5 Moves The Bills Should Make Now To End the Playoff Drought in 2013

[ChevyVanMiller]

"The entire season has been a huge regression for a team with playoff aspirations. The easy schedule turned into a Herculean task that proved to be an epic failure for both the coaches and the players. The franchise QB has turned out to be a commoner with a King’s contract."

 

 

 

http://niagarahub.fatcow.com/category/nfl-football/

[Beerball]

"The entire season has been a huge regression for a team with playoff aspirations. The easy schedule turned into a Herculean task that proved to be an epic failure for both the coaches and the players. The franchise QB has turned out to be a commoner with a King’s contract."

 

 

 

http://niagarahub.fa...y/nfl-football/

Wow, 5 is so few!

 

New HC

New OC

New DC

New QB

New QB II

New LB

New LB II

New WR

 

That's 8 & I haven't mentioned Nix or O-line or D-line or DB.

 

Regarding the article...I'm not sure what playing Jackson does for the team making the playoffs next year. He's a FA and unless you think playing time over 2 meaningless games will make him want to stay I don't see the point. Personally I was calling for him week 4 I believe but it's too late now. And for the Jackson sucks contingent...what's Fitz gotten you? The choice should have been made very early between the devil you know (Fitzpatrick) and the devil you have preconceptions about. Gailey's stubborn streak will cost him his job (there's plenty of other reasons but this is #1).

[ChevyVanMiller]

Wow, 5 is so few!

 

New HC

New OC

New DC

New QB

New QB II

New LB

New LB II

New WR

 

That's 8 & I haven't mentioned Nix or O-line or D-line or DB.

 

Regarding the article...I'm not sure what playing Jackson does for the team making the playoffs next year. He's a FA and unless you think playing time over 2 meaningless games will make him want to stay I don't see the point. Personally I was calling for him week 4 I believe but it's too late now. And for the Jackson sucks contingent...what's Fitz gotten you? The choice should have been made very early between the devil you know (Fitzpatrick) and the devil you have preconceptions about. Gailey's stubborn streak will cost him his job (there's plenty of other reasons but this is #1).

 

Thanks for the comments, Beerball, all on the mark. The point I'm making with Jackson is I can envision them not playing him in the last two games, then trying to sell him as a plausible alternative to Fitz next year. I'd rather they shed themselves of that disillusion right now.

[Beerball]

Thanks for the comments, Beerball, all on the mark. The point I'm making with Jackson is I can envision them not playing him in the last two games, then trying to sell him as a plausible alternative to Fitz next year. I'd rather they shed themselves of that disillusion right now.

Gotcha! Sad eh when there is so much to be done and we don't know the full extent because of expiring contracts.

 

First and foremost they have to get a coach who can lead, then go from there. I don't care who it is, he must be a leader because this team is sorely lacking in that department. When you have 1 WR (who gets chewed out by the HC after a circus catch) and your 3rd string RB as offensive leaders you don't have much. On defense I don't know who I would point to. So...the coach must lead and develop team leaders who can take it from there. Gailey couldn't lead a pack of cub scouts to the ice cream shop and neither could Fitz.

[kasper13]

Just 5 things? We need more than that.

1. Clean house. Everyone in the front office and coaching staff except Whaley is gone.

2. Actually, really, this time, finally spend some $$$$ on a legit head coach. Not some bottom of the pile nobody else wants him scrub senior citizen.

3. I think Gruden would be a perfect fit for Buffalo. $20 mil year? Done. Build me a winner. He can pick his own staff. Money is no object.

4. Try and trade Fitzpatrick, if nobody wants him, cut him..

5. Cut or do not resign Merriman, Barnett, McGee, Kelsay, Scott, Wilson, Smith and whomever else the new staff thinks should go away.

6. They can get a ton for Spiller, trade him. Spiller is worth a #1, #2 and another pick or player. This would allow for #7.

7. Trade for Kirk Cousins. First? Done.

8. They gave Urbik an extension. Get Byrd & Levitre signed.

9. Free Agency: LB, S, WR, RB. Backup veteran QB not named Fitzpatrick and not from an Ivy League school and make sure he knows he's never starting unless there are injuries.

