ColdBlueNorth

Unless you want our future QB killed or just his brains scrambled, CJ has to get a whole lot better at reading and picking up the blitz and overall pass protection. Teams want to be able to setup the run with the pass and the pass with the run and the reason Chan would use Fred back there and keep CJ on the bench is that Spiller while undoubtably the better pure running back threw the most craptastic "look-out" blocks I have ever seen when in pass protection. Out of Chan's single back multi-receiver formations the back has got to be able to pick up the odd blitzer and still be a threat running the ball, and that is why Spiller spent as much time warming the bench as he did, though I am sure Gailey was trying to keep peace in the locker room as well by keeping the veteran Jackson involved in the game plan. If Spiller can improve that one area of his game he will go a long way to solidifying his star role and the support of the next Bills QB.

This. Hypothetically speaking I think Gailey would have started Wilson as Wilson's athleticism and accuracy would have been too much for him to ignore. Folks that get their undees in a bunch over Spiller not being in on every play should go back and look at Spiller's pass blocking. Spiller would have taken over for Jackson much sooner if he could keep Fitz from getting hit in the teeth on every pass play. Jackson is the better back picking up the blitz and protecting Fitz, and Fred is a decent running back, though admittedly not the pure talent that Spiller is at running the ball. I don't fault Gailey for keeping Fred in to make sure that Fitz felt more comfortable in the pocket. I do however fault Fitz, when given the time, for missing on so many of his throws.

No one will argue that Buffalo does not have an issue assessing, drafting, and developing talent. Personally, I think Nix started to turn our drafting around. Buddy and AJ Smith have been in the talent search game too long not to know how to evaluate players, but it takes time to transform a scouting department from the joke of the league into something respectable. Granted they missed on Troup, and Easley had the health issue that was missed. The jury is still out on Aaron Williams, but I think that our secondary coaching in general is suspect and that is a contributing factor. Regarding Gilmore, I am getting pretty tired of hearing negative things about a rookie that came in and has already gotten opposing QBs to look elsewhere - he is and was the only real bright spot on the defense this year in regards to consistency. He is a very good defensive back with the capability of being a great one. Just looking at the draft picks NE piled on - especially how many 2nd round picks they were able to pick up in 2009 and 2010 it is amazing. What is worse for the Bills is that they hit on so many of those picks, but Nix and the talent staff was getting better and Whaley is no slouch at finding talent. The last two drafts have been the most solid the Bills have had in about a decade - outside of Jauron's last year where he landed Wood and Levitre and a few other keepers. The Bills have got to do a better job at landing good players in the draft, especially rounds 1-2 where their track record of failure mirrors the franchises track record of failure making the post season. The organization also has to create the kind of environment with the kind of staff that develops the players you pick up; The kind of organization where you can plug young players in as veteran players exit and stay competitive. Rather than point solely at the GM position that is where folks need to look more closely when considering the success of organizations like New England. Look at Pioli. He was considered a genius GM in NE and after a few seasons with KC they are a disaster. Not only are they league cellar-dwellers, their top players are not performing on the field, they had a murder-suicide with one of their players, and the carousel of offensive and defensive coordinators they have gone through is dizzying.

Almost famous and everything... In all honesty Scott did a great job representing this site and its members - very cool.

I know that Gailey will probably never see any of our posts, but it makes me feel better to do this any way. Thanks for trying so hard Chan, you were honest and took a lot of heat trying to build a winner around a legacy of very questionable draft picks and castoffs. You did a good job of putting guys in position to make plays and the players did not make enough plays to allow you to keep your job. This failure is theirs although you are too much of a gentleman to not take the bullet for them. Dropped passes, fumbles, interceptions, and balls that bounced off the turf or were no where near their intended target... the coach takes the blame. I wish Wannestedt and our defense would have come through for you a bit more. I think everyone was counting on that and it didn't happen when it would have counted. Best of luck and if you take on an OC position please make it an NFC team:)

