IMzeke
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Posts posted by IMzeke
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I am given hope by the fact that you are wrong about squandering picks. This FO's first draft we got an RB to build this team around, we got very promising defensive players to build out 3-4 around next year (Troupe,Carrington,Moats) and we got a very promising WR who happened to get hurt in Camp.
I know everyone is panicking, but we had a draft that I think will be very promising over the next few years. They addressed our defense going forward, got us a WR, we got unlucky with the injury, and a future superstar RB. We get our evaluation out of the way right now, this year, hit on ILB, QB and OT next year and keep developing Troupe, Carrington, moats, and we become a competitive team. Throw in an extra WR and who knows.
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...
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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...
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Man, some of ya'll really need to watch some more football.
It is no mystery that year after year, the teams with the elite-level NFL quarterbacks are the teams that consistently make the playoffs. Year after year after year.
Fact: It is very hard to land a franchise quarterback.
Fact: It is even harder to land a franchise quarterback from a source OTHER than the draft.
You absolutely must use any and all opportunities to draft a franchise quarterback with the hope of developing an elite-level NFL quarterback.
Without that, all you can hope for is a fleeting one year miracle run, while the teams with the elite quarterbacks make the playoffs every single year.
Is drafting a quarterback #1 a guarantee that you'll get an elite-level NFL quarterback for the next decade? Absolutely not.
But you DEFINITELY do not draft an elite-level NFL quarterback if you pick some fat lineman.
Quarterback is the single most important position in any organized team sport. They are the face of your franchise. They lend credibility and hope to a floundering organization. Hope breeds relevance which breeds respect and success.
Not drafting a quarterback #1 because you are scared he might be a bust is simply giving in to the hopelessness you feel about this franchise. You feel that the organization isn't capable of accurately evaluating talent and bringing in the right guy. Heck, you are probably right.
But you can't just ignore the most important position in sports. You can't. You can't spout this "you have to fix the offensive line or else NO quarterback can succeed!" bullcrap. Good quarterbacks do succeed behind bad offensive lines. It happens ALL OF THE TIME. The Bears went 3-0 and are now 3-1 with arguable a worse line than the Bills. The Packers had a very successful season last year with the elite-level QB play of Aaron Rodgers behind a terrible line.
Quarterback is more important than offensive line.
Your franchise's best player needs to be your quarterback, not a 300-pounder, if you want lasting success.
Don't fool yourself. Look at the elite teams in the NFL now and see what they have in common.
Please. Don't let the Bills pass on a chance at landing an elite-level NFL quarterback. Take the chance, or you have no chance.
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Good post and I agree. Teams are going to stack the box and force us to beat them with intermediate and long passes. I am not too confident our QB (whoever it is), our OL, and WR can be productive.
Skeptical but hopeful.
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!!!
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The second choice thank you...I give up. Were you trying to spell abortion or aberration? -
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???
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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!!!
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I am so sick of all of these doom and gloom threads. Where do you guys get this stuff? The Coaching HAS to be better than the crap we have had the last 3 years ESP last year.
We should have beat NE and played them tough twice! A handfull of games decided by a total of something like 20 points!
Enough of the gloom and doom crap and lets back Gailey and company and lets hope this team does well this year!
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!!!
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God..... Where to begin in all of this. I don't understand the Bill Parcells genius. I really don't. Yes he helped the Dolphins but anyone could after they drafted Ted Ginn Jr in the first round a year prior. Bill Parcells brought in a few average players to fill in holes in their roster. He made a few trades with Dallas who he is in the process of replacing or has replaced already.
You need to understand that most of the free agents this year are restricted. this means you have to give up draft picks for them. This is something the Bills couldn't afford. Why trade away your draft picks for players you are going to get rid of in a year or 2 anyway? It's self defeating.
Nix has done wonders for the Bills already. it will show up on the field in my opinion. The way they went about FA and the draft is the complete opposite of years past. Let me show you what Nix has done exactly.
1) Signed two FA with 3-4 defense experience at key positions. Meaning the DL and LB core.
2) Drafted Spiller who is a Play maker which the Bills desperately need. He drafted a guy who is most likely a sure fire star in this league. Picking the best player available is very important in the 1st round. You can't reach for LT's or QB's and miss.
3) Drafted for Depth across Both OL and DL. He has guys to replace the current starters in year or so.
4) Drafted for Depth in the Linebackers. More players to replace Kawika and Davis in a year or two.
the single most important thing he has done is create competion across the entire football team. PLayers have to compete for their jobs now.
