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Yeah - you know, that is what is perhaps most frustrating for me about this Bills team. I get the impression that losing is something they accept; that they have this "It's Buffalo" excuse, that when they were playing well everyone around the nation was saying how they were playing great Despite this, or Despite that - low draft picks, undrafted players, Cheap Owner - but, now that they're losing and looking like bums, it looks like they are now where everyone expected them to be - and they can go take a shower, go home, hang out with friends, spend their money, go out, get back to the stadium on Wednesday and "start looking forward to the next game... we made some mistakes... we just gotta learn from this and move forward... yada yada yada." They don't care. They don't care! They don't care enough to take it personal when another team is out there smashing the crap out of our wideouts and hitting hard and fighting and acting like men who want to hurt the opposition, to impose their will on them. Instead of fighting back, and getting angry, and acting like it is shameful to get it handed to them 3 weeks in a row, not to mention all the money funnelled to these players from fans who want very much for their team to play good, they stand around and look as if they're thinking about being home playing playstation, or joking with their teammates - it's just too much a business. These players are soft. And their leader - Fitzpatrick - none of them believe he's capable of greatness, or of taking them on his shouldes and making things happen - compared to Tebow, who everyone in the world had laughed off as a misfit, believed enough in himself to make things happen - no, there is no toughness and no real integrity in this team. They're losers. They're accustomed to losing - and the owner is okay with that, so long as people keep paying to watch it.

Hmmm... lots of things come into play to see where we go with next year's draft. How long does Nix feel he has? If he has no pressure to produce a team that will make the playoffs, then he can draft BPA or whoever he wishes - we've seen drafts here in recent years - although, not so much Buddy - that have left us and everyone scratching our heads. So, if he feels pressure to make the playoffs, then he's going to try to fix the most glaring weaknesses we have, as a priority over BPA. (If I were GM, I'd go after one of the top QB's first, then trade up, if need be, to get an excellent OLB) Going the patch holes route, he will look at OLB first, with CB/WR/TE/LB filled in the next few picks, depending on best value. I don't know - Nix seems to believe, and has shown some real validity in believing, that he can pick up starters for the O-line in the mid rounds and in free agency. So any extra guys on the O-line I see coming then. OLB and D-line he seems to think need to come early - and I think he's said so. We know they liked Von Miller, and we've seen the Carrington, Dareus, Troupe picks. So, to fill that front seven out I think they've got to pick up another couple LB's. The secondary needs a fresh, fast, CB. That added to what we've got and I think it is a Defense that will mature and get good. As for offense, the running backs are set - the O-line is as I said, so I think they grab a WR, too. Like Easley.

I think the Bills need to see what they have with Spiller. They know what they have in Fred Jackson. And, you can't just wait for Fred to get hurt, throw Spiller in there for one game, and if he chances to do poorly, say he is a bust. You shouldn't, either, wait until the whole line, that has otherwise been playing pretty good till now, is rearranged, half hurt, and expect great things from him. Instead, considering his talents, he should be out there from game one, at least a third of the time. Gailey should be finding ways to use Spiller effectively and to make him a real weapon, rather than making sure Jackson doesn't feel underappreciated. I'm sure a team like Green Bay, or New England, or New Orleans, would take Spiller and make him a superstar. As for the Jets, and going forward, I think we these are pretty good ideas: Considering our line is in bad shape, and our Center is not accustomed to the position - and teams will probably be coming hard at our QB and toward the backfield, we should use both Fred and Spiller simultaneously, or even have Spiller, Fred, and McIntyre back there, as an extra blocker. If the edges give and there's pressure, splitting Fred and Spiller out wide should create some screen opportunities. Or run them both, in various creative ways, to the tune of 65 or 70 percent of our play calling. Other teams with less talented running backs have committed to that style of play. And, when the defense is sure we're running most of the time, then maybe we can start using play action to get some nice deep routes working. Anyway, I agree - I want to see Spiller. He will be good!