I agree that Brandon is a marketing guy first and has always done what Ralph wanted, but I have to see this step towards Ralph moving on and getting a succession plan in place as a good thing. The only thing worse than the questions around ownership and the team moving is the constant threat of the team moving and the uncertainty surrounding the ownership. It would be nice if this is the first step towards a more long-term arrangement regarding those open succession questions. The other thing about Brandon's leadership abilities that comes to mind is that although Brandon has towed the Wilson line, he has often reflected what the fans wanted. I have never been a big believer in bringing in high-priced free agents because I think they cause more problems in the locker room than they solve on the field (QB is probably the exception to that rule), but there were more than a few fans saying the Bills needed to attract a top notch pass rusher. They went out and got Mario - so the Bills organization listened and did what a majority of the fans asked for and it backfired. I was one of the folks on the band wagon thinking that Wannestedt and some solid pass-rushing talent would turn the "D" around. I had hope this past season as well, but it was not a polyanna hope brought on by an obvious marketing move by Brandon like the hype when T. O. signed on; I knew that would solve nothing. I felt that if our defense could improve to 10th or even 14th in the league then Fitz could manage games and that was a good enough recipe for the wins needed to get this team on the doorstep of the playoffs. At least it would be a step forward till we could draft a QB with the consistency and arm to challenge opposing defenses the way Fitz cannot. Well, Wannestedt completely failed in his role and Fitz being...Fitz could not carry the team and win games so that put Chan in the hot seat. As the seat got hotter Chan's game day decisions seemed to be less and less decisive and the team's execution as a whole seemed a lot less crisp than it did during Chan's first year. I understand Nix's criticism surrounding the cycle of staff changes at OBD, but to any objective outsider it was apparent that Chan's hold on the team was slipping and the team appeared to be losing confidence in his game management. That should not be the direction in a team's 3rd year under a coach. To quote the Tommy Boy movie, "you're either grow'n or you're die'n there ain't no third direction". It is unfortunate because with the right QB (one that could run and pass accurately) I think that Chan would light up most defenses in the league, but I will always shake my head at his insistence on using that empty backfield spread. If he would have been realistic about the number of times that led to 3 and outs, turnovers, and/or sacks there is a chance he could have saved his job, but he insisted on putting the game in Fitz's hands. It was like he could not accept the fact that there was no more Fitzmagic left in the tank. I still think that this team is only a few pieces away from being pretty competitive and the right QB that inspires hope rather than despair when the game it on the line would do miracles for the franchise.

This. Tired of watching Easley ride the pine - if the guy has the speed to be back there on kickoffs and the size and vertical to fend off the single coverage they are giving us on the outside, why not play him? I feel like I am living that ground hog day movie... I said the same thing about Stevie Johnson as the organization kept him on the bench for years, and before that Eric Moulds. Doesn't matter who is running the show, they just seem to miss the boat when it comes to playing the right receivers. God forbid we have two quality receivers on the field at the same time. If Easley cannot handle the role - prove it and put him out there for a game or two; At least then I wiould know that this kid with all the measurables is just cannon fodder on the roster.

Two whaaa? Did you say "yoots"? Classic.

I was thinking of Aldon, who's build to me looked more like a linebackers than an end, and has been listed as a LB on some sites. He is 6'4" 258 lbs, which is in the LB range, Maybin was 6'4" and around 240-250 range as well. Just comparing a player who has incredible strength and leverage for his size to one that never did. And it just seemed amazing and funny to me watching a smaller guy lift Carimi out of his shoes and onto his can, or into Campbell's lap. Obviously we cannot compare their play on the field as being similar.

but I was thinking about all the attention given to Byrd and having his effort tied to comments about the defense playing better. I must be a serious "glass half full" guy because I cannot shake the thought that if you have the right defense called, and guys are in the right spots making the correct reads, do you really require super-human individual defensive efforts to defend a pass. What I am not sure of is whether the defense and the scheme under Wanny has improved, or whether the Miami game was just an example of individual defensive players making outstanding plays despite the design, coaching, and execution of our current defense. I guess that is why I have to see how our defense performs over the next 2 games before I believe they are coming together as a successful unit under Wanny. On another note, man that DE Smith from the 49ers is good. He looks too small for the position, almost a similar frame to Maybin, but he has true strength and leverage:) It was redonkulous watching him forklift Carimi on a bull rush right into Campbell last night, or stutterstep and simply juke the same Carimi leaving his jock spinning on the field. Why the Bears did not put two guys on him is beyond me, but I would hate to be a QB behind those softies. I don't see Lovie Smith lasting after this season.