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.
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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...
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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...
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I never saw J.P. play in college so i can't say if he was worth a first round pick , but Donahoe must have thought so . What i was wondering is , do any of the Bills fans think that with other weapons , a different or should i say a better coach & staff , along with a better line do you think J.P. could have developed into a better Q.B. ??
You got to admit his 2006 year wasn't that bad (i think it was 2006) and the guy had a gun ,he could definitely sling it down the field !! I just wonder if given the chance under a different circumstance & being able to stay with one good coach for more than a season if he may have done better all the way around ??
Go ahead tell me what kind of (&@^%$%$*) i am for even thinking that way !! I can take it !!!
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...
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I never saw J.P. play in college so i can't say if he was worth a first round pick , but Donahoe must have thought so . What i was wondering is , do any of the Bills fans think that with other weapons , a different or should i say a better coach & staff , along with a better line do you think J.P. could have developed into a better Q.B. ??
You got to admit his 2006 year wasn't that bad (i think it was 2006) and the guy had a gun ,he could definitely sling it down the field !! I just wonder if given the chance under a different circumstance & being able to stay with one good coach for more than a season if he may have done better all the way around ??
Go ahead tell me what kind of (&@^%$%$*) i am for even thinking that way !! I can take it !!!
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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???
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Word is that Merriman could be traded for. Does this have any merit??? Thoughts?
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Trent Edwards is suffering from the same affliction as Losman did. The game is too fast for him. He has no anticipation and absolutely zero ability to react at the pace of this game. When you watch either of the Manning Brothers the differnce is their ability to read what will be, not what is. The great QB's like Kelly were often accused of thinking they could throw the ball right through defenders. The truth is they were reading that by the time the ball got there the defender would not be in the way. More often then not they were right, but more importantly they had the guts to go with their instincts. Trent has NO instincts a guy "like" Garcia does. Trent needed more time developing just like Losman did. Now he is flat out gun shy. It's a shame.
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Trent Edwards is suffering from the same affliction as Losman did. The game is too fast for him. He has no anticipation and absolutely zero ability to react at the pace of this game. When you watch either of the Manning Brothers the differnce is their ability to read what will be, not what is. The great QB's like Kelly were often accused of thinking they could throw the ball right through defenders. The truth is they were reading that by the time the ball got there the defender would not be in the way. More often then not they were right, but more importantly they had the guts to go with their instincts. Trent has NO instincts a guy "like" Garcia does. Trent needed more time developing just like Losman did. Now he is flat out gun shy. It's a shame.
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Hey he has a Linebacker's number, He's sized more appropriately for the position, he's fast and he loves to deliver pain. WHY NOT? What do we have to lose at this point. Get the youth movement involved and get them seasoned now. We have no where to go but up. While you're at it get Nick Harris into th equation too! Let them earn their money and their bones. Won't be long befor POZ is back and then you'll have some depth. Just a thought!
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Is it possible that the recent, reasonably unusual, cuts and profound upper management adjustment are all part of our "Omnipotent Owner's" effort to make the ultimate statement on how eminent real change is??? Everything that has been done frees up a resonably nice chunk of cash that could be sitting there with the designed purpose of conveying the simple message that the funds derived from offloading current decision-maker's mistakes is now ironically there to finance even greater things to come. Just seems like the math adds up to a resounding lack of patience statement for underachievers and that the oninous sword of Damocles’ is swinging precariously poised to fall if expectations are not met with an above and beyond effort moving forward. Fear is a profound motivator and the job market sucks. Just my read, what's yours???
No chance funds are being gathered to go for a high end coach???
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Is it possible that the recent, reasonably unusual, cuts and profound upper management adjustment are all part of our "Omnipotent Owner's" effort to make the ultimate statement on how eminent real change is??? Everything that has been done frees up a resonably nice chunk of cash that could be sitting there with the designed purpose of conveying the simple message that the funds derived from offloading current decision-maker's mistakes is now ironically there to finance even greater things to come. Just seems like the math adds up to a resounding lack of patience statement for underachievers and that the oninous sword of Damocles’ is swinging precariously poised to fall if expectations are not met with an above and beyond effort moving forward. Fear is a profound motivator and the job market sucks. Just my read, what's yours???
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I'm sure this post will drop to the bottom of the list within nanoseconds, but I'm going to post it anyway.
