BigBuff423

No

Here's to hoping you're right

A good read, thanks for sharing. And, some very legitimate and cogent arguments to be made against black-outs. At one point, I just chalked it up to "NFL business as usual" and gave up any hope that the black-outs would be lifted, but after seeing this and the reasoning and the ancillary consequences of the black-outs, I have hope that such a protocol will change.

I cannot find fault with anyone who has serious reservations about the ability of this team to win and find W's for this season, solely based on the murky QB situation....right now, I have my own set of doubts about how much the QB play will hinder the BILLS' chances to win more than the perennial 6 games...of course, come kickoff on Sunday I will be deeply invested in anyone that gets the ball behind Center, but still my reservations persist and hope all of my doubts are washed away as EJ or Orton or one of the Fraggle Rock muppets toss the pigskin and generate some Offense and the BILLS come away from Chicago with a Win....but until they prove it in the Win column, all concerns and pessimism is at least valid if not endorsed...I believe the BILLS have a talented enough squad to reach the playoffs and maybe go a round or two into them, but it entirely rests on the shoulders of the QB, whomever that may be...

Long term viability possibly, but hard to like much of what we've seen....that's all we have to go by and while he may really turn it on in regular season - thus far it's been less than stellar, to say the least and I'm including last year's regular season as part of my opinion. What I would love to see, is the BILLS sign another young QB with promise to push EJ for the long term, i.e. Dysart

I think Playoffs Please confused our two posts in response to his, maybe? I used the term gifted and described in much the same way you did, so while he technically quoted and responded to you, I think he focused on my use of the word "gifted" but you defended my point fairly well and agree. So, basically: ditto.

Again, I politely ask you to go back and read all of my other responses...of course we can throw conjecture as to what was "really" happening, but my point is simply that anything other than accepting Buddy's words at face-value is simply that: speculative. So, we can choose to believe or not believe Buddy's statements or think that he was indicative "levels" of truth to these statements and responsibility for the picks or just take his statements as he said them. Up to you individually to believe or not believe what he had to say or how much of it is accurate, I'm merely stating that many on this board want to attribute DW with the guy who Drafted EJ, when factually speaking we have nothing to support that statement or assumption. Factually speaking, Buddy went on record as the GM before, during, and after the Draft that a QB was going to be taken in the Draft and afterwards Buddy spoke at length about why EJ was the guy taken....so, draw whatever conclusions you like, but that's what they are supposition and guesses, facts are Buddy publicly stated EJ was his selection.

Respectfully, to your first statement you are wrong, at least in my opinion as apparently I am wrong in yours. EJ not only *can* be a gifted QB, but in my assessment *IS* a gifted QB, but gifted does not translate to "perfect". In my mind it means the physical attributes and capabilities to be an NFL caliber QB are housed within his physical attributes and therefore, gifted due to the D.N.A. provided along with his long-term commitment to playing the game. The mental aspect of processing Defenses is merely another realm of "gifted", but does not require it to be inclusive to the terminology...as in, Chad Pennington: to me Pennington was extremely gifted in his accuracy and mental acumen for football while his arm strength was sub-par by NFL standards, it does not reduce his talent in certain areas, it merely means he's not "perfect", ala Peyton Manning....but to each his own, however, please do not offer your opinion in a way that trumps mine or attempt to reduce it a subservient role just because you disagree. And, I love debate and insight from all people because many times I find my opinion swayed or altered in some manner by listening / reading what others have to say, unless they are rude, dismissive, or juvenile...making it all the more difficult on this board, but I say that because I welcome diverging opinion from my own, it helps me refine my own or adjust my perspective, which again I like and welcome....

You are correct, my mistake. Hughes was obtained at the end of April and DW was named GM two weeks later. And that is a fact and I cannot dispute that. However, DW was Director of Pro Personnel indicating a pretty thorough awareness of Hughes and his "metrics", so while to be consistent I would have to give Nix credit for that trade, but also bear in mind I'm sure DW's information played a pretty large role. Thank you for correcting my error courteously.

