BillsVet

I posted in Bills thread that the team, particularly the offense, has quit. I take absolutely no pleasure in saying that. None whatsoever. But it's clear the coaches are steering this ship without a legitimate plan in place. DJ sealed his fate today IMHO. He is a nice man, who never throws his players or coaches under the bus. For that he should be commended. But his coaching acumen isn't suitable for the NFL.

What's most disconcerting was the lack of heart in this game. After last week's game, it seems like whatever motivation was left in this team left. I think it's finally safe to say DJ has lost this team. For all the even-keelness, his coaching philosophy has failed miserably. EDIT: I do not think the defense ever gave up. But I believe their gameplanning, along with offensive futility, puts too much pressure on them. They did not give up a TD after the first quarter, albeit to Miami.

***circus music***

You mean like...."TurkEY?" Couldn't get hired as an OC anywhere after 10+ season as a QB coach in the NFL. Why did anyone think he'd revolutionize this offense? I didn't back in January when he was hired.

Are we better off now that 3 years ago though?

Dean- You're trying extremely hard to protect the ML/DJ three years of futility. FWIW, Milloy is playing very well in ATL. But of course, he didn't fit the system in Buffalo, so he could not have been good anymore. People talk about the bad game Clements had against Dallas, but he's been a fine performer since SF signed him. Fletcher continues to produce. All three rarely, if ever miss games, which may their finest attribute. If after three years this team goes from 5 wins to 7, that's not progress. As a matter of fact, I'd say they've regressed plenty this season alone.

No, but he and his hand-picked staff can burn timeouts with the best of them. That and get out-coached by head coaches like Tony Sparano, Mike Singletary, and Romeo Crennel. Coaching is the problem in Buffalo. And while you're at it, know that DJ has a lot of say in who plays for this team, so it's either his fault, or his fault. Take your pick.

Are the Bills better off than they were three years ago? That should be the central question to this mess, not invoking the TD. If you had told me after 05 they would go 7-9 in 06 and 07, yet only be 6-6 after two seasons of rebuilding while playing a schedule of teams which combined to go 54-90, I wouldn't call that progress. I'd call that mediocrity. But in the simplistic world the poll designer lives in, the Bills are either good or bad. Anyone thinking they're bad doesn't understand because the team is 6-6. Unfortunately, that ignores the opponents, type of wins, and lack of improvement. It conveniently forgets the team has had ample opportunity for success, yet squanders games that a quality team should win. The greatest shortcoming around this board are fans who ignore the rest of the NFL and isolate only on the Bills. If more of them looked league wide at trends, along with improving and worsening teams, they'd realize the Bills should remain in the latter category. It is not normal for a team to consistently ride the .500 line and never get awful or very good.

I'm still wondering why it's acceptable to so many Bills fans that Russ Brandon be the nominal head of an organization which has realized so little success in the preceding years. Find a real GM, and they in turn will find good coaching. At the same time, that GM will gather the right executives to locate and keep good players. Everything flows from the front office and it's definitely hard to overcome bad decisions.

DH67 it's nice to be optimistic for optimism's sake. But this team is done. When you repeatedly lose games you should win, then the fight goes out of the dog. Losing five of their last six has been a serious blow and isn't easy to recover from. We don't know the nature of the locker room, but suffice it say players aren't happy. Not that they won't give it their all tomorrow, but it's hard to work for management (the coaches) who can't effectively do their job. The players won't say it publicly, but I suspect they know their game preparation is sub-par right along with gameday decisions. Nine years of futility are finally showing their mark, and the fans have responded. On this board and elsewhere the ire of fandom is growing with each loss.

