sllib olaffub

Hurt people hurt people. That's one of the coolest sayings I've encountered in a long time - saw it on Greenberg, the movie with Ben Stiller.

I've got to admit, I liked T. Edwards when he took over for J.P., and the Walsh endorsement only helped. But, I liked J.P. when he first started, too. Watching T. Edwards last year was, in my opinion, watching the worst play of any QB I've ever seen. It was painful to watch. It was obvious he had some kind of mental problem, fear related, going on. What I liked about him when he started, though, was that despite not doing anything overwhelming, the offense stayed on the field longer, much more so than with J.P., and was consistent - not great, but consistent, and therefor the defense played better. The whole team played much better. It might be that his limitations were found out quickly by opposing defensive coordinators, or that he just fell apart mentally after getting hit too much - I don't know, but I think if he starts this year over a guy who could have potential (in Brohm), then he better play really good, much better than average, because we know what he has, and we've seen him fall apart, and that isn't worth holding someone else back (Brohm) from developing or not. I don't want to have any excuses next offseason for not drafting the top QB - like not having evaluated our guys enough. Either we have a star QB, or we need one. It's that clear to me.

There were also quotes in there saying how - and this was from Reeves, I think - Gailey was one of the most creative O.C.'s when it came to utilizing whatever talent he had, and converting his players strengths into actual points. Gailey, it is said, understands what the other teams are going to try to do defensively, and goes into games with unique game plans. And, he's known for trying new things. O.k., so he knows we're going to see a lot of 8 in the box this year, that teams will challenge us to run. I think he'll have us ready to counter that. Another encouraging thing there - the fact that his teams are fundamentally sound, that they might not have 150 plays for that game, but the ones they do have, the players know how to execute. I think that has been our worse setback over the last three or four years - an apparent inability of our offense to execute - I mean, they've looked as bad as a high school team at times - embarrassing. So, if we execute well this year, we will see plays being made by guys we haven't had to count on before. We're not going to be in the bottom of the league.

I just looked at the Cowboy's roster... dang, those 'boys gonna be hard to stop. That could be a probowl offense there, with Roy Williams, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Patrick Clayton, Witten, Romo, Felix Jones, Choice, and Barber. Their Defense is real good. If they aren't in the Super Bowl, a whole bunch of guys are slacking and getting canned. And their O.C. is creative, too. The NFC playoffs are going to be nasty this year. Saints, Vikings, Packers, Cowboys, the other two wild card NFC East teams. Some high powered offenses.

I think George Wilson will emerge as a better safety than Whitner, and one of the best in the league. I think Batten and Carrington will stand out as rookies. And, I could see Easley really lighting it up this year, as well. Spiller is a lock to electrify. I could say McKelvin and Shawn Nelson, too. There are so many players falling under the radar that competent play from both squads will surprise everyone, but those guys especially, I think, will have a good year.

I'd like to see our young recievers get some playing time, though. As it stands now we're going to see some cuts that might be mistakes - Jones, Roosevelt, and the other rookie - not Easley - have looked pretty good. So, if Williams would take a much lesser contract, and if he showed he still had "it", then I'd say he'd have to really look far better than our young guys. In the event he did, I could see Gailey cherishing the opportunity to take a Cowboy castoff and turn him into gold.

That part about Gailey wanting to be a power running football team. Well, he might have the most well rounded group of backs he's ever seen. He can run it however he wants to now. I've got to say, I do get excited when I read about what he's done with other teams personnel. Compared to those Miami teams, we could see some real lightning this year.

Man, do I like that statement! That speaks to the very things I've talked about here time and again - the meaning above and beyond the paycheck, the commitment to excellence, and the expectation of overcoming challenges. I understand moral relativity - just like Jauron was true in stating, "it's hard to win in the NFL". But, it can also be true that, "we expect to win, and we will not allow ourselves to believe otherwise." Two different, but not exclusive mentalities - I'll take Gailey's. And, with a little success, I think players around the league will, some of them anyway, want to play for a guy like that, if given the equal choice between a few teams.

I liked him a lot in Detroit.

