#34fan

8-wins. With at least one victory over each divisional rival. I'd consider that a huge accomplishment.

As a confessed doubter, skeptic, and critic of the way this organization has done things for the past ten years, I must say that it's threads like this one that give me the most hope for the future. -Fans coming together for the good of the team. Solidarity and high attendance at home games. This is 90's stuff. The kind of stuff that gives me goosebumps. Bills fans exist in droves all over central and western New York. Bringing them together and getting them to home games is a truly fan-tastic idea!

It seems a tad delusional to cast our team as the AFCE champs-in-waiting when all we did was add a couple of defensive peices in the off season. Hate to break it to you guys, but the Dolphruits made a few changes as well. So did that other AFCE team that swept us last year. I think it's OK to be excited about our defense's potential, but until they start living up to it, that's all it is. -Potential. Given this franchise's recent history, the extreme cockiness i've felt around here lately is totally unwarranted. We've got a LONG way to go. Still...... GOOOO BILLS.

I seem to remember that '03 Tampa defense outscoring their offense a couple of games. If we had a D like those guys did, I would say NO PROBLEM for a playoff berth.

Greatest. Game. Ever.

I've watched a lot of Vince Young. I'm not a fan by any means, but he throws a nice ball when he wants to. -AND the darn thing travels a frickin' mile.

Eureka, we've added some new personnel! -I hadn't noticed Let's just say that until this "partuicular group of players" lives up to the hype, they will be compared (by me) to the 2011 Bills team that went 6-10. -That's the best deal I can offer at the moment. We havent made the playoffs in 12 years. Honestly what's another three stinkin' months? 'preciate your concern, but I'll be just fine.

BINGO!

Call me a skeptic, but I'm waiting for these guys to back up all the they're talking. Until they PROVE otherwise, this is still a 6-10 team. Sure, I'm excited about all the new additions, but in my experience, excitement is often the prelude to a letdown. I'm governing my emotions until we actually start beating people. GO BILLS!

While it's possible that other teams are scared of our capabilities in the "trap game" sense of the word, I seriously doubt that opposing DC's are staying up nights with furrowed eyebrows at the prospect of facing Fitzpatrick and Chan Gailey. However, if by some stroke of magic a few teams on our schedule are genuinely scared, then GOOD. We need to reinforce that fear. Provide them with a little substance to back it up. Until then, I'm over all this speculation of how "good" we're going to be. I'm ready to get into TC and pre-season so I can get a better bead on where we are.

bit of a homecoming for Chad, isn't it? -Anyway, I think he'll do well there as a decoy. You can't completely ignore him if he's on the field.

Guys please, the slash thing has been over for 18 years. -That's a lifetime in some circumstances. People have got to stop letting Chan's unbelievable luck with Kordell Stewart be such a huge part of his legacy. Even if we ignored the fact that Modern defenses have adapted to neutralize any kind of "slash" threat, there's still too great of a risk of injury involved in re-living this long-dead dream. Come up with something new Chan. Be the inovator, and "guru" your loyal followers claim you are. I'm waiting with baited breath for you to show us non-believers your "genius" However with quotes like this one, I seriously doubt it. “The skill set always intrigues me,” Gailey said. “The more skill they have, the better coach I am.” Um... Duh.

You mean the same Tony Romo who seems to choke ON CUE in big games. And the same Romo wo hasn't beat the Giants since 2008! -How many playoff games has Romo won? No offense, but Tony Romo isn't the type of achievement a so-called "QB GURU" should hang his hat on. -JMO.

I have to disagree. Beating the Jets in their home opener would be HUUUUUGE for us! Not only would it validate all of our offseason moves, It would also send that team into utter Chaos, increasing the likelihood that we'll beat them again. Memo to Marcel: No warning is ncessary in order to beat someones a$$. -It's actually better sometimes if you don't. -Personally, I'll take wins anyday over trash talk.

Hey, I know it's just OTA's but the Jets look tight, and very well conditioned. IMO Sancho showed up to his mini-camp looking one hell of a lot better than Fitz did. I don't know what everyone else sees, but Jets OTA's seem very intense, and competitive. I think Gang Green could have a pretty mean 53 man roster when all is said and done. Let's not forget that both Sanchez, AND Sparano swept us last year. Something tells me We're going to have to be on our P's and Q's to have any kind of a chance in that away opener.

Umm... I knew EXACTLY who Victor Cruz was, and predicted his rise to stardom if he was ever given a chance. As a rookie on the Giants bench, I knew he could be great. Even while at Umass, there was something visibly special about this kid. I feel the same way about Provo. -He was cut WAY too soon IMO. I understand a teams need to have a blocking tight end, but Provo has INSANE hands. Plus, I believe he would have improved at the blocking part. I'm somewhat optimistic about Dickerson. He's a bit undersized but there's something very Antonio Gates-like about him. Easley, i'm not so sure about. I like him, but require visible proof that he is healthy, and can finish out a complete season. Also, I wish people wouldstop acting like Visanthe Shancoe, and Dallas Clark are just "Names" in the NFL. These are proven, grizzled Veterans that know how to compete and how to win. They would be great tools to have in our arsenal.

