Billsguy

We'll see who is more accurate. I could offer a rebuttal for all your points, but it would obviously be a waste of time. The logic of your arguments drifts all over the place and your assumptions are based on hope and not reality.

Every year its like a broken record. As the memories of the last disappointing season fades, the Kool-Aid crowd starts with all the chest thumping on how great the Bills will be in the upcoming season. Start thinking with your head and not your heart. The offensive line is completely unproven with huge question marks and it is going to be a giant work in progress. The defense is going to be completely overhauled with an entirely new scheme and about 5 or 6 players playing out of position and/or learning a new position. Every returning player has to learn a new system from scratch. The coaching staff is completely new and they have never worked as a group before. The QB position is completely unsettled with no clear quality starter or backup. The competition in the division is far superior to the Bills. My head tells me that this is not a recipe for success. I hope the optimists enjoy their dreams of glory in May because the cold harsh winds of reality are schedulesd to arrive this fall.

He is appealling to his base: other dunces. He stands a good chance in that respect. I think he took too many shots to the head.

Someone once said that if you contemplating retirement you are already retired. I think Schobel has mentally quit already and he is just waiting to finalize his retirement. The only thing that might possibly change his mind is a direct personal plea from Gailey. I think this is very unlikely. Time to move on. The Bills accomplished NOTHING with him so how big could the loss be?

You are right. I thought the article was going to focus on the Bills leaving Buffalo. The Bills will be in Buffalo as long as Ralph is alive, but after that I think it's over for Buffalo. Don Banks is a good writer. I find it hilarious that every local and national football writer gets criticized on this board for being an idiot when the articles they write are critical of the Bills in some way. The Bills have to prove them wrong and the articles will change. The last decade has been a disaster for the Bills and to report it is no crime. Don't kill the messengers. I think Banks got it right.

You have to factor in that both New England and Indianapolis had franchise QB's firmly entrenched so they could build around them. The other major factor is drafting success. Does a team draft more of a certain position because they keep getting it wrong? If you draft a franchise OT then you don't have to keep drafting OT's. The biggest issue is who drafts the best players. Quality is far more important than quantity. These statistics show the quantity which is hardly probative when it comes to quality.

Which offensive line is going to keep the mystery QB upright and without a concussion? He'll probably catch 22.

Thanks for the nice post!

This optimism is heard on every pro football message board in the league. Each team naturally falls in love with their teams' chances after draft day. Hope springs eternal. There is not a team in the league who doesn't think they are better now. The question remains: "Did the Bills improve so much more than their opposition that they will overtake them in the standings?" I don't know, but I doubt it.

New scheme, new coaches, new lines, new system, no established QB, no established OL, new DL, etc. I will bet huge amounts that the Bills don't reach 8-8. You just don't have the ingredients yet. This optimism is completely unjustifiable to the neutral observer.

Hopefully he's right. Gailey said Moats will play inside, not outside like Caplan said.

A DE conversion to LB is a gamble, but what the hell. It didn't work out so good for Corey Moore who flopped for the Bills a decade ago.

Why is everybody being so hard on Wang?

I think changes are coming to the DL. I also think some salary dumping is probable. As a result, I believe Kelsay or Stroud are in danger of being cut. I think the 3-4 defense changes everything and I doubt Stroud fits in with the scheme. I also believe Kelsay has been mysteriously collecting a huge paycheck for no apparent reason. This quote by Nix is very informative after they drafted two DL's. “We felt fortunate that we got some guys that fit our defense and hopefully we won’t get knocked back four or five yards every time they run the ball,” Nix said. “Maybe we can stop the run and work on getting a little pressure on the passer.” "hopefully we won’t get knocked back four or five yards every time they run the ball" He's right. What does that say about the future of the guys who got knocked around last year? They seem to like Kyle Williams. Schobel seems to be retiring. Heads will roll. Stroud, Kelsay, and Johnson get the big checks. I think its adios to some of these guys.

Problem solved - next stop Super Bowl!!

Excellent point! The Bills were dominated by teams running it down their throats (especially in the 3rd & 4th qtr.) Finally some beef. I don't know if they can play, but Buddy Nix must like the smell of their breath. I've heard the Bills have a chop shop somewhere in Lackawanna where they are building offensive tackles with spare parts.

You are an idiot. Did you watch OJ Simpson in college? I did and he was absolutely unfreakin -believable! Far superior to Spiller in college. He got to Buffalo with no offensive line and he didn't do squat and he was one of the greatest ever. Now you think Spiller is so fantastic that he is going to shred the league this year behing a patchwork line? I have watched more football than you by a factor of ten at least.

Common sense would indicate Saffold, Bruce Campbell or Charles Brown. Oops! Did I just say common sense? Sorry.

Finally someone who remembers OJ correctly. He was big. Spiller is not. The other similarity is that OJ had no offensive line and he produced NOTHING until the line was rebuilt in a couple years! Good luck Spiller. Welcome to Buffalo - home of the patchwork line.

Mark Gaughn's article had this: 'They could have taken the third tackle in the draft — either Iowa's Bryan Bulaga or Rutgers' Anthony Davis. They could have taken nose tackle Dan Williams of Tennessee or pass rusher Derrick Morgan of Georgia Tech. "I told you guys the last time we met that need was important, but it had to be a guy who we felt could start immediately, not that those other guys couldn't," Nix said.' What a great quote, " it had to be a guy who we felt could start immediately, not that those other guys couldn't" Totally illogical, but entertaining. I guess he wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't the smartest guy. They took Spiller to sell tickets and create some buzz. How about that shot at Lee Evans that the team had no game breakers? I think he was right about that unfortunately. Now I wouldn't be surprised if they took a QB or WR. Speaking of need, they will probably be shopping for starting OT's in round 7.

Yeah, but think of all the kickoff returns that will be necessary!

Spiller the Ticket Seller!!!

It's about SELLING TICKETS !!!!!!! Who's going to pay to see Bulaga? I think he has great potential. Fingers crossed.

It is obvious the Bills had Spiller the clear top choice, but what about the trenches? I suspect the Bills were only going to draft either one of the two top tackles and since both were gone the next best player was Spiller. I like taking the best player, but I will assume they have a plan for the OL??

Joe Haden is a great pick for the Bills by going to Cleve.