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The Bills have drafted ten players for the defense in the last two years, consisting of three defensive linemen (Troup, Carrington and Dareus), four linebackers (Batten, Moats, Sheppard and Chris White), two cornerbacks (Williams and Rogers), and one safety (Searcy). In addition, during this period the Bills signed D. Edwards, Barnett, Davis and Morrison as free agents and re-signed Florence. With the resources that have been devoted to the defense recently, why does this defense continue to play so poorly? Why don't we have starting caliber outside linebackers? Dareus should be a solid player (or better) and maybe Williams will develop, but does anyone have hopes for any of the other draft picks? I know that some on the board like Sheppard, but he looks slow to me and seems to have problems in coverage. I understand that coaching is a part of the problem, but I don't tink Buddy has drafted well and it is hurting us badly.

Our best recent draft was 2009. Even with Maybin not working out, we drafted Levitre, Byrd and Wood. All three have been solid to above average players.

1. If Edwards is fired, I hope that Wanny is not the replacement. I have to believe that he has been involved in the game planning this year, and I think the Bills defense needs a fresh start and a new scheme. 2. Good luck to Nix in figuring out this mess. We all know what they will say at season end: it was the injuries. While this may have been part of the problem, there is a lot more going on here. What do you do about Fitz? Is he still the guy? Do the Bills give Fred more money (he will be 31 to start next season)? What about Stevie? Can the team count on Woods being effective next year? How do you fix the defense? There are some daunting issues facing the Bills and the front office, and I have no confidence that Nix is up to the job. 3. Clearly, this team lacks talent, and the 2010 draft looks like a complete bust. Carrington does nothing and who knows if Troup will be healthy and develop. Spiller looks average to me, and seems to go down easily when hit or tackled. The offense misses Fred in part because of his ability to break tackles and make something out of nothing. 4. The Bills planned poorly this year. Did anyone really think that Merriman would stay healthy this year? In the current scheme, Moats and Batten are busts. Using Spencer Johnson and Kelsay as outside linebackers is ridiculous. How does a team go into the season like this? There were free agents that we could have signed that would have been big improvements over this group of outside linebackers. 5. Hairston did not have a good game today. I really do not want to hear from the Bills this offseason that this guy is our left tackle of the future. It would be another excuse not to improve this team. 6. I still do not understand the signing of Brad Smith. WIth so many other needs and the change in the kick return rules, why did this make any sense? 7. Can Sheppard play? I know he had a lot of tackles today, but I noticed that he made some bad plays and seems slow. 8. Incredible that other teams can turn around things in one or two years. We have devoted resources to fixing the defense, and it is still a mess. I really do not want to hear any excuses about needing players for the scheme when the Texans and 49ers can make such significant improvements in their defenses in one season. This defense seems really far away from being a strong unit. 9. A couple of positives: the Bills seems to have found decent players in Urbick, Rhinehart and Chandler. Also, the Bills are not penalized often, which can be a sign of good coaching. 10. I would love to see significant changes this offseason, but there is no way that the Bills could attract a talented GM with our recent history and our ownership situation. 11. As has been the case over the last number of years, as fans, we are left wondering whether the problems are with the players, the coaching, the front office, or the owner. I assume it is a combination of all of these things, and, unfortunately, there is no hope that it gets fixed this offseason.

I thought that Nix basically said after the draft that the Bills would not have taken Von Miller if he had been available. I also recall some noise that the Bills would have been interested in Gabbert if Dareus had been selected before the Bills picked. If both of these items are true, then it confirms our worst suspicions about the competency of our front office. Regarding Gabbert, I thought most of the top picks signed contracts that were fully guaranteed for the full term. I think the front office lucked out with the Dareus pick in that he was a no-brainer after Newton and Von Miller were off the board.

I think RW is still paying Jauron (less any amounts he is being paid by the Browns), so I doubt he would fire Nix and Gailley and incur those additional costs on top of paying a new GM and coach.

I think we should all be past being patient with this team. That said, we really have no choice but to be patient. The Bills are not going to go after high priced free agents in the foreseeable future or hire a top GM to turn things around. The only hope is that Nix's drafting improves dramatically over the next couple of years.

1. The Bills are not going to win giving up 187 rushing yards at home. It has been two years, and our coaches cannot figure out how to stop the run on a consistent basis. 2. It was depressing watching McKelvin returning kicks and punts realizing that these was the only situations the coaches felt comfortable putting him on the field for. When he played on defense after replacing an injured player, the Titans immediately went after him. I doubt he will be back next season. Another horrible first round selection. 3. Did Carrington do anything today? I did not think Sheppard played well today, getting blocked on some of the long running plays and out of position or too slow on some of the pass plays. I am starting to get worried about our first and second year players. It seems to me that many times young players will make an immediate and noticeable impact. I remember Winfield did this in his first year, shutting down the opposing team's slot receiver. I am not seeing this with many of our young players. Maybe this is partly due to the lack of talent around them. 4. Still not convinced about Pears and Hairston as starting tackles. 5. Is Dareus a fit in the 3-4 defense? Is he a tackle? Does not seem to have the right skill set to be a defensive end. 6. I like Gailley, but five losses in a row is tough in his second year as coach. We need some positive momentum heading into the offseason. 7. I think the interior of our offensive line is set, assuming that Woods recovers this offseason. 8. I would like to hear more often from Nix. Seems like he has not talked to the media during this slide.

