KeisterHollow Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Yesterday, while contemplating some of the threads here, I remembered something I'd heard Nix say when he first was hired, and I saw it under a new light, so to speak. When Nix was first hired he had a press conference, and I recall, while at the podium, he said something like, "Bills fans need to be patient. I'm going to build this team the right way, through the draft. It's gonna take some time - although, I think we're better than some people give us credit for". I'm sure many of you can remember him saying this. What I see clearly now, although it slipped by me then, is what Nix was saying between the lines. What Nix was saying was that the Bills were not as talented as many teams, that they needed to be injected with talent, via the draft - but that Nix was not going to try to build a team by F.A. - that he would be patient, build through the draft, and be competitive within like 3 years. He didn't come out and say 3 years, or any specific number of years, but he implied it would take a little while. That makes sense to a lot of people; the Bills were considered an ill run team, with many holes. The problem, though, is this: Do you think Harbaugh in San Francisco told his players, that first year as coach, that they needed to build, that it would take time, but they'd do it right? What that is saying is that YOU EXPECT to LOSE!!!! You expect to lose, because you don't think you're good enough now to compete. Nix thought he could build a winner in a few years, but how do you discern a winner from a loser? By winning! So, until the Bills actually win, they'll still be "getting closer". The problem with Nix from the start was that he gave himself and his whole staff an extended EXCUSE for losing! After this season he can go in front of the cameras and tell his fanbase - we knew it would take time, we asked that you be patient, and we still ask it, we're almost there! The appropriate MENTALITY that this team NEEDS, and we need it desperately in a new coach or GM, is this: He should have thought, we might not be as talented, but we can scheme, and play our hearts out, and be more disciplined, and WILL ourselves to win. He could have had his players out there fighting for their lives, playing above their game. If you don't EXPECT to win NOW, then you don't have the right mentality for the NFL, then you're giving yourself an out. The outcome that happens in life is the outcome you are prepared for, usually. This team doesn't see itself as good enough. They've been conditioned - as we've seen over these past 15 years - to look at themselves differently than other teams. They have a different standard here, and it isn't expecting to win. The Bills need a leader who demands greatness from everyone around himself, and who can prepare the players to WIN. Our players aren't prepared to win. We're outcoached half the time. It's pretty bad when an NFL team, for almost a generation now, believes they are in a lesser class than the rest of the league. Whoever takes over next better not talk about rebuilding; we need to hear and see the EXPECTATION to win NOW. Until our staff has this mentality, our players will not be successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantankerous Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Great post. I agree with everything you said except "We're outcoached half the time." We're outcoached almost every game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bufcomments Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I think what your saying is true. There is a lack of urgency to win now. At all costs. Like make a move to get a QB . They had a chance to get Cam, Dalton, JJ Watt, Clay Mattews . Part of it is very poor drafting.That why Bill Polian was so good when he was here. I'm not saying rehire the guy but when he was here he was in CHARGE. He knew what we needed to win. Remember how we got C.Bennett? They know Marv included, that if things didnt go Bill's way Bill was gonna cuss somebody out. There is nobody I my eyes that is the true leader of this thing. I mean the buck stop here kinda guy. Like they are just yes men who are worried when they gonna get fired instead of making this thing better right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsox Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Great post. I agree with everything you said except "We're outcoached half the time." We're outcoached almost every game. Very True!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Yesterday, while contemplating some of the threads here, I remembered something I'd heard Nix say when he first was hired, and I saw it under a new light, so to speak. When Nix was first hired he had a press conference, and I recall, while at the podium, he said something like, "Bills fans need to be patient. I'm going to build this team the right way, through the draft. It's gonna take some time - although, I think we're better than some people give us credit for". I'm sure many of you can remember him saying this. What I see clearly now, although it slipped by me then, is what Nix was saying between the lines. What Nix was saying was that the Bills were not as talented as many teams, that they needed to be injected with talent, via the draft - but that Nix was not going to try to build a team by F.A. - that he would be patient, build through the draft, and be competitive within like 3 years. He didn't come out and say 3 years, or any specific number of years, but he implied it would take a little while. That makes sense to a lot of people; the Bills were considered an ill run team, with many holes. The problem, though, is this: Do you think Harbaugh in San Francisco told his players, that first year as coach, that they needed to build, that it would take time, but they'd do it right? What that is saying is that YOU EXPECT to LOSE!!!! You expect to lose, because you don't think you're good enough now to compete. Nix thought he could build a winner in a few years, but how do you discern a winner from a loser? By winning! So, until the Bills actually win, they'll still be "getting closer". The problem with Nix from the start was that he gave himself and his whole staff an extended EXCUSE for losing! After this season he can go in front of the cameras and tell his fanbase - we knew it would take time, we asked that you be patient, and we still ask it, we're almost there! The appropriate MENTALITY that this team NEEDS, and we need it desperately in a new coach or GM, is this: He should have thought, we might not be as talented, but we can scheme, and play our hearts out, and be more disciplined, and WILL ourselves to win. He could have had his players out there fighting for their lives, playing above their game. If you don't EXPECT to win NOW, then you don't have the right mentality for the NFL, then you're giving yourself an out. The outcome that happens in life is the outcome you are prepared for, usually. This team doesn't see itself as good enough. They've been conditioned - as we've seen over these past 15 years - to look at themselves differently than other teams. They have a different standard here, and it isn't expecting to win. The Bills need a leader who demands greatness from everyone around himself, and who can prepare the players to WIN. Our players aren't prepared to win. We're outcoached half the time. It's pretty bad when an NFL team, for almost a generation now, believes they are in a lesser class than the rest of the league. Whoever takes over next better not talk about rebuilding; we need to hear and see the EXPECTATION to win NOW. Until our staff has this mentality, our players will not be successful. You're comparing a complete rebuild from the Front Office to the Coaches to the Players with Harbaugh coming into a 49ers team that ALREADY rebuilt. Remember, the 49ers already had the #1 pick in 2005, and years of drafting high and well before they hired Harbaugh. A more appropriate comparison would be if the Bills replaced just their coaching staff this year. And yes, in that case the new coach should expect to win right away. What Buddy said as a new GM taking on a complete rebuild of a franchise vs. the way Harbaugh has carried himself, is not a good comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantankerous Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 You're comparing a complete rebuild from the Front Office to the Coaches to the Players with Harbaugh coming into a 49ers team that ALREADY rebuilt. Remember, the 49ers already had the #1 pick in 2005, and years of drafting high and well before they hired Harbaugh. A more appropriate comparison would be if the Bills replaced just their coaching staff this year. And yes, in that case the new coach should expect to win right away. What Buddy said as a new GM taking on a complete rebuild of a franchise vs. the way Harbaugh has carried himself, is not a good comparison. Harbaugh took a ****ty team that was 6-10 in 2010 to 13-3 in 2011. Bills fans just expect less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Harbaugh took a ****ty team that was 6-10 in 2010 to 13-3 in 2011. Bills fans just expect less. It was not a ****ty team. They had, and have, a ton of talent. The biggest change was the HC. That's really the only change/addition. Two completely different situations, and job positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog69 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Give them some credit. Nix and Gailey accomplished quite a bit. They took a mediocre team and made it terrible almost immediately. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Buddy said a lot of things at his introductory press conference later proven as complete fallacy and hyperbole. When he said building the right way, I wasn't sure what the wrong way was, because every team builds through the draft. But Nix went out and showed how to rebuild the wrong way: forcing a defensive scheme they weren't near ready for and failing to find a QB. Those 2 items are guaranteed to stop a rebuild in its tracks. Nix was very arrogant that New Year's Eve Day, making fun of the Raiders, claiming to get 35 calls a day for the HC jobs and saying they weren't far away. And while he claimed not to be the smartest guy in the room, he thinks he is. 15 wins and 3 years later he's been proven to be anything but smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantankerous Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 It was not a ****ty team. They had, and have, a ton of talent. The biggest change was the HC. That's really the only change/addition. Two completely different situations, and job positions. 