BillsVet

I'm not arguing for a GM with absolute personnel control. And I know Levy was part of the draft process during the Polian era. But in 2006, Levy had been out of the league for more than 9 years when he was hired for a job he'd never held in the rough and tumble NFL. That's not a criticism of Marv, but how many 80+ year old GM's are working in the NFL? I believe Levy is a good enough man to know he was behind the curve personnel-wise, and had all of a few months to get up to speed on the draft. Levy is a good enough delegator of tasks to have handed DJ control. Would Levy have advocated drafting all defense, most of whom were DB's and only 3 late OL? I know Levy wouldn't allow that if there wasn't some good reason. If he learned anything from Polian, he knew how important the OL was.

Polian was fired because he didn't get along with Jeffrey Littman, Chief Financial Officer for Ralph's companies. Apparently, you can find GM's all over the place, yet CFO's are rare. Front office wise, everything is done with business in mind. Don't get me wrong, the NFL is a business imitating a sport, but Ralph takes it to new levels. Making the former business/marketing guy the COO/quasi-GM, letting Polian go for the aforementioned reason, and spending 20-25M less in dollars are the reasons this team is in a huge quagmire. And unless the owner makes real moves and stops making moves based only on money, we'll be where we are every season.

Thank goodness Ralph had Polian here as GM through 92. To think RW wanted to take Flutie is unbelievable and I thank my lucky stars Polian knew to take Bruce Smith. You have to wonder what's going through Ralph's mind. He's 90, and I understand he wants to keep small markets alive with revenue sharing and other items which the big boys like to exploit. OTOH, I can't understand why he wouldn't want to have a winner before he passes. Bill, you and I know Levy gave DJ the freedom to handle personnel, with research from Guy and Modrak. Levy must have convinced RW that DJ was the real deal, and could be trusted. We know that to be wrong, but if DJ stays (and he shouldn't) perhaps they bring in a GM a la 2001 in Chicago when the McCaskey's realized they needed someone overseeing the front office. RW has gone with the quick fix far too many times in attracting a fan base. Nothing, however, trumps having a winning team. You can have 53 nobodies that can't make pro bowls and go 11-5 and people will come.

I'm not so sure that's the case. On the surface, perhaps. But if this team keeps losing in the style it has over the past two years, even Ralphie has to make the business move and keep the fan base interested. I'd wager that there hasn't been a lower morale among Bills nation since probably 2004 when they lost to Pittsburgh and missed the playoffs.

For once I agree with you VOR. If Alex Mack is available, I wouldn't waste much time getting his name on a card and up to the podium. The question is, if Buffalo drafts between 12-16 again, do you use that pick on a center or look to trade down and risk losing him. Jonathan Luigs is there, but Mack appears to be a blue chip talent. Centers do not normally bust, as evidenced by recent picks at the position: Chris Spencer, Nick Mangold, Jeff Faine, and Damien Woody. Andre Gurode has also excelled. Buffalo's weakness on the OL and DL is a product of drafting smaller players far too often.

One positive that from last night is more Bills fans are beginning to realize how weak Buffalo is at DE. Schobel and Denney are both over 30, and Kelsay is useless. It's amazing that DJ invested a third rounder on a guy who isn't even good enough to dress. That alone is an indictment of how poor the personnel department has been. If Buffalo drafts in the middle of the first it won't be impossible, but finding quality pass rushers there may be difficult. I have a feeling they'll be going defense in the first, despite a middle of the OL which is pathetic.

Back in January when Schonert was hired, I wasn't optimistic. Mainly, because he'd been in the league for so long and hadn't been anything more than a QB coach. At the time, DJ's lack of job security probably meant he couldn't attract the best candidates. As bad as Fairchild was, I don't see Schonert as the improvement many on this board heralded him as. Trent deserves blame for throwing three picks last night, but where was the offensive creativity? Moreover, there is a trend which isn't being brought to light. All Jauron teams, especially after Crowton left in 2000, are horrible offensively. He's had three different coordinators since 2001, and none of them have been able to get his offense into gear. It's becoming a HC-OC thing rather than just players and OC.

