Nix: Patience fans, patience (sorry, no Jay Rosen quotes)

[bills_believer]

I'm glad to see these remarks from Nix because my chief complaint would be that they have neglected the QB position in the draft. But in fairness to him QB's have generally gone higher than a lot of people have thought they would.

 

Nix/Gailey have had good first round draft choices with Spiller, Dareus and Gilmore. They have picked some good players in other rounds Hairston and Glenn. In waiver or undrafted free agent acquisitions Chandler, David Nelson, Craig Urbik, and Eric Pears have been good. I think Mario Williams eventually will be considered a good move. There a lot of other moves and draft choices that the jury is still out on. They have rebuilt both lines which I think is pretty important.

 

They have messed up on the QB first going with Trent Edwards and then not investing in a serious alternative to Fitz (Thigpen, Vince Young and Tavaris Jackson have not been serious alternatives).

 

Their other mess up has been a poor attempt to switch to the 3-4. It didn't make sense when your best lineman was Kyle Williams who was better suited to the 4-3. I think they have fixed the problem with an experienced 4-3 coordinator who has had past success and that eventually the defense will come around.

 

They need to retain their top free agents (Byrd and Levitre) and get a QB this offseason.

 

I think you need to give Nix/Gailey at least one more year. If Polian wants to come back, then how could you turn down a hall of fame GM? Otherwise you stick to Nix/Gailey

[boyst]

 

 

Perhaps to fill the skybox QB hole made when TJax signs elsewhere in a couple months.

Makes a great point I've been wondering. Tjax is in the final year here. He's not even been activated. Why would he want to stay when he can go and compete as a backup? Thigpen, too. He will likely only stay- if the Bills want him - because he knows he is next to done.

 

Next year we are cuffed to Fitz and looking at the full spectrum I am not that upset. I do not think Rivers is the answer. He would be better probably but not enough. Hell I even see Sanchez getting cut at the end of the year, especially if Ryan is gone. There are only so few worth a draft pick early and half the teams before us need a QB in the first round.

[Coach Tuesday]

If you read between the lines, Nix seems to be saying two different, contrary things:

 

1) They've intentionally held off on drafting a QB of the future because their plan was to lay the groundwork first, to improve that QB's chances for success; yet

 

2) They've gone into every draft with the aim of drafting a potential franchise QB, but the player(s) they wanted were picked earlier than they had predicted.

 

The problem here is that one of those statements has got to be false. The two statements don't coexist with each other. I'm guessing Statement 1 is not true. That's why folks think Nix is lying, and I agree - in the same article, he contradicts himself.

Edited December 6, 2012 by Coach Tuesday

[Fan in Chicago]

The Bills have drafted one quarterback, a 7th rounder, in the last 3 drafts.

 

The Bills have a glaring need at quarterback and I personally don't care what round he's drafted in. I'm not an adherent to the belief that QBs have to be taken in any particular round. Most good QBs are taken in the first round partly because of the QB premium. MANY of those first found QBs bust.

 

As the Aaron Williams pick illustrates, there are no sure picks anyways.

 

Quarterbacks come at a premium price and I have no problem with the Bills paying the premium (reaching).

 

Not sure if you are agreeing or arguing with me (both are acceptable).

 

I realize about the premium, but highest probability of success for a QB is for one rated and picked in the first two rounds. But, much as i am in support of upgrading the QB position, I don't think we should reach so dramatically for one - pick a 3rd round graded QB in the 2nd round. In another thread, I have advocated trading for Alex Smith and drafting one in the presumably rich QB class of 2014.

 

But the other point I was making is that Nix is waffling. He always sounded sure about his strategy in the past and now he is back peddling. He is admitting that his BPA policy & not prioritizing the QB position has not worked out entirely well. These are critical GM mistakes. While he has certainly upgraded the roster quite well, the major pieces have not been given the attention they deserve and one of the primary reasons why we wallow in misery & sport an underwhelming record.

Edited December 6, 2012 by Fan in Chicago

[JohnC]

 

 

I'm with john.

