Hplarrm

To some extent local coverage such as this is going to drive individual teams to spend more. It is already generally accepted truth (whether it is true or not) on this board that Mr. Ralph is a cheapskate. However, if this becomes the conventional wisdom in the public eye, then the owner will get more of the blame for any poor finishes because he refused to spend money on the team. This in turn MIGHT cut down on how rabid local fans are for the team. In the end, the question is whether the Bengals are the norm for behavior or the exception to the rule that teams will spend to win. Right now with only a 1/3 of the teams with over $20 mill in cap room despite the delay in the FA period getting underway the market likely will force teams to spend more. The question is going to be how many stupid expenditures for a Chris Kelsay, Dockery or Walker will a team make.

I do not think Maybin will get cut because they already have already paid him a huge bonus Mr. Ralph has already demonstrated his distaste for paying someone to do stuff for someone else. In addition, the the LB crew we have is so poor, I do not see anyone else that good that sitting Maybin instead of them is going to result in much contribution from this other scrub. Finally, I will flat out guarantee that IF Maybin is on the roster he will almost certainly exceed expectations! Afterall, does anyone out there expect him to produce anything. If Maybin makes the team he is almost certain to exceed expectations because expectations are so low.

I also will play along as this is an interesting perspective to look at stuff. I think Gailey will surpass expectations (though this may not be a sleeper in that though expectations are low hopes are quite high) and our offense really end up being a real weapon and one of the most productive Os in the league. I have no idea whether it is going to be Fitzy or Thigpen who becomes the franchise QB because the most impressive thing to me about how Gailey runs an O is that he gets production out of previously failed QBs. Both Fitzy and Thigpen are inadequate as players but that does not matter a ton in a humming Gailey offense. At least that has been the past experience where he made the playoffs with the previously failed Fiedler at QB and also got production out of previous stiffs like Kordell and Bulger. This will surprise many due to the psychotic dream we have consistently pursued to find the next Jimbo. 2. I think another surprise for many (though not a sleeper as no individual TE will surprise) will be that TE will be a non-existent part of our O. I think we will run better from a spread O and using 3 WRs rather than a TE. The TE role might actually be a more consistent part of our O but really only if the OL does not come together and we need the 6th blocker to protect the QB. I think the sleeper will be zero statistical production from the TE but the offense is still productive. 3. I agree with folks who say that it is not correct to call Dareus a sleeper as we hope and expect great things from him, but I think the combination of Dareus and Williams has the potential for both of them to demand double teams that it is going to make either the third DL player and an LB so difficult to block (or alternately the other two DL players as I think part of our solution to are being weak in terms of LB depth is that our base D is going to really be more of a 4-3 than a 3-4) is that the opposing QB is going to be throwing against a fearsome Bills pass rush. The sleeper is actually going to be Byrd who once again is going to flirt with double digits for INTs (no surprise but he did have a sophomore slump in INTs last year, but also we are likely to see IMHO George Wilson and the CBs also rack up a noticeably high number of INTs as Bills opposing QBs will be under more duress.

This view is not unreasonable from my perspective. Mostly because its primary conclusion is that we have to wait and see. The main unreasonable thing on this board is when posters seem to draw conclusions for how the future is going to happen based on the first year results, Just as it is not reasonable to draw conclusions on how future reality for a rookie will be based on one year of results it is unreasonable to judge the Nix plan based on 1 year of results.

This view seems to ignore the issue that the Marv problem you observe did not simply stem from an incompetent guy being given the job, but that Marv was hired because the team so badly managed its operating relationship with the GM position. The Bills GM mismanagement issues clearly far beyond the Brandon reign of error to Mr. Ralph having fatal working relationships with Polian, then with with Butler, then with TD and then with the added problems of simply goshawful relationships and hiring of Wade, Williams, Mularkey, and Jauron. How you can seemingly ignore the baseline repeated bad job done by Mr. Ralph of these situations and instead focus on Marv as being the problems makes little sense to me. The hiring of Marv when it seemed pretty clear that no one could operate in a minimally acceptable manner with the owner strikes me as proof positive that the rate limiting problem here is the owner. The fact that when Marv was replaced as GM that no one could be found to even take the job speaks volumes to me as what was the problem here. How on earth can you identify Marv as the problem here and ignore finding fault with the guy who hired Marv, Is there someone else that you feel woulda/coulda/shoulda been hired instead of Marv or that there is little reason to conclude that the miscue you focus on is still ruling the day at OBD,

This is exactly why our LB situation is such a potential problem. We have both a top quality player and a depth issue and it will be hard to solve both problems at the same time.

