YEAR, KNOWING THEY ALREADY HAD WANNSTEDT ON THE PAYROLL AND STILL WENT AHEAD WITH THE "EXPERIMENT" OF GEORGE EDWARDS! I mean, it looks like they were trying to lose last year, with all this head scratching, non sensical stuff going on. The one good thing that might come out of all this? If Wanny can make us a BIG 4-3, instead of a Tampa 2 type, using guys like Carrington and Spencer Johnson, and Moats, Searcy, keeping Brian Scott - then maybe we'll have an aggressive, cold-weather, outdoor defense that can hold up - something that Buddy Nix is not naive about, no matter what else his moves might suggest. That was my complaint all those years with the old 4-3 Tampa defense we ran - it was too small to hold up against the run, and our guys weren't intimidating anyone. And we were merely FOLLOWING a trend, which means that by the time we ran that defense, most of the NFL had built teams or schemes to beat it just fine. And we didn't ever aquire the best talent for that scheme, to begin with. I'd much rather have Wanny and Nix assemble a Big, Rarer version of the 4-3 that is capable of doing it all. So, let's hope they don't try to feed us the ol' - "it's gonna take a few years to aquire the right talent, BE PATIENT" - because my patience has long run out of this Franchise.

I really appreciate the point of this post. Bills fans these days should not lose sight of this every summer. Somehow the Bills get this pass, their H.C.'s and GM's and Owner are allowed to gradually get better, starting at 4-12, to 6-10, to what next, 8-8? When the needs that were stopping them this past year were only so obvious (OLB's, QB play, O-Line Depth) and nothing was done about it... Our team is allowed to shoot for mediocre. Our team is just not a competitive NFL franchise, and it starts and goes a long way with the Owner. There's no getting around that. Another big part of Buffalo's problem is the QB - I know other posters here have mentioned it. That is why I'm a firm believer in getting a Franchise QB first and foremost, and you stop at nothing to get one. It is far and away crucial enough to trade a whole draft for a good young QB. Most people gawk at talk of trades, and how doing so would set the franchise back years. Not having a Franchise caliber QB has lost us, or at least contributed, to losing the last 15 years plus. None of those drafts made the difference. Or, for those opposed to trading - the team could've sacrificed a few other picks that eventually ended up irrelevant by just taking 3 or 4 QB's in one draft, or UDFA combined. The point: get the Franchise QB. Without one you don't win (about 80 - 90 percent of the time). So, here we are, entering year 3 of Nix and Gailey. We are seeing a return of the 4-3 defense. I'm all for giving Wanny a shot at turning it around - and I hope he can make a Big 4-3 with some of these 3-4 players, because otherwise I'm wondering how much of the last 2 years was wasted on that STUPIDITY? I mean, any of us fans could've told the Bills, Edwards can't coach! It's almost like they're trying to lose! Anyway - they've got a lot of ground to make up and to have them trot out Fitz as the QB again this year, without having someone on the bench who is talented enough to give us hope is something I won't watch. If they don't get some young QB with some potential, I won't commit to another autumn of watching Fitz get our hopes up only to dash them with his inevitable mediocrity.

A team that knows it doesn't have a very good QB can 1. Go out and find some good ones either in the draft or F.A. But that takes keen evaluation, and 2. Go out and get the QB the team has decided is very good, regardless of what it takes. That is what the Bills haven't had - the ability to confidently evaluate talent, and the guts to go get the good ones. Now, I say this before Buddy Nix. I believe he has fairly accurately judged the talent of college QB's and found none worth taking high. But, just because he hasn't seen any excellent QB's AVAILABLE to take early, doesn't mean that he can just sit by for 3 seasons without addressing the position. He has to find one, if that means trading up to get into position, or getting a F.A.; whatever, he just cannot sit by another year and go without getting a young QB that the Bills can turn to with HOPE when Fitz inevitably falters.

Who wouldn't love that! Yeah, I'd love him much, much more if we could get him after we get our new OLB/DE, though. Or QB!

