BillsVet

You're the TBD subject matter expert on revisionist history, arguing from a negative premise, and blaming those no longer with the team. How convenient for you that your opinions continue to be spot-on. That owner you so vehemently defend remains absolutely responsible for this mess, not Butler, not TD, not Marv, and certainly not Mr. Smithers. This being the case, perhaps you might humble yourself and admit the owner is incapable of owning a successful NFL team without his vaunted, "luck." But that would be impossible for your omniscience. Besides, it's a message board, and we're all losers for being here. Your above self-righteous statement stands out for the sheer hypocrisy that it demonstrates. I suppose someone will chime in (predictably) that A) I don't play in the NFL so my opinion is worthless or B) this is only a message board or C) I'm not as successful as RW so I'm a loser. That's all fans like you have left when you criticize people who are ultimately proven as correct. See Jauron, Dick.

When the Pack lose Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Ryan Grant, Jermichael Finley, Charles Woodson, and Nick Collins then it's winnable.

Buffalo will finish worse than 6-10 in 2010. Many TBD'ers will excuse the result beause they knew the team was rebuilding anyway.

I can't wait to see RW have to hand out a 35-50M contract next season when the team picks in the top 5.

IMO, there's an outside chance Whitner gets a visit from the turk. He'll be competing with George Wilson and Bryan Scott at SS, with Jairus Byrd the man at FS. Whitner is owed just shy of 2.5M in 2010 and has a voidable year in 2011.

Do you have any links to back these numbers up? You mention that RW was willing to spend 10M per on Shanahan, but I'm not seeing much to back this up. Even so, let's assume RW did offer 10M, and Shanahan (along with Cowher) turned him down. Why would someone do that? I can only offer that they know the franchise is on thin ice and they need more stability. That's what people who are career minded take into consideration when deciding on a job. RW fired DJ when it became apparent the team was going nowhere again and fan animosity was growing. At the time of the firing, Buffalo was 3-6, had been embarrassed in Tennessee 41-17. When it comes to front office and coaching moves, RW runs the show. And that show has been pretty bad for a long time. This off-season is no different.

At this stage in his life, RW has limited his criteria to GM searches as "someone he knows." That's not going to work in the 21st century NFL where a solid GM and HC are absolutely required. And now, when RW went looking for the big name and reportedly big dollars for GM/HC, none of them would come work for him. Ralph doesn't understand that he's the reason this team consistently fails. His poor decisions haunt this organization (firing Polian, firing Butler, hiring TD, hiring Marv, re-signing DJ, Smithers as GM, et al.)

Season ticket sales are a disappointment because the team continues to hype themselves and fails to deliver each season. Fans have figured out that the team isn't going to be good and don't want to pay for a bad product. When you hype something long enough, you've got to deliver eventually. Buffalo hasn't for 10 years straight and the fans are responding. Smithers knows this, but will talk about how it's hard to live up to last year's sales record. The team is at a crossroads and their moves this off-season did nothing to inspire people, never mind that the future of the team after RW is unknown and they sell games to Toronto. Those three items impact season ticket sales too Mr. Smithers. It's their own doing that people aren't buying tickets, and I won't buy that it's only the economy. People buy tickets to sporting events and eschew other things. It should be noted that the Bills have released ST sales info the past two years in June, whereas this year they won't say much. No news is bad news in that regard.

If reports are to be believed, RW wanted to pay someone to be GM/HC type in November/December. Then Shanahan and Cowher both declined the job, which says a lot about where the Bills are in the NFL.

I don't see where the proof is that Gailey is some sort of offensive genius. His last go-round as even an OC was in the weak AFCW. Prior to that, he'd done little with a GT team and before that was OK as MIA OC. How do you maintain a "solid offensive reputation" without having done anything in close to a decade?

I guess we should start measuring Spiller for his HOF jacket and bust. Faster than Thurman Thomas, more elusive than Gale Sayers, and just plan better than Barry Sanders.

All this man-love for Spiller is really great, I hope Buffalo figures a way out to run block with 8 or 9 in the box. Ah well, let's watch another youtube video.

I forgot that RW didn't re-sign DJ and then fire him about one year later. How many owner's are re-signing and firing their HC's? Or RW dictating to Wade Phillips that he start Rob Johnson against Tennessee. Or re-signing OJ on the evening of the 1976 season. The list goes on and on and on.

