BillsVet

Good read and hadn't realized the expanding disparity between passing and rushing TD's. This naturally begs the question of why did Buffalo decide to take yet another RB in the first round? On the surface, with the league so passing oriented, finding players who can throw the ball, pass block, catch, and pass rush seems to be a priority if you can't do any of them especially well. Even Arian Foster, who won the rushing title, seems to be living beneath the radar to most that don't play fantasy football. If Buffalo's top pick isn't geared to helping their passing game or hurting their opponents' then it's a wasted pick.

Ever ask yourself why the Bills are faced with this reality at the end of each season? Maybe this happens more frequently when you name a retired HC and marketing exec as your GM and expect them to figure it out on the job. Maybe if the team didn't draft so poorly year after year after year. Nah, that couldn't be it.

Gailey got this offense from bad to mediocre, while his defense was plain bad from Day 1. Either way, Buffalo needs a massive influx of talent on both sides of the ball to get back to even being respectable. Which leads me to Buddy Nix who did very little in his rookie GM season to give his HC the players to win down the road. UFA was a wash with only Dwan Edwards figuring into their plans moving forward. Their top draft picks failed to get onto the field, and at the end they were forced to go dumpster diving into other teams' practice squads to fill out their roster. In a season of rebuilding, they constructed a few cinder blocks. And I'll believe they are after the name UFA's when I see it. The Bills seem more interested in saving money than spending it, unless of course it's for players who give great post game comments or haven't been good in 3 seasons. Rebuilding one or two players at a time isn't cutting it. With guys aging every year, you've got to do more than that. Their stadium lease expires in 2012, so winning now seems to be an understatement.

What, no kool aid to take intravenously? I don't want anyone to prevent me from feeling happy and hopey! Myth 7 is my favorite. I love the fact that they've got to pay a top pick and if you look at the third pick from '10, they're getting at least 35M guaranteed with QB's commanding more. Then again, the man collecting the information and doing the research has survived through 4 different GMs. Only in Buffalo could Teflon Tom Modrak keep his job. Excellent thread Trooth.

First off, welcome aboard. Second, don't let anyone tell you what you just said is wrong. Re-signing Chris Kelsay, signing Shawne Merriman, raiding other teams' practice squads, it never ends with this franchise. They're a third rate and irrelevant organization and they don't care.

If this team goes CB BillfromNYC won't be the only one who self destructs.

Even with undead Al steering the ship, Oakland is a better franchise than Buffalo is right now. Certainly not by much, but winning 7 games is more than Buffalo will be able to muster without a serious investment on both sides of the ball and in coaches.

This season proves that more than likely you're not going to find quality OT's late in the draft, from the UDFA ranks, off the street, from other teams' practice squads or guys allowed to walk from Oakland. One constant all season was Gailey's lack of confidence in the OL to run block. In many games they were one-dimensional and not good in short yardage. They must invest a high pick in a OT this season, because UFA doesn't yield much.

Thanks Bill for your weekly opinions. It's much appreciated.

Or the 3 offensive points in the last 8 quarters.

When does Fireman Ed get some PT?

Less likely for them to make a mistake when they're higher. For a team the owner terms as "terrible" drafting the past 10 years, they need all the help they can get.

I'm guessing you're not one who sees many shades of gray, correct? It's either black or white, up or down in everything you talk about.

In the past 6 quarters, the Bills are being outscored 51-3 by the opposition. Ouch.

Is the NFL allowed to penalize Chris Kelsay?

Preseason games are overrated.

This is perhaps the worst roster in the NFL.

From 85-00 Buffalo had guys in the front office who could make up for the RW and Littman meddling in football matters. That's not to say Butler left the team in great shape or that Wade was HOF caliber, but 10 years later, the organization is a mess, the drafting is "terrible" according to the owner, and the Bills are 11 seasons without a playoff berth. Owners are going to have a say in every franchise. It's just that the best ones don't throw tantrums and rely on the advice of money men solely focused on turning a bigger profit. The Bills decline began when RW allowed strong football people to be trumped by non-football people like Littman and Overdorf.