10. Draft: LB (2), TE, S, WR, RB, CB, QB. LB should be the #1 priority, I'd also like to see them get TE Eifert from ND.

11. Build your offense and defense around your talent. Don't try and have your talent run the offense and defense that you want. Bills should have run the ball 40 times a game not throw it 40 times a game, Their defensive schemes were a giant joke.

12. Either pray or sell your soul for a winning team.

[JohnC]

Gotcha! Sad eh when there is so much to be done and we don't know the full extent because of expiring contracts.

 

First and foremost they have to get a coach who can lead, then go from there. I don't care who it is, he must be a leader because this team is sorely lacking in that department. When you have 1 WR (who gets chewed out by the HC after a circus catch) and your 3rd string RB as offensive leaders you don't have much. On defense I don't know who I would point to. So...the coach must lead and develop team leaders who can take it from there. Gailey couldn't lead a pack of cub scouts to the ice cream shop and neither could Fitz.

 

What does it say about the judgment of the person who rashly selected a retread mediocre HC? There was no due diligence on his part. Nix's selection was a hurried selection when there was no need to be pressed to make a bad decision. Getting the right HC is one of the most important decisions a GM is going to make. Who else did he interview? Did he try to recruit some good young assistants? Apparently not.

 

The systemic problem that has plagued this organization from its inception is that the moronic owner never understood that hiring the best people to run the football operation was the best way to invest in his team from a business standpoint. One would think that an owner even as clueless as he is would finally learn that it is good business to hire an outstanding talent at the GM position because that is the person who is going to be making multi-million player decisions on his behalf. Saving $$$ on a mediocre GM hire would certainly in the short and long run cost you millions of $$$ on the business side.

 

The central problem with this flawed organization has little to do with the players and the positions. It has everything to do with the people making the football decisions. If the clown owner realized that he wouldn't have hired Levy to help him rescue his struggling franchise. That selection was not only laughable but it was weird. The owner hired Nix without even bothering to interview other prospects. How odd is that?

 

It's easy to dump on Gailey. But that wasn't the main source of the problem for the Bills during these three unproductive years. Gailey was a known quantity before he got hired. There was nothing in his long history in the NFL that made him an appealing HC prospect. Yet Nix in making one of the most important decisions that a GM is required to make rushes to hire a known mediocrity. What does that say about him? What does it say about the person at the helm making the football decisions for the franchise?

 

My recommendation would be to let both Nix and Gailey go this offseason. It's time that this archaic franchise was infused with some youth and energy. I would promote Whaley to the GM position and demand that he hire the best HC he can find, young or old. There is no doubt that Whaely understands the importance of getting the right HC. He came from the Steeler organization that has made the right selection in its modern history. I would also order him to draft the best qb prospect in this year's draft. If he failed to do that with his first or second draft selection he would be told that he would be fired right on the spot. That certainly will give Kiper, Gruden and the chattering band of commentators something to talk about.

 

My main point is simple: If you want to see positive results focus on the organization and then the roster issues will work itself out.

[tennesseeboy]

_{move 1. Fire Chan and Buddy}

_{move 2. Sign free agents}

_{move 3. lose out to improve draft position (from the way we are playing it seems the bills are well on their way to this goal.}

_{move 4. Clear up cap room to move wisely in free agent market.}

_{move 5. Choose best qb or best lb available at number one.}

[Beerball]

What does it say about the judgment of the person who rashly selected a retread mediocre HC? There was no due diligence on his part. Nix's selection was a hurried selection when there was no need to be pressed to make a bad decision. Getting the right HC is one of the most important decisions a GM is going to make. Who else did he interview? Did he try to recruit some good young assistants? Apparently not.

 

The systemic problem that has plagued this organization from its inception is that the moronic owner never understood that hiring the best people to run the football operation was the best way to invest in his team from a business standpoint. One would think that an owner even as clueless as he is would finally learn that it is good business to hire an outstanding talent at the GM position because that is the person who is going to be making multi-million player decisions on his behalf. Saving $$$ on a mediocre GM hire would certainly in the short and long run cost you millions of $$$ on the business side.

