BillsVet

So if three guys are solid on the DL, one of whom is apparently doubled, how does it happen that this team yields 170+ on average each week. We like Stroud because he's a name guy and physically imposing. But he's not anchoring that DL as much as you're giving him credit. Far too many OL are moving him, and he's not double-teamed as much as we'd like to think.

Marvelous failure. Marv's a good guy, and he happened to coach the team while Polian stocked the roster with more talent than most franchises have in 20 years. ML excelled at managing personalities, but he was set up to fail as GM. The biggest reason Marv failed was because he leaned on DJ too much for advice on personnel.

Any DT who get serious minutes for a defense which yields 170 rushing yards per game is part of the problem. Run defense starts with the DL, and right now they're not good enough-all of them.

It's interesting to speak about stadiums and then discuss the Bills. As opposed to SD, no one is talking about the Bills Stadium lease which expires after the 2012 season. And of course, there's no substantive talk of a new stadium in the region for Buffalo given the economy and there's no way the Bills get public financing to build a new park. League wide, the latent message is to build stadiums, which increases overall revenue. And by my count, 20 NFL stadiums have been built this since 1995, with the Giants and Jets moving to a new field next season. That's more than 2/3ds the league in new homes. Of the 10 oldest stadiums in the league, Lambeau, the Oakland Coliseum, RWS, the Superdome and Arrowhead have received significant renovations. Giants Stadium will be replaced, with the Metrodome and Candlestick probably not having much time left. Meanwhile, Land Shark Stadium needs renovations as well. That leaves only Qualcomm in San Diego. The lack of discussion about the stadium situation tells me a lot about what the future could be for the Buffalo Bills.

I still maintain Bell was a two year project who shouldn't have even dressed this season. It is an indictment of the powers that be who are running this mess (Brandon, Littman) that they thought they could cut payroll and start another rookie. I hope the guy can contribute next season, but being 300 pounds doesn't mean he's capable of locking down the LT position.

You came to that conclusion that SD doesn't want the Chargers based on some reader comments after a website article? I wonder what Seahawks fans think about us after any Jerry Sullivan article. Opinion polls, reader comments, and man on the street type responses are not indicative of anything besides one or a few person's/people's take. SD has an old stadium, but those 60k+ that show up probably don't agree that the team should leave if they need public assistance. And I can guarantee that if SD went away, there'd be a major problem for the Spanos family and the city.

Do you work for the Bills? Seriously, your defense of nearly every move and accusations of whining about people who dare complain make me wonder. Furthermore, what motivates you to act as apologist general for a team minus a playoff appearance this entire decade. I don't recall Sisyphean talking about DB's, but rather the many individuals that make the Colts work. You focused on that. The draft history is similar? Where's our Edgerrin James, Rob Morris, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders, Robert Mathis, Antoine Bethea, et al? Surely you jest.

I can't imagine why anyone complains when you have such stellar QB play for the last decade plus. And for the record, I reserve the right to complain when the franchise hasn't made the playoffs in 10 years, won a post-season game since 1995, and oh by the way, has an owner who can't tell us what's going to happen to the team. I guess being successful is overrated. Mediocrity is good enough to some.

No, throwing 10M per to be GM and HC is not the solution to this team's woes and I too enjoyed reading about Polian and his way of building a NFL team. These past 10 years have taken a lot out of those fans who aren't just casual observers. However, it remains our right to complain about the team we follow closely as they bumble through another bad season. The W-L record is bad enough, but the team's future is not to be ignored.

Troy Smith, Jason White, Eric Crouch, Andre Ware, Danny Wuerffel, Gino Torretta, Charlie Ward, Chris Weinke, and Ty Detmer won the Heisman as well. It doesn't predict someone will have NFL success. A Ah, exception guy. For every Tom Brady type player, there are at least 200 late round picks that never amount to anything. And while Favre and Brees are 2nd round picks, they were taken just outside the first and the vast majority of good to excellent starting QB's in the NFL are first round selections.

May God rest her soul. But trusting a family member was another move (done frequently elsewhere) that rarely works out. And RW had her scouting for this franchise without any qualifications.

Bill wanted to spend too much of my money according to Jeff Littman. And then he yelled at my daughter because her advice wasn't good enough. Fortunately, I'm still making money years later and Russ Brandon is going to get me Mike Shanahan. Signed, Ralphie

It's why myself and others have advocated hiring a consultant to perform the search for them. The Seahawks have done this, and especially in Buffalo where no one is qualified to do this, a consultant is the only option. Thanks for playing.