Both players must be analyzed based on their caliber of play and pay. Neither are elite at their positions first with one looking for a big pay day and the other probably not. Whitner's not getting 6M+, so unless he's Iwilling to take a pay cut, should be allowed to leave. I would be satisfied with a George Wilson until they can find a more suitable replacement. Posluszny needs to be covered up in whichever defense they decide on. Perhaps teaming him with a better ILB or 43 OLB's might be an option, but he's certainly not going to demand a Whitner sized contract. At this point he probably isn't getting replaced simply because they have so many needs and so few resources to address them.

It's a 4-11 team. How much worse can they get without a Whitner or Posluszny? The defense is already among the league's worst, ranking dead last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed with 160+ per and 29th in stopping teams on 3rd down. Both players do their best, but their best is not enough. They need better pieces and must commit the resources to get players who impact games. Whitner and Posluszny are not on the same level with guys like Winfield, P. Williams, Fletcher, and Clements. At least those guys were a part of a core group who played on good defenses. Whitner and Posluszny have never played on a good defense. Never.

Every off-season we hear the same message that the team could have easily won a few more games and their young players are going to develop. Well, how many years do we have to say it before this happens? Young players are not guaranteed of getting better and frequently get worse as teams get film on them. Furthermore, losing close games is not necessarily an indication the team is improving. Buffalo is 3-6 in games decided by 1 score in 2010. They were 2-5 in 09, 3-4 in 08, 4-4 in 07, and 3-6 in 06. Without better talent up and down the roster, the Bills are stuck between being bad and mediocre. So far, the front office hasn't really done much to demonstrate the team is on the up and up. There is no proof from 10 that they'll be much more than a mediocre team in 11.

Nix has been very public about being a GM who doesn't use UFA much. Last year's signings were to help transition to a 34 and replace a suddenly retired Brad Butler. These weren't huge contracts at all. When there's a CBA to provide a UFA period, I still see no reason this team spends a lot of money on guys like David Harris and LaMarr Woodley who will command huge salaries if they become available at all. It's been 4 year since the Dockery/Walker signings, so it seems like they've removed themselves, even before Nix' arrival, from the top UFA game. And after 11 seasons of non-playoff football, one has to wonder why.

WR's and CB's, as is obvious, require a support to be good. The former needs an OL and QB, while the latter needs a pass rush. These things have been on display for the Bills for a long time now and I don't understand why it's so hard to figure out. Better to get strong at OT and DL to help the team win sooner. From 06-09, Buffalo used 6 1st or 2nd round picks on non-lineman. And of the 4 lineman taken, 2 are McCargo and Maybin with the others being guards. And people wonder why the team doesn't run block or rush the passer real well. That's where I'd like to see them get better, not WR or CB necessarily right away.

Exhibit A on why teams without a pass rush and rebuilding do not begin said rebuild with a safety. The Whitner apologists quibble over this simple fact, but it remains a luxury to select a safety so high when more important positions like OT, 43RDE or 34OLB are essential. And now this very point is being used to excuse Whitner for his underwhelming play. Teams are not afraid to throw his way, as evidenced by the number of receptions and TD's where DW throws a shoulder after the receiver catches the ball. He is an average player demanding a salary commensurate with being a star, of which he is not and never will be.

I don't agree. It appears Nix and Gailey are on the same page wrt the draft, at least this past year. And while Gailey may be an offensive coach, he knows his defense is losing a lot of games for him, so taking the big name WR won't cure that problem. Offensively the Bills are mediocre, but on defense it's a complete cluster. They don't know if they're a 43 or 34, can't stop the run, and have surrendered 30+ 8 times this season. The real battle will be between Nix/Gailey and the suits. The latter know the team has no drawing card in 2011 and it'll be a challenge to sell 40k season tickets. Needless to say, that's where the real battle will be waged.