Just listening to them, and seeing what they've done in the past - and, they've had success - tells me that they could be successful here. I don't doubt their capabilities. In fact, I really like them both in their capacity. What bothers me and keeps me from unbridled optimism, keeps me guarded and "realistic", is the feeling that they are working with a handicap, that Wilson has not given them "every means" necessary to win. I mean, as a team and as fans we've seen nothing but lousy football for a decade. We've been rebuilding for ten years. I don't want to hear we'll only go after mid-range free agents and build through the draft, as was cited on BuffaloBills.com by Chris Brown. Seriously, when I read that my stomach churned. There's a real difference between Ralph missing on coaches over the last decade, and Ralph not willing to do whatever he needs to do to win. There's a difference between Cowher not coming to Buffalo because he didn't like the situation, and him not coming here because he wasn't offered enough. Frankly, I'd of had enough of the Wilson lead Bills if he's telling Nix and Gailey they've got to work miracles, because he's only going to give them so much. I mean, if it were purely a philosophical preference with building through the draft, and with not going after older, expensive F.A.'s, so that younger guys can be molded into stars, then I'm good with that - and, that's what I thought we were seeing out of Nix and Gailey. But, after reading that piece by Brown today, I thought I clearly saw written, between the lines, that Wilson is not giving them an equal chance to succeed. And that sucks. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing this team play because I think we've got a lot of talent that hasn't been evident these past few years due to mismanagement. I think we can compete this year for a wildcard - if our O-line holds up. But, I'm convinced that Gailey can find out the truth about his roster's talent this year, and if he's got to get a franchise QB, then next year's draft will have one. If he also needs a LT, and maybe a DE, WR, and LB, to really make this unit solid, then I think he can make that happen in one offseason - next year's - if Wilson allows them the money to do it. That's only five starters. You figure you should be able to get starters in the first three rounds of the draft, and add another two or three F.A.'s. I don't think that's too much to ask as a Bills fan, considering where we've been for the last decade, and considering we might not even have a Buffalo Bills here in a few years when the lease expires. It's pretty simple to me - either Ralph thinks the fans are a bunch of suckers, or he really will give it a shot before he's gone - and really, what the *%$#)O does he have to lose? What's he waiting for?

I've been a pretty consistent supporter of Gailey and Nix, I like their attitude, and I like the guys they've assembled on defense. I really think our defense will be a lot better than people are conceding, and it starts with guys like Moats, Batten, Coleman, Mitchell, Williams, Edwards, and Carrington. Those guys are overlooked or dismissed too much, as if none of them are going to be contributing in a positive way for this 3-4. I think they all have talent and will give us the right combination of size, strength, and speed to be a quietly good unit. It's the offensive line I'm concerned with, more than anything else. It's my biggest critique of Nix and Gailey. Healthy they might be o.k., but if Hangartner goes down, then Woods will have to move over and someone will have to replace him. If Bell or Meridith go down, who'll replace them effectively? I just think they're walking too fine a line with that unit to really expect to be able to win very many games this year. I hope I'm wrong there. And what really bothers me about that isn't that I think they like what they've got there; rather, it seems far more likely that Wilson put the brakes on spending for free agent O-linemen. Or, maybe he implied to Nix that he'd have to make it work on a limited budget. If we have to deal with a front office that doesn't go after big name F.A.'s, who expect to win soley on rookies and guys on rookie contracts, then we'll never be a Super Bowl team. I mean, the few guys we have that end up stars end up leaving more times than not. So, I know I got off on a tangent - I think we'll run good - we did last year and that was with less to work with all around. I think our Defense will be able to stop the run, and I think we'll have, when healthy, a wild-card able team. But, we're so thin in places if injuries happen I think we'll fall apart fast.

A subject I've thought long about. I live in the Bills area and due to the economy I've talked with my wife about moving somewhere else, and it occurred to me that I might end up in another football city. Of course, I'd still be a Bills fan, but it got me thinking about what it'd be like to have grown up a Washington fan, or a K.C. fan, for instance. I wondered what would happen if someone else bought the team. What if some woman bought the team, and handed the operations over to a son who was a real punk, and they brought in arrogant pricks to run the show - would we still be able to root for them? Would they still seem like our Bills? I think I might stop being a Bills fan - albeit temporarily - if Ralph were to continue on a few more years without showing bringing in the necessary talent to compete. I mean, if he kept T. Edwards or Fitzpatrick for another year after this, if they had another year like last year - I think that might be enough for me to say, "this guy is suckering these fans into paying for something he's not interested in making good." There's got to be some sign by management that they want to win above all else - I think that's it. If Ralph Wilson came out and said, "this is a business, I'm in it for the money, and if it pays to move the team, I will. If I can fill the seats without spending on a good team, I will. I only care about winning as long as it pays." - then I would stop supporting the team as long as he owned it. So, I guess it is the appearance of an effort to win, truly, and being in a smaller market makes us the underdogs - and that part of it I like. I just wish that by next year we can see that Nix is in charge and doing everything he can to make us great. I mean, if there is a F.A. available next year at a position we need, and they don't go after him for money's sake - that'll really burn me.

