finn

My view of the decision to start and stick with Orton in that game doesn't change in hindsight, but I did (and do) think it was a selfish decision. You could say that winning is the bottom line, and I think there's something to that, but there's also the long-term future of the team to consider, and the decision makers could have used more information on E.J. My perception is that both Marrone and Whaley have been looking out for themselves first all along. Mostly that priority has lined up with the team's interest, but the Watkins trade and playing Orton in the last game was an exception. A thought experiment: Imagine a front office and coach who were looking out for the long term. You think foundations, not quick hits and bandaids. You think keeping your best players, not signing for marketing value. You trade picks one year for higher picks the following year so you can land that elusive QB. In short, your name is not Whaley or Marrone. If I'm Polian/Pegula, I extend Whaley's contract so he isn't so jumpy and scared, and I find a low-risk coach so he (or she) isn't looking over his shoulder, either. (By the way, I favor promoting Schwartz.)

Urbick was benched for Richardson, an inferior player. Hairston, a decent tackle, was kept on the bench while Henderson struggled badly. Last year the coaches delayed replacing what may have been the worst guard in the league for half the season. Spiller, an extraordinary player under Chan, was mediocre under Hackett and Marrone, who also arguably did not use Watkins effectively, either (especially when I see how the Giants use Odell). My point is that there's good reason to suppose these coaches do not know how to work with players, so maybe Cujo--and EJ for that matter--might be better than is generally supposed.

Me, too. God help us.

The first thing I thought of was how badly it worked out bringing back Levy as GM, although to be fair his glory was as a coach. But I wonder if this is a way to give the Pegulas for changes they want to make (e.g., Brandon and Hackett). You can be a bit more surgical this way as opposed to cleaning house. Or mixing metaphors.

Here's a tough question: If you had known that it would be 15 years (and maybe much, much more, alas) with no joy in January, would you have stuck with the Bills?

I don't follow the Sabres (I have only so much resiliency). Can you tell me what you mean about Ruff and Darcy? I know that Ruff was their coach for a long time (I remember watching him play, too, along with Luce). Is Darcy the idiot GM my brother raved about who traded away two terrific players then got a contract extension or something?

Gas was $1.22 a gallon. The Matrix was a big hit. Bill Clinton was president. On the Bills roster: Kamil Loud, Jerry Ostroksi, John Fina, Gabe Northern, Thurman Thomas... That was a long time ago, folks.

Gives you a sense of how long it's been since we've been in the playoffs. I was in grad school, fifteen pounds lighter and with all of my hair. My three year old is 18 now. I never got him interested in the Bills, mostly because they have been awful all his life.

Here's an appalling thought: Maybe Whaley made the Watkins move in order to show he is independent of the Pittsburgh system, sorta like George W. Bush invading Iraq to prove his masculinity. He's protected for now because it's hard to accurately judge a draft so soon. But as early as next April, the sheer recklessness of his gamble may dawn on most fans. It won't be the abstract "next year's first-round pick" that he gave up; it'll be a dream guard, an exciting QB prospect or a fantastic right tackle. And we'll say to each other, "Ok, we gave up this guy AND this other pick who dropped to the fourth round for Watkins, when Odell--Odell!--was there for the taking?"

Our own Preston Brown surprised me. He's playing like a first rounder.

But this is exactly why at least one and maybe both of them blew it. They brought in a scheme without regard to who was playing QB. A no-huddle offense with Manuel and this OL? It was absurd, as the results showed. To be fair, they adjusted, but at best they are doing a mediocre job, not a good one. In other words, they are not actively contributing to losses (not consistently anyway), but neither are they contributing much to success. They're just doing a more or less competent job at this point. Which I suppose is saying something, given Jauron and the other nightmares we've had. Let's not kid ourselves: we're doomed until we bring back Wade Phillips and beg his forgiveness.

Straw man arguments. While you're at it, why not write, "Is he God? Is he immortal? Does he ride in chariots of fire?" "RT was the most glaring need, according to most"? Most what? Most Jaguars fans? Doug Legursky and Colin Brown were the two worst guards in the LEAGUE last year. Their inept play was one of the biggest stories of last year's season. What does Whaley do? He signs a bust and a fifth round afterthought to fill the hole. But you think it's "preposterous" for me to not trust him this time around. You do know what the word means, right? Here's what I think: I think neither Whaley and Marrone value the guard position highly. They seem to think any 300 pound warm body can handle the Suhs, Atkins and Watts of the league. They made the mistake twice now, even in the face of evidence that it was badly stalling their offense. What makes you think they won't do it a third time, especially since they have to spend money elsewhere. Why not go cheap again, slide Kujo over maybe, give Richardson another chance, save some bucks. That's not preposterous; that's their track record.

