Brandon

It probably wouldn't be my first choice, but I don't hate it. It isn't the top need, but considering that the Bills have consistently been one of the worst passing teams in the league for nearly a decade now and with Owens likely to sign elsewhere, I do expect the new front office will want to add a WR in the middle rounds to provide some competition for Hardy and Johnson. Depending upon how those early picks play out, I wouldn't be stunned if the Bills end up using the #1 at the position, though again, it would not be my first choice.

I suppose he's better than Dick Jauron. To this point, he's done nothing to convince me that he should be fired tomorrow morning, nor has he done anything to convince me that he should retain the head coach title at the end of the season.

I hate to say it, but I think you're probably right.

I doubt the results would be much different. Even when healthy, the Bills simply lack the talent at a number of positions to be consistently competitive. As for Fewell himself, based upon what we know to this point, the only conclusion I can reach is that he's a better head coach than Dick Jauron, but that's not saying much. As it stands right now, I can't complain with the job he's done, but at the same time, I don't think he's done anything extraordinary to indicate that a defensive coordinator with a less than stellar record over four years deserves to keep his current title at the end of the year.

Its a difficult choice, but I think I would have to give a very slight edge to Orakpo over Byrd. They've both played as well as any rookie in recent memory, though.

Absolutely not. What the hell is with all of these damn Michael Vick posts lately, anyway?

From what I've seen of him, he could use that extra year. He probably made a good decision.

I'm not going to sit here and try to pass Brohm off as the savior of the franchise, but realistically, he's only been with the team a few weeks. To be fair to the guy, you can't expect him to be ready in that short of a time frame. I don't think it says anything about him that he hasn't played yet or even if he doesn't play this season.

The worst part of it is that his struggles were quite predictable. DE is second only to QB in terms of the difficulty transitioning to the NFL and when you draft an underclassman, who almost invariably is even less prepared for that transition than a senior, you usually just compound those problems. At the moment, Maybin's 1st season is mirroring that of any number of 1st round DE washouts of recent years. Hoperfully Maybin is the exception and its certainly too early to just give up on him, but I'm not at all encouraged to this point.

He may be overpaid, but Lee Evans is a good NFL WR and he'll be the only one on the roster when Owens walks after the season ends just three games from now. I might consider a trade, at a high price, but to cut him outright? Certainly not.

Agreed. It would be like saying that Jairus Byrd isn't helping the Bills win games this year. Its not his fault that the rest of the team sucks.

I agree. Its always a risky pick to select a QB in round one, but need I remind everyone of what happened the last time the Bills selected an OT in the first round? No draft pick is guaranteed to succeed in the NFL. If the Bills believe that there is a true franchise QB on the board when they pick, they'd be insane to pass on him. They've still got six more rounds to add to their OL and if they have any good sense, they'll have addressed it in free agency as well. This isn't an all-or-nothing decision and they can certainly afford to take a QB in round one if they want.

Agreed. I would much prefer that the Bills bring in an offensive-minded head coach and instead of Zimmer, I think I'd go after the Cowboys' offensive coordinator Jason Garrett instead. In any case, until the Bills turn their offense around, they aren't going to win.

He really couldn't say anything else. To do so would be to undermine Fitzpatrick and also to send the signal to the team that the rest of the season is garbage time and that they're just auditioning players for next year. He probably won't start a game, but I wouldn't be surprised if they give him a quarter or two in the last couple of games just to get a better idea of what they have at QB going into this offseason.

I have nothing against Fewell, but that was a classic example of why you don't anoint a coach after one game. Every team gets a momentum boost from a QB or coaching change, but the question is, can the new guy maintain it? Last night, Fewell couldn't and it wasn't the lack of talent that disappointed me as much as the complete lack of emotion from his team. In that respect, it reminded me very much of any other game from the Jauron era. I know they're not very good, but if Fewell wants this job, his team needs to be fired up and ready to play every game, and last night, they were neither.

Its not just you. This looks basically like Dick Jauron football.

Maybe, maybe not, we'll just have to wait and see. If they drop their apparent interest in an established coach, then I think Fewell's chances of retaining the job increase significantly if he continues to win.

I'm willing to give him a chance, but at the same time, I think the Bills have to be careful if they hire yet another inexperienced head coach. Sure, Fewell has them fired up right now, but that happens every time a losing QB and/or coach gets canned. Once the new wears off, can he keep it up, especially when they inevitably run into some adversity? I'm not at all convinced of that anymore than I am that Ryan Fitzpatrick is answer at QB. If they have the opportunity to sign an established, quality head coach, I think they'd be crazy to pass him up in favor of taking a flyer on any unproven candidate, whether it be Fewell or any other coordinator out there.

This is great news. Clayton usually has no idea what he's talking about regarding the Bills, so if he's saying that Shanahan won't be their coach, in reality, the Bills are probably the front runners.

Maybe, maybe not. It'll all depend upon how successful the Patriots are in rebuilding their franchise over the next 3-5 seasons. Look around the league. A lot of the large market teams have had major trouble rebuilding their franchises in the last decade. Miami, Dallas, Denver, Washington, San Francisco...all dominant teams at some period during the 80s and 90s...all struggling to be more than a borderline playoff contender in the last decade. So we'll just have to see what happens with the Patsies. Maybe they reload quickly, maybe they don't. That said, as I indicated before, I think they're early in the process and the decline will be fairly slow over the next 2-3 seasons. They aren't going to hit the wall completely until Moss or Brady do.

We are, but its only the beginning of the end. The Patriots are still the best team in the division by a wide margin and will likely remain so for another couple of years.

Agreed. On the other hand, if he's interested in a job as an NFL offensive coordinator...

That works for me. I certainly don't want to concede a loss to an 8-6 or 7-7 team, which is likely what they'll be when the game is played in a few weeks.

Atlanta is 6-5 right now, has the 27th rated defense in the league and are 2-4 in their last six games, including a loss to a Carolina Panthers team the Bills beat just a few weeks ago. The Falcons are improving, but, much like the Dolphins, I don't think they're anything more than a marginal playoff contender at this time, despite their record last year. Its not going to be an easy game for the Bills, but I think it is very much winnable.

There are three teams on this schedule that probably won't finish above .500 and unless the Colts go into it 15-0, and I doubt they will, they will likely be playing backups. Aside from the Pats, that's a pretty weak schedule in my opinion.