BillsVet

You are indeed comparing the RB position to QB. GB's situation was unique in the annals of NFL football and absolutely nothing like this thing with Spiller. The comparison is completely unreal. You do not take RB's in the top 10 and not start them. They said they needed a difference maker, and now are giving him a few touches and having the guy as a KR. The single most wrong thing with this franchise is their absolute refusal to invest high draft picks in DL and OL. It's the same from TD to Levy to Brandon to Nix (so far): they use lots of resources on positions that rely on those lineman they never draft. People on this very board in 2007 said the same darn thing you're saying now: That this team will be better in a few years. We'll, we're waiting (in Judge Smails voice).

Detroit has bottomed out for years, and as a result received numerous high picks. But, they're most recent rebuild (after a number that didn't work) began in 2009 after they jettisoned Millen, fired Rod Marinelli, and hired new people to man those roles. The new GM was around when Millen was, but they hired a new HC, Schwartz, drafted their QB, switched defensive schemes. They're in year 2 not 3 of a rebuild. Buffalo is in year 0.

The troubling part about this is they've invested a high pick for a guy who's become a situational player, and one that plays the position which most seamlessly transitions from college to the pros. Gailey was supposed to have found a place for him in this offense, and 2 games in the 9th overall pick has all of 16 touches through 2 games. That's not good enough. Gailey needs to find a way to get this guy involved, or this becomes a HC problem and not a RB one.

Exactly. During the past few years it's no coincidence they haven't been able to attract top candidates for the GM and HC positions. Who would want to work in Buffalo when the next ownership will make huge changes? It's why they've only been able to hire the likes of Dick Jauron, Chan Gailey, Marv Levy, Russ Brandon, and Buddy Nix. All of those guys are happy to be in the league and don't mind that they'd get dumped if the team were sold. It is certainly a real conundrum in that they can't move forward without the owner not being present. And in no way am I hoping for anyone's passing, it's just a strange situation as you say.

If RW had hired a real GM the first time in 2006, the Bills wouldn't be in the predicament of being a bottom 5 NFL team in 2010.

It's amazing that Modrak has survived as long as he has. He's worked under four GM's now, and received a promotion to VP after TD was fired. John Guy made it through 3 GM's, and was unceremoniously dumped late one January night as a bone to fans who knew his name and that Buffal'o's UFA had stunk. He's wasn't good, but wasn't the only one who should have been fired. The ironic thing amid all the GM's since 2006 is that none of them fired the college scouting and pro personnel directors. Normally, new GM's bring in their own people to fill those roles but I'm not sure even the GM can fire anyone without RW's permission. How else can anyone explain why Jim Overdorf hasn't been canned? Or why the owner re-signed and subsequently fired the coach. That's a GM's job.

When you bring in a "rock star" HC immediately fans demand to win. For as much as people rip on Dan Snyder, he's done what RW in 50 years never could: delegate football responsibility to football people. Every NFL owner is going to have a say, but it's proven time and again that owners who get into personnel end up causing major problems. And RW has done that quite frequently. The reason Buffalo ends up with Nix/Gailey while Washington gets Shanahan/Allen is because RW has destroyed the good reputation of the team forged in the late eighties through late nineties. I have no doubt word has gotten around the league that you don't go to Buffalo, and thus the Bills had issues even getting HC interviews. The GM job wasn't even open to anyone from outside the organization. That's not how to run a first rate team in this era. I want them to win now, but realize they've got to bottom out and stop riding the mediocrity train they've been on for the past 5 seasons. Gailey may want to win now, but going 0-16 or 1-15 is out of the question. They're not going to play younger guys just to give them PT. It's like Fewell at the end of last season. NFL HC's are on a short leash and they're the first ones to go when things get bad.

Yet both Jackson and Lynch received carries in Week 1. Not sure that your point carries water. Rarely in the NFL of 2010 are 200# RB's handling 20+ carries a week. You and I know that and I didn't expect him to be the #1 back, hence my criticism of the pick (not to be confused with the player). I would categorize the changing of Spiller in favor of Lynch and Fitz in favor of Edwards as just poor decision making on a team bereft of talent. Sure, DJ was terribly indecisive and agonized over decisions in-game. I don't think it's a good comparison to compare DJ's in-game decisions to Gailey's post-game changes at QB and RB. I just see the quick hook as being a sign that Gailey may not be all he's been hyped up to be. But yeah, it's going to be a long season and Edwards needed to go. I'm just questioning the handing of the job to Trent and subsequently benching him 2 games in.

I didn't expect it to be fixed in one year. But changing the starting RB from Week 1 to Week 2 and benching the appointed QB 2 weeks in speaks of indecisiveness. And that is is exactly what people harped on DJ for. Now, in no way am I comparing the two, but the similarity is striking. No NFL HC is going to mail games in given the paucity of jobs available. Having said that, would it be impossible to pick the best guy at the outset? They should have known Trent was a tease, and that Fitzpatrick gave the team a better chance to win as evidenced by the final games if 2009. No one is saying they were going to fix it in one season. I just wish they'd chart the best course and stick to it. It's getting to be chaotic.

