jahnyc

Getting Kalil would be sweet. If this happens, what a great offseason. Top LT prospect in the draft, top DE in free agency, another experienced DE with pass rushing ability in free agency and the re-signing of Stevie and other veterans. Combine all of this with (I hope) a healthy Wood, Merriman, Fred and Fitz, and I think we can look forward to the start of the regular season with real excitement.

How do Refiff, Martin, Glenn and Adams compare to some of the recently drafted offensive tackles (such as Belaga, Davis, Williams, Okung etc.) in terms of pre-draft ratings?

We all understand that money is tight, but if the proposal comes in at $200 million, it is the most reasonable renovation of an NFL stadium in recent history. It would be great to build a new stadium, but I doubt the money would be available and, fortunately, the Bills are not demanding it. This is the next best option, relatively low cost to modernize the current facility.

The Bills will always need to show that the team is viable in Buffalo, including economically. I think the MW signing potentially helps for the following reasons: 1. The Bills need to stay in Buffalo after RW passes. Anything that shows how excited and committed our fans are will ultimately make it more difficult for the Bills to ever leave Buffalo. A better, winning team will also indirectly improve the chances that the Bills stay in Buffalo over the long term, including because of increased ticket sales as noted below. 2. The Toronto arrangement ends after this year and the Bills need to negotiate an extension. I know that many of us do not like the Bills playing any games in Toronto, but it is an important source of revenue for the team and plays into the efforts to regionalize the Bills 3. The Bills will be seeking money from NY State for improvements to the stadium. A winning team with strong fan support may help with this process and put pressure on Cuomo and the State legislature to deliver the necessary funding. 4. There has already been an increase in season ticket sales, and I would expect that the MW addition will lead to improved attendance (particularly if the Bills get off to a good start this year) and increased sales of Bills related merchandise.

Not enthusiastic about the free agent WRs that are left. The Bills can draft a WR, but WRs usually take time to develop. Others may disagree, but I think a #2 WR is a big need.

As someone else pointed out in another thread, I think that we are the only team that has been rejected by a free agent who visited with a team today.

I think the Bills really thought they were going to sign Meachem and Williams. With Bell not re-signed, I am guessing they were going to draft a LT if all of this played out as planned.

Seems like all of the top FA wide receivers have already signed with other teams. V. Jackson, Colston, Morgan, and Garcon are all gone. Lloyd is over 30 and Manningham is not much of an upgrade. A strong #2 WR is a big need.

A few points: 1. I know that $100 million plus is a lot of money, but the reality is that stadium costs for the Bills over the years have been very low compared to almost every other NFL city. There is no demand for a new stadium, rather improvements to an old stadium that would not be sufficient for the needs of most NFL communities, even if renovated. 2. If RW stadium is not improved, the Bills will leave. The combination of an old stadium, an expiring lease and uncertainty with ownership after RW is fatal. 3. At some point, irrespective of the lease situation or the ownership situation, the NFL will eventually force the issue. Minneapolis is a good example of this. Incredibly loyal fans in Minny, but the NFL would have been okay with a move if the stadium situation was not resolved. 4. If not used for RW stadium, the $100 million plus will not be directed to improve the City of Buffalo. This money would not otherwise be spent by the state, at least not all on Buffalo. 5. No community in the country (other than possibly Green Bay) needs to keep an NFL team more than Buffalo in terms of psyche and community well being. 6. Cuomo is an idiot if he does not recognize the importance of this to the local community and the state overall.

He makes a good point about the number 2 wide receiver. The Bills need to re-sign Stevie, but they also need a strong number 2.

I think we are all going to be surprised with the amount of money some free agents are going to receive this year. There are teams with a ton of cap space, and they are going to spend silly. You may think that KC overpaid for Routt, but we should wait to make that judgment until the free agency period is over.

If the Bills do not end up re-signing Stevie, they will sign a lower cost WR. You can argue that this may have worked with Nick Barnett after Poz signed with the Jags, but I really do not have any confidence in this front office. This would send a really bad message to the players.

Either the Bills have handled this incredibly poorly, or they do not have strong interest in retaining Stevie. If he is not signed before free agency begins, he will be gone. It feels like the Poz situation all over again, where the team makes noise about wanting to re-sign the player, and then gets outbid once free agency begins. The Bills will claim that the money offered to Stevie was outrageous, but the reality will be that he could have been locked up at a lower price at an earlier point in time (just like with Poz).

