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Mikie2times
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Posts posted by Mikie2times
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I posted plenty of stuff around the start of the spiked crusade saying Bledsoe was not the answer. Since then I have only posted a few things, I really can't see how anyone could still be a apologist anymore. If they still are then they will always be so their is no reason to try and change their mind.
Coming to the wall Sunday October 31.....
People that think those _________ (INT's, Sacks, Fumbles) were Bledsoes fault are crazy. If the _________ (WR,TE,OL,RB, OC,HC, REF) would have done their job it never would have happened.
It really is a sad cycle
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With Sunday ticket I get a chance to watch just about every NFL game. Week in and week out the one thing that I notice most about Bills games is the amount of times we get blitzed. When you watch 95% of the other games you will notice about half the amount of blitzes you would see in one Bills game.
The NFL is a game of percentages and the reason we get blitzed the way we do is that the success rate is astronomical. Until we can learn to beat the blitz I don't ever see this offense ever getting to where it needs to be. In my mind their is three main reasons why blitzing is to attractive to opposing defensive coordinators.
1. We have announced to the world that we are going to be a running team, passive blitzing in running situations is a great way to stop a play from starting.
2. In order to make a defensive coordinator's scared to blitz you need to beat the blitz. In order to beat the blitz you need to have enough time to exploit the one on one match ups. WE WLL NEVER HAVE THE TIME TO EXPLOIT MATCHUPS WITH A AVERAGE OFFENSIVE LINE (point #3) AND QUARTERBACK WHO CAN'T GET OUT OF THE POCKET.
3. We have a offensive line that is very average at blitz pick-ups, however I feel that their ineptitude is more a result of reason #2 then just bad line play. Yes they are not that good, but only a handful of offensive lines in this league could handle the amount of blitzes they see each Sunday.
When you look at how other teams successfully handle the blitz you either have three combinations, neither of which the Bills fit under.
1. Scrambling QB/Any type of line
2. Pocket shifty QB/Average line
3. Pocket QB/Excellent line
The fact is we have average O-Line and a Pocket QB, that combination has not been able to beat the blitz in 2 1/2 seasons. The talented skilled position players we have don't have the time to win their individual match ups. If we can beat the blitz this whole offense improves, we won't see as many run blitzes, our receivers will be able to win their match-ups, and we will get better pass protection as a result of fewer blitzes. While Bledsoe may be able to run many parts of this offensive more effectively JP will have a better chance at beating the blitz. When healthy I say give the kid a shot.
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I don't know what game you were watching but we had several rushing attempts in the red zone. Just like every other game in which we had several red zone rushing attempt we got nowhere. As for your savior Drew's performance 2 of his picks were not his fault, two were. The screen pass pick to the house should have never been thrown and the pick in the end zone by Deon was simply a horrible decision.
Despite failing in every category a quarterbacks success is measured upon game after game I agree that Drew is still the savior of this team. All we need next year is couple more lineman to get him some better protection. Maybe we can add some weapons, a TE or another receiver. To think Drew is not the answer really is a crazy assumption isn't it? I mean after 3 years of not showing any progress Bills fans are crazy not to think Drew will lead us to the promised land.
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I echo that sentiment Bill, times have been rough the last few years and it has been even more difficult considering the success we had in the 90's. It hard to deal with being out of the race so early in what was a very anticipated season for myself and other fans. Despite the performance of this season I won't turn my back on this team, I don't feel like I could even if I wanted to. The Bills will always be my team no matter what they put me threw.
That said I see some reasons to be hopefull for the future with Losman, Willis, and Lee. My only request for the rest of the season is that we get some experience for JP when he is 100%. It will be another wasted season next year if we just throw JP into the fire with no experience, get him some time this year so he can have a running start in 2005.
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Field Goal pulls us within 8, unreal, watching this team is like being strapped in a chair while they show wide right or throwback over and over and over.
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I think you can get a simliar quote on one of those Vince Lombardi motivational pictures.
