FGD

Looks like a good player, but hate the trade. They need bodies that can play. Their lines, especially the O-Line is weak, very little at LB and Safety and their D-Line is not that effective, especially with Darius in limbo. All this talk of being bold or cautious misses the point they need to prove they can identify talent in multiple rounds. I'd have been more impressed if they managed to trade down and gotten additional picks. This is the kind of trade to make if the Bills had a better foundation and were a pain in the ass to play against but finished 8-8, 9-7 consistently. If you are not sure about a second year QB you don't give up the pick most likely needed to draft his replacement. This is Spiller all over again. A potentially fine player drafted by the wrong team. Imagine Fred and CJ with a line that gives them a clean hole to run through without all the enemy contact in the backfield. Imagine a defense that allows the home team to score less than 21-24 consistently. Even if this guy is a total freak wide receivers do not turn 6-10 into 10-6 unless the rest of the draft is A+ and the stay really healthy. The Bills are in no position to grab a brass ring who is not a killer D-Lineman or a QB.

I understand the gut reaction that 6.9M is a ton of money; however in the lala land of pro sports everyone pays it is just who you pay how much. The plantar faciatis (sp) changes things. I just don't think the Bills have earned the benefit of the doubt after 13 years of nearly zero

As a Bills fan since 1972 with the attendant nightmares of Norm Bulach (sp?) rolling up the middle for Dolphins my answer is a big fat NO. Organizations win and currently the Bills are headed by a man from winning would be nice, but by his actions have demonstrated that his #1 concern is positioning the Bills as an asset whose value is maximize upon his death. Does that mean I think RW doesn't care if the Bills move or are terrible, no. An organization that puts winning first would have a fully empowered GM able to spend the budget provided by ownership. It would have gotten rid of Modrak ages ago because with a limited payroll the draft is the biggest day of the year. A winning team would not have kept a player like Kelsey for 9 years. The damning sin is not draft Kelsey its extending him. A winning organization would compete for and sometimes win the battle for front office talent. But who would want to work to mannage an asset as opposed to winning. On a granular note a winning organization would not have such gastly offensive and defensive lines. Maybe one but certainly not both Notice I am not saying Ralph is a villian. Terry Pegula has done many things we wish RW would do for the Bills, but its clear to me that what Sabres need is a new front office to frreshly the appraise the team and the league they play in I follow the Bills pretty closely and often want to post here, but to me the answer is the direction set by the owner and at that point what else is there to say. Sorry about the typos and weak grammer

Its not anyone pick. Its the people making the picks. Gray and Modrak still here. How, if winning counts for anything? Russ Brandon is a marketing guy. This we all know. RW is bent on reducing the payroll and salaries to as low a figure as possible to increase its value for its eventual sale. Does anything else makes sense? Seriously, is there something I am missing? I think not. Its just crushing to see an organganization completely focused on the bottom line and assembling a staff that will not tell the emperor he has no clothes. But hey he extended Evans and McGee! That doesn't mean much in terms of winning. It was done to prop up the season ticket base and to comply with league minimums. Don't want to speed a lot on salaries. Great than assemble an organization that can win every 3 to 4 years like the Twins do in baseball. But that would entail the pursuit of winning and that just isn't a priority anymore.

Of Course Jaws is Right. A no huddle requires superior talant that uses pace to overwhelm opponents dispite the simplicity of the offense. It also requires a superior defense to handle the adverse time of posession, but most of all GREAT offensive line. We saw the K-Gun which tried to maximize talant at the expense of scheme and the Bills don't have any where enough talanet to run that No-Huddle. OK What about Indy's? Well you need a QB that is like Manning capable of making last moment adjustments and reads. Again they have a superior offensive line with a center who has nearly a hard a job at the QB's. The Bills no-huddle is like putting a spoiler on a 4 cylinder Yugo. Sure its is a conversation piece, but it does nothing for the car. Its ludicious. No one can say a no huddle is coaching to the talent the Bills have.

Thanks a lot Marv... You're Welcome. Why is this a surprise to anyone? Why was being a HOF Coach any sign of being any kind of GM? He never apprenticed in any sub GM position? Like Matt Millen he was out of the league; so add this to Wilson's marching orders = garbage Just a series of mind-blowing stupid decisions. Even as he manages the Bills as an asset it makes no sense. Wouldn't trying to win a little be part of any plan?