Would you want your attorney to pick stocks for you? Both of them are probably highly educated people, but not subject matter experts. RB just isn't capable of knowing how to manage personnel for a NFL team. Brandon isn't an idiot and, but he's not versed in football operations, nor do I expect him to understand what to look for as a replacement. And if RW really trusted RB to make the big moves consistent with being GM, wouldn't he have allowed RB to fire DJ last December?

There's never been a cohesive strategy at OBD these past few years about team building. It always seemed like they had a new one year plan each year. This is what happens when there's no General Manager in place to build a strategy and keep to it. A good GM decides what the team is going to be, and then assembles a pro personnel and amateur scouting staff to fit that vision. The Bills stuck it out with Guy and Modrak, which of course brought terrible results. This was compounded by relying on DJ, whose strategy seemed to consist of drafting more DB's. We were treated to "building consensus" and relying on a two-headed personnel monster for guidance. Some knew 4 years ago it wouldn't work, for others it took 4 years to realize it. And then there are a select few who think it hasn't been given enough time.

How many "name" guys want to coach in a small market with no starting QB, a poor OL, strong safeties playing LB, and a nonagenarian for an owner who is known league-wide as the meddling decision maker. When RW said signing TO was a commitment to success I laughed and wondered: does he really have a handle on what's going on league wide? Go ahead and call fans who recognize these items as negative, but if you don't think they factor into where that "name" guy goes you're fooling yourself. I have this sinking feeling that we'll hear the Bills tried and it didn't work, so they had to fall back on a retread. Frankly, trusting 91 year old men to rebuild a franchise is worse than wishful thinking, it's insanity.

It's about time the political speech from many players just plain stops. First Schobel right before DJ was fired and now Kyle Williams. I only wish Williams would expand on this comment and who it included. IMO, totally revamping your OL and installing a no-huddle is the definition of stupid, but that's in the past. Now, it's time to scrap the C2.

He's been on the (EDIT: anti)-Peters crusade for a long time now. Reminds me of the two guys in Animal House who are talking while Belushi is ranting about when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor: "Forget it he's rolling."

The Bills run defense has taken a precipitous drop since the 2004 team allowed an average of roughly 100 rypg. I think Stroud doesn't get enough criticism because he's a "name" player many people assume is good given previous success in Jacksonville. Williams would be best used in a supporting but non-starting role. Something is wrong with the front 7, because allowing 170 rypg+ ranks them dead last in the NFL, below those 1-11 teams who'll pick high in April. I don't see Buffalo getting a crack at Suh or even Gerald McCoy in April.

You knew it wasn't going to be a thought provoking post when the thread title had "compitent" in it.

I haven't watched much of Campbell, but I believe he's be a UFA in 2010. Someone will take a chance on him because the college class isn't spectacular.

Rebuilding does not begin with DB's, WR's, RB's, and LB's. Yet Buffalo spent too many picks from the 06-08 drafts on those positions. Their only 1st-3rd round picks on lineman were guys who don't dress anymore or rarely play. And then they traded their best OLineman for rookies. Parcells, Belichick, the Giants, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and successful teams build from the inside out. Buffalo's reliance on the opposite is what makes them mediocre. Aiken also looks good because he's got an excellent QB who's protected well throwing him the ball. Buffalo hasn't had that since the mid nineties.

The NFL splits up TV revenue equally among all 32 teams. IIRC, each team receives 116M. Still, I can see the loss of revenue sharing resulting in RW/Littman cutting back somewhat on players and coaches.

Buffalo hasn't had a personnel department since John Butler departed. Butler wasn't perfect, but he had an idea of how to put together a football team. It's a big "if" that RW/Brandon find a solid GM who gets good pro personnel and amateur scouting directors in place for the off-season. Wayne Huizenga owned the Dolphins when they went 1-15. He hired Parcells late in the season to overhaul the football side of the team. Huizenga, like RW, is a successful businessman and not a football guy. The difference is Huizenga is smart enough to know he can't manage football operations. RW thinks he can.

Right. Discussing individual players, drafted or UFA's, is pointless until the front office is completely re-done. As long as Modrak, Guy, and Brandon are making decisions with RW and Littman overseeing them, nothing changes. I'm all for someone who isn't a name guy being the GM. Whether or not anyone wants t work for Wilson is another story.