paupmvp1995

I agree. Regardless of how much just about everyone on this board thinks of Levitre, he is a guard on a team that has been putrid since he has been here. Is it his fault? No. But my point is that he is not a GAMECHANGER. He is replaceable. If we can get someone in who is servicable at half the price saving money to bring in a top flite WR, TE, LB, and CB, than we are moving far ahead of the curve. The Patriots do not pay big money to O lineman. Other than Logan Mankins, they bring in a bunch of servicable parts and coach them up. We need to put our big money on gamechangers. Resign or tag Byrd and make a play for Percy Harvin if possible. I would give up a 2nd round pick this year and a 4th next year. The boy can play. And than make a strong push for Danell Ellerbee, Jared Cook, and possibly Mike Wallace or Dwayne Bowe. These are difference makers. Levitre is a nice player. But he is a guard. Make him a fair offer. If he doesn't want it, move on to the next guy who is available. The rhetoric over resigning a left guard for a perenial losing team is completely missing the boat on what needs to be done to make this team a winner. We need game changers at the skill positions. Another TE, and at least two WR's and two very good LB's. Combine that with a complete change in the losing mentality ingrained in this organization for so long, (that will be up to Marone) and we will be a force to finally be reckoned with.

I agree w your concerns about Nix. He just has not hit on enuf players in the 3 drafts that he has been in charge of. And I think we did not do our homework on what kind of player Mario Williams really is. I see him and Dareus as both having similar personalities that seem actually quite passive for the warfare that goes on in the trenches. They are missing the street fighter mentality. I hope Pettine and Marrone will impress that upon everyone on the roster. As for this upcoming season, I am cautiously optimistic that Marrone will have a strong influence (as he should) over the 2013 roster. And I believe we will be pleasantly surprised with the type of players he wants on his team. I believe that his idea on how a team should play and what their image should be will be totally different than Chan Gailey's idea. And that image will be of toughness, smarts and aggressiveness. Qualities that we NEVER saw on Gailey's teams. I think bringing back TJack is a good move, and I feel quite confident that he will be out Fitzie, if he is even on the roster. Because if he does not take a pay cut shortly, Fitz will be gone. I have been optimistic ever since Gailey was fired and Marrone was hired. So my early predictions say at least an 8-8 team that will be much tougher to play against. Some strong QB play and we could push for a wild card. But I think it is really way to early to make any firm predictions. Lets see how free agency and the draft shakes out.

In my opinion Tooth you are missing the boat. This is not really a money decision. This is a talent decision. I seriously think the days of the "old Bills" are over. No more Chan Gailey to misevaluate every player on this roster. Marrone has no allegiances to Fitz whatsoever. And make no mistake this is not Buddy Nix's team anymore. This is Russ Brandon and Doug Marrone's team. Marrone will have the FINAL decision on all personnel moves. If he thinks Fitz is garbage, which I think most of us think he is. He will be GONE. What benefit is there to keep a QB that is a perennial loser? I would just assume go into camp with TJack, Matt Moore and a rookie. Or Alex Smith, and two rookies.. Or T Jack and two rookies, or Matt Moore and two rookies. Haven't the past three years of Fitz shown everyone including you Dr Tooth that the guy is just not good enuf to play QB in the NFL? He has NO UPSIDE!! Don't you all want this team to get better? So start changing your thinking. Marrone is not the same clowns who have run this team for years. He understands what it takes to win in the NFL. He coached on one of the best offenses in the history of the NFL (Saints) Give the "bring back Fitz BS" a rest.

You are delusional. The stats do lie, because a whole lot of Fitzy's numbers were accumulated in garbage time. (See first Jets game as a prime example) And the rest of his yardage was on short crossing patterns, and dump offs to the RB's. We have absolutely no downfield passing game with Fitz. And the other big stat is that he was 6-19 in the last 25 games he started for us. Why would you want a QB with that kind of record on your roster? When the game is on the line, he almost never produces. Did you not watch this team play the past few years? Once teams figured out our 5 receiver quick passing game with all passes thrown within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, we were done. I think Fitz is gone within the next few weeks. And even if he does restructure his contract this month, I still think he doesn't make it out of training camp with us, unless he can make a dramatic turnaround. I just do not understand why anyone would want a losing QB with no upside on the roster.

