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I'm a fan that looks at football intelligently, yet I cerainly am affected by emotion. What frustrates me about this team, emotionally, is there is never a timetable for results. Year in and out we see mediocrity, going on almost 15 years. So, when we are outbid on guys like Clabo, Poz, and Burnett (who, coincidentally only cost something like 2 million a year in the end, and we couldn't match that! - are our guys - Torber and Davis really THAT good?), who are young enough to be instrumental in a long term rebuild, and when we show inability to resign guys, which really deflates the whole build through the draft approach - then yes, there is reason for concern. Now, it always comes back to, These guys are the professionals, they know better than us. Yet, at the back of the Buffalo Bills fan's mind is the fact that the last three coaches had the same lines, while all the while the "experts" also said the same thing - that Buffalo can't compete, that Buffalo yet again does nothing while it's competitors improve. So, fine, we should, as fans, trust the coaches and front office - but, I think they should give the fans a real timeline. How long before we see success, and if we're not there, then it's their jobs. Because, what really gets all of us is the lack of urgency. It's like they're telling us (as we've heard for the last 15 years) that winning isn't the main goal. That isn't acceptable. Show some urgency. At least give us a timeline. Every other profession in this world has them.

If we can put together a decent O-line, or have good O-line play this year, we're looking to have a very dynamic offense. Gailey is looking to be on the front lines when it comes to taking advantage of the new rules for 3rd string QB's. I like this move as long as we still solidify the O-line, because now I think we can easily say we have an excellent WR corps, an excellent P/K return team, and a lot of speed on offense now. Gailey, given his credentials, will certainly give Buffalo a good offense this year - I just think it all hinges on the O-line's play. P.S. - I did overreact a little prematurely on Wed., with the lack of movement by Buffalo. Habit. When I look at the landscape around the league, I am seeing teams that are just getting hamstrung by a few really big contracts. Look at Washington last year. Haynsworth really hurt them. It's nice to know the front office is looking far enough ahead to keep money available to sign the talent that emerges on this young team, and to have the cash to get real prominent help at positions of need if such help becomes available - and, I'm hoping they go for Clabo, that would really make our line formidable, with the one ? at LT.

At this point there is Nick Barnett, Kevin Burnett, Tulluck, Ruud, and there will be others released, any of which should be able to, when mixed in with Davis, Sheppard, and White make a decent ILB tandem. And, a lot of those guys have experience on top-notched 3-4 defenses.

Excellent singing at a very good price, leaving us plenty to work with still.

I agree. I think we'd very easily get behind the front office regardless of the players on the field so long as they showed they tried, or did what they could, to land the right players. They can only go so far as to offer slightly better contracts than everyone else.

I don't think we love losing - I think it's just comments like "We're not going to be big spenders in F.A." when we're so obviously short on talent - at least compared to the elite teams, and we're way under the cap. It's a 15 year run at mediocrity or worse and the front office acts as if it has all the time in the world to improve, even though the owner may pass away any year, and there is no assurances by him that the team will remain. There is reason to be frustrated, and it is the attitude of the front office. It just doesn't act like winning is necessary. However, I do like our young guys on D, and I think we're about 3 or 4 starters away from being competitive. I wouldn't mind us losing bad this year and landing Luck. I wouldn't mind us starting a lot of young guys just to see how good they can be. It's more a lack of intent, as we can see, on the part of the team. As a fanbase, it just looks like the front office had become complacent. So, it is hard to be patient and accept that in a year or two we'll be playoff bound. As an aside, condsidering this post - I think a big 4-3 look with our personnel might be pretty nasty. Williams and Dareus on the inside - that would be formidable. Kelsay and Carrington, or Edwards and Carrington on the outside. Sheppard, as MLB, with Moats and Merriman as OLB's. I think it might not be too bad a look. They Hybrid thing - that is a good idea, and there are more teams looking to do it, so I like that Buffalo has the foresight to see a shift in the game.

It is interesting to see Doug Free, Cowboys starting LT - I believe the best LT in FA this year, just get a contract, at just about the highest paying time in NFL, worth 8 million a year for 4 years, with 17 million guaranteed. What did we pay Kelsay?... I believe 4 year, 24 million dollars? Wow. Could be going to a RT, or TE and ILB... but we're giving it to Kelsay.

