BillsVet

Village Idiots? This comes to mind... Idiots

Sure, there's a precedent. Doesn't mean it's good one. War Memorial and the Aud in 2011 dollars cost a pittance compared to what it'll take for RWS to undergo renovations and yearly upkeep. We're talking about paying out probably 100M or more for renovations now and perhaps 3M+ per year for maintenance. Panem et circenses.

Why is the state and/or local governments responsible for subsidizing sports teams ? I'm hitting at a hornet's nest here, but the government is most likely going to be asked to pony up 100M+ now with more each year to keep the Bills. That sounds like Buffalo once again leveraging the threat of moving to get money this state doesn't really have. Or at least money that they need to raise taxes/fees to pay for it. NYS already has one of the worst business climates in the county, features some of the highest property taxes versus property values in the nation, and shows no sign of improving economically, particularly in WNY. Everyone wants the Bills to remain here for the long haul. The question remains, is there a cost too high for the taxpayers, and if so, how high is it? And does the receipt of additional income taxes from players and increased revenue on 7 game days a year truly off-set or even pay for this? And does a team that takes in 40M per, sells a game to Toronto, and benefits from not owning the stadium deserve more subsidies? I guess we have to do it because they'll leave.

Scheme and game plan can cover up for personnel issues occasionally. But 6 games into the season, that's getting harder to do now that teams have all that film on Buffalo's defense. The issue, regardless of who's running the defense, is a lack of personnel. Buffalo has no one who can regularly get to or pressure the QB and blitzes aren't a long term solution.

Or that so many cheerleaders for every move the team makes can start so many threads ripping that columnist.

My issue with Nix remains that he wastes resources or doesn't maximize them. I'm specifically talking about not getting value out of his draft picks or in some of the UFA's signed. Merriman's getting 7M over 2 seasons for very little. Spiller was a 9th overall pick who's a part time player. Brad Smith is getting almost 4M per season to be a gadget player. Cornell Green got a 3 year deal and lasted a half season. Last year's 2nd and 3rd round picks don't appear to be starting anytime soon. Small market GM's can't do this and build a roster with talent at the integral positions and some depth. On the other hand, he signed Barnett and saved the team money over what it would have cost to sign Posluszny. He took the BPA at a position of need in Dareus, who I think will be the foundation of their defense for many years. I can't say either draft is a disappointment, because it's far too soon. Even outstanding GMs like Ted Thompson and Ozzie Newsome make mistakes. The key is limiting them and getting value out of your draft picks and UFA dollars, which I don't think Nix is doing as well as playoff caliber franchises.

Well, they're 4-2 and they took a risk that just didn't work out. No big deal, right? As if the Bills have 7M to invest in players with lengthy injury histories.

I've been here all along. Where've you been? Nice try.

Nix' best decision so far has been Gailey. But in order to be a good team and remain that way, the GM needs to make more better decisions. The change to the 34 was heralded but thus far has sucked a lot of resources and still isn't much better than year 0 of the rebuild. The options at OLB consist of late round picks and UDFA's and their pass rush is not good. The OT's struggled against the Giants, and arguably their best one struggles with injuries. And most of all, the first pick Nix had has become a part time player. This is an ultra competitive league where only the top 12 teams advance to the post-season. In order to be one of those, a GM needs to 1) convert top picks to starters, 2) make good decisions in UFA, 3) hire the right coach and 4) re-sign your top players. I'd say Nix has accomplished the third, done OK in 2) struggled outside of Dareus with 3) and is incomplete with 4). That's okay if you want to be a 7 to 9 win team, but insufficient to be a perennial playoff team.

