BillsVet

Because even the 11th overall pick in the draft isn't paid like an up and coming CB would get on the UFA market. Game ready CB's are getting 35-40M, which is significantly more than what McKelvin gets. The talent level is closer than the pay. I would franchise Greer and trade him a la GB with Corey Williams last season.

It is downright scary that RB thinks he's capable of being a GM. He has no qualifications to be a NFL GM, and the contracts they've handed out are moderate. Butler, Williams, Parrish, Stroud, Mitchell, and Johnson are all signed to deals that aren't big. He's never given a decent sized contract, and his management of the cap is related mostly to Buffalo being 20-22M beneath the cap. If he thinks this franchise is any further along than it was last year, that's pretty darn funny.

I'd argue the reason Buffalo drafted McKelvin and to a lesser degree Corner was a way of protecting themselves when Greer hit UFA. I don't think they ever intended to retain him, and drafted accordingly. Their depth at CB is decent with Youboty returning. McGee hits UFA after 09, and I could see them allowing him to depart. I'd prefer they retained McGee and looked for McKelvin to start opposite him in 08 with either Corner and Youboty manning the nickel. The draft is about the future, as much as we'd like it to be about the future. Greer's price tag is too high, and Buffalo planned ahead to replace him. It's one thing I'll commend the front office on. Now about that pass rush.

Who says that a mediocre coach will be hired to replace DJ? That's an assumption, but becomes more realistic should this team forego hiring a GM and decides that a non-football man can run football operations. The travesty of this entire organization is that Buffalo thinks it can succeed in a division in which two other teams (the ones most likely to make the post-season) have football people making decisions on coaches and personnel. Felser's article in the BN shows that Buffalo has prospered when they have people in tune with the NFL. Many will say TD couldn't pick a HC and was a football guy. But I'd rather take my chances with someone who is in-tune with the league. Dimitroff did it in ATL. Parcells has done it in MIA. Ozzie Newsome in BAL. Good Football execs have better success and know what to look for in a HC.

Bailey was clearly not 100% and the Broncos have very little pass-rush. Denver's defense has yielded 26 points per game this season, and being 8-8 in the AFC West isn't anything to write home about. It was a hollow victory against a team that outgained them nearly 2-1, did not have to punt, and was within inches of tying it up at the end. Buffalo's defense is clearly lacking a pass rush, and their run defense suffered as well. Things haven't improved much from the past two seasons, and the record will be the same or similar as it was in 06 and 07. On the flip side, it's a road win.

Some Bills fans settle for failure far too often. This thread is a clear indication that we've accepted losing as normal. Any form of success puts us over the edge, as evidenced with the 5-1 start against the league's bottomfeeders. Beating the Pats is another moral victory. If the goal is to advance to the playoffs, the team failed. End of story.

This is patently false. Is it any wonder the Colts haven't whiffed on a first round pick since Polian has been there? How about San Diego, the Patsies, or the Giants. Those teams draft well and not surprisingly are in playoff contention every year. The draft may not be an exact science, but resigning oneself to it being totally random is a cop out to explain the failures of this franchise. I agree winning is the great morale boost, but doing it when the team isn't mathmatically eliminated from the post-season is something this team didn't do, going 2-7 down the stretch. If this team ever aspires to be a SB contender, they could emulate those aforementioned franchises and find people who know how to find talent. Becuase their current setup is woefully short on accountability.

This is nearly word for word what was said after Buffalo finished 2007. 2) The offense played against statistically one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Denver has allowed 396 points in 15 games this season. 3) Many fans assumed with the addition of Stroud, Sp. Johnson, and Mitchell that the defense would be better. So far, they're pedestrian and allowing 22 ppg. With the anemic offense, that's not good enough. 4) We should have a lot of talented DB's. DJ inherited Greer and McGee. He used first round picks on a S and CB. They spent another third, fourth, sixth, and seventh on DB's. By now, I'd expect it, but of course, not having a pass rush makes this a moot point. 5) DJ has blundered his way into losing crucial games, most notably 2 MNF games in 2 seasons, and numerous others which will keep this team out of the playoffs for the ninth straight campaign. He has been outcoached by veteran and rookie HC's. He has been outcoached by bad coaches and good coaches. 6) We've been young for three seasons. It's up for debate whether this team will ever transition into a team capable of winning consistently. If you're satisfied with this team, you enjoy mediocrity. When Bills fans wake up from the numbness that is yearly losing, they'll realize this entire season was a blown chance to make the playoffs.

