BillsVet

There are some who refust to admit that from top to bottom, the organization is a shambles. Meddling owner, amateur GM, retread HC, etc. Those people generally don't know what success is (i.e. making the playoffs) and so mediocrity is the only thing they know. I've really started looking at the prospects for the 09 draft. Funny how this time of year that always happens.

Playoff teams don't lose 4 of 5. It just doesn't happen, and sadly I don't think this coaching staff has it in them to turn this thing around. I cannot believe that the Bills are sitting at 5-4 through nine games with the schedule they have. Worse yet, should they go less than 10-6 playing SEA, OAK, STL, MIA (2X), CLE, KC, and SF it will show me that in three seasons of DJ, they've rarely been able to beat good opponents. That's eerily similar to Chicago.

Badol, getting back to basics is exactly what's needed. But we both know that sometimes players need to have a fire lit under them and it's clearly not happening. Certain players need more motivation than others, and I'm looking at an entire OL which plays with little, if any heart. When they look to their HC (especially the younger ones) I can't believe that fires them up. If I'm a guy like Marshawn, and we're throwing the ball on 3rd and 1, I'm going to think the coach has no confidence in me or the OL. Same goes for the DB's when the defensive coaches have them playing off the WR in order to keep things in front of them. Basics are important, but I'm watching gameplans which are helter-skelter. Run three times, pass three times, blitz every down, then don't blitz at all. Being less predictable might help with getting better at the basics.

Being a Bills fan has meant being more interested in the off-season than the regular season these past 8-9 years. Unfortunately, much like the regular season, the offseason has been full of symbolism with no substance. At least that's what we find out when the team takes the field. I do not expect the front office to be perfect, but it's clear they might do the right thing half the time. Letting NC and LF go without having a replacement on the roster was negligent. When Ralph did the PR thing and hired Marv, it was the wrong move . When Marv hired an also-ran coach with a track record of mediocrity, the FO failed again. When the team needed a FA OL, they chose the wrong one(s). The HC assembled a coaching staff of never will be's and never could be's. We're painfully watching and hoping, although it's abundantly clear the FO is clearly out-done by most teams. And we continue to go without a real GM. We cannot compete with a limited budget and no great football minds in the front office, save perhaps Modrak. Arizona will make the playoffs this season, leaving the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions as the only teams in the NFL to not make the post-season for 9 or more years. And we didn't have Matt Millen help us.

Go to extremes, but freely admit that DJ picked many of the players that cannot allow him to go for it in short yardage. It would be one thing if everyone was a holdover from a previous regime, but I can't help but fault the HC for not having the right players. He has too much personnel control and now can't convert in short yardage situations. So much so that we've returned to the Gilbride style of just throwing to avoid getting stuffed in the backfield.

I'm going to take a guess that you're in your late teens/early twenties. You've read the argument that Levy wasn't good before Buffalo, and that DJ can't be cast off because Marv was so similar to him. And you adopted it for yourself. Unfortunately, you look around and think nothing of not making the playoffs for eight straight, possibly nine consecutive seasons. Your youth means knowing only true mediocrity: seeing losing teams and some squads that hovered around .500. What you fail to understand is that not all franchises are this inept. No GM, a HC with a career of winning less than 45% of his games, and on and on and on... Dick Jauron is what he's always been: a coach who makes his bones on beating bad teams and almost always losing the important games. Save us the ridiculous rants which completely ignore how bad the Bills really are. And yes, it's okay to fire the HC if he can't get it done in 3 years. We release players who can't cut it after a few years.

With DJ, you're damned if you do and, well, you know the rest. He tried the short yardage run and was stuffed against NYJ. Now, he's waiving the white flag and just punting. This football team has his stamp of approval all over it personnel wise. If he doesn't trust his players and the coaches he hand-selected, then it's time to change the HC. I'm glad you didn't devote those nearly three hours to watching a HC without a clue. On that item, you're a smarter man than I.

Ralph cashed in this past offseason and the team is sold out during the regular season. As soon as fans aren't renewing season tickets and paying for other things, he might make a move. He's golden this season, and fooled many of us into thinking that hiring the former business director to be a quasi-GM would be a good move. He personally negotiated DJ's new contract, and we're supposed to think there's big change coming after they fail to make the post-season for the ninth straight season?

You're talking about a team in New England that was missing their MVP QB, multiple RB's, and going with Deltha O'Neal in the secondary. And you have the guts to come here and blame injuries for these last four losses?

Jauron's choices for coordinators both here and in Chicago have been awful. Fewell is the latest in a long line and Schonert isn't far behind. Don't worry, DJ is signed for three more seasons after 08. And we know Ralph doesn't fire HC's with time remaining on their deals.

