The Plan

[tennesseeboy]

You will, IMO, set yourself up for disappointment. I can't see setting the bar at an above .500 mark when we are in serious transition. That's not pessimistic so much as realistic. I am on board with the new boss but think the process will be slow at first.

 

To me, how many wins next year isn't important so much as implentation. Let's find out who belongs where on the field, particularly defensively since this is clearly the new regime's primary focus this offseason. Another draft focused on the offensive side and implementing CG's scheme would seem to be the next step.

 

3rd year we put it together and put the pedal down. That's how I see it, anyway. I'm cool with this, if true.

I'll love the bills if they only win one game. However I'm a firmer believer in setting aspirational goals. Even in transition I would expect a new gm and coach to improve on the record of the team (so that would be a minimum of 7 wins) but in a three year plan I'd want a winning season off the bat. Last year was a mess...to put it mildly. Too many injuries, transition in the coaching ranks from beginning to end, and the firing of the coach. I expect this group to provide stability, get the new personnel into shape and get nine wins.

 

The poet Browning said..."a man's reach should exceed his grasp..or what's a heaven for?"

[bonzaibills]

Defense wins championships.

 

Remind me who played in the Super Bowl last year would you? This cliche has long been out of style.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

And add to the mix going with the no-huddle approach wit ha relatively new QB. The Bills overall are a young team. Unless you think the people they've picked the past couple of drafts are all busts, you have to assume they will get better based purely on getting more experience.

 

The difference between the 2009 Bills and a playoff team isn't that great. A little improvement can be the difference. Not saying they could win the Super Bowl, but 8-8 with some improvement isn't that far away. I think our strengths are running backs, secondary and special teams. Weakness, QB, WR, and O-line. However even the O-line I think the interior is solid, assuming Woods is back and it may take to mid season or so until he's back to where he was. The O-line is one player away from being good, and I'm not certain that one player isn't on the roster right now. The other unknown area is their front 7 just due to all the changes being made.

 

Scrapping the OC just before the season opener with 3 new OL, including 2 rooks, was as detrimental as the injuries that followed.

 

Hang, Levitre & Wood all return with experience and a likely chip on their shoulder. Green & Bell have experience and the Regime selected new linemen in their mold. No one can predict crippling injuries and no one could have foreseen Buffalo's affliction with them. That's been addressed as well.

[Mickey]

I would have to agree with you sir. And I'll add to the points you made.

 

1. Not to make excuses but playing for Dick Jauron, not to mention two first first time OCs is not an ideal situation. The OL hasn't done a good job of keeping Trent vertical. He's taken some hard shots back there. Gailey is supposed to be the best offensive mind we've had around here in a long time and he has a reputation for getting solid production from his QBs. This bodes well for us. This year's QB class was quite weak and this was proven by how few QBs were drafted and what rounds they went in.

 

2. A run first time is always a good idea. You run to set up the pass. You run to keep defenses honest. You run to grind and wear down defenses. You run to eat clock. You run to get 1st downs. You run in goal line situations. You run to rest your defense and keep them fresh. If this line can run block effectively, we will pound teams all year long. We have a scary three headed monster in that backfield and they all bring something to the table.

 

3. You could tell Buffalo was fully committed to strengthening the front seven, especially the DL. You only have so many draft picks and can address only so many needs. I credit Nix for knowing how important it is to have quality players in the trenches. He identified the D line as a weakness and the secondary as a strength. The reason why we had a poor run defense was because of a poor D line. Not to mention we're transitioning to a new defensive scheme. We go bigger and stronger on the D line and I love it.

 

So while QB and LT went unaddressed, it was fairly obvious to see that while certainly a deep draft class, it was rather weak at QB and LT. And if these two positions are still needs next year, you can rest assured they will be addressed early on.

 

This is only the start of a rebuilding effort. Year one of a new regime and it's off to a good start IMO. We have the makings of a team that can run and stop the run. That's a recipe for success. There's still much work to be done and pieces to be added, but one thing at a time and we're moving in the right direction. We're getting better, not worse.

 

Gaining a half a yard on first down will not keep the defense honest. I don't care who you have up front or in the backfield, if you don't have a credible threat in the air, you are in trouble. That is really the exact kind of offense Jauron was trying to make work here. Run, run, sack/inc/check down, punt.

 

I don't think Gailey has any intention of running a conservative offense. Thank God. I agree with you that he has a good offensive mind. You don't need a particularly brilliant offensive mind to call trap plays all day. Now running a spread, or one they umpteen variations of the spread, now that takes a creative mind.

[Mickey]

If we can stop the run and run the ball, we only need a game manager.....What is wrong with this philosophy.....Finally, we will have a team that believes in its identity and stop the crap about a no-huddle offense when you did not have the personnel or philosophy to run......What bother me was that with the defense we had, we actually were in no position to run a no-huddle and yet we ran it and tired the heck out of our DL.

