IMzeke

Some old group of wise sages once wrote, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you get what you need!" The key word being "try" not cry! I say tear it down to its core and do whatever it takes to turn our team around. Onward and upward and all that good stuff. Give the boys a chance we can "lynch" em later if time proves them to be yet another set of not quite the answer losers. We need to see what next year's draft and FA brings to really determine if they have a viable strategy for getting us back into the fray of legitimate competition in the NFL.

I agree with this post and others that have echoed this position. Let's face it the new regime(FO)inherited a train wreck. Where do you start when pretty much everything is lacking in some way. I thought the approach to the draft other than what seemed like a luxury pick in Spiller was as tactical as they could be in laying down a foundation for our future. The Spiller pick sold tickets and let's be honest did get us one hell of a ball-player, so luxury or not it was not an utterly wasted pick. Agreed? The FA market was lean at best and they tossed a couple bandaids on some gaping wounds, but overall they seem to be executing a patient strategy. To me the true test will be the next draft and how they use the picks that in my opinion they will continue to stockpile with the possibility of a couple more trades. It is not inconcievable to see a safety or WR trade before the deadline. We need to beef up our lines on both sides of the ball and we need to work on our LB situation to become competitive. That done then we can refocus on our QB of the future, tweak some skill-set positions and set our sites on the playoffs. This is no overnight fix. I'm a Bills fan through thick or thin and I refuse to toss in the towel on the current regime/FO until they have had a legitmate chance and the time they need to show us what they actually have in mind. There is NO WAY to really assess that on what they have done so far this year in that there are without a doubt enumerable essential pieces to the overall puzzle that will/can only be revealed with time. I chose to remain optimistic and willing to give them next year's draft before I push any panic buttons or become a full-fledged member of the second guessing bandwagon. Those are my thoughts. Go Bills! Oh and thanks for reading my mindless uptake on this...

Football is a "very" basic game. No line NO win!!! You can have god himself at quarterback and unless he uses powers that would be very unsportsmanlike he will fail just as any other awesome talent would with no protection. Even a Michael Vick type product still relies on the line to effectively execute any kind of aerial attack. How many potential QB's do you guys want to draft and ruin before we finally address the real issue. Finish building the line, then draft your answer at QB. With a legitimate line we can stay in games with our existing talent in the backfield and address stretching the field with exisiting gamers like Fitz or Brohm till we are ready to put the next "franchise QB" back into the equation. Line FIRST then QB. The same holds true on the other side of the ball. We simply do not have the right personel to execute the style of defense that we arbitrarily switched to. Heck Trent Edwards tore our "D" up in practice. The writing was on the Wall throughout training camp. The current regime stuck bandaids on mortal gaping holes. Hindsight is 20/20 clearly the bandaids didn't work. Put the men in the trenches and we will turn our franchise around. We have some good core talent, one really solid draft and a couple decent FA pick-ups and we could return to repectability. Then get your "franchise QB" and we can return to the playoffs. Clearly we also need the right personel in the LB corps too. This is not a single season/draft turn-around, but it will NEVER happen if they keep, making luxury drafts to sell tickets. CJ is an awesome aquisition, but clearly will be hard pressed to win any games for us on his own. Last time I checked this was a team sport and he needs a few road graders in front of him for the real magic to start happening. There are plenty more Wood and Levitre's out there and we have a couple other promising projects that by next year could be real assets, but the focus for now has to be the core of the team which is the line on both sides of the ball. Show me any famous QB and I will show you an equally infamous line that provided him with the time and opportunity to be great!!! It starts and ends in the trenches. Always has and Always will!!! Until you address this you are wasting picks on skill position players they won't survive...

Hey if you are a true Bills Fan, which everyone here is, then skeptical but hopeful is good. I know that it is very easy to see and point out the downside, but I prefer to go into the season optimistic. The fun thing about the off-season is the brief opportunity to fantasize about the possibilities before the harsh reality of the season takes it's course. I go into every new year anticipating the best, anguish or relish in the reality, and come back every year for more because I am a Bills fan. Go Bills!!!

The second choice thank you...

I don't post often so have at it... I see Jackson, Spiller, and Lynch as the key to driving any hopes we have of eeeking into the playoffs this year. In my humble opinion our Coach is basically creating an extremely diverse set of options out of our backfield that will keep any defense on their heels from the first to the last snap of the game. All three can catch and each is uniquely different in style. Short passes to any of them can turn into huge gains on any given play. The possibilites are endless and the rotation should go long on keeping legs fresh and the potential for damage on high. Everyone keeps calling for, or predicting a trade for Lynch. He is a beast. Make no mistake about it! Even on his worst day he is a beast and no one can argue that he loves what he does. Last year was an aboration and the fact that he fell off in productivity can be attributed to anyone of a number of reasons. Some his fault, like the suspension, but overall I believe in him as a true beast and expect him to be back in full beast mode. The Coach just needs some time to get Lynch to see the value in the three pronged attack and if Lynch has half a brain he has to know a good season being a team player will drive his stock back up. I am very optimistic and really see keeping Lynch and his style of play as a critical component in our rebuilding process. All our line has to do is give anyone of these guys a crack, or Trent that extra second he needs to get the ball into anyone of these guy's hands on a check down and there will be holy havoc to pay on the other side of the ball. I like our odds with this rotation and I see this as the foundation to at least having a remote chance of getting back into the post season. Comments???

