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I hope the Bills will be more competitive next year, but we have significant needs at LB, WR, TE and CB (I am ignoring QB for this post, which is probably the biggest need of all). LB: Cutting Barnett leaves us with Sheppard and Bradham. Not sure whether either is starting caliber. I don't think there is a reserve linebacker on the roster who can step up to a starting role. The Bills need at least one new starter, assuming that the team stays with Sheppard and Bradham and Bills do not switch to a 3-4 , in which case we will need two new starters. The current group of LBs could be the worst in the NFL. WR: After SJ, there are no starting caliber WRs on the roster. I have my doubts as to whether Graham will develop. Need at least a second starting wide receiver opposite Stevie and likely a third wide receiver (in the slot, with Nelson not coming back). Another poor unit that ranks among the NFL's worst. TE: I like Chandler, but he may not be ready to start the season. Need a starting caliber TE. CB: Need a starter opposite Gilmore, particularly if McKelvin signs with another team. Need to see if Brooks can develop. I have no hope that Williams will become a solid CB, and I expect him to be shifted to safety. Rogers played poorly last year and we need an upgrade at the nickel and dime CB. How does this all get fixed this offseason? We can't count on rookies filling all of these spots, maybe our first and second round picks will be able to step in, but who knows? What I find disturbing is that there are not obvious choices currently on the roster to fill these spots. Throw in the uncertainty at the QB position and the possibility that Levitre will not be re-signed, and you have a team that still seems far away in year four of the most recent rebuild.

The sad part of all of this is the admission that the Bills do not have a starting caliber CB on the roster to play opposite Gilmore. All of these draft picks over the last number of years, and the best answer is McKelvin? He has consistently underperformed as a high first round draft pick and is a free agent this year.

Sorry, but after 13 years of not making the playoffs and only one season with a winning record during this period, this is where we are. I will be excited to watch the Bills in 2013 (just like in every past season), but my expectations are low. I do not think this is unreasonable or particularly negative in light of past experience.

i agree with Sullivan that at this point, the Bills do not deserve the benefit of the doubt about much of anything. We will all hope for the best, but this is a very inexperienced staff overall. Many head coaches have gotten a boost from older, experienced coordinators and assistant coaches. Wade Phillips has helped the Texans develop a very strong defense. Same with Lebeau in Pittsburgh. Would Tomlin have the success he has had without Lebeau running the defense? Jauron and Gailey ultimately failed due to their choices of coordinators (Jauron with the offensive coordinators and Gailey with the defensive coordinators). I think experience matters, particularly with coordinators. I also do not understand why Hackett will be the offensive coordinator and the quarterback coach. Doesn't he have enough on his plate as offensive coordinator?

I still think #1 and #2 will happen (Whaley to become GM, Nix stays on as a consultant), probably after the draft. #3 has happened with the hiring of Marrone (although for full credit, I should have referenced Brandon's ties to Syracuse/Marrone). I hope #4 did not just happen with the hiring of Hackett as offensive coordinator, but clearly #5 has with his hiring (and I would expect more to come). The Bills are way too predictable.

I hope he is not going to be the offensive coordinator.

Looks like I should have included something about an internal restructuring where one of the current upper management guys (in this case Brandon) gets more power/responsibility, although this fits with the Bills history of not really bringing in people without current or former ties.

I agree regarding Caldwell. The Bills need a fresh start, and they should not make another hire that has been associated with the Bills. Nothing against Whaley, but he is something of an unknown at this point. We have no idea how involved he has been with the decision making by the front office.

Based on my experience of being a Bills fan for a number of years and the way that ownership and the front office operate, I would predict the following: 1. Whaley is elevated to GM. 2. Nix stays on as a "consultant." 3. New head coach will be someone Whaley is familiar with from Pittsburgh (such as Grimm or Whisenhunt) or Marrone. 4. New head coach will hire an incompetent coordinator for either the offense or defense or for both. 5. Some of the assistant coaches will be from the college ranks. I hope I am wrong.