I was not a "long time season ticket holder", but otherwise ^^^^^^^THIS!

Well, to be fair Hughes trade came in DW first official Off-Season and pre-FA period, but yes, the others were Drafted with Nix running the Draft...and in fact if you took a look, which I'm not saying you didn't - I just don't know and won't assume, at the links posted Nix talks about Kiko, Gragg, et al. as he was asked specifically about those picks Please see my above comment, assuming your sarcasm was intended to be ridicule. Otherwise, please ignore.

I think those who are concerned about EJ's future with the BILLS are concerned with just one thing: consistency. Can EJ consistently show up on game day and play to his full potential...that's the issue, at least in my mind. EJ is a very gifted QB but I'm concerned about his ability to mentally process the speed of the NFL Defenses and if his football acumen is sufficient enough to lead the Offense beyond the moments his physical ability gets him through it. Because as much as "vanilla" the BILLS' Offense was, so most likely are the Defenses he's facing. So, while I see great potential in EJ, I'm concerned that his ability remains captured in his mind and unable to be released through his play on the field...not sure if that makes sense the way I explained it...and of course, because I am a true BILLS fan I want him to succeed and sincerely hope the BILLS already have their Franchise QB for the next 15 years in uniform, in the person of EJ Manuel, but I'm not convinced...yet. So, here's to Chicago, Week 1, and hoping EJ plays lights out and the Bears go back to hibernating and the BILLS stampede back home with a victory!! Edit: and thank you to the OP who linked the interview, nice and balanced as others have said and refreshing!

My entire point was to provide links to various quotes at different times, before, during and after the Draft so people can review exactly what Buddy said and when he said, you can draw your own conclusions....but that's exactly the point. Not taking Buddy at face-value with his statements is fine with me, to each his own, but at that point all we / you are doing is speculating...otherwise, we're forced to treat his statements as fact...and in those statements Buddy owned the Draft and his choice of EJ Manuel and that he went into the Draft determined to find a QB, regardless of their issues, which are statements he made in the 1st link, I provided in the first page of this thread. Speculate, infer, conclude...up to anyone what opinion they would like to form, but the *facts* are that Buddy publicly and repeatedly stated EJ was his QB of choice....that's my only point...the rest is up for interpretation. Not trying to convince anyone of anything, only presenting the facts as they were at the time, rather than revisionist history.

Regarding your second point, I agree that Hostler was brought in to assist Hackett in bringing the Offense to fruition and to the point of helping a broader-scoped understanding of play-calling and that has not "yet" materialized...personally, I'd like to see Marrone call the Offensive plays for a few games to see if the result is any different. Marrone's experience in New Orleans would seem to indicate he at least has an ability to know when to call certain plays, even assuming it was Sean Payton doing the calling Marrone would have learned a thing or two about calling plays while serving at Payton's behest....either way, it wouldn't appear to be capable of any worse and then if Marrone's play-calling improves the Offensive output of TDs, Hackett can still be the "eye in the sky" on game day and learn a little bit about what works and what doesn't, sort of like Marrone tutoring him...I like Hackett, but I also agree right now we, as fans, don't really know whether it is EJ's ineffectiveness, Offensive line issues, or simply bad play-calling that has caused the Offensive futility and Marrone calling the plays for at least the first 4 games of the year, may very well ferret out some of those issues to have a clearer understanding of those concerns....at least, IMHO I think it would help...regardless of outcome.

Fair enough...but "fairly conclusive" by whom? Did Nix say that? Did DW? Did Russ Brandon? And maybe they did and I just missed it...but unless one of those 3 come out and say exactly that, or there is a tell-all biography done some time in the future that refutes these statements by Nix, we can only go by what we *DO* know and not what we can speculate, at least that's how I feel...I can read what is written and postulate an idea or hypothesis but facts remain...