 

SO Buddy's rationale for not drafting a QB 3 consecutive years is so he can build a team for the QB first? After 3 drafts, what has Buddy built? He's gotten, what, 3 legit starters, maybe 4 (Spiller, Dareus, Glenn, Gilmore)? The rest of his picks are either gone, on the PS or are backups. In fact, the majority of his impact starters over the past 3 years were given to him by Jauron.

 

What, exactly, has Buddy built with the draft over the past 3 years?? What has he done that allows him to claim he has been wise to not have picked a QB yet?

 

His pick of A. Williams (or any CB) in 2011 instead of a QB (from what is turning out to have been a very deep class) is proof of his incompetence with regard to assessing and addressing the QB position. Why on Earth would anyone believe he's going to successfully address it this off-season?

 

My frustration with this antiquated functioning organization is that there were numerous opportunities to secure a capable qb to build around. This ignormanous staff (Nix/Gailey) decided to allow an at best backup qb be the starter for multiple years. He was never going to be the answer to our starting qb need. Why invest in a player who everyone knew was not going to lead the franchise to anywhere? What is even more reckless than deciding to allow Fitz to be the starter is to risk having a less than credible backup in Thigpen. What would have happened if Fitz got hurt in the first game? Throw away the season with Thigpen as your starter? Would the organization give the gullible fans their money back for the garbage on the field.

 

Because of the cap there are few complete teams on both sides of the ball. A team in this system of contract constraints can still thrive if it has a good qb directing the offense. Nix with his 60s/70s mentality didn't understand that and didn't understand the rule changes that affected the offense, mostly the passing game. His priority right from the start should have been an aggressive and exhaustive search for the best qb he could find. Instead of eschewing maneuvers that would have better positioned his team to make a high quality qb pick in the draft he should have explored opportunities to be in position to acquire a high quality prospect. While he continued to make his draft mistakes other teams laughed and seized the opportunities that he allowed to pass by.

 

If Nix drafted a qb at a high draft position and it didn't work out, at least he tried. Then you go back to the drawing board and continue in your pursuit of filling the most important position in football. There is a risk of failure in drafting for any position.

 

How long is this dullard organization going to continue to handcuff itself? Where is the urgency to get this franchise turned around to the point of at least being relevant to the rest of the league. You don't have to be a genius to know what to do. Simply use some basic common sense.

 

What this goofball owner and his self-selected staff should be chanting is not patience-patience-patience but instead chanting the mantra of urgency-urgency-urgency!!!!!

Edited December 6, 2012 by JohnC

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Not sure if you are agreeing or arguing with me (both are acceptable).

 

I realize about the premium, but highest probability of success for a QB is for one rated and picked in the first two rounds. But, much as i am in support of upgrading the QB position, I don't think we should reach so dramatically for one - pick a 3rd round graded QB in the 2nd round. In another thread, I have advocated trading for Alex Smith and drafting one in the presumably rich QB class of 2014.

 

But the other point I was making is that Nix is waffling. He always sounded sure about his strategy in the past and now he is back peddling. He is admitting that his BPA policy & not prioritizing the QB position has not worked out entirely well. These are critical GM mistakes. While he has certainly upgraded the roster quite well, the major pieces have not been given the attention they deserve and one of the primary reasons why we wallow in misery & sport an underwhelming record.

 

I don't mind the Bills reaching for a QB as long as they actually think he has the ability to justify the reach. Does that make sense?

 

As far as waiting till 2014 to draft one, I'm kinda tired of waiting and drafting and player evaluation being the inexact science that it is, I don't necessarily buy that there won't be a quarterback worth drafting in 2013.

 

Finally I think Nix has generally done a good job in player acquisition overall but yes, the team's acquisitions of quarterbacks have not been good.

[Fan in Chicago]

I don't mind the Bills reaching for a QB as long as they actually think he has the ability to justify the reach. Does that make sense?