There is a premium to pay in free agency. Using UFA is a penalty for drafting poorly, which at times both TD and Marv did. As a result, some teams depend on UFA more than others. It's not an excuse that every team pays more for players because some don't. When is the last time the Giants, Colts, or Packers paid big dollars to a free agent? They draft well, meaning they don't dip into UFA as much. And it gives them cap flexibility because they don't rely on UFA to build their team. RW paid big dollars when TD was GM and he still couldn't get a winner. Spikes, Milloy, Fletcher, Bledsoe, all were big FA's or trades which didn't help the team into the playoffs. But he's also signed Dockery, Walker, K. Mitchell, Sp. Johnson, and traded for Stroud. He still hands out dollars, even though he's not able to match some of the huge signing bonuses. I highly recommend the book, "The GM" by Tom Callahan. It tells the story of Ernie Accorsi, Jerry Reese's predecessor as GM for the Giants and explains how a successful front office operates. Scouts can deliver their advice, but whomever makes the decision to take a guy is what matters more. And the Bills do not have the GM to bring everyone together on draft day and in free agency like the Giants have. No matter what, Accorsi and Reese are the reason why the Giants are so strong. Part of the reason Buffalo is weak and without depth is because they don't spend near enough to the cap, and have been hamstringed by bad GM's like Donahoe, Levy, and now Brandon. Contrary to many on this board, the Bills front office is a mess and insufficient. Scouting is one thing, and I believe Modrak is fine as Director of Amateur Scouting. Guy is a mystery as Pro Scouting Director, because he's not the final decision maker in whom the Bills go after in UFA. Their record there is not good, but relying on UFA is not the key to success anyway. Because the Bills front office is organized strangely, it's hard to pin blame on any one person. Ultimately, blame should go to Ralph for not hiring legitimate GM's that relied too much on Jauron for help in the personnel game. Neither Levy nor Brandon were/are prepared to handle what a GM does.

I remember not long ago how the buzzword around here was "progress." People were falling all over themselves to talk up the team progress from 06 to 07. We couldn't look at the final record, many fans noted, because a host of players went onto IR in 07. We now know that as a garbage excuse, particularly when Baltimore loses 16 for the season who still wins. Not to mention they're playing a rookie QB and feature a rookie NFL HC. NFL IR as of Week 14 This is a question probably better suited for an election, but are the Bills better off today than they were in 2005? If you consider the combined record of Buffalo's opponents this season is 54-90, I don't believe they are. And despite an easy schedule, 6-6 is all they are. It's no longer progress, it's regress and there remain no legitimate excuses for not making the playoffs this season. I agree SB, Buffalo blew up the team unnecessarily. Letting veterans like Clements, Fletcher, and Milloy looked good on the balance sheet, but the effect on the field wouldn't be known for years.

It doesn't matter how much talent you have, but how it's used. Right now, coaching is what limits this team. When you can outgain your opponent nearly 2-1, and come away with only 3 points against a team going nowhere, something is wrong. Marv's hiring of DJ was the first and ultimately most destructive decision, because no matter how they drafted, you need to use those players correctly. DJ's handling of Lynch in that game was abhorrent, but to comment that he didn't want to "destroy" (his words) the back is patently absurd. ML had 1 carry in the fourth, but the real story is DJ didn't question Turk about his use of a feature back in a close game. We know DJ selected TS, and we're seeing that was probably another bad move. Marv hired DJ. That was a bad move. End of story.

I posted about this after the SF game. The front office, led by Marv and now by Russ, makes or made far too many bad moves. Levy's Legacy It was convenient to think that a HOF coach would bring great results as a GM. Three seasons after being named GM, the truth is readily apparent that it did not happen. There's a thin margin of error in the NFL. Buffalo can't outspend anyone, which requires the scouts and decision makers to score on draft day each year. That hasn't happened obviously and we're left with poor depth, and a team which cannot beat teams it should.

It's a matter of example. I can't believe Marv Levy felt the need to take 3 DB's in the first 4 rounds of 2006 while neglecting the OL and DL for that season. Marv had been out of the game 9 years when he became GM. I'm confident that Marv leaned on DJ to make personnel decisions that year and next, based on information from Guy and Modrak. Enter Russ Brandon this year. I'm confident he didn't tell DJ about NFL personnel during this past off-season, and leaned on the HC for his experience. Again, Guy and Modrak provided the scouting reports. I understand a team making the decisions on players. The beauty of the Bills front office organization is no one knows who does what. So placing blame anywhere is immediately questioned.

FACT: Dick Jauron has had unprecedented personnel control over this team. Unless of course you think Marv or Russ Brandon overruled him, which is highly unlikely. FACT: .500 isn't enough to cut it in the NFL, especially after 2, maybe 3 seasons with this team.

