jahnyc

What young guys are there to play? Maybe Maybin and Ellis, but who else? I think the Bills have a lot of marginal back-ups who happen to be young, but this is not a reason in itself to play them.

Edwards was replaced by Fitz last year, and neither had any real success. No upgrades at QB during the offseason, and now it is Edwards/Fitz again, with the same results likely. I don't understand why there was no effort made by the front office to at least bring in a veteran QB to compete. Bulger would have been a big improvement, even with our poor o-line, wrs and tight ends. Going with Edwards and Fitz was the worst possible plan, particularly after last season. Now we need to draft a franchise qb and hope that he will develop. Meanwhile, we are wasting this year instead of trying to be competitive with a veteran QB or giving a QB of the future valuable playing time. There is really no excuse for the failure to upgrade the talent on offense this past offseason. The lack of talent at key positions was obvious.

The toughest part of all of this is hitting rock bottom after 10 plus years of futility. It is not as if we have had some good seasons sprinkled in with the bad, and I see nothing to suggest that we are about to improve significantly. It is not the coaching. We do not have the players.

I think it is more than the QB, but drafting a franchise QB would certainly help. But few, if any, franchise QBs are great in their first couple of years. With our lack of talent and this reality, I think it is going to be some time before we can win consistently. The PFT compensation numbers concern me as well. Seems like there will be an even more significant disparity among teams in the coming years in terms of spending on players, coaches and front office.

Our drafting and free agent acquisitions over the recent years have been terrible, and now we are paying the price. I thought there was going to be an organizational housecleaning. What happened? Modrak and our scouts need to go. I feel badly writing this, but it is time for a fresh start. I have no confidence that this will be turned around quickly or at all. There are too many holes at too many key positions. Nothing at offensive tackle, qb, outside lb, tight end or wr. If they intend to rely on the draft only, this team will never improve, particularly with our player evaluators.

There is a big difference between playing competitively and having a team that is playoff caliber. We are a long way off from the latter. We have huge holes at too many positions, including QB, offensive tackle, wide receiver, tight end, linebacker and defensive end. Even if we draft a top QB next year, it may take two or three years after that (assuming he develops and we draft better than we have) before we are challenging for the playoffs.

The offense seemed at least as bad today as last year's version. It is very demoralizing to see this kind of performance from the offense at home in the season opener, in good weather, against a hated AFC East rival.

I was kind of surprised that we did not draft David Harris (now with the Jets) with that pick. Harris has been a very good player so far.

New coaching staff, same result. The offense is terrible. Edwards had a poor game, the offensive line could not run or pass block and we have no starting caliber tight ends or wide receivers after Evans. In particular, our offensive tackles are horrible. We have a huge deficit of talent and overcoming this situation with good coaching will have its limits. The only real talent on offense is at running back, which will be wasted with our o-line and our QB. Our defense played well under the circumstances, but it seems obvious that Kelsay will be picked on all season. I was not one of the critics of Kelsay's play at DE for the last number of seasons, but he does not have the speed or agility to cover on passing plays or contain the corner on running plays as an outside linebacker.

Bills must be looking at o-line and TE for possible waiver pick-ups. I would assume at least one safety will be cut if they can find players at other positions. I am also guessing that the Bills are trying to trade McCargo. Keeping five undrafted free agents suggests to me that this is not a talented roster. After Evans, our current group of wrs is probably the worst in the NFL.

Whatever the intentions were, the reality is that the Bills ended up with a low cost GM, head coach and coaching staff. The real test as to whether RW is cheap would be if the Bills had four young, excellent players that wanted new contracts (like the Jets). Unfortunately, none of our recent top draft picks are deserving of new deals at this point of their careers.

The Bills are an odd mix. Talent and depth at running back and in the secondary, but poor talent at QB, offensive tackle, TE and WR (after Evans). I do not think this makes for a good team, particularly with our lack of depth on the o-line and our injury situation.

