BillsVet

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.

Not to hijack the thread, but I think the main reason top execs and coaches avoid Buffalo isn't the weather but a lack of direction. It's hard for RW and the inner-circle to make any long term plans with ownership being what it is. I'm convinced Nix has a long term plan but whether he has time to implement it is another thing. SD's rebuild took 3 regular seasons and 4 off-seasons. RW turns 92, which puts the owner at 94-95 by the time Buffalo is competitive again. But I'd agree that the decisions are short sighted and not made by qualified football people, and that includes previous "football" people like Guy and Jauron. I'm just not convinced that people like Overdorf and Littman aren't still making decisions that are short sighted. And those latter two aren't going anywhere but on RW's gravy train.

You're the GM, and as such will report to the owner. Every single NFL team needs to be profitable first and foremost so dealing Evans and Lynch for picks might sound nice, but it signals they're quitting this season by the trade deadline. No one in upper management wants empty seats, especially since this will be a long season with a few blackouts. Secondly, Mankins wants Jahri Evans money, not the figures you mentioned. And why in heck would Bill Belichick deal Mankins at all when the team is trying to prove a point, especially to a division opponent that plays NE twice a year? Furthermore, Levitre is not a NFL RT or LT. He's principally a guard that worked at LT in an emergency last season. The team didn't keep him there amid all the problems at OT in 2009-10.

Ralph didn't know any contractors to fix his house. So he visited the nursing home for some advice from retired carpenters. The Bills don't have time to be making excuses. ST's went down 11k this year, and a rebuilding year will drive that further down. The long term fans who've endured 10 straight and likely another playoff less season can't take much more. They don't have all the time people think they have. If anything, the state of the team should be more proof that Marv Levy, Russ Brandon, and Dick Jauron maintained a 5-6 win team and rebuilt nothing. And amazingly despite this, Tom Modrak and Jim Overdorf remain on the payroll. Each year the draft was a means to replace departed free agents, and that'll keep you on the treadmill of mediocrity. Deep down, Buddy and Chan knew this team was probably not good. They've been around the game too long to not know the talent level was minimal.

The rebuild doesn't really begin until they get the QB of the future. And that's going to happen in April when they select within the top 5, perhaps top 3. After that, they've got to find two new OT's and pass rushers who weren't former DE's in the NFL. The interior LB's aren't stellar and it wouldn't hurt to have some more depth at WR.

His name is Kraig Urbik and he's a 2009 3rd round pick by Pittsburgh that didn't see the field in his rookie season for a team with severe OL issues. It's like Jamon Meredith all over again, thinking we can shop at the dollar store and come away with diamond rings. It's absurd to think these guys who are castoffs from other teams will help this team, especially from teams that are successful franchises in Pittsburgh and Green Bay. As if the Buffalo front office sees something that Kevin Colbert or Ted Thompson and their staffs didn't. The offensive line, specifically the tackles will plague this team all season. It's bad enough having a QB who's afraid of his own shadow, but the OT's are a sieve.

Not much on research? Mankins wants a Jahri Evans sized deal, and..he's a GUARD. They've got two of those already and neither are moving anywhere. Besides, Buffalo isn't giving out 50M dollar deals anymore. Hartwig is a cast-off and not playing anywhere for a reason. Runyan is retired and running for Congress in Michigan. End of story. The solution is to have better play at LT and RT. Unfortunately, teams don't allow good OT's to hit the open market. They must be drafted and the Bills haven't drafted an OT in the first four rounds since Fat Mike Williams in 2002.

I would love to see the bottom 4 teams be relegated to the second tier league if that were a possibility. Wouldn't it be something if the UFL and NFL reached an agreement to do this? In all seriousness, the Bills have avoided bottoming out for a long time. But that run has ended, and fans responded by purchasing 11k fewer season tickets. Admittedly it's one game of 16, but continued efforts at home like this will prompt more fans to just say the heck with it. I have a feeling the worst is yet to come.