"Achievement"
"When a team is supposed to win and does that is the most glorious thing of all"
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Thats the key to your statement right their, no Offensive line is fundamentally sound enough to not hold when you blitz that often. We probably blitzed 80% of the time in that game yet not one call? BS plain and simple. The Pats are a great team but its been pretty obvious over the past few years that Bob Kraft and the commish are in bed together.
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I hope sooner rather then later, I think we have a better chance at having a complete secondary with McGee and Clements at corners, Malloy at strong, and Vincent at Free. That gives us 3 turnover capable players in the secondary, a far cry from the last couple of years.
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I saw a story on that guy not to long ago, pretty incredible if ya ask me. He may be the only player ever to retire from College football, I was holding out hope a few years back that Chris Weinke would have that honor.
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I'm pro Kerry only because I'm so anti-Bush (In a political sence only) However that was some pretty funny stevestojan Darin
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I'm not a fan of either Boston or the Yankees but I just want to let their fans know that no matter what happens tomorrow this was one of the most enjoyable series I have ever seen. Unfortunately for Boston I see disaster on the horizon, everything is pointing in their favor right now and for that reason I think the Yanks win game 7. It really would be fitting for a team so cursed to have this miraculous comeback halted one game shy. Their fans have been threw hell and back and I hope they pull it off tomorrow but for the time being I have 86 cursed years to back up my prediction.
Good luck to both teams in what is surely to be one of the most anticipated games in baseball history.
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My bet for this week is a two team Parlay, I like the Bills and Chargers on the money line, 8/1 odds for that bet. I usually stay away from the Bills games but I really think its a coin flip this weekend in Baltimore, I also like the very underrated Chargers against the injury depleted Panthers.
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As much as this team has dooped me in the past I think we will go into the Jets game at 3-4.
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Hence the reason not to continue arguing, in the long run we are all Bills fans and thats all that really matters to me.
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I don't think anybody deserves the onslaught your receiving right now but at the same time I'm sure you can understand some of the posts. I'm done now so good luck to your Cards in the rest of the NLCS.
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OK first of all, if you are going to make a post regarding the NLCS and my view of how it has gone, at least do it while stating facts.
I did in fact say I was worried about Houston.
My comments before Game 1 for those who can't read
I again after game 2 said I expected them to keep coming and playing hard. Should I pull that one up too for you dumb !@#$?
I have not complained about umpiring, and I have not acknowledged anyone as anything.
So if you are going to run your !@#$ing mouth why don't you do it when you know what you are talking about OK????
Look at your signature line BF, that line is possibly one of the most ignorant comments about sports I have heard all year. You pulled this same act during the Eastern Finals last year, I expect certain rash statements from a disappointed fan but you do it with so much consistency it's amazing. You make your teams out to be dynasty's when they have accomplished nothing, you then alienate opposing fans by saying their teams are not even in the same class. Maybe I'm wrong, but if I was I wonder why so many other posters say the exact same thing.
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This is turning into a very similar situation as the Pistons Pacers series last year. BF starts out by declaring his team (Pacers/Cardinals) head and shoulders better then its opponent (Pistons/all of the MLB). It's so bad to the point were BF will not even acknowledge that the other team has a chance at winning.
As the series goes on and his team is not doing as well as he hoped his view changes. This new approach is saying the other team may have a chance but only because (Pacers/Cardinals) are not playing well. After his team gets beat in the series he will acknowledge your team the victor, following that he will go onto say that his team is still the better one but they lost because of officiating/injuries/poor play.
The cycle was funny enough when he did it with the Pistons and Pacers last season, now that he is doing the exact same thing it's even better.
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Great game.......looking forward to game 5
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I agree but I don't think it would have been overturned. It was one of those classic reply situations were they would have said their was not "indisputable evidence" to prove he scored. Being the battle of the winless teams CBS only had about 2 cameras at the game and neither of them had that good of a angle.
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Over the last few years it seems like every time this team begins to turn the corner they fail. It has been a agonizing stretch for us fans, whenever the excitement gets restored it inevitably gets riped away a short time later. After 7 consecutive losses today really felt fantastic and with the coming schedule it has left me with some cautious optimism.
