BillsVet

Thanks for the link. I think what gave Baltimore an edge was solid depth on defense, and the coordinators knowing what to do when they lost key performers. Bannan starts for the Ravens, but he wasn't acquired for the role. Still, both he and Leonhard have not been liabilities although neither will be stars. Found it noteworthy the pats were 32nd in the league during 2003.

There are major issues at several positions. There is a serious issue with a coach who always seems to make the wrong call at crucial moments. There is no GM, and an owner who makes the call on more issues than I think most realize. The front office should be blown up, with a veritable football man hired to run the show. It didn't work with TD, but fearing it could happen again is just that: fear. And fear wins no football games. Winning in the NFL is produced when front offices have good personnel people who find and retain talent. Buffalo does not have that, at least not in abundance. I'm not sure if Dockery was ever considered a top 15 NFL guard and have never seen anything calling him a superior talent at the position. Seeing him run onto the field is painful, as I've witnessed many times while attending games. His mobility is poor. Peters is not the issue, though his play was subpar this year. Again, it's convenient to blame the center, especially in a predominantly zone blocking scheme which shouldn't mean the guard depends on center play. But finding excuses in and of itself is convenient to pass the blame. Without looking it up, name Steve Hutchinson's center in Seattle. I'm sure you can't do it, yet league wide people knew how good that guy was before departing for Minnesota. So much so that he was a multiple All-Pro pick. But it's convenient to make excuses if there's any hint of a mediocre to average player next to them. It's part of the reason some have an issue saying Whitner's not as talented. They blame the pass-rush, which is partly true. Then again, Adrian Wilson is quite productive minus a great front 7.

Caldwell might be a fine center at Alabama, but he's more of a zone blocking OC in the NFL. I don't think he's got the base to anchor against large NT's. I'd prefer Mack, but then again so would most. It would seem it's early for a TE at 11, and I'm not really high on the DE's. Maybin is smallish, and Orakpo seems to be in the mold of a Gholston, though not the same. At this early point, I think it's in Buffalo's best interest to trade down.

Doing things by committee is a wimpy way of making decisions. In all successful organizations there is a good leader who makes the final decision after consulting with subordinates. But alas, there is a leader in Buffalo and he's 90 years old without much experience handling personnel. Leading by committee is the best way to deflect blame when things go wrong. It's why the Bills are no better today than they were in 2005 when TD left.

The HC has 8 seasons of NFL playing experience along with 24 as a coach. I'll do the math for you and it's 32 years of NFL experience. The OC has 9 seasons of playing experience and 13 as a coach. In contrast, Edwards has all of 2 seasons experience in the NFL. 2 years versus coaches with 32 and 22 years of experience in the pro game. But let's continue to blame a guy who threw 11 TD's and 10 picks. Now come back with the familiar refrain of "coaches don't throw INT's or make bad plays" argument. You've already started that excuse.

Yes, because there's always an excuse lined up when things don't go well and because young QB's always do well when they have poor coaching. It's funny, because Trent's "decline" coincided with DJ and Turkey's decline as well. But you've isolated the QB as the reason why things went bad. Sure, Crowell is at fault for doing the surgery thing at the last moment. But what about Buffalo having a LB behind their starting trio that weighed over 240 and had some experience? Or how about surrouding Edwards with more than one receiver and RB without a decent run blocking OL. In a season where Brady was down and out after week 1, the Bills had every chance to win to win in that division. They failed, and I'm tired of fans who demand nothing and complain about people who do. The will to win is not alive at OBD and there is a culture of losing. DJ does nothing to erase that, and it's for this reason that Buffalo needs a coach who hates losing as much as guys like Parcells, Belichick, and Coughlin. Then again, it's all the QB's fault

Rod Graves seems to be a competent GM, and Ken Whisenhunt a good HC. The mark of a good coach or executive is finding good subordinates who can be counted on to take their supervisor's vision and apply it to their area of concern. The Cards need some players on defense, but they've got a decent core. Overall, they need help on OL and at RB, along with some pass rush help. Playing in a weak division helps, but they've got the makings of a decent franchise. Warner won't be around forever, but in the meantime he's very good. I give a lot of credit to owners who don't get in the way of their real football people.

1. This season proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Marv Levy was a failure as a GM. Hiring DJ, the 2006 FA class, the 2007 FA class, and selecting guys like Whitner and McCargo were all bad to below average moves. Good HC, but terrible GM. 2. We also know that tapping a business/marketing guy to lead the front office is absurd. And then when crucial decisions must be made, his vote as top man in the front office doesn't count. I'm speculating here that Wilson, with Littman's financial input, made the call to retain DJ. I suspect it was Brandon who knows how futile it will be to have DJ in the fold and sell tickets. 3. We know that Ralph, despite all his bluster about being dissatisfied with the team, really doesn't mind mediocrity as long as they're profitable.