Here's one of my biggest questions regarding the Bills. Most people on these boards say the Bills aren't at the point in their rebuild yet to merit spending much on high caliber F.A.'s, when they should be just extending their own quality players and keeping their own F.A.'s. Now, I agree they should keep their good players. But, when exactly do we expect the Bills to be "ready", or to be on the verge of a playoff year? This is Buddy's and Chan's year 2. Usually a complete turn around can be had in 3 years, or 4 years, I'd say, maximum. I mean, if we're not sniffing the playoffs next year, people everywhere are going to be saying, it's the same old garbage out of 1BillsDrive. So, my question is, if our roster isn't ready yet, we would point to our Offensive Tackle positions, the RT spot being questionable, and the LT spot being an injury away from total disaster. We'd point to QB play - whether or not we need a Franchise guy, and if we do, it'll be next year's draft, I'm pretty sure. We need a good TE. We need a proven OLB, and this year we'll see if we have good ones or not, but that is not yet proven. We just lost a starter at ILB. And, we might need a corner. So, we have unresolved spots at QB, LT, RT, TE, OLB, ILB, and CB. Even if we do draft a Franchise QB with our 1st pick next year, if we don't go out and secure F.A. linemen this year, will he be ready to really make an impact for a few years? That would put us in year 4, I'd say, earliest. I know, it could all change and you never know the future. I just don't see how this Front Office can justify not going out and getting starters for at least three or four of those spots - like RT, TE, and maybe now ILB. They've got the money, and obviously if they can't keep the drafted guys they publicly say they want to keep, what's stopping them from never being able to build a good team just through the draft? Who is to say every good young guy won't leave after his first stint here? Again, I know it is hyperbole, but the point is, you've got to have flexible plans, and the Bills have enough money to at least get some young guys in their prime to be here for years 4 and 5. Patience. I know. But sometimes saying that and seeming like the wiser person also kind of feels like we're just making excuses for a franchise that has lost it's ability to compete - and maybe by it's own design. I hope Nix proves me wrong about this... there might be some good cuts later in the week after teams have already spent a lot...

The Bills can't be undervaluing everyone. They've got to have a realistic market value on guys... so, if they lose a battle to teams for guys like Poz and Florence, then there might just be a chance we'll sign players equally good or better to replace them. Nix did say, as much as not making a splash, that they were very much looking to aquire players that would make them better - so, if they lose Poz and Florence, I just don't see them not trying to make aquisitions. It is still early, and we've got more money to spend than a lot of teams.

Man, you might have just summed things up perfectly. We really aren't ever that big in F.A., and the only other way to build a team is through the draft - yet, just about every excellent player we end up with that we drafted, whether it be early rounds or UDFA, ends up either getting a better offer elsewhere when F.A. hits, or they just don't want to play here and move on as soon as possible. Now, to say we're building through the draft is pretty frustrating when we don't show it. I'm not saying I prefer Poz to other, IMO better ILB's, I'm just saying this is a trend that can't be ignored. And, IMO the only way to stop this trend is to become good again before the young guys that have promise hit F.A., either by signing them to extensions before they're due, or by going after some key F.A.'s and getting back to a respectable level again so players around the league might want to come here for a shot at an up and comer. Until we start doing either, I don't see this trend changing. I recall like three or four times today I read the Bills had inked an UDFA that might fit a need for us - one of the higher profile guys - only to have later read that another team snagged them from us. Today, with Poz, sounds like more of the same. If guys don't prefer Buffalo, then we better, as a team, start isolating certain guys that will make us definitely better, and just overpay for them. Anyway, here's to hoping Nix is slyer still than we're used to seeing.

+1

There are things to consider, and we can't keep total perspective here without knowing the details, and even still we don't know how it will ultimately pan out. But, there are scenarios where keeping Poz would be bad - if we way overpaid for him, or if we kept him at the expense of getting better at the position. If we lose Poz, it will only be a bad thing if we don't replace him with someone better - and, as far as I can tell, it looks like there will be some quality ILB's on the market this year. Already Barnett of Green Bay is gone, and it looks like San Diego will lose a couple, too. Tulluck, of Tennessee isn't bad, either. So, we shouldn't worry about it until it is over - and, in any event, as Sullivan said on 550 - if Kyle Williams is so great, and Donte Whitner is so good at run support, and Poz is considered such a good player to keep, who exactly is responsible for the Bill's absolutely terrible run D over the last few years? I say, the Bills saw what he was capable of, what he was worth, and set a limit. They appear to really be wanting to get bigger on D, and more aggressive, which I'm all for.

