BillsVet

snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

This board will always argue about whether or not the Bills should have retained NC, but keeping him would have freed up some future draft picks. The Bills have had a tendency to replace departed free agents or released bust UFA's (EDIT: with high draft picks). Buffalo never had a strategy in place when NC was up for UFA in early 06. They took the easy route out and franchised him without any intention of re-signing him. Yes he was expensive, but it would not have been 7/64M bad in early 06. The key is not letting future FA's get into their contract year. The reason Tennessee could afford to let Haynesworth go was their depth on the DL. The same cannot be said of Buffalo's secondary in 2007.

Apparently PK doesn't realize Buffalo fans buy tickets because they fear the team will move if they don't. And it's worked two seasons running.

For the 1,000th time: NC's deal is essentially 7 years and 64M. The final year is basically just paper and will not be realized. The Bills have been trying to replace him since they drafted Youboty. I think McKelvin will be excellent, but they would not have had to take another first round CB if they'd extended NC in early 2006. So many fans insisted that having Dockery and Walker was better than having NC. Those people are not so vocal in making this comparison anymore. At least NC is still with the team that he signed with.

Amazing what a pass rush can do, right? Justin Smith and company pressured Warner frequently and the secondary benefited. DJ and company chose to build their secondary first, jettisoned NC, and watched their ranking against the pass fall to the bottom third of the NFL. NC is still a solid cover corned who plays the run quite well. That Buffalo did not have a long term plan for him before franchising him in 06 was a travesty.

Mike Tomlin has two seasons in this league, yet he combines intelligence with intensity. When he talked about violence, I think most Bills fans watching instantly thought of their unemotional and distant HC. DJ is a nice guy, but he strains in press conferences and guards what he says. Even though he went to Yale, I'm don't think his football IQ is that high. Tomlin also shows that you don't need to spend big money on a HC who can get results. He definitely inherited a good team, but he also didn't tell Dick LeBeau to run a T2. Whomever searched for a HC in the wake of Cowher's departure got it correct. Front offices are the ones finding the coaches and players. If they're not good, it's a wing and a prayer to have a successful franchise.

Everything from the past six months seems to indicate the team is slicing payroll. Peters was dealt for picks. Dockery, Walker, and Rhodes were cut. Aside from a one year contract to TO, the Bills haven't signed a big UFA in a couple years. I cannot see RW at 90 making a commitment to someone like Shanahan or Cowher. Don't get me wrong, I want RW to live many more years but the likelihood that he's poised to spend big on a HC (and by virtue a GM) is not realistic. TD was RW's final shot and resurrecting the franchise but now, they're just riding out the string. Mark Gaughan's article in the BN this week shows the team is at the bottom of total contract values, even as the franchise increases in value and profits are rising. RW's priorities are as a businessman/family man first with football success distantly following.

Your opinion is that you usually guess correctly? The line was originally built to be a power run team in 07-08. Biggest in the NFL we were told early and often. Contrast this with teams that use a zone blocking scheme, which is what Buffalo said they weren't. Of course they weren't, they had too much size to move. Rarely do you see the Bills run between the tackles, although some of this may be a RB decision. Lynch's strength lies in running between the tackles. I think Wood will be capable of handling most DT's and will only improve. Levitre may not hold up at the point of attack. And I see them running behind Wood more than any other lineman.

Isn't Belichick still the HC in New England? Because unless the Bills have something like the wild cat cooked up for MNF, I can't imagine BB being surprised by anything. If anything, DJ is deathly afraid of BB and what NE has in mind for 3 rookie OL, and a QB with confidence issues.

The last two opening days at RWS have been somewhat overcast with rain. Vs Denver in 07 and Seattle last season. Here's to having some good weather to beat down the Yuckaneers.

2009 Buffalo Bills: Because we know our fans love being dicked over. 2009 Buffalo Bills: At least we we've been to the playoffs more recently than Detroit.

The simplest way to make the playoffs is by winning the division now that there are 2 WC's instead of 3. And routinely the Bills have drafted skill positions as opposed to OL and DL. That is, until this year. And as Bill in NYC points out, their offense and defensive philosophies do not mesh with what a cold weather team should run. That was evident against CLE in 2007. Compare that with a guy like Mike Tomlin who was adept running the T2 in Tampa and Minnesota, yet deferred to Dick LeBeau in Pittsburgh. It also doesn't help that NE and MIA have invested heavily in finding talent evaluators and locating good coaches. I'm not sure about NYJ yet, but it's no coincidence that the team has had the same people in the front office since the early part of this decade.

America will never be the same. Freedom isn't free.

Even though RW has made some poor decisions, he's usually had one to make up for the previous bad one. This time around, I don't see one coming. Chuck Knox left, to be followed up about three seasons later with Polian as GM. But ever since Butler/Smith departed, RW hasn't followed it up with anything substantive in the front office. It's no coincidence the team is looking at 10 years running without a playoff appearance. RW is running the team, and he does not have the football savvy to find good people. Or he doesn't want to go outside the organization. JMO.

