BillsVet

You're so negative.

GB has so much depth. They lost 6 starters from their opening day roster during the season and then lost Woodson and Driver tonight. Ted Thompson has really stocked that team with outstanding starters and capable depth players. Where the Packers have good depth with later round picks who can fill in, Buffalo goes dumpster diving for UDFA's, street free agents, and guys plucked from practice squads.

It's easier to draft and subsequently keep your own players when you have an actual general manager (of football I might add) running the show. Instead, the owner decided it was better for him to have an old hand that he knew. This went on for 4 seasons, encompassing several draft picks and free agency periods which produced almost nothing. Buddy Nix isn't off to all that great a start, but I have more faith in him than I do non-personnel people like Marv Levy and Mr. Smithers heading up the football side of the house. Too bad it's taken moves like this to demonstrate how far the Bills are behind in building a team to even be respectable.

Garbage.

Buddy said last year going into the off-season OL was his top priority, and then he did jack but sign a washed up backup who lasted less than half a season. So yeah, I take what they say with a grain of salt. The other element to all of this is, the QB is normally the highest paid player on the team. I don't see a rookie wage scale being in place this season, and if not, I don't see this team paying someone 40M guaranteed who plays any other position but QB. I can see them going with Gabbert to fill the void of not having a franchise guy, and of course someone they can hype to sell tickets. Of course, there's always the chance RW likes a certain National Championship QB with a questionable background.

I think Ted Thompson figured Clay Matthews Jr would be pretty good or he wouldn't have used a top pick on him.

Not every position is equal in terms of impact, which oughta be obvious to most fans. At 3, yeah sure they need an impact guy, but if it's not the next franchise QB, a DL or LT, it's a waste for this team. Fortifying their DL should be the name of the game seeing as how there isn't a top QB nor top flight LT available this draft. Last year should have proved that taking players who require support like a RB does from their OL is stupid. AJ Green might be a great WR, but he needs an OL and then a QB to get him the ball. It's been talked about ad nauseam here, but build the lines, especially the high dollar positions of OT, DE, and DT/NT.

Ironic how the draft picks became good to great players when Bill Polian started in the front office or was officially elevated to GM. My optimism dies with this franchise when I realize RW or his people can jump in at any moment and "recommend" a player OR Buddy is making the picks. Neither scenario is all that attractive, the former being even worse. Not all talent evaluators are created equal.

You don't hire Marv Levy to be GM. You don't hire Dick Jauron as HC. You don't draft skill positions when your lines stink. You don't promote Mr. Smithers to be GM. You don't spend 49M on a guard not named Steve Hutchinson. You don't trade Jason Peters. You don't draft Aaron Maybin. You don't hire Buddy Nix to be GM. You don't name Trent Edwards starter and then bench him 2 weeks in. You don't draft Cam Newton in the first 3 rounds minimum.

Spot-on. Whether RW realizes it or not, 11 years of losing has ensured a general distrust of both he and his franchise. His friend Buddy Nix hasn't committed to anything like a plan for the future nor made moves anyone can point to and say were solid. They made the choice to go with the 3-4, used a lot of picks and free agent dollars on players for that scheme, and found themselves going 4-3 a lot by season's end. On draft day, the took a RB 9th overall in an era when teams are starting and getting production out of late round picks and UDFA's. The RB ended up with fewer than 100 touches from the LOS. The named Trent the starting QB in camp and after 2 starts and 3 weeks he was cut. After the season, in an attempt to give credibility to their poor defense, they announce they're sticking with the 3-4 and then hire Dave Wannstedt who's always been a 4-3 guy. And now, the owner and GM are pulling out all the stops to defend their College Scouting Director who has worked for 4 different GM's and is supposedly not responsible for the draft record since starting in 2002. When you describe the issues, as Harvey as done, it's pretty clear they have no identity or plan. The owner is either meddling deeply or he's simply hiring people unqualified and inept at building a football team. So whether is Tom Donahoe, Marv/DIck, Mr. Smithers/Dick, or ole Buddy, he isn't getting enough big decisions right. And people around the NFL know it and thus will not work for him.

A Pro Bowl selection is an individual award, and Williams is deserving as an alternate. But the defense which he's a 34 NT on, gave up a shade under 170 yards rushing per which ranked dead last in the NFL by 15 yards. If the Bills are going to be a team that can stop the run with a 34, they need a different type of player.

He's a 4-3 1 tech or perhaps 3 tech DT. He's just not a 2 gap lineman.

And giving up 30+ points 9 times. Teams are going to keep running the ball down their throat until they start showing they can stop it. There's nothing more frustrating than seeing a NE team with Brady beating you by running Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead at you. And in the 34, that starts with a NT who can occupy blockers at the 0 technique. For as good as Kyle Williams is, he's neither a 34DE nor a 34NT. It would help if the DL could tie up blockers so their ILB's can make plays.

Mankins plays LG, where Levitre plays. And no team should invest huge UFA dollars in a guard after having already allocated a 1st and 2nd round pick, especially one that has practically nothing at OT. Tackle is the high dollar position the Bills need to improve, because the difference between average and excellent guard play isn't that much.