Make no mistake, the Bills don't have to hire Bill Cowher. I think Mike Tomlin is an excellent HC and continued the winning tradition the Steelers have. Ralph's insistence on turning over responsibility to people like Brandon is head-scratching. I made the statement last night that unless things change next season, i.e. the coaches and in the front office, I won't attend another Bills game. I can watch at home and be disappointed.

It's the greatest injustice within this franchise that DJ has as much personnel control as he does. Levy's hiring almost necessitated him ceding personnel control over to the HC. While I don't have an issue with the HC having input into the draft and FA, just abdicating most of it to a guy like DJ is suicidal. In a division which features the Patriots and their front office, a Jets team who has spent a lot and is so-far reaping rewards, along with a Miami team which hired Bill Parcells, you have to wonder how serious the Bills are about winning. The Bills must hire a GM and put Brandon back to being the marketing/business guru. The final step of course depends on Ralph putting his ego aside, although that may happen somewhat when season ticket holders decided against renewing. I've always had the feeling RW won't change unless he starts seeing the dollars go away.

Two years later "Da Bearsss" were in the Super Bowl. I can't get over how people won't research DJ's first go-round in the NFL. Those five seasons are a huge indication of who he is, and he's not changing one iota. In many ways, DJ took over a rebuilding team, got them somewhat respectable, and then had an amazing season in which every bounce went the Bears' way. For the first 2 seasons and 4 games, that was the case. Now we're seeing it was a fluke, and talent wise we're still drafting little people in favor of picking talented big men on the OL and DL.

Hopefully the comparisons continue and the HC is fired, along with his staff minus April. I don't think it's a knee-jerk reaction to demand some change be made. Similar to Gregg Williams, DJ has had 3 seasons to rebuild this team and get them to the playoffs. They had two seasons to get things right, and now in Year 3, we're not seeing improvement.

And Chris Ellis still isn't on the field. Not once did I see Kelsay do anything. Being at the game, it's amazing how a player on the DL can do nothing. Before the kick return, McKelvin was out there waving his arms up and down to get the crowd going. This happened after the Browns RB ran for a long score. I remember yelling "do something" and moments later I watched from the tunnel side EZ as he galloped to the TD. Needless to say, he did something. I was impressed with him. There are those calling for Trent's head, and after that first quarter, I wasn't happy. One thing I expect a coach to do is motivate the troops, like a leader must do when things get bad. We've been told that Jauron works well when he's teaching young players. Apparently, that doesn't extend to the field. His handling of a young QB (and Turk deserves blame too) is completely negligent. I cannot believe how little confidence they had in him. My friend I go to the games with told me after the 3rd and 1 when they went shotgun, that the OL went over to DJ and really gave him a hard time, presumably about the call to pass. Players don't do that unless things are ridiculous. My fear/hope is that some players start getting irate with this gameplanning and voice their displeasure. I know they don't have all the horses, but it's clear the coaches aren't putting the players in a position to perform. Yes, the players deserve some blame, but ultimately we're witnessing what occurred in Chicago between 99-03.

That's one way to put it. Unfortunately, DJ's influence extends far from the field of play in this organization. He has definitely had a great deal of input on which players this team acquires. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the 06 draft featured all defense, minus three late OL. Overall, Buffalo selected 7 DB's out of 26 picks. If you think it's only his coaching that is suspect, you're selling yourself short.

I would prefer Alex Mack at this point, although Jonathan Luigs will be another decent option. It's 5 and a half months away, but it would be criminal not to draft linemen with their first two picks. Both lines need an infusion of talent.

I think it's ironic that both Tennessee and the Giants are very physical football teams that excel at running the football. The Titans have LenDale White (and Chris Johnson) while the Giants can throw Brandon Jacobs (along with Ahmad Bradshaw) against opposing defenses. Both teams have big OLineman and DLineman that control the line of scrimmage. And both have efficient if not very good QB's. When the Bills do this, they'll be successful. Until then, it's going to be a struggle.