 

The central problem with this flawed organization has little to do with the players and the positions. It has everything to do with the people making the football decisions. If the clown owner realized that he wouldn't have hired Levy to help him rescue his struggling franchise. That selection was not only laughable but it was weird. The owner hired Nix without even bothering to interview other prospects. How odd is that?

 

It's easy to dump on Gailey. But that wasn't the main source of the problem for the Bills during these three unproductive years. Gailey was a known quantity before he got hired. There was nothing in his long history in the NFL that made him an appealing HC prospect. Yet Nix in making one of the most important decisions that a GM is required to make rushes to hire a known mediocrity. What does that say about him? What does it say about the person at the helm making the football decisions for the franchise?

 

My recommendation would be to let both Nix and Gailey go this offseason. It's time that this archaic franchise was infused with some youth and energy. I would promote Whaley to the GM position and demand that he hire the best HC he can find, young or old. There is no doubt that Whaely understands the importance of getting the right HC. He came from the Steeler organization that has made the right selection in its modern history. I would also order him to draft the best qb prospect in this year's draft. If he failed to do that with his first or second draft selection he would be told that he would be fired right on the spot. That certainly will give Kiper, Gruden and the chattering band of commentators something to talk about.

 

My main point is simple: If you want to see positive results focus on the organization and then the roster issues will work itself out.

We agree, I think, that Wilson stumbled upon Polian. Polian was able to build a first class team (with no cap and much different FA). That team went to 4 straight SBs, but Ralph got antsy. He didn't like the fact that Polian wanted to be the decision maker etc. so changes were made and it's been downhill ever since.

 

Still, as a businessman you would expect Wilson to examine his team's one period of sustained success in 50 years (yes, I'm discounting the early AFL days) and determine what was different then. It doesn't take a brain scientist or a rocket surgeon to figure out that the top football person in your organization is the most important hire you will make. After Polian JB was able to carry on and the team remained strong. Once he left...Donahoe, Levy, Nix.

 

People keep pointing to Whaley. Why? Simply because he came from the Steeler organization (as did Donahoe)? I know we must have something to point to, something to give us hope and I suppose that's why people point in that direction. I hope that they are right. I hope he has the skills to build a top notch organization because I'm tired of this losing.

 

Nix:

Hired Gailey

Allowed Gailey to bring staff who changed a talent poor team into a 3-4 defense thereby making it talent poorererrr.

Levi Brown is the only QB drafted by Nix.

Nix chose CJ Spiller when the team was set at one position, RB.

Nix took a NT who has been out with a back injury because he had to fill those 3-4 holes rather than selecting a TE with prior back injury worries (ironic?)

Levi Brown is the only QB drafted by Nix.

Levi Brown is the only QB drafted by Nix.

.

.

.

 

Those are just my lowlights. The list could go on and on and on.

[BobChalmers]

Wow, 5 is so few!

 

New HC

New OC

New DC

New QB

New QB II

New LB

New LB II

New WR

 

 

Quoting your own tag-line, the Bills have a very good backup QB on the roster - Ryan Fitzpatrick.

[Webster Guy]

all of our problems would be solved if we had an upper echelon QB

 

all of it.

 

look at how bad the patriots defense has been for years now. they're horrible. they don't have standout runners or even a great O-line anymore

 

but a great qb makes them all look good. see what Luck and RG and Wilson and Peyton have done for their teams in ONE year? massive turnarounds in one draft pick, or one FA signing.

[JohnC]

People keep pointing to Whaley. Why? Simply because he came from the Steeler organization (as did Donahoe)? I know we must have something to point to, something to give us hope and I suppose that's why people point in that direction. I hope that they are right. I hope he has the skills to build a top notch organization because I'm tired of this losing.

 

Let's face it no current successful GM or HC is going to leave their position to come work for the fading 94 year owner. But there are good young GM candidates who are working for successful organizations. In my view Whaley was one of them when he worked for the Steelers. He was recommended by a number of people, with Cowher being his strongest advocate. The Steelers liked him so much that when the Bills offered him a position they offered him a raise and a better position. He declined. He felt that by working for another organization it would broaden his experience and would better prepare him for ultimately a GM position.

