BillsVet

That sounds very logical considering the owner's MO. Where I have an issue is when a 91 year old man is making decisions for a NFL team with such a poor track record. Additionally, how can the franchise hire the best and brightest when everything hinges on one man's health? No one knows, and it's killing the long term planning that each and every successful team does year to year. Heck, we don't even know if the Bills will be in Buffalo by 2013.

Russ Brandon interviewed Shanahan in late November, though Nix wasn't hired until 12/31. And Buddy admitted the GM thing came about a week before the introduction PC. So, what was Brandon doing from late November to about Christmas and why couldn't he get any other interviews? Teams generally don't have major problems finding candidates to interview for their GM position. Buffalo does. You can think they're conducting a GM search like any team, but I'll continue to believe the door was repeatedly slammed in their face and only Nix and Guy were willing to interview. With Guy's dismissal, they in effect interviewed one candidate, and he was in-house. Who finds their GM this way?

Any NFL team that wants to be competitive needs an experienced and savvy personnel man as GM. RW eschewed that logic and reached for people he knew that had absolutely no knowledge in this area like Levy and Smithers. To make matters worse, men like John Guy and Tom Modrak inexplicably remained from the old regime. Augmenting those was DJ, who had no clue how to build a team. This is how teams float in the 6-7 win territory year after year.

No, and the news we hear from players indicates just how bad DJ was: less than challenging practices and then simplified offensive and defensive schemes. And ironically, many on TBD questioned DJ's methods but were bashed for not being undying optimists. For this team to get back to respectable, Gailey is going to need to be a LOT better than DJ was. Nix at least has personnel experience, whereas Levy and Brandon had none. To think this team, meaning RW, thought they could be competitive with Levy, Brandon, and DJ shows how messed up ownership is/was. Bills fans have to hope they got lucky with Nix/Gailey, because not one other NFL franchise considered either one of them for any position close to what Buffalo hired them to do.

I'm making the point that any national writer/personality who says Buffalo won't be good is always attacked for their opinion on TBD. Nothing more, nothing less. Usually, this means saying the personality has made a bad prediction at one time, hates the Bills, or doesn't know the NFL. I happen to agree with Schein's assessment in that the team has too many question marks and their leadership selections at GM and HC were the result of Buffalo's reputation being damaged beyond repair.

Over the long haul, being pessimistic and negative about the Bills has proven correct far more often than your unabashed optimism. It's inarguable. And while I don't automatically give credit to every writer's negative opinion, the vast majority have said Buffalo is in big trouble. Heck, Schein even wondered what would have happened if Gailey hadn't been hired as HC. Would he even be in the NFL? But in response to your comment about the weather, today I mowed my lawn, spent time with my mentoree, went to the store, and posted something about the Bills. Thus far, I'v enjoyed the day. But go on being self-righteous and trying to suppress everyone who has anything but unrealistic expectations for the Bills. I mean, I don't play or coach, so I don't know anything and will therefore yield to your omniscience and solid track record of Bills prognostications.

Schein Organization rankings Really surprised no one has ripped Schein for his take here. I mean, doesn't he trust Nix and Gailey to get this team over the hump?

Gregg Williams was a defensive minded coach who had just coordinated a top defense in Tennessee. Gailey hasn't coordinated a top offense since Miami in 2000-01. He was so adept that he wasn't pursued for another HC job and went into the college ranks where he was the DJ of the ACC. And this concept of Gailey getting a team into the playoffs, well, he was coaching a fading Dallas dynasty. Nothing he did there was dynamic or particularly noteworthy. For goodness sakes, they made the playoffs in 1999 with an 8-8 record. The concerns are more than what you've listed. In addition to QB play and the OL, Buffalo doesn't know where it's going to get a pass rush from, and will likely feature a rookie NT. IMO, QB, LT, NT, and OLB in a 3-4 are the major positions on a football team. The Bills have major issues or question marks at all of them. That's not how to get into the playoffs. For Buffalo to break even it'll take a lot of players producing unexpected results, which is extremely unlikely in a tough AFCE.

Hype and hope only works for so long. Eventually, most people read between the lines and come to the realization there is neither. Just because something changes doesn't mean it's better. And as much as this team will be in competition for the 2011 top pick, who knows what happening with A) The NFL's looming work stoppage and B) Buffalo's ownership situation. I'd like to believe Buffalo becomes a good team at some point. But the outside factors listed may not allow it.

As long as RW keeps winning, luck will always be the factor this team needs. The owner said it at the Nix hiring PC. There are surprises each season, but depending on luck is not how team's are built or maintained. A lot of woulda, coulda shoulda's will have to bounce Buffalo's way for them to even sniff 6-8 wins. It's looking more like 2-4.

The more questionable positions a team enters the season with, the worse they'll be. And Buffalo's got issues at all the major ones: QB, LT, NT, and the pass rushing OLB's. And, at the less important positions of WR, TE, and RT. When I look at the offense, the only proven guy is Jackson. Evans doesn't take over a game, and the best OLineman are 2nd year guys. Otherwise it's a hit and mostly miss. The defense doesn't have a proven pass rusher, and their run defense is depending heavily on a rookie. That' a major cause for concern. Besides, the HC hasn't done the job since 1999 and hasn't been a coordinated a real offense since 2001. Things have changed considerably since then. But don't tell Buddy or Ralph.

It's also a simple concept for defenses to stack the LOS with 8 and 9 guys. If you have offensive lineman beaten at the POA, Spiller's speed is quickly negated. Defenses aren't going with the DJ philosophy and wait to be attacked; they'll look to stop a predominantly running based offensive at or before the LOS.

