jahnyc

The front office knew the guard play last year was poor and did not do enough to address it in the off season. We all knew that Williams was going to be a bad signing, and it was. Having a rookie at RT, who has not graded out well recently, and two very below average guards is not a recipe for success on offense.

I think a lot of this will depend on how much influence Brandon retains with the Bills organization post- sale to Pegula. I expect that Brandon will strongly back Whaley and Marrone, but I am not sure whether this will matter, particularly if they bring in a consultant to review the football side of the team. I do think it would be a mistake to bring this group back for another year. We need some fresh perspectives and energy, and I am not convinced that Marrone and Whaley are above average in their respective positions (not even sure they are average). No good reason to wait.

The guard play is the big issue right now. It needs to be fixed, but other than maybe putting Urbik back in the line-up, it does not seem we have many good options at this point.

I think he is a great addition to the overall coverage of the Bills by the press. I also like the frequency of his reports/stories.

One game, but he looked decisive and quick.

If the Bills end up with a winning record this year and make the playoffs, Whaley will survive, even with the benching of EJ and whether or not he was responsible for drafting EJ. Since I doubt Pegula will make any moves mid-season, we will need to see how things play out.

Seemed like they were only running up the middle. With Spiller, why not have more runs to the outside? The play calling made no sense, and it doesn't help that EJ can only complete the short passes.

I don't know if EJ can develop or will develop, but he was really bad today. Watt's interception was a killer and a terrible play by EJ.

I think the Dougs have been a bit all over the place in terms of the good and bad. Some of the good: improved overall talent and depth, great trade to get Hughes, and good free agent pick ups with Corey Graham and Dixon. Some of the bad: poor handling of the back-up QB situation, inability to address the OG situation, and having Hackett as the OC. Good luck trying to assess all of this as well as whether EJ will develop into a quality QB, whether Doug M. is a quality head coach, and whether Sammy Watkins was worth trading up for. Seems like a very mixed record with not enough information to figure out whether we are on the right path.

Why is there so much sensitivity with the criticisms of EJ? We have been going through this same drill since Jim Kelly retired. I thought Rob Johnson was going to be a very good QB for the Bills. I was wrong. Ultimately, the coaches will make the determination, and you really cannot blame the fans and their negativity for QBs not working out in Buffalo. None of these guys had any real success after leaving Buffalo (i.e., Collins, Johnson, JP and Edwards). I understand that he has not played a full season yet, but EJ shows a number of characteristics that are worrisome. Holds the ball too long, does not seem to have pocket presence, and he is not decisive. The difference yesterday was the QB play. Both defenses were effective against the run, but Rivers found a way to make plays. Our defense is above average, but it is not dominating. Going forward, opposing teams will try to shut down our rushing attack and let EJ try to beat them. EJ will need to be more than a game manager if the Bills are to make the playoffs. He will need to be able to give the team confidence that if they get behind by more than a touchdown, he can bring them back.

If Orton is the better QB now, then he should play. I have no idea whether this is the case, but the team is decent enough in other areas where we should play whomever is going help the team win now and not next year.

Pegula will sail through the process with the NFL. I am sure he has already been vetted, otherwise the Trust would not have moved forward with him. In any event, the last thing the NFL needs now is any more bad press. The Bills potentially leaving Buffalo would have been another PR problem for the NFL.

Graham has been a great pick-up at a decent price in free agency.

We need to see how EJ plays when we are depending on the passing game to get us back in a game or to keep us in a game. Overall, the team played very well today, which lessened the load on EJ. I get it that he he has not played many games yet, but I see a QB that can improve on his passing accuracy.

I think that each of these reporters did an excellent job of following the sale of the Bills and providing information on what was supposed to be a private sale with significant confidentiality hurdles. I also believe that some of the reports, particularly concerning JBJ, helped further galvanize and crystallize support for keeping the Bills in Buffalo. I appreciate all of their efforts.

Considering all of the possible scenarios that could have played out, this would be an amazing result for all fans of the Bills and the City of Buffalo (and surrounding area).

