jahnyc

I think that since qbs and wrs take generally take so long to develop, it is not unreasonable to consider them equivalent to rookies in their second year. It will help Losman and Evans to have some starts this year, but their development may be a slow process. Rookie rbs can contribute immediately, but it takes time for them to develop blitz pick-up etc. It seems to me that too much of our future is going to hinge on the development and play of Losman. That makes me very uncomfortable.

I must agree with that statement.

I am not saying that we are rebuilding, but I don't have a great feeling about the near term with a young, inexperience qb, Moulds maybe wanting out, a bunch of free agents (Jennings and P. Williams), no number one pick next year, and questionnable talent to replace our free agents. As to who should replace TD, I must admit that I really have no idea. Scott Pioli would be great, but he won't come here. Isn't there a guy (Savage?) well thought of in Baltimore?

If we are rebuilding again (and I hope we are not) why should TD get another opportunity? He had his chance to draft, sign free agents and choose two head coaches. No GM should get the chance to rebuild twice after failing to have any success after the first rebuilding. What is wrong with this team? Is it the coaching, the talent, the QB, the o-line, the drafting, the leadership? We need someone who can do an honest evaluation of all of these things and then make whatever moves are necessary to fix them.

I really don't think it is fair to question whether someone is a fan just because they have lost patience with this team. The last number of years have been extremely frustrating. Poor qb play, losing records, poor head coaches, a boring offense and suspect drafts. Of course we should be upset! Many of just want to see things fixed, or at least see some improvement so that we can be optimistic about the future. After what we have been experiencing, I think we deserve at least that.

I agree that Moulds probably would like a change at qb, but don't assume he wants JP in there. He also may be thinking about the next couple of years working with a young, unproven qb.

I don't blame him either. He has been a team player through a very rough period, and these comments were not particularly inflammatory. I guess the real question is what are the cap ramifications if we were to trade him? We would also need to something at wr in free agency or in the draft since Lee Evans will not be able to do it alone.

I always wonder about the comments that RW is most concerned about making money. The guy is in his 80s and I think he wants to win now. I am sure he is very comfortable financially and his heirs will be well taken care of. He may appreciate TD in the role of president, but I would hope that RW will take a hard look at the on the field football product. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the thing that has been hard for me to understand is RW's aversion to paying big money for a head coach since he regularly pays huge sums to the players in signing bonuses. He also seems to have issues about firing coaches and being on the hook for the remaining comp. I never understood why he went after Wade after he was fired.

We will be screwed if we maintain the status quo. We need some new blood at the GM level to come in and figure out how to fix things. We would also need to give that person the power to make whatever changes are necessary, including hiring/firing coaches (including MM) and player cuts (including TD's draft picks and free agen acquisitions). I believe that any strong GM candidate would insist on the foregoing as a precondition to accepting the position. I also think that we should play Losman now to get a sense of whether he can be our franchise qb. I know that he will need time to develop, but we should not wait three years to figure out whether he is the guy. I understand that it is unlikely that RW will fire TD after the season, and more unlikely that MM's status will be reviewed. But I think this is a mistake. We can't just sit around and hope that things will get better. TD has had four years, and there is already concern that next year will be a tough season as JP goes through growing pains. MM may become a good coach, but he is making some odd personnel decisions (cutting Shaw and sticking with Bledsoe) and game decisions (punting from the 35 last week, poor clock management against the Cards and the JP/Mathews situation last week). I am starting to have doubts about him as well. This offseason, we need action. Unfortunately, it is, for the most part, out of our hands. All of this falls squarely on the shoulders of RW.

I recall that the Giants did not give a good reference for Fassel to TD. I think it was the way the team was run and maybe some personal stuff. I agree that it was a huge mistake to bring in another rookie HC.

We can argue about specific moves, but TD's record is really the only objective measure of performance. After four years, a clean slate and a number of drafts, we should be enjoying some success. We are not, and for that TD must take responsibility.

Of course we should play Losman now. But if we cut Bledsoe in the offseason we will need a veteran qb for next year. Since Jimbo, The Bills have had a very poor record in developing and identifying a franchise qb for the team. I hope JP breaks this string, but, in any event, the team should be agressive in efforts to improve the team at every position, including qb. I think playing JP for the remainder of the season makes sense, but I do want someone who can be an effective substitute for him next year if he gets injured or plays poorly over an extended period of time. I don't want to put all of our eggs in one basket and then find out a couple of years later that it is not going to work out. I am tired of this constant process of rebuilding.

Some follow-up points: 1. Losman should be starting now to get experience. The only reason not to start him is if he is still injured. 2. If we waive Bledsoe, we will need a veteran qb for next year. We can't go in to next season assuming that Losman will play well or stay healthy for the entire year. I also don't think we should stick with Losman for the entire season next year if he plays poorly just because he is a number one pick. 3. As we all know, qbs can take years to develop. Ben R. is the rare exception. Our goal should be to be competitive with Losman or with whomever is our back-up qb next year.