Of the many wild claims from Nix this off-season, perhaps the strangest was claiming Spiller will make the OL better. For all the talk about Chris Johnson, Reggie Bush, and others, all of them had good to excellent offensive line's in front of them. I would argue STL's OL in 2009 was better run blocking than Buffalo's will be in 2010. Besides, with the team having few offensive weapons to draw attention from Spiller, defenses can stack the LOS on Buffalo. Reading TBD, it's as if teams will be surprised that the guy is as fast as he is. Sure.

It is a wonderful monument to men and women who weren't appreciated when they died. At least those left behind may remember them.

How about drafting one in the first or second round? Guys like Ed Wang make for nice stories, but they're not the type to depend on, especially as rookies. Few fans understand the cost but ultimate upside of having a top LOT. Sure, some smart aleck will chime in and say Team X went to the SB without a great LOT, but that's an absurd argument. No offensive coach would ever turn down a guy who can handle the other team's best pass-rusher singlehandedly. That gives the play-caller a lot more freedom. And if the team doesn't have a top LOT, they'll need to cover up to handle the pass rush with a TE or chip with the RB frequently. Buffalo hasn't invested anything into their OT's in forever and it's little wonder that the position is a wasteland. Bell, Green, Meredith, Chambers, are what they are: not good enough. Wang may develop, but he's another project that some fans are dreaming about. He needs two years after having started at college as a TE. OT's are rarely found in the 2nd round or below.

I am not sure about his being on that memorial. However, there is a moving wall that will be at the Batavia VAMC from 6/24-6/28. It's a scaled down version of the actual wall in Washington, D.C. Kalsu Location on Wall A redleg forever.

Just the discussion of cold weather SB sites is proof-positive the NFL has gone mad looking for new revenue sources. They've already loaned the Giants/Jets 300M to build this stadium. Perhaps this is another gift to help them pay some of it back. That's a longshot, but team's aren't supposed to carry more than a certain debt to value ratio.

Solutions? Well, how about drafting an OL with their first pick, specifically a guy like Anthony Davis or Bulaga? It remains a huge need, but the front office has pooh-poohed the need for another OT despite having no one on the roster that isn't A) nearing the end or B) unproven You want solutions. And now, you'll tell me CJ was the BPA and will make the OL better, produce game changing plays, and excite people. Right, except CJ's OL is among the worst in the NFL. People don't get it here: We complain about the Bills because there are legitimate issues across the board with a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 10 years. Sugar coating, drinking the kool-aid, hoping, et al. are solutions. They're a way to avoid reality.

I didn't say they were cheap, I said they won't negotiate a sizable contract extension with anyone received in trade. The LOT position is typically the second highest paid player on offense simply because there aren't many guys who can play the position. Gaither and Brown will demand a new contract because A) they play a position in high demand and Buffalo doesn't have a proven LOT on the roster.

How many of those false starts were at home when crowd noise was a minimum? You can slice this ten ways, but not knowing the snap count is elemental in any type of offense. There is absolutely nothing to suggest Bell will be the answer at LOT. Fans that trust former 7th round picks to return from ACL surgery at a position demanding agility and strength are normally disappointed. Tackles are not found in the bargain bin and when Buffalo did find one they traded him. Gaither (and Jammal Brown) will need a new contract, which Buffalo is unwilling to give out.

To quote John McEnroe, "You cannot be serious!" Wang is a project player, as was Bell going into 2009. You can hope and pray that these types of players were missed by teams repeatedly and Buffalo struck gold. Depending on these types of players is tantamount to absurdity. It's just strange that so many fans have forgotten what transpired last season when the team hoped project players and rookies would make the difference.

Feeling good is what it's all about for many fans who cannot bear to hear their team isn't that good. After 10 years, merely rebuilding and hoping to be good in 2-3 years isn't good enough. They don't deal well with criticism, but cannot refute the obvious which is repeatedly mentioned here.

I thought last year proved that rolling the dice on project players to be average starters (EDIT:was absurd)? Meredith was cut by an OT starved team (GB) and Bell was one of the most penalized OT's in the NFL before being injured. Neither of these guys are long term options and with this organization I wouldn't be surprised to see Wang starting on opening day. The Bills know that they can hype up a new player given the lack of tape, and Wang fits that. Besides, OL play isn't quantified by stats, so anyone can play these positions. Sure.

It's dead and none of know why. I suspect Baltimore wanted more in trade than what Buffalo would offer, given that the Bills needed to re-sign the guy to a sizable contract. The Bills aren't handing out 40-50M contracts anymore. Bills fans must resign themselves to seeing projects like Bell or Wang getting manhandled by opposing pass-rushers. After all, they're cheap and that's what counts.

Chances are that Wang will not be a serviceable OT in the NFL. Why? Because NFL LOT's predominantly come from rounds 1 and 2. Teams find RB's, LB's, G's, and other positions later in the draft, but you don't find instant or future starters at LOT in round 5. Donald Penn and Jason Peters are the only LOT's found in the UDFA ranks from the past 04-08 who became starters at the position. Throw in 5th-7th round picks, and you'll still find that about 28 out of 32 LOT's came from rounds 1-3. When you bank on project players working out at positions like QB and LOT, you'll be bankrupt at the positions. And as much as DJ deserves a lot of blame for the offense, why did the team trade Peters without a proven backup behind him. DJ didn't make that move all by himself. Now look at Baltimore who may be discussing trading Gaither, but they've got a plan behind him with Oher. Ditto for New Orleans with Jammal Brown. But not Buffalo. No, they've got all the answers, but it's DJ's fault for everything. Convenient now that he's gone. The Bills OL is a mess. Project players at LOT, LG is a 2nd year man who seems fine, C is a journeyman, RG is a guy coming back from a serious injury, and ROT is manned by a guy Oakland let go. Then again, Chan Gailey can do anything.