I usually like what you have to say Dr. But you are WAY off base on this one my friend. Fitz is TERRIBLE. Starter, backup, what is the difference? Bills fans should never want him EVER playing another down for us. He is not a winner. He does not make plays. You want to blame his performance on the line? That is a ridiculous reach. Our line was average at its worse in pass protection. And usually it was quite stout. And to put Alex Smith in Fitzy's category is a complete insult to him. Did you watch Smith play against the Saints in last years divisional playoff game in Candlestick? He was awesome. What about Smith's play against us? Not too shabby either. The standards around here for what is considered solid QB play is ridiculously low. Have you been watching this year's playoffs? Or even the rest of the NFL this year? There are several reasons we went 6-19 the past year and a half. But the biggest has to be that our QB has been horrible. Fitz looks like a High School QB compared to the upper echelon guys. Time to cut bait. For all you people that say he would be a good backup. I say, NO WAY!! His record speaks for itself.

I totally agree. Whitner was marginal at best for the Bills. And he is not much better for the Niners especially in coverage. We certainly do not miss him. Byrd is a much more talented player. And George Wilson in his prime was better as well. I gag when I think of us taking him w the 8th pick in the draft. Look at these top picks from 2003-2009: McGahee-2003, Lee Evans and traded up for JP Losman in 2004, No 1st or 2nd round pick in 2005-took Parrish in the 3rd round. Whitner and traded up for McCargo in2006, Marshawn and traded up for Poz in 2007, Mckelvin in 2008, Maybin and Wood in 2009. Is it any wonder we have sucked for so long with these types of picks?!!

Stevie is one of the few very talented players on the team. He cares about winning. Why shouldn't he give an opinion about what this team needs to do to improve? Its nice that he cares about more than collecting a paycheck. I would disagree with him though about bringing Fitzie back. The guy is a marginal talent with no upside, and is definitely not a winner. I say we will cut all ties with him after Marone looks at the film.

Has anyone given thought to the idea that maybe Fred won't even be back this year? When not injured he can still be somewhat productive. But he has become injury prone, and has put the ball on the ground way too much this year. Remember we have an entire new coaching staff who could always go in a different direction as far as who plays at RB. I personally like Fred, but feel we need a 3rd RB who is a big pounder. A short yardage guy with some pop, who has a little speed as well. We don't need to be throwing every time we are in 3rd and less than 4 yards as we did under Chan.

Lewis sure aint the reason they are in the Super Bowl. He looks slower than Kelvin Sheppard at this point in his career. He really does nothing on the field. And yes football is an emotional game. But his antics have gone from being an emotional leader who plays with great intensity, to a marginal HAS BEEN who tries to turn the football field into a black Baptist church. There are plenty of players who give thanks to God after most pro and college games by gathering in a circle at midfield and saying a prayer. That is respectful, and sends a solid message. What Ray Lewis does is take the emphasis away from his team and puts it all on him. I bet most of the players on the team, especially on offense ignore him at this point. And speaking of leaders, London Fletcher is a great defensive leader for the Redskins who has played almost as long as Ray, (and currently plays at a much higher level) but you don't see him doing some ridiculous chant before and after every game. What are you gonna say about Ray after Frank Gore, LaMichael James, Delaney Walker, Colin Kapernick, et al runs circles around him and by him in two weeks?

