The 3 Biggest Mistakes Thus Far in the Buffalo Rebuilding Process

[Got_Wood]

1. Upgraded Offensive coaching, downgraded Defensive coaching

We hired a decent head coach. Good offensive mind, and he has a system that he likes to run. BUT... if our head coach is going to run the offense, we better bring in a PROVEN defensive coordinator that has proven success to run the defense. Especially when you're switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme. But we failed pretty badly here in hiring a guy that was a linebackers coach, and had a bad resume in one season as a DC. Chan needs to focus on rejuvenating this offense, and not helping out his inexperienced defensive coordinator pull the pieces together.

 

2. We didn't remove the former duds from the roster

If you want to start fresh, you can't come into the season with the same personnel as last season. You have to get rid of the guys that remind everyone of the old losing days, and bring in some fresh legs. The guys I'm talking about specifically are:

- Trent Edwards (should have been gone before the season started)

- Chris Kelsay (been around too long, and now he's going to be around even longer )

- Aaron Schobel (Should have traded him before his hold out debacle, especially when switching to a 3-4 defense. Now we get nothing in return for losing a good player)

 

3. Draft strategy this year (specifically round 1)

It's not that Spiller wasn't a good pick, because he's going to be a great player. But this was one of our strongest positions on the team. And unfortunately the front office decided to hold on to Marshawn and Fred all the way into this season, and we now have to wait until the next draft to get players in return for the trade we just finally made. We could have really used a pass rusher or offensive tackle in this draft that we could have developed this season.

 

Here's to things looking up from this point forward

Edited October 7, 2010 by Got_Wood

[BuffaloBud]

Assuming that you are considering only this year within your definition of rebuilding.

[purple haze]

1. Upgraded Offensive coaching, downgraded Defensive coaching

We hired a decent head coach. Good offensive mind, and he has a system that he likes to run. BUT... if our head coach is going to run the offense, we better bring in a PROVEN defensive coordinator that has proven success to run the defense. Especially when you're switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme. But we failed pretty badly here in hiring a guy that was a linebackers coach, and had a bad resume in one season as a DC. Chan needs to focus on rejuvenating this offense, and not helping out his inexperienced defensive coordinator pull the pieces together.

 

2. We didn't remove the former duds from the roster

If you want to start fresh, you can't come into the season with the same personnel as last season. You have to get rid of the guys that remind everyone of the old losing days, and bring in some fresh legs. The guys I'm talking about specifically are:

- Trent Edwards (should have been gone before the season started)

- Chris Kelsay (been around too long, and now he's going to be around even longer )

- Aaron Schobel (Should have traded him before his hold out debacle, especially when switching to a 3-4 defense. Now we get nothing in return for losing a good player)

 

3. Draft strategy this year (specifically round 1)

It's not that Spiller wasn't a good pick, because he's going to be a great player. But this was one of our strongest positions on the team. And unfortunately the front office decided to hold on to Marshawn and Fred all the way into this season, and we now have to wait until the next draft to get players in return for the trade we just finally made. We could have really used a pass rusher or offensive tackle in this draft that we could have developed this season.

 

Here's to things looking up from this point forward

 

1. George Edwards can only work with the talent on hand. The Bills defense was horrible against the run last year too. Everybody was pissed off at Fewell. He's doing well in NYC with some talent. Coaches are needed. PLAYERS are essential. Why do you think another coach can make them stop the run better or make people able to rush the passer who have shown no proclivity for doing it?

 

2. New regime needs to see things for themselves. That's what they do. They didn't want to trade Schobel because he was a player that could have helped them. Schobel didn't really want to play anyway. He was talking retirment. Other teams know that. Nobody was going to trade for a guy who isn't participating because he's considering retiring. Besides that you can't turn over the number of roster spots that the Bills will need to turn over to become a good team in one season. They cut Kelsay and bring in who? They signed Torbor. They signed Ayodele. They are no better than Kelsay. That's what happens when you need to get bargain FA's to fill out a roster. Teams need to scout and draft well in order to build a contending team. See Colts, Steelers, Ravens, Eagles, Packers as examples of this philosophy. Even if they don't make the playoffs a particular season they are in serious contention.