I don't know if Kraft has something on the league, but there has certainly been a lot of odd favoritism when it comes to that organization. I still remember the "just give it to them" scandal. The infamous line from the refs at the NE game where our defense stopped a 4th down play well short of the marker and our players heard the officiating crew say those words and just gave them the spot to move the chains. We stopped them again and NE's only option left was a Hail Mary pass to the end zone. Our boys knocked that down in an 5-6 man scrum and we got an unfathomable pass interference on a Hail Mary in the end zone call putting NE on the 1 yard line. Wade, bless that son of a bum, marched the team off the field in protest, while NE lined up and took the points uncontested. I have never seen an NFL coach with the nads to pull what Wade did, but he was fined later by the league. All he did is call attention to the obvious turd of a fixed game and for having the audacity to say that "poop" stinks. Ralph actually stood behind Wade in his protest over the officiating. That offseason, the two key holdout owners against instant replay - Ralph Wilson and the owner of the Detroit Lions changed their vote in favor of instant replay and it was adopted. I have a theory that the Bills organizaton was punished for several years after that vote by officiating crews that felt the Buffalo Bills organization was the key ingredient in both questioning and taking away their ability to make many of their traditional judgement calls; A privelege that they had enjoyed and IMO taken advantage of for as long as the game had been around. I personally feel we took one for the league again and again until Gary Seeman stepped down as senior director of officiating in 2001. Coincidentally, that was the year after the Music City debacle and Ralph handing Wade Phillips his walking papers. It is all speculation, but I could see that Seeman hanging on till he was satisfied that the coach that called his officiating organization into quetion was fired, but that is conspiracy theory at best. Even today, I still feel there is too much leeway given to officials in regards to holding and PI calls. I really have a problem with those two calls particularly when the flag is thrown in late and they either negate a large gain and kill momentum, or place an opponent on the 1 yard line. Those calls could just too easily be used to sway the outcome of a game, or point spread.

I don't know if I like the spread in short yardage situations, but I understand why they use it when they keep at least keep CJ or Freddie in the backfield. It simply creates more seams and space to run. The problem lately is that most teams simply man-up on our receivers and still load the box. That means that Fitz has got to be on the money with those short throws in those situations and he is inaccurate enought that teams do not fear his short passing game. You have heard Chan say time and again that he spread it out trying to get the other teams to take guys out of the box, but it is not working - we all know why. If teams are not going to move out of the box, Chan needs to simply find a balance and keep a fullback and Spiller in the backfield and use a two receiver set. You have Corey and CJ able to pick up pass rushers to give Fitz more time to take advantage of the man coverage, or you can use the extra blocking FB to try to create a seam or allow Spiller to gain the edge outside. Until we have a more accurate QB (I do not question Fitz's heart), that is the defense we will see and we will not see safeties dropping out of the run box to protect against the pass.

Yeah, Captain Crunch. Still remember the way he jacked Modano into next week during our Stanley Cup run.

Yeah, I was just at a concert performance last night that my older kid was in. It was a big honor for him and his school to be represented there, but sure enough a lady sits right behind me, my wife, and the inlaws and her kid about 4-5 yrs old starts acting up. I had my 3 yr old with me so I know the drill and if my daughter started melting down I take the bullet for the family and remove her so others can enjoy the concert. If I were a single parent, I would do the same thing. The thought of keeping her there and making everyone else miserable would not even cross my mind. At first this lady just asks her child to be reasonable and stop making obnoxious noises, and when a child fails to see reason and understand the intricacies of courtesy she just ignores him and starts playing on her phone. I finally had enough and just turned around and said, "I came here with my family to hear my kid perform up there, not hear your kid. Is it too much to ask - really?" You would have thought I farted in church the way she looked at me, but seriously. I think there is a generation of parents that think it is wrong to teach and enforce manners and respectful behavior in children, either that or they are just too damn lazy to intervene when they should. It takes a heck of a lot more effort to intervene and correct bad behavior. And trying to reason with a child when they have not developed the full capacity for reason or empathy is just dumb. Now I am not talking beating the heck out of your child, but more than once I gave my kids the "strike 1, that's 2, all right we are out of here" and carried a screaming protesting child out of theatre, park, or where ever. They eventually learned the drill and the business stopped as soon as I started the strike count. My other theory is perhaps manners, courtesy, and respect for others has simply been outpaced by selfishness and entitlement.

