BillsVet

Just like Obama's hope and change If you can sell that many season tickets, mediocrity must be enough

After this season DJ may want to explore his UFL options-as perhaps a quality control assistant

The notion that Schonert was a rookie coordinator last season is folly. This is a man who's played or coached for more than 20 seasons in the NFL. If he doesn't have the ability to adapt to what defenses show, he never will. That said, I hope he learns from his mistakes last season and we'll know soon enough whether the no huddle approach works. If it doesn't, this will be a long season.

Everyone with a pulse knows the Bills struggled against the 3-4 last year. Tonight, I'm interested to see how they fare against a team implementing the 3-4, as GB hired Dom Capers to replace the fired Bob Sanders. It may be just a preseason game, but the starters should receive more snaps tonight. The other thing I'm interested to see is how the starting OT's can handle pass-rushing OLB's. Aaron Kampfman, a pretty good 4-3 DE is making the move to 3-4 OLB and can rush the passer. The front three of GB's 30 front consists of Cullen Jenkins, Ryan Pickett, and Johnny Jolly. I don't think there's a greater question out there than how Turk Schonert adapts to what defenses show them. Green Bay won't show too many different looks, but the Bills haven't seen the 3-4 yet in the preseason.

Apparently TO is actually Maybin's agent. Who would have thought.

I can't believe how he defends a coach with 1 playoff appearance in 8 years working for a team with 0 post-season berths in 9 seasons. Give the guy credit, he's never been wrong. Never. If the Bills had no talent last season, then Miami was a college team. The Dolfelons had no business being more than 6-10, but their staff came up with a soon-to-be copied offense which helped disguise their shortcomings. Isn't that what a coach is supposed to do? Right, I forgot you could plug in Elmer Fudd and Buffalo would still lose. Elmer doesn't have the talent to win, even though he's had lots of personnel input since Day 1.

It's those dastardly Nielsen ratings. Reminds me of the old SNL skit with Belushi playing William Shatner trying to avert his show (Star Trek) being shut down. Hard news (murders, robberies, kidnappings) sell. It's why the news doesn't lead off with the local Easter Egg hunt. The same principle goes for sports: people don't care about the nice guys, they want to hear about TO, Plaxico, Vick, Ochocinco, et al.

I'm sure you haven't watched the team much over the past 9 seasons. As has been pointed out, there is a disease in management on this team, and no one has addressed them. If your management, i.e. owner, GM, HC, is out of whack, the on-field product will as well. It's like that in any organization, and Buffalo does not have savvy experienced NFL types at GM and HC with a 91 year old owner deciding whether the coach stays. On field, the Bills chose to build from the outside in. They've failed to adequately address the DL and OL from 06-08, then drafted three rookies in 09 to make up for it. Meanwhile, the've drafted far too many guys off the ball and wonder why the OL needed an infusion of new bodies. The DL hasn't generated any pass rush since forever, and oh by the way, it's the same group there as there was last season. The truth hurts, and in this case feel free to be hopeful. But recall what transpired last season and then tell me why with a harder schedule this team will succeed.

Eventually turn around? Based on what, DJ's press conferences? It's easy to be optimistic this time of year because there haven't been any real games played. This is how each season starts, with plenty of optimism and emotional feel good articles. Then the Bills play the games. BTW, how many times does this board need a post with "calm" and "down" in the subject line or the text of the post? I'm calm, even though DJ still coaches the team.

Hard Knocks reveals almost everything in Cincinnati Reading this, I would hope things aren't this bad in Buffalo. Of course, RW hires and fires coaches, but Mike Brown takes things to extremes. 18 seasons with only 1 playoff appearance and mostly sub .500 records and he's unwilling to cede control to a qualified personnel guy? IIRC, someone purchased a billboard in Cincinnati telling Brown to hire a GM. Frankly, I wonder what Roger Goodell thinks when he looks across the league and sees teams like Cincinnati, Oakland, Detroit, and even Buffalo struggling to compete. Meanwhile the Steelers, Patriots, Giants, Eagles, Chargers, Titans, and Colts of the league consistently get into the post-season. There's little the commissioner can do in the end I suppose.

