BillsVet

As Asst Dir of College Scouting, she probably "works" for Modrak. But still, you've gotta love BP telling her where to go. The fact that she tried telling the GM what to do is par for a Wilson. It's so emblematic of this franchise. Detroit, Cincinnati, and Buffalo. All three keep things in the family and go nowhere.

BADOL-what do you think of Buffalo's CB's at this point? I agree that they shouldn't have a need to draft a CB for at least five years, but I've got to believe re-upping Greer will be costly. With McGee up after 09, 11th pick money to McKelvin along with Youboty and Corner, that's a lot of resources allocated for just CB's. I wouldn't mind seeing Greer franchised with the intent to trade him. I suspect he'd garner a 3rd rounder, especially to a team like CLE (albeit with probably a new GM) who sorely needs CB help.

That's very disconcerting re: Modrak, and perhaps an attempt to get rid of a guy who refuses a promotion. I know from a military perspective that people who ducked responsibility weren't the types I cared for. Chief scout ad infinitum is not what this team needs right now. Three years after TD was axed, it's not a legit excuse to say he didn't want to take the job a friend of his was fired from. I'll hold out hope the Bills are looking for a GM, but with RW's comments it's not likely. I figure they'll just repackage their current regime and reinvent themselves like a football version of an aging rock star. The song remains the same though and we all know it. If Guy swayed RB, DJ, or Marv at all, he should be fired. Of course they promoted him to ensure "continuity" which is fast becoming the great buzzword on this board and at OBD. Unfortunately, it's as substantive as change and hope are. Everything that's gone wrong in this organization, as you know, can be traced back to the lack of front office talent. Lack of decision makers, lack of preparation, and a desire to select luxuries as opposed to BPA at a position of need. It's why we're still mediocre after all these years.

I understand those guys were somewhat stop-gap guys. Few of them were proven NFL starters and couldn't be counted on when the season began. My ire springs from the fact that this team was sold as being up and coming that season, in light of Marv returning. I think many fans underestimate the spin machine Buffalo has in the front office. Price got a 10M deal, Tripplett 18.5M, Royal 12.5M, Fowler 7M, Reyes 5M, while Davis, Nall, K. Thomas, A. Thomas, and Bowen probably got about 7M combined. Surely they weren't huge expenditures, but 53M later their not much further along. I would have thought by now they'd be replaced. Instead, we're short a TE, C, and another DT. I'll admit it's worthless quibbling over the past. It's not going to change anything either way. I just take issue with the way this team was rebuilt. That's not to say they have to be like ATL or MIA, but after three years I expect more than another 7-9 or 8-8 season. This is my final post on the Levy era. I'm done. Promise.

There can be no question that DJ is an outstanding human being. I've read that he was noted in HS for one particular moment where the basketbll team only carried a certain amount of players. DJ was the star and as you'd expect had a jersey. One kid didn't have one, and DJ made a point of providing his when the kid finally got a chance to play. I like that DJ doesn't throw his players under the bus. I've paid some attention to Brad "Chilly" Childress in Minnesota, who, after the NO game earlier in which Reggie Bush returned 2 punts for TDs, complained that his punter mistakenly punted to Bush. To me, that's a cop out, and representative of a coach who was desperate to keep his job. DJ would never do something like that. Even though he's a good man, it doesn't cover up that he's not a very good HC. Fortunately, the man upstairs doesn't take that into account when your time is up.

IMO, it's only a partial solution to involve Modrak more with personnel decisions. He obviously enjoys being Buffalo's chief scout, preferring to be away from OBD. I can't blame him for wanting to be away from the corporate environment and going on the road. But this talk of the inner-circle includes whom? Brandon, Wilson, and Jauron? If that's the case, no wonder they haven't done much right since 06. None of them are schooled in personnel like a pro or amateur scout is. When RW refers to more power for Modrak, I have to believe it's because he's taking personnel control away from another person. I don't know who that could be at this point. If DJ remains, I think his opinion will carry weight, but not as much as these past three years. Regardless, trusting RB to make de facto personnel choices is tantamout to having your lawyer pick stocks for you. I've never been a big fan of consensus. Sometimes, a leader has to do what they feel is right. And a good personnel man like Modrak who has been involved in scouting knows a good player from a bad one. I still think someone with football experience versed in building a winner should oversee Modrak and Guy.

Simpson isn't playing because he's not good enough. As Bill from NYC says, Simpson looks like he's running in sand. He's late in coverage and fails to diagnose things. Safeties who have no instincts don't play in this league. It's that simple.