This. We are fickle and the reality is that the average Bills fans could care less what is called as long as it actually works.

Guy is not a bad player, but from what I can find on him he has had an injury plagued career. According to what I have read at USC he was used primarily as a run stopper always playing the strong side and overshadowed by the Trojans other NFL prospects Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, and Clay Matthews at LB (talk about an embarrassment of freaking riches on a college team, how would the Bills like those guys at LB). I am not sure where the pass-rush specialist label comes from. He has proto-typical body frame of a DE, and is not that tweener mold DE/OLB like Maybin Knee surgery at USC, but still ran a respectable 4.7 at the combine and picked in 2009 by Tampa Bay. He then had a groin injury, knee injury, and shoulder injury and spent much of the time on injured reserve. With the emergence of guys who were healthy he became expendable. Cannot blame the Bucs there, he was released around the same time the Bucs jettisoned a Bills' castoff McCargo - yeah, remember that guy Troup version 1.0 (two high round D-tackles the Bills have taken and both could never stay on the field due to back issues, there has got to be a better way to check for that propensity before blowing a high draft pick). Moore has a very typical NFL washout story, but maybe it was a bit too early to close the book on this kid. It would be a kind of nice to see what kind of player he could be if he can shed the injury bug for a season or two.

QB in Round 1 - there are about 3 right now that project as 1st rounders, but after that I think we need another wide-body Defensive lineman to rotate in, push Dareus and spell Kyle so he is fresh on passing downs. We give up too much against the run up the gut, and since Troup has to date been a bust our D tackle position is a bit light to be effective. Need another impact 2-gap player and that I believe would go a long way towards healing what ails our linebackers who are not hitting their gaps clean. I also think an upgrade to our linebacking core would not hurt because they often do not hit the right gap anyway, and you can never have enough d-backs.

This year he has, and for the life of me I cannot explain it, but I have seen some horrifying offenses in Buffalo and Chan IMO has not sunk quite to that level - yet. Perhaps some of that panic he displays is just the result of the anxiety he feels that his defense is just not going to stop the other team from making 1st downs, maintaining possession, and eventually scoring. If he had a strong defense I am pretty sure he would not press it, rather he would stick to the run and just punt it away if and when it stalled amd trust his defense to get him the ball back. He knows what the defenses are giving him (and yes those plays are there for the taking), but he cannot come to terms with the fact that Ryan just can't be relied on to make that key throw. If it isn't Ryan then it is two or three critical third down plays where we have our receivers flat out dropping the ball. I have also seen our receivers too often do the inexcusable and run comeback routes shy of the sticks to kill drives. If the game was close in the second half I personally would shock folks and come out with a 2-TE pro-set with Stevie out wide, CJ and Freddy in the backfield, and give teams a steady dose of counters, stretch plays, screens, draws, and dives. Where you could motion Fitz out of the pocket each time setting up the bootleg pass for either CJ motioning out out wide (Freddy is still the better blocker) to see if defenses counter with a safety or LB to cover him, or your TE can execute a delayed release as Houston did to us. Respect for the run would setup the easy pass, and you rely less on Fitz having to carry the load and you move him out of the pocket where he seems more comfortable working just one half of the field. Also teams have to respect that if they come off the line too hard and over pursue with Freddy back blocking Firz could just as easily throw a screen or a dump off pass to him where he is dangerous with a little space. To me, that would be the kind of offense that would play to our current strengths. Instead we currently abandon the run, go empty backfield and every pass rusher starts to pin their ears back and lick their lips having zero concern for the running game. I agree that Chan is stuck in a bit of a rut with the pass setting up the run, and he would benefit from shelving the pride and doing some self-scouting of his play calling tendancies that have proven somewhat disasterous over the 2nd halves of many of our games. But in the long run I still would like to see what this offense would look like if it had a solid QB who could hit the medium to long passes executing it.