I did not intend for the original post to become a post about politics. I was surprised by the tone of Cuomo's statements about the Bills. Why did he feel the need to make these statements at this stage, before there is any sense of the cost or scope of stadium improvements? I think Cuomo has aspirations for national office, and he seems all about how to position himself for that future. I do not feel the Bills fit into this calculus. Conversely, I have always found Schumer to be in tune with those who want the Bills to stay in Buffalo. I think he gets it, even if much or all of his motivation is grounded in gaining political support. It seems to me that the Bills and RW stadium have been a bargain for New York State over the last 40 years, particularly compared to other franchises that have received state and local funding for new stadiums during that period. The biggest potential wildcard in all of this is if the engineering study shows that the RW stadium is not structurally sound.

For some reason, I do not trust Cuomo will do the right thing in terms of funding for the improvements to RW stadium. I did not like his recent statements, and I do not think he really understands on an emotional level the importance of the Bills to Western New York. Thoughts?

This was predictable. If Wanny has been involved in the D planning this year, then I am concerned. At least he is familiar with the personnel, which should help in figuring out needs and who should be playing going forward.

I don't think that Spiller is the kind of RB that can be used in a traditional run first offense. He has some speed, but he has difficulty breaking tackles. I think the interior of our o-line is okay, but I am not sure how effective the running game would be if we didn't pass as much as we do.

Some observations below: 1. The game today was a microcosm of our season. Fast start, horrid ending. I think that Chan got as much out of the offense and individual players as possible and if you compare it to where it was prior to his arrival, the offense has made great strides. I know that many will disagree, but it is Chan's system that has allowed players like Fitz, Stevie, Nelson, Chandler and Jones to excel and the offensive line to be effective with players like Pears and Hairston. 2. I don't think that Hairston is a starting caliber LT in the NFL (maybe a RT), but I can't see Pears becoming the back-up at his new contract numbers. I believe the Bills still need to find a starting caliber LT. 3. The situation on defense is confused. Are we playing a 3-4 or a 4-3? When are we going to commit? It should not take this long to move to a 3-4, but we still do not seem to have the players for it. Further confusing things is whether Edwards will be back and if he will be replaced by Wanny. Does this mean we switch back to a 4-3? I think Dareus is a natural tackle, not a DE. If we play a 3-4, does he continue at DE? Seems like we don't have the right players for either scheme. 4. Our kicking game has been horrendous since we lost Lindell. Seemed like we were being set up for a possible change to Raymer until he started missing FGs and got injured. The kid today looked awful, both on the one FG and kick-offs. I know that Lindell is a free agent, but the Bills need to re-sign him. 5. Stevie is immature, but needs to be re-signed. We can't start the offseason with another gaping hole, particularly since the Bills will not spend in free agency to find a comparable quality player to replace him. 6. Building through the draft is only part of the solution. The Bills also need to sign free agents. We have too many holes to use the draft to fill them all. Moreover, draft picks and other rookies cannot be expected to be be quality starters from day one. 7. The Bills also need to start thinking about re-signing Byrd and Levitre. Their contracts are up after next season and we need to keep our own quality players. 8. There are still many needs. Outside LB, DE (I don't think Carrington is more than a back-up), TE, WR (even if Stevie stays, we need a number 2) and LT.

Byrd had another solid game. He has been the most consistent player on defense all season.

What exactly does this mean from the AP article and comment from RW? I hope we are sticking with Fred and CJ and not drafting another RB. This comment makes no sense.

I laughed when I read this article. Several more years to build? We need to have patience? Unbelievable. On a more substantive note, I do think that RW's views about our wide receivers and tight ends must also be the views shared by Nix. We should expect a wide receiver to be drafted early. I thought that Chandler was playing okay, but the comment about tight-ends getting injured was kind of interesting. I would not assume that Stevie will be back. They may think he is part of the problem and that they can upgrade. I hope this is not the case.

He should stay, but why is it that every year we are left wondering whether it is the coaching, the players, injuries or the front office that is responsible for another crummy season. RW should have brought in a consultant like Ron Wolff or Parcells years ago to try to get things straightened out and on a better track.

Seem to be different views on how well Sheppard and Williams are playing. I think Sheppard has been disappointing (slow and poor in pass coverage). Not sure about Williams, but I remember Winfield as a rookie and I thought he was really good in coverage playing the slot receiver. Interesting that all of our draft picks in 2011 were from schools in the South. I think that Nix has a clear bias.

I have tried to focus on his play, and I agree that he does not look good. Slow, out of position and does not match up well in coverage. I understand that he is a rookie, so hopefully his play will improve, but I have my doubts.

Yes, overall it has been a disaster, and it continues. With all of the objective information pointing to one inescapable conclusion, one thing I don't understand are all of the apologists and extreme optimists. It has been awful to be a Bills fan for a long time, and I don't see much to suggest that things will change in the foreseeable future. Through it all, still a Bills fan.