Sounds like like wait and see to me, which isn't an argument., but OK Fair enough What would progress look like to me: 1. Getting out of the Pats Game with no major injuries 2. 3-3 after six games. 3. Edwards upright and not running for his life all game 4. Edwards winning 1 game the Bills otherwise have no business winning. 5. Defeat a potential play-off team on the road. 6. Rebounding with an ugly win after getting crushed. 7. Running when it counts Hey look I unedsratnd wanting to say, Hey enjoy the game its not that big a deal. I don't measure progress in wins-and-losses at this point I just want progress, an indentity. Its not thee 10 year absence in and of itself it is the lack of progress that is getting me.

Ugh there is no joy adding up the Bill's record at 5-11 this year. 40 Years following the Bills and this is the most discouraged I've ever been. 1. Let's get the ugliest idea out of the way first. RW is engaging is estate management not building a winner, which as a businessman is his prerogative, but as a fan is just plain bad. This cannot be overstated. An owner bent on winning would not have retained Juron. In fact that sentance is the problem. Wilson decided to kerep Juron, not the GM which tells me there is no GM. While plenty of GM have ruined teams when left to their own devices, short of George Halas, no owner acting as a GM has won. It all points to the football people are not allowed to do their jobs and since this is obvious what does that say about the quality of the football people who accept this situation? Whatever the budget for personnel his budget for the coaching staff is just as slim. When was the last time anyone was hired off the Bill's staff for a NFL promotion? I can't. Remember RW's comment on retaining Juron based on stability. How on earth after cratering to 7-9 can stability be a consideration? Is Russ Brandon really a GM? Does he have enough autonomy to succeed or fail? Unfortunately, none of the other coaches except Bobby April inspire any confidence 2. 10 Years out of the play-offs and the team has no identity. It is not a quarterback shy of being good. Both lines are comprised of guys who are either small and quick or big and slow. A team with this many years in the wilderness needs to be built to win 10-7 like Chuck Knox did or the early Marv Levy team’s did. Juron is just a plain shi$$y game day coach and a team with no margin for error can’t afford him 3. The lines are atrocious. IMHO Maybin is the DE equivalent of Parish, a luxury (sp?) only the best teams can afford. Only a team that has the size and talent up front can let a small fast guy operate in space without having to deal with bigger people and the Bills are not that team. Why are we still chasing Jevon Kearse’s Ghost with all these small DE’s? When does the Gregg Williams statute of limitations run out? Our tackles wear out and are just journeymen. Fine in limited roles, but exposed when asked to play more downs then they should. 4. The new O-Linemen might be fine individually, but combined with marginal veterans it is a plain disaster waiting to happen. There is no aspect of the O-Line that can be considered an anchor or foundation. No seriously capable vets that can cover for the new guys as they learn on the job. For example, I live in DC and the Nats rolled into this year with a very young inexperienced starting rotation and bullpen and when they stumbled and struggled there was no one, I mean no one for them to look to in the locker room as an example for how to handle getting crushed. I see the same thing on the Bills. Put another way, Jackson and Lynch are truly physical backs. If they are allowed to get to the line untouched it is 3-4 yard gain at the least. If they get a yard or 2 past the line then it’s a first down minimum. That didn’t happen enough last year at all and I don’t see how the line has improved its experienced personnel to get a different outcome. Still another way I choose to look at it. On road ideally you run the ball early to set tempo and take the home field advantage away and in the fourth quarter you run to run out the clock. The bills have proven that as constructed over the last several years cannot run the ball against good teams at all when it counts. 5. QB. Trent Edwards is serviceable and capable of being Chad Pennington with a slightly better arm IF. IF. IF he had a better team around him, but he doesn’t and the team suffers accordingly. So far he has not shown the Kelly-like ability to play like garbage for huge stretches of the game and still win. I understand if you say, “Hey no fair comparing him to Kelly”, but as far as I can see it would take a Kelly like talent to get this team over .500. Typing this I recall the absolute electric effect Kelly had on the offense when he first signed and that is what id need from the QB if the Bills are not going just plain suck this year. 6. Our Linebackers are just a different version of our defensive ends, either too small or too slow and in my opinion this includes Poluzny (sp?). 7. Our DBs might be bad. They might even suck consider how few passes the defend/tip, but with this lack of pass rush who can tell if they are truly good or bad. 8. Our drafts have been uniformly terrible. They draft at least one good player a draft, but where are the results? Aside from Special Teams what position are the Bills strong in? Certainly not any of the positions on the line? Just no depth at all. Why this propensity to pass up consensus first rounders for busts? Mike Williams over Ennis McKinney being the one that jumps out at me. I think Maybin over the Texas rush end who went to the Skins has the same thing written all over it. Their relative success with street free agents tells me their drafting is sub par, because if they drafted better there would be so many open spots every year. 9. The schedule is tougher this year and if a quick start means anything opening against the Pats with Tom Brady dying to prove he can play just plain bad. I see 34 to 3 as a final, because that is what they do to the Bills. Again there is no joy in this. No wake up and smell the coffee. No threats to boycott the Bills or any such nonsense. I just don’t see a winner this year and most disheartening I don’t see signs that one is being built. Hey if you have an argument to contray I'd love to hear it and no I don't consider wait and hope and see an argument.