Believe it or not, teams change front office personnel and sometimes the new people are better than the old people. This is why the Steelers weren't as good in the 80s and 90s as they are in the 00's. I'd say right now that Mike Tomlin is at least as good, if not better than Cowher. And, Kevin Colbert is an outstanding talent evaluator. So, they end up with good players who are well coached and it's no coincidence they win. Chalking up success to the luck of finding a player underscores how much planning and overall team talent is required to win long term in 2010. NE, IND, PIT, and PHI have been winning regularly for a decade. Think that's coincidence or because they have a plan, remain committed to it, and have great people to design and implement it? Right. No one lucks into a decade of success.

Everything this organization does seems to be a delaying effort or a rear-guard action. Drafting is terrible according to the owner, but the same people are there building the board and coordinating the scouts. There is no vision and no cogent plan when you name a retired HC as GM and replace him with the marketing guy. Placing personal familiarity above actual talent when searching for a GM is a reason why the Bills are 31-49 since 2006, or the same record they were under the hated Tom Donahoe. Kudos to DiCesare for making this point. You don't go 11 years straight without making the playoffs and not completely blow up the front office. Overdorf, Modrak, scouts, et al. should have been gone when a new GM takes over. It happens in all franchises when there is true "regime" change. Organizationally, they get rid of people only when things get really bad publicly, i.e. Jauron and Guy. Those guys should have been gone way before they were fired.

Don't forget Oakland. RW, Bud Adams, Al Davis, and Mike Brown all should back away from the wheel and begin delegating more. You could make the case RW has already to a certain degree, but the other 3 micromanage their organizations like there's no tomorrow. Yeah, blast the guy because his owner demanded Vince "headcase" Young be the franchise QB from 2006-10. Sure, Tennessee wasn't SB caliber every year, but picking Young really worked out well for the Titans. Another reason for why owners should keep their nose out of draft day. They may be great businessman, but player personnel is not business. EDIT: For comparison's sake Fisher has averaged just under 9 wins per for 16 complete seasons. Buffalo has an average of about 6 for the past 11 seasons. I would take him in a heartbeat.

I would like to see them take an OT in the first 3 rounds, but doubt that'll happen. Nix loves to point out what happened in SD while he was there and as an example, from 2001-07, the Chargers selected 4 OT's, 3 of whom were 5th round and later. Their lone top 3 round pick was of course Marcus McNeill in 2006. I really don't think he places a high priority there, and figures with enough dumpster diving of other teams practice squads, UDFA's and looking for street free agents that he'll find someone eventually. For the record, I can't find one decent UFA OT SD signed from 01-07 while Buddy was there either. The best thing that happened to the OL this season was Fitzpatrick taking over. He was obviously way more decisive than Trent, and covered up for bad to mediocre pass protection. Someone will point out the sacks allowed was lower in 2010 than 2009, but a QB can make the OL better than it really is which is what Fitzgibbons did. Run blocking continues to be an issue, although Buddy and Chan said Spiller would make the OL better. I guess we all missed that, because neither back he nor FJ had much to work with. This, along with being down early forced Gailey to call more than 56% passing plays (519 pass 401 rush) this season.

Any link for this? Not to speak ill of the passed, but Linda admitted she had her job because her dad owned the team. And Howard Ballard was an 11th round pick in 1987, not a UDFA. A lot of people look good when Bill Polian is picking the players for you. I suspect there's a lot of that here.

An excuse is when you almost or can't get something done. This wouldn't be such a sore subject if the franchise managed to get into the post-season once a decade. Problem is, the supposed foundation built this season looks like something the Big Bad Wolf could blow down with a sore throat. The OL isn't better, the defense could be worse in 2010, the secondary isn't as stellar as some thought, the running game never got going, and the QB is a journeyman somewhere in the middle of the NFL at his position. Sure there are some bright spots in KW and Steve Johnson, but beyond that and Fred Jack, what jumps out as quality talent anywhere? The truth is the jury is still out on Nix and Gailey. Year 1 did not go very well.

Another factor here is that Buffalo has jettisoned quite a few higher paid players. It's not a comment on their play, but re-signing Clements, Fletcher, Peters, and Greer would raise that figure considerably. Lynch probably factors in there as well. The fact is, Buffalo hasn't had many to re-sign because their draft picks and free agents have been so horrendous. The only guys they've extended to long term contracts in the past few years who commanded a decent salary have been Evans, Stroud, McGee, Schobel and Kelsay. Stroud will be cut and Schobel's retired, so they'll be at most 3 players on the roster next season. It's been repeated ad nauseam, but if RW committed to and could attract the better football minds, he'd get a lot more value out of his cash outlay for players. He eschews that simple concept and keep bottom feeders while hiring people who should be retired.

Not to mention leading the league in hits delivered after TD receptions, INT's dropped, and most post-season anti-fan tweets.

Anyone who believes anything that organization says should check their sanity. This is the same team that has a GM who claims they got 35 calls a day for their HC position and argued that they didn't try to interview people who turned them down. Their credibility is not the highest right now. Heck, they lied about when RW was having his ring ceremony, to the point of not telling their HOF RB. It's all hype to build hope. Symbolism over substance.

11 safeties chosen? Is that a typo or did someone mistakenly leave 'lil Donte out?

Definitely. But the owner has selected all of those GM's with the main criteria being that he knew them after the Donahoe years. Ironically, TD's teams combined to go 31-49 from 01-05. RW's picks at GM combined to go...31-49 in 5 seasons. This time around, Buffalo's already made their changes at the top, so I guess no one gets the ax now. Perpetual rebuilding to follow.