Nobody wants to talk about it. To talk about it and do nothing is like beating a very dead horse. But, there are only a very few things to do - stop supporting the team until it starts spending, or winning? Or gets a new owner? While the owner would use just such a lack of support as an excuse for the need to move the team. With the Bills, it's either take them, or leave them, because with Wilson it doesn't appear anything is going to change. If he's not going to go all out and throw every resource he has at winning now, at his age, then it is obvious that winning isn't his main goal with this franchise. And, frankly, throwing money around isn't the solution in and of itself. Look at Washington. The problem does start at Ralph, with the purse strings and with interference. To be the most effective owner, he's got to be willing to spend as much as is allowed, but he's also got to be willing to find and pay the right men to run the football side of things. Once they are in place - and, I like Dough Whaley/Buddy Nix formula, by the way, letting a young, highly qualified guy take over and put a system in place for decades, because that is what it takes - consistency with a good system - once these guys are in place, they can spend the resources on the right players and coaches to execute their vision. Successful systems come in different forms - Steelers, New England, Baltimore, Green Bay (which I think is the best system to emmulate), but they all have similarities in successful traits, and drafting for success helps the most when the system stays the same, otherwise you get what we have, mismatched players and schemes every three or four years. So, Wilson isn't spending, Buddy Nix might be good, and Whaley (lets hope) might be great, but Nix's drafts are turning out, so far, only so-so. Gailey? His offense started out good, and looks better than what we've seen, but we need more time to see. Certainly the Defense has been awful, and the coordinator is without a doubt responsible for not be able to compete on the NFL field with his opponents. Who's responsible for keeping him around? To get us where we want, we'd need not only Ralph spending, or some other owner, but we'd need the guy with the football smarts to have a ton of real smarts, and a keen eye for talent. How many teams draft like the Packers? Not a lot. Look no further than the Sabres. The owner comes in and says and does everything right. Will there be success? I'd say if there isn't, then at the very least he's done what he can to bring it, and until that is the case with the Bills, there will always be this conversation.

I don't know - I like Nix's judgement on players. No GM is perfect. He's been in charge for two drafts, and he's given us some real potential. But, if we turned back the clock to the summer, no one realistically thought we'd be winning playoff games this year. As I've previously said, once the bar is raised, it's hard to go back to being excited with 8-8, which most of us would have considered pretty good progress a few months ago. I do think our Defense has been, for the most part, easily handled. It lacks in both design and temperment. I want to see mean, nasty, hard defenses. I don't want to see "try" defenses. I want to see a defense that is just nasty. If George Edwards has to go to get there - and I think we should get someone with more potential - then maybe that is what we'll see in the offseason. You don't need to have the most talented group of players to win in the NFL. But, to win consistently, they've either got to be talented or they have to be working as a team, together, without making mistakes, and it's got to start in the heart. Losing like this - I don't want to see players on the field afterward smiling and talking to the opposition. I want to see angry, embarrassed players. I think that is what we're lacking, more than anything - it's too much a business to these guys. Being beaten like this doesn't hurt them the way it should.

Bell won't get big money from Buffalo - not when Hairston looked better, considering his lack of preparation and experience. What we need to keep our line improving is to be sure the lineup remains Hairston, Levitre, Wood, Ubrik/Rhinehart, and Pears. We need to sign Ubrik/Rhinehart now to moderate contracts, and if we lose Pears - something I'd try to avoid with a moderate contract, as well - then at least we can replace a RT without too much problem. But, Ubrik/Rhinehart are doing a fine job, and we should look to keep that continuity we have with these interior linemen being capable of moving around - we have such a consistent, diverse group of guys, we can really deal with injuries on the fly, which is a real asset.

I believe Spiller has averaged a very respectable y.p.c. Sure, if he were given a game against a normal type defense - he might not get 5 yards every run, he might get like 3.5, or 4, but, I believe, if he were given a game as the premier runner, he'd end up breaking one or two long runs that would give him similar yards as Freddy has. We can't judge him on what he hasn't had a chance to do yet. I still think if he were our lead back he'd be having a good year and we'd all be satisfied with his production. He is in no way a bust, yet. He is an unknown, but he might be excellent still.