There's more than one way to aquire talent. If our Front Office really wanted to put together a good team, they'd identify the weak areas, and they'd utilize Free Agency, Draft, UDFA, and TRADES. They'd get the guys to make it work. Instead, we fans are left talking about which NEED POSITION should we LET WAIT while we draft a HOPEFUL Solution to one of the needs. We don't have to settle for that - they can find a way to get both pressure on a QB and protection on ours. By the way - I actually like our rookie this year, Hairston. I don't know if he can do it - but our staff should be able to make that assessment.

After watching the playoffs thusfar, it has again struck me how far away Buffalo is in many ways from being a good team. You look at the good teams - Green Bay, San Fran, Giants, Saints, Ravens, Patriots, etc. I'd say each of them have a better defense than we do, except maybe the Pats, and most by a long shot. I mean, on defense, except Williams and Dareus, we've got really no EXCITING players, guys who can take over a game at a certain position. Teams like San Fran, Giants, Green Bay have PLAYERS on Defense. Then look at their opposing units, whichever one doesn't get as much recognition, or the side that is supposed to be weaker, and San Fran, for instance, has Crabtree, Davis, a Stud filled O-line, and Gore, not to mention a #1 QB! What bothers me isn't how far away from being a really dominant team we are, but rather that our organization doesn't appear to have that out-for-blood mentality to put together a team so talented that they can be really great. Our organization seems TOO CONTENT to have MEDIOCRE guys on the roster where these teams are filled more with pro-bowl talent than they are with mediocre talent! We could turn it around - with the right coaching and drafting. Look at Houston last year. They went out and got some guys to pressure the QB, and now their Defense can go after a team. We've got to have that kind of mentality, where we don't just settle for better-than-off-the-street. We've got to go get REAL TALENT. And we've got to get a promising QB. I lost my train of thought there - I meant to say, the good teams have very good players on both sides of the ball.

I agree - I love the kid's intelligence, and natural ability. All he needs is a creative D.C., and with the other guys on our line - he'd be nice, for the right price.

Yes, another note - the Bills knew last offseason they were in this same situation. They knew they didn't have any OLB's worth anything, and they went into the season that way. Merriman? No GM worth the position would count Merriman due to his risks. Based on history, there is absolutely no reason to think Nix and Gailey are going to do anything to solve their personnel problems other than drafting and mid-level F.A.'s. That means all those NEEDS Nix admitted to seeing wont be addressed yet again. Only a few of them. This is the Bills until they prove me wrong I'm not expecting anything of them by way of wins or substance.

I may be alone here in thinking that Merriman wasn't a rookie mistake by Nix - I think he knew very well Merriman might not make it - he had to - but, he was sold on the cheap of it, and the fans were sold of the name; these guys have shown one thing undisputably: they're not in any hurry to try to make any part of this team dominant. So, as much as it would be great to, and make a lot of sense to add a very good DE and OLB to the mix with Williams and Darius - an idea that would place an abundance of pressure on any opposition, the likes of it happening - at least, the likes of any of the fans being wowed by their moves is pretty slim. I'm guessing they spend their number 1 pick this year on the best DE available, and go out in F.A. and get an OLB who can put together a 5-8 sack season. No big names, just a mid-level talent.

Can't agree more. There is no price too high to get a truly good QB. Do what you have to, and then build a team around him. The way I see it, we've endured nearly 20 years of ineptitude. A good QB, especially with the rules of the modern NFL, can play for 10 - 12 years. Get the QB, then build around him. I'd rather see the Bills, after going all in on a QB, progress for 3 years toward NFL elite, than watch them flounder and tread water for 3 years because they don't have a QB good enough to win them games on a consistent basis. Gailey wasted a whole season (two, actually) because he was too "polite" or "honest" or whatever excuse he had for keeping Edwards on as D.C., unless of course it was a decision prodded on by above. I'm terrified he'll extend that same "fair chance" to Fitz, when 90% of us can see he doesn't have it.