I think some of these posts are a bit charitable. Starting to rebuild? We should have started to rebuild as soon as Buddy became GM. It is taking way too long, and we may continue to lose some decent players this offseason (Stevie Johnson), which means once again we will be patching holes rather than upgrading. It has only been one year? Buddy has had two years, and in the second year, the Bills have lost five in a row. Not a good sign for near term success. Need more players for the 3-4 and more time to get them? Houston switched to the 3-4 this offseason and now has one of the best defenses in the NFL (even after losing Williams for the season). I am unhappy with the current state of the Bills and I do not think that Nix is doing a good job.

I have been disappointed in Sheppard. Watching the game at a bar, it is sometimes difficult to see how specific players are doing, but I noticed that he was effectively blocked during some of the long running plays and out of position or too slow in coverage in some of the pass plays.

A fair number of former Bills would be decent starters or back-ups for us. Some have played well this year. Do we lose more players who are decent performers to free agency, trades and waivers than most teams? A quick look (and I am probably missing some): Youboty: 8 tackles, fumble recovery and touchdown today. Poz: Has played well in the middle for the Jags. Maybin: Two sacks today (but I am glad he is not with the Bills). Greer: Good corner for the Saints. Peters: All Pro left tackle for the Eagles. Lynch: Slow start this year, but over 100 yards rushing today. Whitner: Has played well for the 49ers. Evans: Injured for most of the season. Winfield: Out for season (but has been very strong in prior years). Clements: Has played well for the Bengals. Hangartner: Starting guard for the Panthers.

1. Not sure I have ever watched a Bills game where there were so many huge holes for the opposing team's running backs. I believe the Jets averaged 6 yards per carry, and I do not think that Greene is a top back. In the first half, there were a couple of running plays where there was no Bills defender on the outside. Kind of shocked that the Jets threw it as much as they did since they were so effective running the ball. 2. No pass rush, again. Surprised that the Bills cannot figure out a way to bring pressure from blitzing. 3. I know that Sheppard is a rookie, but he seemed to have a really bad game today. 4. Sanchez is not a good QB and he threw four TDs against us. For one of the touchdowns by the Jets, even though it was third down, there was no one within 10 yards of the receiver. 5. Carrington was very quiet today. Not sure if he will develop into a quality player. Troup is a bust. 6. Williams impressed today. Seeing McKelvin on special teams only was depressing and I doubt he will be back with the team next year. 7. Byrd is having a very good year at safety. 8. This defense is really bad, which is amazing considering the number of free agent signings and draft picks that have been made to improve it.

I did not mention QB in my list of needs because there are so many needs and the ones I listed I thought were the most immediate. You may be right about Fitz, but I think he can be better assessed with an improved line and much stronger wide receivers. Clearly, his accuracy is a concern. Our improvement overall (i.e., balancing our start with our recent poor performance) has been incremental. I do not think we will be playoff contenders next year if we continue at this pace of improvement. I understand that people want instant gratification, but expecting success after three years is not unreasonable.

Not sure if Bell will be back. It will be interesting to see if the Bills make any effort to keep him. Nix needs to step it up in the draft and free agency. Some of the picks in 2011 are getting playing time, but (other than Dareus and Sheppard) this is really a function of a lack of depth and the need to insert rookies as replacement starters. What concerns me is turnover. The Bills need to draft better and sign some free agents each off season or we will continue to draft to replace players who are leaving either through free agency or otherwise rather than to upgrade what is already here. This offseason, the Bills could lose Bell, Stevie and Pears to free agency. Not sure if McKelvin will be back based on his play and I can see him being traded (similar to Evans and Lynch) for a low round draft pick. Maybe these players are not much of a loss, but I am not sure that I see replacements for them on the current roster. If Pears and Bell leave, then Hairston is the only remaining tackle, and I have no idea if he can develop into a quality starter. Kind of scary that I may actually care that Pears and Bell could leave.

Next year's draft will need to be for starters. Excluding linebackers, we need at least one starting cb, at least one starting defensive end, a left tackle, and possibly a new one and two wide receiver if Stevie leaves.

I think Chan has done a good job under the circumstances, particularly with the offense. He has made the most of the talent on offense, and recent injuries are difficult to overcome with little depth or experience behind our starters. He does have responsibility for a poorly conceived defense, and changes need to be made in the offseason. I don't think Nix has given Chan enough to work with and one more draft will not magically transform this team into a playoff caliber team next year.

Injuries are not an excuse, but with the number of starters that will be out and the way we have played over the last three games, it seems we have almost no chance to win. Wood, Jones, Jackson, Bell, Merriman, K. Williams, Wilson and McGee are either out or likely not to play. Stevie and Nelson are banged up. Things are not looking good.