10+ seasons of playoff less football and negative is bad? Man, which planet are some fans living on? We all want to see a winning team on the field, but it's just too much to see people saying Sullivan is negative. I guess that means most the homer fans aren't aware that losing for a decade plus is not normal. Apparently it's required to be happy even if things aren't good. It makes the homer fan feel good to hope, even though for 10 years that hope instilled by the marketeers has never been fulfilled. Sullivan's right again, and if that makes people feel bad, so be it. Life's tough.

Do you think this guy knows any janitors? And if so, does he take pity on them? Just wondering.

Pro Bowl selections may be strange process, but there's no doubt the Bills don't draft good to elite players. Jason Peters is the only home-grown player voted to the Pro Bowl since 2000, with the exception of Brian Moorman. No team will be successful drafting a bunch of average starters who aren't supported with elite talent.

Chan is an offensive genius who was kind enough to enlist an understudy like Curtis Modkins. Then again, Belichick doesn't have an OC or DC. Does that make Chan half as good as BB?

Much has been made of Spiller not getting many touches, but Torrell Troup hasn't seen much time either. Both of those guys play more than 3rd rounder Alex Carrington who wasn't active. Hard to believe a 3rd round pick doesn't get on the field with the DE rotation being what it is. I think it's safe to say pre-season is not indicative of what will work during the regular season. Opponents know through that Buffalo is a one dimensional offense with a QB who can't hurt them. A few holdouts remain who claim Donte Whitner was miscast in the DJ T2 defense. Well, if throwing a shoulder on a ball carrier who's almost or actually down was a statistic, he'd lead the league. He's barely average in coverage, has terrible hands (as evidenced by the drop near the goal line) and doesn't make impact plays. But I guarantee he'll be yapping about NE this week. No one can say with any proof that the front office wrote this season off. But it's abundantly clear why recognized and proven coaches, assistant or former head coaches, wanted to take on the massive task of rebuilding. There's a chance this team begins the season 0-8.

Drinking his metamucil, taking a nap, talking to Littman about his profit outlook, and calling Nix to ask why things are so bad. It's been a busy day for RW.

The games always expose a bad team that falls back on talk/hype to manufacture hope. The past 4 seasons provided enough winning to keep some interested, but this year is a completely different animal.

Brady and Rodgers are "Cali" QB's. They do however, have a real NFL offensive line with real coaches and receivers. EDIT: That said, Edwards still stinks and it's got nothing to do with where he's from. He's just weak-minded and playing for a terrible team. Put it together and it spells top 3 draft picks in 2011.

We're competing with the Lions today. We draft RB's like they do WR's. Well, almost.

Will Chan or Trent say they're improving because they gained more yards today?

These runs with 6 minutes left down 4 TD's must be getting back to basics.

Shudder the thought you've got to take OT's above the 5th round. Meredith in pass protection is a study in futility. Same with Green.

Is it Edwards' fault that the playcalls include holding onto the ball, being sacked, or throwing in the flat repeatedly?

I think it's closer to 10+ years, but who's really counting anymore. Until the Bills show something on the field, like a win over a perennial playoff team, they'll be beat on as being a bad team. Worst thing is, people thought the team wasn't that far away when they went 7-9, 7-9, 7-9, and 6-10 the past 4 seasons, They were so good in fact that they're completely starting over again.

As much as I didn't care for the Nix and Gailey hirings, they were tasked with rebuilding an organization woefully mismanaged for several years. The very fact Buffalo hasn't bottomed out since 2001 is really amazing when you consider that teams don't ride the mediocrity train for long before being bad or ascending to playoff status. I'm not keen on drafting skill players before linemen, given that those specialty guys depend on lineman. The exception to that is QB's, who are in short supply and teams who don't have them typically don't advance far. It takes a special type of person to handle the rigors of playing QB for a team with little talent. There's only one Peyton Manning, one Drew Brees, one Tom Brady, and one Philip Rivers. And I'm not keen on signing Jake Delhomme or some castoff just to go 5-11 in a one year trial for a team that might otherwise go 3-13. The rebuild started in 2010 will take no less than 2 regular seasons and off-seasons. Unfortunately, the QB is central to any rebuilding and Buffalo's future guy isn't on the roster.

Good find. Strong running backs with minimal push from the OT's. A secondary that's solid without a supporting pass rush. A weak LB group that has some 2 down guys with limited range. These are things that people said around here during the offseason and were destroyed for having the audacity to say them. GB is a good team, but not perfect. That was on display in Week 1 when they travelled to Philadelphia.