Wasn't there talk of getting Fitz some more offensive weapons? Well, where the are they? I thought for sure we would have picked up Dallas Clark, Visanthe Shancoe, or at least a promising UDFA like TE Nick Provo. We didn't do any of that. Instead we got who? -Dorin Dickerson? The guy may be talented, but he's not exactly what I had in mind.

I say Pegula makes his move first.

Agreed. My major problem with V. Young is his emotional fortitude. -Or lack thereof. I've always known that the guy is flat-out talented. -If he can ever find a true gridiron face I think he could totally redeeem himself. However, until then.....

No way. Pass on #85.

Jiminny crismiss, San Jose, you pretty much FBI-profiled the guy! -If we ever met, I'd probably be led away in handcuffs! For cripe sakes, Is he cleared to board the team plane for away games?!

You're 100% right about team structure part. I believe in going into situations "Eyes Wide Open" IMO, you should know as much as you can about a person before wholeheartedly throwing your support behind them. As I said previously, I fully support Dave Wannstedt as DC. I started this thread to provide a little historical perspective for those who may recognize the epic 'stache, but not know alot about the coach and person.

I totally get what you're trying to say. Still, it seems to me (and several NFL franchises) that the guy most qualified to make on-the-field personnel decisions would be the actual guy on the field. Of course, depending on your level of involvement, these decisions can bolster or damage your permanent record. The difference is always championships, -and Jewlery. That goes for coaches and GM's alike. Take a guy like the Chargers A.J. Smith. -Sure, Coach Norv is free to put his two cents in every now and then, but the final decision is always A.J's -He's a complete dictator, and everyone knows it. Marty Schottenheimer butted heads with A.J. Smith before, and we all know who ended up winning that battle. You can even look at a owner/GM/DESPOT like Jerry Jones. It's pretty funny how he doesn't seem to give a rat's what his HC thinks about the personnel HE chooses. It's almost a foregone conclusion that come draft-day, the first, second, and third rounds BELONG TO JERRY. if you got a problem with that, then you've got problems, my friend. What can be argued, are the results of this level of control and involvement. A.J. Smith was recently labled the "Lord of NO RINGS" by a prominent player's agent, and the Cowboys have achieved little more than massive hype in the last eight years. By contrast, Jim and John Harbaugh's influence as HC's are evident in their respective teams personnel decisions. The same can be said of Pete Carroll, Sean Payton, and Mike Tomlin. Most of those franchises seem to be doing ok. IMO, Head Coaching autonomy exists for a valid reason and isn't just reserved for the Mike Shannahan's, and Bill Bellichick's of the NFL. -The GM may see talent, but the HC sees how that talent can be put to use. Personally, I'd go with the opinion of the latter.

This may be how you feel, but it simply is not how it works. First of all, you can bet a body part that Jim Harbaugh was pretty close to being the deciding factor in moving up in the '11 draft to take Colin Kaepernick . He also led the push to "evaluate" (yah, right) Peyton Manning once he was cut by the Colts. By that same token, bringing in RG3 was Mike Shannahan's and NOT GM Bruce Allen's idea of a master-stroke. -It sure cost the skins enough to do it. (future draft picks) however, other than negotiating the price, this was Shanny's call. And somehow, I don't see Bill Bellichick's expertise being overuled by ANYONE in the Patriots organization. Certainly not Nick Caserio, or Floyd Reese. -Not even the Kraft family for pete's sake. And lastly, think about the case of poor Josh McDaniels. My link Had it not been for him drafting Tim Tebow 25th overall in 2010, there might have been no such thing as Tebowmania, and no such practice as "Tebowing". (formerly known as praying.) McDaniels recieved credit/condemnation for the good and bad that came from that, as well as other questionable decisions he made as HC. Link 2 Link 3 Ultimately, his stint as Broncos HC would live and die by both. You seem to have a "church and state" view of how the GM/HC relationship works. All I can say is thank heavens that the actual dynamic is quite different.

There's a deeper history of dubious personnel decisions that occurred under Wannstedt's watch. This archived article covers a few of them. It may provide a clearer picture of things that transpired. It's a bit of a fan's perspective, but in some ways, it seems almost prophetic.My link Typically, head coaches enjoy executive privelege in on-the-field personnel decisions, as well as draft choices. You'd better believe a coach like Mike Ditka did. It's hard for me to believe that Wannstedt (the guy who succeeded Ditka) didn't wield similar power. Like I said, I fully support Wanny as DC, but I'll be watching the outcomes of decisions in which his vote is key.