A GM! Until someone is given real power and proves to up to the task who to draft is irrelivent (sp?). Organizations win and right now the Bills are set-up to loose.

Edwards is better than Losman and that is it. In fact I like him, but his reluctance to audible indicates to me that he is basically a play calling wimp. For him to suceed he has to have a far superior cast and that is beside the point it is about TALENT and the TEAM and at this pint the Bills have very little talent and are not a team.

Very Posible RW Potemkin Solution. Which highlights the need for a real football man to run the team, which BTW doesn't mean anyone will do, but without a real football man in charge the Bills have no shot. Look at Baltimore a talent laden joke until the owner fires the coach, but because Ozzie Newsome stockpiled talent they maintained their defensive identity and were poised to win. Miami got Parcells and as big quitter as he is when it comes to reforming losers into winners he is peerless. Atlanta just blows my mond not even addition by subtraction accounts for it. But in ALL CASES the ownwer made the big decision and got the hell out of the way. Ralph Wilson = The Stelth Al Davis. He has a plan regarding estaee management and the sale price of the Bills because it sure ain't about winning.

Look I love a which QB blows more rant counter rant. But the fact is this team has drafted so poorly especially the lines that no QB would succed with the Bills as constructed. No OL = No Running Game when it COUNTS to score such inside the 20, gets a 3RD and 2. No short field because the D cannot produce turnovers or other wise be aggressive. As much abuse has been rightly laid on our flyweight "high moter" defensive ends, how about out linebackers who specialize in chasing guys downfield. Our corners? I have no real idea how bad or good they are because they have to play so soft. I mentioned this before, but our cheap young coaching staff leading a young inexperienced team into dead end with no identity is just painful. They know they are being manhandled and outcoached, but they have no idea what to do. Never do folks get hired as HCs, OCs or DCs off the Buffalo staff My darkest fear is that even if WNY turns their backs on the Bills it serves Wilson's interests. If season tickets plummet he can use that as an excuse to cut payroll thereby reducing the expense for the next owner. And I agree with all those who have written before that Miami's success this year just makes the Bills farce of a collapse are the more galling> It really is Kay Stephenson and Hank Bullough all over again. No its worse. Tthe league has gotten a lot smarter and free agrency puts even more of a premium on a good front office which we don't have. After 35 years of watching these guys I thought I could take anything they dished out, but this is really a new low.

The comments on this thread about the Tampa 2 reminds me of another HUGE weakness of the Bills since the Super Bowl loses. An inability to coach to talent! The point about Ngata vs. Whitner is perfect. But my favorite is Gregg Williams and his facination with light fast DEs. Problem is they have to be Jevon Kerse fast and strong and even then its a joke to look for a freak because freaks by definition are unique. A better gets the best talent and builds accordingly.