Many thanks for the kind words and no prob for me whether folks reply or not. As I have long said in my several guises on TSW, I actually often go into one my lengthy screeds because I am thinking out loud where things are in Bills land rather than seeking specific input. From time to time if anyone chooses to follow me in a thread or even in a single post, I will actually convince myself of the opposite opinion than the one I originally offered being the more correct view because I thought it out as I posited my opinion. The really neat thing from TSW is that I also will often find new factoids about situations and players offered on TSW which are new to me and even from time to time, new perspectives I had not thought about. Some folks use the web simply to confirm views they already had (even if in some tea party kind of way their "facts" are demonstrably incorrect but for the dittoheads out there fact-free opinions is how they seem to look at life). The great thing about TSW for me is that amidst a lot of doctrinaire rambling by many, there actually is some good info and perspectives about the Bills. These moments make it easy for me to take the best and forget the rest. If some classify my ramblings as the rest, that is fine by me. If some like a sometimes piece as the best then I am simply honored. Again, many thanks.

I think it is pretty clear from the way Gailey operates his Os that it is a mistake to simply view the White question is whether he is a more productive rusher than Spiller. It would be a mistake to assume that just because White dpes well it forces Spiller to the bench. What it actually does as a first cut is make it more likely that Spiller lines up wide as a WR. He might even see more PT than he would if White does well and makes a more productive use of Spiller as a WR. In fact, there is a lot to be said for getting the Spiller the ball out in space where one move might give him a path to the endzone. The primary likely items which will determine how much PT White sees are: 1. How he does on ST. 2. Whether he does good blitz pick-up 3. How he helps the passing game (either his own receiving abilities or runs and pick up well enough to allow Spiller to focus on receiving rather than how well he runs.

1. Bills have already paid him a huge bonus as part of his rookie deal so a team gets him for the NFL minimum. 2. He still has a bunch of raw speed and the other demographics which first attracted the Bills. He is a laughable player but was not a laughable draft pick. 3. He was younger than the norm when he was picked and is still young. 4. The fact he rode the Bills bench also means he has little wear and tear as a player. 5. He gets to pick and choose if he is cut and likely Maybin goes someplace without the immediate needs at LB the Bills have and preferably someplace with an established LB who will be around for a couple of years to teach Maybin. 6. Many coaches are proud legends in their own mind and the challenge of taking on a failed 1st round pick who has played not only for two HCs but 2 DCs and 3 LB coaches will be too much of a temptation for some team, Ironically, given the amped up new CBA actually forcing some teams to spend money, if Maybin is cut early enough he almost certainly signs an incentive laden deal which will pay him huge money on top of the Bills bonus if he makes the bonuses and there might even be a flat out bidding war to try to attract him even despite his pathetic non-play. His play gives him no value but speculation in this business gives him potentially a lot of worth which might be reflected in his new contract. He sucks, and this sucks but sorry that is simply life in the NFL.

