ohiotim

I don't want the Bills to lose enough for the front office to suddenly "get it," I want to lose enough for the front office to be obliterated. What happened in 2008 when the Lions when 0-16? They fired the entire coaching staff, they installed a new GM who has almost completely turned over the roster (only 16 of 53 players remain in 2010), found a young, talented franchise QB and have restored something resembling enthusiasm for a traditionally putrid franchise. Like I said, you wanna keep rolling on mediocrity, be my guest. I'm interested in returning to the years of winning championships, not hoping for .500.

The grammar police are right, mistaking "here" for "hear" should invalidate this post. Please disregard and continuing accepting mediocrity, dreaming of the elusive double-digit win season and hoping to squeak into the playoffs as a wild card. I would accept 1-15, as long as it guaranteed every member of the front office, scouting staff, coaching staff, etc. be let go. Burn, baby, burn.

8-8 3-13 8-8 6-10 9-7 5-11 7-9 7-9 7-9 6-10 Those are the records of the Bills from 2000 to 2009. They have been, by all accounts, mediocre for an entire decade. Yes, there has been a fleeting highlight here and there, but this is a team that has managed to stay competitive without being truly threatening for ten consecutive seasons. Quite frankly, the front office's inability to cash in on first round selections, a consistent inability to identify late round talent, an unwillingness to utilize free agency beyond either overpriced mid-level signings (Derrick Dockery, ahem) and ineffectual low-cost acquisitions (Dominic Rhodes, we hardly knew thee), combined with a laughable coaching merry-go-round has led me to the conclusion that the best thing that can happen is this team hit absolutely rock bottom. There is no point in continuing the mediocrity that has infested this team for ten years. The hopes and dreams of 8-8 or even 9-7 are, quite frankly, embarrassing for a franchise that, after the Dallas Cowboys, were the most dominant football team of the 1990s. It is time that this thing be destroyed, and the only way to clean house is 0-16, the only way to guarantee that Ralph Wilson will be shamed into doing that is 0-16. Everyone connected with this franchise has to be exorcised once and for all - the front office, the scouting staff, the coaches, hell, if it's possible to completely turn over the roster, I guarantee you there is enough talent in the next free agency crop, the draft, and cast-offs from the UFL and CFL to outplay this group. 0-16 is the disease and the cure. Embrace it, in the end we will be stronger, and maybe another decade of Buffalo Bills football will not be lost.

Awesome. How'd Troy Smith pan out?

Ohio St. doesn't develop pro-quality quarterbacks under Tressel. Their system is so vanilla, so simplistic it's nearly unbearable to watch. I remember Columbus residents irately declaring Troy Smith the best thing since sliced bread and that the non-nothings of the NFL would soon learn he deserved to be a first round pick. How'd that turn out? Pryor is absolutely nothing special. He's not a gifted athlete. With his measurables, he should be in the Heisman race and being talked about as coming out early, but he's not. Vince Young showed poise and leadership at Texas, Pryor's shown neither.

Actually, it speaks to a larger point. Who would have thought he Cowboys and Vikes would be 0-2, and the Bucs and Chiefs would be 2-0. With regard to the Bills, sure, they're 0-2, but only the delusional thought this team would approach .500. Cowboys and Vikes fans, they have to be confused. We're not confused, our souls we crushed long ago.

While I agree that drafting the wrong players is part of the problem, fact is hiring the wrong coaching staff, scouts, front office personnel over and over again compounds the problem. In fact, I'd go out on a limb and say that had the Bills drafted all those players, they probably wouldn't have succeeded because the infrastructure surrounding them would have either A) stunted their development or B) failed to properly utilize their talents. If there is anything the last ten years should have taught us, the problems of this team go much deeper than poor drafting. It starts in the offices at One Bills Drive.

