Buffalo Barbarian Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 If we stick with TJ, Fitz and one of these average QBs in the draft then there is a good chance that we will be picking very high in the draft and Could end up 2 - 14. I like Marrone as our HC as he was my second favorite option and absolutely love pettine, even more than Marrone. However when new coaches come in there is usually a big transition period that takes about a half to a whole season to get the players totally comfortable with the systems. This coupled with our horrible QB situation is going to get us Johny Manziel, who I liken to Tim Tebow with his Charisma, leadership and being a pure gamer but with a good arm. So as brutal as it would be to have another losing season, it might be the best hope for this team because with out a franchise QB we will never go anywhere regardless of who is coaching. Also next year there are other Good QBs that could be viable options in AJ McCarron, Blake Bortles and Casey Pachall. I personally hope we go after Alex Smith so that at least we have solid QB to hold the fort till we develop an elite QB but if we go with what we have we are in for another long season.
UConn James Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 Fully expecting so. Either 2-14 or 3-13.
Estro Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 Yes we will have a poor record. This team isnt in full on strip it down and build it back up rebuilding mode, but there are a lot of holes to be filled. So many wholes that its unrealistic to expect that theyd be a playoff team in 2013. We need a Qb, a big time receiver, a stud lb if not 2, a #2 CB, a starting quality LG(assuming we dont give Levitre the $8 million a season hes looking for, which we prob. Wont), depth at safety, and possibly a starting TE if Chandlers not ready to go. Like i said thats a lot of holes and its coupled with our players having to learn an entirely new defense and offense. Im thinking this might be a 6 win team again. If we had a shot at a stud QB in the draft, things might be different, but I dont think theres a guy liks that in this years draft. For the record, I'm still high on Zach Dysert. He's lost some luster tye last few weeks so I think theres a pretty good shot hes there for our 2nd round pick possibly even the 3 rd round, which would be a no brainer. The kids got the ability to be a francise Qb, IMO.
jaybee Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 no, i say at least .500 or better. I'm also thinking around .500. Reason: I expect an improved defensive unit. But....a lot can happen between now and the start of the season. jb
Homey D. Clown Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 this team was 2-3 poor fitzpatrick decisions away from 8-8 last year, and sprinkle in 2 key INT drops from Wilson, and they easily finish the season at 9-7. I can't see them absolutely tanking, not with a much better coaching staff in place on defense.
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 .500 record and mid- first round pick.
ThurmasThoman Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 (edited) for the first time in over 20 years following this team, i am completely devoid of optimism heading into next season. if the new head coach can look at the team and say "we have no qb, no wide reciever, no defensive backfield, no linebackers, and may need to rebuild our offensive line," then that tells me we're in rebuilding mode. the problem is, the guy who built this team that needs to be rebuilt is still our gm. and the succession plan in place is to hand this over to his protege. the new head coach we hired was a .500 coach in the big east. this isnt harbaugh coming in, this isn't carrol coming in, this is someone who was completely average at coaching in a completely average conference. the league is built on offense, and our offensive coordinator has next to no experience as an offensive coordinator on the pro level, he is young, he is wet behind the ears, and he doesn't inspire confidence in me. i know coordinators don't usually come with a sterling pedigree, but generally they at least come from a solid coaching tree--ours does not. in addressing the quarterback situation, we're still inviting fitz back to "an open competition." he is terrible, and anyone who watched last year and thought differently is a fool, plain and simply. if last season happened before the era of FANTASY FOOTBALL, ryan fitzpatrick would be out of the league today. however, because buffalo is a small market without a lot of nationally televised games, and because fitz put up middle of the road (respectable) numbers, he is viewed as "an adequate backup." he is not even that. we resigned tavaris jackson, who was an unrestricted free agent. meaning, we TARGETED tavaris jackson as a qb for next year. 30 year old tavaris jackson who had middling success in minnesota is going to be the bills qb of the future? or, the alternative, we draft a qb. the problem with that scenario is, however, if we draft a qb and he is middle of the road (dalton,) than we will be like the bengals, with a 9-7 ceiling and a potential divisional round game every few years to get excited about, for the next decade. if we draft a qb and he's terrible, we will have to stick with him for 3 years before rebuilding again. unfortunately, we're in the worst possible position. just enough talent to not necessitate cutting everyone on the roster, not enough core talent to build a team that can win a super bowl. we may be staring down the barrel of a "rebuilding" project that sees us hover at 6 wins for this year and next, and maybe peak with a 9 win wild card season, until our defensive line retires, cj hits 30, and it's time to rebuild again. with that being said, however, having 0 optimism may be a good thing. if we win 4 games, ill have been expecting it and won't be dissapointed. if we win 9 and steal a wild card, it will be an amazing ride. Edited February 16, 2013 by JohnnyGold
jcbillsfan Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 500 is reasonable. The d will be better. The qb as always is the number 1 issue.