Best wishes to Chan. Thought he significantly improved an offense that was poor prior to his arrival and was missing some key pieces during his time with the Bills. Unfortunately, with the Bills, it is always be careful what you wish for.

If the last time the Bills hired a head coach is any indication, then one would have to conclude that the opportunity with the Bills is not as attractive as other potential opportunities. Seems like we are hearing all kinds of interest in San Diego from Reid, that Saban would consider Cleveland only (and McDaniels, originally from Ohio, may have interest as well), and that Kelly may consider the Eagles. Have heard nothing about potential head coaches having interest in Buffalo (and to be fair, maybe we wouldn't). Is the situation with the Bills stable? Not sure about ownership, and even if Nix is retained, would a potential head coach feel comfortable that he or Nix would survive another poor year (particularly if a new GM is brought in the following year)? Throw in our lack of a quality QB, and maybe Buffalo is not all that attractive at this time. Yes, the Bills did spend a lot on Williams, but do not forget that RW will be paying Gailey and his assistant coaches for at least next year potentially if they are let go.

Will the Bills be able to attract a quality head coach and assistants? Seems like Turner (Chargers), Reid (Eagles), Shurmur (Browns), and Crennel (Chiefs) are very likely to be fired after the season ends. That is five likely openings if you include Gailey. Mularkey (Jags), Munchak (Titans), and Whisenhunt (Cards) are also at risk of being fired, along with, although less likely, Allen (Raiders), Smith (Bears), and Rivera (Panthers). Many of these potential opportunities are more attractive than the situation with the Bills, either due to ownership, overall stability (including front office), money (i.e., willing to spend money on players/assistant coaches), current talent, or location. At a minimum, I would put San Diego, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Carolina and Chicago in this category. Given the number of possible openings, past history with Wade Phillips and Mularkey, and uncertainty with the GM position and other issues, will the Bills be able to attract a quality head coach? I think one of the keys will be moving very quickly. The Bills will need to fire Gailey immediately, begin the head coach search, and make a hire as soon as possible. This will be key to getting quality head coach and, as importantly, strong assistant coaches. This may mean that the Bills cannot wait to interview assistant coaches with teams that are in the playoffs.

The AP article makes it seem like the Bills have not engaged in serious contract discussions with either Levitre or Byrd to this point. This does not make sense to me since it appears that at least Levitre wants to stay, unless the plan was to sign Urbik and let Levitre leave. Unfortunately, this may be the scenario we are facing because the Bills know that Levitre is going command a big contract given the recent deals for other quality guards in the NFL. As others have noted, tagging Byrd makes sense with the relatively low franchise tag number for safeties.

Do they announce alternates as well?

Your view is not overly cynical. Seems like we are being set up for a situation where a new owner will have the ability to move the team unless a new stadium is constructed. This will be the bargaining chip, whether the new owner means it or will use it as a way to justify moving the team (which may have been the new owner's true intention from the beginning). The new owner will simply blame the state and county for not keeping the Bills in Buffalo because of the failure to build a new stadium. The new lease and improvements to RW stadium are stunningly low compared to the costs of improvements at other NFL stadiums or constructing a new stadium. We may like RW stadium, but even with the improvements, it will not compare favorably to most NFL stadiums. Given the difficulties in the local economy and the state unlikely to be willing to finance a new stadium for the Bills in the future, I think the Bills could be in a tough spot beginning in about five years. State and local officials really need to focus on the possibility of a new stadium now. It will be a lot of work to make it happen, including finding creative ways to finance the construction. If they are smart, they will tie it to an attempt to rejuvenate the downtown area and the local economy.

This is interesting. I wonder if they also will try to sign Levitre, or does this mean that they will sign Urbik and let Levitre leave.

I have no idea whether Whaley would be better or worse than Nix, but the Bills are predictable, and I can see them hiring Whaley rather than conducting a real search for a new GM.