 

Just because the Donahoe hire didn't work out the owner shouldn't shy away from Whaley. The Donahoe hire and resultant conflict with the owner and conflict withn the organization was predictable. Again, this was another case where this inept organizatiion didn't do its due diligence. Donahoe is a very arrogant, condescending, headstrong, autocratic baaasstard personality type. He didn't leave the Steelers out of his own volution, he was told to take a hike. Cowher gave the organization an ultimatum: either me or him. The Steeler owners sided with Cowher.

 

Is there any surprise that Ralph Wilson was going to have issues with Donahoe or Donahoe was going to have issues with the interfering owner? When you hire a particular personality you get that personality. The breakup was inevitable.

 

There comes a time when an organization after more than a generation of failure has to change course. Why continue with the same tired approach that hasn't worked? Isn't it time to do something out of character and something other successful franchises do? Why not try to Infuse this backwater organization with some youth and new ideas. Nix is old school. His reluctance to make it a priority to pursue the best qb prospect he can right from the start demonstrates to me that he doesn't understand the importance of the position in the NFL of today.

 

Is there a guarantee that Whaley is going to be any more successful than the other retread managers of the franchise? No. But we are talking about a business that doesn't have any guarantees. The one guarantee I can confidently give you is that if you hire mediocre people you will get mediocre results. The Bills franchise is a poster chld of that theory!

Edited December 18, 2012 by JohnC

[All_Pro_Bills]

 

 

What does it say about the judgment of the person who rashly selected a retread mediocre HC? There was no due diligence on his part. Nix's selection was a hurried selection when there was no need to be pressed to make a bad decision. Getting the right HC is one of the most important decisions a GM is going to make. Who else did he interview? Did he try to recruit some good young assistants? Apparently not.

 

The systemic problem that has plagued this organization from its inception is that the moronic owner never understood that hiring the best people to run the football operation was the best way to invest in his team from a business standpoint. One would think that an owner even as clueless as he is would finally learn that it is good business to hire an outstanding talent at the GM position because that is the person who is going to be making multi-million player decisions on his behalf. Saving $$$ on a mediocre GM hire would certainly in the short and long run cost you millions of $$$ on the business side.

 

The central problem with this flawed organization has little to do with the players and the positions. It has everything to do with the people making the football decisions. If the clown owner realized that he wouldn't have hired Levy to help him rescue his struggling franchise. That selection was not only laughable but it was weird. The owner hired Nix without even bothering to interview other prospects. How odd is that?

 

It's easy to dump on Gailey. But that wasn't the main source of the problem for the Bills during these three unproductive years. Gailey was a known quantity before he got hired. There was nothing in his long history in the NFL that made him an appealing HC prospect. Yet Nix in making one of the most important decisions that a GM is required to make rushes to hire a known mediocrity. What does that say about him? What does it say about the person at the helm making the football decisions for the franchise?

 

My recommendation would be to let both Nix and Gailey go this offseason. It's time that this archaic franchise was infused with some youth and energy. I would promote Whaley to the GM position and demand that he hire the best HC he can find, young or old. There is no doubt that Whaely understands the importance of getting the right HC. He came from the Steeler organization that has made the right selection in its modern history. I would also order him to draft the best qb prospect in this year's draft. If he failed to do that with his first or second draft selection he would be told that he would be fired right on the spot. That certainly will give Kiper, Gruden and the chattering band of commentators something to talk about.

 

My main point is simple: If you want to see positive results focus on the organization and then the roster issues will work itself out.

IMO, your comments are right on target and you've laid it out clearly and logically. This organization suffers from a perpetual dysfunction. If the NFL was a truely competive business the Bills would have been out of business years ago unable to 'sell' a defective and low quality product. Ownership has benfited to a high degree from the revenue sharing arrangement, success of other franchises in building the NFL brand, and taxpayer subsidies for the stadium and other services. The value of the Bills is more a function of belonging to the NFL monopoly vs. value inherent in the franchise itself. In simple terms, ownership has gotten wealthy by taking pretty much a free ride through the success of others.