I saw a team that was lifeless for most of the past season. We looked that way in the preseason, and than getting destroyed in the first 3 quarters against the Jets in the opener (we were down something like 42-7) is completely unacceptable. Who gets blown out against a division rival in the opening game? That is just unheard of. We were completely unprepared. Gailey brought absolutely no fire and passion to the team. He was NOT a leader. He seemed very disconnected from his players on the sidelines. And what about our starting QB? Where was his leadership? I never saw him interacting with his teammates, pushing them to play harder and smarter. He would just go sit on the bench with his head down and sulk. His body language over the four years he played for us changed dramatically. Fitz was a beaten man the second half of last season and all of this season. He would not have continued to start on any other team in the league after his play the second half of last season. The culture and vibe surrounding this team especially this year was horrible. And that starts with the head coach and QB. Neither one of them exhibit the fire that is needed to win in the NFL. That is why both of their records as a head coach and starting QB are horrific. I have high hopes that Doug Marrone and whoever our starting QB will be, will bring a much higher level of passion and fire to the team every single week.

What unit on the Bills stood out enuf where you have to have one of our asst coaches back? For god's sake we were 16-32 the past 3 seasons. And we have not made the playoffs in Thirteen years!! I am very happy not having ANY coaches associated with that most dubious accomplishment to have anything to do with the team. A fresh start is what this team needs. And a fresh start is what we will get. Marrone knows his football. Do you really think that Brandon knowing his reputation rests solely on who he hires as coach to move this team forward would bring in some loser? I sincerely doubt it. This organization has been so far behind how the top teams in the NFL do business it is ridiculous. Bringing in Marrone is the start of something big!! Go Bills.

I think McKelvin has a good chance of coming back. No team is going to offer a 5 year contract to a corner who is most likely not going to be a starter for them. I think Leodis loves playing for the Bills and would love to come back. He is one of the best returners in the league and will hopefully stay at that level for at least the next three years. I would make him a competitive offer in the 3 year 10 million range and go from there. He can play anywhere from our number 2 thru 5 corner, and be an amazing return guy. And I hope everyone notices how much energy he brings to the team. I really like his positive attitude. Lets hope our new coaching staff feels the same way.

I understand where you are coming from in your defense of KW. However, I want the 2010 version of him back..If his marginal performance at times was because of his other Achilles being injured, than he should have been sat down because he certainly was not helping the team with his play this season. But I will give him the benefit of the doubt that repairing his "other" foot will get him back to his earlier dominance for the next 3-4 seasons. As for Wilson, I always thought his play was not as good as his clippings. At best he was an above average safety with very limited range in coverage. I look forward to him being replaced this season.

My brother met him in the Buffalo airport when the players were about to go on their bye week (Dareus, Merriman and Stevie J) and he told me that Dareus was surprisingly fat and out of shape. He has one more year to get it together, or he will be gone from the Bills. The guy needs to get angry and play with an edge.

I totally disagree with your thinking here. This team has been absolutely putrid under Gailey. They were soft, undisciplined and totally unprepared on a weekly basis. My god our record the past 3 years is 16-32. There HAS TO BE a culture change in Buffalo. Doug Marrone is the man to do it. I certainly hope he gets rid of a lot of the players. None of these guys know how to win. Kyle Williams talks a good game but has been lousy the past two years. George Wilson talks a lot about being a leader, and plays like crap. I want a coach who preaches discipline and toughness across the board. Do you really think most of these players like losing? I certainly don't!! The players who will stay are the ones who will buy into what it takes to be a champion. The rest of them will be packing their bags. And good riddance to them. NFL teams are not run by the players like the NBA. There is ALWAYS someone who is hungry to take your place just waiting for the opportunity. I think you may need an adjustment as a writer covering the team in getting used to a head coach who is actually a leader, who will DEMAND the best from everyone in the organization. I would love Marrone to be a young Tom Coughlin.