It should be noted that San Diego's rebuilding took three seasons to become a playoff team. The Chargers were 5-11, 8-8, and 4-12 from 2001 to 2003. They made the playoffs with a 12-4 record in 2004, getting outstanding production from Brees and Tomlinson. I'm not sure there are many fans who want to wait until the 2013 season to see a winner after 10 season minus the post-season. Building through the draft is a nice principle and all, but it doesn't mean using this method exclusively to put a team together.

Don't forget Jim Overdorf, Senior VP of Football Ops. He's a part of any contract negotiations and evidently oversees the cap when it's in effect. Neither Nix or Whaley negotiate contracts.

Shudder the thought if the man retires in his early seventies. Most (other than dysfunctional franchises) have a far younger man running their teams.

Let's make this real simple: Who would you rather have picking GM's, HC's, and in the draft? Bill Parcells or Ralph Wilson and Buddy Nix? Who has the better reputation in the NFL, Parcells or Wilson/Nix? Who's rebuilt more football teams, regardless of "diminishing returns", Parcells or Wilson/Nix? When you hire people you know as the only criteria versus hiring the best qualified person for the job, you lose. And after 10 years in the NFL wilderness, I'd rather have a proven winner.

I thought the draft was a crap-shoot? I mean, for every Peyton Manning, there's a JaMarcus Russell. And for every Bruce Smith, there's an Aundray Bruce. It's obvious to me that you can miss on a top-5 pick, so it's really not the benefit you make it out to be. Reading your thread, it's almost as if Polian was granted these guys and put no thought into it. I mean, guys like Ray Childress, Chris Doleman, and Ryan Leaf were definitely rated below the top pick in those 85 and 98 drafts, right? Buffalo hit rock bottom in 2001, and ended up getting a bust in the subsequent 2002 draft. Detroit has had numerous busts (Charles Rogers) and Oakland as well (Robert Gallery). The common denominator is those teams had piss-poor decision makers just like Buffalo had from 06-09 in the least.

Gailey is an improvement over DJ, but it's not hard to be better than the former coach. And when I hear a coach talk about teaching, it's an indication they're very young. Take away the bullhorn and punishment laps, and it's 2001 all over again. Just being a former OC and having 2 seasons of HC experience does not mean the results will magically be different in '10. They still have huge question marks at QB, WR2, LT, RT, NT, and 2x OLB.

Reading this thread, it's ironic to see some try to take Parcells down a notch in order to conflate the argument about Buffalo's front office. Parcells completely cleaned the Dolphins house in late 2007/early 2008 by firing virtually the entire previous regime and hiring his own GM and his own coach. They are now a perennial playoff contender in a difficult division and conference. In Buffalo, no one beside the owner has ever been able to do this, and the result is 10 years in the NFL wilderness. Go ahead and say Parcells has issues, every talent evaluator does. Then review RW's front office decisions since 2000:firing Wade, hiring Donahoe, Levy, Brandon, re-signing DJ, the list goes on and on. Now who would you rather have running the show?

If the report is to be believed, it's even more alarming given that Henry played WR. That position does take hits, but certainly not like RB's, LB's, and QB's.

The trust invested in a HC who hasn't done the job in 10 years defies logic. That's not to say Gailey cannot do it, but expecting immediate results in year 1 is a little much, particularly with this team. The Bills are in rebuild mode for 2010. Parcells' last coaching stop did in fact result in a 34-32 record, albeit with QB's Quincy Carter, Vinnie Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe, and Tony Romo in his first season. Despite those guys, he went to the playoffs twice in his 4 seasons. Gailey has many of the same challenges, i.e., playing in a tough division without much at QB, and having to rebuild his team.

You mean drafting Whitner, McCargo, Youboty, and Simpson in 2006 wasn't good enough for you Bill? Ralph put Marv into a bad spot, but the marvelous one exacerbated the situation by hiring DJ. What a comedy of errors.

The old Falling back on the "they know more than you do" argument comes out. It must be that time of year when fans question the direction, only to be told they aren't in the NFL and know nothing. Wonder if that sentiment will be echoed in November-December.

It's not hard to be an improvement over the sad-sack former HC Buffalo had and the bar was set pretty low to improve on DJ. It seems like anything new is instantly declared better around here. At the time, Marv was an improvement over DJ. DJ over Mularkey. Mularkey over Williams. Williams over Wade. Donahoe over Butler. Problem is, the same guy is still making the decisions.