Unfortunately, pure conjecture.

Some random thoughts below: 1. Injuries. This team has no luck. Losing Jackson and Lynch in the first quarter of the first preseason game is unbelievable. I wonder if this impacts the ability (and desire) of the front office to trade Lynch. I am concerned about Byrd's injury and that it will be chronic. It would make sense to me to not rush him back if additional rest will increase the odds of a successful recovery. We need him for the long term. One other thing. I find it odd that there has been so much focus on the injuries to Wang and Nelson. Is Wang, a low round pick, that vital to the o-line? Was he really expected to contribute this year? Same thing with Nelson, who was not drafted. Does this mean that Hardy is in trouble, since Evans, Parrish and Johnson seem like locks to make the team? 2. Cuts. With all of the positive comments about Ellis, I feel like we are being prepared for Kelsay to be cut. I know that he has many detractors on this board, but I believe that he will contribute this year and we need depth. I also understand that Mitchell may not start this year, but with Poz's injury issues, I think it makes a lot of sense to keep Mitchell on the roster. Same with Parrish, given the lack of quality wrs after Evans. The front office always seems to be looking for ways to reduce payroll by releasing veterans. I hope this is not the case this year. 3. Rock Bottom. I think we will hit rock bottom this year. What concerns me is the long road ahead. We may have the worst group of QBs and offensive tackles in the NFL. Our wide receivers are unproven and inexperienced after Evans. We need a franchise QB, two offensive tackles, a quality outside linebacker, a quality tight end and some quality wide receivers. Even if we bottom out this year and draft at the top of each round next year, we will not be able to fill all of our needs. Plus it will take time for these players to develop and contribute. This is not a one or even two year rebuilding process. 4. Ownership. If Kelly really has been lining up a possible ownership group, I wonder if Stanley Drunkenmiller is the lead person. He is a hedge fund guy who wanted to buy the Steelers. This would be the type of deep pocket owner that would be needed to keep the Bills in Buffalo.

I don't think any of our current back-ups could make an NFL roster other than the Bills.

I just don't understand going into the season expecting that Wood and Bell will be able to hold up the entire season, Green is the answer at RT, or that they can get by with absolutely no depth on the o-line. The front office is being reckless, unless they are not being given the financial resources to address the o-line.

Two years in a row where we have not addressed the o-line or the QB situation. What excuse was there for this season? Last year, we traded Peters, cut Walker, picked up a center who was a back-up for the Panthers, started two rookies and a raw second year player. It was a disaster that was exacerbated by the injuries. Fast forward to this year. Butler retires, we sign Cornell Green (a player the Raiders did not want any more), we draft Wang and Calloway in the later rounds of the draft and we hope Wood and Bell can come back from significant injuries. If possible, the current o-line may be worse than last year's o-line, with few quality players and no depth. How does the front office explain this? How do you go into the season like this? With the QB situation, I do not understand why a veteran QB was not signed to compete with Trent. I think it will be very difficult for Trent to have success this year, particularly with this o-line and his past experiences. I really do think that Gailey can coach an offense, but he will have real problems with this o-line and QB situation.

This post RW thing really is a great mystery. Publically, RW has shared almost nothing about any plans or arrangements for the team, although I believe there has been a fairly consistent message that for estate reasons, the team will be sold to the highest bidder. If this is the case, I do think it will be hard to keep the team in Buffalo, for a variety of reasons, including issues relating to debt that will needed to buy the team, the stadium, the size of the market, the local economy, ticket prices etc. Our best hope really would be that RW sells a percentage of the team now to a someone who wants to keep the team in Buffalo with an option for the purchaser to buy the remaining interest at a later time. Absent that, I think we will have a problem in the near future. I really hope that our local officials, governor and senators are not, and will not be, passive about this situation. We will need their active engagement if there is any hope to keep the Bills in Buffalo over the long term.

