BillsVet

The questions remains: would Buddy Nix trade up to 5-10 spots to get his guy? He talks about letting the draft come to him, but those days are long gone. It's no guarantee that a trade means a franchise guy (NYJ w/Sanchez comes to mind) but it's clear sitting tight on draft day when you need a QB is a loser's mindset. If you like a guy, go get him or else someone will. IIRC, RF's contract was essentially a succession of 1 year deals with a large bonus paid at the front. I do know that neither he, Tyler Thigpen, or Tarvaris Jackson are the answers. Buddy needs to stop being scared and go after someone. We're told he's this personnel genius, but he hasn't gotten the QB position right since he arrived.

Vick is exclusive of the debate relating to the Bills and their on-field performance. Jaws has rated Fitz 30th for his own reasons and RF has nothing to do whatsoever with the Eagles or their QB's play. There are 10 QB's starting now drafted in 2011 or 2012. Buffalo didn't have a shot at all of them (Newton, Luck), but did on many others. When you're building a football team the QB you like doesn't just fall into your lap. You may have to go out and get them, which will cost you in a league dictating you have a good one. It seems like the Bills have undervalued the position or are just petrified of taking one for fear they'll fail. So they went with Trent, then Fitz and have predictably not had the production they need. Nothing is guaranteed on draft day, least of all QB's, but that's not a reason to just skip the position.

Who cares about Vick? This is a Fitz debate and his raw numbers aren't indicative of his performance. Can he throw the entire route tree? Nope, and Gailey doesn't ask him to. Does he turn it over? Yep, to the tune of 7 times in 4 games. Does he hit his receivers in stride? Not frequently enough and he tends to get his guys injured or they absorb big hits. I have to say Chandler has proven me wrong in certain respects. I considered him a Buddy Nix bluelight special, but he's demonstrated decent hands and made some plays. He'll never run by anyone like a Jimmy Graham, but he's been reliable in the receiving game.

How did SF go 6-10 in that weak division in 2010 if they had all this talent? Why did 4 other HC candidates turn down Buffalo's HC job? Leslie Frazier interviewed and later withdrew his candidacy. Ron Rivera, Jim Harbaugh, Brian Schottenheimer and Russ Grimm all declined to even interview. Teams simply do not get turned down for interviews, nor do their HC's resign like Mike Mularkey did in early 2006. There is something poison about working in Buffalo as evidenced by the above names refusing to even talk about the job. Taking a HC job is a huge career decision, and one where the individual needs to know they'll work in an environment with a reasonable chance of success. No less than five men decided Buffalo is not a healthy atmosphere built to succeed. The Dolphins are a dumpster fire. Stephen Ross may be a billionaire, but he's got to be one of the worst owners in the NFL. That said CB97, you need to be more optimistic.

You wonder if there was a backup plan for if they struggled to stop the run with nickel formations. Wannstedt has a lot of questions about his defensive philosophy after these first four games, not least of which is his ability to adapt in-game. And this coming week won't be any easier, facing off against a good 49ers OL and running game.

Nail meet hammer. Not only are the coordinators recycles, but so are many of the assistants. Where would guys like Joe D'Alessandris, Giff Smith, Adrian White and Bob Bicknell be without Gailey? I'm guessing in the college ranks, but certainly not in the NFL.

What does Buffalo's Pro Personnel Department do anyway?

Buffalo's playoff drought is still only about one-third the time the Israelites spent wandering through the desert before reaching the promised land. We really don't have anything to complain about as Bills fans. It takes time to get things right.

More numbers: Since Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey took over, the Bills are 12-24. Dick Jauron/Marv Levy/Russ Brandon in their first 36 games? 18-18. Didn't someone once say don't tell me about the labor pains, show me the baby? Where is that guy? I just listed his numbers and they're awful.

Probably whe When it was 41-7 NYJ with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. Fitz had 120 yards passing and Spiller rushed for 110 of his 169 yards in the second half. If you think, after a first half when Fitz went for 75 yards passing that the Jets were bringing it equally throughout the contest you're off. EDIT: NE didn't call off the dogs because unlike in the Jets game, they were down up until 11 minutes to go in the second half, whereas NYJ were up 5 TD's at that point. Way to make a totally bankrupt comparison so as not to attack a woeful team finding new ways to lose.

Buffalo leads the league in garbage points scored. At least top 5. Fitz has 4 TD passes when the dogs were called off in the NYJ and NE games, but who's counting? They're 2-2 and we should be satisfied.

How does a deep team get thoroughly beaten when backups play backups in the pre-season? It stands to reason that good depth will (EDIT: beat) opponents' depth, yet we've not seen that. Buffalo's second and third stringers are routinely pounded, but we have depth? And if there's talent there, why can't they be more competitive instead of these lopsided losses which continue to mount? And if the coaching is bad, is that not a reflection on the personnel folks? And aren't the personnel people in concert with the coaching making decisions on player acquisitions? This problem goes deeper than simply saying the coaching is poor. It's a fundamental breakdown of personnel management to develop a plan, an identity, on how they're going to win football games.

"I drink your milkshake Chan. And it tasted like vanilla."

It's two out of 4 blowouts already this season. And take away all the elderly jokes, but a team is a reflection of their owner. I walked past Bob Kraft yesterday on the way out and he's visible at every game. RW doesn't travel, hires only people he knows, and the team's future is very cloudy. RW holding on to the team is holding it back at this point. He should get credit for spending money, but has trusted the wrong people more often than not since 2001.

What's your point? That some teams don't have good QB's and therefore because we're not the only team it somehow is excused? Well pardon me, but that ain't the standard anymore. The good teams get the QB position right, some teams whiff, but only 1 team in the entire National Football League has failed more since 2010 on the QB position. And that's the Buffalo Bills, who now have 3 guys who are now on their 3rd team since 2009. The standard is playoffs in 2012, not mediocrity or worse. You need a QB to get to the post-season and they should have seen this guy can't do it consistently.

This. They cannot attract the best personnel and coaching minds in the business anymore, no matter what they offer. The front office is a direct result of poor ownership, and the coaches/players are the result of a poor front office. It's basically become an emperor has no clothes situation at OBD.

We get what is willing to come here, and it ain't much at this point. If RW throws a tantrum and decides to make a change I doubt anyone of substance is willing to even interview for the GM and HC jobs. And I wonder if Mr. Smithers-Brandon has told him how impossible it was to get interviews for the GM and HC jobs not three years ago?

Re: 2. Is Nix that afraid of committing to a QB that he found something wrong with every one of them in the past 3 drafts there was a reasonable chance of taking? And did he eschew taking a QB in 2010 to stock a defense he ultimately never filled? Because if the GM and HC can't get the QB position right, there ain't nothing going to make up for it.

Worse, I don't think anyone worth their salt in NFL circles wants to work for the organization anymore. There was a reason why they didn't interview outside the organization candidates for the GM job and the head coach search was bizarre to say the least. How does an organization compete with that millstone around their collective neck?

http://bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/09/25/wannstedt-back-with-bills-take-brady/D16TpKiz22ZTz3P2ZXgNdJ/story.html His scheme doesn't call for blitzes. He's got to get pressure from the front 4 as many others have pointed out.

Shades of Trent Edwards circa week 3 2010. Vastly different position, but same result: go with a guy then cut him at the beginning of the season. Strange indeed.

And their 134 regular season wins since 2001 shouldn't factor either.

Nice observations Bill. Big game next week for the division lead.

Because BR and EM are 2 time SB winning QB's. Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn't QB'd a team to a playoff appearance.

Never thought I'd be able to say thank goodness for Tashard Choice.