Marty talked about having the energy to do be a NFL HC again, but didn't seem like he wanted to. Said he's owed some time to spend with his family. Can't blame him, given that he's devoted more than 30 years to coaching. He wasn't surprised by AJ Smith's move, but still has a bitter taste from the experience. He noted how San Diego's front office organization wasn't very good. Buffalo's may not have the internal strife, but it's still messed up. And that's why I don't see him going to Buffalo.

Ralph spends about the bare minimum on players. About 20M less than the salary cap, which is barely within the NFL mandated minimum. With areas he doesn't have to spend, like coaches and general managers, he's notoriously frugal. His income from the Toronto deal is and will not result in more being spent on players, coaches, or executives. It's just improving the bottom line.

Excellent job Scott.

You've been on this board for literally days. Show some civility and cut out the personal attacks. Everyone around here is free to express an opinion, to a certain degree. For the record, we're not Pats fans. You're talking to fans who've weathered 9 years of futility, and want the team to win one of these decades. We don't run when the team goes in the tank, like New England fans do.

It's been said that Martin Mayhew has already done more scouting in a month than MM did in his seven years as GM. Wow. I believe Ernie Sims suffers from an inferior DL, and being a WLB, his tackle stats aren't bad. Not that tackles says a player is good or bad. Mayhew traded Roy Williams for a first, third, and sixth. That deal really can't be analyzed. Harrington barely hangs on in the league, and both Williams and Rogers are gone. MM was horrible drafting, and that's obvious. But even a blind squirrel finds a nut, and Williams and Sims are above average players. I will agree their later picks have stunk up the joint. Buffalo's 2nd and beyond picks haven't been that good either, outside of Posluszny and Edwards: 04 Anderson, Euhus, D. McFarland, J. Smith 05 Parrish, Everett, Preston, King, Geisinger, Gates 06 Youboty, Simpson, Butler, Williams, Ellison, Pennington, Merz 07 Wright, Wendling, Schouman, Ah You

Thank you for your words. Obviously the Bills aren't as woeful as Detroit is. The Lions are the worst team in the NFL, and it doesn't take much for even a casual fan to see that. However, the Bills are fast becoming a slightly better version of the Lions. Buffalo's front office hasn't changed much in years, with Guy, Modrak, and Overdorf still holdovers from earlier this decade. Instead of improving, the Bills are flatlining. When you consider the teams Buffalo has beaten this year have combined for a 17-55 record, 6-6 doesn't seem all that hot. The record of opponents who beat Buffalo is 37-35, hardly impressive. Sure, Detroit is worse, and probably will be next season. But when the Bills remain mediocre and they don't change the people making the decisions, something is very wrong. I am tired of mediocrity. At least Lions fans know their team is bad, and respond accordingly. Buffalo fans get amped every season, and are consistently left like we are now.

Fixed. It's funny how non-football people get to run football teams and make decisions about things they know nothing about.

Is there any doubt the Bills have a broken front office? Brandon's not the chief decision maker in personnel, and I've got to believe Guy and Modrak simply gather information on personnel and present it to Jauron. Brandon knows he doesn't know anything about amateur and pro personnel, so he defers to Jauron. No one can say Brandon has done well, because he hasn't been around long enough. He's been "GM" for exactly one off-season, and that's not enough to say either way. Besides, his being the COO doesn't mean he makes personnel decisions anyway.

Bill Parcells, though he can be a jerk, is one of the best talent evaluators in the NFL. He surrounded himself with people like GM Jeff Ireland and HC Tony Sparano who are not surprisingly getting results. Meanwhile, Ralph privately fumes but does nothing. If he doesn't want to find someone to run football operations and hand over responsibility to a non-football person like Matt Millen was in Detroit, then fine. At least Wayne Huizenga (who may be selling the team in the near future) wants to win and is doing the right thing by hiring Parcells. Ralph bought himself time when Levy was GM. Now that Marv is gone, there is no personality in the front office that fans identify with. Combine that with having a mediocre record and you have the displeasure fans are showing.