BillsVet

Let's not conflate the argument by injecting Rodgers and P. Manning here. For all the talk about RF's TD passes, he also averaged more than an INT per game. And given Buffalo's defense, their anemic offense can't afford to turn the ball over like Green Bay or Indianapolis. Rodgers and P. Manning have offenses that can score points in bunches. Buffalo failed to score 20 points in 12 of 16 games last season. By comparison, GB was 13 of 16 and IND was 14 of 16 scoring 20 or more points per game. It's obvious the Bills won't be among the league leaders in points scored in 2011. Buffalo needs a QB who is efficient and a HC who can take that guy and develop a short to intermediate passing game which has a lot of completions and keeps their defense off the field. A gunslinger is not what the Bills need right now who happens to have a below average arm and a high turnover rate.

The foundation of every Bills season is this potential talk. One guy had a career year last season in Steve Johnson, and even he's going to have to adapt as teams roll coverage his way. Will his hands improve? Will he learn to read coverages that are shaded his way? For all the talk, the receiving corps may be young, but there's very little to bank on. More importantly, how does Fitzpatrick improve his game now that opposing defenses have more film on he and Gailey? The assumption the offense will improve is one borne of naivety. I'm wondering why only now Gailey realizes Evans needs a bigger role? Did he just now realize the highest paid WR in team history was on the team and what he's apparently there to do? Johnson and Fitzpatrick meshed almost from the start, while Evans struggled mightily. It makes little sense that an unheralded guy was able to come on and the established vet with 2 1,000 yard seasons could not. As much as some want to pronounce Evans a great X receiver, he's not. His route running was not sharp and he dropped plenty of catchable passes in 2010. Outside of the Baltimore game he failed to catch 6 balls and had all of 1 TD reception in the other 11 contests. If Johnson could have the season he did, why couldn't Evans? I guess we can now cue up those who believe Evans and his diversionary 9 routes were what was freeing up Johnson to have a career year.

George Edwards was DC for Washington in 2003, so it's not as though he's a rookie at this. This coaching staff is about as unproven as the team they're leading.

It's a huge concern. The Bills OL and QB play is fine if they want to continue being a 4-7 win team. Pat Kirwan has noted in his recent book that of the 5 OL positions, the order of importance is LT, RT, LG, C, and RT. At LT, homers keep talking about Bell's potential, but his inability to remain healthy and overall lack of "sand in the pants" are the reasons why can't handle power rushers and is not yet starting caliber. The RT position has bodies, none of which appear to be more than marginal NFL'ers. I'm fine with the LG and perhaps the C, while not as concerned that the least important position, RG, will work itself out. Perhaps Rinehart or Urbik is at replacement level. Still, this group isn't blowing people off the line in run blocking, save perhaps Levitre. I'm not insinuating they need to all be Pro Bowlers, but as a unit they left a lot to be desired. If the OL is the foundation of the offense, they need more talent, not more bodies. As for TE's, well, they've become extra blockers and I'm not confident they'll invest money into someone that can attack a defense.

Cue the person who says you can't build it all in 2 years. Seriously, there isn't one legitimate starting NFL OT on the roster right now. There isn't a proven TE on the roster right now. And while the board is famous for talking about player potential, that's nothing you can bank on. An OL that allows its QB to get injured and cannot open up holes for Fred and their water bug RB needs a lot of personnel help.

Coincidentally, James Hardy was 6'5 220 when he entered the league. Despite his obvious size advantage on CB's, he did nothing. Nelson's a guy who will never stretch the field vertically, and will be running a lot of underneath routes. I mentioned before that teams play cover 2 frequently, and a solid TE who can run the seam is what keeps this defense honest. If ever there's a fan base who should know the value of a legitimate TE, it's Bills fans. Last year, Buffalo was torched throughout the season because Chris Kelsay et. al couldn't cover a TE to save his/their life.

