jahnyc

I have been disappointed in Sheppard. Watching the game at a bar, it is sometimes difficult to see how specific players are doing, but I noticed that he was effectively blocked during some of the long running plays and out of position or too slow in coverage in some of the pass plays.

A fair number of former Bills would be decent starters or back-ups for us. Some have played well this year. Do we lose more players who are decent performers to free agency, trades and waivers than most teams? A quick look (and I am probably missing some): Youboty: 8 tackles, fumble recovery and touchdown today. Poz: Has played well in the middle for the Jags. Maybin: Two sacks today (but I am glad he is not with the Bills). Greer: Good corner for the Saints. Peters: All Pro left tackle for the Eagles. Lynch: Slow start this year, but over 100 yards rushing today. Whitner: Has played well for the 49ers. Evans: Injured for most of the season. Winfield: Out for season (but has been very strong in prior years). Clements: Has played well for the Bengals. Hangartner: Starting guard for the Panthers.

1. Not sure I have ever watched a Bills game where there were so many huge holes for the opposing team's running backs. I believe the Jets averaged 6 yards per carry, and I do not think that Greene is a top back. In the first half, there were a couple of running plays where there was no Bills defender on the outside. Kind of shocked that the Jets threw it as much as they did since they were so effective running the ball. 2. No pass rush, again. Surprised that the Bills cannot figure out a way to bring pressure from blitzing. 3. I know that Sheppard is a rookie, but he seemed to have a really bad game today. 4. Sanchez is not a good QB and he threw four TDs against us. For one of the touchdowns by the Jets, even though it was third down, there was no one within 10 yards of the receiver. 5. Carrington was very quiet today. Not sure if he will develop into a quality player. Troup is a bust. 6. Williams impressed today. Seeing McKelvin on special teams only was depressing and I doubt he will be back with the team next year. 7. Byrd is having a very good year at safety. 8. This defense is really bad, which is amazing considering the number of free agent signings and draft picks that have been made to improve it.

I did not mention QB in my list of needs because there are so many needs and the ones I listed I thought were the most immediate. You may be right about Fitz, but I think he can be better assessed with an improved line and much stronger wide receivers. Clearly, his accuracy is a concern. Our improvement overall (i.e., balancing our start with our recent poor performance) has been incremental. I do not think we will be playoff contenders next year if we continue at this pace of improvement. I understand that people want instant gratification, but expecting success after three years is not unreasonable.

Not sure if Bell will be back. It will be interesting to see if the Bills make any effort to keep him. Nix needs to step it up in the draft and free agency. Some of the picks in 2011 are getting playing time, but (other than Dareus and Sheppard) this is really a function of a lack of depth and the need to insert rookies as replacement starters. What concerns me is turnover. The Bills need to draft better and sign some free agents each off season or we will continue to draft to replace players who are leaving either through free agency or otherwise rather than to upgrade what is already here. This offseason, the Bills could lose Bell, Stevie and Pears to free agency. Not sure if McKelvin will be back based on his play and I can see him being traded (similar to Evans and Lynch) for a low round draft pick. Maybe these players are not much of a loss, but I am not sure that I see replacements for them on the current roster. If Pears and Bell leave, then Hairston is the only remaining tackle, and I have no idea if he can develop into a quality starter. Kind of scary that I may actually care that Pears and Bell could leave.

Next year's draft will need to be for starters. Excluding linebackers, we need at least one starting cb, at least one starting defensive end, a left tackle, and possibly a new one and two wide receiver if Stevie leaves.

I think Chan has done a good job under the circumstances, particularly with the offense. He has made the most of the talent on offense, and recent injuries are difficult to overcome with little depth or experience behind our starters. He does have responsibility for a poorly conceived defense, and changes need to be made in the offseason. I don't think Nix has given Chan enough to work with and one more draft will not magically transform this team into a playoff caliber team next year.

Injuries are not an excuse, but with the number of starters that will be out and the way we have played over the last three games, it seems we have almost no chance to win. Wood, Jones, Jackson, Bell, Merriman, K. Williams, Wilson and McGee are either out or likely not to play. Stevie and Nelson are banged up. Things are not looking good.

The defense has played poorly all year, and only some turnovers and excellent play of the offense kept us competitive in the early part of the season. It would be reasonable after two years of Nix to expect the playoffs next year, but it is not going to happen. Way too many holes, in large part due to a terrible draft in 2010. It is fine to build through the draft if you can hit on your draft picks. Nix has not, and our team is weak and without depth because of it. I am tired of rebuilding and not having success. Some teams rebuild in one or two years. We are going on 10 plus years, and if Detroit makes the playoffs, we will have the longest drought of not making the playoffs in the NFL.