Watching the Jets/Ravens game last night was a painful reminder of the 2006 draft, something I remember clearly (and painfully). The Bills had the eight pick, and D'Brickashaw Ferguson was already off the board to the Jets at 4. I'm a believer in building the lines, big and nasty. That, however was not the Bills philosophy at time. I sat in my friend Jay's house, waiting for the pick at eight, mouthing the words "Haloti Ngata," although I'm pretty sure I pronounced it wrong at the time. Of course, instead it was Donte Witner, and my friend Jay started laughing. Mind you, he's a Browns fan, so having a Browns fan laugh at you is angering. That said, we live in Columbus, watch the Buckeyes. Witner was not the Buckeye I wanted on this team. So, like a good Bills fan, I justified the pick, defended, even though I hated it. Then we decided to get some BBQ. So we drive to a local place, Jay runs in to pick up our order. I'm sitting in the car listening on Sirius, and it's announced the Bills have made a trade. I'm ecstatic, this is the spot they can get the Buckeye I want - Nick Mangold. Loved watching him play, a man among boys. Jay gets back in the car, and the pick is.... John McCargo. Even I'm like, who the eff is John McCargo? I think history bears out that Ngata and Mangold have out performed Witner and McCargo. Now, I'm not a genius. I'm not in MENSA, or claim super powers. Hell, I loved the James Hardy pick when it happened. My question is, other than the Losman pick, has there been a 1st round in the last 10-15 years that has provided such an opportunity for improvement in areas of need only to be squandered so poorly by those who supposedly know better? You could say Orakpo over Maybin, but has Orakpo been truly dominant? It's stuff like this that swirls in my head as I sit in a random Ohio BW3 on Sunday, watching the mediocre Bills trudge through another what will surely be meaningless season. Stuff like this makes me miss Ronnie Harmon.

Is there a single position that this team is MORE talented at than last year? I can't name one. Are there positions that this team is LESS talented at than last year? -Wide Receiver: whatever you think of T.O. at this point in his career, I'll take him over the stiffs they're playing opposite Lee Evans. We have a guy playing the #2 on our team that would have a hard time making the roster on most. -Defensive End: think anyone is gonna get the sacks that Aaron Schobel had over the last few years? Get the pressure on the QB the way he did? Alex Carrington was drafted in the third round, and he's not even active. And don't get me started on the waste that is Aaron Maybin. -Linebacker: At least with three, there was less emphasis on how bad they are. Now that four have to be on the field, it's not a stretch to say that this is the least talented, least impactful group in the NFL. Seriously, every team in the NFL has at least one star, at least one guy who makes big plays. -Offensive Tackles: Just awful. UFL awful. Can't start on another team awful. -Quarterback: see Offensive Tackles. This team has talented, productive players at running back, cornerback, safety, offensive guard. Unfortunately, that doesn't make a good team. 10 years of wasted drafts, sub-par coaching staffs and mediocre management have have left most of the cupboards bare.

Not gonna beat the Bears. Their defense is much better than the 'fins, they'll chew up our piss-poor tackles. The Browns are a wild card. Remember, this is a team the Bills have lost to 3-times in a row when the Bills were supposedly better. I watched the entire Browns game, nothing makes me think we can stop their offense. Guarantee a win in KC? Ballsy. You think Edwards is gonna outplay Cassel?

I'm not an optimist, and I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. Going into this season, my prediction was between 4-12 and 6-10, picking Top 5 in next year's draft. HOWEVER. I thought this was gonna be a win. As far as talent, I put the Bills and Dolphins about neck and neck going into the season, with Jets slightly above and Pats significantly above. I now see that assessment was wrong. I defy anyone to look at the remainder of this season and pick out more than four absolute, guaranteed, lock wins. And I mean the kind you're willing to put money down on. At best, this team can beat the Lions and Chiefs, and a road game in KC is no easy task. The Bengals, who knows. That team should be putting up a ton of points. 09/19 @ Green Bay Packers 09/26 @ New England Patriots 10/03 NEW YORK JETS 10/10 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 10/24 @ Baltimore Ravens 10/31 @ Kansas City Chiefs 11/07 CHICAGO BEARS (Toronto) 11/14 DETROIT LIONS 11/21 @ Cincinnati Bengals 11/28 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 12/05 @ Minnesota Vikings 12/12 CLEVELAND BROWNS 12/19 @ Miami Dolphins 12/26 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 01/02 @ New York Jets Anyone who can logically, realistically get me beyond 2-3 wins, please do so. I beg of you, please do so. I've been at this since 1983, so you better back it up.