HIs drafting has been poor. LBs, corners and WRs (other than S. Johnson) are terrible. He has drafted a lot of LBs (Bradham, Batten, Moats, White, Sheppard and Tank) and CBs (Rogers, Gilmore, A. Williams, and Brooks) with little or no success. The best players on the team (Byrd, Wood, Levitre, S. Johnson and K. Williams) were drafted before he became GM. He has missed big with Troupe, Carrington, A. Williams, Sheppard and Graham, which hurts tremendously, since these players were drafted relatively early in the draft. The only player Nix drafted who has met expectations is Spiller. His comments about needing a QB now, and the timing of these comments, have been bizarre. M. Williams may turn out to be a good free agent acquisition, but Anderson has been a bust, and Nix also wanted Meacham, who has been a disaster for the Chargers. Byrd, Levitre, Urbik, Moore, Johnson, McKelvin and Rhinehart (among others) are free agents after the season, which means the Bills will have some holes to fill on top of the holes they already have. One more offseason will not fix all of these problems. If Nix does go, I would expect that they hire Whaley as GM. Not sure this would be a good thing, but it would be the typical and easy thing for the Bills to do.

Worst group of linebackers I can remember. Maybe worse than when we had Brandon Spoon in there. Nix has drafted a lot of linebackers over his three years as GM (Bradham, Batten, Moats, Tank, White, and Sheppard) with nothing to show for it.

Some thoughts below. 1. I don't think that Nix has done a good job with drafting. Wood, Byrd, Levitre, S. Johnson, and K. Williams were all drafted before Nix became GM. Spiller is the only star player drafted by Nix so far. 2. Nix has done a better job with some of the lower level free agent/waiver pick ups. Urbick, Pears (before his injury), Barnett, Chandler and Moore fit in this category. 3. WR and QB are weak in this year's draft. Why is the light suddenly turning on this year when there was strong talent at these positions the last two years? 4. I have the minority view, but I think if Gailey is fired, the offense will take a step back next year. While I agree that Gailey's play-calling this year has been suspect, Gailey has made the o-line look better than it is with quick passes, screens and a good rushing attack. He is very creative and his schemes have masked some shortcomings in terms of talent. 5. Is there a connection between getting funds from New York State for stadium improvements and the cost to the State to repair the terrible damage caused by Sandy? 6. It has been way too long since the Bills made the playoffs. The Colts went from worst in the NFL to competing for a playoff spot in one year. 7. This year's schedule should have positioned the Bills to make the playoffs. We played (or will play) the Cardinals, the Browns, the Dolphins (2x), the Titans, the Rams and the Jaguars. Plus the Jets were very beatable this year. This is/was a powder puff schedule. 8. Can't keep replacing coaches and gms every three years, but I have lost all confidence in Nix. 9. What is the plan for keeping our free agents? Kind of shocked that Byrd or Levitre was not re-signed by now. We can' afford to take steps back at this point. 10. Even with not making the playoffs again this year, I will be sad when the season is over and unable to watch the Bills play on Sunday (no matter how bad they are).

He looked like a raw rookie to me. Seemed like he was penalized a lot and had his back to the ball a fair amount. We will see what the looks like with more practice and game experience. Who knows at this point.

In some of the posted articles, Byrd is quoted as saying that he would have no problem re-signing with Buffalo and that he is excited for free agency. Does this sound like he wants to stay in Buffalo? Not to me, but who knows.

Levitre and Byrd are above average players and their play is not the reason why we have not made the playoffs over the last number of years. There are no obvious replacements for these players and drafting to replace lost talent has killed this team.

Well, we are better in some areas (o-line) and overall offense, and worse in others (linebacker and secondary (other than Byrd)). Drafting has been average at best, and if we are going to see improvement next year and after, then a start would be to re-sign Levitre, Byrd and Urbick and get a new defensive coordinator.

I remember posting here back years ago that the Bills needed a consultant in the last year of the Donahoe tenure. That would have been the time to do it.