I am a rookie on probation here so I am allowed to make rookie assertions here's mine for the day... On the Offensive side: The coach and the front office drafted CJ to help overcome what they have in the way of OL talent. The blocking may be suspect, but Jackson, Lynch, and CJ all bring their unique styles, talent, drive, and intangibles to the equation and they can change everything. Give them the slightest crack or a modest surge and these guys can do the rest on any given play. That intangible can make up for a developing line and also make us more likely to be successful as an offense quicker. A commitment to running with those three provides our quickest path to possibly picking up an extra win or maybe with a little luck two. Here is the other intangible... All three can catch out of the backfield adding another very viable dimension and with Nelson at TE and taller wide recievers on the roster an efficient "Capt. Check Down" style of play could not only be productive, but with the likes of CJ even possibly explosive at times. No I am not drinking kool-aid, I am looking at the practicality of this approach by the Coach as a way to significantly increase potential working with what the has. It really does give us an immediately improved potential "in spite" of what we have to work with. This approach also seriously diminishes the expectations and stress on our current QB's. Think about it. I am optimistic. On the Defensive side: Thanks to the past regimes obsession with the defensive backs we are in excellent shape and our talent matches up well with any competition we may face. That goes a long way in keeping us in games. What the Coach has done to deal with the rest is to bring in raw meat, hard core football talent that if you look at each guy they all have two things in common... Passion for the game and something to prove. These are the guys that surprize and drive competition for playing time to a whole new level. They are hungry and driven. None of the new guys are powder puffs or dough boys. The intangible here is not knowing who the next defensive stud might be and in a new scheme "old talent" can rise to the challenge presented by change and competition providing a couple nice surprizes too. Another intangible. Again I like the upside and feel very optimistic. There is no way that this group are destined to be cellar dwellars statistically this year. A slight improvement here could also significantly contribute to an extra win and maybe even two. Intangibles guys, not Kool-aid. I prefer to be optimistic and you cannot ignore Buddy Nix's lineage/accomplishments in this league. He understands the dynamics of finding and developing raw talent while building a team. That combined with the Coaches rep of being reknowned for working with what he has gives me a... "The cup is half full!" perspective. Now for all you naysayers and vets who munch up rookies like me daily on this site have at it. I say... Go Bills!!!

I agree completely with Ice... One thing we have to look forward to are the intangibles that you get when "old guard" savvy football people like Nix enter the mix and start bringing in talented, hungry, hardcore football players with a passion for playing the game. Players that have an edge and an attitude that they have something to prove. Players that force internal competition for a spot on the roster and a right to play the game they live for. When you have that kind of roster you have potential and that is exactly what Nix and coach Gailey have done. They know there is no one answer to the current quagmire that they have inherited, but the one thing they do know is that than can immediately restore passion and competition. That is a fuel to many great stories of success and the one thing that makes going into this season exciting. I am anxious to see how this plays out and would rather look at the glass as half full. Go Bills!!!

Real good perspective... Rome wasn't built in a day and if you really look at what has been done you cannot deny that the moves have all been viable. They may not be glamorous news-makers, but they have been steps in the right direction. I for one am optimistic and will reserve my judgment till we have had a chance to see their current strategy play out. I am also not expecting miracles. This is not going to be a one year rags to riches thing. I will be thrilled to see us competitive and would view one more win and a shot at the playoffs as a major step in the right direction. So far what the new regime has done is bring in true hardcore football talent that loves to play the game. They are the kind of guys that can catch other teams off-guard. I hope the new coaching staff has the talent to nurture that into a nice surprize. Time will tell.

Stroud did what professionals do and put himself into the best possible condition to compete and make a difference for his team. He has always been a dedicated team-oriented player and he knows the years are taking their toll too. It is great to see him set a higher standard and to lead by example. I hope he has a great season for us. Go Bills...

One (1) second off... J.P.'s ability to process the game at the NFL level was simply not there and because of that he was almost always one-step behind on his decisions and then making execution errors because he was out of step with the speed of the game. Hard thing to coach, only experience and confidence overcome it. J.P. needed more time to learn and some never do. That One (1) second is the difference between success and failure for a decision-maker in the NFL. When you have that edge, and know you do, they call you cocky and you play like Jim Kelly! I hope J.P. eventually realizes his true potential. His tenure here, and how it went, was definitely not all on him. He was completely mismanaged! Good luck J.P. and do your thing Chan, let's hope our new coach can live up to his rep as a miracle worker with the talent he has to work with. One thing is for sure it can't get much worse. I for one am very optimistic! Go Bills and here's to hope...

Can Bulger come into Buffalo and provide a proven Arm with NFL proven savvy and be our bridge/tutor for a solid draft choice??? Thoughts???