Why are we surprised?

[jahnyc]

I think the Bills being competitive in the first four games really masked how much the team has changed and how far the teams needs to go.

 

New coaches, new schemes for the offense and defense, new players and veterans cut or not re-signed (Milloy, Adams, Teague, etc.).

 

What concerns me is the o-line, JP and losing some quality players this offseason. It seems that for the last seven or eight years there has been constant complaining about the o-line and it does not get better. Gandy should not be a starter in the NFL, the Bills can never seem to rush to get a first down, even when they need only a few yards, and JP does not have enough time to throw. I know that Marv inherited this problem, but a few low round picks in the draft and some budget free agents will not fix this problem.

 

I have strong doubts about JP as a starting NFL quarterback. Granted, the line play has been poor, but JP does not seem to feel the rush and makes too many bad throws, pressured or not. He may not have many NFL starts, but he has been in three training camps and participated in a couple of offseasons. He should be further along at this point in his career. Again, maybe the problem is the o-line, but I also thought that about Rob Johnson, who is no longer playing in the NFL.

 

Clements will likely be a free agent after this year. Fletcher and I think Kelsay will be as well. It is hard to find quality players in free agency, most teams re-sign their own quality players. I would have no confidence that we will be able to fill our holes in free agency this offseason. We certainly will not be able to do it through the draft alone. In addition to the above, we will need o-line help, possibly a rb since McGahee will be a free agent after next year, and another DT.

 

Can all of our problems on offense be traced to the o-line? Is it JP? What about McGahee, who has been ineffective at times this year? On defense, why is McGee suddenly so exposed this year? I understand why teams can run effectively on the Bills. Losing Pat Williams really hurt this team and our new DTs are a work in progress (although Anderson seems like a bust).

 

Bottom line is that we have a lot of holes and will have possibly more holes going into the offseason if we lose more players to free agency. We are rebuilding and it will take time.