I, too, agree - I think the Bills will improve next year, and probably the next after that, to somewhere in the wild-card range. But, Fitz will never be more than he is, and that is mediocre with bad accuracy. He is no leader. He had his chance to lead, and the team fell apart around him, and he hung his head. The players on this team know who he is - that is why they don't take losing too badly, their front office acts as if they should win with a second rate team. These players know what's what. So, the time is NOW to strike for a high round QB. I don't forsee a player as good a prospect as Luck for the next decade. Do what you have to to get him, and then get creative in building a team around him. Or, and this is not as exciting, and it totally depends on the ability of our Management to evaluate talent - but, they have to get a QB, so if they see a guy other than Luck - maybe Griffin III, or some other guy that they just know is going to be talented, then go get him. Quit expecting to get by with mediocre talent!

As different as the replies on here have been - I think there is some truth to most of them. We don't have any input, so all this is just talk and venting. The team will do what it will do - nothing we say or hope for will change that. But, I am also a Kellen Moore fan. I'd go so far as to say if the Bills evaluators think he is tall enough to see the field over the lines, and pass without the ball being knocked down time and again, then I'd get him in the third round before some other team gets him. I'm also not opposed to Schoep's (is that how you write it? Bulldog and Schoep on WGR 550) idea of drafting numerous QB's until you get it right - and heck, if you end up with two good ones that's all the better, but if you end up with three bad ones, at least you know you tried, and you didn't just leave it to a guy who has already shown he is only mediocre at best.

I just don't agree with many people here who say you can't give up a lot for a guy like Luck, in terms of future draft picks, because the Bills have too many needs. I think you do whatever it takes, draft wise, to get an excellent QB. A football team can be a playoff team overnight with an excellent QB. Without an excellent QB, a good team, otherwise, doesn't fare well. We can still use later round picks and UDFA's, and normal F.A.'s, for the years that the picks affect. If a team has no prospects at QB, hasn't had a good one in over a decade - then that team should do ANYTHING to get a good one, and then be creative in filling in needs around him. The Bills - if they so chose - could get via F.A. any other offensive weapons they wanted; I see them a good lineman, maybe a good TE, and a good WR away from being a plug Andrew Luck in and be top ten offense in the NFL. That's do-able. Fix the defense with whatever other resources are available, let Wanny get a feel for just what he's missing, and put everything into defense next year. That'd be a playoff team, I'd hope. The following year and for the next few after that it would be fine tuning. Ask anyone - would it have been worth it for Indy to have given up 3 1st round picks for Peyton Manning, and everyone would say - Without A Doubt, YES!

Who among us Bills Fans can be in any way objective about the team? The less enthralled with the organization I am, the more I tend to think I can judge their talent "objectively" - but, that is more a response to all the years, not so long ago, where I would tell people "just wait, Buffalo isn't as bad as people think, they're overlooked...". Any Bills fan knows the look I'd get from just about everyone - and, painfully, they were right. So now, I often say, "this team just doesn't have it..." and the variations of that line of thought. But, I had a thought just before reading this post that I considered starting a thread about, but I decided it wasn't really worthy of a thread; namely, I think Buffalo, when it's backs are totally healthy, has the best running back tandem in the NFL. That's something to build on. I also think we have one of the top 3 DT tandems in the NFL. Another something... We have an O-line that can work as is, and is one excellent Tackle away from being one of the leagues best. I believe, if we keep Stevie Johnson, and if Easley comes back and can stay healthy, that we're one WR away from a good unit there. Our TE group isn't much. Our linebackers? We have two good ones - where on a 3-4 team we should have 5 or 6. I think our secondary is a shutdown corner away from being one of the best, too, in the league - but, as it is, I think with good pressure it would be top half of the league; certainly not a weakness. We have guys who might actually be good if we were to let them loose - guys who I believe could be very good, highly recognized, in the right organization: Carrington, Moats, Spiller, (McKelvin could be, too). All that said - I think we are weakest at QB, OLB, and DE - especially if we're running a 4-3. Still, I believe with the right front office we could have a playoff team here next year, if they truly put everything into it. Or, if the organization was slick - the kind that people covet, envy - this rebuild could have another bad year next year, have two more years of early draft picks (including this year) but walk away with a franchise QB/DE/OLB - the cornerstones to great teams - by building with these picks talent at the most important areas on a team. What will Buffalo do, though? This rebuild is a year or two, at the most, from being "built" and are we going to end up with a QB? A defense that can pressure a QB? We'll have to see.