I base it off the receptions his TE's have had when he was an OC (PIT 96-97, MIA 00-01, and KC 08) then a HC (DAL 98-99 and BUF 10). Aside from Tony Gonzalez who is a sure-fire HOFer, he hasn't had 1 TE record 40 catches. And their YPC average is very low as well. One could say this was the era in the late nineties and early part of the 2000s, but not having that guy now hurts an offense. Discarding them as blockers demonstrates a lack of foresight for the supposed "offensive genius." Now, he didn't have the greatest talent, but he still has very much to prove. Some fans can say that a guy in the slot like David Nelson suffices, but he can never pose a match-up challenge like a physical TE such as Marcedes Lewis. Two completely different players and something an opposing defense has to account for. Ask the Bills who were torched in the first half of the season by every TE they played against.

You must be kidding? A RB, TE, and WR pose huge matchup issues, especially considering where they're lined up and how the defense reacts. Do you go man and put a nickel CB on the TE or use the SS, two players with different skill sets. A solid TE can also expose zone coverage, particularly the Tampa 2 that all teams at some point use in a season. I really don't think Gailey sees the TE position as anything more than another blocker. There likely won't be any significant signing in UFA for this reason. They're content with fringe NFL players like Stupar, Chandler, Caussin, David and Martin as blockers. All of them are low cost blockers who aren't all that great receiving. I had hopes for Nelson, but he's struggled mightily and may never be a receiving threat, especially in Gailey's offense.

Preseason runs? You mean when defenses, including Buffalo's, play vanilla schemes so as to not let on their plan for the upcoming season get out? Heck, if preseason were something to rely on, Aaron Maybin would be the next 10 sack a year guy. Spiller's physical talents are undeniable. It's what he didn't have last season upstairs that prevented him from getting on the field. During a game last season Steve Tasker said he had problems picking up the playbook, and IIRC, it's because at Clemson he was accustomed to the play being on a board flashed from the sidelines. The fact remains that Buffalo's 1st-3rd round picks last season became depth guys who don't appear to be starting in 2011. I like Spiller, but if he can't pick up the mental part of playing the easiest to transition to position from college to pros, something's seriously wrong with Buffalo's talent evaluation.

Buddy and Chan talk multiple times each day, or so we're told. This decision to bench and then cut Edwards wasn't made in a vacuum, and I'm willing to bet that it being the QB, this was consensus. Both GM and HC screwed that up by not realizing they could not change a guy who was too shell-shocked to be a good starting NFL QB. Besides, Nix hired Chan and depends on him and his staff to get the most out of the players the front office acquires. In an ultra-competitive league, teams can't afford to make bad personnel decisions on the field or from the front office. Buffalo did plenty of that last year, namely wasting 2 games going with the wrong starting QB.

The fact remains that Nix elected to sign Cornell Green. Making that move is not mitigated nor forgiven by cutting him. Same thing with Trent Edwards. Those were two huge offseason decisions that failed. The decision to move to a 3-4 without close to adequate personnel also demonstrates a lack of foresight, which is puzzling given all the years he's been working in a NFL front office. So there's three poor decisions in one off-season, not to mention that his first round pick garnered less than 500 yards from scrimmage and the 2nd and 3rd round picks struggled to get on the field in the first half of the season. I would think that Buffalo needs to win 8 games in 2011 to demonstrate their rebuild is in the right direction. Anything less and some serious questions need to be asked of Buddy "we're not that far away" Nix.

It is cyclical and it isn't. You have teams that rebuild and become playoff-caliber like Atlanta, Green Bay, and Kansas City. You have the established franchises that are always in the playoffs like NE, PIT, and IND. You've got teams in the midst of rebuilding, and then you've got teams who are spinning their wheels. I know most would put Buffalo in the third category, but I still place them in the latter grouping. We'll know if this franchise is headed in the right direction by the mid point of the 2011 season, if there is one. Should they begin 2-6 on their way to another 4-12 or a 5-11, I think it's safe to say they are indeed inept and worthy of being a bottom ranked franchise. If they go 8-8, 9-7, then no they're not deserving. At least not yet.