Anyone buying a 30% interest in an NFL team is probably also getting an option to purchase the remaining 70% upon the occurrence of certain events.

The reality is that NFL commentators, bloggers, experts, etc. have been negative about the Bills for years. Unfortunately, for the most part, they have been correct. The only way that this perception will change is when the Bills start having some success again. It has been 10 years since we were in the playoffs. That is way too long in a league where some teams bottom out and make the playoffs within a couple of years. Clearly, something has been wrong with the team and the franchise for some time. I hope this changes soon, but I don't think it will be this year.

Unfortunately, we have the worst group of offensive tackles in the NFL. Bell is coming off a significant injury, and was not particularly effective when he was healthy last year. I hope Wang will be able to contribute this year, but with his injuries and considering where he was drafted, it seems unlikely. The reality is that we need two quality tackles and more depth. It will be hard to scheme around our deficiencies.

1. I think we may have the worst group of offensive tackles in the NFL. It will be hard to develop a consistent offense with this glaring weakness. 2. After Evans, our WRs are very weak (in part due to inexperience and not knowing whether they are starting caliber). 3. Enough has been said about the QB position, but the Bills do not have a QB on the roster that can rally the team from being down with his play. 4. As others have pointed out there will be significant adjustments to the new schemes on offense and defense. I believe Gailey over time will improve the offense, notwithstanding the above issues. On defense, while there is some talent, I am not sure that the transition to the 3-4 will be smooth or timely. 5. I like Gailey, but I am not sure about some of the coaches. We will see. While many of us had issues with DJ, some of his assistants were well thought of in the NFL.

Very interesting. Assuming that Schobel does not play this year for the Bills and some amount of his salary would not be categorized as "dead money," the Bills are by a significant amount the lowest salaried team in the AFC East.

Thanks, BillsVet. I am also very concerned about how long this rebuild of the team will take given the circumstances of the franchise. I must admit to having an underlying stress about what happens to the Bills in the future. I have not lived in Buffalo for 30 plus years, but I wonder how ready the community is to fight to keep the Bills in Buffalo. I hope there have been meaningful preparations for the inevitable change in ownership.

Some thoughts below: 1. I am really pleased that Chan Gailey will be running the offense. It has been too long since we have had a competent offensive coordinator, and I like CG's experience and creativity. Our offense has been horrible, and I do expect some improvement, even assuming the o-line is a problem and the wide receivers after Lee Evans are marginal at best. 2. I do not understand how the Bills go into the season without more veteran bodies on the o-line. Bell is coming back from injury and who knows if he can be an effective LT. Green at RT is a step down from Butler. There are no back-ups at guard or center with real NFL experience and we do not know if Wood will be able to play at a high level with his recovery from injury still in progress. I do not know if a team needs a pro-bowl caliber LT to make it to the playoffs on a consistent basis, but it is clear to me that the Bills need significant upgrades and both offensive tackle positions. 3. I like the switch to the 3-4 and the infusion of fresh talent at linebacker (i.e., Davis, Torbor, Moats and Batten), with the usual caveat that I do not believe that the Bills have the right guys at outside linebacker, end or nose tackle. We will see how many of these guys are on the roster next season. More than a little worried about Maybin. 4. I hope that we will see a reduced number of injuries. New strength and conditioning coaches and the change to the 3-4 will hopefully make a difference. 5. I am excited about the season, just like I am every year, but I think we are at least a few years away from fielding a strong team. I do not think that we will see this team become a consistent playoff team until we have a QB for the long term and better offensive tackles. Since it is difficult to find a QB without drafting one at the top of the first round (good QBs are rarely free agents and would be too expensive for the Bills), I hope there will be a QB available for us next year in the draft. I just do not believe that the Bills will develop any of the QBs currently on the roster. 6. I really like our secondary. Great depth and young talent. Hopefully, this is the year that McKelvin becomes a top CB.