Lost amid this inane argument of keeping a HC is how he performs against playoff teams. DJ is 2-13 over 06 and 07 against playoff teams. The lone wins came against NYJ in 06 and WAS in 07 (who were playing their first game since Sean Taylor's death) More importantly, DJ is 10-14 on the road. DJ's teams in his eight seasons as HC have been outscored by 340 points. This caliber of coaching from DJ will not change, as it hasn't since he took the reigns of a NFL team in 1999.

You can't generalize offensive lines and LOT's into one group. There are some LOT's who were drafted in the 2nd round and below. Elite LOT's generally go in the first round, given the skill set and physical requirements to play the position. It's why Andre Smith, Eugene Monroe, Michael Oher, and Jason Smith will all go in the first round this year. LOT's go in the top 5 yearly.

Bill Parcells has said that you are what your record says you are. If 7-9 is a mediocre record, DJ is a mediocre coach. It's black and white, but there's no question DJ is not the guy who can lead you to the SB. Three seasons of not making the playoffs is mediocre. And the Bills can affirm mediocrity by bringing DJ back as HC, contract or not. Season ticket sales will plummet, so this time around there will be a price to pay for keeping a mediocre HC.

I'm not advocating he be fired either. I would like to know why he's trusted to make decisions on things he's not qualified to decide on. His marketing genius in getting people to buy tickets to lackluster teams is admirable. But I'm suggesting it'd be prudent to have a football person make football decisions. Right now, that's not happening, unless of course DJ is the man behind the UFA acquisitions and draft. And I firmly believe that's the case. I continue to believe RB looks at DJ for advice on personnel, which is strange considering the choices this team has made in personnel since Levy's return have been poor at best. I don't hate RB, but rather hate the idea of giving him control over an area of the football team that he has little experience. Fact is, the best teams have the best personnel men. Right now, Buffalo's top personnel man is a business/marketing guy. Larry Felser may be a man in his seventies, but he's seen it all with this team. And his article from today clearly shows that when RW has football people in football positions, the team is generally successful. When he appoints those from outside the personnel world, he fails miserably. Count Brandon among the latter. Again, I don't hate RB, I just hate the selection of him to GM. It's little coincidence in the most highly anticipated season in a few years, that this club has gone 2-7 in their last 9, and 0-5 in division play. The more things change in Buffalo, the more they remain the same. I can't stand when people rubber stamp failure.

I'm not demanding he be Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu, but I rarely see him do anything outside of make a tackle after a sizable gain. Today's the first time I've seen him force a turnover in a very long time. Why do they call toss plays to the right side with Walker pulling? It's painfully obvious how his lack of mobility hurts on a play like this. He does need to lose weight. I also watched Dockery get pushed around, especially in short yardage. Neither player seems able to do anything in the run game as long as they remain at their current weight. Then again, they could just be players who aren't good. He's a more polished route runner, has better hands, and understands the game better than his 2nd round fellow rookie in Hardy. The book isn't closed on JH, but Johnson's progression has been much more rapid. He ought to be ahead of Parrish and Hardy on the depth chart next season.

PFT is reporting that Lions owner William Clay Ford will retain his top two front office execs: interim GM Martin Mayhew and COO Tom Lewand. Apparently, Detroit is considering adding another individual to their group, but not with authority over Mayhew or Lewand. All of this sounds eerily similar to Buffalo, who like Detroit, continue to miss the playoffs and reward the people responsible for it. Making matters worse, both teams have decisions to make about their unpopular coaches. Lions front office Frankly, if Buffalo fails to hire a GM with a background in personnel and/or retains DJ has HC, we'll be on the balance beam of mediocrity for years to come. Now, Detroit is following our lead in having a dysfunctional front office. I guess I should be more excited we won a game today.

It's quite simple. Brandon has no real world experience to be a NFL GM. His de-facto promotion does not address the issue of this team not having the talent evaluators on par with franchises like NE and MIA. I am not advocating the recruitment of a Cowher, Schottenheimer, or similar big name individual for the position. I will say that there exists a huge void within the front office, and Brandon is not the solution. Expecting RB to successfully negotiate the rough and tumble world of NFL personnel is akin to asking your garbageman to handle PR for their company. His previous marketing experience is not a qualifier for handling personnel.

send in the clowns...wait, they're already playing.

DJ and the Bills: Still clueless after all these years. Whaddya think now about DJ Ralphie and Russy?