Ernie Accorsi and Jerry Reese. The former and current GM for the Giants.

900 posts in 2.5 months and you still haven't said a thing.

It should strike everyone as strange that Ralph decided against hiring a GM when Marv retired. Sure, the argument was all about keeping the front office intact, but the results are clearly evident. Maintaining continuity in front office personnel is superceded by having a winning team. Clearly the execs aren't good enough, and now it's time for a change.

Forget about reasoning with the unreasonable. A culture dedicated to blindly accepting mediocrity has developed among some Bills fans. There is nothing you can say which will convince them that Buffalo is an exception and eight years of no playoffs is outrageous. I'm not sure what's worse: having a team like Buffalo that teases you every year or being a Detroit fan where you know the team isn't going to do anything. But if your a fan that demands some accountability, go on being who you are. There are still a few who think Buffalo has serious issues.

Dallas hasn't won a playoff game since 1996. Jones' moves (trading a 1st, 3rd, and 6th for Roy Williams) still make many NFL experts scratch their heads, and this season it's 5-4 for an team with too many stars and not enough wins. Hurney? Carolina's been up and down the past few years. So much so that John Fox's job was in question until recently. THe last two years have produced 7-9 and 8-8 records. The year before was a playoff team, but they're not a perennial contender. I will say Hurney's had the foresight to draft OL and DL early and often. How come business man Hurney does this, while our franchise can't? And the Vikings. Zygi Wilf has really done a marvelous job shelling out big dollars in the past couple years. Whomever is responsible for hiring Brad Childress might be out the door with BC if the Vikes don't make the post-season this year. All in all, none of those teams have had long term success. BB is not the GM. As a matter of fact, NE has no de facto GM. BB and Scott Pioli (Veep of Personnel) share the duties, and have been the exception to the rule of having a GM. Both know talent when they see it, and have complemented each other well for many years. As for the comparison to Buffalo, we feature the three headed monster of Guy, Modrak, and Brandon. The former two have been handling personnel in Buffalo since at least 2001, and should share some blame for a franchise which is 8 year w/o a playoff appearance.

I think the only way Ralph makes a change is for enough fans to vote with their feet and not renew season tickets. It's not the best solution to the problem of not having made the playoffs since 1999, but at this point there's a clear line between the haves and have-nots in the NFL. To me, it's essential to have a GM in this league. Right now, the Bills are behind the curve with their triumvirate of Brandon, Modrak, and Guy. If, and it's a huge if, this team doesn't make the playoffs, it should signal that Buffalo needs a true talent evaluator.

Where did I mention HC's. This thread isn't about who walks the sideline. It's about executives who handle the personnel side. Better teams ensure they have shrewd evaluators of talent. The teams which consistently flounder do not. Coaching is an element of the game which is not being discussed here. Ah, WRaimus thanks for your input. Nowhere, as I previously mentioned, is the coaching element mentioned.

Definitely. For all the flak they took, Fletcher, Clements, Milloy, and McGahee are all playing at a relatively high level for teams primed for the playoffs. Yet they were dumped over time by the Bills. For all the money Buffalo saved in salary on them, additional resources were spent replacing them. At the end of the day, that's the reason were on a treadmill. Replacing those guys has resulted in a trade into the second for Posluszny, arguably Youboty and then McKelvin and Corner for Clements. Milloy's departure paved the way for Whitner and perhaps Simpson while it was all but necessary to take Lynch when McGahee was traded. That's a boatload of picks to save money.

Maybe it's also because they have Ozzie Newsome as a GM. His draft record since 1996 is on par with almost any franchise in the NFL. In the last four drafts they've taken G Ben Grubbs, OT Jared Gaither, G/C Chris Chester, DT Haloti Ngata, and OT Adam Terry. That's five starters in four drafts on the lines, something perhaps whomever Buffalo's GM should study closely.

He had Scott Pioli, NE's VP of Personnel who has spent the last 16 years in personnel. 3 SB titles later, I think the tandem of BB and SP have demonstrated they "get it."