I'm just writing this as it is occuring to me, but if Gailey does feel pressure on him to win, and, from listening to him just today on the press conference, and for the last five weeks or so, his voice and demeanor isn't what it was last year or the beginning of this year; then he seemed to exude this kind of patient confidence, as if it wasn't expected of him to have the team put together yet, and he could pose as the wise old coach who could see into the future when his plans would come together, and the rest of us would just have to give it time to become what he was envisioning. Now, though, his voice is shaky, he seems unsure of where things are at. He seems insecure in his position. So, if they were sticking with the 3-4 then I'd say they'd need to come out of this offseason with 2 OLB's, and probably a third LB for depth. Maybe a true NT, and if not, then a DE capable of applying pressure. The WR position needs solved. Depth on the O-line, and an option at QB. There's a lot to hope to put together for a coach on the hotseat. But, if they decide to switch to the 4-3, then maybe all they really need to go after in the draft is a DE with the first pick, or a QB, and by the end of the 3rd round walk away with a DE/QB/LB. I just don't see Nix/Gailey leaving this draft without a QB who could step in and play, or develop - unless they snag a young up and comer from another team, like Flynn. Anyway - I think we're going to see Buffalo try to resolve two positions this offseason: QB and pressure the QB - either DE or OLB. And, the draft looks like it might be better suited for DE in a 4-3 than OLB, at least high in the draft.

In terms of steps - if this is considered a first step, it's a baby step! Any average fan could have told Nix after last season - Wannstedt should be Coordinating. A third of the way through the season, it's got to be answered for that Wanny didn't take over. So, to me, they've got to do a heck of a lot more than this to prove anything to me about being serious about competing, and I'm not watching another game until they show they are really trying.

I'd say it depends on whether or not Wanny wants to be a Defensive Coordinator again. What was his real role here this year? Why does no blame land at his feet? I don't think Edwards should be back - I didn't like him from mid point last season on, but I still don't understand the Wanndstedt hire - you bring him in as what? What has he taken responsibility for? Why, when the defense was terrible all year, did he not replace Edwards earlier? How can a man with as much credentials as Wanny have be LOWER on the totem pole than Edwards, especially when the Bills were going down in flames all year? It just doesn't make sense to me. Wouldn't someone have said, Wanny, help us out here? What the blank is going on? Nevertheless, I would give him a chance if he wanted it - but, I'd hope he would be bringing with him a big change. I'm sorry - it's hard for me to just drop this - wouldn't the players think it was pretty weird to have Wanny take over next year when he was on board all along this year? I don't know... I'd also like to see Nolan gone after. If the Bills want to keep a 3-4 and are looking for an experienced guy to run one, Nolan would be my man. He has experience in this division, he has an excellent reputation for turning teams around very quickly. As an aside, maybe Wanny was given this year to put together a good 3-4 scheme? Maybe he was told he'd be given a year to have a system ready? Given a year to scout players and assistants?

I don't think anyone should get ripped for any idea - that type of mentality is exactly what causes teams from being successful; you've got to be open to any solution if it might be better than what you've got. As far as K. Willaims being traded - I'd second that IF - and that is a big IF - we could get real value in return for him. That means a player good enough to be pro-bowl material every year, and young enough to play for another 4 years. Or, a high enough draft pick to get a young guy who has potential to be that good. Frankly, in a 3-4, if we were to get a monster NT, have Dareus as one end, you'd want a quicker, more get to the QB type of DE on the other side. I think a guy like Bruce Smith, for instance. Now, if we could trade K. Williams for an excellent DE/OLB type player, or the right pick to land a potential player, or to package and trade up for a QB - I'd take it. Then again, keeping him and switching to a 4-3 might not be bad, either. It's just a point that they'd better use what they have to the players fullest, or they'll never get anywhere.