It is both great to have the Bills winning again, and playing exciting football, and also frustrating, at times. Last week, for instance, against the Jets - I was so perturbed at the conservative play calling, at not seeing Spiller get on the field, at our defenses inability to stop what they should have known was coming. The thing is, before the season, we would have all agreed, 5-3 would have been about as good as we could have hoped. Nobody would have said we should possibly hope for more than that at this point (and 5-3 would be a miracle, at that!), and most would have said we'd be lucky to win 5-7 games all season. The poster here is right - we've lost two games by 3 points! The only team to really beat us good was the Jets. But, now that we're actually a legit team again, losing games, and the possibility of finishing 9-7 or 10-6 and not making the playoffs is hard to accept. What most of us would have taken easily 4 months ago is no longer good enough - and that is how it works with all things. The bar rises and it doesn't go back down. Once we get something, whatever we had before then is no longer acceptable. But, we're not there yet. Colin Cowher? - as I read in another post, said we're a mediocre team. Well, we do have a lot of mid level talent, it seems, but we have superior heart, and very sound coaching, and a lot of young talent that might develop into real talent (of course, then we'll have to keep that talent, and here is where proving Donte wrong will come into play). How much can we expect out of this Bills team? That is the frustrating part, for me. Frustrating because I don't expect them to win it all, because they are just good enough to beat most teams, but not good enough - I think - to go the distance, yet. So, I think from here out it is all good, and every new win is one more than we probably thought we'd get. I'm hoping Fitz shows progress against tough defenses, Spiller gets more opportunity, and we get and stay healthy.

When you consider statements or comments people make, and try to judge their validity or truth, there are often different ways something can be true, and at times something might be true in a sense and false in another. Here, one thing that strikes me as concerning, is not so much a real fact/fiction argument but is this true from the players perspective? And, it seems to me to be the case that not only is this true from the player's perspective, but it is also true from most coaches and personnel men, too. Why else would people like Shannahan say no to Buffalo (not him specifically, but the fact that many of the top guys wouldn't give Buffalo a chance)? This isn't news in the sense that Buffalo won't spend the money to compete - we know that and have known that. If the Bills are going to be winners it will be in spite of Wilson, not on account of him.

Agreed, well done! I've never been overly fond of numbers - statistics and averages can be so misleading. I think when it all boils down, the Jets are a tough defense that know how to rattle QB's. I'd bet there isn't a QB in the NFL who would say they don't mind playing the Jets. The Jets are tough. They'll almost surely be tough for us. What makes them so tough? The coach is good at coming up with ways to attack weaknesses, and to surprise the offense. Add to that the guys on that defense are relentless and they are disciplined and just plain mean, and I have a harder time seeing us be successful against these Jets than almost any other team we've seen or will see. But, if we play our best, and stay healthy, we can win. It'll be hard, and that's alright. Actually, I'd love to see us just crush them - but, the only way I can see that happening is if we shut down their offense, which is the weak part of their team. We should be able to score ten to twenty points on them, so the real challenge, I think, will be in keeping their offense from getting going. It's another test, and it will surely show us where we're at. If we win, I think it will just go to show that this team is for real. The only two losses being by 3 points says a lot if the rest of your games are consistently well played, and we've seen real adversity. We beat these Jets tomorrow and it says look out, NFL, the Bills can play with anyone. We lose, and it says, the Bills are definitely improving, and are a team on the rise, but they're not ready to make a run. Let's hope it's a good one.

Sure, unless you're in the locker room - and even then, it isn't always easy to say - it's hard to know who is really severely injured, and who is soft, or milking it. As for Bell, I think the knock on him from the get go, other than a lack in experience and positional knowledge, was his conditioning and strength. An O-line needs consistency, coherency; the guys need to be out there together more often than not, otherwise it is unusual to get the kind of production we've been getting with back-ups. I could see Bell getting put to second string, where he'd make an excellent backup LT. If his salary would permit it, and he doesn't end up elsewhere. As for Hairston. Man! We got so, so lucky with that pick. If we'd of drafted him at the very top of round 2, say, pick 37 or something, making him a virtual first rounder, we'd all be satisfied with his production. I read a lot of complaints about Nix's drafting these past two years, but I see his picks as being very good. If Troupe could stay healthy, he gives us a wonderful middle D-line rotation. Carrington is going to be good for us for a long time, and I think we need to play him sooner than later. Spiller - if it weren't for Jackson being so good, Spiller might be having a tremendous year. He is good to have. I could go on and on - Williams, he might give us some real flexibility in next year's draft. A healthy Bills team can play with anyone. Good luck to getting healthy! Go Bills.