One of the things which I found my way to as I tacked a few more years on to my life is the special nature (for me he said just speaking for myself) of being part of a successful team. It was simply a great moment for me to find myself (at first and then I began to seek it out once I found out how neat of a feeling it was) part of a collaborative effort to achieve something which at first seemed unachievable. This for me is what is special in life. I think looking from outside, that this was what was special for the 2001 New Emgland Patriots who survived the loss of their alleged franchise QB Drew Bledsoe, came together to support each other as a team and was introduced at the 2002 SB not as a bunch of special individuals but as one special team. The irony to me in all of this is that the Bills of the late and early 90s likely experienced the same thing with their 4 time losing SB team. In so many ways, it is not the achievement of the linking goal that matters but it is the collaborative effort to achieve the same goal which elevates life and living. Is the same experience (but compacted into a single or a few sports seasons) that I think many men and women have when they have and raise a kid (or that any two people can have if they are fortunate enough to find their way to raising a kid together. In many ways this is dimestore philosophy which overanalyzes a simple business proposition. Yet, I continue to find as I am lucky enough to get older that the things I cherish most in my life are the moments I can look back upon where I collaborated with others and we formed the bond of teamwork. If there actually is something that can be boiled down to two types of people, it is those who inherently understand that life is about collaboration and co-operation toward a common goal, or in addition, those who get mentored by someone or some situation and learn this lesson if they inherently do not know this. The good GM it strikes me is someone who builds this sense of teamwork and collaboration in a group and is able to make real to the young man who will sign the contract that he has a chance to be part of a special bond. Perhaps the two kinds of people are GMs who are good at building this bond and making it clear to some callow talented youth that this is a chance to be part of this glory if the kid is smart enough to take it. A good team owner is one who at least allows and actually encourages this bond to occur. Its a fragile thing. It does not always happen even if the team is full of great individuals. It takes a lot of different pieces to make the collaboration work (and also a healthy dose of dumb luck as well as this oddly shaped ball bounces in difficult to accurately predict ways). Personally, I am fond of an analysis which posits that a good collaboration or team includes several types (this is part of why diversity is often essential for success). None of them is sufficient in and of itself and all are necessary at different times. In general (though not totally accurately in all cases) they can be divided not into two types but three. Minder, Grinders, and Finders. The finders are the visionaries. They evoke and articulate a broader goal worth sacrificing to achieve. The grinders (my personal favorite because I understand the importance of this but usually do not have the patience and resolve to stick with anything seemingly forever and I am not a grinder) are the folks who show up everyday (and twice on Sundays) and keep working without any thanks and do the job, and do the job, and do the job. The minders are a pain in the butt if you ask me, but I do understand how essential they are. Minders are the moral compass of the operation often. Minders are those folks who are simply not satisfied with 90% correct (a nice B+ in the schools I went to) but insist on a A (93% in the schools I went to) and in fact consistently aspire to 100% though often this is unachievable. No one (from my experience except for my wife who is perfect in everything she does and I know this is true because she is perfect and I told me she is never wrong- how can I object, she chose me) is all three things, a Finder, Minder and a Grinder. In fact, there is an intricate dance for the successful team where at various times someone else takes the weight and leads the team and one sits back. However, every one is totally committed to doing their part as best they can. Its my sense that this is where decisions and efforts like the one made by Pat Tillman come from. He gave up on the achievement of amazing football team goals to seek another form of reliance and sharing with your fellow teammate. he paid for this with his life, but who really faults the choice he made for his fellow Americans. My experiences have been in hiring people to be part of a team I have been fortunate enough to head up at times, that an important part of my leadership was to give everyone involved a sense of the pivotal and appreciated role of their small acts to a greater whole. A good GM is one that can help a player and his agent to see that potential greater whole. Even better to let the player know he can succeed even if the team fails to win by sharing and collaborating seeking a goal together. This is part of why being a rooter for the Bills team which lost their first Super Bowl was one of the best fan experiences I ever had (better even than being a lifelong Bears rooter whose team won the 1985 SB. I became a Bills fan when I married a Buffalo gal and moved to this city in 1989. The moment when the 30 or so of us watching Scotty Norwood line up and go wide right with his kick was a great moment because without any urging we all held hands when he lined up for the kick and shared the body language as we all leaned left. Even better for me was watching Norwood address and apologize to the 20,000+ folks who came out to Niagara Sq. to welcome home the losing members of their family. This was sports at its best to me. The good GM is able to impart that quest to the young athlete. That to me are the different types. Those who can impart that feeling and also those who can embrace it and thems that cannot. I understand the choice of those who simply go for the bucks. I do feel sorry for them.