I wanted the playoffs this year but after the 0-4 start I realize those expectations are no longer realistic. My new goal is to remain competitive and at least mathematically alive for the wild card down the stretch. I don't think this is a unreasonable expectation for the fans, nor a unreasonable goal for this team. We have 2 very winnable games coming up starting with the Jamal Lewis-less Ravens next week. Then we come back home for a two game stretch against the Cardinals and Jets.
Despite the 4 game melt down we had to start the season we can turn this around. The opportunity is sitting right in front of this teams face just as it has so many times over the last couple seasons. In the past we failed in these situations, if MM and crew want to prove that this team is different then now is the time to do so.
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I appreciate all the kind words. Just a quick response to some posts.
-Bill I agree that those three areas you discussed are among the more catastrophic mistakes under the TD regime.
- FFS I have always enjoyed your posts and certainly can't argue with the points you made in your response. I probably placed to much emphasis on the draft forming continuity, I'm sure the coaching carousel had a equally large impact. I also agree that RB departure did leave this line without leadership, I think many believed McNally could just instil that quality but its much more difficult then that.
-Clements I hear ya about the draft pick situation for next year, I just wish people would give JP a chance before we label that trade a failure.
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Good work Kzoo, that's a nice layout and you express your points well. The only problem I see is that you tend to weigh the cheap, minimum/low salary signing failures (Robinson/ Watson, etc.) up there or equally with the high priced FA signings (which btw have all worked out pretty well). Sometimes you just take a stab at a player and if there is nothing really to lose in return, no harm done.
Agreed, my intention was to be impartial, the more I worked on it the more frustrated I got reveiwing the recent drafts, as a result the poor Eddie Robinsons of the world got the rath.
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I have been a pretty big TD supporter for the last couple of years, however in light our record during his tenure I began to wonder if I I should be as supportive as I have in the past. So what I have put together over the last week is a review of the decisions made by TD threw out his tenure. A lot of people on here are beginning to question the direction this team is heading under TD, and I figure if your going to form an opinion about his ability to be the Bills GM you must have all the information at your disposal. The information is fact, the summary's are just my opinions, in the end I hope this post will be as informative to everybody here as it was for me creating it. Also you may notice some information missing, I included only players/coaches who have made a impact on this organization during his tenure, obviously we have had a lot more transactions then those listed, however I felt it would be a tad redundant to include absolutely every transaction that has been made.
2001 Coaching/Management Decisions
Named Gregg Williams HC
Named Mike Shepard OC
Named Jerry Gray DC
Named Tom Modrak Director of Football Operations
Summary: Obviously Gregg Williams tenure as the Bills Head coach was not a very successful one, I'm not going to get into that hiring anymore because people already know enough about it. I view TD's decision to let Gregg Williams have free reign to hire his staff as a mistake no matter how well organized he was. You can debate whether or not the hiring of Gray and Modrak have been successful, is Gray's current defense a product of talent or good coaching? Or is it both? As for Modrak he seemed like a excellent hire at the time, was thought of as the great talent eye that built the Eagle teams of today, however as we are aware of already our drafts have not been very solid the last few years.