The combination of DJ not being able to select decent coordinators and fact that Buffalo's offense has looked remarkably inept as SF's two season does point to DJ being the real problem. Offensively, DJ's teams are routinely low-scoring. IMO, that demonstrates his lack of focus on that side of ball and his belief in keeping things close by being ultra conservative. In researching DJ's teams, they've scored 2248 points in 126 games for an average of 17.8 ppg. They allowed 2595 points in those contests for an average of 20.6. His teams have been out-scored by 347 points, and it's no wonder he's 56-75 career. These figures did not include his 5 games as interim HC in Detroit.

Were they flintlock or matchlock rifles?

Citing the Marlins link is hilarious. They bought a title in 97, then totally dismantled nearly the entire team in 98. RB left after 97, and I'm sure he read the writing on the wall when the team was stripped down. Felser is dead on again, but it will fall on deaf ears. I agree completely here-Brandon's job isn't to find talent (they leave that to Guy and Modrak, with DJ making the picks) but rather to spin things into this team being legitimate. I will maintain until this team attains respectability or moves, that fans must educate themselves on how normal NFL franchises operate. Buffalo is not one of them and remains the one of the exceptions to how successful teams work. DET, KC, STL, OAK, and CIN are the others. Mark Felt says hello. The public finally learned his identity three years ago. The origin of leaks are unknown, but it depends on reading between the lines and having the savvy to understand why someone would leak something to the press. Felt had his reasons, and so do the Bills. Leaks will happen from both Peters' agent and the Bills. Sad to say, but Peters' agent is supposed to do this. Buffalo's front office should man up and begin negotiations. Instead they revert to playing games and hitting up their best player. Peters is no saint, but represents the closest thing they have to elite talent. Watching the Bills treat him like this is funny, because getting rid of him tells me they're not serious about winning. It says they want to remain mediocre and keep payroll down.

And he actually thinks he's capable of out-maneuvering the Parcells, Pioli's, and Belichick's of the AFCE! We are fast becoming the Detroit Lions East. Inept leadership that promotes failed execs and those not qualified to greater responsibilities. Scary stuff. Pioli is VP of Personnel, but his is a unique situation. Both he and Belichick seem to share the function of GM. Their's is the only example of such a combination, but they're obviously successful. I think he's looking to be a GM first and foremost, but his track record is so good, an owner ought to trust him to be president. Bill Polian is president of the Colts. He's in his mid forties, Parcells' son-in-law, and one of the best talent evaluators in the league. Someone would pay a king's ransom for his services. And that someone won't be the Buffalo Bills, who find new ways to create mediocrity. It continued last year by making the business/marketing guy a bonafide NFL GM.

Shades of RW wanting to take Doug Flutie back in 85. Fortunately reason stepped up in the form of BP and made the wise choice picking perhaps the greatest DE in NFL history. All of this thread shows which priorities the smart fan knows are correct. I don't have a problem with BADOL's priorities, especially when you consider that half of the 6 DE's selected to the Pro Bowl were not drafted in the first round. Those players include Mathis (IND), Tuck (NYG), and Allen (MIN). Granted some fine pass rushers are found in the first, but when good organizations do their research, they find the best players. The Giants, Colts, Ravens, Cowboys (under Parcells), Steelers, and Patsies all draft well year in and year out. It's not a coincidence that all experience success fairly regularly.

It's what's referred to as a, "leak."

Great post. Brandon's a marketing guy at heart, and clearly understands how to sell a bad product to a fan base. Selling 56k season tickets for a team without the a playoff appearance in 8 years was impressive. But now his work becomes even more difficult with this latest disaster of a season. I have no doubt that the front office will look for a way to negate the Peters' Pro Bowl selection and prevent another contract disupte. After reading that Trent texts DJ to show his support, I believe the front office will do anything to get the fans to go along with their thinking. Someone in the marketing/PR departments is behind linking the starting QB to the also-ran HC who couldn't coach his way out of a wet paper bag. But it's too true of the Bills, who rely on propoganda to get fans into the seats. Whether it's supporting DJ or trying to put down Peters, it's what Buffalo's front office does best. If only they approached team-building as aggressive as they try to spin this team.

Williams is a depth player at DT. He may be involved in 1-2 plays per game, but gets pushed around too easily. Stroud still has some tread left on the tires, but he's 30. The Bills still need to find another DT, but add that to DE, OLB, S, TE, C, OT, and QB depth. Once we get those problems resolved, we'll be fine. If only we'd have had a chance to get the guy...a 3-4 NT with the mobility to play the 1 gap in a 4-3. Wait...