All_Pro_Bills

Maybin's only 22, the same age as most of this year's rookie class. He's got some growing up to do physically, emotionally, and intellectually if he's going to succeed. Will he do it? We'll get a pretty good idea this year. Did he make any impact last year? No, we can all agree on that. In the meantime, I'm willing to cut the guy some slack. Him becoming an impact player on defense will help this team and in the end we'd all would like to see that happen. The 3-4 can create a lot of uncertainty and confusion for the offensive blocking schemes if employed correctly. That might play to his strengths and minimize his weaknesses (being engulfed by larger OT) displayed when coming off the line from the DE position. IMO, labeliing him a bust is premature because he didn't play enough nor was he utilized very well last season by the previous coaching staff.

Got to disagree about Campbell. He is not ready to start at LT in the NFL. His 'measurables' at the combine were exceptional but his blocking skills are marginal and his techincal is bad. Someday he might be a good NFL tackle but at the moment he is a project pick. On the NFL network this morning, Lombardi and Casserly were discussing which of the 4 top QB's would see action this season. Their opinion was only Bradford was prepared to assume the starting QB position. That all said I would have prefered the Bills selected Charles Brown in the 2nd to address the OT situation. He went to the Saints with their pick late in round 2.

Few quarterbacks that are #1 overall draft choices win Superbowls with the team that draft them. In recent history you've got Aikman in '93, '94, '96, and and Manning in '07. Elway was drafted by Baltimore, Eli Manning by San Diego. Warner was a free agent, Montana a 3rd round choice, Steve Young was drafted by Tampa, Farve a 2nd round choice by Atlanta, Brady, we know the story there. The lesson is there's no tried and true scientific method to find a franchise quarterback. Its a lot of work and more times than not a lot of luck too and taking one early in the 1st round in no sure thing.

The defense couldn't get off the field on 3rd down but some of the fault was the result of offensive ineptitude. Last year's defense was 24th in third down conversions, 40.4%. And tied with SF for most 3rd down attempts allowed, 240. The defense was 32nd in rushing 1st downs surrendered, 134. This validates the focus on addressing upgrades to the front 7 on D.

That's exactly it. The draft experts don't get graded, second guessed, or fired. Because their picks never have to be proven out on the field on Sunday's. Only the 32 teams making the actual picks are subject to criticism and have to back up their work with results.

Perhaps some 2-back sets with Jackson and Spiller? Break huddle 2nd and 6, and Spiller motions off as the slot receiver. Defense in basic 3-4-4 or 4-3-4. Who's gonna cover him? LB, haha, safety, good luck. Runs 7 yard crossing pattern, catches ball, off to the house!! Still let's get some line help 2nd, 3rd rounds.....

Washington, with Shanahan and Snyder, have a win now approach. Still what does it say when you trade a vet QB to one of your division rivals? IMO, it means we're not scared of you beating us twice a year. The Bills have needs at other postions which I prefer they address in round 1 (e.g. OT), but I've got no gripe if they take Clausen at #9. As for being a prick I think there's a fine line between that and having confidence and projecting that confidence in your actions and words. As he matures I suspect he'll adapt and refine his demeanor. All I know about the guy is what I've seen on Saturday afternoon's and from those performances he merits a good look. Personal behavior aside, the only question that I care about is can the Bills win with this guy as the QB?

Right. You can't make progress selling at the bottom. I'd like to see what the new staff can do with the offense, and Lynch, before making a move to trade a player that has been productive, last year being the exception. Good teams don't move players unless they've already got a replacement groomed and on the roster. Moving a player and creating a new 'need' is just running in place. If somebody makes an offer you can't refuse then that bears consideration. But a possible 4th rounder? Pass...

Agree. Unless you've got a replacement on the roster it makes no sense to trade Lynch for a draft choice to be used for another RB. If that approach would produce a viable replacement your trading partner should just keep their pick and choose the same guy minus the bagage. They need to stop degrading the roster and add talent, drop the like-for-like trade and draft mentality, stop the running in place approach to building the roster.

Here in central New Jersey we've gotten about 6" so far with up to another 12" expected. They do a decent job of snow removal in my town and the surrounding areas. If you know what you're doing you can get around okay. The local drivers on the road are another story. They seem incapable of adapting their driving style to the conditions. Ice and snow are slippery? Wow. You mean I can't go 75 mph? The inevitable crashes and traffic tie-ups occur. Anyway, that aside, the most amazing aspect of each storm is the survivalist rush to the supermarket to stock up on supplies of bread, eggs, and milk. Its quite comical. And its just a one day event in most cases. If you didn't know about the snow storm you'd think the world was coming to an end.

The game was competitive and pretty well played but not having any rooting interest, except for a couple boxes in the office pool, I wasn't really into the game. As somebody posted earlier too many commercial breaks. IMO, most of the commericals were relatively infantile and stupid rather than funny. Whether that's an indictment of my sense of humor or society at-large is open to debate. The game itself has become less of a sporting event and more of a Hollywood spectacle attended by celebrities who can afford the top-dollar ticket prices and have connections, rather than true football fans. Its the chic place to be. I enjoyed the games on conference championship weekend a lot more because it was just football.

The truth is there are several ways to find a franchise QB, trade, free agency, draft. None are 100% foolproof. The Bills have gotten QB's via all 3 methods over the past decade and have had little success. Ultimately, it boils down to your ability to identify the right guy, at the right time, in the right situation, and luck. The Bills have had none of those go their way. Is the front office with the new GM and assistant GM in a better position to judge talent than the past crew? I think so but only time will tell. IMO, #1 and #2 is protect the QB and stop the run. The Bills as built don't do either well. Until those problems are solved I don't see how any franchise QB, no matter how talented, can thrive. He won't have the ball, or the lead, and will be under constant pressure. Those circumstances have already ruined a couple prospective QB's, Losman and Edwards. Although I'd like to see Claussen or Bradford in a Bills uniform in 2010 I'm inclined to side with the idea that spending high picks on building the O-line, and 'D', is the best way to go, given the state of the team now.