Not going to argue with that. This year I do believe that he has hit the panic button way too quick and teams seem to know that when he goes to that empty set he has bailed on the run. Just because teams put 7-8 in the box does not mean that they have dictated your play calling unless you allow them to. I have always believed that running play whether it gains enough yards or not serves the purpose of keeping the defenses honest. Several times Houston showed 7-8 in the box only to drop everyone into short zones - a run against that call has a good chance of gaining the yards Chan was looking for. He has become predictable which is dangerous for an OC, and he could be doing a better job with the offensive play calling this year. All that being said, I think Chan with a good-to-great QB prospect would be a difficult OC for defenses to prepare against.

I think Gailey fell in love with how well their short 3-receiver spread game protected Ryan last year and how it reduced the men in the box allowing Fred and CJ to have big games. It is a strategy that works to perfection for NE so why not try to copy it? Well, NE has Brady - that would be one reason. It really does work, if you have a QB and receivers that can make teams pay for the single coverage they turn to on the outside. Fitz AND our receivers for the second half of last year and this year all had moments of craptastic play that has generally lead to way too many 3 and outs. When Fitz and the offense are clicking our Defense comes out flat and gets raped. At this point, most folks would rather see CJ or Fred running 2-3 yards and getting stopped in a cloud of dust than the passing game that has proven to be ineffective and turnover-prone. Gailey is not dumb, just very very very very very stubborn. A QB that can make defenses pay would change the entire complextion of this offense.

I understand that most everyone is in a crappy mood, but to all your points above: It was not a zone blitz because we were not playing zone we were playing man and stacking the box against a run formation. Also Kelsay did not drop into a area, rather he saw a TE release and chased after him. Yes, I have seen Kelsay diagnose and defend a bootleg - he is usually pretty good at staying home and sealing the end. A bootleg is simply the QB running towards either sideline with the ball behind the line of scrimmage - a naked bootleg means no blockers go with him. Before he crosses the line of scrimmage the QB always has the option to throw or run it himself (as for other viable options you could probably add hand it off, pitch it, lateral it, get crushed, fumble, or take a knee).

I give the rookie a pass on that, he had no help over top and playing a really strong WR... he played it a bit safe and got burnt.

I have read a few comments that have knocked a defensive scheme that has Kelsay covering a TE. Personally, I don't think the defensive scheme called for Kelsay to cover a tight end releasing. The reason I don't believe that is because Houston ran that same play 4-5 times (each time successfully gobbling up a bunch of yards) and none of our linemen on the other instances dropped into coverage. What I think happened on that play was that Houston (once again) executed the naked bootleg off a double-tight formation leaving the back side TE to hang around a wait for everyone to commit to the fake stretch run play. Kelsay recognized what was happening when the TE released and knew no one was behind him in coverage (makes you wonder about our scheme having no one covering the back door or the football IQ of our linebackers and safeties where no one stayed home) so he tried like heck to cover him. You watch the play and you see someone reacting, not playing a designed defensive assignment. For that I think he deserves probably a bit more slack than I have given him in the past - it probably was a heads-up move, but he just did not have the wheels to prevent the reception. Either way, all that proves is that there are still to many missed assignments and sloppy play in our secondary (linebackers, safeties, and DBs).

I would like to see what Brooks could do, but at 5-10 he is in that smurf mode that Catavolos seems to have the scouts target. Gilmore is the real deal and although he did get run over on one play by Andre Johnson, it's Andre freaking Johnson. Andre is freakishly big and strong for a receiver and some of us remember how he B word-slapped the Titan's Cortland Finnegan into submission. Other than Andre strong-arming Gilmore out of the way, I thought that Stephon did a good job staying in his back pocket and keeping his receptions to a minimum. Now if we just had a safety or linebacker who could cover Tight Ends releasing off the line after a naked bootleg, the same play used 4X against us to success.

that was a question I had, why isn't Grahm streaking down the sideline for a few bombs. Stevie looked like he had nothing in the tank today, really just looked like he was going through the motions after Fitz overthrew him by a mile on the first throw. Maybe he wants the FO to draft a QB that can get him the ball downfield so he can work on his celebration moves.