Peters is a very good tackle and it is more than unfortunate that the Bills traded him. I seem to recall that he would not respond to the Bills efforts to engage in a dialogue. Did he really like playing for the Bills or did he want out?

The defense did not play well overall. They made Moore look great and Miami stopped being creative after they scored 28 points. They could have scored 70 points against us if they continued with aggressive play calling.

Roscoe is done as a Bill. Depending on what happens with Stevie, we may need two new starting wide receivers next year.

We are suffering from the continuation of poor drafting and personnel decisions. Sorry, but Nix has not been an improvement over his predecessors and now our season appears to be over. It has been two years, and we seem to have more holes than ever. Nix told us that he was concerned about depth before the season started, but recognizing a problem and failing to fix it is not an excuse. This last three games have been the worst stretch that I can remember. We may not miss Donte, but maybe keeping Poz was more important than we knew. Hangartner would have been useful. It was a bad plan to think that Levitre could shift over to center (after filling in at LT). Why did they sign Smith? This was poor use of very limited resources. Did they really think that Bell was the answer at LT or that he could stay healthy for the year? I am seeing almost no positive contributions from our draft picks other than Dareus. Williams may turn out okay, but he looks very raw and I have my doubts already. Not sure if Hairston will be a quality player. Troup and Carrington are disappointments and Spiller is a bust. We are in desperate need of quality starters at outside LB, CB and DE. Our offensive line needs help at tackle and WR. When is this ever going to get turned around and does anyone think that Nix can do it?

This D is terrible. One of the worst I can remember. On the pass play to Bess, there was no one around him even after he caught the ball! Not sure of Williams is ready to play. He looked raw before getting injured and he looked bad on that pass play.

Yes, Buddy needs to make some better choices in the draft. The team has improved, but it seems to have little to do with Buddy's drafting acumen. Jackson, Fitz and Stevie are all holdovers from the prior administration. Troup and Carrington really need to step it up. In the last two years, Dareus is the only draft pick that seems to be making a difference, and he was something of a no brainer in terms of where the Bills were picking. I do think the Bills made some good moves in the last two years picking up Urbick, Rhinehart and Chandler. Not sure who was responsible for these moves, but if it is Buddy, he deserves some credit. Overall, any improvement in this year's play seems more directly related to the coaching staff and, in particular, Chan's offense.

I think DE is a need area. No pressure from our DEs this year, and I have not been impressed with Edwards or Carrington.

1. Even with the recent poor performances of the offense, the o-line has performed much better than I expected this year. Fitz helps with getting the ball out quickly, but there have been great running lanes for Fred in many of the games this year. Woods is a big loss, I hope he is back and as effective for next season. The front office also deserves some credit for picking up Urbik and Rhinehart as free agents after they were released from the active rosters of their respective teams. I still think we need to draft a quality tackle in next year's draft. 2. I think the fans/posters are right much of the time. Many were upset when the Bills cut Hangartner, arguing that he would be important for depth. No one could have foreseen the injuries at wide receiver, but the Bills are lacking a deep threat, which is a role that Evans has excelled at. One thing that I got wrong was the o-line (see point one). 3. The coaches deserve a lot of credit for developing Nelson, Johnson and Chandler, but Jones does not seem to be a legitimate number 2. The front office also made a great move signing Chandler off of the Cowboys practice squad. Still wondering about Easely and whether his condition will allow him to play again. 4. Early to be making this judgment, but I am not seeing much of an improvement in our drafting under Buddy. 5. Batten and Moats do not appear ready or maybe are not good enough to be starters at OLB in the NFL. This and defensive end appear to be our biggest needs. I don't think that Carrington, Johnson or Edwards are the answer at DE. It is really hurting us this year that Maybin turned out to be a bust. I also think we have underestimated the impact of Kelsay on this defense. The defense has played much better when he is healthy and playing. 6. No idea what is going on with our corner backs. It would be very frustrating if we need to use a high pick in next year's draft for another corner. It hurts us significantly that McKelvin has not developed into a quality starter. 7. I think Wilson has had a very good season, but I also believe that Byrd has developed into a very strong all around starter. 8. I am surprised that our offense has faltered recently, particularly since both games were played in ideal football weather conditions, but clearly the defenses are catching up. I was wondering how effective the spread would be in cold, messy weather. I guess we will find out soon enough. 9. Overall, I think Gailey has done a very good job (with the offense, in particular). Drafting and defense need to get better.

