jahnyc

Usually I am optimistic to start each new season, but if it is status quo with the Bills, I think it will be tough. We are not in great salary cap shape, and I am not sure how attractive the Bills will be this offseason when we cannot afford to overpay for free agents. We also have a bunch of our own free agents, and I am not sure we can sign both Glenn and Incognito. Our draft choice will be in the middle of the first round, so we will not have a shot at the top talent in the draft. Next year's schedule looks much tougher than this year. I understand that a lot can change between now and the start of next season, but as of this moment, I am not particularly hopeful that next season will be better.

I have watched a lot of NFL games over the years, and Moore's performance may rank in the top 10 of worst performances by an NFL QB who started and finished a full game.

Starting to feel like no changes will be made this offseason in the front office or coaching staff, not even a football czar. That would be unfortunate.

I think it is really hard to assess Whaley's performance the last two years and his role in the front office in terms of decision making prior to that time. Even if you give him all of the credit for recent drafting and player acquisitions, i am not sure why there is such strong support for him on this board. We continue to miss the playoffs and I do not think there is a lot to be optimistic about for next year given our cap situation and need to, at a minimum, retool on defense. I am trying to be objective here, but I think the best argument that can be made for Whaley is that a GM should have at least three years to turn things around. Maybe the better argument is that after 16 years without making the playoffs and new ownership, a housecleaning is in order.

The d-line may have excellent talent, but apparently the Bills do not have the right personnel to run Ryan's scheme. Subtract M. Williams and with K. Williams having injury issues, the d-line is not elite.

Is Karlos going to get most of the touches on Sunday? I also have him in my league, and I am worried about Gilliesiee getting a bunch of touches as well, particularly since Karlos has had a shoulder injury. I could play White on New England, but he only seems to catch passes.

After another disappointing season, will it be status quo with the front office and coaching staff? We have a number of free agents and limited cap space this offseason, even if we release Williams, McKelvin and Harvin. If Ryan needs new personnel on defense, can this really be accomplished in one offseason? Releasing Mario Williams will create another hole. Unfortunately, I am not sure we can count on Henderson and A. Williams returning next season (but I hope this is not the case). Will we have a better team next year?

Well, that is more than depressing. I am not particularly confident in the current mix.

Thanks, JW. What does this mean in terms of getting a football czar or consultant? Is that still on the table or likely, even if it is not Polian?

Many posters were calling for a consultant to be brought in years ago. It would have made so much sense to have retained a consultant or football czar last year when the Pegulas bought the team and Marrone left. The need continues and has grown, and we really need a fresh look at the football operations.

I am getting a bit tired of all of this drama. Players speaking out, Polian giving his thoughts, and reports of friction between the coaches and the GM. The leaks are also out of control, and I would like to see some semblance of order restored. If it means a czar and/or a new GM, so be it. Let them figure out what to do about Rex and the coaching staff.

We may have nine players who are 30+, but it does not seem they are the types to provide leadership.

I read the article. Wow, Polian did not hold back. More things that will cause more division. Interesting points about the o-line (aging and not athletic), a roster with too many 30+ year old players, and Taylor not being the long-tern answer. Not sure what to make of this mess, but things seem to be spinning out of control.

I agree that our talent level was not as good as many believed. Plus many of our starters going into this year were free agent acquisitions, not draft picks (McCoy, Taylor, M. Williams, Graham, Clay, Felton, Harvin and Incognito), so I do not think we can say that this team was built through the draft.

Not saying it is not warranted, but I am not sure that I can recall hearing this amount of complaints/critiques about coaching or scheme from players on the Bills before (mostly from the defense). Today it was from P. Brown and C. Graham. Does this show a lack of respect for the coaches to be this free with the criticism?

Schwartz is the big winner here. He looks good compared to Rex in terms of how the defense performed when he was the DC. The other winner (shockingly) is Marrone. He coached the team to a better record with arguably less talent and his issues with the front office now seem to be more about the front office than him.

I really liked the way that Rex embraced the community and our history. I was fine with hiring Rex, in part because I thought he would be able to assemble an excellent coaching staff and run a great defense. I think he wants to win here for all of the right reasons, but this has been a very disappointing season, and maybe the worst part of it is happening now with all of the speculation about internal disagreements and player dissatisfaction. It has been 16 years of not making the playoffs. Something is not right with this team and the front office, and while there would be huge short term damage to the reputation of the franchise and interest in players wanting to come here, hiring a czar and/or a new GM and a new head coach may be best for the long-term interests and prospects of the franchise.

