BillsVet

This is your standard response anytime facts are interjected into the argument. It's weak, uninspired, and ridiculous. I, like most posters on this board enjoy the Bills. But both myself and many others cannot stand to see the team continue to make bad personnel moves, retain a bad head coach, and lose games in the most painful fashion. People come to this board to discuss the team, and when they're not winning, they're going to talk about it. Keep defending the team like you did last year when they imploded down the stretch. And then we'll get to your favorite part of the year: the off-season. From January through July you can wax prophetic about how the team will be better next season.

And Walker isn't even on the team anymore!

They also use high picks to replace departed free agents. Whitner replaced Milloy, Lynch replaced McGahee, Posluszy replaced Fletcher, McKelvin replaced Clements, et al. How can a team ever improve if they're getting younger each season? The Bills have not traded down in a draft in years, and instead of invoking the Parcells mindset, get rid of picks to move up when they're in need all over the place. The OT and LB depth is razor thin, and yes, they do over-draft DB's which shouldn't come as any surprise. When you spend precious resources on DB's, not surprisingly they're thin at places like OL and DT. It's been amateur hour at OBD since Marv took over. The act has changed, but the result remains the same:mediocrity.

No one has signed Jon Runyan, which speak volumes about his ability to hold up. But the OT's are among the poorest in the NFL. Bell was a 2 year project when drafted, Chambers was recently released, Scott was cut from Detroit, and Meredith couldn't make the team for OT starved Green Bay. I guess saving money by not paying Peters was worth it. Things could really ugly, especially if one of the guards goes down.

DE's becoming TE's? College S's moving to LB in the NFL, only to move back to S weeks later. A converted WR becoming a S. Rookies occupying 3 OL positions. UDFA's forming the backup LB corps. The list never stops. At this point, it wouldn't surprise me if DJ activated himself and played safety. We are hitting rock bottom.

And he'll punt at his 29 down 10 points with 7:41 remaining in the game. You actually defend this guy? Hasn't Cynical demonstrated ad nauseam how bad DJ is over his career? Do you think it's a coincidence that 8 out of 9 seasons he's had a losing team?

Three weeks in and we're resorting to street FA's already? Those first two names, Schweigert and Todd Johnson were cut from two of the worst teams in the NFL. This season is eerily reminiscent of what occurred in 2007 when a whole bunch of guys no longer in the NFL (Leon Joe, anyone?) had to play when injuries inevitably started.

A lot of people figured DJ would change after narrowly keeping his job last December 30th. He never had any intention of doing anything different. He plays it safe, hoping to eke out a win at the last moment. DJ does not regularly put his players in a position to win. I'll yield that Edwards needs to make some throws, but it's still no coincidence that he's become a lot like his HC. It is my sincere hope that TE starts going against what DJ calls up, because I think he has a lot of sway over the offensive game plan.

And you were one of those fans not concerned last year when the team was 5-2 after the Jets loss. It's probably easier not to worry, even though there's a train worth of pain coming down the tracks. You cannot deny it's been this way for a long time now. But don't stop making excuses.

I would think that after rebuilding the team since 2006 that Buffalo could feature slightly better depth and contend for a division title. But there are enough fans happy to have a team and not really interested in having being good. And why are we supposed to accept that DJ is good enough in December, when the coaching axe is coming down across the league. Too many Bills fans accept mediocrity and explain it away with wimpy excuses. Indy and Pittsburgh are small markets.

Dallas MNF in 07 should have been the end. Finishing 2-8 in 08 should have been the end. The list goes on and on. You've raised a subjective issue that astute fans notice. As important as players have to make plays, coaches need to put their players into position to make those plays. When DJ devises no-guts play-calling and bend but don't break defenses, it's indeed hard to win. But far be it from uneducated casual fans to see that coaches, while not obvious, make decisions which can kill a team or help it win. There's a reason why DJ has had teams with a losing record in 8 of 9 complete seasons and is 20+ games under .500.

There's a reason Harris was moved to LB in the pros. And it's got nothing to do with his size, but rather his lack of speed. Harris as safety at combine He ran a 4.85 40 at the combine. I don't know of many DB's that run that slow and play the position, even if they're in the box. Harris may play close to the LOS, but he's an absolute liability in coverage.

No NFL roster will ever have the talent some of those Bills teams had in the late eighties/early nineties. But looking at the Bills roster right now, it's amazing how thin the Bills are, especially at LB and OT. Even in the age of parity, the Bills are woefully short at a few positions. The backup LB's consist of former UDFA's Marcus Buggs, Ashlee Palmer, Jon Corto, and 5th round converted S Nic Harris. It's no wonder the team cannot sustain even one injury at the position before they're desperate. And in true DJ fashion, none of those LB's weigh more than 240 pounds. At OT, the team decided against signing Peters, who they said could be replaced by Walker. LW was eventually cut, paving the way for a project player taken in the 7th round of 2008, Demetrius Bell. When he went down Sunday, it was former cut Kirk Chambers playing LT of all positions. Now we hear that Jonathan Scott, a cut from Detroit may get some PT there this week. Then again, protecting the QB who is supposed to throw to those high priced receivers isn't all that important, is it? The Bills are depending on 5 rookies to either start or be primary backups who get plenty of playing time: Maybin, Wood, Byrd, Levitre, and Nelson. Injuries cannot be an excuse when the roster is stocked with so little talent and having TO doesn't make up for thinning the roster of decent talent. Whoever actually builds this team has absolutely no idea what they're doing. Converting Nic Harris back to safety is another indication they're throwing stuff at a wall thinking it'll stick.