 

There is nothing wrong with it, ask Dick Jauron, its what he spent the last 5 years trying to do.

 

Sorry, but that kind of thinking is done, I hope, here in Buffalo.

[tennesseeboy]

Linemen in the spread are often smaller and more agile so they can block effectively on screens, zones, options, and protect against aggressively blitzing defenses such as the 3-3-5 stack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offensive_phi...all)#The_Spread

 

yeah...that's gonna happen with our offensive line. NOT.

[bills_fan]

With our OL we ain't smashing nobody right now.

 

 

I'd go to war with Wood and Levitre anytime. Green looks to be a good blocker if he can keep his head in the game and cut down on the penalties. I really don't know how Hangartner grades out and I am willing to give him a chance seeing as how he played next to rookies last year. Our big question is LT...is Bell up for the job? Can (or do we want to) swing a trade for Gaither? Our OL is not that far away.

 

If Hangartner does not work out, look for Wood at C next year and we draft the best available G.

[lets_go_bills]

Gaining a half a yard on first down will not keep the defense honest. I don't care who you have up front or in the backfield, if you don't have a credible threat in the air, you are in trouble. That is really the exact kind of offense Jauron was trying to make work here. Run, run, sack/inc/check down, punt.

 

I don't think Gailey has any intention of running a conservative offense. Thank God. I agree with you that he has a good offensive mind. You don't need a particularly brilliant offensive mind to call trap plays all day. Now running a spread, or one they umpteen variations of the spread, now that takes a creative mind.

 

I'm not talking about having a conservative offensive game plan. But Gailey said this was going to be a run first offense. Right now, this team's strength on offense is the run game. Run blocking is easier then pass blocking and it's a well known fact that O lineman love to run block.

 

Teams will stack up against the run until we can prove we have a respectable air attack but the problem is aside from Evans, who can catch the ball? Someone has to emerge because Evans can and will be shut down by constant double teams.

 

No one said anything about trap plays. Gailey will run a different offense than Jauron. It's not as simple as run or pass. It's the kind of plays you call and the blocking scheme you utilize. CJ Spiller has a chance to be a Marshall Faulk/Chris Johnson type of player. That can do wonders for your offense. The Titans do not have any WRs, yet they manage a successful ground game. You cater your offense to your strengths, and ours happens to be the ground game.

[BuffaloBill]

i agree on all three points.

 

Run first smash mouth has a lot going for it, and we have three backs who can get yards. The offensive line wasn't all that bad at run blocking (at least in comparison to their pass blocking.) Keeps the other offense of the field and takes pressure off the qb.

 

 

The problem here is that if the opposition does not respect the fact that you have some ability to pass they will just stack the box and shut down the run game. There must be balance at least through about the mid point of the third Q when possibly fatigue plays into the hands of a smash mouth team. I think the Bills will end up playing a possession type offense where they will dink and dunk down the field through a more balanced attack. Time will tell.

[stinky finger]

Who are the starting LT and RT?

When does the season start?

[bananathumb]

I'll love the bills if they only win one game. However I'm a firmer believer in setting aspirational goals. Even in transition I would expect a new gm and coach to improve on the record of the team (so that would be a minimum of 7 wins) but in a three year plan I'd want a winning season off the bat. Last year was a mess...to put it mildly. Too many injuries, transition in the coaching ranks from beginning to end, and the firing of the coach. I expect this group to provide stability, get the new personnel into shape and get nine wins.

 

The poet Browning said..."a man's reach should exceed his grasp..or what's a heaven for?"

 

 

Wow, tennesseeboy, quoting poetry on TBD. Amazing. Didn't know they studied the stuff in Tenn. Anyway, that is a perfect quote for a fan of the Bills, because our reach (the Super Bowl) definitely exceeds our grasp. Well done.

[Ozymandius]

I dunno. The Spiller pick indicates to me more of a finesse approach than a smashmouth one but I guess we'll see.

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

I never said we'd be the SB Ravens this year - but I think that's their target. Game manager QB, Run-First O, Balanced D.

 

Last year's O Line, even with all the injuries and mismanagement, led the way for Fred Jackson to get 1000 yards when every team we faced knew we coudn't hurt them by throwing the ball.

[tennesseeboy]

Wow, tennesseeboy, quoting poetry on TBD. Amazing. Didn't know they studied the stuff in Tenn. Anyway, that is a perfect quote for a fan of the Bills, because our reach (the Super Bowl) definitely exceeds our grasp. Well done.

The other poem I know has something to do with Nantuckett, but I didn't think it fit.