Seems to me, and I know this is a large oversimplification, that it isn't always the owners, or what they're willing to spend, but the GM/Pres., that determines how good/bad a franchise is. It is up to ownership to hire the right guys - but from there out, teams like Pittsburgh - consistently good teams, get that way by good drafting, player retention, and consistency in coaching/approach. If the coaches have the right philosophy, and the players fit the mold, then winning is only natural, when half the teams in the NFL are either rebuilding or losing vets and starting over. So... it's, in my opinion, the owner's biggest priority to do whatever it takes to keep a smart man in charge when they get him.

Depending on just how much of a preseason there ends up being, it'll be really hard for any newcomer to learn the system in time enough to be a real challenge to Fitz. However, I'm a little surprised by all the Fitz loyalty. I mean, I like his attitude and the players do seem to respect him, but what he did last year wasn't really amazing by any standards - only it's been so long since we've had respectable production out of the QB position that we take what he did last year and love it more than maybe we would if we were accustomed to a decent QB. I guess my point is, unless Fitz really has an amazing, top 10 performance at his position kind of year, I just don't see how we don't go into next year's draft looking to grab the QB of the future in RD 1. Furthermore, going on what we know of Fitz, I wouldn't mind getting a QB in here who could at least push him, like Alex Smith or Tyler Thigpen, maybe. I'd say Vince Young - only because I'd love to see what Gailey could do with him, but he'd be a wasted pick up this year, due to the short preseason, and I'd rather have one of the top 3 rookie QB's coming out next year. I like Fitz - and it seems like because of the offseason lock-out this is his year to prove himself, but I'm more loyal to Bills winning than any one player.

That is what gets me year in and out with the Bills - and it was something I really hoped would change with Nix and Gailey, that at least they'd make smarter aquisitions in FA. I don't have qualms about their drafting or UDFA aquisitions - in fact, I think the Bills are better there than a lot of teams. But, there is this unspoken attitude coming from the Bills Front Office that they aren't like the Dallas, the Washington, the Philly teams, that they can't spend like them - that is the first part, and the second part is that they don't have the same expectations as those teams. It's as if they concede that some teams are expected to be good year in and out, while the Bills can't be expected to be good year in and out - that somehow it is harder for them. That is what really bothers me. Look at Green Bay. Look at Tampa Bay. Green Bay especially - they are loaded with talent and they are a small market team. Whatever is keeping the Bills from being good, it isn't the market they're in, and it isn't the Fan's support. And, they should be expected to win, and be as competitive as anyone else. If they can't spend as much on players as other teams, then they should spend more on coaching. Let's hope Nix and Gailey are finally the solution.

I don't think it need be seen as either/or. Look at Tampa Bay, for instance. They have a very young team that was in position to make the playoffs last year, and merely by keeping the same players will be favored to be at least as good or better this year due to their good drafting. Oh, and they are the team most under the cap, by quite a bit, having like 40 plus million to spend, I believe, to hit the floor. It's not about spending too much, or too little. It's about knowing what you're about, finding the right players who fit that mold, drafting them, developing them, and keeping them, while maintaining a system that allows players to be replaced when injured or via free agency. I think the Patriots are a good example. But, the Bills are heading in a similar direction as Tampa. I think the only thing that makes them a more appealing team to pick for likelihood of success this year is that they have a good, well known young QB who is a threat, and who had pretty good numbers last year - like 25 to 6 touchdown to interception ratio. That's the one piece we can't just go out and buy. But, otherwise, you can compare every team, every different scenerio, and I'm still glad we're where we are, that we have the chance to build something here - because I just can't root for another team.