You know, I've heard all the talk about how lucky we should feel to have a team here, about how Ralph does spend... and a few things occurred to me: So, if we don't support the team, then the team packs up and moves? Is that it? We aren't supporting the team because it hasn't seen the playoffs in ten years. In today's NFL, you've got to be totally devoid of any intention of trying to win if you can go that long without winning. But, the fans here still are some of the best fans in the NFL. We still support our team despite the obvious lack of interest by it's owner to make this team a powerhouse. Yeah, we hear the realities of the finances, that he can spend X amount of money, and that's it. It looks like he brings in enough guys to field a team that won't fall on their asses, not that he's spending money to build a real champion. When's the last time he demanded his GM get him a real top end QB - no excuses? Or, how about overpaying, if need be, to make the playoffs for the fans. The alternative is to move. But there he'd have to go out and spend - on a new facility (why not do it here?) and he'd have to fill the roster with guys that'll win - big name QB's, Big playmaking WR's and RB's and a good defense. He'd have to give the fans something they believe in and would support. AND HERE'S THE KICKER! ONCE THE FANS ARE HOOKED ON SUPPORTING THE TEAM, ONCE THEY ARE USED TO HAVING THEIR FRANCHISE, THEIR OVER-COFFEE TEAM TALK, THEIR OWN TEAM TO ROOT FOR, then the owner can sit back and give them anything. He doesn't have to make it great anymore, doesn't have to field a winner, or make sure there's enough of the right talent there to win, because he's got 'em hooked. If they complain, then - "hey, you're lucky to have one of only 32 teams in the NFL. We'll move..." The owners get the fans hooked, and once they are, they cease having to actually build a champion. The money comes either way. We need an owner who wants to win first and above all else - he needs to demand the best guys, at whatever cost - not like Washington, needing the highest end F.A.'s just to have them, but, like in Buffalo, he should say, find the best QB and get him. Find a good LT and get him. They could've had McNiel and Brown, and they could've had Clausen. They could've had Tebow if they wanted him. I'm willing to wait and see this year and next year's off season. I believe in Gailey and Nix - I think they've got the mentality that I have - the no nonsense, we are going to win attitude. It's just, our owner has let this team fall to ruin, slowly, and he's too proud and greedy to do anything to stop it. Yeah, he spends. But, he could admit we need such and such players, and spend the money to get them. There's a difference between that, and just spending the league average. He talks spending on a budget that equates not losing the profit he's set at getting. He could spend more on a winner, make better choices for the fans, and still make money.

I was just thinking - we have a really young group of players on offense. All around the team there's youth - the D-line has some age, but, especially on offense, even if we needed to grab a rookie LT and QB next year, the group of linemen, WR's, TE's, and RB's would all be able to play the next three to five years together, when they're young. To see this group find an identity - and if it could be good, then we've got a team that could be together for half a decade - so, that'll be fun to watch, too. I don't think enough analysts and writers consider just how young of a team we have here. - and get an owner who will stop making us the look like a farm team!

I think the F.O. did a great job of bringing in potential WR's this year. The worst part, in my opinion, is that we wont have enough room to keep the ones with promise. I'm really liking Donald Jones, Roosevelt, and Easley. I'd like to keep all three. But then you've got Evans, Parrish, Hardy, Johnson - the four vets that'll have a spot, and we keep one or two extras. Easley will stay, so it'll be either Jones or Roosevelt. With Jones, Easley, and Hardy, you've got size and speed. Johnson and Roosevelt have enough speed to make it work - Jerry Rice wasn't blazing fast. Evans and Parrish are lightning quick, and add Spiller, and our WR's are all fast enough to go the distance. I love that. That is why I've been saying we could look like the Rams the year they came out, or be similar to the Saints or San Diego. All we need is for the line to hold up, but yeah, we've got plenty to be excited about at WR. I wouldn't want anyone else brought in we've got so many young ones to try out already.