I also was surprised that Carucci stated that Whaley has one year left on his contract. If the Pegulas want Whaley out, it will not matter, but all other reports had indicated that this was the last year of his contract.

The last sentence of Vic's new piece seems like a killer for Whaley about his problems getting along with two coaches and it not being a coincidence.

In a vacuum, I would understand that the hiring of a football czar may not have been tied to Whaley's performance as GM, but since Whaley has not been extended (his contract reportedly expires at the end of this year), I believe that there may be a connection.

I disagree about Whaley. I do not think he is particularly well respected around the league. The best evidence is that the Pegulas were looking to hire a front office czar. I am sure they learned a lot during the process of buying the team, and if there was overwhelming agreement that Whaley was a strong GM, they would not have been looking to bring in a czar. Given the record in Buffalo over the last number of years and the dysfunction in the organization, I am not sure that Whaley would be able to find another GM opportunity.

This is all about losing and its effects going on for years. Whaley is trying to protect his reputation and deflect blame for another losing season. Ryan will claim that he does not have the right types of players to run his D, which will mean a major retooling, including getting rid of M. Williams, since he has been vocal with his issues with the defense and the way he is being used. Add in a little "we miss Schwartz" from the current defensive players and we have another mess, which is to be expected after we started the season with high expectations and a lot of talk that this was a talented team. This leaves us with more dysfunction, questions about the competency of the front office and coaching, and the prospect of another rebuild of sorts. I think we should have cleaned house last year with a new GM with a new coach picked by the GM.

Interesting that Whaley is going after "assistants" and not Rex directly. I think Roman has been a huge improvement over Hackett, particularly since Taylor is a first-year starter at QB.

Some thoughts about this season to date and the upcoming offseason: 1. If there was a year to end the playoff drought, it was this year. Our schedule was one of the most favorable that I can remember. 2. I do not think this team is as talented as many believed going into the season (or even now). The right side of the o-line is very weak, our linebacking group needs to be upgraded and we need a strong number two wide receiver. We also lack depth at many positions (LB, DE, and o-line). We also will need to see about the health of A. Williams and Henderson for next season. 3. Our holes next year may be more significant, depending on whether we re-sign Glenn, Incognito and Bradham and potentially release M. Williams. Kind of interesting that we have this number of holes and limited cap space considering that we are not paying a starting QB $20 million plus per year. 4. I think it is odd that there has been no information about Whaley since his contract expires at the end of this season. I guess it is possible that an extension was agreed to and not disclosed and I know that Carucci has said that no changes are likely, but with the flirtation with Polian last year, I would not be surprised if Whaley is not back. I also do not think that Whaley will have another GM position waiting for him if he chooses not to return. 5. Darby and K. Williams were great picks last year, but a lot of the recent draft picks have been busts, including CK, Cockrell (although he is getting playing time with the Steelers), Richardson, Goodwin, and Duke Williams. Not sure if Miller and Henderson will pan out, but they both have been disappointing this year. P. Brown has regressed significantly this year, but that may be more scheme related. Woods has been a disappointment as a former second round pick. 6. Assessing the performance of the front office is nearly impossible. Were players drafted/signed because of Nix, Whaley or input from Ryan and his staff? Does Whaley have full control or did Ryan tell him which players to get? Was Nix responsible for trades, drafting and free agency, or did Whaley have significant input before becoming GM? Who was responsible for hiring Marrone? Ryan? It is all really murky. 7. I think that the coaching on offense has been way superior to the offensive coaching in the prior couple of years. Roman is a huge upgrade at OC. 8. I do not think the Bills miss Fred Jackson in terms of this play, but do they miss his leadership? The team seems to lack maturity and team leaders, and I did not feel this way last year or in prior years. 9. I think many of us assumed that the defensive talent was such that implementing Ryan's scheme would not be a particularly difficult exercise. This did not turn out to be the case, and I guess we are going to be changing the personnel on defense. I hope that this is not a two or three year process, because after all of the coaching changes and rebuilds, many of us were not expecting this amount of retooling now. 10. I wonder what was included in Ryan's contract about a change in GM and if he has any consent rights. I know that he went through a difficult with the Jets when they hired a new GM and he was a lame duck, so I would not be surprised if this was addressed in some manner in his contract with the Bills. 11. This has been another disappointing season of not making the playoffs, but watching with sadness what is going on with the fans of San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis, I am thankful for the Pegulas and that the Bills will be staying in Buffalo. Living in NYC, I am always surprised at the number of fans I meet at sports bars or see wearing Bills' gear on Sundays around the City.

I was optimistic for this year, but why is next year going to be better since we have less cap flexibility and some important free agents?