I know everybody seems to want to have Losman start playing now so he will be ready to be the starter next year, but I am not excited about that prospect (next year starter, that is). Why? After four poor seasons, next season I want to see a team ready to compete and make the playoffs. While I understand that Losman needs to play and get experience, I really don't want to watch Losman go through growing pains next year and the following year. Maybe, if we cut Bledsoe, we could bring in another veteran next year who would be better suited to run this offense and help us to be competitive immediately. Afterall, while Losman should be given every opportunity to claim the starting QB position over the next couple of years, there are no assurances that he will be the guy. Considering that our defense has played well, even an incremental improvement in our offense could make a significant difference in our record.

Our games have been mostly boring. Winning helps, but our offensive style really makes losing extra painful.

Well, I am not sure I expected MM to outcoach Bill, but I did expect a focused game plan. After watching the game, I have no idea what we were trying to do on offense. Why couldn't we pass or run? I thought NE was vulnerable to the run and had significant injuries in the defensive backfield. What was our strategy on offense?

The bottom line is that our team was not ready to play on both offense and defense. MM was outcoached. The Pats game plan on offense was to run at Schobel and to get their receivers in situations where they were covered by our free safety (Reese or Baker). They did both effectively. Going in to the game, we knew that the Pats had problems in the secondary and on the offensive line, yet we were unable to exploit these weaknesses. Our passing game was terrible and our pass rush was infeffective. The Pats were creative. They found a way to exploit our defense, which had been playing well up until this game. In contrast, the Bills were unable to exploit weaknesses that were much more obvious. I agree that DB played poorly, but I think our game plan left much to be desired on both sides of the ball. I don't have much confidence that MM will be able to match up against Bill in terms of coaching skill in the near future.

I think we need judge TD on the team's overall record after this year and after four years of his stewardship. If they have another losing record this year I would have serious concerns about having him continue as GM. I understand the positives and the negatives of his time as GM of the Bills, but he really should judged primarily on the record of the team during his tenure as GM.

I could see RW keeping TD as President and naming a new GM. I know that Modrak had a great reputation before coming to the Bills, but why would he be the choice if RW is unhappy with the team's personnel? I would guess that Modrak has been involved in every decision made by TD as GM concerning the draft, free agents, etc. Would this not "taint" him as a possible sucessor to TD? Other questions: 1. If TD is stripped of GM duties, would he stick around as President? 2. Same question, but assume Modrak is booted or not named GM. My real question is whether RW wants to cut TD (and, inevitably Modrak) with one year remaining on his contract. I can't figure out why RW spends freely on talent but seems less so inclined with management. Related issue: Can you attract a quality GM without giving him the ability to choose his own head coach? Mularkey has a five year deal and will not be going anywhere for that reason.

1. I do not consider myself a Drew supporter, but I really do not blame him for his poor performance this year or even last year. I blame TD. Drew is a pure pocket passer with no mobility. He needs a strong o-line to protect him. He was susceptible to the rush up the middle before we acquired him from the Pats. TD knew all of this (or should have known all of this) before trading for Drew. After acquiring Drew, the priority should have been strengthening the o-line. To play Drew with this o-line was a recipe for disaster. 2. This smash mouth football stuff really bothers me. Parcells, Gibbs, Belichek and Walsh all have had great success by being creative and adaptive. Our offensive approach seems void of nuance; we advertise that we are smash mouth and that is what we try to play in every game. How can this be effective over the long term? Can you really be smash mouth with our talent? With this o-line? With DB?

The bottom line is wins and losses. Based on that criteria, TD has been a failure. After four years of losing, there are no mitigating circumstances. I know this sounds harsh, but our current situation is not tolerable for most fans of the Bills.

I am out of patience, and I have said it a number of times and a number of different ways. Of course, I really have no choice but to be patient. The way things look now, a quick turnaround seems unlikely. We have a rookie head coach, a first year qb who will probably start playing in a few weeks, and probably not enough cap room for next season to sign any difference makers. I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We are in a mess, and it is the result of poor drafting and mediocre coaching. We don't have the talent and we don't have the coaching to overcome our talent or our poor mix of talent. This all falls on the shoulders of TD. He had complete freedom to build this team, both in terms of talent and coaching. He has failed, and he must go. If the the new gm wants a new head coach, then MM must go as well.

After the last three years and this year's start, I don't think it is fair to ask us to be patient.

I think under any other circumstances I would be willing to give Mularkey a pass for his first season, but the realities are that TD pinned the Bills problems last year squarely on the head coach, not talent. Moreover, TD and MM stated that there would be no honeymoon. Well, I am taking them at their word. There have been too many penalties and the offense looks worse than last year. I see no creativity and I am not sure whether there is an offensive game plan. Why do we always seem flat at the beginning of the game (and in the first half)? Why do the players have to become motivated at half time? Too many mistakes and poorly conceived and executed plays. Isn't this coaching? I thought the problem last year was a lack of mental toughness. Wasn't MM brought in to remedy that problem? We should not have hired another rookie head coach. After the last three years and dealing with Gregg Williams, why should we have to go through the pains of another rookie head coach?