BillsVet

To your point about a "real system in place." I'm not sure many teams would draft a RB with their first round pick in the first draft of rebuilding. That decision indicates to me that their plan is not as structured as some believe so fervently. Buddy Nix gives great quotes, but his skill in A) rebuilding franchises and B) find top personnel evaluators and a HC is very much in doubt. I frankly don't see a plan, except them saying it takes 3-4 years.

I've never understood how building through the draft translates into building exclusively through the draft. If you're a team that's won 10 games in 2 years, I'd expect them to use free agency to get the team to a level above where they've been. Teams should try to rebuild as quickly as possible, and efficiently using UFA is a means to an end. And I'm not talking about how Daniel Snyder approaches UFA. Buddy told RW that it'll take 3-4 years, which is what happens when you're not using all of your options and don't think fans care for those 3-4 seasons. Hopefully free agency begins when Buddy's awake. Because if he goes out and says they signed a guy from someone's practice squad like Mansfield Wrotto and then claims that's like getting another 3rd round pick, they'll be a lot of unhappy Bills fans. UDFA's, street free agents, and other teams' practice squad types don't suffice when you're coming off a 4-12 season.

I would argue the selections of Wood and Levitre were borne out of necessity in 2009. Going into the draft that season, Buffalo had already cut Dockery, forcing Butler to RT when they brilliantly decided Langston Walker could play LT after Peters was dealt. They had nothing at G to begin with and were forced to find immediate starters via the draft. To say they only have so many picks is absurd. You never have enough picks when you're constantly changing schemes designed by sub-par coaches.

220# receivers running the underneath routes are the same as a TE. Still don't think Nix will invest serious money into a position that Gailey believes is for blocking first, second and third. Besides, block first TE's are much cheaper and they already have a wealth of talent at the position in David Martin, Scott Chandler, Mike Caussin, and Shawn Nelson.

I think the key point to take from Nix' comments about building through the draft is that it doesn't mean a team is made exclusively by the draft. And while there are extreme examples of teams who tried to build through free agency (Washington) there are others where it helped them considerably. Chicago has made some major moves in the past two seasons and it vaulted them to the NFC Championship game. It is still critical to have a team that does personnel well, both in the draft and during free agency. Teams without top notch personnel people keep swinging with little to show for it like Buffalo's done for the better part of a decade.

Nah, they'll just give increase Chris Kelsay's contract to 10 years and 50M because he gives great quotes after losses.

The staff Gailey assembled last off-season was a who's who of Gailey followers, some of whom had never coached in the NFL. And yet there was Gailey and Nix talking about teaching. Who's teaching who here? DC George Edwards - career LB coach (98-02; 04-09) save a season as DC for Washington where his defense struggled OL Joe D'Alessandris - career college OL coach; became Asst OL coach in KC in 2008 after Gailey is hired A. OL Bobby Johnson - college OL coach; 2010 was first year in NFL DL Giff Smith - career college defensive coach, 2010 was first in NFL, worked for Gailey from 04-07 WR Stan Hixon - 6 years working in NFL, all with Washington as a WR coach; previously WR coach at LSU RB Curtis Modkins - 3 years ago was GT's RB coach. Now the nominative OC and has basically worked for Gailey since 2002. QB George Cortez - had never coached in NFL before 2010 TE Bob Bicknell - 3 years in NFL; former Asst OL coach in KC, hasn't coached in NFL anywhere else Gailey's staff is short on NFL experience, particularly in their current positions save for Catavolos, DeHaven, and of course Wannstedt. But in that initial season, Gailey's staff resembled more of a college staff and not one that had proven much. I believe this is in large part to the unattractiveness of working for an also-ran HC for an organization with such a poor rep league wide.

Gailey may a straight shooter, but he's made numerous mistakes a NFL HC shouldn't. First, he picked the wrong QB and proceeded to learn it after 2 games. I can't remember the last time, save Cleveland a few years ago, any NFL team made such a quick starting QB hook. Second, he started Spiller in the first game and then couldn't get him 100 carries his rookie season. Apparently, the "pass catchin' runnin' back" couldn't be fit into offensive genius Gailey's offense. It doesn't take an entire season to figure out what is on the roster. Most of that should be done in the off-season and training camp, especially for a veteran HC with so many years of NFL experience.

Showcase? Really? Jay Glazer has reported that Buffalo did not actively market Lynch and that teams were pursuing Nix, not vice versa. It's reasonable that in Buffalo, the owner isn't the only one who has few contacts throughout the NFL. Glazer Re: Lynch per PFT I suppose the attacks may recommence on Glazer again. He's obviously anti-Bills. Plus, he knows Adam Schein.

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.