The 06 class was horrible. Dibs, you're rewriting history with this logic that it was low cost, therefore it wasn't bad. Only 2 out of the 10 signed in 06 are with the club. They are Royal and Fowler. One guy starts and shouldn't while the other was benched. Price, A. Thomas, K. Thomas, Bowen, and Tripplett are out of the league entirely. Nall is a 3rd stringer (again) and Reyes was taken from his job at Bank of America to fill in when Jacksonville caught the injury bug. Andre Davis gets minimal PT in Houston. When you sign guys to 3, 4, or 5 year contracts, you hope they play them out. Fowler managed 2.5 seasons, and Royal 3 years out of their deals. Regardless, none of those 10 guys signed even helped this team just three seasons later. None of them, and we're back to finding replacements. Buffalo will be around the same record in 08, which tells me the rebuilding plan started in 06 hasn't worked. As for Whitner: some players make plays regardless of who is around them. DL don't have to worry about safeties playing behind them, but safeties depend on DL play. Even so, there are playmaking safeties, and guys who are just there. Whitner is closer to the latter category than former. When you have holes on the DL, drafting players in the secondary is pointless. And Ngata can function is a C2, because as I've said numerous times, he has the quickness to penetrate as a 3 with the strength of a 1 gap player. He didn't fit because the Bills were chasing small players who don't help them as much.

Schedules are released in April, IIRC. Not sure which teams of the AFCS and NFCS will be visiting Buffalo at this point. Regardless, this season's easy schedule will pale (most likely) in comparison to the 09 version.

Donahoe so wanted to continue his legacy in Buffalo that the Bills went with a HC familiar with a 4-3 as opposed to a 3-4. That is a huge change in defenses, in that 3-4 DL must be bigger at stopping the run. 4-3 DL aren't as big, but should be quicker. Additionally, Pittsburgh rarely makes big trades and UFA acquisition. Yet TD went out and traded for Bledsoe, signed TKO, LFB, and you could argue signing a RFA in Lindell. That directly contradicts what the Steelers do in building their team.

Shopping Peters is the equivalent of the Bills saying they don't want to deal with his salary demands. It further reinforces the small market franchise that can pay some of their own, but not too many. If Buffalo receives draft picks in a trade, it'll be another step on the stairmaster to mediocrity. I don't see how it builds the team, unless those picks are used well and all of them contribute their rookie season. Additionally, it will open another position needing an immediate replacement. You don't need a dominant LOT, but it sure helps the QB feel better about his blindside. Peters didn't play outstanding football all of the time, but his presence helps this team, whether it's at 3.25M or 8M. If he's dealt, I can't see how it helps the team make the playoffs in 2010.

I respectfully disagree. Those first two seasons he rebuilt the team, which was obvious considering they went 3-13 in 01. But beginning with the McGahee pick in 03, he began stocking this team in a haphazard way. He hit on some UFA's in Fletcher and Spikes, but coming off the 8-8 season in 02 he selected another RB (after taking Henry in the 2nd of 01) with a first rounder. To me, that was where things were spinning out of control. Going with Evans was a fine pick in 04, but there were bigger needs elsehwere. In 05, he used his top two picks on a small WR and TE. Again, there were more pressing needs elsewhere.

Their talent evaluators can't be excused either. I'll maintain TD didn't have a vision for what this team would become and I'm speaking about an identity here. Buffalo badly needs one guy that can take a vision and find the players to fit it. A GM has this vision, finds those players, and goes about getting a coach to make it happen. I know a lot of people on this board hate Parcells, but he has done this in textbook fashion for Miami. The cost was high, and the results are above and beyond what any reasonable NFL thought could happen, but it's paid off.

The Bills version of Modrak, Guy, Brandon, and DJ is not even in the same room as Belichick, Pioli, and whomever they have handle Pro Personnel and College Scouting. Not even close. Suggesting that their setups are similar is merely a generalized comparison which ignores the substance of both teams' front office arrangements. Modrak, and Guy have been around for 8 seasons. Their acquisitions haven't been anywhere near what the Patsies have done in that time frame. I'm sorry, but Buffalo's front office should not be rewarded for futility. Remove the TD years, and it's still be three full years of rebuilding. That's not cutting it in the 21st century NFL.

It's hard to evaluate Guy and Modrak, because we're not sure they're as involved in the decision making progress. They may be competent, but their role is to assist the GM and supply him with information regarding other pros or draft eligible players. They are not the decision making guys, which is why a GM is necessary to bring everyone together and get the team to success. I think people don't understand the a Pro Personnel Director and College Scouting Director assist in maintaining the GM's vision of the team. They should have input into which players are acquired, but it's on the GM to guide all the personnel decisions. Brandon has no experience whatsoever in that. None. There is no NFL franchise that exists with this front office set up. The titles may not be the same, but every team either has a decision maker or a bonafide team like NE does with Pioli and Belichick.

Yes, it's clear that this team is on the way up in the NFL. The off-season last year was supposed to put Buffalo into the playoffs. Instead, we're right back where we were after 06 and 07. Brandon is not on par with any decent GM in the league.

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.