Great thread OP. Just because Buffalo is 4-2 doesn't mean there aren't long term personnel issues that haven't been solved in Nix' 2 years as GM. Gailey has definitely covered over a lot of these talent issues and has the team playing hungry, but to win in the AFCE they need more talent at multiple positions, such as OT and OLB. FJ is signed through 2012 and Buffalo, I believe, will eventually increase his pay. I just find it ironic that many of the major players on the roster aren't Nix draft picks or UFA signings: Fitz, FJ, Johnson, Levitre, Wood, and Byrd. Dareus has been very good and Barnett a good signing, but giving guaranteed money to a guy clearly washed up and not offered much if anything by 31 other teams should say something about Nix.

He beat the RB for that one. Count me less than impressed.

Good point. That's quite telling coming from the GM, but something I would think he'd have known long before signing him to an extension. It's also interesting considering that the GM went out of his way to say Merriman was the pass-rushing answer before the season. I chalk that up to Buddy being Buddy and BS'ing people again.

Few NFL people thought Merriman would make any sort of impact this season. He is physically a shell of what he used to be and that's why other teams weren't offering guaranteed money like Buffalo did. And as excellent a player as Williams is, he's just not a 30 front guy, 0, 5 tech, or shaded over. Last year with him Buffalo still yielded 170 rypg, but it certainly doesn't help for him to be out of the lineup in 2011. This season, Buffalo adds Dareus, Barnett, they're getting better play at safety, and still not much better than their first rebuilding season last year. It stands to reason there'd be improvement, but it's middling especially when compared to the offense. Perhaps there's a reason Edwards had 1 year as a DC (in Washington) and from 04-09 was back as a LB coach. He just looks completely overmatched on the sidelines when the cameras inevitably show him.

Wow. Gone too soon. RIP.

Thanks for making this point. I need my QB to be more consistent on his intermediate to deep throws than Fitz was yesterday. Both interceptions were passes more than 20 yards down the sideline, which is clearly not Fitz' strength. All due respect to Johnson, Nelson, Roosevelt, and Chandler, but none are going to beat people deep. Worse still, if Fitzpatrick lacks touch on these passes it could go downhill fast unless Chan comes up with something new. Until Fitzpatrick beats a few CB's in man or Cover-1, teams will keep doing what Cincinnati and NYG have done to Buffalo in the latter's two losses.

Let's not conflate the argument and go to such extremes. The Bills were relatively healthy for Week 5, missing only 1 player who I saw as not suitably replaced in Kyle Williams. That said, this was a winnable game despite being away. Buffalo was not missing enough players to pin this loss on injury. NYG were missing All Pro/Pro Bowl guys like Chris Snee and Justin Tuck, not to mention Brandon Jacobs and yet they won. Blaming injuries and often times calls is the excuse used far more often than it should be. Which players not playing specifically led to this team losing today?

Last I checked, injuries weren't a new phenomenon. 32 NFL teams deal with them at some point, and you've fallen back on this excuse in more than 1 thread now. Did you really expect no one or only replaceable starters would be hurt this season?

Worst? Loss?

Teams are adapting to what Buffalo does in the second half. Buffalo didn't run the ball well in the second half, certainly not like their did in the first. Their short passing game can be taken away too easily because they don't feature a great intermediate to deep passing game. Defensively, I've seen Philly and the Giants have their way with the Bills in both second halves. Think opposing coaches aren't seeing how to take away Buffalo's strengths. They're 1-2 in their last 3, but we'll see what happens over the long haul.

NYG lost to Seattle in their home park last week and was without Chris Snee and Brandon Jacobs. This is the NFL, injuries happen, and Buffalo's not able to make plays when it matters as teams take away their strengths. It's deeper than having 1 good, one average, and one underwhelming starter out.

Then how did they pressure Mike Vick so much last week? Frankly, neither the Eagles or Giants OL is that good, and it's amazing how NYG have kept the pocket free from Bills.

Did George Edwards do anything other than go to the bathroom during halftime? This defense seems eerily similar to previous quarters.

Bad Eli and Good Eli? How about Bad Drayton and Good Drayton. Today Buffalo's getting the bad version.

Can't remember the last time Nantz/Simms called a Bills game.