jahnyc

I think there will be a lot of attention paid to improving our group of WRs this offseason. I would be surprised if Robert Woods was re-signed, and I expect at least one free agent WR signed and another WR drafted with a first or second round pick.

Trading first and fourth round picks to move up to take Sammy was not necessary in a draft with a strong group of WRs. That is a gamble that has not paid off.

We do not have a real #2 WR on the roster right now (maybe not even a starting caliber #3 or #4). Should have been addressed in the offseason.

Need to shut him down for the season and have him get healthy for next season. Hopefully with a healthy Watkins, Ragland and Lawson (plus whatever draft picks we get), we should have more talent on the field next year.

What is the benefit of firing Rex during the season if the team continues to play poorly? I don't think the team will suddenly turn it around without him. Firings can wait until the end of the season in this type of situation.

I don't hate the Rexes, but it feels like the whole thing is just one big mess. Even if it was not a big deal that the Pegulas met with the players, it has caused additional controversy and negative attention which is not needed. Optics matter, and we have the look of a bumbling organization with meddling owners. The Pegulas should have cleaned house when they bought the team. Now, we have a house divided with regular leaks from people who have an agenda, many of whom are trying to escape blame and keep their jobs. I hope the Pegulas hire a GM that they trust and respect who can run the football side of things without interference. We all need to move on from this soap opera that has continued for way too long.

La Canfora has an article up on cbssports.com suggesting that this is it for in-season firings for the Bills, but makes it sound like it is "Survivor" for everyone else. Interesting points about Whaley having disagreements with Marrone and Roman about using the available offensive talent. I think we need a GM who the Pegulas will let run the football operations without interference from them. If all of this is true about the Friday meeting, the Pegulas are making the GM position much less attractive to potential replacements for Whaley.

It true, it suggests that the Pegulas have no confidence in Ryan or Whaley, since both should have at least been made aware of this, and Whaley should have participated.

We need a GM that will have real independent decision making authority on players and coaches. The way our current head coach and the prior head coach were hired was far from ideal. We can debate Whaley all we want, but the reality is that there are too many cooks in the kitchen right now. Whaley is not suddenly going to be given more authority for whatever the reasons. To fix this, the Pegulas need to hire a GM that they are willing to trust, respect and not interfere with. That person is not going to be Whaley.

I went into this season with low expectations after having high expectations last year. Most so called experts and sports writers have predicted that the Bills would not be a strong team this year, and so far they are correct. It is early and things can change, but I don't think we have the coaching or the talent to turn it around enough where we end up 10-6 or better (not with our schedule), which is what we may need to make the playoffs. I have faith that the Pegulas will get it right, but the Bills have been terrible over the last 16+ years and experts/writers/fans have every right to be negative until there is some objective evidence that things are improving, such as a better won/loss record. I know that we still will watch every game and support our team, but at this point, it is more than reasonable to have serious doubts about this team, the coaches and the front office.

A rebuild this time will have a better chance of success than prior rebuilds. The Pegulas are willing to spend money, and they will make available the necessary resources. Although the team has a lot of holes, they also have at least some talented players that can be a part of a rebuilt team, including Hughes, Glenn, Dareus (assuming he can get it together) and Watkins. Of course, success will depend on finding the right GM and coaching staff more than anything else. I hope we do better the next time.

We do not want Joe Banner. He has a reputation of being very difficult.

Wow, he ripped everyone. Pretty harsh. Not sure the Pegulas deserved it, but Brandon, Rex and Whaley do.

This does not bode well for Rex or Whaley. I do not see how Whaley would or should survive if we are below .500 this year.

I was trying to make two points. First is that an evaluation of our football operations, including our front office, by an independent third-party consultant is long overdue. Second, if there is a complete housecleaning, it does not necessarily mean that it will take years to turn this thing around. Many teams have done so during the 16 years that the Bills have not made the playoffs. It can be done relatively quickly in the NFL now. I make no judgments about the long-term viability of the Jets turnaround. They do have a lot of very old players at key positions, but they appear to be drafting well recently.

The owner of the Jets retained Ron Wolf and Charley Casserly, two former NFL GMs, as consultants in connection with the hiring of a new GM and coach for the Jets. The Jets turned it around quickly, and I had hoped the Pegulas would get some outside assistance with their decision making regarding the front office and coach of the Bills. I really hope that process will begin soon, because an evaluation of the team, the coaches and the front office seems to be needed and should be done before the end of the season and the draft.

It is way early, but this team does not appear to be a playoff caliber team, not with the injuries and weaknesses that were evident on Sunday. They could be better next year, assuming that Ragland and Lawson are healthy, Gilmore is re-signed and Taylor takes big steps this year and next year. The last one is key. If Taylor improves, there will be hope. If not, than this year will be tough to watch and a housecleaning could occur at some point before or after the end of the season.

I thought it was a knee. I think he has had ongoing issues with his knees from the time before he joined the Bills.

No way we would or should tank, particularly after one game. Having said that, I just don't see this as a team that can go 10-6 or better this year. While we do have some quality players, there are too many holes on this team that can be exploited. I like Taylor, but he really needs to further develop as a downfield passer and make his reads/progressions more quickly. I don't think we have enough talent at WR after Watkins, but the passing game must get better if we are going to have any hope of making the playoffs this year.

The game against the Jets is important. Two losses to start the season to AFC teams would mean a tough road to make the playoffs. I know it is very early, but these early games matter.

I have no significant issues with the Buffalo sports reporters, unless they report things that are not true or factually inaccurate. They express their opinions, and it is up to each of us to decide whether we agree or disagree. Sure they have been negative over the last number of years, but not always without good reason. Bottom line is that it is up to the team (and the overall organization) to shut them up with a winning season and a spot in the playoffs.

I am worried about the starters on defense as well. Kind of an odd mix. Some really good, blue chip players, such as Gilmore, Darby, Dareus and Hughes and then some guys who should not be in a starting lineup. Overall, Rex has less talent this year on defense and more pressure. His abilities as a defensive coach will be tested this year.

While I agree that we have some quality starters, I think our back-ups at TE, OG, C, LB, WR, DE. and OLB are poor. One thing to support this is that the Bills have been picking up discarded players from other teams at those positions over the last week or so, such as Biermann (already cut), Lewis (C/OG), McCray (LB), and Humber (LB). Not sure why posters here are so comfortable with our back-ups if it is clear that the coaching staff and FO are not. We will see how things play out this season. One thing that continues to surprise me is that many posters seem to think we have a good group of WRs. I don't see much after Watkins. I hope I am wrong.

I think our WRs are way below average after Watkins. Goodwin may be able to make other rosters, but he needs to show that he can stay healthy. Manuel was a reach and never should have been taken in the first round. I don't think our depth has been helped by Whaley trading away some of our draft picks over the last few years.

Maybe, but our depth is still worse than most, in my view.