2001 Draft
1. Nate Clements CB Starter
2a. Aaron Schobel DE Starter
2b. Travis Henry RB Starter
3a. Ron Edwards DT Back up
3b.^ Jonas Jennings OT Starter
4. Brandon Spoon LB No longer on team
5. Marques Sullivan OT No longer on team
6a. Tony Driver S No longer on team
6b.^ Dan O'Leary TE No longer on team
6c.^ Jimmy Williams No longer on team
7a. Reggie Germany No longer on team
7b.^ Tyrone Robertson No longer on team
Summary: The best draft of the TD era, however it's still one that is far from being excellent. Out of 12 picks only 5 remain with the team, the good news is out of those 5 players 4 are considered some of the more talented players on the roster. The problem I have with this draft is the uncertainty of Jonas Jennings and Travis Henry, Jennings has made it clear in the past that he wants to go to Atlanta when he becomes a Free Agent this off season. As for Henry he certainly appears to be the odd man out in next years RB derby, you take away those two players and the only remaining guys from the best draft TD has ever had will be Edwards, Schobel, and Clements. Yes this is hypothetical but its well within the realm of possibility's, and IMO it the most likely scenario. Flame Away
2001 Free Agents/Released Players/Re-signed Players
Released Players
P Chris Mohr
G Joe Panos
NT Ted Washington
OL Ethan Albright
QB Doug Flutie
LB Sam Rogers
RB Antowain Smith
LB John Holecek
Resigned Players
WR Eric Moulds
K Steve Christie, IR Following Injury, Later Released
Free Agents
Larry Centers
Shayne Graham, signed after the Christie was injured and the Jack Arians experiment did not work out
Summary: You really can't say a whole lot about the off-season moves by TD in 2001, we released a lot of talented players but TD's hand was forced to do so by salary cap hell. Johnson over Flutie? None issue to me, Flutie would have been more successful that year but the talent was so low it wouldn't have mattered. I give TD props for getting us out of cap hell the way he did, he also made good decisions by re-signing Moulds and picking up Larry Centers. The only negative I see is the releasing of Christie, yes he was injured but he obviously recovered quite well and is kicking as good as he ever did today.
2002 Coaching/Management Decisions
Fired Mike Shepard OC
Named Kevin Gilbride OC
Summary: I don't feel the need to elaborate on this one
2002 Draft
1. Mike Williams T Starter
2a. Josh Reed WR Back up/Starter
2b. Ryan Denney DE Back up/Starter
3.^ Coy Wire S Back up
5. Justin Bannan DT Back up
6. Kevin Thomas CB Back up
7a. Mike Pucillo G/C Back up
7b.^ Rodney Wright WR No longer on team
7c.^ Jarrett Ferguson FB No longer on team
7d.^ Dominique Stevenson LB No longer on team
Summary: This draft was god awful from start to finish, how is it possible that we have that high of a draft choice and only one true starter to show for it? Mike Williams may turn into a above average OT, but he will never be half as a top 5 pick should be. Reed does not possess the ability to release into his routes and when he does he lacks the speed to get open. Denney was drafted as a project player, several years later he is still just that. Coy Wire......nevermind, you get the picture of how pitiful this draft really was.
2002 Free Agents/Released Players/ Resigned Players
Released Players
QB Rob Johnson
DB Ken Irvin
K Shayne Graham
OT John Fina
DE Erik Flowers
LB Sam Cowart
Resigned
DT Shawn Price
CB Chris Watson
Free Agents
LB London Fletcher
TE Dave Moore
OT Marcus Price
OT Trey Teague
LB Eddie Robinson
PK Mike Hollis
S Billy Jenkins
DE Chidi Ahanotu
Trades
KR Charles Rogers for LB Jay Foreman
QB Drew Bledsoe for 2003 #1 Draft Pick
Summary: TD had a few very good decisions and a few questionable ones in the 2002 off season, London Fletcher has proved to be a excellent pick up, the decision to sign him over Cowart was a very smart move. Some other players have gone on to have success with the Bills as well, Marcus Price has been a serviceable back up and Trey Teague while being very average for a couple years has come on strong before his recent injury. As for the 2002 Disasters look no further then Eddie Robinson, and the resigning of Chris Watson. The release of Shayne Graham was a mistake as he is having a very successful year with the Bengals, you can't get that upset about the move though as a veteran kicker like Hollis was a safer play. After seeing Charles Rodgers in action I would not trade a peep show mop for his services let alone Jay Forman. The Bledsoe trade has been and will be debated for a very long time, I look at it as a wash, Bledsoe has never been the answer for this team but at the time we had no other options. I don't fault TD for the experiment, I fault him for staying with it.