Right on. It is inconceivable that a team can be mediocre to bad for 11 consecutive seasons and thus not bottom out or advance to the playoffs. Fans forget that SD took a full 3 seasons (and 4 off-seasons) to become the talent laden team the are. This rebuilding will be no different. Buffalo wasted 4 entire seasons under wimpy DJ and predictably bad management from Marv Levy and Russ Brandon in the GM role. 2010 is those bad decisions coming to the surface. What we as Bills fans watch on game days is not close to being even average NFL football. It's actually to the point of becoming sad, especially when you factor in the very uncertain future of the team with a soon to be 92 year old owner. The rebuild has begun, and they don't yet have a NFL QB, LT, RT, or enough pass rush.

I don't think either those two or Jamon Meredith would be much more than swing tackles for any team. Miami's front 7 got significant push all day long, and they have no one who's a marquee player. Koa Misi shoved Meredith around and Green is a warm body. A lot of fans don't care about OT because they don't show up on fantasy rosters, but it's clear they're holding back the entire offense. That, and Trent's just not good.

The more things CHANge the more they remain the same.

It's amazing that there's been so little turnover in the front office since the TD hiring. Modrak was hired by TD, then retained by Levy, Brandon and now Nix. Guy made it through one less GM until being fired over a night in January. I think all firings, front office or HC, must go through RW. How else can anyone explain why Levy, Brandon, and Nix have not restructured the front office upon assuming the GM title. I maintain Guy was a bone thrown to the fans who placed him in their collective crosshairs. Still, at the end of the day they've not drafted well in the middle rounds. From the 3rd to the 5th in 2006 to 2008, they've gained few long term decent starters. Aside from Trent, who's not a certainty in 2011, only Kyle Williams is a long term starter taken in those rounds. Yeah, the draft must improve if the team is to take a leap forward. Otherwise, it's same old same old.

Not surprising to see that people already have a prepared response if Buffalo isn't as good as Washington is in their first season of rebuilding: Snyder has more resources to call on. Yet, Danny gets ripped for spending in previous seasons without Shanahan/Allen. How many people around here say spending in UFA can hurt in the long term? I guess this applies only when it can be used to support a given argument. Good teams on the field begin with good management, i.e. an excellent GM and top HC. Spending guarantees nothing, but there is a time to sign free agents and a time not to. Shanahan has had his share of bad moves, but he's a proven HC and Gailey hasn't been one in the NFL in 11 years. I'd like to know why teams didn't bite on him after (at least on TBD) his celebrated 2 seasons as OC in MIA.

The dearth of posts from some of the original and older (not agewise) posters is indicative of this. Everyone has a right to be a fan, but you can't make an objective point about the team without a subjective homer fan railing on them for not being a true fan. I think this is going to be a long season.

Blitzing to manufacture a pass rush is not a long term solution. Torbor was cut from Miami, where he played ILB. Maybin is unproven and is a second stringer, Kelsay is a converted DE as is Ellis who has little experience regardless of defense. IMO, the coaching staff knows they don't have the horses to play strictly 3-4 and will attempt to mitigate this by frequently moving from a 43 to a 34. Over time, the lack of a good pass rush exposes a defense. For all the talk about the secondary, they'll be left out to dry without someone stepping up who can get to the QB. Good coaching cannot replace bad players ill-suited to scheme.

The Bills sold ST's last year to the tune of 56k+ as the economy was rapidly faltering. I wouldn't singularly place the loss in sales on the TO signing, but of course he was a factor. Now, in the second year of the recession, their base drops 11k tickets. While this isn't a black and white issue, there's something to be said for the marketing/communications department continually amping up expectations and then seeing the team strike out during the season. For this reason, a wait and see attitude is more prevalent than homer fans realize or want to admit. After awhile, the citizens stop paying attention to the boy who cried wolf. Being good in the NFL long term takes a LOT of good decisions from management to go along with significant resources. The Bills haven't made solid decisions in UFA and draft day, compounded by bad management from the field to on-high. The fans are reacting and playing the doubting Thomas role. Nothing wrong with that.

He's not in charge of recruiting. And for the record I'm not advocating the Bills take him or even them dumping the season to get a high pick. That's just too far off. The guy is a solid college player who isn't surrounded with much. Why doesn't he get the season to prove himself when everyone on TBD says we have to do the same thing to judge the 2010 version Bills?