Agree with everything except Lynch. But your overall point is excellent! Everyone gets fired up over Ralph the Cheap. Its really about who you invest in not how much. The Bills are not dedicated to winning the are dedicated to carrying out Ralph's estate plan. Don't want to spend alot on players, smart in my book for the most part. But who are the lockerroom leaders who have won?. Not on this team. But the real crime is how they shave dollars on the staff and the GM. When was the last time a coach got hired off the Bills as a HC, OC or DC? Its all cheap OJT peter principle sh--! From Gregg Williams to Mike Mularky to Dick Jaron its about cheap inexperienced staffs leading inexperienced teams. Again we have a team that can't adjust and gets beaten down to the point where it loses confidence and has no identity. Why because no one in the front office, on the staff and in the lockerroom is a proven winner! The topper is the inability to build either line. I can't recall more linemen who have had as much time to prove they can't play. Because Johnny U, Dan Fouts, Marino, Kelly, Montana and anyone else would not be able to get this team in the play-offs. Most of you saw the Giants-Eagles game or the even Colts-Steelers game and I am sorry, but the gulf between those teams and our beloved Bills is seriously wide. It starts with the lines, especially with a young QB. It the lines built from the inside out and at center the Bills can't get it done. While it would be fun to ride Fowler and Preston, it would be cheap fun because the real flaw is management's for asking guys to do things they can't.

Its BOTH lines that suck. TE had a bad game, but anyone other than Marino needs a running game. It is my opinion Lynch/Jackson represent the Bills most phyisical backfield since Cookie Gilchrist. All they need is a few plays when they can get either of them, but especially Lynch a yard past the line of scrimmage untouched then the other team has hell to pay, but our totally over paid line gives them nothing. Our DLine is awful. Stroud has disappeared and our ends including Schobel are so light and weak the opposing lineman can just steer them away from the pocket or just stone 'em. Our pass rush looks like little kids reaching over a candy counter. When the Bills needed a stop in the 4TH they just couldn't Worse yet management has paid these stiffs so much they will likely chose to ride out their contract rather than admitting mistakes were made and moving on. The Jets were begging to lose today and the Bills refused to let them

Jets 24 - Buffalo 10 - This team is last years teams withe same lines until they really improve the Bills are 8 and 8 at best

While I agree with anyone who says the lack of 1ST down passing was a factor. I don't buy the criticism of Edards. IMHO It is really about the lines. Lynch and Jackson are the best tandem since Thomas and Davis. In fact I think you could argue they are better in terms of their physical play, but it is clear the offensive line doesn't give them a chance to dominate as they should. Not enough push and the O-Line cannot get low enough they get stuffed, turned sideways and stood up. Edwards us great, but the lie needed to be better, Our D-Ends are simply not up to the task, They look like kids reaching over a candy counter. The fault is not theirs, but mabnagement's for banking on them. Denny/Kelsey et al are trying thier best, but they are not up to the task and they have had more than enough games for management to to reach that conclusion. Can the Bills do anything now? No, but they sure as hell better understand why they cannot run the ball with the twin beast backfield and understand their sh-- pass rush. The sky is not falling, but I can see it from here

Gievn the uneven run blocking Edwards was amazing. I just hope he doesn't end up like Chadwick Smart, Accurate and any arm injury is bad news.

Its the old line: The best part about being a freshman is that they become sophmores. The big question is can he really improve next year.

My favorite was him saying that the Bills big halftime adjustment was going to be telling the OLine to cut down on penalties! As if it was that easy just to say, "Hey, Stop With The Penalties!"

Look I Think its Great. This team is fragile, but has managed to beat very flawed teams. This means it has a chance to cat6ch lightning at the end of the season If (1) the Offensive Line can keep guys off Lynch in the back field more often and (2) if the defensive line can get more pressure out of its base defense. Who's care what ESPN thinks? Buffalo knows they can do something incredable. The Buffalo dispora knows. What's wrong wisth fewer people knowing how good they might be/

Very Reasonable Pick! Best at his position in the Draft! Fills a real Need! Could he suck you bet, but don't think for a second no one else would have picked him very high! Ok Bills prove me wrong and pick a Good to Great guy in the second!

Hope this is not true! Bills have many needs and therefore need many guys who can PLAY. You only trade up into the late first round if you are a player or two away. Just take the best guy at that spot! Solid 1St Pick don't blow it!

Damn Straight!!

What he should have said is HIS QB gave them no shot and our newbie QB made big plays INTO THE WIND. He can say what he wants. They left the door open after the first quarter and the Bills did just what they had too to win safely. Losman got his orders and carried them out. BRAVO!!