The common denominator to all these blue collar and solid OL groups is that proven front offices put them together. They found capable and occasionally top talent late in the draft or via the UDFA route. Beyond Levitre and perhaps Hangartner who might be considered above average caliber on that roster? Furthermore, today's NFL doesn't keep rosters together long, so it's incumbent on the coaches and players to learn fast and play well. We're not going to see 4-5 OL together for 6-8 seasons anymore. And lost in the passing dominated nature of the NFL is the need to protect the edges with good OT's. I don't see Bell ever becoming a good enough OT, and the RT position is a black hole of fringe NFL players. One would hope Hairston could evolve into a good OT, but I don't put a lot of stock into 4th round rookies becoming average starters right away. Moreover, if Erik Pears was so good, then how has he bounced to 4 teams in 3 seasons? And Mansfield Wrotto? He was arguably their worst OT, but then I remember how bad Cordaro Howard and Cornell Green were. This is a position with no depth and marginal talent above that. I for one don't believe it takes 3-4 years to rebuild. Buddy Nix has obviously told RW that's how long it takes, but I beg to differ. Plenty of teams have completed the job in less time and showed real progress on the way there. If Buffalo doesn't win 8 games this season, it's going to call into question the Nix rebuild some have prematurely fallen in love with.

Which OT and which TE in UFA? There aren't many quality OT's, specifically LT's that hit the open market anymore. TE offers a few more chances, but the price for a Zach Miller or Kevin Boss may exceed what Buffalo is willing to play, especially if Gailey continues to feature them as nothing more than extra blocking help. Buffalo has three major holes to get answers/help for: QB, LT, and pass rush. Fitzpatrick has, IMO, become their guy out of default. They deemed a QB wasn't good enough at 9 last year nor at 3 this year. At OT, their depth is alarmingly thin with projects or unproven types. Pass rush is held up with duct tape and baling wire in the form of Shawne Merriman and other unproven youngsters. Until they find better than marginal/average talent at these positions, they'll struggle. Teams in the NFL of today need to be able to pass, protect their passer, and get after their opponent's QB.

I really don't think Buffalo can attract top management or proven coaching staff, which is why they've been so bad of late. Someone will mention Whaley, but in effect he moved from Pittsburgh where he wasn't going to be GM and working for Kevin Colbert to Buffalo where I'm sure he was given the inside track for the top spot. Without that assurance I doubt he leaves the Steelers. OTOH, Wannstedt seems to be living off his reputation 15+ years ago. He has a lot to prove after being out of the league so long. Whether Bills fans want to admit it or not, Buffalo has become the NFL's Siberia for down and out players and coaches. When the owner hired Levy, then followed that up with Brandon and Nix, people wrote them off because it was clear RW was more concerned with his comfortability than with actually improving. Even if he wanted to hire top people and pay big money, it's not a top organization. That's how you end up with guys like Dick Jauron and Chan Gailey for HC's.

Apology accepted. I have nothing personal against Fitzpatrick. He's an outstanding teammate and someone who leaves it all on the field, in contrast to his predecessor at QB. I don't get emotional about the team or players because it clouds an individual's viewpoint. We don't have to repeat their track record the past decade, and they're still a ways from being a playoff caliber team. I think the Bills will be drafting high in 2012 and looking for one of the top QB's because Fitz is a journeyman.

He's had 3 seasons of taking the majority of his teams' snaps. And during that time I haven't seen anything to indicate he's a long term guy. Some of those games he had last season were just plain awful. In 4 out of 13 starts he threw for less than 160 yards. In 5 of those games he completed less than 52% of his passes. That's not the type of consistency I'm looking for from a franchise caliber QB. The guy's a great story and an outstanding teammate. But that's not enough to win games in an ultra-competitive league where QB play more often than not is the difference between winning and losing.