49ers since 2005 2005: 4-12 2006: 7-9 2007: 5-11 2008: 7-9 2009: 8-8 2010: 6-10 Regardless of talent, I don't see how you can say they weren't a ****ty team. 37-59 is pretty bad. Drafting Aldon Smith was HUGE for their defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003Contenders Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 (edited) In terms of his talent evaluation, the quality of the drafts, etc. I am mostly happy with Nix. In fact, I think barring a few upgrades (most importantly to the QB position), this team has the talent to be a genuine playoff contender. For as much as I have defended Chan in the past, his absolute inability to see things that the rest of us can see with open eyes has placed me firmly in the category of those who believe that he should be fired at season's end. Even with Fitz being an average-to-below average starter, a better coach would find a way to overcome his limitations rather than showcase them. Why call a bomb on a 3rd down play, when a simple conversion ices the game -- and Fitz is so inaccurate on those types of passes? I think a better coach would have found a way to get wins in the Rams and Titans games for sure -- and possibly the Houston and 2nd Patriots game as well. It really is a shame considering the "favorable" schedule and mediocrity in the AFC this season. And if Nix does not see that, then he deserves a ride out of town as well, despite the mostly strong personnel moves he has made. Edited December 11, 2012 by 2003Contenders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Harbaugh took a ****ty team that was 6-10 in 2010 to 13-3 in 2011. Bills fans just expect less. Don't confuse ....ty with not being talented. The 49ers were very talented Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 It was not a ****ty team. They had, and have, a ton of talent. The biggest change was the HC. That's really the only change/addition. Two completely different situations, and job positions. agreed. we were an under talented team. that was a HIGHLY talented team that was underachieving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaineMoxie Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 agreed. we were an under talented team. that was a HIGHLY talented team that was underachieving. How can you tell the difference? I mean, guys that were on our supposedly ****ty team during the Jauron years are playing elsewhere and doing pretty well. So how do we know for sure the team was that bad? I agree with the original post. The winning attitude has to begin at the top and filter down. Otherwise, it's hard to even tell whether you've got an underachieving team or a bad team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FitzShowUsYourTitz Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Great post. I remember Marv used to say something to the effect.... "You can never say your rebuilding or you will always be rebuilding" Plus I happen to like the quote below from the Best football man ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 (edited) Great post. I remember Marv used to say something to the effect.... "You can never say your rebuilding or you will always be rebuilding" Plus I happen to like the quote below from the Best football man ever. That Lombardi quote is a great quote. And sadly, very applicable to our team. Edited December 12, 2012 by Rubes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 How can you tell the difference? I mean, guys that were on our supposedly ****ty team during the Jauron years are playing elsewhere and doing pretty well. So how do we know for sure the team was that bad? I agree with the original post. The winning attitude has to begin at the top and filter down. Otherwise, it's hard to even tell whether you've got an underachieving team or a bad team. Who are these terrible players that went on to great things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedy G Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Harbaugh took a ****ty team that was 6-10 in 2010 to 13-3 in 2011. Bills fans just expect less. Speak for yourself dude!! I expect them to win every game!!! Every year!!! Get Real Please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helpmenow Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 He also said were not the raiders! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 You're comparing a complete rebuild from the Front Office to the Coaches to the Players with Harbaugh coming into a 49ers team that ALREADY rebuilt. Remember, the 49ers already had the #1 pick in 2005, and years of drafting high and well before they hired Harbaugh. A more appropriate comparison would be if the Bills replaced just their coaching staff this year. And yes, in that case the new coach should expect to win right away. What Buddy said as a new GM taking on a complete rebuild of a franchise vs. the way Harbaugh has carried himself, is not a good comparison. Wow, the number 1 pick from 7 years ago! Anyway, if this 2102 Bills are "a complete rebuild", why do many of the starters' names seem to have been on the roster when Jauron was here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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