Tell that to Tony Sparano and Mike Smith. While you're at it, ask John Harbaugh as well. The NFL is a league built on parity where most teams have roughly the same talent level, hence all the 7-9, 8-8, and 9-7 clubs. When you've got a guy who makes good decisions, can manage the clock, and puts players into positions to succeed, you'll win. Most of the franchises do not have elite coaches. Surprisingly, it's the teams that do which make the playoffs year in and year out. I'm referring to Belichick, whoever Pittsburgh has/had, Jeff Fisher, Andy Reid, and perhaps Tom Coughlin. And there are plenty of up and coming coaches. You cannot tell me with a straight face that an average to above average coach would have gone 2-8 in the final ten games last season.

Wait until the league has a player strike/lockout after the 2011 season when De Smith and the owners can't agree on a new CBA. Ultimately it's the fan who's left out in the cold who pays the PSL's, higher ticket prices. The league just assumes it'll never end, but situations like Crabtree make it hard for the blue collar fan to identify. It's a free country at the end of the day (well, as of this writing) and Maybin is allowed to get all he can. But he's playing a dangerous game and not endearing himself to the fans. That leaves a lot of work to do when he eventually signs.

George Young was the architect of those fine Giants teams of those two SB teams. I would say he and Polian were at the top of NFL execs for the time period. The difference was in who they hired to coach those teams, and who those coaches hired as coordinators. The Parcells/Belichick pairing was truly one of the finest in NFL history. But the Bills had more talent, as evidenced by recent HOF ceremonies. In that game, I agree NYG had the better coaching. This is precisely why it blows my mind that RW does not see the worth in finding a quality HC. Perhaps it's because that money does not count against the cap or he doesn't trust his people to find a good one. Then again, the people in the front office are those he's put there.

I go to games with a friend of mine who's had season tickets since 96. After the Dallas MNF game (and he's not normally as upset as I am) he said simply, "I'm tired of losing." It's not just the losses, it's the way they lose. MNF vs CLE and DAL. Sunday night to NE 56-10 in 07. The season opener vs Denver in 07. DJ tears the heart out of you. And thanks for the SB XXV note. Thought I'd heard that.

Wasn't it Belichick who told his defense that Thurman Thomas needed to run for 100+ yards for them to win? If I'm not mistaken, that was mentioned on the Super Bowl program NFL Network runs.

Many fans who follow the Bills fail to watch what happens across the rest of the league, save for major transactions like Favre and Vick. They therefore do not realize that most teams do not miss the playoffs 9 seasons running and aren't a clinch in their 10th try. If anyone doubts that DJ stinks, ask yourself how many times the Bills have won games against teams they weren't favored to beat. And then ask how many times they've lost to teams they should have beat. Buffalo's HC has been bested by HOF coaches, mediocre coaches, and rookie coaches. He rarely beats better teams, and finds ways to lose to bad teams. I am most concerned that DJ's close to the vest try to win on the last possession mindset is setting into the mind of the QB. Trent gets ripped for being a checkdown QB, but I'm beginning to wonder if it's what the coaches are feeding a young guy starting his 2nd full season. I wouldn't say that if DJ had such a fine record with his other QB's.

If Maybin is that desperate to get on the field, he should have the audacity to tell his agent to get something done. If it's anywhere near what the 12th pick received of course. Most irritating here is that 29 first rounders, save for true malcontents Andre Smith and Michael Crabtree, have signed their rookie deal. I won't read too much into what Posluszny said, but they do need him on the field. I'd love to blame the team, but they've been drafting in the 8th-12th spot for years now. They've worked out deals with Whitner, Lynch, and McKelvin. Why is Maybin any different?

