BillsVet

Any Buffalo coaching search is like parents doing their kids' school clothes shopping at yard sales. Just a bunch of hand-me downs that other people didn't want.

So why, nearly 3 years ago, did multiple coaches turn down this wonderful opportunity to interview? In theory there are 32 head NFL coaching jobs and people viewed Buffalo's as career kryptonite. A previous poster answered most of the reasons why no one wants to work in Buffalo. I'd offer that it's not a job people have a reasonable chance of success at because ownership is what it is, and the GM does not provide the personnel for a HC to win. That's been on display for 3 years now under this regime.

Modkins makes the Tim Horton's run in the mornings and on those late nights they're working on game-plans that don't feature their best offensive player.

I get the impression Gailey's return to the NFL HC ranks has been an attempt to show he's still innovative. Even with two solid running backs, he insists on throwing the ball. Yet strangely enough, he will go ultra conservative when faced with a situation like kicking a fifty yard FG.

Is he planning on having a hockey game or is Nix trying to mess with the warm weather Jaguars next week?

Balances out. The lights are out on the season. Be at Hammer's Lot on Sunday.

Send in the clowns.

Yes we can say that, can't we? BTW, who were those 35 people a day who called about the HC job? I think we need to follow up with them after this game.

That 06 game in Indy was one for the ages. No tries in the EZ, a few FG's, and a defensive TD. My, how things change.

Is Clock Management 101 required for Bills HC's?

Guess Chan wanted to get in the Christmas spirit and give the Colts the ball back.

Does Fitz really have this outstanding chemistry with his receivers we're told so much about?

Be careful, objectivity can be inferred by some to be negativity. I don't know how with this franchise's track record, but it happens frequently.

Running pass patterns short of the first down line has become a hallmark of the Chan Gailey/Fitzpatrick offense. But I guess if they're scoring TD's and not kicking FG's we wouldn't be talking about that.

No one is intimidated by 5 wide from Buffalo anymore...Colts had 5-6 in the box before the TO called.

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