I know almost nothing about Marone. I live in the South and focus most of my college football watching on the Big 10 and SEC. But I watched a lot of the Syracuse-West Virginia Pin Stripe bowl last weekend. And Syracuse looked amazing in lousy conditions against a good opponent. Marone had them focused and READY TO PLAY and WIN! When was the last time Gailey had the Bills prepared and ready to compete against a quality opponent?.........All quiet with that answer. LOL And everything I have heard about Marone in the past week was ALL POSITIVE! I am excited about the move. A lot of you wanted Lovie Smith...WHY? He was a decent coach, and nothing more. Did the Bears ever overachieve? not in the slightest.. Now lets get that QB we need, and this franchise will be on the rebound. Go Bills.

I totally disagree. Where is all the love for Fitz coming from? He SUCKS!! Have you seen our record the past three seasons? Take away the first two games in 2010 when Edwards started and you have 16-30. No QB should be playing in the NFL with a 16-30 record. Starter or BACKUP!! He won't "get us thru games". He will lose us games. That is what he is good at. And why is he great in the locker room? What teammates ever sang his praises this season? NFLplayers want to win. That is all that matters. They know that Fitz isn't doing that.. This team has been horrible with Fitz at the helm. Simply horrible. Sure the defense has been bad. But other than Spiller, the offense has been almost as putrid. And that is mostly on Fitz, and his horrible accuracy, on any throw beyond the line of scrimmage. With a solid QB Stevie Johnson would have had 1500 yards. And Scott Chandler could be the next Jason Witten.. Give us another big receiver that can run, with Nelson, Johnson, Jones, Graham, maybe Easley and/or B Smith, Chandler and a solid offensive play caller, and AN ABOVE AVERAGE QB, and the offense will be competitive EVERY WEEK.. Fitz is the main reason this team could not compete. The final series before the half against the Jets was pure Fitz. First play he hits Stevie for about 15 yrds on a decent throw which Stevie than breaks a tackle and runs for another 10 or 12 yards. Fitz than missed on three straight passes including two short ones to CJ, and we had to punt from the around the Jets 45 yrd line w two timeouts left. This is not NFL quarterbacking. Put the cover on the coffin and lets move on. Fitz was never GOOD. The highlight of his career with us was how he played against the Ravens three seasons ago. And we still lost that game as well. Your backup should still have some upside. And Fitz's best game was as a rookie w the Rams in 2005 w his comeback in Houston. Enuf said, and Happy New Year!!

I think any new coaching staff will want to bring in "Their guys" to be QB. Fitz is not a winner-simple as that. I am for getting rid of as much of the stench as possible from the Gailey/Nix regime. And Fitz is at the top of that list. The way he was playing in the preseason should have been enuf to cut him right than and there when combining that with the last 9 games of last year. We would have been a much better team with Vince Young and Tavaris Jackson competing for the starting position. Both have way more upside than Fitz!!

John, This team has been an utter debacle this season. And pretty much for most of the three seasons that Chan has been at the helm. U cover the Bills on a daily basis, and do it quite well I might add. Where in your estimation did things go so utterly wrong? I had such great hopes for this season. But I saw a team in total disarray on the field in the preseason. And totally unprepared for the season opener against the Jets.. What on earth happened to make it go so wrong? My opinion is that Fitz's shortcomings completely short circuited this team. But why was Gailey so stubborn as to not switch to a ball control pound it on the ground type of offense, knowing how marginal Fitz was? I think continuing to throw five wide completely sucked the life out of this team. But my god, what happened to the defense? They have been putrid ALL season!!! Gailey has to go. And Buddy should as well. 15-32 over three seasons in the NFL is unacceptable. The future can only get better. Rewatch the Arizona game, and look closely at the game plan Chan called. He should have been fired right after that game in my opinion. Worst coached game I have ever seen. Coming off of the Pats and 49ers blood fests of giving up 97 points and almost 1200 yards. He is an utter joke. And the team plays as such!! Give us some of your wisdom as to what happened my friend.