For all of you Monday-morning-GMs-in-waiting-who-could-run-this-team-better-if-you-only-had-the-chance:
Trust me when I tell you that there are 31 other team owners out there tonight who are grudgingly tipping their hats to Ralph Wilson. Ralph Wilson has the built-in excuse for EVERY move he makes. He is operating a team in a small market in very hard economic times.
Cut your overpriced Left Guard? See ya. It's Buffalo. If hard decisions aren't made I'll get creamed.
Cut your overpriced Left Tackle? See ya. It's Buffalo. If hard decisions aren't made, I'll get creamed.
Cut your big-name backup running back? See ya. It's Buffalo. If hard decisions aren't made, I'll get creamed.
Ralph doesn't need an excuse, and I believe he knows it. It's Buffalo. It's Western New York. He HAS to make ruthless moves like this to compete with Jerry Jones. With Dot-com Snyder. With Bob Kraft. These guys are MADE of money, so everyone is expecting them to SPEND it, and ALL the time. They ALL - trust me - ALL - wish they had the alibi that they were making these moves because it's a small market. Do you really think any of these guys don't want $XX million suddenly dropping into THEIR pockets? Are you goddamn serious?
Ralph Wilson is (choose the metaphor):
Punching above his weight
Playing the hand he's dealt
Making lemons out of lemonade
Playing within the rules
I don't fault the guy one bit that he's cut an overpriced underproducing left tackle. When the hell did you people think that this wasn't a business? I credit the guy for showing the stones to make a lot of really hard business decisions in a short time frame. I'm glad I'm not on the receiving end. This is the same guy who opposed the CBA, on which a large number of owners are beginning to come around.
This guy's ruthless, and I'm guessing a lot of owners are mildly envious.
He's just having the current coaching staff fall on their own sword by having them free up the cash he'll need to attract the next the kind of coach everyone is screaming for keeping the raw/young talent in place while doing it. Shrewd!
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Trent Edwards would be fine if he let his football instincts take. It's painfully obvious that he is scared to death to make a mistake. He actually pulls back on his throws. This whole team plays like someone is holding them from behind. Everything is methodical and predictable. Kelly was controlled chaos with chaos the driving force. That was what made it so great to watch. This is like watching Mr Rogers sing a song about his neighborhood. Let the players play, open up the game.
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Maybin was definitely a breath of fresh air because, as someone else already stated... He played with instinct and passion for the game. How long will that be tolerated?
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Milk Toast describes this teams body language and that's a direct reflection on the leadership. I've seen Nun's move quicker to breakfast than the Bill's "No Huddle", zip on results offense, which from a fan's perspective has been very offensive to watch. When you coach to try not to lose in the NFL and you don't "Go for it" the game simply blows by you. Under the current program this team's offense plays 80% of the game on it's heels and the rest on their backside. It is a direct reflction of a from the top down flat out lack of passion and enthusiasm for taking it to the competition and the only impression you are left with is that there isn't a shred of confidence in their ability to make something happen. It's a disgrace at this point.
On defense we clearly have not got a clue on what to do when we have the opposition in a 3rd and long situtation. I propose that under the current leadership we are working on some kind of Guiness Book of Records claim to fame for giving it up on 3rd and long in the NFL. As a diehard Bills fan it just kills me to watch from the edge of my chair knowing in my heart of hearts that when it is third and long the odds are against us. Why? Simple! Because we coach not to lose, go conservative, and get our butts handed to us. It would be really nice if the current leadership would wake-up and realize they are in the NFL and based on their current coaching style NFL definitely stands for "Not For Long". Come on guys quit coaching like a bunch of pansies! The team is regressing down to your standards and our players are much better than that!
We have some great talent, open it up and let them show you what they can do. Trent Edwards looks like if you poked him in the backside we'd find him somewhere in California. You ruined JP with your micro-management. (Although in all fairness it is undeniable that JP was a click or two off of the pace of being able to process the speed of the game.) Are you going to completely hose another kid. Hey I'm rambling here, but we have a team that could deliver, but it won't if the leadership continues to coach them like they are a college team. I'm a rookie to this site and apologize for rambling, but this teams problem is top down and has very little to do with lack of talent. You put a Coach like Bill Cowher or even that maniac Gruden and give them this team and I propose we make the playoffs. The current coaches are great guys, but nice guys don't win in the NFL as a rule. It's time to open it up and frankly my message to the current coaching staff is what do you have to lose. Your Job??? It's gone now if you don't deliver on day one of this season. The clock is ticking and you know it.
IMzeke, I would love to know if any other diehards feel the same way! Go Bills!!!
Dont you all 'get it'
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
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.