 

3. Spiller was not drafted just for this season. He was drafted for the future. They did need an explosive playmaker on offense. The Bills can use the picks next April for the same purpose. This is not a short fix situation. We have Spiller. Next April they can continue to draft for impact. QB, LB's etc...

[John Cocktosten]

Assuming that you are considering only this year within your definition of rebuilding.

I want an excuse that works in every situation that can shoot down obvious objections like, "rebuilding!"

 

Wife: Where have you been all night?

 

Husband: Rebuilding!

 

Wife: Why do yo smell like french perfume and have glitter all over your neck?

 

Husband: Rebuilding!

 

I have never heard an excuse that has been executed so perfectly than Buddy's "REBUILDING!"

[Got_Wood]

Assuming that you are considering only this year within your definition of rebuilding.

 

Giving them just this year since Buddy wasn't in charge yet last season.

[All_Pro_Bills]

3. Draft strategy this year (specifically round 1)

It's not that Spiller wasn't a good pick, because he's going to be a great player. But this was one of our strongest positions on the team. And unfortunately the front office decided to hold on to Marshawn and Fred all the way into this season, and we now have to wait until the next draft to get players in return for the trade we just finally made. We could have really used a pass rusher or offensive tackle in this draft that we could have developed this season.

 

If I might, I'd like to expand the draft strategy point and call it 'player acquisition'. Because there are two other aspects to acquiring players, professional free agents and college free agents. Of the Bills pro free agent pickups I'd classify the Edwards signing as solid. Good, productive player, nothing flashy but does his job. That's about it though. D. Nelson looks like a undrafted gem for this team so a hit there.

 

I have no problem with the Spiller pick. You need playmakers on both sides of the ball and he's definitely a guy that can fill that role. On the defense, who do we have you'd call a playmaker? Outside of Byrd's sensational rookie season more or less nobody. But rounds 2-7 of this year's draft produced no starters and outside of Troup nobody contributing at all. Granted there's some injuries.

 

But if you're strategy is to trim 'dead wood' and replace them with players you acquire through the draft (and free agency) how can you do that when the players you drafted cannot beat out incumbents on the roster? Most of whom aren't getting the job done? If you're a playoff contender then breaking into the starting lineup might be tough for most rookies. But if you're team is a cellar dweller what's the implication to that?

[Punch]

Giving them just this year since Buddy wasn't in charge yet last season.

 

Is it not fair to suggest that your 3 bullet points could not necessarily be fixed in merely one year then?

[Got_Wood]

1. George Edwards can only work with the talent on hand. The Bills defense was horrible against the run last year too. Everybody was pissed off at Fewell. He's doing well in NYC with some talent. Coaches are needed. PLAYERS are essential. Why do you think another coach can make them stop the run better or make people able to rush the passer who have shown no proclivity for doing it?

 

2. New regime needs to see things for themselves. That's what they do. They didn't want to trade Schobel because he was a player that could have helped them. Schobel didn't really want to play anyway. He was talking retirment. Other teams know that. Nobody was going to trade for a guy who isn't participating because he's considering retiring. Besides that you can't turn over the number of roster spots that the Bills will need to turn over to become a good team in one season. They cut Kelsay and bring in who? They signed Torbor. They signed Ayodele. They are no better than Kelsay. That's what happens when you need to get bargain FA's to fill out a roster. Teams need to scout and draft well in order to build a contending team. See Colts, Steelers, Ravens, Eagles, Packers as examples of this philosophy. Even if they don't make the playoffs a particular season they are in serious contention.

 

3. Spiller was not drafted just for this season. He was drafted for the future. They did need an explosive playmaker on offense. The Bills can use the picks next April for the same purpose. This is not a short fix situation. We have Spiller. Next April they can continue to draft for impact. QB, LB's etc...

 

1. He reportedly had a "vanilla" scheme and showed very little creativity when he coached Washington's defense. I'm seeing the same thing here. He might be a great teacher and know all of the fundamentals of football, but it takes a very bright and experienced guy to run an entire defense.