Actually there are twp types of people in the world, 1. Those who recognize that not only are there more than two types of people in the world but also that any particular individual can actually be motivated by different and sometimes contradictory notions or principles. and those who are simplistic and stupid enough to believe that human motivations and decisions can be boiled down to two simple types.

Huh? I am not sure even what you mean by this. Do you think Smith is a good get or not. His pick-up seems to be to be more about what we think we can accomplish with him rather the primary benefit being forcing opponents to game plan for him. He is in a real manner a true slash player who has demonstrated the ability to not only return the ball, but run the ball, throw the pass, and even tackled on ST. His diverse play should liberate Gailey to plan in many ways. This will create the side effect not simply of the opposing DC gameplanning for him but the more important impact of allowing us to do more things. It also strikes me as as a far more significant impact that if Parrish goes down as the #3 WR (which unfortunately has happened too often) we have a back-up plan in place. I think the Smith signing is a very good thing. Simplifying the preparation we must do for the Jets twice a year is a bigger benefit than making preparaation for us more difficult.

You are right I am a Bills fan but what that basically has to mean for the past decade is that delusion is what its all about kimosabe. Beginning with Nr. Ralph's foolish football judgment which only he could make with the handshake deal that Jimbo would be rewarded in his next contract, the Bills have made a series of ultimately fatal judgments in our Moby Dick like quest for a franchise QB. Be it overeaching to draft Todd Collins, rushing him to start while he obviously had happy feet, the Hobert escapade, making stupid contractual obligations with BOTH Flutie and RJ, etc etc etc delusion is all we got.

Doubtful on several counts 1. It likely takes a #1 to get Luck and when was the last time any #1 choice revived a team on a timeline which maintained the job of the GM. Nix needs to show progress on a timeline which may well get him bounced if we finish 2-14 this year. Add to that his team also going 2-14 in 2012 IF Luck were to bring the same level of improvement to the Bills W/L that Peyton Manning brought to Indy/ 2. Saying a strategy of getting the 1st pick is actually far more reasonable than building a strategy to specifically get Luck or any stud QB. Any college player is one hit away from being a mid 1st round choice rather than being #1. Luck is not a strategy (literally and figuratively). 3. My key point (at huge length as I used the writing to think through Bills possibilities) is that though it is unlikely we will do even middling well, a detailed review does indicate that it is possible . The main thing we need is the unlikely possibility that Merrimen recovers AND we find another solid LB. I think it is actually quite likely our offense is productive. We will see.