Actually, if fans want to be angry at anyone, they should be angry at themselves. The very response - anger, an emotion - to a situation that doesn't effect them at all, is a sign that they have invested too much in a past time, a hobby, a leisure, passive pleasure. I think it reflects on the state of American life in general that a sport, which has zero real influence on anything in the real world can become so big as to demand the amount of money it does to the players, in effect creating superstars and lending so much power and attention to them, when simultaneously the economy is falling to pieces, people who risk their lives in the military, fire departments, police, nurses, etc. - people who do real important things get by on very meager, inappropriate wages. I mean, football occupies this place in our lives and it has zero outcome on our daily lives - but do we afford the state of the economy, of the world we're living in even a miniscule amount of that attention? I'm a fan of football, and it bothers me that these owners and players are not effected by the fan's opinion, that we as fans cannot lobby for a voice in it all. And, I know that if some part of me didn't rely on this game, I'd just forget it and find other things to do.

I agree - the Bills haven't necessarily had a perfect shot at getting a sure-fire O-tackle fall to them at their slotted position. But, there comes a time when failure after failure - or, in this case, a bad line year in and out - might push a coach/GM to decide that they are going to fix the O-line once and for all. If it were made a priority - and, I think that is what the issue here is, that it doesn't seem to have been a priority, that our F.O. has acted as if it could just get by without committing money and resources to the positions - then they might trade up to get a solid prospect, or they might just pick up a couple tackles early, and then maybe bring more in via UDFA and FA until they get it right. I understand the thinking that the players weren't there at the right time in recent drafts, but I also believe if a different GM or a different coach were here, they might have gone about things in a different way to secure a much higher functioning line. It seems more a matter of where a coaches priorities are, and maybe what their resources are. Nix seems like the type of GM who is going to sit still in his slotted positions in a draft, pretty much no matter what, and take what falls to him. If he happens to need a LT and the good ones go before him in 2 or 3 consecutive drafts, then he strengthens the team with what does fall to him. Another coach - maybe a Rex Ryan or a Bellicheck might just trade up and get their guy. That is part of the fun of being a fan, is seeing how well your franchise functions and how it's ideologies translate - unfortunately for us, until recently we've had the guys who just aren't good enough running things. Let's hope Nix and Co. are different.

Most teams - even the ones built for longevity - if we're referring to Philly, to New England, to New Orleans, to Baltimore, only see deep success in the playoffs 2 or 3 times in a row, before taking a few years to fix whatever isn't working just right. I mean, sure, they're almost always above .500, or at least it seems like it, but I would say the effect on the fans is about the same, when a team is supposed to win it all and they don't, or don't go deep in the playoffs it is just as much a disappointment as not making the playoffs. I think we all want it all, or not much else... So, I'd take a flurry of veteran signings and hope we go far. Besides, I think you get the vets and draft for next offseason's departures, so you've got year 2 players stepping in to fill the shoes of players you know are going to be leaving.

I agree. You know, Nix might think that he's going to build this team through the draft. In that case, given our weaknesses and the rate of player movement, we might still be 2 years away from serious contention. But, if he has an open mind to HOW we go about this rebuild, then it is apparent there will need to be some major player aquisition these next three weeks to get to the floor of the cap, at the least - and, I think our Bills will go beyond the floor if they're after someone special. Anyway, we could spend this money very wisely and be that much closer to our goal, or we can act as if this free agency business is not our business at all - Nix's strength and ultimate success as our GM will probably hinge on how he handles that issue, because I think most of us already approve of how he's drafted and sculpted the turn around thus far of this team via 2 drafts.

As far as the smaller market teams not being able to compete - I offer the Tampa Bay Bucs as a good example of why that is not always the case. They finished with a 10-6 record, had a pretty decent team that is young and is expected to be as good if not better this year. I think people assume too quickly that money can buy success in football, when that has more often than not proven to be innaccurate. Look at Washington. I believe that football is such a team sport, more so than baseball and basketball, and that the actual measurable difference between great and average players is almost always almost zero - I mean, the great players are usually great because they want it more, not because they are so much faster or stronger than anyone else in the leaugue. These factors make football the type of sport where discipline, good coaching, smart playcalling, team play, all have a bigger impact than most high profile rosters. There are exceptions - where one or a few players are so dominant at their positions that they impact a team, like Manning, Brady, (I believe Suh and Fairley will have that effect, too) but, any team under the conditions of the new CBA can pay for a few superstars. I believe the NFL is changing, and that it has more to do with rookies, with getting the most out of young players, and knowing when to get rid of aging players - New England, unfortunately, has a good grasp on that - anyway, I bet teams that stick to the rigid discipline and smart coaching/teaching of players will be able to compete and probably beat teams that rely too much on buying talent - which often times only worked or was "talented" because of the system they were in (Heynsworth).