"I have confidence this front office will address the OL issue. They have for the past two years. Some moves have turned out to be more successful than others, of course, But nobody can credibly claim the Bills have ignored the OL." That's like saying at least the murderer didn't kill the WHOLE family. Give Whaley credit for other moves, but he earns an F for the offensive line, at least for guard, where it counted the most after last year's debacle. To fill a glaring hole he signs a known mediocrity (for a big salary) and drafts an afterthought in the fifth, who played like a bust. The predictable result: another year with the guard position pulling the team down. And you have confidence he will do better this year because he didn't utterly ignore the OL?

Can you imagine if they had signed Marino and Kelly? It would've been Montana and Young.

Malpractice. Especially considering the absolute debacle at guard the previous year. Whaley brings in some other team's bust and a fourth rounder as an afterthought. I posted some time ago that the collective wisdom of this board--collective, mind you--could do a better job than Whaley. Now I'm thinking any idiot with a fan magazine could do better.

Chris Williams, Keith Rivers, E.J. Manuel... all busts. What do they have in common? Size, pedigree, athleticism. Because that trumps performance according to the Bills front office. (I won't say anything about Russell Wilson, I won't I won't!)

If the Bills had won one more game, they'd be in the playoff hunt for real, and that would be sooo nice. If they had lost one more game they'd have a losing record and losses against the Packers and Patriots would have led to at least the possibility of a new coach and offensive coordinator. As it is, it's the worst case scenario: neither the playoffs nor a replacement for a coach hired because no one else would take a job with new ownership pending. So we're stuck with Marrone and (Can't) Hackett at least another year. I don't favor constant coaching overhauls, but Marrone contributes nothing to winning, and Hackett has actually impeded the Bills' chances. My best scenario for coaching at this point: promote Schwartz to maintain continuity and bring in a big-gun offensive coordinator. But that seems like a pipe dream. Why are we Bills fans again?

And Urbick was benched half the year. That was criminal.

You're not the only one, nor are you only one who is despised.

I had the same thought, but consider that they really did play well against Brady this year, only Schwartz inexplicably rushed three lineman and had Duke Williams cover Gronkowski, which borders on criminal negligence on his part. If they pressured girly Brady like they have Vick and others, they would have shut him down, or so I thought. The other thing is, they did play him well otherwise, but once again the Bills offense was lame as could be. Consider this defense with the Bears '85 or Ravens 2012 offense and you'll see my point. They would be number one in every category.

This defense, with this coordinator and this personnel, may be the best the Bills have ever had, maybe one of the best the NFL has seen in recent years. This view might be a consensus if they didn't have one of the worst offenses the Bills have ever fielded. With a competent offense (and coordinator) doing its part--making third downs, scoring in the red zone, giving the defense a rest and a lead so they could really be aggressive--these Bills would be ranked with the '85 Bears. The line, the linebackers, the safeties are all excellent, and the corners are above average. Am I wrong?

Do you mean patience for a project QB? Fans were patient with Kelly (who did have two years in the AFL), and i think they would have been patient with Dalton and Tannehill, both of whom have showed a lot more than Manuel. I have a pretty high opinion of Bills fans as a whole; they are pretty knowledgeable. For example, they know the value of a good offensive line, obviously far more than the current management. I'm not sure agree that fans would have reacted badly by keeping Fitz, if only because cutting him meant eating his huge salary for two years. I think cutting him only made Nix and Whaley's original mistake (signing him to a mega-contract) worse, as others have pointed out. Why pay Orton AND Fitz? No, I disagree with PTR. Even excusing him from the Fitz fiasco, I think Whaley has fumbled the QB situation here. And now he has fewer options than ever, with no first-round pick.

"Know for sure" is a pretty high standard for any pick, let alone a quarterback. I just think--guess, believe, based on his overall performance so far--Bortles will be good. My beef with Whaley is that he panicked and picked Manuel, a project at best, a bust at worst, with a first-round pick that could have used for a player (guard, anyone?) or used in a deal for a very high pick the following year (Bortles). You can defend him by saying his job was on the line, but that's hardly a defense. He did not need to choose a qb in that weak class. He should have bided his time.

Define "available." Whaley gave up the farm for a wide receiver. He could have done the same for Bortles, who I think will be terrific.

Or how about--gasp--a play-action pass? Even one would shock everyone, including our own players.