JohnC, I don't believe that anyone is missing that facet of your post. It is neither abstract nor difficult to digest. Yes, it is clear that there are currently teams that appear to have a leg up on the Bills moving forward. They do appear on the surface to be both organizationally superior and talent rick beyond the current offerings down in Orchard Park. Fortunately for The Bills, their fans and the NFL as a whole, future success in this league is dynamic and neither success nor failure are assured by current trends, appearances or results.
Seriously... think back to when Ralph Wilson made those remarks. Only six weeks ago, very few of us would have believed that even the limited success The Bills have achieved in that time was possible. The notion of Ryan Fitzpatrick as a QB to build around could not have been even pondered. Now, at the very least, it is a debate worth taking on. The notion of rival teams having superior organizations is similar. Yes, New England has enjoyed a tremendous decade of success, as did the Buffalo Bills of the 1990's. This too shall pass... Who would have believed that the vaunted Bill Belichick defense would EVER find itselft ranked 32 out of 32? Did Tom Brady's exploding knee of 2008 not illustrate how quickly opportunities for success can come and go in this league? The NY Jets are humming along nicely in November 2010. No doubt... But a roster built on All Pro free agents can quickly be torn about by internal strife, aging stars, injuries and quirks of fate. That is a team built for the NOW, not the later. The 2007 Miami Dolphins needed to go to OT to pull out their only win en route to a 1 - 15 season. But they had the fortitude to move forward with a positive attitude and a bit of wildcat creativity for 2008. In doing so, they were prepared to answer when opportunity knocked. There is nothing it that scenario that screams "not available at One Bills Drive".
There will be an unexpected opportunity in 2011 for some AFC team to step forward and be counted. Will it be Buffalo? If they continue on thier current path, there is no reason it cannot be.