Brad Butler: 0 NFL starts at OT Jon Runyan: 192 starts at OT Granted, JR is older and coming off microfracutre surgery. But he's been cleared to play. This is precisely the sort of move the Bills make to avert all the negative discussion going on right now, so long as the guy will come cheap. He's a name player, but the Bills seem more interested in winning the PR battle than the one on the field.

If he's healthy, I'm all for him. They need some experience at RT, and certainly on the OL.

Ralph spends on players consistent with other teams in the league. Mark Gaughan had a story the other day that showed Buffalo's total contracts (which are not guaranteed) are near the bottom. I'm not going to skewer RW on that. However, he chooses to keep the same poor managers, and as a result the product on the field suffers. RW need not spend like Jerry Jones or Dan Snyder to win, he simply needs to find better executives versed in football personnel. But alas, he chooses not to. It is the 800 pound gorilla in the room that there is no succession plan. And if the Bills are making 40M per season with a team value of 900M plus, I don't see a motivator for this heirs to keep the team. Labor struggles have commenced, the owner is 90, and the WNY economy is not improving. I am not surprised the lease hasn't been extended, nor is there any talk of it. It seems hard to imagine the Bills remaining in Buffalo beyond Mr. Wilson's passing.

Tim Graham has a note about DJ admitting the Bills overvalued Walker twice this off-season. Graham: DJ admits Walker overvalued He must have regressed an awful lot from April to August to get cut, or they wanted more time for Bell. Either way, their solution to trading Peters was insufficient. One has to wonder who is making the decisions at OBD. I'm sure DJ wouldn't mind having Peters right now.

Schopp has admitted not being much of a Bills fan. He looks at the team from a strange angle, but nevertheless talked about DJ being fired after the Dallas MNF game. I think Brad Riter, especially when he's got Ruben Brown on, is a much better option.

Isn't is funny to see Brandon come out when they sign TO to a contract, yet when the team is imploding 5-10 days before the season begins he's nowhere to be found. The last time I recall RB being out there during tough times was during the Peters 2008 holdout. I can't wait to see which excuses they cook up for this season. They'll be one about the young OL, one about the inevitable injuries, or perhaps the new OC. They're never at fault for anything.

Marv talked about building consensus, because he knew that it would take others to assist him in re-building the team. There is no such thing as consensus at OBD. RW is the man making the big decisions, particularly financial. Who is making the decisions is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the team. Unfortunately, the front office dynamic is shrouded in mystery, so no one takes the blame. There is no one with personnel experience in the front office charged with making decisions. And it shows in these rash moves just prior to opening Day 09.

TD's final season in Buffalo was his fifth and final non-playoff season. Marv decided to begin the rebuild process of a team that finished 5-11 and featured a lot of dead weight. Gone were Adams, Moulds, Milloy, and Teague among others. Four years later, the 2009 Bills are at least looking like 2005. There may not be as many over the hill veterans, but it sure appears to be another 5-11 6-10 type team. The operative question to ask is, how much has really been accomplished in four seasons if the 2009 Bills aren't a playoff team? And if the team isn't winning, aren't they simply perpetually rebuilding? And if they're perpetually rebuilding, isn't this a concrete indictment of the current management structure featuring GM Ralph Wilson, COO Brandon, along with Modrak and Guy? Nevermind DJ, we know he's bad. This season will expose RW, Littman, and Brandon as unqualified to lead the on-field product. Kinda like TD in 2005.

Walker was losing first team reps at GB earlier in the pre-season with Bell taking his spot. Some on this board wondered aloud if Walker, after learning he'd be the LT when Peters was dealt, would take off some weight. Apparently that wasn't important to him, although I don't think it would have mattered. He's not nimble or particularly strong.

At least the Marlins won those titles and had a relevant front office that could spot talent. Small market teams are at a disadvantage, but not anything insurmountable. You must have people in the front office who can recognize and develop talent, which the Bills do not and are unwilling to build. Buddy Nix is a nice story, but all NFL teams have an executive at GM or similar position to bring it all together. Buffalo's management structure consists of a 91 year old man, business guy with no power, and holdovers from the TD regime. I used to think only CIN and OAK had it worse with their owners running those teams. Now I'm not so sure.

How many teams rebuild or semi-rebuild twice within four seasons? The franchise needs to rebuild in one area before the actual players-the front office. Russ Brandon is a GM in name only, because RW is making all the moves aside from probably draft picks and some UFA's. A 91 year old man running the franchise is not encouraging. Only Oakland goes down as a team worse than Buffalo's front office. Furthermore, the Bills have taken saving money to a new height. With the release of Walker, they save 3M, but his contract counts 4.5M against the cap. This is how to hit the cap minimum without spending to it. Peters counts against the cap, but isn't on the team. This is a nasty trend. More Bills fans need to research the league and learn how other teams work. Management is horrible, and it is absolutely unequivocally not acceptable to rebuild or semi-rebuild again. This team is all about hype and getting fans to buy tickets. But they have not delivered a playoff team in many years.