One of the things which has always struck me about SB winning teams is their depth. Sometimes they simply have a wealth of talented players on the roster at a particular position from the start of the season (One Pittsburgh team went at least three and I think four deep in players who eventually proved to be capable RB starters). Sometimes it is rookies expected to be ST guys at best who step up usually do to injuries and prove to be great plan Bs (or plan Ds like the former UB star who ended up leading the Packers to an SB win. Now that the season is beginning (finally) my thoughts are turning to reviewing the Bills as playing units and judging whether they have not simply real plan A stars (at least potential Pro Bowl recognees). Plan As that appear adequate at best, and on as to what the depth is (or maybe as FA can make a big difference even if the players signed do not make a splash. This is my current sense and I am curious how others react analyzing using this format: QB- Might as well start at this position which I think gets far too much credit and far too much blame for winning the big one. Plan A- Adequate (in fact with the signing of Smith more than adequate) No one mistakes Fitzy for a proven NFL starting quality quarterback (even after he did demonstrate some promise with how he ended the year after the Edwards false start {which I do not blame Gailey for as Edwards fooled people like Bill Walsh who has forgotten more about good QB evaluation than many of the legends in their own minds on TSW}. Edwards actually showed some good stuff in his initial play with good accuracy, some gutsiness facing the rush and being a bit more fleet of foot than I anticipated at draft time. However, he simply proved to be injury prone (he was dead to us after his concussion) and to add onto this, Jauron continued in Noffense ways and they ruined whatever they had. It was fairly predictable where things would end up with Edwards as starter last year, but given the Bills failings, Edwards contract, initial success, etc I have no problem with Gailey giving him a shot. I actually felt good about how quickly Gailey jumped ship and cut him (though my guess is this likely did not go over well with Mr. Ralph whose checkbook was on the hook for another Bills QB adventure as they have made mistake after mistake in a fruitless and somewhat stupid search for the new Jim Kelly. I like the Gailey proven chops of making playoff achieving productive O teams with previously failed but football smart QBs taking the snaps. He squeezed great real world production out of previously failed QBs like Fiedler, Kordell and Bulger. I think he can do this with a marginal talent like Fitzy. He will not lead this team to the SB, but we gotta crawl before walk and a run to the playoffs with him leading the way is possible. Yet, it is merely possible (and not even likely this year with the bad talent on this squad overall). However, I like Tyler Thigpen as Plan B. There is not way he can be thinking he deserves to be #1 (we routinely in our foolish search for a savior seem to declare someone like JP as our franchise guy when even he admitted he did not earn it or Mr. Ralph foolishly guaranteed RJ stater money without making him prove he was not injury prone. I like Thigpen as a Plan B and hope he even surprises me and steps over Fitzy in camp. Brown and Harris are both disaster QBs but I feel fine about their incredibly unlikely upside at the disaster position. I really like the signing of Brad Smith as our wildcat QB. RB Plan A- Very good Jackson is a very impressive RB in any regard and extremely impressive for a Coe College talent. His age while a question for a player at the high turnover RB position, but in this case his late blooming status does make him older than one would normally like for a go to RB, but also it is due to the relatively low mileage on his body that has not taken years of NFL hits by the age of 30. He has demonstrated productivity not only as a rusher but as a pass catcher and blitz pick-up guy for Fitzy (an important thing with is OL). Plan B- Hopeful- I think the fact folks that are disappointed at Spiller's first year showing says more about the observer than it does about Spiller. He is not a 3 down RB from what I see, but showed both how good he is as an open field runner on ST and also showed some receiving ability. My sense is that this one is on Gailey in that if he finds a way to use Spiller as a WR in a spread offense he would create match-up problems right away for an opponent Plan C- Hopeful- An essential thing for this Bills team given Jackson's age and Spiller's size and usual rookie difficulties he showed last year with blitz pick-up. White however looks like a good choice as the scouting reports on him seem to indicate he may well be an instant contributor on ST and that he is a good route runner in the passing game. Overall, if Jax goes down it will take some work by Gailey to utilize his two back-up well in his stead if they are forced to do this, but I like Gailey's past O success and the diverse talents of his plan B and C. Should a top 10 pick in the draft be more than a back-up in year two? Yep, but my sense of football says the answer for this is lets rum an O that utilizes his demonstrated open field running and rece1vimg skills in a spread O. FB- Whatever. Mot a critical part of the offensive plans. Personally. I would go more toward an H-Back approach but as FBs go McIntyre has shown a lot. OL- Plan A- Not even adequate. The current team is at least a player and a half away from mere adequacy in talent (and then add on this the time needed even if adequate talent is obtained for this unit to develop chemistry Specifically: LT- Demetrius Bell appears to be the likely starter and has shown some athleticism in practice and even some reasonable results in actual play. He seems to have some talent (which has been a nice surprise coming quickly from a 7th round pick. However, having a plan B in place at LY is likely essential and oft-injured as a rookie Ed Wang seems unlikely to be a solid plan B/ G- LeVitre and Wood were solid enough at the G positions last year, but this year it seems likely Wood goes to C. This opens up a G slot for the youngster Urbik who appeared serviceable at best in a couple of starts last year. If Wood moves to C the versatile vet Hamgartner is a reasonable plan B for both slots. A replacement or supplement for Urbik seems to be the likely need. C- Wood seems destined to be the anchor of the OL for years we have yearned for