The injury to Wood is devastating, but it seems like we go through this every year. Are there NFL stats available for number of games lost due to injury? We always seem to have more injuries than most teams, but it would be interesting to see the data. In terms of starters, the Bills have lost Wood, Merriman, Williams and Parrish for the year. Easley is out but I am not sure whether he would have started or how much he would have played. Kelsay, Bell, Hairston, McGee, and A. Williams have missed signifant time. Seems like a lot of missed time to me.

McKelvin has played poorly over a number of years. I thought Florence played pretty well last year, but you are right that he has not played well this year.

1. I think the Bills defense up the middle is adequate or better, but the play of the ends, the outside linebackers and corners has been awful. I am not sure if Carrington can become a quality starter and Edwards is non-existent. Neither the ends nor the outside linebackers can put any pressure on the QB. Clearly, upgrades are needed. The defense is worse than it was under Jauron. 2. Our corner play has been terrible due to a combination of no pass rush and poor play. I am tired of McKelvin getting burned and failing to make plays. He has not developed and he is officially a bust, which is particularly painful since he was drafted in the top third of the first round. 3. I agree that Donald Jones does not seem to be a starting caliber WR. At least Chan and the other coaches on offense seem to be developing our talent (i.e., Jackson, Johnson, Nelson, Levitre, Wood, Urbik and Chandler). All have improved under Gailey. 4. I remember that Nix stated before the season began that he was concerned about our depth. But it should not be an excuse to recognize something and then do nothing about it. 5. Not impressed with Nix's drafting so far. The 2010 draft is shaping up to be a disaster. Spiller and Troup are on the cusp of being busts and we will see about Carrington. Dareus was a no brainer of a pick this year, but we need to see how Sheppard and Williams develop going forward. 6. I do not understand the Brad Smith signing. He is not playing and the Bills have limited resources. Why did they sign him? Did they understand the new kick-off rules would result in him having less of an impact on special teams? 7. Our strong start on offense really masked a lot of the weaknesses on this team. We still need to add a significant number of quality players to be a playoff team.

I understand that our defense has injuries, but other than being opportunistic at times, they can never get off the field. Considering the resources that have been devoted to the defense (drafting Dareus, Sheppard and Williams this past year, signing Barnett and Morrison, re-signing Florence), their play has been terrible. A good part of the blame must go to to the defensive coordinator and the defensive game plan. Our defense has made Sanchez and Romo look like all world QBs. Changes need to be made.

Some thoughts below: 1. The first two games were great because we won, but they also were extremely fun to watch. Our offense has been dreadful for years, and to have an effective offense after all these years is a joy. Chan deserves tremendous credit for this (so far). 2. Not sure what all of you have experienced over the years, but I generally have found that there are few fans of other teams that really hate the Bills. In fact, some have been fairly sympathetic about the play of the Bills over the last number of years. Some of my friends who are fans of other teams have been very complimentary of the Bills this year (and they actually seem to mean it). 3. I know it is early, but I can't help but think that a successful season would be a positive for keeping the Bills in Buffalo. I have been worried that attendance would finally collapse if the Bills continued to play poorly. I think that a good and popular Bills team will be tougher team to move from Buffalo than a team that is suffering declining attendance and overall popularity. A successful season also would be helpful for the Toronto arrangement, and the possibility of extending the agreement, which is an important source of funds for the Bills now. 4. I have enjoyed the increased coverage of the Bills in the media. It feels like the Bills are relevant again. 5. Our improved play is even more impressive given the lack of contribution from our first four picks in the 2010 draft. Spiller made some plays last Sunday, but he needs to continue to step it up. 6. Not to state the obvious, but we need an improved pass rush if the team is going to be successful this year. We need Merriman to get some pressure. 7. I have been impressed with the play of Byrd. His tackling has been strong. 8. I think the Dolphins and the Jets are beatable. I am not convinced that Sanchez is a strong QB and I think the Jets o-line is weaker than in prior years. In addition, the running backs for the Jets have been ineffective. 9. Dareus will be a great player for the Bills for years.

What is the argument here about? The guy is negative about the Bills, and we have known that for years. Generally, his criticisms have been aligned with the poor play of the Bills. The only way to end this negativity is for the Bills to have a winning season. Until this happens, it is fair game to be critical of a team and organization that has not made the playoffs in 11 years.

Sorry, but when has Pears been "solid throughout"? Of course he deserves a chance to show that he can play at a high level and I hope that he does, but I have my doubts that he will.

I am shocked that we are going into the season with this group of starters and back-ups. Our tackles are probably two of the worst in the NFL, although I think Pears would be a good back-up at both LT and RT. There are always injuries, and I cannot understand why the Bills did not bring in a veteran player or two for depth, particularly since it does not seem that we have a number of promising young players on the o-line who would be negatively impacted.