jahnyc

I think this shows why making the playoffs and having success this year was so important. When bad teams (i.e., the Bills) finally develop and acquire some talent, there can be a relatively small window to have success due to the salary cap and expiring contracts. We are in that window now, and in the offseason, we will face some tough decisions because of the salary cap. The Bills spent a lot last offseason to take their shot this season and so far it is not working out. All of this is without paying a QB typical starting QB money.

I think Whaley is the most vulnerable, football czar or not. How attractive would the GM position be with cap issues and a requirement that you keep Rex? Not sure.

I seem to recall that for EJ there were many reports that many teams had EJ at a third round or lower grade, but there is one other team that had interest maybe late in the first round (Philly?). For Watkins, I do not think there was any doubt that he was talented and carried a high first round grade, but some teams had higher draft grades on other WRs. I think that there was some surprise among other teams that the Bills were willing to give up as much as they did to move up in the draft.

Do not forget about CK as a second round pick the year we traded up to get Sammy. My recollection is that Whaley wanted to keep the second round pick in that draft so he traded the first round pick for the next year. CK does not look like a starting caliber RT. Not a good pick to add to the issues noted with the use of the first round picks.

Roman has helped improve the offense significantly. Not sure why EJ did not throw more to McCoy. He sure looked like he was open for most of the game coming out of the backfield.

The Bills potentially have squandered three first round picks on EJ and Watkins. Add the below average play of CK (a second round pick), and you have early round talent that is not contributing or not available.

I would get the best available GM. May be a difficult job to fill if one of the the requirements is to keep Ryan as HC.

Not sure where there are short or long term positives. Short term, we have a losing record, we have lost three of four at home, we have a lot of injuries, and Rex and the defense have been disappointing. Long term, Rex has a long term contract, the Bills are up against the cap next year, and we have some decent players that will be free agents (e.g., Glenn and Bradham).

The receiver was open. He threw it late.

Should have been another interception. Lucky on that one.

Glad they stopped them at the goal line, but a nine minute drive by the Jaguars?

Whether you think EJ has future or not in the NFL, I think we can agree that at this point of his career, he is not accurate enough with his throws. It is a problem, and a problem he has had since joining the Bills. Is accuracy fixable? I have no idea, but I believe that he until he improves in this area and in his overall decision making, he is going to struggle in the NFL.

I agree that the season has been disappointing so far, if not worse given the hype about our talent. If there is dysfunction in the Bills organization and the Bills finish .500 or worse, I think Whaley will be the one to go, particularly since there were efforts made to bring in a football czar after last season.

While it is way too premature to discuss firing Rex, the hype surrounding this team in terms of overall talent created what now seem to be unreasonable expectations about the team's performance this year. Rex amplified the hype, and now we are all disappointed and ready to point fingers. After 15 years of not making the playoffs, we are a very frustrated fan group, so I am not surprised with the reactions of some fans given the expectations going into the season.

There is a lot we do not know, and this is one of them. We also do not know whether it was Whaley or Ryan who wanted to sign Harvin, Taylor, Incognito and Clay, although I suspect that Ryan pushed for all of these signings. Also wondering if there really is tension between Whaley and Riley, including with regard to the trading of Cassel.

Would be okay if both Rex and Whaley were fired after the season, but I do not think it will happen. Someone will need to take the fall if the Bills do not make the playoffs after the massive investments in free agency and to retain our free agents, and I have a feeling it will be Whaley, particularly if there really is tension or worse between Whaley and Ryan. If the situation is dysfunctional, something will need to be done to fix it.

He is not accurate enough to be a legitimate starting QB and takes too long to make his reads.

Our schedule is one of the most favorable that I can remember for a Bills team. Dolphins, Colts, Chiefs, Texans, Eagles and Redskins have all underperformed to some degree to this point. The Jags are improving, but not there yet. The Jets are certainly beatable. NE will be tough and Dallas is a bit of an unknown because of injuries. We need to make the playoffs this year, and if we do not, the schedule will not be an excuse.

Have to agree that the timing of Watkin's statements is beyond strange. He has not played in the last couple of games. I really do not understand getting his agent involved. Shouldn't he be talking to the coaches?

I get that he wants the ball even if he is selfish about it. The agent part of this and the pulling strings stuff is troubling.

I think it is too early to make any judgments about Taylor, trading Cassel or having EJ as the primary back-up. EJ may get his chance soon enough to show that he has made (or not made) progress in his development. One thing that we will need to keep an eye on is Taylor's long term durability as a mobile QB.

Other than today, the offense has been better than I anticipated. I think Roman is a quality OC and Taylor has been better than I thought he would be. The defense and the defensive game plans have been a bit disappointing to me. NE and the Giants out coached us. The penalties suck.

Our top three wide receivers (Watkins, Harvin and Woods) have been disappointing so far this season. While I do not think that Watkins is a bust, his lack of availability so far this season is frustrating. Woods seems to have regressed and I am not sure if Harvin was injured in the game today, but he has not done anything in the last couple of games. The reality is that Watkins needs to be healthy and play like a top WR if people are going to forget about, or at least focus less on, the cost of trading up to get him.

Feel terrible for him. One of my favorite players and he was my top pick for my fantasy team this year. Really sucks all the way around.

In some ways, I am more worried that Karlos Williams did not pass the concussion protocols this week. I wonder how long this will take and whether this concussion was serious enough to cause issues in the future.