jahnyc

I like the defense and I think we have some depth as well. The o-line is worrying. Williams has been injured most of the pre-season, Pears has not played guard before, and Henderson is a rookie at a new position. The Bills FO may have made an effort to address the o-line in the draft and with the signing of Williams, but I do not think it was enough, at least not for this year.

Did anyone think the signing of Chris Williams was a good signing for the Bills? PFF's list of free agent guards had Chris Williams rated at -21.8 for this play in 2013 and listed him as the 32nd best free agent guard out of 36. To my knowledge, Pears has never played guard in the NFL and his performance in the preseason game against Tampa Bay was negatively rated with a negative description of this play by PFF, noting that he "struggled."

Our o-line is poor and the tight ends are weak. Needed to sign a quality guard in free agency and it did not happen. Our guards may be among the worst in the NFL.

What if the newly constituted Toronto group (assuming this is true) comes up with a bid that is significantly higher than Pegula? What does the Trust do then? I assume they would ask Pegula to match, but I am sure he has an upward limit as well.

Shouldn't we assume that Nix was responsible for most of the players in recent drafts rather than Whaley who was in charge only this year? I think that Whaley had significant input last year, including with the Manuel pick, but he should be judged on picks made this year and in the future (if he is retained by the new owner). I understand that it is way early, but I am not impressed with this year's draft (excluding Watkins).

Not sure about this year's draft, which was a very strong draft by all accounts. CK looks like he has bust potential, which would be surprising and very disappointing since he was a relatively high second round pick (in a very strong draft). Not concerned about Watkins, but it is much harder to miss on a pick if you trade up that high. Henderson may be a pleasant surprise, but it was a low risk move and everyone knew he had talent and off the field issues, so it is hard to give the scouts credit for this one since it really was a front office decision as to whether he could stay out of trouble. Have heard very little about Brown and Cockrell. Who knows about Richardson.

This is really bad news. I know that we have been receiving all kinds of assurances from other posters on the board, but the new Toronto group has substantial resources and are no longer constrained by the inclusion of JBJ.

Very concerned about the coaching on offense. Players are regressing or not developing. O-line may be worse than last year.

I hope the Trust is not trying to include any terms relating to keeping the current front office (i.e., Brandon and Whaley) and coaching staff in place after the sale. The new owner needs to objectively assess this team in all areas and should hire a consultant to help with this process, such as Ron Wolf.

The first two cons are the planet killers.

How can anyone blame the fans for anything after not making the playoffs for 14 years and only have a winning record (9-7) once during that period?

EJ's inaccuracy throwing every kind of throw, even swing passes, is really troubling. If they have whiffed with EJ, then Whaley will not deserve another year because so many decisions made (such as drafting Watkins) were predicated on EJ having success. Marrone and Hackett are a different issue. So far, I am really unimpressed with both.

Something is not right with this team. Maybe there is significant frustration with the offense and EJ?

Completely agree. Shocking that the Bills did not find a veteran QB to be the #2, not just because EJ needed some competition and can get hurt again or potentially play poorly, but because our current back-up QBs probably should not be on an NFL roster.

I am starting to think that Whaley and Marrone may not survive if EJ plays poorly this year and the offense struggles. The Bills supposedly spent a tremendous amount of time assessing the QB prospects the year that EJ was drafted, and decided that EJ deserved to be drafted before and other QB and in the first round. I do not recall any draft analyst suggesting that EJ was mid first round pick. This year, our second round pick has played poorly and is now a project, which is unusual for a high second round pick. For Marrone (and Hackett), the offense is predictable and EJ does not seem to be progressing. The o-line is a mess, which could be on the players, the coaches or Whaley (or some combination). Signing WIlliams will not be the answer at guard. If the Bills finish with a very poor record this year and Cleveland has a top five pick from the Bills in next year's draft, Whaley will face many questions about his decision to trade up to draft Watkins and the coaching staff and front office will be under scrutiny.

It is really hard to evaluate the performance of Whaley as GM since we do not how much of a role he had in decisions before officially becoming the GM. Was EJ his pick? Was he responsible for the trade for Hughes? Overall, I am not as positive about Whaley as some because I think our QB situation, and in particular our back-up QB situation, is a complete disaster. We may have the worst back-ups in the NFL and EJ does not look like a quality starter. I understand and agree that in normal circumstances, EJ would be given time to develop, but the front office has tried to convince us that EJ would be ready immediately and no back-up plan was needed. I also have concerns about the trade for Watkins and the signing of C. Williams at guard. I really like Watkins but we gave up a lot and it is unclear if we will compete for the playoffs this year. It was clear that our o-line needed to be upgraded, and I do not think that Williams was a quality signing at guard and CK has been a huge disappointment so far. The o-line does not look like it will be better this year, which was a major offseason priority.

Interesting point, but if there is a new regime after this season, they should have significant flexibility in terms of the cap and signing current players or free agents, which will be important since we will not have a first round pick next year as things currently stand.

I think Marrone's job security is at least somewhat tied to Brandon, and the role, if any, Brandon has with new ownership. Brandon was a big reason that Marrone was hired, and I really cannot see Brandon being particularly interested in firing Marrone after two years (assuming the Bills do not make the playoffs or have a winning record). If Brandon does not stay with the Bills and the Bills are worse than 8-8, then I think Marrone will be fired after next season.

It is unusual for a second round pick in a deep draft to be this raw. We really needed CK to compete for the right tackle position and he has been unable to do so. Our online was weak last year and needed to be upgraded. CK was a part of the plan to improve the online and I think the hope was that he would be able to start in his rookie year. I think there is a problem, but I hope I am wrong. I remember that Maybin seemed like a bust in his first training camp, and he was a bust. I am getting the same feeling with CK.

A lot of egos involved with this process, but nothing changes the reality that Pegula seems to have the financial resources to do this alone and the NFL would prefer a single owner over a group. I appreciate everything JK has done for the Bills over the years, but I think Pegula will provide the most stability for the franchise in Buffalo in the near and long term.

I have no understanding of who has been responsible for what over the last number of years in terms of player evaluation and drafting as among Nix, Whaley and Brandon. Having said that, I am not particularly impressed with Marrone. I can see Whaley staying after the team is purchased, but Marrone could have issues if the team has another losing season.

I hope that the Trust is only keeping the JBJ/Toronto group around to increase the bids. Still makes me nervous. Pegula needs to win this, and until then and because I am a paranoid Bills fan, I will have a bad feeling that somehow the JBJ/Toronto group will end up with the winning bid.

I would think the Trust would want this done in October. Waiting until December could be problematic and not leave enough time to deal with issues if they arise. People want as much deal certainty as possible, and no seller wants to take the risk that some kind of macro or buyer specific adverse change could occur.

The guy from the Forbes articles sounds like he is talking to some of the NFL owners who want to make sure that the purchase price for the Bills exceeds the price paid for the Dolphins and Browns. Seems a bit unfair to blame MS. If the Trust is requiring that the purchaser of the Bills keep the team in Buffalo and the NFL is already making it known that the Bills will need a new stadium, the purchase price and number of bidders will be negatively impacted.

Who knows what is going on with the sale, but it sure seems like the NFL is issuing something of an ultimatum that the Bills need a new stadium. Curious timing, unless the NFL believes that the current situation gives them maximum leverage to force the issue regarding a new stadium. This can only further complicate the sale process. Did not think this before, but I am now suspicious of the intentions of Goodell and the NFL. Maybe they really do not want a team in Buffalo long-term.