The defense has played poorly all year, and only some turnovers and excellent play of the offense kept us competitive in the early part of the season. It would be reasonable after two years of Nix to expect the playoffs next year, but it is not going to happen. Way too many holes, in large part due to a terrible draft in 2010. It is fine to build through the draft if you can hit on your draft picks. Nix has not, and our team is weak and without depth because of it. I am tired of rebuilding and not having success. Some teams rebuild in one or two years. We are going on 10 plus years, and if Detroit makes the playoffs, we will have the longest drought of not making the playoffs in the NFL.

Peters is a very good tackle and it is more than unfortunate that the Bills traded him. I seem to recall that he would not respond to the Bills efforts to engage in a dialogue. Did he really like playing for the Bills or did he want out?

The defense did not play well overall. They made Moore look great and Miami stopped being creative after they scored 28 points. They could have scored 70 points against us if they continued with aggressive play calling.

Roscoe is done as a Bill. Depending on what happens with Stevie, we may need two new starting wide receivers next year.

We are suffering from the continuation of poor drafting and personnel decisions. Sorry, but Nix has not been an improvement over his predecessors and now our season appears to be over. It has been two years, and we seem to have more holes than ever. Nix told us that he was concerned about depth before the season started, but recognizing a problem and failing to fix it is not an excuse. This last three games have been the worst stretch that I can remember. We may not miss Donte, but maybe keeping Poz was more important than we knew. Hangartner would have been useful. It was a bad plan to think that Levitre could shift over to center (after filling in at LT). Why did they sign Smith? This was poor use of very limited resources. Did they really think that Bell was the answer at LT or that he could stay healthy for the year? I am seeing almost no positive contributions from our draft picks other than Dareus. Williams may turn out okay, but he looks very raw and I have my doubts already. Not sure if Hairston will be a quality player. Troup and Carrington are disappointments and Spiller is a bust. We are in desperate need of quality starters at outside LB, CB and DE. Our offensive line needs help at tackle and WR. When is this ever going to get turned around and does anyone think that Nix can do it?

This D is terrible. One of the worst I can remember. On the pass play to Bess, there was no one around him even after he caught the ball! Not sure of Williams is ready to play. He looked raw before getting injured and he looked bad on that pass play.

Yes, Buddy needs to make some better choices in the draft. The team has improved, but it seems to have little to do with Buddy's drafting acumen. Jackson, Fitz and Stevie are all holdovers from the prior administration. Troup and Carrington really need to step it up. In the last two years, Dareus is the only draft pick that seems to be making a difference, and he was something of a no brainer in terms of where the Bills were picking. I do think the Bills made some good moves in the last two years picking up Urbick, Rhinehart and Chandler. Not sure who was responsible for these moves, but if it is Buddy, he deserves some credit. Overall, any improvement in this year's play seems more directly related to the coaching staff and, in particular, Chan's offense.

I think DE is a need area. No pressure from our DEs this year, and I have not been impressed with Edwards or Carrington.

1. Even with the recent poor performances of the offense, the o-line has performed much better than I expected this year. Fitz helps with getting the ball out quickly, but there have been great running lanes for Fred in many of the games this year. Woods is a big loss, I hope he is back and as effective for next season. The front office also deserves some credit for picking up Urbik and Rhinehart as free agents after they were released from the active rosters of their respective teams. I still think we need to draft a quality tackle in next year's draft. 2. I think the fans/posters are right much of the time. Many were upset when the Bills cut Hangartner, arguing that he would be important for depth. No one could have foreseen the injuries at wide receiver, but the Bills are lacking a deep threat, which is a role that Evans has excelled at. One thing that I got wrong was the o-line (see point one). 3. The coaches deserve a lot of credit for developing Nelson, Johnson and Chandler, but Jones does not seem to be a legitimate number 2. The front office also made a great move signing Chandler off of the Cowboys practice squad. Still wondering about Easely and whether his condition will allow him to play again. 4. Early to be making this judgment, but I am not seeing much of an improvement in our drafting under Buddy. 5. Batten and Moats do not appear ready or maybe are not good enough to be starters at OLB in the NFL. This and defensive end appear to be our biggest needs. I don't think that Carrington, Johnson or Edwards are the answer at DE. It is really hurting us this year that Maybin turned out to be a bust. I also think we have underestimated the impact of Kelsay on this defense. The defense has played much better when he is healthy and playing. 6. No idea what is going on with our corner backs. It would be very frustrating if we need to use a high pick in next year's draft for another corner. It hurts us significantly that McKelvin has not developed into a quality starter. 7. I think Wilson has had a very good season, but I also believe that Byrd has developed into a very strong all around starter. 8. I am surprised that our offense has faltered recently, particularly since both games were played in ideal football weather conditions, but clearly the defenses are catching up. I was wondering how effective the spread would be in cold, messy weather. I guess we will find out soon enough. 9. Overall, I think Gailey has done a very good job (with the offense, in particular). Drafting and defense need to get better.