A minor league exists within the framework of the NFL. Teams belonging to this group IMO include: Detroit Cincinnati Oakland Buffalo Cleveland St. Louis Kansas City All of them have poor owners (yes, Randy Lerner hiring a coach before a GM is a joke) and all of those owners refuse to allow anyone to have too much control. Before hiring Singletary, I figured SF was in that group, but I'll give the 49ers the benefit of the doubt. Miami picked themselves up out of the doldrums when they hired Parcells. Should KC get Pioli, they'll become respectable immediately. Atlanta did the same in the wake of the Vick/Petrino departures, so it's not out of the question that a team can become good. So long as they find the front office personnel to make it happen.

Let me guess-you're the guy who played the rabbit, right? Or perhaps you're the eggman to John Lennon's walrus.

Did you watch the SB last year? The Giants didn't have any all-pro DB's back there, and it didn't matter.

Roster talent means nothing when the coaching is so bad and the results stink to high heaven. It's a cop out to say the talent is better. That's like saying they have potential. It all means nothing and avoids addressing the central theme from this year: the players have no heart. A talented roster with no desire is worse than a bad roster with heart and determination. The only thing that matters is the final record. Not yards allowed or gained, turnover difference, penalties, nothing. Only record. I'd argue Buffalo has more "roster talent" than Miami. Yet one team couldn't do anything in the final 10 games of the season and self-destructed. The other made the playoffs with glaring weaknesses all over the place.

TD's final season was an abject disaster. 2008, especially with that start, was also a failure. Levy/Jauron moved this team from plain bad to mediocre, and it only took about 1-2 seasons. Now Buffalo is in the mediocre lane on the highway to ten straight non-playoff seasons. I really don't see what they've done so well. Unless there is a four year rebuild plan, which I doubt was the initial plan, they Levy and ultimately the front office failed. All they've done is changed the roster over, but the results are strangely similar. TDs last three years were 20-28. The Jauron era is 21-27. The more things change...

It's convenient that you selected 2005 as a comparison to this year for an illustration of "progress." Starting with a low point in Bills history certainly makes the case that 2008 wasn't that bad. A closer inspection shows huge issues with that theory. Buffalo's strength of schedule was 31st in the NFL in 08, and lost to the team with the easiest schedule: SF. They finished the season 2-8, which is probably on par with how bad 2005 was. I personally don't care for how the team ranks in yards gained or allowed if the record stinks. To think a team could start 5-1 and finish 7-9 is a catastrophic collapse. It's no better than the 5-11 from Donahoe's last season. I recall after 2006 that this board was talking about "progress." There has been zero progress since 2005, and I daresay the fans are at a point where they were a little over three years ago.

I wonder if Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Bill Parcells, Paul Brown, Bill Walsh, and Bill Belichick thought about Tuckman before each season? Most certainly they did not. Applying these theories to football is completely ridiculous. Have a head coach who knows what they're doing, always play to win, and don't be afraid to take calculated risks. Oh, and have a GM who can find talented players. None of those characteristics or people are in Buffalo, so of course that's a problem.

With 2 1sts, a 3rd, 2 4ths, and a 6th used on the secondary in 3 drafts, they should have depth. DJ inherited McGee, Greer, and inked Scott to boot. Depth shouldn't be something to praise, it should be demanded on the roster. I would rather have depth on the DL like the Giants have, than depth in the secondary. DB's have much less chance of affecting the outcome of a game than the DL does on defense. The secondary will always rely on the pass rush. But ultimately it's about affirming what this front office does as opposed to critiquing what they do wrong. BTW, which games did the secondary keep Buffalo in?

Ralph will spend where he must, and in areas where he isn't required to, won't. There is no salary cap for coaches and front office personnel. As much as Danny Snyder struck out when he tried to assemble coaching staffs who made big dollars, RW accomplishes the same thing by spending less. If he could humble himself and admit he has no idea how to find a good football man, it'd be monumental. Unfortunately, he's acting as GM and negotiating contracts with poor HC's who show their stripes. That one move put this franchise back at least one more season from competing. If RW had a real GM with personnel control, that issue with DJ doesn't happen. It's true that RW is mandated by the cap to pay a certain amount for players. IIRC, the salary cap floor will be 86.4% of 123M for next season. This has nothing to do with C2C, which the NFL doesn't care about.