Chicago Bears 1999-2003 redux

Welcome to the board. This will be a litmus test for the remainder of the season. Beating BB in Foxboro would tell me a lot about the resolve of this team to overcome injuries. I'm not big on Jauron's ability to win big games. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

You of all people are making the statement that a draft pick officially stinks because he doesn't see the field? If you were in Baltimore around 2000 I'm sure you'd have jumped on the Priest Holmes stinks bandwagon as well. I love how the 2006 draft class was never allowed to be called anything but good, while now we're on the jumping to conclusions mat for reasons why certain 08 picks stink. For the record, has it ever occurred to you that maybe DJ is playing it safe by not allowing rooks to see the field in situations that may in any way shape or form hurt the team? Couldn't it be that there was a mandate to make the playoffs and with a historically conservative coach like DJ that means not taking risks? With all the injuries and ineffectiveness of some players, it's more of the HC than the player. Jauron has shied from playing any pick, including McK, Hardy, Corner, Omon, Steve Johnson, and Demetrius Bell. Not seeing Ellis isn't the exception, it's a trend for all rookies. Remember, this is the HC who wouldn't play Fred Jackson over Anthony Thomas last season.

1. It is hard to remember, but part of this is due to the Bills having not made the playoffs in so long. Much of the animosity naturally goes toward the QB and HC when things aren't going well. But I like Trent's long term future and he is the future signal caller for the Bills. 2. Dockery's play leaves much to be desired. I'm not sure if it's a lack of mobility or just that the Bills employ a certain scheme, maybe even the predictability of running left behind he and Peters. But he's not playing anywhere near his pay. 3. Until the defense can play an all-around game against the pass and rush, it won't matter. Two years ago everyone talked about how great the pass defense was. Of course it was, primarily because teams didn't have to throw. Opponents averaged 140 rypg. The opposite is true this season. 4. Greer is a UFA after this season, with Reed being up after 2009. They should both be retained given their level of play. 5. Ellison is not, never was, and never will be a starting LB in the NFL. The front office made that known when they pursued Mitchell. His disappearances during games is the only thing noteworthy about him. I expect to see a legit SLB in the lineup next season, and we know it won't be Crowell. A loss today will make it extremely hard to make the playoffs. If that's the case, several coaches, particularly defensive, need to go. No legit playoff contender goes 1-4 in the middle of the season.

This is the same strategy that got us into trouble in the first place. Building the secondary before the front seven. Buffalo cannot keep McGee and Youboty (signed through 09) along with Greer (UFA this season) and after having drafted McKelvin. Youboty will not be re-signed, primarily because he can't stay healthy. It's not a dig on him, but when you're handing out contracts health is an issue. At that point, Buffalo must decide on retaining either McGee or Greer. They won't be retaining both after allocating so many resources to the CB position in 08.

Buffalo was in full-on rebuild mode during the 2001 season, finishing with a 3-13 record. I continue to believe that the Bills coaching staff knows this is a season they must succeed. Playing rookies may put that into jeopardy. It cannot be said how conservative DJ has gone when confronted with injuries. He played A. Thomas last season with Jackson lingering on the bench. They went with guys like Peerless Price when it was clear he couldn't play at a decent level. In his pursuit to mitigate risk, DJ will sink himself by not taking a calculated risk along the way.

The board has already begun the premature talk that the 08 draft class isn't good. While it's necessary to judge them at some point, I find it interesting that other teams are using their young players. From PFT: "Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the Cardinals’ first-round draft pick out of Tennessee State, is expected to become a permanent fixture in the starting lineup as the team’s No. 2 cornerback. Rodgers-Cromartie has started three games this season when the Cardinals used their nickel package to start the game, but now Rodgers-Cromartie will be a fixture in the base defense." DRC to start in Arizona This is not a post to point out that McKelvin was picked higher than DRC, but it should demonstrate that it's not completely out of the question for coaches to play rookies. The NFL is no longer a league in which high picks can sit on the bench to learn so they can hopefully be ready to go when it's convenient. Only exception there may be QB, although Flacco and Ryan have played well so far. JMO.

It's ridiculous to make the argument that youth universally equates to a lack of success. Looking around the league, a bunch of teams are young, yet have won games. Through half a season, Atlanta has been solid, despite a rookie HC, rookie QB, revamped OL, and the departure of veteran players. In 2007, five of the eight youngest NFL teams made the playoffs. NFL average team age 2008 It can be said the Bills were rebuilding for 06 and 07. This season was supposed to be different, and youth alone cannot be cited as a reason for going 1-3 in the past four games. This is not to say the season is over, not by a long shot. But until the coaches start out-game planning their opposition, you could have the most veteran roster out there and it won't matter. At the heart of the Buffalo Bills, stretching back to 2002 and perhaps before, was a lack of good coaching.