I'll be happy if we start to show signs of being a tough team, both mentally and physically. I'm tired of seeing a "fast" team that gets out-muscled, pushed and shoved around, a team that can't stop the opponent even when we know what they're doing. A team that doesn't believe it can really win, let alone dominate. I'll be happy when I see a team that is tough enough to go out and be tougher, play harder, a team that other teams don't want to have to play. Even if we're not the best, we don't have to be - everyone knows a guy who is small, not very strong, but who no one will mess around with, because he's crazy and he'll fight until you kill him - that's what I'd like to see, because I think at the NFL level, with everyone being so close physically, that if we had that killer instinct we'd be able to beat anyone. And, I'd like to see competent, if not good, QB play - and, if we don't see it, I'd like to believe that by getting next year's top QB we'll have most everything else working good enough by then to expect to be playoff ready by next winter, latest.

All the Reggie Bush comparisons, about how Bush is used so much as a decoy, but how he's incredibly talented - and he's getting like 8 mil. for this season, I think, so he's gotta be worth it in whatever capacity he's being used - and I think, you give a good offensive coach a weapon like Bush, and look what happens. Sure, there's Brees and Co., too. I've been on here this summer mentioning the Rams right before they took the league by storm and won the S.B. - and how Buffalo is going to have a lot of speed. Well, we'll have three really good RB's, too. We do have weapons. It'll be more a matter of being sure to use them - i.e., holding up against the pass rush. But, you give a guy like Gailey a weapon like Spiller - look how long they waited to put the draft card in, they practically ran up to the podium - and I get excited thinking about the Bills being on highlight videos for something other than special teams.

Yeah! I've made comparisons to the Rams the season they broke out - prior to that no one thought twice about them... I do see Gailey using some big blocking formations, but if we can get the running game going, he'll have plenty of formations that could go either way, and with a three wide formation of, say, Easley, Evans, Parrish, with Nelson as the TE, and Spiller in the backfield, or no TE and Jackson and Spiller in the backfield - now that's a lot of recieving options, and a run that could go right, left, or up the middle. Sure, we'll have our troubles, but there are going to be some big plays this year. And, if our O-line, if by some miracle Nix and Gailey actually do have capable Tackles, plays good, we could have a really potent offense. At least it'll be new, and I think it'll be fun to watch for a change, and I also think we'll take the NFL by surprise with how potent we end up being offensively.

So many people here saying, "too many obstacles, too many ?'s" Well, it's happened a lot recently that a new coordinator comes in, switches the D - Denver, Miami, and Green Bay are good examples - brings in some new guys, moves old guys into "new" positions, and the team flourishes. Elvis Dumerville - he didn't have his breakout season until he was switched to a 3-4 outside linebacker. Previous to that he was just as average as our Kelsay, and not near Schobel. Linebacker is one of the easiest positions for a good rookie to come in and do well at. We have a good mix at linebacker, just like we have a variety at RB - different guys for different game situations. Troupe will be a big ?, and so will Maybin. But, we have talent that was dormant here for years in a bad system - talent that played good for long stretches, but was asked to do too much, and eventually broke. We've added beef, strength, toughness. We still have speed, though. We will be good. Not the best, but we'll be good enough to stop people and to fight with anyone - it's our offense that needs to hold its own, so we can finally get to the postseason.

I really like our chances of being good. It's funny - or not really - I'm thinking 3 of the top 10 defenses will be in our division: Jets, Miami, and Buffalo. We'll also be facing Baltimore, Green Bay, Cinci, Steelers, and New England twice. Potentially we'll be facing top 10 defenses in half our games! Probably four games against defenses in the top 5. I don't think we'll be that good this year, but I like our foundation, and I think we're going to be much, much better than most give us credit for. Our secondary will be freer to make plays - and we've got playmakers back there! Other than Byrd, I really like Wilson - I think he's going to be a real legitimate interception machine, a former WR, still learning last year to be a safety, really. Then you've got McKelvin - as hyped as Reevis coming out. Add to that our young guys and the reliable McGee, Florence, and Whitner, and I like Scott's versatility as a safety who could be really good in run support. Our D-line will be better than expected. That's based on K. Williams being underestimated. He's been reliable since he got here, but he's been getting better every year. Spell him with Troupe, and with Carrington, Edwards, and Stroud on the ends, it'll be fine against the run. Our LB's - I like the young guys. There will be learning curves, but my money is on Moats, Batten, and Coleman all being big contributors by seasons end. Add Poz, Davis and Mitchell, and that group is more than capable to stop the run and pressure the QB. That's not mentioning Maybin. If he lives up to half his physical potential, we have strength in a unit that others see as weak. Yeah, I don't see us being Green Bay good right out of the gates, but I think we'll have a top 7-10 Defense, that can win us games - you know, when you see two teams facing each other with offenses or defenses that are close - maybe within 5 ranking of each other - and both seem at times to be as good as the other - well, in such a way do I see our defense, at times, looking as good as any in the NFL, and giving us many opportunities to win.