If Pegula purchases the Bills, a lot of the negativity surrounding whether the Bills will stay in Buffalo, which has been percolating for years, will finally dissipate and allow some of the tortured Bills fans, including me, to only focus on the performance of the team (good or bad).

All of the uncertainties surrounding the team right now, most of it related to the impending change in ownership, are clearly having an impact on the front office and coaching staff. I hope that all of the stresses and insecurities manifesting from the sales process will not filter down to the performance on the field by the players, but how can it not? It would show us a lot if the front office and the coaches can keep things together this season to help the team produce a winning record in the current environment. With some of the stuff leaking out recently, I am concerned that this is not happening.

I like Brandon. Not sure about what his role has been in football decisions, but I think his marketing efforts have been impressive. I think he has represented the team well and I would hope he stays on the with the Bills in some capacity. I agree that no one really knows what the new owner will do with the front office and coaches after purchasing the team. I know the first I thing I would do as an owner is hire a consultant (such as Ron Wolf) to review the team in terms of talent and management to help me make informed decisions about the future direction of the team.

Probably not the right thread for this, but a new owner, after likely spending more than a billion dollars to purchase the Bills, will want to take his/her shot at fixing the team and the culture. It may not be fair to Whaley and Marrone, but if the team has another losing season, it would seem to be the likely outcome.

Things are dysfunctional. Is anyone really surprised? The team has not made the playoffs in 14 years. Winning will fix much of this. If they have a losing record, the new owner should clean house. It will be more than justified. I think it is that simple.

Not sure if this has been posted or discussed, but the Bills Blog on foxsports1280.com has a link to John DiTullio on 1180 AM (Rochester) who is claiming that he has been told that Marrone does not have the respect of the players in the lockerroom. I know nothing about this guy, but it is an interesting listen.

The problem here is that no one looks good and no one (inluding Brandon, Whaley and Marrone) has anything in terms of past success in their current position that would support they should be the ultimate decision maker or arbiter of disputes. I am really unimpressed with Marrone and his offense. I think the Bills can do much better at head coach. I understand the pressures with a new owner coming in, but I have no confidence in Marrone and his ability to evaluate and develop talent, particularly on offense. We will see soon, but it seems that the offense and individual players are regressing instead of improving. I also have doubts about Whaley. Not sure why he needed to come out and say that Henderson is better than CK. What good does that do? I think he lacks a certain maturity, and the Watkins trade could turn out to be a killer.

I hope this is over soon and turns out the way we are all hoping with a new owner committed to keeping the team in Buffalo for the long-term. It will really allow us to focus on the play of the team (which may not be a good thing in the near-term). Interesting that before RW passed away, the sentiment seemed to be from most national reporters and others that the Bills would be sold and moved. Assuing this all works out the way it appears to be heading, they will end up being wrong. A lot of negativity surrounding the future of the team will be washed away with a new owner. This will help the team immensely.

The jury is out, and it is hard to evaluate Whaley because we do not know what his role has been in the years prior to becoming the GM. Was he responsible for the EJ pick? What about the replacements at guard for Levitre? Clearly, he is responsible for the signing of Williams, so we will need to see how that works out. I also think that Whaley has brought in some of his own guys to run the scouting department. We will need to see if there is an improvement in our drafting as a result. Not happy that CK is a project after being drafted as a high second round pick in a deep draft. We needed him to be effective and compete immediately. The team may have more talent now, but I do not think we can credit Whaley for much of if. Mario Williams was signed by Nix. Dareus, Glenn and Gilmore were drafted by Nix. Kyle Williams and Woods were drafted before his arrival. Whaley will be judged on how the Watkins trade turns out, whether Marrone can be an effective NFL coach and whether EJ develops into a starting caliber NFL quarterback. If the Bills have a poor year, it probably means that all three of the foregoing did not turn out favorably. In that case, Whaley's continued tenure as GM with a new owner will be in jeopardy.