Hell Yea they are. I'm not worried about their resolve, or their toughness. It's the injuries that will get them, I think. If they're totally healthy, they have a chance against just about anyone.

I think Robert Griffin III, I believe his name is, sounds like just exactly the kind of QB Gailey would go nuts with - however, since Luck is just about assured the First overall pick, I'm guessing this kid might go back for another year, and put himself in position to be the top pick in 2013. I like Fitzpatrick's spirit, and who can help themselves when it comes to respecting his story, but I believe Fitz's success is more a product of Gailey than of anything else. Now, prior to this season I stated that Fitz was the best backup QB in the NFL. He's shown that he can win games, make smart decisions, is the sort of QB who can rally a team. He is also erratic at times, and I think, if our O-line weren't playing as good, would be playing much worse. That isn't to say that a lot of QB's wouldn't - look at Brady, for instance; a little bit of pressure and he turns mortal really quick. All this is getting at is Fitz can run Gailey's offense, but I don't think he can carry a team, or ever be exceptional. He has a quick mind, and can make reads, but the ball doesn't always go where he wants it to. So, I think as much as we have a winner in the Fitz/Gailey duo, I think Gailey could work his magic on a lot of other QB's, too, and I think he could do more, and we could be better, with other QB's. Now, we have to prioritize, and add to our Defense where it is lacking, and maybe strenthen our TE position, but I would like to see us grab a young, talented QB to groom and to get familiar with Gailey's system. And, I've got to believe that the hold-up with Fitz's contract (here, WGR was right, the Bills blew it by not signing him to a 2 or 3 year extension this summer, for what could've been very low numbers) is that Gailey and Nix both know Fitz is succeeding because he's in Gailey's offense, and they're weighing the chances of not paying him and finding success elsewhere with the certainty of paying him and moving forward with a QB who is capable, but limited.

With our record in Toronto, we need a win regardless of who or what shape our opponent is in. I mean, as much as it is great to beat the best, in order to get these Canadians to start being excited about football in the Rogers Center, we've got to give them something to be excited about. Again, as much as I don't like giving up a home game, I'd be much happier about it if we had a similar home field crowd there as we do in the Ralph. You can't expect the crowd there - who are more or less a fifty thousand plus crowd of people with no specific tie to the Bills, but rather are fans of all different teams, to add Buffalo to their list of teams playing the way we have. So, lets go out and handle this Redskins team, because games like this can end up defining a season as much as the lopsided wins - if it goes badly, we'll question how talented a team we really are. Go Bills!

It would depend on the linebackers. Hopefully they use this bye to experiment with personnel and to put together a few packages that have something going for them. I think they can be alright, even with Williams out, if they use the right combination and go at it with the right plays.

I don't understand why we don't put Dareus in the NT position, while K. Williams is out, and put D. Edwards at one end and Carrington at the other. That would be a pretty good line, I think. In fact, I don't think it would be much of a drop off from our regular line. Dareus would make a fine NT, and Carrington is, I think, as good as Edwards. I just don't understand why they don't put that line out there and see what it does.

It couldn't come at a better time. We haven't lost, and we've played a few games, too. We are feeling good, looking good, are healthy enough to field a competitive team. This is a measuring stick game, and there is no reason to think we can't compete. In fact, I'm hoping we've been holding back a lot of looks/formations, etc., defensively, especially, to get after Brady. The stadium will be thunderous, and as long as we don't let emotion stupefy us into vulnerability, I think we can play with these guys. It will be one of those games, where if we fall behind early we will have to not let it get to us, or if we get out to a lead, we'll have to stay cool, keep perspective, and not let it go - all in all, we'll know what kind of a team we have after this week. Go Buffalo!

