JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS

Because they were really really good.

Not sure I can take another 7-9 (or worse) and "it's hard to win in the NFL." We need to show we can win or no one will want to come here - free agents, coaching talent, etc. May already be true but we can make it better by winning. Best drafts in the world won't fix our problems alone. We need FAs and quality staff. How many quality DCs want to come to Buffalo right now? Unfortunatly you may be right but I have to hope for something. Playoffs are out of the question. There may be worse teams, but we're not playing them this year. Can we even beat the 3-7 Dolphins at home? Not based on yesterday's showing.

Right now we're pretty much the worst in the division . . . not looking good for next week. My faith in Chan and Fitz is shaken. Just hoping we can somehow fix this mess and go 8-8 this year.

+1 Someone name a QB in this league who could play well behind our mixed-up, beat-up, mashed-up O-line. Be shure to add in playing under pressure because our defense is swiss cheese.

Anyone know of any FA centers out there?

Joe, if you've missed the game so far, here is my advice: pick up the remote, and press "off". Go about your day.

Let's not be counterproductive. We have bigger holes to fill. We need to keep working on the lines . . . Tom Brady wouldn't do well with these lines.

When we have a owner who is willing to spend to the cap. We need FA help big time. We also need to pay our better players to stay. We can't keep dumping our best players when they get expensive.

+1 I was hoodwinked as well. Thought for sure we would be fired up and ready to take on a bad team. But we are making them look like the Packers today.

Nothing funny about it . . . we are bad.

I mostly agree but I think this year's draft was fairly good - not just Dareus, but Williams, Hairston, Sheppard were good picks. If next year is at least as good, we will be on our way. Some key FA sugnings would help though.

+1 This year's draft was very solid. I honestly think Chan went into his first draft with little clue as to how bad the positional needs were. Nix should have known better, but Chan was new and must have thought DJ made the team look worse than it was. Also wonder if RW was still involved in that first draft - he seemed noticebly absent from this year's draft.

Chandler is another. Can we have a deep threat WR please?

We're in year 2 of a 3-year process, really year one with a mulligan on the first Chan/Nix draft (for which they were not fully prepared - see also Spiller reach). We'll go 8-8 or so this year, but with a solid draft next year (this year's draft was best in a long time), we should be able to EXPECT playoffs next year or year after, latest. If they can't get it done by year after next, it's not going to happen and we need to blow it up again. But I think Chan will have us in the playoffs next year. For one thing our schedule should be easier, for another they showed us this year they CAN draft well, for another we have our franchise QB and franchise RB (Jackson not Spiller) and have started to build the lines. Now we need some positional players (WR etc.) and DEPTH so we can ride out injuries (see also holes left by Williams, Wood, etc.) and we will be true contenders.

+1 I noticed that too in the Dallas game. Getting Freddo the ball doesn't solve all our problems, but it is a good start.

Yes it's just armchair coaching/managing, but it makes me feel better knowing there are other folks as passionate about the Bills as I am, who have ideas how to make them better, even if I don't often agree with them, and even if the FO doesn't read them. I read this board for over 10 years before finally taking the plunge and posting my first post in September. It's been great therapy. Go Bills!

Amen brother! My favorite Bill of all time . . . because he was the ultimate TEAM player. Loved to watch him get folks fired up. I have to agree with some of the posters though, they need more than a pep talk. They need talent.

Please. We're banged up and not the team we were before the bye, but Miami is not the Jets or the Cowboys. Fins are 2-7 for a reason, and I do not see them suddenly wining three in a row after starting 0-7. Losing Wood makes me nervous, but we win this one. Now is your chance to get back on the bandwagon, there's still room . . .

+1 Injuries to key players make it that much harder. Playoffs were a lot to ask this year . . . 8-8 would be a giant leap forward.

I'm not feeling good about playoffs. But in August I was just hoping for 8-8. I think we'll get that, or better. Playoffs would be gravy.

May have been designed as a short pass, but my point is run the ball more often on short. Not just this play, it seems to happen in every game. Teams are probably starting to gameplan for us passing on short yardage at this point.

Spiller has had plenty of upportunities and come up short. Mostly missed plays. Brad Smith has also had opportunities and failed to produce. I do agree with you about Jackson. I hosted a Cowboys fan at my home today and he kept asking me "why don't you guys just keep giving the ball to 22? He gets a first down on almost every play."

It goes beyond short pass or long bomb. Jackson has shown he can get 2 yards almost any play or let McIntyre try. Or quarterback sneak on really short. Pick your running play on short yardage. But it seems Chan likes to try to do the unexpected on short yardage and it never works. Sometimes the "expected" play is expected for a reason - because it usually works. I love Chan but sometimes he tends to outsmart himself. Glad he has faith in Fitz but on short yardage don't be afraid to RUN THE BALL!

Rgr. We're in year two of a three year rebuild. Really we're in year one, because the first draft Buddy and Chan were still unaware of just how bad the team really was. I don't think they would have gone for Spiller had they realized how the deep the needs on the lines (both O and D) were at the time. I think they thought the team was OK, but DJ sucked and they would come in and pick things up with better coaching. It took Chan several games into the regular season to realize he had the wrong QB and the team was in deep, deep trouble. We had a great draft this year based on positional needs and Chan has a plan going forward - it will just take time. I'm OK with not making the playoffs as long as we continue to improve. Next year is the year we will make a serious run at it. If we make a wildcard spot this year, gravy.

He saved a touchdown. I think it was in the 4th.