I don't think any of us know how influential or detrimental coaching has been with Edwards - let's face it, many a QB would have failed under last year's circumstances. The great Bill Walsh liked Edwards coming out of college. I think his initial success and everything else adds up to Edwards deserving another shot. That shot, however, is now - and I don't think it's a biased one. If Edwards has got it he should be showing it. Perhaps that is the biggest indication - again, we'll have to wait and see - but, he's had enough time to build confidence in his own abilities, and to know how to lead, and to be a legitimate QB. If there isn't much separation now between he and Brohm and Fitz, then that's probably not too good a thing. But, if he wins out the competition, I think he has something that could be molded into success. If he has it, Gailey will see it and help him to be successful. I hope he or Brohm light it up this year - and then we still draft the best QB coming out next year!

My son and I were talking about that the other day - he's 10 yrs old and plays Madden and wanted to know how Spiller would compare to the other backs in the league - "Will he be the best?" he asks. I told him he's like a mix between Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson... he's bigger than Johnson, but might not be as quick, although he's not far behind, and he's much quicker than Peterson, though not as strong. But, Marshall Faulk was often used as a WR - and I think we'll see that a lot with Spiller. And, that reminds me of Thurman Thomas. He, too, was used as a WR, or the screens out of the backfield. I know the games have yet to prove everything, but I think Spiller will prove to be much stronger, and more capable of going up the middle and of being an every down, and an all around back, than people are now giving him credit for.

I agree - McKelvin, Wood, Spiller, and Maybin need to play good. I'd say so too do our draft picks this year. Maybe more important will be Troupe, and guys like Batten and Moats, who'll probably see a lot of playing time at the LB spots. One thing I really like about this team is that it is young. We have youth at most every position, and if we could get these guys clicking this year, then we've got, hopefully, three to five years ahead of us where the core of the team will be intact. The length of these young people's contracts is the most important reason, to me, for them to contribute immediately. In the case of Maybin, for instance - what if he doesn't start producing until year three or four. Really producing. Then he starts tearing it up in year four, say. In that situation we'd be paying him top dollar for a five year contract? and get two good years out of him, and then he'd be off to the highest bidder. We've seen that happen, we know it'll happen to any of our stars except maybe QB. So, with the way the NFL is now, our rookies have to contribute. And Nix knows that. He's mentioned it specifically, and I think he drafted this year with that in mind - that our rookies need to contribute. Lets hope they made the right decisions.

No doubt - I'm an optimist. My optimism might be regarded as realistic in, say, Baltimore, or Dallas, or Washington. Here in Buffalo, though, it is always seen as wishful thinking. In response to "there will never be another NFL team that good, let alone the Bills" - I certainly hope they're wrong. Why would you want to be in the NFL, as a coach or as management, if you didn't think you could assemble the best team that ever walked the grassy field? Sure, you're not going to achieve that hieght ever, or only once, but that is what should be strived for, and NOTHING LESS. That is what really killed me with Jauron. He seemed to believe the NFL was not capable of building great teams - at least, he never thought he was. Rather, he aimed at edging the opponent by a field goal. No wonder our team sucked! You've got to think like Rex Ryan, or Billecheck, or the Tuna - funny, they're all in our division! Gailey, though, and Nix, want to return our team to greatness. Not merely winning, but being feared. That is good. As bad as our team has been recently - we've been bringing in young talent, nevertheless. This I believe - that we have more talent at WR, LB, and Defensive lines than most fans and analysts will credit us for; we just never had the right coaching to utilize it. Gailey will show us there's more talent on this team than we realized, or dared to speculate about. We certainly aren't great yet, but we can be, and I hope Nix and Gailey believe that and are aiming at being able to stand up with these monsters in our division soon.

What has been mentioned here has merit: As much as the fans hated Jauron, imagine how stifling a situation it must've been for the Bills QB's to be put into. Add to that the lack of appropriate talent - I was going to say, for the particular offensive scheme - but, I then remembered - there didn't ever seem to be a particular scheme here. We had no Identity on offense for the last four years, I'd say, if not longer. Since Bledsoe. Lets let Gailey install his offense. If none of our present QB's can be successful running it, I've got no doubt we'll see a franchise QB drafted next year.