We've got to be happy with our recievers. Roscoe is very fast, very quick also. Nelson is fast enough. S. Johnson has shown he is fast enough for the requirements of the job. Donald Jones reminds me of another Donald... Driver - they have similar body types, although Driver might be a little quicker, I'm not sure. It is really more what you do with your skill set than the skill set you have. That can't be truer than in football. Look at Fred Jackson and Spiller. No one will argue Spiller is more physically talented. Yet, Jackson's game last week, I think, should be saved, run for run, and used as a highlight clip on SportsCenter - had that been Hillis, or A. Peterson, everyone would be saying how dominant he is, how the guy is absolutely amazing, at how he is the best in the NFL at getting yards after contact. But, since he went undrafted and has been overlooked here for the likes of Marshawn and even sometimes Spiller, he just hasn't got the recognition he deserves. I love the nature of our skill players on offense. It's what you do with it - and even Fitz fits that mold. Let's hope we keep doing great things with this team. That is the very epitome of why I watch football. I want to see guys overcome odds, beat "better" teams because they want it more, are more disciplined, and are tougher. Go Bills!

lets revel in the Bills being in the top five in total defense, in pass defense, in rushing offense... and undefeated! It feels so good when they're good.

Yeah, I haven't been on the same page as the people (like Sullivan on WGR - who I like to listen to, and who I think wants to believe, but like a kid who's been burned one last time a few too many times ago, he just won't allow himself optimism until he has proof, by way of validation on the field) who say we don't have a talented roster - that we're years away from having enough talent. I like the talent we've assembled on defense. I think that unit could be successful with the players we have, or at most we're lacking a guy or two; but this defense is good enough to win games with. On offense, I have been tooting the horn of our recievers for a while now. I really, really like Easley's physical skills and I think if he stays healthy he'll be a star. Otherwise, with Roscoe, Jones, Nelson, Johnson - just those four bring enough variation to have winning sets with. Add in Chandler, and the RB's, and you've got enough to compete with. For me, this team is really only lacking on the O-line and at the QB position - and Fitz might play good enough to make that just the O-line, and they might play good enough to make us competitive now. Still, if I'm Nix, I go into next offseason with the O-line and QB as my two major areas of upgrade. We shouldn't have to wait another 2 or 3 years to be a playoff team. We could or could have been knocking on that door this year.

I'm interpreting this as the top seven players other NFL teams would covet the most: 1. M. Dareus (I think even without having played yet he's shown enough to bet that if the Bills were being auctioned off player by player, Dareus would go higher than anyone we've got). 2. K. Williams (A lot of teams - probably 29 or 30 would want him on their line - he's not the best, but he is very good, and he is very, very consistent). 3. Wood (between S. Johnson and Wood - I just think it is harder to find a top notch Center than it is to find a reciever like Stevie) 4. S. Johnson 5. Merriman (if he plays without serious injury this year and plays anywhere like he used to, he'd be in the top 3) 6. Levitre (I think he is an up and coming LG, and is probably, strictly on play, our best lineman) 7. Spiller (even though Jackson is better now, I'd bet most teams would give up more for Spiller merely for his potential - although if we ever let Jackson go, I'd bet New England would swoop in and grab him, and tie him up to a 3 year deal in no time. He is just the kind of running back New England would love to have; Freddie would be a 1500 yard runner in New England).

