nostyle126

HC is the real difference. They could have Pennington on their current team and be just as successful as Sanchez. Sanchez is only being asked to manage the offense and NOT LOSE THE GAME. He is doing his job well. Pennington could be doing just the same thing. The DEFENSE is what has this team in the AFC Championship game.

Amen.

...the same luxury WE'RE supposed to have, after using a very high draft pick on Leodis McKelvin. And even though McKelvin hasn't turned into the shutdown corner we all hoped he'd be, you still have to agree that our secondary is our strength. We need to make them carry more of the load defensively by running aggressive blitz schemes up front, requiring man coverage. I think our defensive backfield would hold up just fine, especially with the additional pressure our blitzes would bring.

That is the RIGHT way to play defense. Attack attack attack. Make the offense adapt to YOU. Keep them on their heels. Could you possibly give up a big play? Sure. But the rewards outweigh the risks.

Completely not true. We have a STACKED secondary that's BEGGING for a more aggressive scheme. Leave CBs on an island and let them go man against opposing receivers while the front seven runs aggressive zone blitz schemes. This would then allow our UNDERtalented front seven to blitz more, generating the pressure our front four alone cannot. I also think Maybin could be a hybrid DE/LB in a 3-4, with some coaching. Not trying to say he's the next Biscuit but I think he can be a bit more versatile than we give him credit for. So IMO we should either go 4-3 or go forty-six, based on the talent we have. Add some linebackers and maybe go 3-4 with maybin on the end.

We need linebackers and offensive tackles. That's my bottom line. I think a lot of other pieces will fall into place if we upgrade the talent at these two positions. You'll be amazed at how good a quarterback, even a middle-of-the-pack unproven quarterback, can look when you put him behind a truly dominant offensive line.

Oh, is that all?

How do you know Frazier will bring accountability? Has he ever done so as a head coach? Oh, he's never been a head coach? Question answered. Most Bills fans want a proven head coach at this point, not a journeyman head coach like Jauron and not a hyped coordinator like Gregg Williams. OBD has had a decade to experiment with unproven commodities and it has fallen flat on its face. Time to bring in someone who can say "I've been a head coach and I've done it RIGHT."

What a loser mentality. Go grovel at Ralph's feet some more. If the Bills are going to be a cheap team that settles for mediocrity every year then let them move to Toronto or L.A. It amazes me how so many fans think like you...that it's better to keep a loser team than to have no team. Bah. Loser.

I think you're missing my point. Take Fred Jackson. Give him the best offensive line in the league. He will put up production that will be right up there with the best RBs in the league. That is my point. And you didn't even have to spend a first round pick to get Fred Jackson. There are lots of Fred Jacksons out there. They're like Kleenex. Use them for a few years until they burn out and then move on. And, hey, bonus! By investing in the offensive line, instead of the running back, you get the benefit of better protection for your QUARTERBACK! The result? Your QUARTERBACK plays better too! Ahh, the beauty of investing in an offensive line.

The only coach I wish we could've kept was April, but he was looking for that big promotion to HC and the Bills weren't ready to give it to him.

People are cutting Fewell a lot of slack for going 3-4 with a bandaid roster. I get that, but we still went 3-4, including a garbage time win against the Colts. That's not a lot to base his abilities on. What we have a solid sampling of is his ability at a DC, and I wasn't impressed.

I must be the only fan that wasn't impressed by Fewell. I didn't even think he was that good of a defensive coordinator.

His off-field antics aside, Marshawn's on-field lack of smarts is what concerns me the most. He's not a rookie anymore, yet he still hasn't learned how to read blitzes and pick them up accordingly. Even little things, like staying inbounds to keep the clock ticking when you have the lead at the end of the game, he doesn't seem to get. (I suppose I'll cut him some slack for rarely playing with the lead, but I digress...) I was at the Bills game against Carolina, and there we were with the lead and time winding down. Gotta keep that clock ticking...Marshawn runs off left tackle, and GOES OUT OF BOUNDS. Think Marshawn. Think. A Bills fan a few rows up from me shouted "FOOTBALL 101 MARSHAWN". This isn't rocket science. so when Marshawn learns the basics of football, learns to hit the hole hard, learns to pick up blitzes, stops dropping easy passes, and maybe even starts to behave himself off the field, then I'll give some thought to whether or not he's a top 5 back in this league. In the mean time the topic is borderline laughable.

You're rationalizing. Are you employed by OBD? Peters was (and is, again) a pro bowler. He had a minimum contract because he was a nobody that the Bills converted to a LT. Then they decided to cheap out and let someone else take Peters' talent. One of many times the Bills have opted to save money instead of fielding the best possible team.

Nice comeback. Well thought out. At least you spelled everything right.

I wonder if Cowher knows that Buffalo is now the pierogi capital of the country...took the title from Pittsburgh. That might get him here.

