gobillsinytown

Sorry, my bad......started typing before brain engaged

IF this is true, it shows that "big contract extensions" don't mean anything.

Some teams have turned it around in one year, but in this case I'm hoping for competitive within two years. Best case scenario this year is that some areas of the team start to gel in December. Last year the Raiders were the worst team in the league but began to put it together in December. This year they're showing signs of life. Same for the Chiefs. What I'm hoping for this year is for the Bills to spoil somebody's playoff hopes in December, especially in the division. It looks like the fish and patriots will have to struggle for a playoff spot, and it would be awesome to see them get knocked out by us at the end of the year. At least it would be something positive in an otherwise depressing year.

Interesting observation and spot on. Despite what some people on this board believe, there is always pressure on any coaching staff or front office in the NFL to win, even if it's for their own sense of pride. That's why you're seeing so many combinations. Gailey is trying to find a combination that works, or at least has the potential to work. I don't think it's because he doesn't have a feel for the personnel. I think he knew he was in for a long season as soon as he started studying film, especially along the O-line. He knew he had a disaster there, and not much better along the D-line. In the long run, training camp and preseason can only provide so much information about players. I think you really find out how good they are when the games count. Unfortunately, he was a little too optimistic about what he had. I also think he's questioning whether he should have made the attempt to switch to the 34 this year. He might be thinking now that he should have waited one more year until he could draft or bring in more guys via free agency. Either way, he knows he's got a mess on his hands in the two most critical areas IMO.....the offensive and defensive lines.

I love posts like this.

They're not really running a true 34. It's more of a hybrid 43. As most expected, they don't have the personnel to run a 34, so they're making do with what they have. Unfortunately, the players they do have that are used to the 43 or cover 2 aren't that good, and there areen't enough true 34 guys on the roster yet.

Well for one....this board is entertaining.

They don't run the 34 because they don't have the personnel to run it at the moment, so they're using a hybrid scheme. The 34 is almost completely different than the cover 2. The cover 2 relies on small, fast D linemen who play well together. The linebackers have different responsibilities. The guys the Bills have drafted in the past have been playing cover 2 or 43 for their entire careers, and the free agents they've brought in are stop gaps and essentially teachers. Maybin, Kelsay, McCargo, etc. aren't big enough to play in the 34 and it's almost impossible at the NFL level to "just transition" from a position that you've been playing your whole career to a completely different position. Very few guys can do it, and usually it's from WR to DB. It was a nice thought that they could put a decent defense on the field this year, but they don't have the players to do it. Even so, they do play with an attitude, but with one of the worst offenses in the league also, it's not possible to keep the team in games, at least against elite teams.

You're either a fan or you're not. I'm 48 years old. I've been following this team since I was old enough to understand the game. That includes the '84-'85 seasons. The difference between myself and some fans is that I can put things in perspective. It's entertainment, not a way of life.

This is a very interesting post.

Teams that are as bad as the Bills (2010): Detroit 0-4 Carolina 0-4 San Francisco 0-4 Are their owners cheapskates? I'm not going to defend Ralph's track record this decade because it would be stupid to do so. But until someone can definitively show that spending lavishly equals success, I don't buy the assertion that Ralph is cheap. What about the 90's? The Bills had one of the most successful teams in history during that period. Was Ralph cheap then? My criticism of Ralph is that he is loyal to a fault. I believe that there are people in the organization, either in Buffalo or in Detroit, that Ralph has decided are critical to his organization, regardless of their performance. This is the result of his tendency to do what makes him comfortable, even if he as misgivings about his decisions. Ralph seems to follow that instinct even when it's clear that a shakeup is needed. However, one thing I am sure of is that there is no "Buffalo Bills" without him. There have been plenty of opportunities for this team to relocate elsewhere for a lot more money over the past two decades. This is the fallacy of the argument that Ralph is only interested in money. If that were the case, he would have moved his team out of the economically depressed Western New York area a long time ago. So loyalty is a double edged sword for Bills' fans. It's the reason Buffalo still has a team, but it's also partly why the team has been so bad recently. Bills' fans are loyal and passionate about their team, but at least some of them also seem to have very short memories. That being said, in the NFL it's all about winning. The team isn't winning, so that's all that really matters, at least for now. However, I think there is going to be a time when Bills' fans will have a lot more to worry about than whether the team is winning, and that will be when Ralph dies. The team has an asset value of around 800 million, and the people interested in buying the team will not be loyal to Western New York, or the fans. They will see the amount of debt that they just went into to buy the team, look at the revenue potential of the team in Buffalo versus other areas of the country..........and promptly move them. I hope this doesn't happen, but if it does, I will not follow them. The initial concept of this league was that it could succeed anywhere (see Green Bay) if it was a true collaboration. Up until now, that concept has pretty much held up, and that has made the NFL the dominant sport in America. Unfortunatley, I think the "new guard" is going to destroy this concept for their own greed. You may not like Ralph now, but you'd better hope Kelly and his group really have the money they say they have, or you can say goodbye to the team.

Unfortunately, I think it's because the Jets are just that much better at the moment. I think the reasoning is that the Jets D will figure out Fitzy a lot faster than the Patriots D.

Tom who?

The most reality-centered post I've seen in a while.

This is a strange statement. I say this because no one has any idea what's going to happen once Ralph dies. Unforunately, I thnik it's going to be a very interesting time for the future of the team. You may have to change your statement to: "Unfortunately, the Bills left Buffalo because of one person's death....."

When it comes to fan indignatiom, facts are unnecessary and/or invalid. Because we could have had _________ !!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100928/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn49ers_raye_fired ........go!

Here's a list of the QB's picked in the top rounds of the draft: First round 1. Bradford 2. Tebow Second round Clausen Third round McCoy Now, imagine any of these QB's playing behind the current Buffalo O-line which, at least at this point, is one of the worst in the league. Looking at it that way, I can't imagine any of them not getting mentally ruined by it. Gailey isn't stupid. He knows how to look at game film, and he most likely saw how bad the O-line is from day one. Now, knowing this, does it make sense to invest the time and money on a QB in the first round? Because first round money is so ridiculously inflated, it's a huge gamble that can set a team back for a long time. It remains to be seen whether any of the above picks will pan out, but a lot of their success will be tied to the success of the O-line they play behind. IMHO, the Bills number one problem was, is and will be until they really address it: The O-Line.

Just becasue we've never heard of it before doesn't make it wrong. Gailey knew what he had here, and he knew Trent was a mess. So preseason was for playing the QB's he had (which wasn't much), and seeing who did the best. But preseason is not much to go by, because no team shows any of their offense or defense during preseason. Even though this is a rebuilding year, there is still pressure to win. This move also sends a message to the team that even though it may be a rebuilding year, jobs are still on the line. This isn't the NFL of 10 years ago, where the QB position was set from game 1. Example: Andy Reid sitting Kolb in favor of Vick.

Or we could count him as two roster spots and put him at NT....

Exactly.....what could they trade for? The Saints kicker?

To fix: "What if that cow was Jamarcus Russell?"

Not necessarily a bad thing......the D could use some help. Or maybe Jeff Garcia if he's still mobile (he'll need it) Or O-line Or (insert one of many needs here)

My guess: 1. No trade interest 2. Need the roster spot for someone else they want to bring in 3. Sending a message to the team

Then again, you could have nothing to do at all on Sundays, right?