I can see the temptation to compare our Bills of now to Bills teams of the past, especially the high standard of the early 90's. IMO, though, the Bills of now are not like any Bills team I remember. I only remember the Bills as far back as 87-88, though. The Bills that I first watched were winners. They not only had confidence, but arrogance. They were sound in just about every respect - and their coaching was top notch, too. Their talent was high, and Buffalo was the team that every team in the AFC had to go through to get to the top. That was so good. Then, the team of the Flutie years, with the excellent defense. That was a team that was one sided, but was still a team that had a reputation, a legacy, sort of, although it was changing, maybe starting to get left behind by other systems and franchises - I think that image really captured them, that of an old Champion, still very tough, still good at some things - dangerous, but his time is short, and he's hanging on. We could have won that SuperBowl that the Rams ended up winning - our defense was good enough. Could have. And then you have the ineptitude all around of a team that, by all appearances, was (through the fault of ownership) satisfied with having been great, and since it had achieved greatness for so long had become used to greatness, had gotten to the point where it took excellence for granted - it was assumed that the Bills would be good. And, it was assumed that being good was the Bills, i.e, that the Bills didn't have to change to return to greatness. Ralph assumed that having been there as he was he knew how to do it and if it wasn't working at the moment (the whole of the 2000's) then it wasn't because he was doing it wrong, but because he didn't have the right people below him. Frankly, his model was outdated and he didn't seem to care too much about putting into the team the kind of effort that is normally associated with youth - eagerness, willingness to try new things, the desire to out-do others, in short, he was too old to compete anymore, and his team reflected that out-datedness. And now we have a team - that when I look at it, I don't see a team of old. I see a mystery. I want to know what this team is all about. I want to know if the defense is going to play with attitufe. Are we going to go out and stuff people, and hit hard, and become a team that I can easily envision being talked of as "that nasty Bills Defense" - you know, a unit with identity. Are we going to be able to move the ball consistently? I watched Aaron Rodgers make passes last night of the twenty yard variety on 3rd and 12 or so and the Packers made those plays look easy - and those plays should be easy! This is the NFL - these guys are the best in the world. Twenty yards isn't that far! Fitz should be able to hit a playing card from twenty yards. Let this year be the year we find out who these Bills are under Nix and Gailey. I suspect we'll get a better look of who and what the defense is going to be, and we'll have to wait until next year to really see Gailey's best work on offense.

Really, with the new structure in place for rookie pay scale, there is no incentive for a QB to come out early unless they feel they had a really freak year of success and don't want to ruin it, or unless they are on top and don't really care much for college. QB's don't stand nearly as much a chance of getting long-term injuries as other players. So, my guess is unless a QB really doesn't like school or can't wait to get paid, they're going to stay in school and get the reps, the training, and position themselves as best they can in terms of who is their competition coming out. So... it looks like next year isn't going to be a good year for second tier QB's coming out, as there is a lot of competition.

I have always liked Buddy Nix - when I've complained of late about this team and spending, I'm saying that Buddy and Chan are going to have to win IN SPITE OF Wison. This interview hasn't changed my mind about that. I don't believe for a minute that Hangartner wasn't capable of playing both C and RG. If Wood goes down this year, I'll wager Hangartner is more capable of being backup than whoever we have there now. Furthermore, unless Nix believes building this Bills team is really only going to be done via the draft - and he has no feeling of hurry or rush involved - in other words, if Nix believes he can just draft guys and pick up other team's cast off's, without spending on mid to high level F.A.'s, while also losing out of players when they either get to F.A., or demand higher salaries, and have five or six years to do it, then it isn't all accurate. But, the case may be that Nix does believe he has four or five years to make this happen. Ultimately, for those of us who think the O-line has been neglected at the expense of this team's chances at a playoff, and Buddy thinks they're much better than everyone is giving them credit for, good enough to not go out and make upgrades - then we'll see how it goes. If we go through the year and the O-line plays good, he will look like a Southern Genius. But, if that line falls apart, or if Fitz spends the season running for his life, then these words will look, in retrospect, pretty foolish. I hope he is a genius. Go Bills!

I really like Easley, too. I've been saying since this summer that he has the potential to end up being our #1 receiver, in the mold of a Calvin Johnson - you know, he's fast, tall, and he is big, almost like a TE. But, he's really fast. So, if he translates those physical skills - and he's shown more in one offseason than recievers have shown in the past who didn't pan out - like Hardy, for instance. There is every reason to believe he is going to keep getting better. Keep in mind, this kid is years behind everyone around him experience-wise. The combination of Easley, Johnson, Nelson, Jones, and Parrish really gives us a good young receiver corps, very much similar to what SanDiego had recently, or New Orleans, or Green Bay, even. It's obvious that Gailey and Nix are trying to emulate those teams - and, I think one of the biggest trademarks of those groups is that there really isn't a 1,2,3 reciever, necessarily, that lines up and does only certain things. Those teams recievers can all hurt you. That interchangability on offense and defense is something I like a lot. It gives the coaching staff freedom, and it makes it so hard for opponents to determine what we're doing pre-snap. Go Bills!