since the days of Kent Hull. His recovery from a vicious knee injury year before last was darn impressive. We will need to see a full 16 from him though for him to be a proven leader. Hamgartmer is a reasonable back-up. RY- we need a player here and I hope the Clabo hunt in FA works out. My player and a half count comes from is not only needing an RY but a solid back-up for multiple OL positions preferably a tackle. WR- More than adequate (though this is only true if Evans actually produces more like a real #1 and/or Stevie Johnson keeps developing at the same pace. Gailey has publicly stated he expects big things from Parrish and he has produced a few highlight film events that show why it is true that he feels that way. Has actually produced results a couple of seasons which show he is among the top punt returners in the league exceeded clearly and consistently only by Devin Hester WHEN HE PLAYS. The problem is that he cannot be counted upon to always be relatively injury free/ I have no problem with him as a player though because part of the reason he gets hurt is that he shows no fear of mixing it up. The acquisition of Brad Smith however means that he actually might be in the mix now as plan B with Smith as plan A in a slash role. Ar any rate, the Bills are far more potent at WR now. Add to this several players such as Nelson and Easley who though unlikely to ever breakout have shown episodes where they can do it from time to time and it looks fun. An area which MIGHT have a good plan F. TE- I simply do not understand what we are doing with this slot given the limited talent we have with Chandler and Martin being the best we got. We have a team built in terms of talent with the TE being a player who is an ST guy and the whose primary use is to sit on the bench so we can go 3 wide. Plab A is not to use them in the O. CBs- The potential talent on this roster at CB gives us not only legit plan A, but makes plan A with a nickel package doable IF everybody is healthy. The good news with Florence's performance last year, his resigning and also the drafting of Martin that we are set for reasonable plan Bs as well if the unfortunate but apparently likely injury to either McGee or McKelvin occurs. I like our plan Bs here and we are likely gonna use e. Sa- This is an area where I like the guys we got as players, but outside of an outstanding rookie year for Byrd, none of these players is someone an opposing OC is worried about game planning around. This group ironically may be the one most helped by our acquisition of Dareus to now team with Pro Bowl quality Williams. This group has shown the ability at times to be a force at run stopping and pick up the trash well with INTs. if we get consistent pressure from the DL plan A of Byrd with either Wilson, Scott (who is good but needs to step up to be a true producer, or interesting rookie Searcy give legit hope DL- Perhaps the most intriguing possibility for complete recalibration of our poor performing D. Kyle Williams was sometimes unblockable with triple teams last year. The addition of Dareus who on paper should demand a double team makes even a 3-4 DL look very scary for an opposing OC. The plan Bs give the Bills possibilities (a long way from reality but still possible) that a breakout performance is at least possible by Troop, Johnson, Carrington, or Edwards. I am not so impressed by any of these individuals that I expect one of them to become the next Kyle Williams (a 5th round pick who incredibly becomes a legit starter as a rookie and merited his Pro Bowl nod last year) but if Dareus plays as advertised and if Williams continues to produce as he has the other DL player will have a lot of 1 on 1s to work with. Troop is interesting as he has the demographics to make the Bills going 4 DEs not simply a possibility but a likelihood given the pathetic crew we have at LB. LB- Ahh yes, oh that. A crew that was pathetic got even worse with the loss of Pos (who in my view was not worth the contract which the market provided him). When your best hope for a plan A is the sudden re-emergence of a legit Pro Bowler Merrimen who has not produced due to injury for three years it is bleak. Not only is a Merriman return to quality play at best possible but unlikely we really do not even have a legit plan B. When the best chance you got at LB is that Maybin turns out to be even merely a steady player when the most likely outcome is he proves to be bust speaks volumes. We need an FA big time and there is no obvious candidate (s) on the market. Oh well ST- I like Lindell's production. He did just about everything we asked him to do last year (even 2 for 5 over 50 yards and his directional kicking got as much as you are going to get out of our ST. Moorman has been a stud for years bit finally had a lackluster year last year. He could well come back though but will need to do so or we need to find some competition for him. Overall, there is little reason to expect even a .500 year from this talent. However, the impressive thing which Nix has done IMHO is to acquire a team which the LB unit aside does at least have the POSSIBILITY of individual players stepping up to breakout. On D, I really see enough talent on the DL that I expect a breakout year from one of several legit POSSIBILITIES for a third DL stud. Amongst the DBs, I see the legit POSSIBILITY that given some depth at CB and from several legit choices to breakout at safety this can be formidable. The one problem is that even mere adequacy from the LBs seems unlikely. The O is very much helped by Gailey's track record. Add to this mix legit possibilities (though not realities yet) for outstanding WR play (both Evans and Johnson in terms of actual past performances MIGHT legitimately prove Pro Bowl worthy and the addition of Brad Smith adds great options and legit possibilities for 3 wide sets and also for wildcat formations' The pedestrian QB pool has doubled in possibilities with the acquisition of Thigpen and the proven slash abilities of Smith. The Fitzy issue has been solved in my book not by the unlikely possibility he will prove to be a stud but by the demonstrated success Gailey has had with QBs of limited skill. I think a .500 record is likely the best we can do. However, the good thing for this Bills fan is that at this point where every team is undefeated their are legitimate possibilities for this team to achieve greatness. They probably won't but you gotta dream. We now live in a world of possibilities rather than mere fantasy. Thanks Misters Nix and Gailey!