 

As far as waiting till 2014 to draft one, I'm kinda tired of waiting and drafting and player evaluation being the inexact science that it is, I don't necessarily buy that there won't be a quarterback worth drafting in 2013.

 

Finally I think Nix has generally done a good job in player acquisition overall but yes, the team's acquisitions of quarterbacks have not been good.

 

I think both of us agree that we need a better QB in for the 2013 season but mildly disagree about how to get one.

I think Nix's comments smack of desperation and that worries me because that attitude is prone to making a Donahoe-type moronic move. Hence, I am not sure I trust him to make the correct QB pick. If he majorly reaches for a QB out of desperation and assumes Fitz will start in 2013, he risks losing the fan base entirely. He has painted himself into a corner and will need to be controlled by Whaley to keep a sane head while making the picks.

[todd]

!@#$ patience. I've been a supportive, patient fan for my entire life. !@#$ it. Patience is part of what got us in this shithole in the first place.

 

So !@#$ patience. I'd rather win.

[White Linen]

We cannot afford to flame out yet again on a QB draft pick.

 

We also can't afford to not take that risk?

[Maddog69]

Based on Nix's comment about "if you like a guy in the 3rd round you'd better that him in the 2nd", is this board going to blow up when they reach for a 2nd/3rd round rated guy like Landry Jones or Ryan Nassib and take him at 10th overall? Because I think this is exactly what they are going to do.based on what Buddy said. Having a new QB gives Buddy and Chan 2-3 more years of excuses for mediocrity.

[Maury Ballstein]

This is a qb driven league period. To ignore the qb position time and time again is foolishness and should be viewed as a fireable offense.

 

If i go 3 years or 3 months without results, guess what? Ill be unemployed and eating Ramen Noodles on the streets.

 

Address the QB first round...........the nonsense has gone on for way too long.

 

(cousins, wilson, kaepernick, foles, dalton, hell even claussen and mccoy) were all there and one of these names should be on the roster.

[RyanC883]

This is another example of the Bills organization setting up people for failure. (See Gailey as HC, Fitz as starting QB). The whole Bills organization is not putting people in positions where they can succeed We needed either someone who has been a GM, or someone to assist Nix with the draft. Passing up that many QB's when you are in dire need of a QB 2 straight years is ridiculous. This is a QB driven league, building around a "future" QB is nice, but taking a small, speedy WR last year who was projected to go in a later round instead of Wilson was a terrible move. Gailey is not a HC, he's an OC. He needs someone to reign in his pass-happy ways. Fitz is smart, can read D's, but does not have the necessary physical tools to make the passes required of a starting QB. He should be our backup. Hopefully Nix has learned and is ready for next years draft. I'm thinking it will be a good one. (LB,QB,QB,LB,OL, etc.).

 

Based on Nix's comment about "if you like a guy in the 3rd round you'd better that him in the 2nd", is this board going to blow up when they reach for a 2nd/3rd round rated guy like Landry Jones or Ryan Nassib and take him at 10th overall? Because I think this is exactly what they are going to do.based on what Buddy said. Having a new QB gives Buddy and Chan 2-3 more years of excuses for mediocrity.

 

Yes. But taking one of those guys at 10 should result in immediate termination.

[C.Biscuit97]

Except for the top tier receiver part, i agree 100%.

 

I disagree on that. Stevie is always open, even against the best cbs (Revis, Peterson). Fitz helped Stevie break out, but now he is holding him back. If Stevie didn't respect Fitz so much and wasn't a team guy, he would have flipped out this season. He is always open.

 

This is a qb driven league period. To ignore the qb position time and time again is foolishness and should be viewed as a fireable offense.

 

If i go 3 years or 3 months without results, guess what? Ill be unemployed and eating Ramen Noodles on the streets.

 

Address the QB first round...........the nonsense has gone on for way too long.

 

(cousins, wilson, kaepernick, foles, dalton, hell even claussen and mccoy) were all there and one of these names should be on the roster.

