BillsVet

The culture sure changed back quickly. Maybe Russ can address the MMQB club tomorrow and make another baseless claim.

Chris Simms was a better QB than he is an announcer. And he wasn't a good QB.

If Russ Brandon is out of the football side of the house, why is he actively campaigning for Whaley and Marrone? Russ' job is apparently safe, yet he's been very vocal both on radio, television, and in print defending these guys and saying they need more time. And that was before his "change the culture" narrative was put out there. And it doesn't appear he's seeking other opportunities, so it stands to reason his marketing campaign for the HC and GM is designed to improve his standing, which no longer includes football.

The org chart was altered according to reports: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/24749471/pegulas-expected-to-bring-outside-consultants-to-help-with-bills-transition "Under the new structure Kim Pegula will serve as the team's CEO, sources said, with Brandon serving as team president but with general manager Doug Whaley expected to be no longer reporting to Brandon but instead directly to the Pegulas, thus drawing more delineation between football operations and the business operation."

The point remains that improved P&L statements are not a gauge of success for someone who manages both finance and football ops. Russ did that from 2008-about 2 months ago.

Did the Bills banking 78M+ from the Toronto series make the on-field result any better? Because in those seasons, the Bills went a combined 35-61, or won about 36% of their games. We all know there are no trophies for profit, regardless of market size. And you don't receive NFL executive of the year for increasing revenue on a declining on-field product.

The Patriots have experienced a lot more challenges than Buffalo on the OL this season. They traded Mankins right before the season, played without starting RG Dan Connolly, and rookie C Bryan Stork at times. Heck, during the Bills game in week 6 they were down 2 OL and still only gave up 2 sacks. And yet they're right there statistically with Buffalo as you cite. Not that raw data always explains something so nuanced. Still, both teams aren't good at running the ball right now. The point is, NE adapted more easily when they lost starters. I don't think the Bills can handle that kind of challenge because their depth and coaching isn't as good. Week 17 will be interesting to watch for yet another reason.

Brady's been sacked 16 times all season, 3 times in the last 7 games against the likes of Chicago, Denver, Indy, Detroit, GB, SD, and Miami. That's outstanding considering the injuries they've had, level of competition, and compared to the 13 sacks they yielded in the first 7 games of the season. Well coached, savvy OL combined with a QB who knows when to get rid of it help. NE's guys have demonstrated improvement, while Buffalo's haven't. More importantly, when injuries struck, the Bills weren't well prepared to adapt. http://espn.go.com/b...-offensive-line

I still don't understand, beside contractual obligations, why WGR has a weekly radio spot with Brandon. Fans want to hear about players, not marketing strategies and Brandon offers little if anything to the average listener. Of course, he doesn't miss the opportunity to establish new narratives like "changing the culture" and "the overall team talent is improved." The later of which was the message in early 2013 when Nix was under fire for 3 bad seasons. Russ always has an answer but rarely has anything worthwhile to say. For someone who says most team presidents aren't known, he sure makes himself available quite a bit.

When your best record from 2005-2013 was winning 7 games, I'd eventually expect to exceed that level of mediocrity. It's been a 15 year process to get it right at OBD. That kind of stench doesn't occur without serious issues in management.

New England did not make the playoffs in 2008 with Matt Cassel substituting for the injured Brady for essentially the entire season. That year the Pats went 11-5 (not 10-6) and did not win the division. It's the last time they missed the playoffs and I don't recall anyone making excuses for them. Quibbling over what the standard is doesn't change the 2014 season's goal of reaching the playoffs. That may seem harsh in the PC world, but I really don't care. We were told all off-season how the talent had improved (not easily quantifiable) in 2013. Now this year it's Marrone has changed the culture, another unquantifiable concept that some are taking hook line and sinker. Your record is what you are.

CB this is an outstanding point. You and I may have had differences in the past, but could not another coach have gained the result this team has produced with another coach such as Gus Bradley? Of course it's hard to measure, but given what we've seen this year, there isn't much in terms of innovation that we've seen from DM. And he has hired some good DC's, but offensively (where it talent supposedly lies) they've not improved and probably regressed. The GM said they planned to be a playoff team in 2014. That was the goal, specifically after the Watkins trade. Why the goal has changed and DM gets credit is beyond me. That is, unless they're in the post-season. We'll see.

