BillsVet

Well written jahnyc. I don't think it occurs to most fans how inexperienced the OL is. More concerning is the lack of depth, where there is no one at guard with much NFL experience. Chambers has logged time, but didn't impress at guard (at NE 08 comes to mind). I really think they were shocked when Butler retired, in that he was their only serviceable OT. Gailey is undoubtedly a better offensive minded HC than DJ was, but it's going to take a lot to get the offense going without a passing attack to keep teams honest and more importantly quality along the OL. I hate the fact that a complete rebuild is happening, given the owner's age and instability of the franchise. Do the Bills really have 3-4 years to perform a rebuild?

Ultimately, Buffalo's preference for drafting skill players with their top picks is why they've not fielded top DL or OL the past decade. In that same time, they've selected several skill players who have a hard time producing without the big men up front. This should be elemental, but in a football universe made up of fantasy football fans, it's always good to take a QB, RB, or WR regardless of the OL . Problem is, real honest to goodness NFL team's aren't built like a fantasy team is. In the former, you've actually got to dominate at the LOS to win. Not surprisingly, Buffalo hasn't and will not in 2010.

Best line in the article: "Some N.F.L. teams’ second-string lines are better than Buffalo’s starting front five." Scott Pitoniak, formerly of the Rochester D and C was on Howard Simon's show the other day and echoed what most prognosticators say about the Bills. That their RB's and secondary are their strongest positions. Teams with issues at QB, protecting the QB and rushing the opposing QB don't win many games.

Nix was hired by RW. So if you're giving Nix the benefit of the doubt, that means you trust RW to make the right decision AND get lucky with that choice. RW hasn't made a good GM move in forever, so if that means I'm doubtful, so be it. Recent history suggests he doesn't find the right guy, and it extends to HC moves when he re-signed DJ. Bills fans were so happy to finally have a GM with actual honest football personnel experience. What does that say about Nix' predecessors, Levy and Smithers, who were both hired by RW. Not very high of a bar, but it's only the NFL. As for Gailey, there wasn't a single team who wanted him as a HC after his 2nd season as Miami's OC besides GT. And no one even mentioned his name after he was fired in KC by admittedly someone in Todd Haley who wanted offensive control. Just because Marv won games with the greatest modern day GM finding the players doesn't mean lightning will strike twice. The team, for all intent and purpose, is still managed by RW, Littman, and Overdorf. That's the triumvirate, with RW playing the role of Napoleon.

Someone should write a book, "How Not to Build an Offensive Line: The Buffalo Bills 2001-2010." First, TD drafted a huge OT (EDIT: bust) and then tried to stock the OL with cheap UFA acquisitions. Then Marv spent huge sums on bad UFA's while hoping late round picks would work. Next, the team trades their best OL when his contract demands do not suit them and after the team issued large contracts to lesser talented players. Lastly, they entrust the most important positions C, RT, and LT, to cheap UFA's, former practice squad cast-offs, and another late round pick. Meanwhile, it appears this year their principal backup G is another 7th round pick. The others will be UDFA's and street free agents.

Sure you can find a top LT beyond the 2nd round. You can also find franchise QB's in the 6th round. Anything's possible, but some positions due to physical demands are found in the first round. Truth is, there aren't many quality starting NFL OLT's who were taken in the 3rd round and below. I show 9 as being taken in the 3rd round or later, with the best being former Bills LT Jason Peters. None of the other 8 are more than average: Doug Free, David Diehl, Jermon Bushrod, Donald Penn, Mario Henderson, Charlie Johnson, Max Starks, and whoever Buffalo plays. The other 23 NFL teams have a first or second invested in their LT. Go ahead and conflate the argument by saying most quality players are taken in the first round anyway, but it's apparent the Bills are trying to find a decent LT from the scrap heap. It rarely happens. BTW, Clady was widely recognized as a premier talent, regardless of conference he played in. So much so that he was taken in Buffalo's reserved draft position of 12th overall.

It may be more a case of not being able to address everything in one year. Nix so much as said so earlier in the off-season, as I'm sure he is aware how much rebuilding needs to happen, especially considering they've moved to a 3-4 alignment. Regardless, there are a host of miscalculations this team makes when it comes to players. And while some will say the organization has been overhauled, decision makers remain who have been part and parcel of those miscalculations: Modrak, Overdorf, and Brandon. It seemed that no matter how big the failure, no one took the fall from 06-09. The fact it took 4 seasons for even a semblance of change is absurd. The entire OL is thin. The team has 2 guards with starting experience, 1 center, and none of the tackles are top-50 caliber IMHO. Once again, we're left "hoping" nothing bad happens. Ralph depends on luck, so why shouldn't we when it comes to players?

It's arrogance on the team's part to say they believe in guys like Meredith and Bell to play OT. All I see throughout this thread is "hoping" one of these guys steps up and takes the job. Well of course one of them stands to get it, but the operative question is whether they'll play decent football and not get their QB/RB killed. I doubt it. Every now and then teams find a diamond in the proverbial rough. The Bills found Jason Peters as a UDFA, but the chances they find his successor in that manner, late round pick or from another team's PS is absurd. Still, fans will keep believing it can happen until it's obvious neither play can do the job. In the interim, people get bashed for saying it's unlikely Bell, Meredith, or Wang will ever be average NFL starters at OT. I thought last season proved you don't enter the year hoping guys can play all over the field. That's a recipe for disaster, as last year's OL was.

Shudder the thought that after 10 seasons, featuring only one over .500, that they shouldn't be expected to. Results are overrated and optional.

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.