BillsVet

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.

If it weren't for the fact this team is in the market for more positions historically taken top-10, I'd be all in favor of Suh. The Bills will probably draft in the 6-10 range, which puts them most likely out of the running for NS. And, they'll be probably be looking at for QB and LT help, not to mention LB as well.

How quickly we forget that there hasn't been an off-season in forever that translated into success come September. Plenty of casual fans laud the moves of the off-season that ultimately fail to improve the "sub-par" product during the regular season. RW has said a lot of things over the past decade. He's told us to appreciate the fact we have a team, and not to worry about the team moving-for now. I cannot believe we're counting on a 91 year old man to make substantive changes with his track record this decade. This team is as bad today as it was when TD was fired, perhaps worse.

This is what Bills fans do in December: watch the college ranks in hopes of getting a jump on our own personal scouting.

IIRC, Tim Graham wrote an article earlier this year which showed most amateur scouting directors did not work out of the franchise's home town. I still think there needs to be a complete overhaul of tha front office, although the ambiguity of Buffalo's draft process makes it hard to point to one person. As has been mentioned before, Modrak and Guy merely provided TD information on personnel. They were fine with playing a supporting role. But then, when Levy came in to fashion "consensus" they weren't real desirous of helping make a decision but supply information as they had TD. There should be no doubt that the team needs a strong GM who doesn't receive interference and can pick their own amateur scouting director, pro personnel director, and HC. Any other way and we'll see the same product ad infinitum. Despite TD's failings, this is how most successful NFL teams work.

The majority of the NFL will be in off-season mode by mid January. Unless Buffalo has focused on a guy who works for one of those teams still in the playoffs, I expect to see movement on a GM and HC by this time. Waiting the entire month of January before naming a GM and/or HC severely curtails the off-season analysis and preparation for UFA and the draft. That is, if the Bills do make any management changes beyond firing DJ.

I can't see new personnel people agreeing to keep TO, but the point of charting a new course is correct. Now that DJ has been fired, they need to decide what type of team this will be. For the past decade, it seems like 10 1- year plans have been instituted without a long term vision.

TD's 04-05 drafts are still setting this team back, but it's the combination of the 06-08 drafts that put this team where it currently is. The book's been written on the 06-07 classes, but it's a not encouraging that Hardy and Ellis aren't even dressing this season. Everything goes back to the team using so many picks on non-lineman in the 1st-3rd rounds during those years. They've used too many resources at the skill positions. Their OL and DL is going to need a lot of attention over the next 1-2 years.

RW does not want to make changes at his age, and has found every reason not to get rid of the real problems. Without significant change at the top and on the sidelines (i.e. a total rebuild) I don't see the fans buying the hype. Well, not nearly as many in 2010.

What difference does it make when you lost the game and give up 249 yards rushing to a team that completed less than 10 passes?