As long as DJ is the HC, the offense will struggle. He's on his 3rd OC in four seasons with Buffalo and 5th in nine seasons as a HC. I'll grant that Trent is really struggling right now, primarily because he cannot trust himself or his WR's not named Josh Reed. I personally saw Owens and Evans get open consistently from my seat in 123. The game-plan worked for three quarters, but once again the defense wilted in the fourth quarter when they were on the field far too much. The C2 is beaten when an opponent runs the ball down your throat. And how often have we seen teams do just that to Buffalo? Cleveland and the Giants in 07, and NO on Sunday. I realize the game plan was to limit the Saints, but NO capitalized and adapted to what DJ wanted to do: they ran the ball effectively and DJ nor Fewell had no answer. On offense, AVP couldn't find a way to neutralize the Saints' pressure. How about some slants or bubble screens.

What I think most people miss about the Saints game is this: Jauron wanted the game to be a low scoring, defensive affair with little offense. The man loves low scoring contests where his team keeps the other team down. Unfortunately, as has been pointed out ad infinitum, DJ needs to play bad teams to get this to work. Rarely does he overwhelm AND win games where the other teams are fundamentally solid. NO is a perfect example. Fans think DJ allows his coordinators to do their thing. I disagree, and believe he directs his principal assistants to game-plan based on strict guidance. This entails an uber-conservative offensive plan combined with a no-frills defensive package. This has been on display more often than not in 51 career games as Bills HC. Oh, and the most irritating fact? To me, it's his ability to be out-coached by rookie OC's (Singletary, Sparano) and guys who get fired (Crennel, Mangini). How is he still in the league?

First off, you have an excellent avatar. I think most fans care greatly about the final record, but it's painfully obvious little has changed from an 08 season where the team finished 2-8. No offense with a defense that eventually breaks down because EDIT: the offense can't score points. 43 offensive points in 3 games. Scoring on d or special teams will not happen each week. I hope that when Nelson comes back he's the TE getting targeted as much as Fine was. Of course, they'll need to run some decent routes that stretch more than 6 yards. The Bills have talent, but I temper that by noting their depth is perilously thin. And for Dick Jauron, the peril is too perilous.

Buggs is barely on the field, and isn't featured when the team goes to 5 DB sets. He, like the other backup LB's, is another UDFA or rookie with very little experience. This roster is rounded out with these low cost options, who, when the inevitable injury occurs, cannot possibly fill in at a decent level. I can't understand for the life of me why what we've seen is good enough for some people. It's almost like there is this instant rationalization of failure as a way to make one feel better about mediocrity. They should be 2-1 and favored in Miami. Once again, if a team rebuilds for 4 off-seasons and doesn't make the playoffs in the fourth one, how is that successful? Can anyone say this franchise is headed in the right direction? I sure can't.

Buffalo's defensive issues go back to the the scheme they run. I'm not crazy about the Cover 2, but the Bills are susceptible to the run late and this isn't the first season that's been the case. The 2007 home Giants game comes to mind. Of course, the offense hasn't really helped them out much. The offense has only scored 43 points in 3 games.

The off-season has become more interesting than the regular season. Here's how it goes: 1. Free Agency 2. Draft 3. Mini and Training Camp 4. Regular Season failure 5. Talk about next season

Can you imagine making the playoffs? I can't either, because it's been almost 10 seasons now. Yesterday's game was reminiscent of the losses to SF and NE last year. Nothing has changed, and yet we're optimistic because it's early. They're not any better than that 2-8 finish from last season.

Fixed that for you. The fans in Chicago saw this show from 99-03, and it never ends well. Why do we think it's going to be different either. Coward-Gate

In the salary cap age, I'm not looking for team wide talent like Buffalo had in the late eighties and early nineties. It's just not going to happen. Polian, to his credit has focused on the positions hardest to find, like QB and DE. Indy doesn't have names at LB, and rarely do those guys stay with the Colts. BP lets guys like Cato June go because he'll replace them. But he's got someone behind them who has some experience and feels is ready to play. The defense played well for 3 quarters and tired in the 4th. Reminded me of the NYG game in 2007 when the same thing happened. That's not all on them, because if the offense scores some points, the defense isn't on the field as much.

Three weeks into the season, the Bills have experienced quite a few significant injuries. Butler and Schouman out for the season, Posluszny probably 6-8 weeks, and now McKelvin and Whitner. The former may be for multiple weeks. Quite a few fans around here in 07 chalked that season's failure up to injuries. It's almost as if we search for outs to explain why the team is so miserable. Inevitably there will be posts about why injuries, and not inept management are responsible. Never mind that the four backup LB's on the roster all are UDFAs that weigh less than 230 or the OL is one of the youngest in NFL history. Those items don't matter, because they're shorthanded at many positions once again.

And our chances for the top overall pick. Maybe we'll settle for a top 10 pick again.

Is this good enough for you CB 97? Walker being the answer at LT, only to be replaced by a super rookie in Bell and two other rookies starting Having absolutely no depth at LB, and being forced to start Ellison? For the record, the backups at LB are: Corto (ST'er), Buggs (UDFA 225#er) N. Harris (converted SS) and Ashlee Palmer (weighs about the same as Buggs). Skill players are nice at WR, RB, and CB. But both lines have some issues, and they're showing 3 weeks into another season. Don't give me the younger excuse, the team's been rebuilding since DJ and company took over in 2006. If Brandon's making personnel decisions, these are the examples.