Most people notice the the players and to a lesser degree the coaching staff. But what some fans don't see is that front offices make all the difference in the world. Those NYG teams had an advantage that Buffalo do not have: solid and experienced front office types who find talent. I'm referring to Ernie Accorsi, who with Jerry Reese built those NYG teams. A team cannot be built overnight, but Accorsi and Reese have built a deep team, particularly on the DL and OL. Watching the NYG-CAR game last night, it's amazing to see the talent they've collected in the past few seasons. They have multiple All-Pro types like Umenyiora, Tuck, Pierce, Snee, and Diehl. The Bills don't have that, and it's one reason that they struggle each year to keep the franchise in the hunt for the playoffs. For this team to improve, it'll take an overhaul of the front office, and I don't see it happening. We need a Reese/Accorsi type who knows the league and where to find talent.

Couldn't help but notice Jordan Gross give up a sack to Osi Umenyiora tonight 1 on 1. It's no coincidence that good teams have solid OL and DL, which CAR, NYG, and TEN among others have. When teams go for the skill positions, they neglect the foundation of a pro football team. Parcells and Co. did select a CB in the first this year, but this came after using three top picks in 08 on linemen. You don't start rebuilding a franchise by taking WR, RB, LB, or DB. Those positions come later. I think Walker and Butler will need all the help they can get. Butler's tendency to be injured is also a concern, as I'm not keen on seeing Kirk Chambers at length.

I think the Bills front office would have been severely criticized had they selected an OT in round 1. You cannot replace departed free agents and in this case traded players with your first round pick every year and get ahead. I like the Maybin pick too, as it represents the team looking long term and not just for DJ's make or break season. No one should expect even when AM appears that he'll collect 10+ sacks, but hopefully in the future. At the same time, I'm concerned about the depth at OT on this team. And while I can't comment on Oher, I won't fault the front office for not selecting him. He has some motivation issues and isn't as consistent as some wanted. Besides, the pass rush needed an infusion of talent, and no one on the team could flash the physical skills Maybin offers. Whether he takes that ability and translates that onto the field is another matter. I figured a deal would be complete by now.

We've seen stranger things happen before. Levy originally was going to retain Mularkey after a 5-11 season and there wasn't much gruff from the inner-circle then. RW is 91, and while he looks good for his age, the franchise depends on him. They're no about to make long term commitments to a new HC and GM. Still, I can't forget hearing that DJ was retained and the next moment Mike Shanahan was fired.

A couple of fans on a message board happen to mention they think Peters might not be good? The source wasn't in any way representative of the fan base. I could just as easily say Owens is injury prone and someone could cite it as Bills fans think this is really the case. Everytime a fan on this board tries to make a football point that could be controversial, immediately someone charges them with never having played or coached in the NFL and therefore unqualified. Shudder the thought if I challenged the source. I'll say this, and it is a football point: Left Tackle's aren't normally brawler types like RT's should be. Their primary job is to pass block and keep the QB clean on passing downs. Peters wasn't great last night, but if we're not supposed to draw conclusions from one preseason game, why in the heck can someone cite an Eagles message board after the first game and say Eagles fans are saying he's not good.

Not to blow this out of proportion, but there were issues last season getting the play in. I can recall multiple times in which Buffalo needed to use a TO to avoid a delay of game penalty. I agree with the idea of getting the OL on the same page. The best offenses which ran the no-huddle were veteran laden teams, particularly at QB and on the OL. Those two items concern me if this will be the base offense.

What part of the "nine years without playoffs" argument don't you understand. Sure there's 3 games after this, but the closer the end of preseason, the more starters rest. It's not the other way around. It's not because Brady and other teams starters are playing. It's because the entire offense is dependent on five new starters at their positions playing well. The QB and the other skill players have a lot of work to do on the no-huddle as well. I really don't understand who can defend DJ anymore. What's he done to earn anyone's trust as a solid football coach?

A message board?