I think Nix and Gailey are old school football men. It's my understanding that it is pretty commonly agreed that you build a team from the lines outward. Now, people might say, "But Nix hasn't really addressed the O-line." To that, I say, if he had to assess the offense and defense when he came in, our defense was not at all prepared for the 3-4, and our O-line had wood, levitre, and hangartner. So, Nix strengthened the D-line his first draft, and then strengthened our wideout position, as well as RB. This year he pretty much had to take Dareus with that pick - and it was a very good pick, because now we have one of the best D-lines going forward for the next 3-5 years. But, it is time to fix that O-line now. The right tackle added - whether it is a very good LT or a very good RT, and we look to have our lines pretty set to compete with anyone going forward. So, for me, fix the O-line, and then we can put the final pieces together next year. I think we have some very interesting linebackers on our roster already in Moats, Batten, Coleman, White, Sheppard - and we might not need another ILB so much, at least as compared to RT or TE, even.

In reply to Astro's post - is that a dream scenario? Clabo is one of the best, if not the best, RT available. Boss is one of the top 3 TE's. Whitner and Poz are somewhere near the top of their positions as FA's. Leach - that would be nice, and I overlooked him as a possibility. I've got to say, I'd be delighted if all that were to come to fruition. But, I just don't see the Bills going after a large number of tier 1 and 2 free agents. I see it much more likely (although I'd love it otherwise, as you suggest) that they pay big money and make a splash for one or two very recognizable guys at positions of need - my guess RT and TE.

For me, the real difference between being angry and frustrated with the Bills, or feeling hopeful and interested in watching and rooting for them, is whether or not the GM and Owner are committed to winning, to creating the best and strongest team, built to last, or whether it is merely about making money, and winning is only a means, used only as much as necessary, to make the most profit. It looks like the Bills have been guilty, or Mr. Wilson particularly, of merely being ruled by profit; or certainly not being motivated first and foremost by winning. Before Nix and Gailey came I was about done with the Bills under Wilson - it looked like they were, indeed, merely profiting at the expense of a fanbase that had nothing to turn to. However, Nix looks like he knows what he is doing, and Gailey looks like he is ready to field a really competitive team, like he takes winning personal. That article today about the former coach Roach? (buffalo rumblings)and how foolishly this organization is run only mirrors what many other people have said. For me, it's about having the Bills a team that no other teams are laughing at, that teams don't want to play. I was really getting fed up with Buffalo being a laughing stock team, that wasn't run even close enough to be a winner. For me, the time is now to change that, and I think Nix has shown he wants to create a winner as he sees a team should be - but, there have been small actions that hint at a continuation of the old meddler, and this free agency period will indeed show us what the top of the team's priorities are.

If the teams have to be at 90 players in something like three weeks time, and also need to spend X amount of money, there will be two main pools and a third smaller pool of players from which to get the players we'll need; Free Agency, Undrafted Free Agents, and trades. A lot of teams are going to go out and bring in a bunch of Free Agents - like Washington always does, and probably the teams with new coaches, like Oakland, Denver, Carolina, etc. If I'm Buffalo, I'd target a couple of Veteran Free Agents who I know will come in and absolutely make our team better, not just for this year, but for the next 3-5 years. I'd overspend a bit, if need be, to get them. Then, instead of spending a bunch of money on mid-level Free Agents (Cornell Green types) I'd save that money, which will help balance out overpaying for the good F.A.'s, and I'd take the remaining surplus and spend it on the best UDFA's out there - guys like Devlin and that Linebacker who had bone marrow trouble, guys who other teams will be going after. We overpay for them, it still wont compare to the contracts given to mid-level veterans. Bring in a bunch of UDFA's and we're sure to find a few gems, as we always seem to do. With that strategy, we'll have added guys who not only will be bodies for camp, but who will start or who otherwise stand a chance at being good - instead of just getting fillers. And whatever is left over, we should extend the contracts of guys we know are going to be good for a long time.