BillsVet

I'm not sure how a team remains in the 4-7 win category for 8 going on 9 seasons without a dysfunctional upper management group. And if one subscribes to the notion it's all the GM/coach/players fault, who precisely hires the GM? Something is not right at OBD and the record spells that out. It's not normal for a team to ride the mediocrity roller coaster for so long without completely bottoming out or becoming a playoff caliber club.

Buddy said it would take 3-4 years to rebuild. So we're in year 1 of the second rebuild in 4 seasons. We just have to be patient. This times 1,000.

They're starting a guy at QB who was parked on the PS 2 weeks ago and for whom no other team would add to their active roster. If they don't sell out this week's game, it should be enough evidence that weather isn't the only reason why fans aren't going.

95M in local and state money isn't enough from taxpayers? The Bills can do what they want at the end of the day. But the hope and hype campaign is dying about where it always does (early to mid October) and fans aren't going. Why is it always the fans fault when games aren't sold out anyway? Don't the team executives who've presided over this ineptitude bear any responsibility, especially when they're reaping huge dollars to upgrade a place most people never go?

I think Russ Brandon, as he does with the fans typically the first week of January, should give the pre-motivational speech before Marrone on Sunday. He can start by telling them how on any given Sunday, they will be the most efficiently run team with more cap room than almost any other team and how they continue to sell product to more people per capita than any other franchise in the NFL.

So much for the cold-weather argument.

Zero NFL completions. One decent pre-season:

Brandon noted that the team's brand had been tarnished back in January, but I wonder if he realizes one of the reasons is because they play these games with their top talent. One hallmark of this organization has been an inability to anticipate how their decisions will impact other areas, which is what will happen if they trade Byrd. Then again, I doubt Brandon cares if he hurts the team's reputation so long as he can save the owner cash. Which means the brand remains tarnished in the league circles where credibility isn't based on your marketing plan.

Either Whaley was gambling or he doesn't have the say in personnel he should. Either way, it's not what NFL teams do.

"Meet the new boss...same as the old boss."

Guess Russ is going to have to spend some of that 20M in cap room after tonight's game.

Who has, for a backup QB, a rookie UDFA?

Can't be taking hits like that near the sideline...or anywhere if you're the QB. Especially when Jeff Tuel is the backup.

Did Colin Brown begin playing for Cleveland after the half?

Browns should be behind Buffalo in their rebuild, but yes, it appears anything but.

You can only hope he's learning on the job. Worst case is this is all he knows.

The Bills will need Byrd more as the season wears on and teams have more film of the Bills defense. For as well as that unit played yesterday, teams adapt and it's at this point where you need the most talent on the field at one time. In a league predicated on scoring, particularly through the air, turnovers are key. Buffalo isn't going to get 5 picks and some contests may turn on 1. I'd prefer a healthy Byrd over what played yesterday, even considering the result.

BTW, who is the backup QB should the starter get injured? I hope it doesn't happen, but EJ gets me worried when he takes off and doesn't exactly slide. That's the most dangerous scenario and their backup is an undrafted rookie FA.

If the Bills follow your guidance, the chances they sign their own players long term or in-demand free agents is even lower than it already is. You don't call players out and try to shame them into going on the field in the professional ranks. The Bills, according to LaCanfora, put out an offer about 1M per season less than what the market is paying for top safeties. Fans want to see Byrd on the field, but throwing him under the bus makes the rebuild even harder than it already is.

When it's too tough for the Bills it's just right for Eugene Parker?

Hard to disagree with this statement given the near 20M in cap room they entered the season with. You'd think they'd anticipate the secondary group, given their youth and inexperience, might need some veteran leadership.

Building depth is done when you draft well year after year, which is something the Bills haven't done in a long time. But if you're not drafting well in this era, you can somewhat off-set it with value signings in UFA A good example is a guy like Alan Branch who is playing this season on a reasonable contract. When you don't draft well, particularly in the middle rounds, and aren't willing to make up for that with value signings, it's hard to maintain the sort of depth required to offset injuries. I don't expect Buffalo to spend all their cap dollars every season in a pursuit to establish depth, but it's ridiculous to believe them to not have injuries during the season. If Gilmore goes down, Rogers is still on the field. If Stevie goes down, it means an unproven type gets immediate PT. That's not what I expect from a franchise which tells us everything is supposedly new. It's their M.O. for going on years.

I thought the owners were greedy and that's how the NFL worked?

This. Doesn't matter who the GM has been, the Bills in this 13 year run of ineptitude have not developed depth, particularly on the OL. Part of this is not drafting well. This inevitably leaves them with rookies and street free agents as primary depth, which is what's happened (again) this year. Most worrisome is they've decided to go with 2 rookies at QB. I get why Manuel is starting, but it's extremely questionable why an undrafted rookie free agent is backing him up. When Kolb was injured and Matt Leinart stunk up the place, they never attempted to get someone with any semblance of experience in case their 1st round QB was injured. That's organizational ineptitude and it's been present across multiple regimes. Why?

No one demands depth at every position. But aside from RB and perhaps DL, the Bills had little veteran depth at any other position. This is a common denominator of how this team has been operated for several years now. I don't expect them to splurge in UFA, but this lack of veteran depth is part of the reason they are hit hard by injuries: they can't plug in a player with experience and a little talent.