You have to wonder what DJ's thinking with these gameplans. Eventually vanilla becomes predictable (after about the 1st game of the season) It's no wonder that they skated by against those first four opponents, but eventually better HC's found those fatal flaws Buffalo has. These include, no pass rush, weak interior OL, soft zone pass coverage, etc. Sisyphean, you and I both know this is what got DJ fired in Chicago, and as Yogi Berra once said, "it's deja vu all over again."

It's well documented that Ashton Youboty's rookie season was a wash after he lost his mother during training camp. Last year he was relegated to the bench and it was hotly debated that he'd becoming a bust. He certainly turned things around in camp this year and became the nickel corner. Unfortunately, Youboty's missed three games and may not play again this week. It appears Corner or McKelvin will get the nod should AY not be able to go. By my count, this is 8 games over 2 seasons Youboty's missed. I'm continually amazed that some players aren't durable, while others always seem to be out there. This is not a statement on keeping Nate Clements, but NC has played in 120 straight games.

It's extemely early, but Alex Mack is one of the best center prospects in years, and probably is as good as Mangold was two years ago. The success rate with centers and guards in the first round excellent. Here are some of the names drafted in the top 35 who played interior C: Mangold, Chris Spencer, Jeff Faine, and Damien Woody. Tony Ugoh was drafted a guard, along with Ben Grubbs, Davin Joseph, Deuce Luttui, Logan Mankins, Vernon Carey, Chris Snee, Eric Steinbach, Andre Gurode, Steve Hutchinson, and Alan Faneca. It's not a stretch to take a solid prospect if you need it. Of course that'll depend on a whole lot between now and April 25th.

Spagnuolo took an underachieving defense from the first two weeks of last season (which allowed 80 points) and by the end of the season transformed it into the best defense in the NFL. He adapted to what other teams did, which is in stark contrast to Jauron and Fewell's strategy of out-executing opponents. It didn't hurt that Ernie Accorsi and Jerry Reese set the HC, OC, and DC up for success by drafting a stellar class, combined with good drafts in previous years. This is a franchise that's drafted Umenyiora, Tuck, Kiwanuka, and Jay Alford on the DL the past few seasons, despite having Strahan. I'd like someone to explain how the Giants defense is successful without burning top picks on DB's every season. They had the flexibility to take Kenny Phillips this year because their OL and DL are solid. Buffalo just throws money at the lines and still takes WRs and DB's. No wonder why teams like the Giants are solid and we flounder, although it helps to have good coaching.

Travis Beckum broke his fibula last month. Great hands, more of a hybrid H-Back. Pettigrew and Gresham are the best TE candidates 5 months out. At this point, I'd like to see what Fine can do. He has better size than Schouman, better hands than Royal, and not going TE early opens up more space for DL and OL.

The world of coaching is a subtle one. Decisions made on the sidelines and in preparation of the game are paramount. You the fan see a fumble, interception, and of course touchdowns. But how did those things happen? Was it right to call multiple QB sneaks in the Miami game? No. Was it right to throw three passes out of the EZ in Miami? No. But you don't hesitate to blame the player. Unfortunately, DJ is outcoached more often than any of us could realize. Versus NY, it really irritated me that Abram Elam knew what was coming on the INT for a TD. He even said so after the game. More interesting, just 10 days ago Tony Sparano, first year HC in Miami plain out-coached DJ despite a roster which isn't that great. If you want to see how to coach without having big talent, check out guys like Sparano. Miami's 4-4 with nothing in the secondary, nothing at WR, and Chad Pennington QB'ing them. DJ is a smart man, but he lacks game savvy. He struggles to make hard decisions, and as others before me have mentioned, he is slow to recognize things. Case in point last season was the Dallas game, which was an absolute travesty. You may forget those things, but I refuse to. His biggest flaw has and always will be a innate ability to select bad coordinators. Gary Crowton, John Shoop, Steve Fairchild, and now Perry Fewell. Oh, and his propensity to select DB's early and often.

Have you bothered watching the last few games? I'm asking in all seriousness, because frankly, it's a combination of coaching and personnel. 1-3 in the last four, two against division rivals, with one of those at home? Come now. You can't say it's not the HC's fault. Because for the past three drafts and free agency periods when we've had options about who to get, it's been Dick Jauron leading the way. It's not out of the question to suspect this, because he had personnel control for a few seasons in Chicago. Is there anyone who thought that DJ didn't have major say on draft day when we have a DB shopping spree? Either way, you cannot absolve DJ from this mess, whether it's just players or coaching. Something's got to give, and someone needs to take responsibility for an OL which hasn't successfully run blocked since DJ got here. We're seeing the penalty for throwing money at the OL in hopes of repairing it instead of drafting young talent. And we're seeing that devoting 7 picks in three drafts toward a secondary takes as much away from other areas of the team. The Bills aren't cursed. They just haven't had a front office man who knows what he's doing since Butler. Not coincidentally, that's the last time we made the playoffs.