 

I don't get this point. You wanted the Bills to draft a QB for the sake of a QB? They thought this was a playoff team with Fitz, so they looked to improve the team around him. It looks like Fitz isn't the answer, but I'd rather have Dareus than Ponder or Locker. None of those QBs are probably winning the Tenny or NE games anyways.

 

I think Nix desereves another year. However if they don't draft a guy, he needs to go. But this is a pretty talented team.

[Canadian Bills Fan]

I would rather them strike out swinging instead of striking out waiting for the perfect pitch.

 

You can not keep putting off drafting a franchise QB. Especially now having the rookie cap.

 

Time to step up and take a swing at a 1st round QB.

 

CBF

[Beerball]

I disagree on that. Stevie is always open, even against the best cbs (Revis, Peterson). Fitz helped Stevie break out, but now he is holding him back. If Stevie didn't respect Fitz so much and wasn't a team guy, he would have flipped out this season. He is always open.

 

 

 

I don't get this point. You wanted the Bills to draft a QB for the sake of a QB? They thought this was a playoff team with Fitz, so they looked to improve the team around him. It looks like Fitz isn't the answer, but I'd rather have Dareus than Ponder or Locker. None of those QBs are probably winning the Tenny or NE games anyways.

 

I think Nix desereves another year. However if they don't draft a guy, he needs to go. But this is a pretty talented team.

Are you saying that 2 and 3 years ago they thought this was a playoff team? How far from reality must their perceptions be to think that? I get it, you drink the coolaid every day, but sometimes this stuff just doesn't make any sense. Who in their right minds thought this was a playoff team until we all drank the coolaid this offseason?

 

Or are you giving Nix a pass for year 1 and year 2 drafts?

[MikeSpeed]

Seem pretty clear to me why we haven't drafted a QB ...

Being that an early round QB brings with it great scrutiny, selecting a bust can be a career ender. Better to be completely sure than risk getting fired. The only sure bets in the past 3 years were not available at our picks. No guts no glory.

[RuntheDamnBall]

I wonder sometimes - and get sick thinking about it - that Chan's approval is a big part of the process of drafting a QB, and he hasn't seen one that he would have gotten behind. His really defensive endorsements of Fitz give me pause in that regard. The last thing we need is another Losman / Bledsoe situation where the coach is married to the veteran to keep the other veterans happy -- and/or to keep his job rather than suffer growing pains. Again, I don't think Losman was the answer, but his own coach was sabotaging him at more than one turn.

 

We talk about coach-killer QBs. But what if our coach's strong preference for smart veterans with presence means he doesn't have the patience for a young guy, who needs playing time to get better and develop on-field smarts?

[Sisyphean Bills]

I wonder sometimes - and get sick thinking about it - that Chan's approval is a big part of the process of drafting a QB, and he hasn't seen one that he would have gotten behind. His really defensive endorsements of Fitz give me pause in that regard. The last thing we need is another Losman / Bledsoe situation where the coach is married to the veteran to keep the other veterans happy -- and/or to keep his job rather than suffer growing pains. Again, I don't think Losman was the answer, but his own coach was sabotaging him at more than one turn.

 

We talk about coach-killer QBs. But what if our coach's strong preference for smart veterans with presence means he doesn't have the patience for a young guy, who needs playing time to get better and develop on-field smarts?

Interesting...

 

Does Chan really have enough time in his days to be the HC, OC, and QB coach? Is the TJax situation any indication?

[BuffBill]

The Bills organization has being saying that for years-"Be patient and just keep spending your money on our garbage product." Patient my bloody ******* *******. Doesn't he know Bills fans are no different then anyone else, in that they dont live forever.

 

Seem pretty clear to me why we haven't drafted a QB ...

Being that an early round QB brings with it great scrutiny, selecting a bust can be a career ender. Better to be completely sure than risk getting fired. The only sure bets in the past 3 years were not available at our picks. No guts no glory.

No such thing as a "sure bet" in the draft period. It is all a crapshoot, but if you don't try you won't ever succeed.

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

sorry, no Jay Rosen quotes

 

Obviously not John's best work