 

My only other additional comment would be that I've concluded many years ago that winning has never been a real priority of ownership. And the few era's of success the team experienced were more a result of dumb luck and random actions vs. any sort of plan to compete on the field. So its doubtful that Mr. Wilson, his heath in question, is going to 'see the light' at this point and do anything fundamentally different at this point in time. Reality may well be we're stuck with this infinite mediocrity until the time comes for a change at the top. A reality that I personnally find to be very depressing and hopeless taken from a fan's perspective.

[Big Turk]

I get so tired of reading how Fitz has a "huge contract". This must be from people who don't understand football and should probably write about something else. Fact is, he is being paid commensurate for exactly what he is, which is an average starting QB in the NFL. That is the going rate for one of those. The fact that he is being asked to do way too much is not his fault, its a flawed gameplan. Lets stop this nonsense that Fitz is being paid like Brady, Manning or Breed. He's not. He is being paid for what he is, an average starting QB, which is what his numbers suggest he is and what his play suggests he is.

 

[Sisyphean Bills]

Gotcha! Sad eh when there is so much to be done and we don't know the full extent because of expiring contracts.

 

First and foremost they have to get a coach who can lead, then go from there. I don't care who it is, he must be a leader because this team is sorely lacking in that department. When you have 1 WR (who gets chewed out by the HC after a circus catch) and your 3rd string RB as offensive leaders you don't have much. On defense I don't know who I would point to. So...the coach must lead and develop team leaders who can take it from there. Gailey couldn't lead a pack of cub scouts to the ice cream shop and neither could Fitz.

 

The only way I could see Jackson coming back here is if Gailey is fired, he gets very little other interest, and the Bills offer him the best contract. Even then, he might take a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere for less money over a better Bills offer. Playing him at this point is just giving him audition time for other teams.

[ChevyVanMiller]

I get so tired of reading how Fitz has a "huge contract". This must be from people who don't understand football and should probably write about something else. Fact is, he is being paid commensurate for exactly what he is, which is an average starting QB in the NFL. That is the going rate for one of those. The fact that he is being asked to do way too much is not his fault, its a flawed gameplan. Lets stop this nonsense that Fitz is being paid like Brady, Manning or Breed. He's not. He is being paid for what he is, an average starting QB, which is what his numbers suggest he is and what his play suggests he is.

 

Fitz has a career QB rating of just 76.7, with nearly a 1-1 TD to INT ratio. He also fumbles 4 times per year and has a lowly win percentage of 0.356. He's not mediocre - he's below par and he turned 7 games into a golden parachute - You gotta hand it to those Harvard guys!

Edited December 18, 2012 by ChevyVanMiller

[Beerball]

I get so tired of reading how Fitz has a "huge contract". This must be from people who don't understand football and should probably write about something else. Fact is, he is being paid commensurate for exactly what he is, which is an average starting QB in the NFL. That is the going rate for one of those. The fact that he is being asked to do way too much is not his fault, its a flawed gameplan. Lets stop this nonsense that Fitz is being paid like Brady, Manning or Breed. He's not. He is being paid for what he is, an average starting QB, which is what his numbers suggest he is and what his play suggests he is.

Where pray-tell did you read that in this thread? If it's here it's burried because I didn't take anything of the sort from this discussion.

[Big Turk]

First post..."commoner with a Kings contract".

 

More like commoner with a middle class contract.

 

[ChevyVanMiller]

First post..."commoner with a Kings contract".

 

More like commoner with a middle class contract.

 

If the Bills had waited until the end of last season to resign Fitz - and I'm not faulting them for striking when they did, based on the numbers he was putting up at the time - he would have signed for half of what he did - maybe less. So, based on his career numbers, it's a King's contract for sure.

[2003Contenders]

I think 2 simple moves would be enough:

 

1. Get the RIGHT head coach.

2. Get the RIGHT QB.

 

Now, who those two individuals are, I have no idea.

[auburnbillsbacker]

I think 2 simple moves would be enough:

 

1. Get the RIGHT head coach.

2. Get the RIGHT QB.

 

Now, who those two individuals are, I have no idea.

 

It is really as simple as getting the right QB.