BillsVet

Buddy's rebuild is 14-28 in 2+ seasons, and if a fan cannot complain about that, well, what's the use anymore? Someone has already pointed out what it'll take in this thread for real improvement to occur. And for the record, Dick Jauron with Marv Levy and then Brandon as the GM did better from 06-08 than Buddy the top five talent evaluator and offensive genius Chan Gailey will do from 2010-12. But, we shouldn't complain because to do so might seem like we're not "real" fans.

Really? New GM, HC (who is battling a life threatening illness), coaching staff, QB, defensive scheme, offensive scheme, and they're 3 years into a rebuild? I'm sorry that doesn't pass the smell test and while the AFCS isn't exceptionally strong, the Colts have more wins in 10 games than Buffalo did in Year 0 of their rebuild, 2010.

It is 12 seasons, but at this point what's the difference? The point remains that a NFL franchise should never go this long without a playoff appearance, and if they do, it's the result of completely inept ownership, front office, and coaching. Buffalo has had that in spades since 2000. Any Bills fan is entitled to advocating for the franchise. At this point though, most Bills fans are either still watching and numb to the losses or simply checked out.

One could argue the price was too high. But considering that Nix should have had the defense squared away after that spending spree and has had 3 off-seasons to rebuild, shouldn't they be expected to be in position to make a deal like that? I get that Nix goes ultra-conservative on draft day and feels most comfortable not trading picks. But it's a new era, and to quote a famous military slogan, "Who dares wins" should be the mantra. Teams simply don't get their franchise QB by sitting and waiting, unless you've completely tanked a season, which Buffalo won't do in 2012. How then, does a team acquire their guy when no less than 5 other teams will need a QB?

Miami, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Washington, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Carolina, Seattle, and San Francisco will start QB's either in their rookie or second NFL season this week. How is it that more than one-third the league can trust a young QB, but the Bills cannot nor could even draft one who was NFL caliber in three drafts?

If you're looking for guarantees, there are only two. And everyone knows what they are. Good GM's rarely draft in the top 5, and when they do the pick is a difference maker. Nix is more than likely will need to trade up get his guy at QB, but if people truly have faith in him they won't doubt his prowess to get the right QB.

He just lacks consistency and a big arm? That's a big part of playing the position, especially when the weather gets bad late in the season. For the record, the following QB's were drafted in 2011 and 2012 that Buffalo had a reasonable shot to take: Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, and Russell Wilson. I don't expect all to be excellent starters, but if Nix is the top talent evaluator some made him out to be, he'd know which one would be best for his team. He'd also have valued the position more than just signing or re-signing four guys playing on their third NFL franchise.

The only thing I'd add here is Nix has had a boatload of money that neither Levy nor Brandon spent on free agents and re-signing their own. Despite this and all of your points, they are winning 1/3 of their games since he took over. It's the whiffs Nix has had that really demonstrate his ineffectiveness. Changing defenses twice, picking the wrong starting QB twice, and using valuable resources to make up for those errors. If this rebuild hasn't failed, it's definitely the slowest one I've seen.

If the standard for drafting is perfection, every single GM falls woefully short. There aren't many guys who approach Polian, who was successful before and after the salary cap went into effect. Then again, there are people who chalk up his entire success in Buffalo and Indianapolis to having the number one pick in 1985 and 1998. That, of course, remains the extremely lazy view and completely ignores the other draft success BP had as GM of those clubs.

If Nix cannot fix the defense and appears to have missed on multiple defensive picks, what then gives any fan some semblance of confidence he'll get the QB right with a high pick? The guy ain't the talent evaluator a lot of homers made him out to be

Rex Ryan? Apparently defensive scheme isn't as important as the name because the guy runs a 30 front, not a 43. But what the heck, he's a name brand coach.

Maybe if Sullivan was one of those wimpy types that wrote how hard the Bills played he could appeal to the results optional crowd a little better. Columnists should focus more on making their readers feel better and less on saying a team lost in heartbreaking fashion week after week.

W-L record remains the standard and DJ was a mediocre 24-33 in about 3.5 seasons. By comparison, Gailey in 2.5 years is now 13-28. So unless Chan goes 11-5 in his next 16 he'll have done even worse than his predecessor.

Gailey has become Jauron 2.0. It's a good point to recall that phrase Gailey used at his introductory PC in January 2010. Now, he's 13-28, cannot help but out-think himself in-game and has no answers when things go wrong.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000092139/article/greg-schiano-voted-leastliked-coach-by-nfl-players "Sixty-one guys. That's the only ones I care (about), the ones back in that locker room," Schiano told the Tampa Bay Times. "Now if they voted? We're going to ship them off to Buffalo or something."

So Nix cannot take part in this thread?

How many failed coordinators does a HC have to go through before it becomes a reflection on the HC? And when the defensive unit is so poor for 2 DC's, isn't that a reflection on the people picking the players? It should be.

The atmosphere Thursday should be fun after this butt-whooping.

Getting fired is not unique to the NFL coaching community. Getting fired at multiple stops and continuing to keep a job is, and that's what Gailey and Wannstedt have done. Wannstedt has Jimmy Johnson to thank for his employment, and Chan Gailey owes Bill Cowher. Otherwise both of them would be out of the league.

T-Jack still inactive? Clearly 11 weeks isn't enough to pick up the Megamind offensive playbook for a 7 year veteran QB. Oh well, Buddy created the problem and now he's fixing it in his own Nix way with an assist from his HC. Makes perfect sense.

And people are surprised and then angered by Greg Schiano's comments about Buffalo. He's not talking about the city either.

Good post OP. I wish the team had hired a consultant 3 years ago, but I get the impression RW's handlers won't let anyone in the inner-circle to recommend changes. There are several long term employees up there who probably push the owner away from outsiders to come in. And so you get people like Nix and Gailey who are in their final NFL job with the results to match.

In the span of 2011-12, 10 QB's were drafted and are starting for their respective teams. Aside from Newton and Luck, the Bills had a chance at all of them. It is inconceivable that those other 8 did not have what Nix was looking for. You do not wait for the draft to come to you and expect to find a veritable starting QB. If you state that repeatedly, sure, you'll never get the guy. There are several NFL teams that must rebuild from a failed regime and almost none of them do so without getting their QB near the beginning. 10 teams have done it and while it does not guarantee success, it remains the responsibility of the GM to get that guy ASAP. RF was not their choice upon taking over, had 2 years of film (08-09) that showed he's not a franchise guy, and they still went with him. Nix's teams are 13-27 in 2+ seasons. So now, they'll grab their guy when it's abundantly clear they need one which provides them another excuse why this rebuild needs more time.

How many mulligans does this guy get before people realize he's fumbling in the dark for the light switch? Taking 4 off-seasons to realize you don't have a solid QB on the roster is the most egregious example of a bad GM. This rebuild, at best, is stuck in the mud because Nix can't get things right the first time.

How then did Polian rebuild Carolina so quickly? The man's rebuilt three franchises in the span of 20 years. That's no fluke, it's a trend.