Matt in KC Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 I also expect around a 4 win season this year. A new (and probably young) QB, new coaches and new defense are going to be hard to get performing smoothly until the second hald of the season. I always seem to get swept up in draft optimism and training camp hype and raise my expectations by a game or two. So I bet I'll land at a 5-6 win expectation going into the season. Frankly, I'd be fine with this if it reflects us gettng comfortable and starting to click on O and D by the end of the year. Losing can be hard to diagnose, but winning isn't. To win consistently, everything needs to be working: all levels of coaching, preparation, player performance. I'm not sure where we'll break down, but don't think it's realistic to think we'll have everything worked out and running at a level that can compete with established winning teams until going through several game cycles.
PromoTheRobot Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 (edited) It depeneds a lot on what Pettine brings to the table. PTR Edited February 16, 2013 by PromoTheRobot
Buffaloed in Pa Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 Hell yeah,the curse of Ralph continues.
JohnC Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 There are so many holes to address that this is clearly not a playoff team. What is most frustrating is after reviewing the three year GM stint of Nix it is safe to say that this team and franchise hasn't moved very far up the ranks. This offseason with numerous player movements (in and out) and especially with this draft is going to be very telling as to how this organization is going to be run. That is the real issue. Will the Brandon era be an era where staff will be held accountable or will the status quo mind set continue to be the cultural enviornment for this laggard franchise. I'm more optimistic now than before primarily because the owner decided to hand the mantel to someone else. If the Bills have a solid draft which includes a credible qb prospect and systematically cull it's roster and replace them with more productive players then I will be more than satisfied. What has crushed this franchise is not the players on the roster but the people who make the decisions to staff the roster. Brandon retaining Nix has bothered me a lot. How much authority does BN actually have? I don't know. If this is a more inclusive process with Whaley and coaches more actively involved then maybe the old school approach that Nix has can be mitigated. This franchise has wasted six years under Levy/Brandon/Nix. Is this franchise going to come out of the stone age and start to function more rationally? That is what needs to be watched. At this point it isn't mostly about the record but how this organization functions. That is the main storyline for this upcoming season.
Heitz Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 Yes OR No Can't we at least wait to see who is on the team before predicting doom and gloom?
KOKBILLS Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 I'll only predict this...If Fitz is the QB, the Bills will lose more than they win... It's pretty much a given with that guy as the starting QB...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 I'll only predict this...If Fitz is the QB, the Bills will lose more than they win... It's pretty much a given with that guy as the starting QB... Unless our D can keep teams from scoring 30 a game. PTR
JPS Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 As long as the Bills are choosing between the likes of Fitz and TJack for their starter, we will be debating 2 vs. 8 wins. It will never be higher. Alex Smith is Joe Montana compared to to jamokes we have on our roster.
jcbillsfan Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 Unless our D can keep teams from scoring 30 a game. PTR Has he ever won more then 6 games ?
BillsVet Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 Without better starting QB play, Buffalo remains a 5-7 win team. Nix really left this team in a huge hole, and it'll take more than a season to get out of it.
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