Whaley traded for Hughes. And I would argue the 2013 draft was Whaley's, owing to the decision to trade down as Nix said in previous years he essentially let the draft come to him. I can't recall Buddy making a trade, at least on day 1, on the 2010-12 drafts. Besides, Buddy was known for taking southern players in 2010-12, whereas Woods and Alonso were PAC-12 guys in 2013. And Ralph's daughter had already passed by the time Buddy took over as GM on 12/31/09. That said, Whaley did make changes to the personnel department upon taking over from Nix, hiring Monos and Kelvin Fisher. But the point is that they're not a finished product and things change from year to year. This isn't a slam dunk they'll be a perennial power in the AFCE now.

Gregg Williams went 8-8 in 2002 (with a declining QB) and it led to nothing. Mularkey in 2004 finished 9-7 and it led to nothing. Dick Jauron with a young team in 2006 finished 7-9 and they never improved. There's a lot of emotion being displayed after the GB win and the bar is being lowered from what the GM said in the off-season. He had planned for the Bills to make the playoffs. Yet, some are justifying that getting close to the post-season is good enough. Well, going 9-7, 8-8, whatever from one year guarantees you nothing the following season.

Aside from finding a QB, building an OL that can move people, and having one of the more unathletic TE's in the league he's done fine replacing blundering Buddy Nix.

I'm just not one to get too excited too quickly. Call me skeptical, but I went to one game this year and it was Sunday and there was some energy at RWS against an elite team. One thing I did like about Marrone was a willingness to confront management to get the resources, particularly to finally sign a durable veteran QB. I haven't seen a HC spar with senior management and not accept the status quo. I just need to see a strong finish with wins at Oakland and New England.

Just last week Marrone admitted he didn't know that Hughes was out of the DL rotation for much of the second half. The same coach who, like his predecessors, punted from mid-field on 4th and short, particularly while behind late. And now he's heralded as a COY candidate? I recognize a lot of fans want instant gratification because the team beat one of the best teams in the NFL. Beat the Raiders in Oakland and the Patriots away and then yeah, you can start talking culture change.

You made my point.

Apparently the GM (of football) did: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Doug-Whaley-Were-planning-to-be-a-playoff-team/aad5c8c2-e3f0-40b4-8e31-22c012db2cd7 Swinging the Watkins trade wasn't done in an attempt to barely miss the post-season.

Chan Gailey sure changed the culture after beating New England at home in 2011 too.

The Bills had continuity with Jauron, Fewell, Fairchild, and April from 2006 to 2007. Or Gailey, Modkins, and DeHaven in 2011-12. Neither coaching alignment worked out. Continuity is overrated. Five times in 15 seasons. Sounds like they just hired a lot of bad coordinators, not that those coordinators didn't hang around long enough.

Cleveland was 4-12 in 2013, made big changes, and will win at least 3 more games in 2014 with Brian stinking Hoyer (he formerly with New England) starting most of those games. And without their top WR for the first 10 games of the season and losing Alex Mack. I think most Bills fans are jealous because Buffalo won a big game at home and Cleveland's Heisman trophy winning QB gets more attention in a blowout loss. I don't feel sorry for Pettine at all. He'll probably right that ship.

14 games into the season it's up to coaches to scheme to stay ahead of their opponents. It's why what was working the first 4 games Orton played aren't working now. The true measure of an adept and innovative team (when talent is similar) is to put their players into position to succeed. Of course players need to make plays but this is an extremely nuanced topic. And it's incumbent on coaches to recognize what they do well, what they don't do well, and how to improve it. I don't think, on a decent weather day, Orton is a 14-27 for 158 yards and 1 INT level QB in the NFL. EJ is, but KO isn't. This is more scheme and play-calling than it is QB.

GMs aren't rewarded or recognized for individual games. Their success or failure is measured over a season or even more given their job description. I temper this because DW was hampered (although he was Asst GM) by a bumbling predecessor and having not been the decider on the HC. Get into the playoffs in 2014 and get a QB this off season and then he earns praise. That is, if the Pegula's keep him on. Winning the last two games should ensure that.