I want him to say: 1. The owner has made it clear to him that the goal is going to be to reverse the decade plus record of failure to make the playoffs (I have heard no acknowldement whatsoever of the dismal record of the past decade and a commitment from the owner to take business risks in order to gain sportsman achievements . 2. I would like to here a statement of expectation they have of all players that they must reach down as deep as the can to sacrifice to achieve victory. 3. I would like to hear that the front office realizes as leaders of this team that they cannot expect to succeed in getting the individual players to make a special effort and take risks necessary to succeed UNLESS the front office is also willing to take risks. There needs to be some reflection in how Nix sells the product that the FO and Mr. Ralph are going to lead by example and take business risks in the hope of achieving sportsman goals. I do not think this is unreasonable for Nix to say UNLESS Mr. Ralph is actually more committed to being a good businessman than he is committed to being a good sportsman.

The most important thing for Nix is simply that he make it work as reflected in W/L. That being said, the GM needs to manage and sell the product and Nix shows little sign of being able to do this well. My sense is that when leading a group, that the group performs like the leadership acts. Nixes laissez faire attitude does not do a good job of showing that the owner and front office are committed to doing everything which can be done to make this team a winner. Yes talk is cheap and it does not compare to actual Ws, but in the absence of any record over the past decade of getting Ws, talking is all we got. Nix needs to demonstrate a ferocious commitment to winning. A continuation of the Ralph/Littman game is quite disappointing to this fan. Good business perhaps but definitely lousy sportsmanship. This is the tone the owner has set and is the reason that though I am grateful the team is here, Mr. Ralph is simply a lousy owner for us.

You gotta walk before you run and quite frankly crawl before you walk. PLAYOFFS baby is my Vitale like mantra before I even worry about CHAMPIOSHIPS. Can Fitzy or Thigpen lead this team to an SB win? Nope (at least hugely doubtful). Can they lead this team to a playoff appearance? Yep!

Gamble is the word quite frankly with any QB choice be it Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf. However, the important thing I think to consider is that Gailey has actually had proven success taking the gamble of resurrecting a failed QB like a Kordell, Fiedler (or even Fitzy to some extent). While he has no proven success with training up a talented rookie. This is in part while I had zero expectation of Bills taking a flyer on Mallet (or even Luck next year) and why it is not surprising at all to see us sign Thigpen. I feel very good about where we are at QB. Its not that I have any great belief in the talents of either Fitzy or Thigpen, its that I think there is clear evidence of Gailey getting production and even leading a team into the playoffs with a previously failed QB.