2003 Coaching/Management Decisions
Named Dick LeBeau assistant head coach
Summary: Good pick up by TD, this to me really went along way to show Gregg Williams ineptitude. When your Head coach is supposed to be a defensive guru yet you have to bring in another defensive guru it shows you got problems. Its basically saying that Gregg Williams needed help in an area that is supposed to be what he was known for.
2003 Draft
1 Willis McGahee RB Back up
2 Chris Kelsay DE Back up/Starter
3 Angelo Crowell LB Back up
4a Terrence McGee CB Back up
4b Sam Aiken WR Back up
5 Ben Sobieski G/T Practice squad
6 Lauvale Sape DT Practice squad
7 Mario Haggan LB Back up
Summary: So much of this drafts success hinges on the ability of Willis MaGahee to become a premier back in this league. Top 5 backs are hard to come by and if Willis ends up being put in that category then this draft will become much better. Kelsay looks like he may become an above average DE but much like Schobel he seems to lack the raw ability to be a dominant pass rusher. McGee was a real find, he is leading the NFL in kick returns and has shown that he may develop into a starting NFL corner at one point. The only other player worth mentioning from this draft is Aiken, he looks talented enough to make the transition to the NFL however until he shows he can utilize that talent on the field I'm not going to get my hopes up. I look at this draft as having the potential to yield 1 stud, 1 serviceable DE, a potential quality starting CB, and a possible 3rd Receiver. If the previously mentioned players step up and meet those expectations then this draft will be a pretty good one, if not it will be a failure.
2003 Free Agents/Released Players/ Resigned Players
Released Players
TE Jay Riemersma
S Billy Jenkins
FB Larry Centers
LB Eddie Robinson
CB Chris Watson
Resigned Players
QB Travis Brown
RB Travis Henry, contract extension
Free Agents
DE Keith McKenzie
LB Jeff Posey
LB Takeo Spikes
WR Bobby Shaw
S Izell Reese
WR Antonio Brown
DT Sam Adams
P Brian Moorman
G Ross Tucker
SS Lawyer Malloy
FB Sam Gash
Trade
Peerliss Price for Atlanta #1 Pick
Summary:This was another successful off season for TD in the free agency market, the signings of TKO, Adams, and Malloy helped turn this sorry defense into one of the more talented in the league. Also considering the fact that PP would have walked it really was a fantastic move to get Atlanta's #1 pick instead of just letting him go. Another great find this off season was Brian Moorman, he has done wonders for our kicking game and is a major asset in the battle for field position. Moves that I consider questionable are the releasing of Larry Centers and the signing of Jeff Posey. Without Centers Bledsoe lost a much needed security blanket, he would have signed cheap and it was obvious Sam Gash did not fit in very well with our offensive plans that year. As for Posey he is a serviceable OLB, however I think once TD signed Posey he has stopped looking for ways to upgrade that position. That is a big mistake considering we need our OLB's to get consistent pressure on the QB, that is something Posey has never really been able to do whether he is blitzing or lining up at DE.
2004 Coaching/Management Decisions
Fired Kevin Gilbride OC
Fired Gregg Williams HC
named Mike Mularkey HC
named Tom Clements OC
Summary: The firing of Gregg Williams and Kevin Gilbride certainly did not come as surprise. TD obviously made a mistake the first time around in hiring the coaching staff, whether or not he made the same mistake again is yet to be seen. Mike Mularkey has started off with an 0-4 record, just about every football critic thinks that this team is performing well below their talent level. I tend to agree with this but at the same time I don't know how anybody can call this team talented when they have never done anything on the field to back that up. I did not list the hiring of McNally and Wyche because then I would have had to list all the other position coaches that have come and gone over the years, both these position coaches are among the most respected in the game and TD deserves some credit for bringing them in. One thing that is becoming obvious to me as well is that Dick LeBeau should be the DC of this team and not Jerry Gray, why TD wouldn't make a serious push to retain the much more qualified LeBeau is beyond me.