I know most topics on this site are here for conversation sake - not for real answers that more or less end the topic. But, I have to say, this topic has a real answer and it's been posted already - the first move to determine what defense we run is to choose who will be running that defense. As it is, a great D-Coordinator, regardless of scheme, could have us in the top 10 in defense with the right draft and F.A. period this offseason. If we really want a great Defense, then the front office has to pony up and go get a great coordinator. You give an average coordinator a good defense - personnel wise - and we get an average Defense. For all we know, you have Nolan coaching this same group of players all year and we might be somewhere in the 8-12 range for an overall ranked Defense. Start with the Coordinator, then get the guys we need to run it. What has stopped the Bills from having a good defense? The answer is either Gailey/Nix are more concerned with loyalty to a friend, and Edwards has just stunk it up - or, Wilson is too cheap to pay for a good Coordinator. It doesn't matter, though, what scheme we run unless we've got a good coach. Given a good coach, we have a good enough young core of secondary and a good enough core of D-linemen to make either scheme work with the addition of the right linebackers. Personally, I prefer a good 3-4. But, IMO, a great 3-4 relies on a huge NT who can clog up the middle. Dereus, as great as he is, and Williams, too - those two, the best D-players on this team, might be the reason we don't go easily into the 3-4. They might be better suited for 4-3 DT's, and moving them to 3-4 ends, or asking one to play NT, might only hurt the cause. We'll see - I'd say a good D-Coordinator could make a better decision about all of it than I could.

My expectations aren't diminished merely because we've sucked so long. Only one direction is the right direction. That, to me, means all parts of operations are on the same page. Every level of this organization has the same goal, same priority, and same gameplan. Do the Bills look to be that way? No. Sure, they might draft well over the next few years with Nix/Gailey. But, it remains to be seen whether they will keep the guys they should be keeping/paying. It remains to be seen whether they will go out and wisely spend in F.A. to add to the drafts and to make a serious run at having the right personnel on the field. Will they hire the right D.C. to run this miserable defense? Will they spend when they should spend - hire the right men to do what needs be done? Add to all that - they'll need luck, too, as this season was evidence to what happens without it. I don't believe they're going in the right direction, let alone even on the right track. Until this organization shows me with actions and sustained plans of action will I believe that they are interested in anything more than staying afloat. I'm not interested in staying afloat. I'm not interested in a mediocre 10-6 ballclub if that's as far as they can go with a QB who can have a good game only one quarter of the time. For me, its all in for excellency, greatness, or its a losing team, and I'm sick of seeing this team, or caring about a team that doesn't appear to care about itself. Greatness should always be the measure of success - nothing less.

I think Stevie has earned himself a few good offers by his consistent play these past two years - let's face it, a thousand yard receiver on this team, with this QB, might be a 1400 yard receiver on a different team. Add to that Stevie has shown he can handle Revis one on one. How many teams would love to be able to have a receiver they can throw to during the playoffs, against the Jets, without having to worry if it's Revis out there covering him? I'd bet there are at least 2 or 3 teams that would go after him for those merits. And, because the Bills are about as incompetent as an NFL team can be, not signing him when they had the leverage, now they can only hope to franchise him, or pony up the contract now - because, I'm guessing he isn't going to regress unless his QB regresses terribly, or unless we get a receiver who is so good he takes a lot of balls away from Stevie. But, if we franchise stevie - my guess is they're not going to sign another receiver to big money while paying that kind of salary to Stevie - that isn't how old Ralphie works; I mean, franchise money kind of dictates that Stevie is the Go To receiver (in the eyes of a cheap old owner) and, I'd guess that paying him that kind of money - just like with Fitz - they're going to try to get as much out of him as possible, which could hurt him, because I could see them trying to force it to him 12 times a game just to justify the pay.