Nor do I understand the near psychotic desire some have had for drafting a talented rookie QB. The Gailey MO has clearly been to take QBs who have shown the skillset required for his O in vet QBs who have failed in their previous starting gigs. I have yet to see anyone lay out any exampled of Gailey training and making his O work with a rookie (and not yet failed) QB. Perhaps with a QB as apparently talented as Luck drafting a QB early might make sense. However, heading into the last draft I had hoped for no QB taken before the 4th round and was quite happy we avoided this adventure completely.

However, if an explanation making sense is your criterion, then since matching the offer the free market has bestowed upon Poz makes little sense for the Bills as well. It is true that Pos was the best LB we had last year, but this mostly speaks to how lackluster our LBs were. There us talent not that much worse than Pos like Siler who likely can be had for much less of a cap hit. I know this is sad but I think it is true.

Oh please?

There has got to be some happy medium though which involves "making a splash" by signing a player who is older. The Bills NEED older players for several reasons: 1. Older players who have had success should have it as part of their jobs and a reason you pay them the big bucks above statistical output teaching the youngsters what it takes to win. Guys who routinely are first and last on the practice field demonstrate an ethic that can add substantially to success. 2. Players get hurt and this is part of the business. An older player who can step in when a more talented youngster gets hurt are crucial to the game. The Bills should sign these players and it will make a splash. 3. Both winning and losing are contagious. It is simply a stupid strategy not likely to succeed for a team to build exclusively through drafting talented youngsters. A team needs to demonstrate to its current players that it is willing to make even an extra effort to win IF it is really going to expect or demand of its players to make an extra effort themselves. If the Bills simply sit on money that they could (or even have to) spend to meet the salary cap then you should not be surprised if the players simply make the almost effort that the front office shows in how they spend their dollars.

It is clear I think in the big picture that unless what the NFL and the NFLPA have as their goal for existing to fight each other, that anyone NOT having a dispute is a winner in this one. The question itself of which side won is a step back in many ways. Neither side was winning when they were fighting (unless they are in the Charlie Sheen school of how to do good work). My sense in terms of what they got out out of this: In the big picture, what specifically they were after was to squeeze a few more dollars out of the last CBA deal which essentially was forced down their throats. I do not think ts problematic for most outside observers that this happened. For years the owners had simply beaten up the players in terms of dividing the receipts from NFL activities. Things changed after the late 80s labor dispute where the owners so effectively kicked the tail of the old AFL-CIO style NFLPA that a talented tenth of players (led by Gene Upshaw) won by surrendering and threatening to decertify the MFLPA as a bargaining agent. In the US system no one can be king and run everything. The NFL team owners were forced to choose between having an actual free market or instead have a system based on a social compact and agreement with the NFLPA. They ran kicking and screaming away from a free market. In the last CBA, when Upshaw publicly dictated that the settlement would be based on the salary cap coming from A:: NFL receipts and not from a designated gross and that the players take would need to start with a 6, he cut a deal where the players not only were clearly partners rather than simply workers, but actually majority partners. In the new deal the team owners are restored as majority partners, but it is clear their is a partnership between players and owners

Again its hard to tell what is going on in the midst of things but it will become a lot clearer when we see the results quite soon. It has become a tried and true technique for lawyers who happen to be people of color to present a public image which at times seems downright incompetent. However, these folks end up being crazy like a fox because they have been well aware of who the decision-maker is and who their opponent is. If a lawyer can create a world where his opponents consistently underestimate him and think that this fool is incompetent then they do not plan against out to box things the lawyer does. We saw Johnny Cochran get off a guilty OJ and lawyer Baes get Anthony released when most people were sure they were guilty. One way of looking at what MAY have happened in this NFLPA case is that D. Smith is judged by many to be an idiot that NFL team owners seemed to give no thought at all to the idea that the NFLPA might buy strike insurance giving the players an ability to hold out much longer than anyone thought. There are some reports of the NFL team owners being quite surprised by this move and that their negotiating hard line changes when it became quite possible that they would be losing hundreds of millions each week if the players did not break. I do not know, maybe D. Smith is just an idiot. However, the key thing here is that I do not think that many of those who rant so loudly against him do not know either. I find that often knowing what things one does not know for sure can make all the difference between failure and success.