2004 Draft
1 Lee Evans WR Back up/Starter
1 J.P. Losman QB Back up
3 Tim Anderson DT Back up
4 Tim Euhus TE Back up
7 Dylan McFarland OT Back up
7 Jonathan Smith RB Practice squad
Summary: It is almost impossible to judge this draft so early but it looks like TD got some very talented players with the first two draft choices. Evans has shown over the last few weeks why we drafted him as he has a 40 plus yard reception in each of the last 3 games. 3 years from now we may end up with one of the more talented WR's in the NFL so give TD credit were credit is due. JP Losman was also looking like a very solid pick up until his injury, you can't judge a player on the preseason but Losman definitely looks like he has all the tools to become a top QB in this league. As for the rest of the draft I have not seen enough of these players to make a judgment about them, my general feeling is a few players (Anderson,Euhus,McFarland) may be good depth players over the coming years and it's possible a starter may emerge from the group. Then again givin TD's previous draft history in the later rounds it would be a mistake to assume that these players will even be Bills three years from now, time will tell.
2004 Free Agents/Released Players/ Resigned Players
Released Players
Ruben Brown
Same Gash
Resigned Players
Aaron Schobel, contract extension
Drew Bledsoe, contract renegotiation
Free Agents
FB Daimon Shelton
G Lawrence Smith
CB Troy Vincent
OG Chris Villarrial
Trades
2004 2nd round pick, 2005 first round pick, for Cowboys 2004 first round pick, selected JP Losman with Cowboys 2004 first round pick.
Summary: The Bills had a relatively quiet off season compared to the last few seasons, the two big name free agents in this years crop were Troy Vincent and Chris Villarrial. Both players have performed at average levels so far this season. I look at Villerial as a upgrade over Brown, but don't feel the same way about Vincent over Winfield. Yes Vincent is injured but he has played in a couple games and has yet to get a interception, to be fair you can't really say it was a mistake to get Vincent over Winfield. We simply could not have afforded the inflated contract Winfield got from the Vikings and Vincent was the best free agent option available. I would not call Lawrence Smith a find, he was not a well known player and is starting but I still don't think thats saying a whole hell of a lot with this offensive line. The only other problem I have with these transactions is the big money Schobel received, he was set to become a free agent this off season so I'm glad TD retained the only DE threat on this team. The thing I don't like is the size of the contract, Schobel puts up some nice stats but its obvious to me he will never be an elite DE, he relies on one move to beat OT's and since it is a speed rush he tends to take himself out of the play way to often. As for the much discussed trade to acquire JP Losman it is still way to early to judge that as a failure. The pick we gave Dallas may very well end up being a top 10 selection but if JP can become a good QB and carry this team for the next ten years then I would gladly relinquish a pick that high. If he busts it could be the second worst decision of the TD era only behind the hiring of the original coaching staff.
What I see when I look at this information is exactly what I see when I watch the Bills play on Sundays, we have no continuity because we have gotten most our talent as a result of the free agency and not the draft. This plug and play fashion has left this team as a bunch of individuals and not a unit, we have no consistency with the roster or the coaching staff and when that happens its no surprise that we are losing the way we are. Perhaps the most baffling thing about TD's tenure is his complete disregard for the problems along the offensive line, can some please explain to me why TD would address the most glaring weakness of this team the last few years with one draft pick in the first three rounds. Other then that we have picked up a couple average free agents and drafted several late round linemen most of witch are no longer on the team. Is that the proper way to handle what is arguably the most critical aspect of a football team? TD has made some good decisions as the Bills GM but they certainly don't outweigh the bad ones, I don't care how respected he is by his peers, his record as Bills GM is 17-35 and when you look at this information it really is not that surprising. I will no longer be TD advocate and after doing this summary I can't find a valid reason why he should be the GM of the Bills beyond this season.
The line is not as bad as people think
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
I can't argue with that assessment, certainly our lack of a running game in the red zone this year has been devastating. I cited the blitz as the reason because in the past we could run in the red zone. I look at this offense over the past few years and its the same thing all the time. Plenty of sacks that kills drives before they start, multiple turnovers, and plenty of holding calls. I think those things are a result of the blitz more then anything else.