BillsVet

We'll agree to disagree. I remember Byrd finding himself in the right place at the right time. Was it ball skills or luck? I don't know. And if Byrd doesn't have 9 picks this year, I won't proclaim him a failure. But I expect him to be better in the run game and make a play or two in the secondary. I think the pass rush or lack thereof is going to hurt that solid secondary.

Football Outsiders watches way more tape than you dude. And I trust their analysis more than you, because neither of us have published any sort of football book. What have you done with your life? They're better than you and our opinions are worthless because we're not in the game or covering it.

Actually KFBD, I received my copy of the 2010 Football Outsiders Almanac yesterday, and their later analysis on Buffalo notes that on only 1 INT did Byrd break in front of a receiver and get an INT. In comparison, Darren Sharper had 3 picks this way. I don't have my copy here, but he did get about 4-5 picks either off a tip or when a player was significantly overthrown. It also said the last guy to get 8 or more picks 2 seasons in a row was 96-97.

Reality is lost on homer fans. When you and I look around the league, we see teams that are rising, falling, and typically rising again. Homer fans have blinders on and lose objectivity when analyzing this team. The Bills have been stuck in a 5-7 win category for the past 5 seasons, but everyone "hopes" they'll get better because they have new people nominally in charge. There isn't one team in the NFL who can say they've haven't bottomed out or went to the playoffs. And by bottoming out I mean 0-4 wins in a season.

It's sad we have to acknowledge that fact. Only Al Davis is worst, and that's because he doesn't have a GM. Modrak isn't making the final call, but there are others who intercede who shouldn't. DJ was a big part of the problem, in that Levy and Brandon depended on him. HC's shouldn't have as much input in the college scouting process because they're too busy managing the team. I did err. So therefore, they've have 11 1st or 2nd round picks from 05-09 and 5 will be starting in 2010: 2 safeties, 2 guards, and one linebacker. Still no pass rushers, QB, or OT's.

I don't think it's accurate to include in this statement the '10 draftees. But from 05-09, there are 6 guys who probably won't start in 2010. 05 WR Parrish (Donahoe) backup WR 06 DL McCargo (Dick Levy) possible TC cut 07 RB Lynch (Dick Levy) Supplanted by UDFA Jackson 08 CB McKelvin (Dick Brandon) Supplanted by UFA Florence 08 WR Hardy (Dick Brandon) 4th on depth chart 09 DE Maybin (Dick Brandon) backup OLB Lynch would probably start for other teams. At the same time, Buffalo had 8 other picks in the first two rounds these past 5 drafts, of which only 3 will most likely start in 2010: S Whitner, LB Posluszny, and G Wood. Hitting on less than 40% of your top picks is why they're consistently mediocre. Making matters worse, they've not found anyone at the premium positions of QB, LT, and pass rusher in that same time. Not coincidentally, the same guy is still running the college scouting department. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Does that mean that the Brandon era gets a pass for Hardy because they also took Johnson late? Just like McCargo can't be a bad pick because they found someone in the 5th in Williams!

Miami and the Jets to a lesser extent are what happens when proven football people are permitted to make football decisions. In the case of Miami, the former owner delegated the building of a team to an experienced football guy who had rebuilt multiple teams (cue the diminishing returns crowd). Nix has never done that as the head of football for any team and Gailey hasn't started from the ground floor as a HC either. That's not to say it can't be done, but with a 92 year old owner and an expiring stadium lease, the likelihood of even having another 3 years to rebuild is not there.

It should be stated that SF drafted Davis and Iupati to upgrade their OL at RT and OG. Buffalo drafted Wood and Levitre last year because they absolutely NEEDED new guards after cutting the overpaid Dockery and having nothing at RG. EW and AL should be fine players, but it's not the same scenario. There's a difference in drafting to upgrade or drafting to fill huge needs. Buffalo either drafts for need or makes a luxury pick. And it should be noted that Buffalo hasn't selected an OT in the first or second round since Mike Williams. And fans wonder why they have serious issues at OT. Guards from the first or second round should be good players.

It's amazing that some, merely to discredit a player, will determine the success or failure of a players career based on their rookie season or where they play in camp. The Packers are a proven organization and believe Bulaga is a able to play LG now. I highly doubt they think he can't play OT down the road, especially considering their other options are Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton. Jairus Byrd had a statistically fine season with those 9 INT's. But it's the 2nd year and beyond that tell the story. Will Byrd be exposed for his poor run defense and tackling or improve? Will he be fortunate to play Jake Delhomme and a mistake prone Mark Sanchez every season or learn from experience? Let's see what players do when teams have film on them. Then, we can declare them outstanding players.