There's no evidence Fitz is a long term answer at QB. He lacks a strong arm, struggles with his accuracy, and turns the ball over far too often, notably in the KC game. Not having a strong presence at OT, the lack of a threat at TE, a marginal running game, and a poor defense surely exacerbates his situation, but it's not a complete excuse for why he struggles. Buffalo hasn't had much at QB to compare him with either. Teams have a year of tape on Gailey and Fitzpatrick. In the NFL it's not always what you do out of the box, but how you react after someone sees what you do well. It's entirely possible the offense stagnates or improves marginally in 2011. Besides, after 3 seasons of starting the majority of his teams' games, what stands out to demonstrate he's a top-10 caliber QB? Because if you don't have one of those, you're not getting to the playoffs.

No play sums up how badly Buffalo was versus the run last season that this one: Peterson 43 yard run Players out of their gaps, LB's misdiagnosing, and DB's taking bad angles. Of course, it doesn't help when the team decides to go 3-4 and ends up playing more 4-3 by season's end. Some teams can make the transition to 3-4 from 4-3, but the Bills were set up to fail, especially when you bank on having Chris Kelsay and Marcus Stroud playing the strong-side in your new base.

GB traded Favre and didn't release him. They made an organizational decision to go with Rodgers during 2008 as Favre neared 40. But I digress. The point remains that solid ownership (CEO in this case) combined with excellent front office management and talent evaluation can and does produce success. Rodgers with the Bills' supporting cast doesn't win enough. But take an organization that gets the QB and surrounds him with top talent while featuring a very good defense and they'll win. That's the GB Packers. If you're inferring that just having a franchise QB is sufficient in a QB driven league, well, that's false. It's much more than that.

Quibbling and sophistry. How predictable from you. You think GB knew (EDIT: they) had a SB MVP on their hands in early 2008 when AR hadn't started a game in 3 seasons?

It's ironic in the discussion of big market versus small market that Green Bay was the SB champion this season. Some will rush to point out how the Packers spent a lot of money, but pay close attention to where they allocated their dollars. It was re-signing current players, originally drafted, undrafted, or in the case of Ryan Pickett, on free agents they're giving a 2nd contract. And I'm sure someone will point out their ownership structure is different, and that's valid. Except it has nothing to do with their ability to build a championship caliber team, while transitioning from a HOF QB and implementing an entirely new defense. The Bills are where they are because the owner sought to meddle and only now is delegating authority over football decisions to actual football people. You won't see Mark Murphy telling Ted Thompson what to do, even though both played in the NFL. For all the credit some Bills fans give RW, he is directly responsible for their inability to win these past 11 years. Small market or big market, a team has to have an owner who A) finds quality people in the front office and B) let's them do the job they're hired to do. Maybe RW is finally realizing this, but in the interim it's inexcusable to waste an entire decade like Buffalo did.

The major ramification from RW hiring/promoting familiar and lesser talented individuals is a huge blow to the franchise's reputation. This was illustrated in the HC search last January when they were repeatedly rejected for interviews, forcing Nix under cover of darkness to seek out a man who hadn't been a NFL HC in a decade. It also didn't help when, before introducing Nix, RW admitted he didn't personally know potential GM candidates and therefore eliminated them from consideration. I doubt that comment earned Buffalo any credibility points, especially from guys who wanted to be a GM and didn't get an interview. As a result of these recent hirings, Buffalo has become and remains the NFL's Siberia.

I take it you're not enamored with Billy Volek then?

I'm not pinning my hopes for a decent TE on him regardless. Even teams with fine #1 TE's have need for blocking TE's, and Chandler didn't play in a regular season during 2008 or 2009. We're not talking about a guy who could be a #2, but rather a fringe NFL player. I too would like to see Buffalo pursue a Kevin Boss or Zach Miller, but don't believe Gailey will use his TE's as anything more than blockers. Still not sure, because he's supposedly an offensive genius and he's relegating a position most of the league has decent talent at. NE drafted two outstanding ones thus far last year. No amount of WR's makes up for this either.