Hey, I'm not arguing about the fact that Aaron Murray went in the 4th or 5th round and the BILLS remained silent or Mettenberger or others, I'm just saying regarding some of the reported tension between DW and Marrone with Brandon in the mix, that I think some of it has to do with DW believing he was saddled with EJ and thought the best course of action was to basically *force* EJ into a state of psychological calm in hopes of boosting his confidence and letting him play....will it work? I have no idea...but my doubts are growing...

And there are those who will say, "Well, what do you expect him to say?" but then that's assuming information rather than allowing what is plainly stated speak for itself: EJ was Buddy's pick and to what extent DW had a say in that decision none of us may ever know, and if we do it will be much after the fact...so again, I submit EJ was Buddy's pick and DW was essentially forced to make it work and now there is some panic involved and DW is starting to hit the re-set button, at least possibly having his finger quivering over that re-set button....

FWIW, here is a link to a story ESPN did just prior to the Draft speaking with Buddy Nix about his thoughts on the QBs in that draft class: http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2013/story/_/id/9211442/2013-nfl-draft-buffalo-bills-gm-buddy-nix-hopes-land-franchise-quarterback Another link on NFL Network about trading "up" to get a QB....he seemed pretty intent to me: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000111083/article/buddy-nix-buffalo-bills-should-trade-up-for-qb-in-draft And here's another where Buddy owns the EJ pick along with refusing any idea or notion of when he would step down: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/Buddy-Nix-Doug-Marrone-comment-on-Bills-2013-Draft/1cdcc444-216a-4d1a-8d4e-d459ff58c670 And another, this will be the last one for now, where Buddy talks about how he picked EJ and what they liked and didn't: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/Buddy-Nix-and-Doug-Marrone-comment-on-drafting-EJ-Manuel/f1c81a79-1804-4e0e-99dc-48a109e7ff6f

Buddy by his own admission stated just after the Draft that he did not want to leave the team bereft of QB talent and he made it a point to make sure a QB was Drafted before he stepped down and became an "advisor"...I'm certainly not suggesting that Buddy had to push the pick on DW, I'm merely suggesting there may be some other aspects of the evaluation and choice process that we're not all privy to and that Buddy had a greater influence than is making it out to the general public....just a thought about "how much" Buddy had a say and what DW might be dealing with as a result....just curious, no reason for anyone to get their panties all twisted, just throwing an idea out there

It's been reported EJ was Buddy's pick, his sort of swan song in that he wanted to get the BILLS a QB before he stepped down...I'm wondering now if Whaley truly feels saddled with this guy and essentially went all in on EJ hoping to manufacture confidence in the kid so he would perform better and now, feeling like the house of cards is falling down, he's panicking a bit and knows that EJ will make or break this season for the entire team...just a thought

Thanks

Marrone: No! We're not trading EJ! He is the future... Brandon: But Doug, St. Louis is offering a 1st rounder for him! Whaley: I don't know what we're talking about, I just got a happy ending in the sauna...and this is the towel she used...EJ? Oh, yeah, he'll be fine...

Sigh....I know and I'm lesser for it...but some days, it's just too freakin' difficult to walk away... Edit: it's such a rough day, I forgot the extra "o" on the word "too"...ughh

We had this discussion yesterday, I won't re-hash the dialogue, but in it you referred to my opinion as "the dumbest thing" you'd ever heard...so I normally refuse to denigrate myself to someone else's base level of pejorative statements, but as you seem to enjoy doing your best to make others feel small and less significant by pontificating with disgust and ridicule, I took the bait...that would be my mistake. So, here's me trying to find my way back to the high road after detour down to your level...that was U-turn once again...so, here we go again. This issue is dead to me and I'm not debating it anymore...my already fragile sanity can't handle the enormity of arrogant and disrespectful folks who don't know how to disagree without injecting "stupid" or "dumb"....so, there it is.

Good point...win / win for both sides