No, I'm not missing the OP's point. The situation at OT is bad and there's no other way to describe it. Cornell Green has struggled in pass protection which was his main issue in Oakland along with taking too many penalties. Meanwhile, Bell hasn't practiced fully and Meredith also has issues with pass rushers. And as far as compairing Gailey to Jauron, yes he's better but there are probably D-II assistants who know more offensively than DJ did. Gailey alone will not turn around an offense that has ranked in the bottom quarter for quite a few years. They need players, particularly at LT, RT, and QB for that to happen. I don't think those guys are on the roster. While I like some of the things Gailey is doing, if he were such a commodity like you say he is, wouldn't some other team have pounced on him this off-season to be an OC? He has a lot to prove after his last HC job didn't go so well.

I should have said reclamation projects. Bell was a huge unknown who's not even 100% yet and Meredith, if reports are to be believed, is struggling mightily against pass rushing stalwarts like Aaron Maybin. For some unknown reason, there are homers on the board who think these guys' potential will come out. But yeah, the options now are few and far between for help at OT. Seriously? Chambers isn't even close to being a NFL OT, and remains their principal backup at guard which is alarming as well. It makes absolutely no sense that someone can play LT and have issues at RT. Chambers, Meredith, and Green all have problems handling outside pass rushers, which is what Buffalo will see plenty of. LT's see better pass rushers than RT's normally do.

I fail to see how Sullivan's perceived negativity is wrong considering the many years of non-playoff seasons this teams fanbase has endured. Hope is nice, but it should be tempered with a dose of reality. And until the team proves they're better than being a top-5 pick team with a weak foundation people like Sullivan won't write puff pieces hiding that fact.

I can't assume they'll put more pressure on the QB this season. There isn't one proven pass rusher on the roster right now and I don't see them getting sacks from their ILB's. McKelvin was healed earlier this year if I recall so using the injury shouldn't hamper his performance. And yes, it's alarming when the 11th overall pick from the 2008 draft can't win a starting CB job. Heck, there are 6 first rounders from 06-09 and only Wood is a definite starter with Whitner probable. That's not good.

It's evident from practice that Green struggles in pass protection, as does Meredith. That being the case, Gailey eventually will need to utilize more 2 TE sets to hide those OT's thereby removing another option or 2 in the passing game. Both Bell and Meredith need to show they're starting material or it's time to end the experiments.

I've never had to run away when the Bills play well, because they haven't in quite some time. You've accused me of going underground before when Buffalo signed Dwan Edwards and Andra Davis. It wasn't true then, and I'll be here if the Bills are successful in 2010. But go on making things up. Optimism for optimism's sake is worthless. Give me the real picture or don't give me anything at all. Frankly, I'm encouraged by a few things, but 2010 will be a rebuilding year. If more fans studied the league and how it works, they'd understand that Buffalo's method remains in stark contrast to the successful teams.

I don't see how it's pessimistic to keep trusing Ralph to put a winner on the field these past 10 years. The track record is what it is.

Size alone isn't the only requirement. Heck, they can find 3 Lonnie Harvey's and stick them on the front line. Edwards isn't a pass rushing threat, and A. Davis is a 2 down run defender who suffers in pass defense. Where does the pass rush come from? Buffalo has a plan, but whether or not it's correct is another matter yet to be determined. Either way, not having a pass rush will hurt them significantly. Also think you'd have a tough time selling the team with all the, "in 2 years they could be..." messages.

A fine secondary with little to no pass rush is of little benefit when defending the pass. This is especially true when run defense is your greater problem, and there's no certainty that has been improved despite switching from T2 4-3 to a 3-4. Haven't we been over this in the past few years?

Fixed. In a season minus a salary cap (the only thing forcing RW to spend a given amount) the team has cut salary quite considerably. Last year, it was trading Peters for essentially 3 draft picks over 2 years. Now they've released Schobel, so his 8.28M is off the books. If the team made 40M last season, they're probably close to doing that again despite the ticket sales going south. EDIT: Football Outsiders on Bills Payroll does an analysis here, and without Schobel's contract, the Bills are paying out 101.1M in salary this season, or about 15M less than the TV contract provides them.

I'll yield that there was little available in free agency to select from at QB and LT. However, I get the sense they refused to seriously enter the trade market as well. It seems like they're unwilling to let go of draft picks no matter which round. At the same time, reportedly Buffalo made a play for Donovan McNabb, who wanted to go to a contender with a proven HC. I did not hear what they were offering in trade to Philly, but I'm sure it wasn't more than a 2nd. It seems they'd rather hang onto all of their picks. That's admirable, but it'll be a slower process. Still, I'd rather have had Jammal Brown and lost 2011's 4th than the group they're going with at OT this season. It's frightening that Bell, Green, and Meredith are the top 3 OT's on this team.

This was the same thing said when Buffalo chose to franchise Clements with no intention of re-signing him. It was wrong now and it was wrong then. They just look bad. Money and winning are the only thing free agents look for in a new team.

In all seriousness, do you believe RW is looking 2-3 years down the road? Because if they're not winning now (after 10 non-playoff seasons) then what's the point? The stadium lease is up after the 2012 season.

Bingo. Clements, Peters, and now Schobel. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

How about "wait til our next owner"-if we're still here.