 

2. You're sort of right on Schobel. I think a lot of fans knew he would be done if we switched to the 3-4 though. And there was one team that might have taken him in (Houston) if we had traded him before the holdout. That's not the worst of the three guys though. Trent and Kelsay should have been gone.

 

3. Like I said, Spiller is a good pick. But we weren't thinking about the future by holding on to all 3 of these guys. We just said "it's the strength of our team", and moved on. And in the end, there was always one guy not being involved in the game plan each week. It just wasn't smart.

[Got_Wood]

Is it not fair to suggest that your 3 bullet points could not necessarily be fixed in merely one year then?

 

They could be fixed. But the mistakes were already made. I'm not saying that Nix has failed in rebuilding. I'm just saying that these are some of the things I wish they didn't do along the way.

 

I still have hope for this group. I really wish we had a Green Bay ownership structure. If you think about it like a publicly held company, there is no way the shareholders would stand for this type of perpetual losing and poor management. We would force the hand of the team into making educated decisions, and the fate of the franchise would rest with the city of Buffalo in the drivers seat. I can only dream...

[John Cocktosten]

How does 1 draft and 4 preseason games constitute rebuilt? I think the biggest joke around here is that people expect immediate change with many of the same players. Once you realize that it will take a little time, and some more cuts, and trades to get it done, you might actually get why it's called "rebuilding"

Nix has trained you well my friend...don't ya think some of those "building blocks"/draft picks should be honing in on their skills for the championship run in 5 years?

Edited October 7, 2010 by John Cocktosten

[Bill from NYC]

I have no problem with the Spiller pick. You need playmakers on both sides of the ball and he's definitely a guy that can fill that role. On the defense, who do we have you'd call a playmaker? Outside of Byrd's sensational rookie season more or less nobody. But rounds 2-7 of this year's draft produced no starters and outside of Troup nobody contributing at all. Granted there's some injuries.

 

I do. Thios team is bad because it was built upon runnung backs, defensive backs and/or gadget players. And, we did have "playmakers" in theory, right?

 

Lee Evans can go deep, but nobody can get him the ball. McKelvin makes plays when returning kicks. Parrish can make a play now and then but he, weighing in at approx. 80 pounds, is built more for special teams. We already had small, flashy little players and we were losing. So, to use a #9 on another small little runninh back (or perhaps return specialist; we will see) was more of the same from where I sit.

 

The Bills are so small and weak that they don't even have a home field advantage. Didn't Parrish go running back into his house when he first saw snow? Big, tough players such as Bruce Smith, Ted Washington, Bryce Paup, Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, etc. win games in Buffalo, not fancy little gadget players.

[All_Pro_Bills]

I do. Thios team is bad because it was built upon runnung backs, defensive backs and/or gadget players. And, we did have "playmakers" in theory, right?

 

Lee Evans can go deep, but nobody can get him the ball. McKelvin makes plays when returning kicks. Parrish can make a play now and then but he, weighing in at approx. 80 pounds, is built more for special teams. We already had small, flashy little players and we were losing. So, to use a #9 on another small little runninh back (or perhaps return specialist; we will see) was more of the same from where I sit.

 

The Bills are so small and weak that they don't even have a home field advantage. Didn't Parrish go running back into his house when he first saw snow? Big, tough players such as Bruce Smith, Ted Washington, Bryce Paup, Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, etc. win games in Buffalo, not fancy little gadget players.

 

You're right about the Bills being small and weak. But rounds 2 thru 7 produced a host of defensive players and a couple OT's (one hurt, one cut) and yet even on a team that has so many weaknesses none of them have logged any meaningful playing time. The league is full of players that were not drafted in the 1st round. That just means the players you've drafted aren't any better than the one's you're trying to replace. So rather than rebuilding you're stuck at the bottom of the standings forever.

[Bill from NYC]

You're right about the Bills being small and weak. But rounds 2 thru 7 produced a host of defensive players and a couple OT's (one hurt, one cut) and yet even on a team that has so many weaknesses none of them have logged any meaningful playing time. The league is full of players that were not drafted in the 1st round. That just means the players you've drafted aren't any better than the one's you're trying to replace. So rather than rebuilding you're stuck at the bottom of the standings forever.