Bill from NYC has mentioned that he heard Levy on Sirius after or during the draft admith they had an offer to trade down. Ultimately they refused, and selected Whitner. Apparently, they thought Detroit would select him, which I don't think was likely. The 2006 draft was a poor attempt at rebuilding, given that the Bills addressed the secondary before having a solid OL and DL. The draft is all about being savvy. DJ and Marv have a lot of book smarts, but they're the type who don't have the street smarts to fool other front offices. And those two guys were running the draft that year.

Wasn't sure there KFBD. Eleven isn't super high where you have to hand out the mammoth contract. And it's not insane either, considering what players are making. Agree completely on Gresham or Mack along with a DE or LB. Drafting one of them and adding a 2nd to get a slightly under the radar DE. I keep reading about Connor Barwin or Matt Shaughnessey. Still have some research to go there. I do think McKelvin has the ability to become that defensive player teams watch out for. The break he had on the pick 6 from Thigpen was pure instinct. I think he'll be a very good pick for Buffalo.

In a less boisterous way, DJ wanted to be the smartest guy on the block with his smaller and quicker DT's. Ultimately many of the savvy football fans here were right in declaring this wouldn't work, particularly in the bad weather. Being at the NYG game last season was at least some vindication. Some HC's want to reinvent the wheel, especially those who were unsuccessful in a previous job or used to be coordinators. It's been said many times, but the C2/T2 depends on opponents making mistakes. When they don't, it has issues. Certainly it's vulnerable to a strong power running game. We saw that in the Cleveland game in 07.

Ralph can't compete because he doesn't spend money where he should, not because he doesn't have enough. If he would stop playing GM and putting or retaining people in positions they have no business being in, he'd find success. Forbes NFL Revenue 2007 According to this list 10 of the top 16 teams failed to make the playoffs. Arguably the best team in the NFL, the NYG, were 17th. Three teams below Buffalo made the playoffs, so overall revenue isn't that much of a hinderance to being a good team. The difference between winners and losers is having personnel executives who know what they're doing. Buffalo doesn't have a GM, and their owner is trying to be the GM. That's why this team isn't successful. Period.

You and I both know it's complete luck that the 11th pick produced those players. It's far too coincidental that those drafts lined up to reflect those players. I'll go out on a limb and guess that NFL GM's (for those teams that have them) aren't using this logic as a guide about which pick to trade up to. As for the money, it's not as beneficial as you say it is. McKelvin signed a 5 yr 19.4M agreement which I don't see as cheap. Besides, if you're concerned with cap room, Buffalo's got plenty of it this coming off-season. A low first and a second rounder probably wouldn't receive contracts which combine to surpass the 11th overall selection anyway. If Buffalo finds a willing trade partner for 11 and can pick up a 2nd in the process, I think it's a good move. But much of that rides on how the draft plays out. Buffalo needs options, and can't afford to isolate on one player with as many needs as they have.

Daniels seems to have good but not great size at 6'3 245. His stats suggest he can play, especially considering Houston's sporadic QB play. As a RFA, Houston can tender him at a place which would make him untouchable if another teams signs him. In 2008, a player with a 1st and 3rd compensation received a 1 year deal for 2.562M. A first round tender was 2.017M, 2nd round 1.417M, and a tender of 927k was equal to the round the player was drafted in. Last year, Indy allowed Ben Utecht to sign with Cincy at no compensation because Utecht was a UDFA. I think Houston will give Daniels the highest tender, regardless of the 2009 salary. No team would give a first and third for Michael Turner, and no one will for Daniels.

The spin doctors have just begun. Wait'll we hit season ticket renew time and the marketing folks go into full-on spin mode. This reminds me of the time the Jets went 1-15 and NFL Films had to do a season retrospective. Watching that made you think they went to the playoffs.

Great point about the prevailing winds blowing in the NFL wrt to defenses. The 3-4 is making a comeback, primarily because teams see PIT playing it and want to duplicate it. I'll take it a step further and note that there aren't all that many great coaches or coordinators. People like Dick LeBeau have and are writing the book on how to exectute their defenses. I don't think there are that many great coordinators out there, especially because many of them want a HC job. People like LeBeau and Tom Moore, OC for Indy, don't want a HC job. They're great and want to remain coordinators. The 3-4 needs a massive NT for it to succeed, along with LB's who can rush the passer. It's tough to make it work without those players. Those guys aren't necessarily in abundance and a reason why teams might switch to the 3-4, but not succeed with it like NE or PIT does. Players like BJ Raji will be in high demand, and plenty of teams will jump all over themselves trying to get them. Meanwhile, there are a host of good DT's that don't fit the 3-4 who may be available.