See, that's the thing about RBs. They're a dime a dozen and their careers are short. IMO you should never invest that much in a RB. Find yourself a Fred Jackson (or a Chester Taylor, or a Pierre Thomas, etc) and give him the absolute best offensive line in the league. You'll be amazed at the results. IMO teams are investing way too much in the concept of a 'stud' running back, when Denver's old approach really showed the best way to do it. Whether it was Terrell Davis, Clinton Portis, Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary, or Rueben Droughns, their running game was successful behind those great offensive lines.

This thread is really a joke. Did someone seriously just say that Lynch is more productive than Adrian Peterson? Wow. In my home city (Charlotte) alone there are two running backs I'd take over Lynch.

I don't base my opinion on wins and losses. I base it on OBVIOUS decisions they've made over the past decade. They've often taken the cheap route. The latest and most obvious example was Jason Peters. We FINALLY found a legitimate left tackle (the first we've had since, truly, Will Wilford) and we traded him away. Then we outright CUT Walker to save a few more bucks. Peters was going to demand a real LT's contract, and we were too cheap to pay it. Walker was going to make too much to be a reserve. So rather than just own up to paying either of these guys, we simply got rid of both and decided guys like Bell, Butler, Scott, Chambers, and Meredith could get us through. A decision based on money, not putting out the best possible football team.

Lynch isn't even the best RB on this TEAM, let alone top 5 in the NFL. He dances rather than hitting the hole. He drops easy drop-off passes. He can't block worth a lick. Larceny is just the cherry on top.

I'm sorry, but blind devotion to a team that doesn't reward you with the same level of devotion is...well...dumb. I've been a Bills fan since I was 10. All I ask is that they give 100% effort to put a winning team on the field. If they try their hardest and still lose more than they win, so be it. I'm a fan. BUT When they start making decisions based on money rather than winning, it gets really hard to keep that loyalty. So when someone like Tony comes along and is clearly upset with the team, I feel for him. Some of you seem to feel this team can do no wrong and that we should bow down and kiss Ralph's feet simply for having given us the mercy of not moving the team. Screw that. I'm not going to throw on a Jills outfit and dance around like some of you obviously do. If Ralph wants to move the team then he should. But if he wants to stay put then he needs to man up, open the wallet, and start paying to put a winning team on the field. If he chooses not to, then slowly but surely many fans WILL "just go away", taking their money with them. Some might give the courtesy of a goodbye note like this thread, but most won't. They'll simply stop showing up, stop buying jerseys, and stop forking their hard earned money over to an organization that doesn't give them anything back in return.

I personally agree with the OP and don't understand why he's being attacked. Some on here have said "if you're no longer a fan then just go away". You people are missing the point. The point is that the OP, like myself, is passionate about this team, and is upset at the state it's in. It's not that easy to just walk away from something you've loved for decades. I'm in the same boat. I am sick of the state of this franchise...specifically the team's unwillingness to spend money and invest in a legitimate coaching staff...and I, too, am on the verge of calling it quits. It's frustrating, and it's heart-breaking. But I cannot be a fan of a team that doesn't making winning it's number one priority. This team almost lost me during the mike mularkey debacle but then they hired Levy and I gave the team the benefit of the doubt once again. So much for that. So I'm at the same point. It's not as simple as "just stop being a fan". It's like getting a divorce. It sucks. But if this team doesn't take this coaching hire seriously, and doesn't show the willingness to spend money to make this team a winner, I feel it's just time to move on, as painful as that decision might be.

No Bills fan should want Fox. I posted a long explanation of why in another thread, but I want to at least say this. Fox and the Panthers lost to the Ryan Fitzpatrick/Dick Jauron Bills AT HOME this year. He got out-Jauron'd by Jauron. You still want him?

I don't want Fox, and I live in Charlotte. Fox got out-Jauron'd by Dick Jauron this year. Give that some thought. Fox is not a great x's and o's coach...and he hires coordinators that are nothing to write home about. Want Dan Henning back? You might get him if John Fox coaches here. Give that some thought. Fox is also loyal to veteran players...to a fault. He REFUSED to let Deangelo Williams have playing time over Deshaun Foster due to his blind loyalty to Foster. He REFUSED to give Matt Moore a shot over Jake Delhomme due to his blind loyalty. Fox had a handful of situations where great talent was hiding on the bench because he refused to give them a chance. If Fox were Buffalo's coach we may never have seen Byrd play this year...or found out how good George Wilson is...or played Fred Jackson after Marshawn's bye was over (at least under Fewell Jackson got his fair share of carries). That kind of blind loyalty has hurt the panthers many times. Fox also brings boring to a team. Even if the strategy works, like last year when they hid delhomme's flaws and had a great record, it's brutal football to watch. Run-run-pass-punt offense. Cover two defense. Not my kind of coach. Sorry.