 

Yes and I do praise them for doing so. Hopefully Troup and Carrington will see more time before the season ends.

 

Next season, they really do have to focus mainly on the offense imo. It can be done if the new administration has its priorities in order. They also need LBs, but this is a position that can frequently be filled by free agents or lower draft picks.

[larz tex]

You're right about the Bills being small and weak. But rounds 2 thru 7 produced a host of defensive players and a couple OT's (one hurt, one cut) and yet even on a team that has so many weaknesses none of them have logged any meaningful playing time. The league is full of players that were not drafted in the 1st round. That just means the players you've drafted aren't any better than the one's you're trying to replace. So rather than rebuilding you're stuck at the bottom of the standings forever.

Good post. Why do we keep getting this caliber player?

[Sisyphean Bills]

Yes and I do praise them for doing so. Hopefully Troup and Carrington will see more time before the season ends.

 

Next season, they really do have to focus mainly on the offense imo. It can be done if the new administration has its priorities in order. They also need LBs, but this is a position that can frequently be filled by free agents or lower draft picks.

One thing bugs me about Troup. Kevin Williams is our best front 7 player. And by a big margin. Why try to replace him?

 

I guess it makes as much sense as replacing Lynch in one way. Though Williams seems like a good character guy and Lynch was a positive test away from missing a season.

[Bill from NYC]

One thing bugs me about Troup. Kevin Williams is our best front 7 player. And by a big margin. Why try to replace him?

 

I guess it makes as much sense as replacing Lynch in one way. Though Williams seems like a good character guy and Lynch was a positive test away from missing a season.

 

Imo Williams is more of a rotational player. He isn't big enough to take a constant pounding, ala Jenkins, Big Ted, Gilbert Brown, etc. He does play hard, but he gets taken out too often on running plays.

 

The LB situation hurts alot too. Not that they would have selected them, but the Bills narrowly missed out on Willis and McClain. Jauron/Levy went after puny little LBs, and the Bills must get stronger up the middle. Kelsay of course in handled by tight ends on the outside.

Despite all this, the defense really could be respectable in a year or so. The offense is a complete shipwreck, and the philosophy must change.

 

We shall see.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Imo Williams is more of a rotational player. He isn't big enough to take a constant pounding, ala Jenkins, Big Ted, Gilbert Brown, etc. He does play hard, but he gets taken out too often on running plays.

 

The LB situation hurts alot too. Not that they would have selected them, but the Bills narrowly missed out on Willis and McClain. Jauron/Levy went after puny little LBs, and the Bills must get stronger up the middle. Kelsay of course in handled by tight ends on the outside.

Despite all this, the defense really could be respectable in a year or so. The offense is a complete shipwreck, and the philosophy must change.

 

We shall see.

I didn't mean KW is a perfect player, of course. Just that an argument could be made that to spend your first 2 picks on positions that were "ok" while there were other positions in dire need was, well, idiotic.

[2003Contenders]

It's funny I look back at the last two drafts under a new regime, 2001 and 2006 (and by "new" I mean new front office personnel AND new coaching staff; thus, I overlook 2004 as Mularkey was an extension of the TD regime). Because the Bills were so devoid of talent we prematurely hailed both of those drafts as great, since so many rookies made an immediate contribution. Hind-sight being 20-20 neither draft was nearly as sensational, although 2001 is still easily the best draft the team has had in the past decade. If Troupe and Carrington turn out to be core players in the future (as well as Easley, who showed some positive signs prior to his injury), then you can label the 2010 draft a success.

[bladiebla]

You overlooked number 4... They mixed up pre-season and season.

[Bflojohn]

Everyone seems to want things done yesterday, and if you are in that mindset, please don't watch, you're brain will explode! As for the young guns NOT beating out the veterans, are you kidding me! The 3-4, to me, is a particularly tough defense to learn in the NFL, and overall, they've done fine! The learning curve for Troup and Carrington is steep, and anchoring a defensive line immediately is unlikely. We are indeed building the foundation of a competitive football team, but the dead weight on this team is staggering! Loser mentalities need to be weeded out, and production will be obvious to this management since the tape never lies!!