[The Jokeman]

The one thing I took from this draft as it appears that the coaching staff and GM are actually on the same time in quite some time. As it's evident with the signings of Edwards and Davis and the selections of Troup, Carrington, Moats and Batten that Nix understands the type of players needed to run the 3-4. I know it sounds like he should but honesty with our last few regimes I never felt the GM/HC were on the same page. As it seemed like we never looked for a penetrating DT in the mold of Tommie Harris/Warren Sapp when were running the Tampa 2 under Jauron nor a Josh Evans type when were running the 46 with Gregg Williams. Instead we seemed to favor big guys like Sam Adams/Marcus Stroud. While I don't think the defense is going to be fixed in one draft or offseason but it's nice to see Nix is bringing in the right type of guys for what we need.

 

In terms of the O-line, it's still a work in progress with LT being a question mark. RT has a stop gap in Green but I'm not ready to dismiss Jamon Merideth yet the signing of Green might tell us more. The interior is young and have reason for hope yet I'll be honest not sold on Hangartner. I might be foolish but still think Trent Edwards has a chance to be good. Yet I"ve stated numerous times feel he's best running a WCO type offense yet not sure Gailey is going to go that way which means Brohm and Brown might be the QBs to lead us the next three years.

[Billy in 4C]

The 3-4 is so in vogue now that only a handful of teams run the 4-3. Pass rush from the 3-4 is highly dependant on LB pressure/blitz. I mention this, because I'm more optimistic about our OL in it's currnet condition than many posters here and I'm not a rose-colored glasses kinda guy. Scrapping the OC just before the season opener with 3 new OL, including 2 rooks, was as detrimental as the injuries that followed. This past weekend, I watched the opener (@ NE) and wk.2 vs. TB again. Not a single negative issue -pass or run- could be attributed to the OL. Then Butler fell -for the last time- and the shuffling began which didn't end til the season did. Most of our opponents ran the 3-4 against us and no-one could figure out where the pressure would come from on any given down, let alone shuffling linemen around in unfamiliar positions every week. The results were inevitable. But, to me, it isn't because our OL players 'suck'. Last years 'wing it' system sucked.

 

This years' brand new offense will practice every day against a 3-4 defense. Something it rarely did in recent years. They (the O) will look to hone their craft against the defensive set they will see most every week and for sure against all Division foes. This, IMO, is worthy of optimism.

 

Hang, Levitre & Wood all return with experience and a likely chip on their shoulder. Green & Bell have experience and the Regime selected new linemen in their mold. No one can predict crippling injuries and no one could have foreseen Buffalo's affliction with them. That's been addressed as well.

 

We're overdue for a healthy season. With it, we will be markedly improved on offense.

 

15 teams run the 3-4. Therefore 17 teams run the 4-3. That is more like 3 1/2 handfuls.

[Bflojohn]

One of the worries I have is in the 3-4, the nose tackle is soooo important and I'm hoping that the Bills are very patient with Torrell Troup. Even Ted Washington had two layovers before he got to Buffalo, and he was rounding into a dominant force by that time. My feelings are that this regime will be given the neccessary rope it needs to coach up, and develop these talents without having the fans run the youngsters right out of town! In my mind draft number two of a total overhaul is now in place and one or two more are ON THE WAY!!!

[John from Riverside]

A couple of things

 

- I am not positive Trent is the QB of this team.....I cannot help but think that Brian Brohm may well have been a Buddy Nix plant from last year (remember we did not have him at the start of the season) Brohm was touted in college having a lot of the traits they would be looking for at QB

 

- I think the aquisition of Green from the Raiders might say a lot of what they plan to do on offense.....not so good of a pass blocker but I hear he is a rather nasty run blocker......

 

I just think the team is a work in progress....I think our defense is going to be better immediately

[billsfan89]

The plan was to take the best player available at pick 9 and then bulk up the run D. Stopping the run, QB play, and O-line were our three biggest issues with this team last season. Well we went out in free agency and signed Andre Davis and Dwan Edwards both of whom fit our scheme and are run stuffers while adding Troup and Carrington to the D-line via the draft.

 

Spiller was deemed the BPA at pick 9 and our 2nd and 3rd round picks we bulked up our D-line. All in all we added a play maker to our offense (Spiller), a vet to our O-line (C.Green), and 4 pieces to our new 3-4 all of whom are run stuffers and fit the 3-4 (Troup, Carrington, Edwards, and Davis).

 

So our D had its biggest issue addressed but our offense still is missing a lot on the line and our QB's still suck. Now I hope the plan was hey lets fix the D and hope we get a few guys to step up on the offensive side of the ball and then take it from there. So pretty much this season is a testing ground for our Offense while our D converts to a new 3-4.

 

Hopefully Gailey gets Edwards to put it all together or Brohm shows flashes of brilliance. Maybe our O-line puts it together (Wood and Levitre emerge as maulers while Handy and Green handle their business and Bell emerges as a competent LT) or at least one guy on it emerges (Meridith or Bell or Wang) unexpectedly from the O-line.

 

Maybe they hope Nelson or Johnson can emerge from our unproven skill position core. I don't know but our offense doesn't inspire a lot of hope. However our D gives us a punchers chance of doing somethings this season.