I totally agree. Chan has lost the team..The last two weeks have been horrendous. In fact the past 3 years have been horrendous. 15-32 and rarely being competitive in most of the losses will get Chan fired. And Buddy should be shown the door as well. Putting a team on the field with nothing at QB or LB, and almost nothing in the secondary and at WR in the third year of his "Plan" is completely unacceptable. Combine that with picking Chan Gailey as our head coach and it should be over for Buddy as well. I think Brandon and his cronies will strongly recommend to Ralph that Buddy, Chan and all of Chan coaches need to replaced.

I was in Vegas last weekend. The line when I left was Atlanta -4. I bet a grand on the Falcons. It was pretty easy money. The Lions defense is garbage especially in the secondary. And they have noone at RB. For gods sake they lost in Arizona by 28 points because of 3 Stafford picks and a muffed punt inside their own 5 yard line. They are an absolute mess at this point in the season. But I would love to have Stafford or Ryan with the type of running game we have. Throwing 50 plus times every week like the Lions do is a recipe for disaster, regardless who you have at QB. How many of you like Miami giving the 4 points against the Bills tomorrow? Are we getting blown out by at least 14-17 pts? Another bad loss, and Chan is done. But send Buddy with him....

Au Contrair big K. I think Brandon has a whole lot of say in what goes on. He has been Ralph's guy for a LONG time..He is quite the marketing wiz, and I am sure he will tell Ralph there is no way this franchise can survive with Buddy, Chan, and Fitz back..Seriously who is going to buy tickets for a team that has not made the playoffs in 13 years, and has won 15 games over the past three seasons with this bunch of morons running the show? You think they want 30,000 fans at next years opener? Don't think so. Brandon may be the only person at One Bills Drive with half a brain. The Bills need to call John Gruden and offer whatever it takes to get him in. And let him bring his own personnel guy, and makes things happen. (hey, a fan can dream, can't he)

I agree. I would be shocked as well if we beat the fish. I was in Las Vegas last weekend. And it was everything in my power not to bet against the Bills and take the Seahawks by 5. I thought that line was ridiculously low. Figured it should have been at least 8. And than the blowout came. And I realized for sure that the team has tanked it, and as long as Fitz is our QB we are not competing with anybody, especially on the road.. So the line for this weekend's game was Miami by 4. And I could not resist and put $500 on the Fish.. There is just no way this team can play with anybody outside of KC, Jax, Oakland or Philly right now. The team showed absolutely nothing against Seattle. (For what its worth I did win a bunch on the Saints, Packers and Tenn-Jets and Oak-KC unders) But this week the Fish and the Falcons look like real good bets as well as the Saints-Cowboys over. And regardless of how messed up the Jets are next week when they come to Buffalo, we STILL will not move the ball on them..

If Gailey can not coach us to the playoffs with this easy a schedule, why shouldn't he be fired when the season ends? If Ralph is willing to pay $100 million for Mario Williams, I think he eats whatever is left on Gailey's contract.. He will make that up ten fold if he fires Gailey and the team finally turns around.

I love your post Dr Tooth. I agree with everything you said, except that we are not finishing the year 7-9. This team is beaten, and will do very well to win one of its last three games. All three teams we play, will shut down our offense because we can NOT pass down the field. Whether we win anymore games depends on if our D can step up and get some crucial turnovers. As for next season, there is some talent on this team. However, there is absolutely no leadership coming from the coaching staff. I like what you want in our next head coach. This would be a complete turnaround from what Gailey is bringing to the team. I think with any new head coach, we will have to bring in a new starting QB. But I honestly think that the Bills blew it by not giving T Jack an opportunity to play. The guy does NOT suck. He can actually make plays. And in an offense similar to what the Redskins are doing with RG111, could be pretty effective. The fact that Fitzie is still starting having gone 6-16 in his past 22 starts with a solid run game and O line, while showing nothing that would lead anyone to believe he is on the cusp of greatness or even very goodness should be enuf reason to fire Gailey and Nix. So yes with an injection of toughness and smart game management from a new head coach combined with a QB competition between a young stud and T Jack, we could actually become a real NFL team quite quickly. (And with the right coach, Byrd and Levitre will most definitely want to come back)