1) Charter a bank 2) Make bad loans 3) Declare bankruptcy 4) Get government assistance 5) Pay yourself a $1 billion bonus

No question profit and loss are major drivers behind business decisions. No profit = no business, so its essential for a business to be profitable to expand and grow, continue to employ people, and service their customers. But NFL football is more than an entertainment business. There's another aspect to this beyond the dollars and cents analysis. There is also an emotional component at play. Ego. To someone with a large ego, a high net worth, and a high opinion of themselves, running with the big dogs so to speak, winning in the NFL tranlates to boosting their personal success above that of their multi-millionaire and billionaire friends and associates. Do we actually believe Snyder bought the Redskins to make money or to acquire a rich man's 'toy'? I'm guessing a guy like Snyder given the choice of making a $100 million next season or losing $20 million but winning the Super Bowl will choose the later. I heard rumor that a member of Jim Kelly's investor group was Donald Trump. Personally, I think Trump is a shameless self-promotor. On the other hand, as a Bill's fan I'd welcome a guy like that at the top. Somebody who would make winning the highest priority.

To me, Nix is the GM version of HQ Rex Ryan. His abrasive attitude set the tone this season by turning the hapless team culture of the Jets around. Whether its something lasting time will tell. If and how Nix translates this street figher attitude to acquiring the necessary talent to produce wins on the field is something we'll all be watching. Winning is going to be the only measure of success that counts.

They should trade down in the 1st round and acquire a few extra picks. This team has too many major holes for one top pick to make any significant difference. Trade down into the middle of the 1st and an OT like Bulaga would likely still be on the board and depending on the terms of a draft choice swap, maybe with an additional 2nd rounder they can look at LB and DT. Obviously, to pull off any trade you've got to find a partner. While I like the idea of getting a franchise QB and solving that problem after what seems like forever, going into 2010 I can't see many scenarios where that is going to tranlate into any real improvement without first upgrading the lines on both sides of the ball. Put a rookie QB behind this O-line without any upgrades at tackle and he's on IR before week 6.....

Your point on meddling is valid. Look at two of the better known meddlers. Snyder and Jones. They may be meddlers and you can question their results, but you can't question their passion and commitment to doing what it takes to build a winning team. This is what Bills ownership lacks, commitment. The team talked a good game about evaluating the organization and making changes but in the end came up small.

Your post is excellent and drills down the issue of 'market size' to the detailed level needed to understand what kind of interest a transplanted team would garner. Measured purely by individuals interested in a local pro football team, I'd wager the Buffalo market would fare pretty well in terms of 'relative' market size (football fans divided by total population).

Are you saying we might have a coach that evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of his players then develops a scheme/gameplan that emphasizes the strengths and avoids the weaknesses? Wow. Maybe there is hope?

Sounds like you're describing the script of Major League. A story about a baseball teams young female owner's attempt to create a team so distasteful to the fans that it would justify moving the team to another city. The team realizing they are a bunch of second rate losers, rally around each other and win the penant. In our case seriously doubt we'll get the happy ending that the movie provided.

Completely agree. But ask this, would football-intelligent people been forced into a situation of having to make this choice? Or would potential candidates have viewed the opportunity in a better light? A strike/lockout in 2010 is looking like the best option for next season.

They have been better off keep Jauron (never thought I'd even contemplate this), or giving the job to Fewell, or April.

Agree. What's wrong with having somebody that's got a pair for a change? As I posted earlier, my belief is commitment to winning is the root issue, or lack of it. That’s the ‘elephant in the room’ that no uninterested candidate speaks of directly. There was talk earlier of ‘doing whatever it takes’ (I’m paraphrasing) but so far all we’ve seen out of the front office is a superficial rearrangement of the reporting relationships but no real changes in the power and decision structure. As long as marketing and finance sit at the head table with the owner and football operations is at the kiddies’ table nothing is going to translate to winning on the field.

I like your analogy but I'll take it a step further. The problem is if Jessica and Heidi find out that you asked Scarlett out, and she said no, they are likely to rebuff you too. They will figure if he's not good enough for her why should I date him? Fact is, the easiest time to find a new girlfriend is when you have one already. Just like in football, the best time to find a coach is when a lot of people want the job. In the Bills situation, perception or reality (and I'm not saying I agree), it appears they are desperate. How many potential candidates already said no thanks? IMO, there is nothing wrong with the city of Buffalo or prospects for improving the team. They way the league is structured all 32 teams have pretty much the same chance of success. The issue is with ownership, past decisions, and a reputation for interference. But even with meddling, you have that elsewhere in sports, Jones and Snyder in football, Steinbrenner in baseball, maybe Cuban in basketball. On the other hand I cannot question any of them for their commitment to winning. Can you say that about Ralph? He’s committed to winning? I think that is the main concern for potential head coaches. The owners lack of commitment, real or perceived, to winning and how that impacts the job. Not money, not organization. No high profile candidate with a drive to advance is going to take a chance on a head coaching job that will make them look like a failure and stifle their career.

That and a lot of undisplined penalties did them in. Kicking the challenge flag, 15 yards? C'mon man! Get your head in the game. Several personal fouls, after the play. Ryan had his team focused and you didn't see the Jets do anything stupid the entire game. Disipline is a area where the coach counts...