jahnyc

Not optimistic. Schedule looks much tougher than last year, where we had a stretch against average and below average teams. Still hoping for the best. I also hope that we do not have a top 10 pick in the draft. I can't believe how much the Bills are paying Mike Williams. Another contract like that would be a killer.

Thank you CP. How much room do we have left for 2005? When is the deadline for using this years cap dollars for new contacts and/or extensions? It would be a shame not to use every available dollar this year so as to provide more cap flexibility next year.

Happy about the win, but offense still needs some work. The poor play of the oline makes it difficult to figure out if there are problems with the play calling. Holcomb seemed to have a good feel for the game. Special teams have been solid all year and the defense is capable of playing well. I think the defense misses P. Williams, we are giving up too many rushing yards.

I saw Preston playing today. Was he in for Chris V.? Was Chris V. injured or was he benched?

I think we are limited in the number of changes that can be made during the season. We also have injuries. If we continue to lose, I would not be surprised to see Preston and Peters get some starts on the o-line. I don't see many other positions where there are talented back-ups that could be inserted into the starting line-up.

Management and the coaches want to see if the team can bounce back and win some games. The AFC East appears weaker than last year and each team, other than the Dolphins, has experienced significant injuries. What is the down side? If we start winning some games, maybe we will be in the hunt for a playoff spot. If we continue to lose (or if KH plays poorly or gets hurt), than JP will again become the starter. I don't think JP's confidence should be affected by this. It is not his fault. The team needs to fix the o-line. He has experienced valuable playing time this year, and whether or not he plays during the remainder of the season (which he will), he will be better for it next year. This is not JP v. KH. JP will not be cut in the offseason. This is a different situation than the siutations some other qbs were in (i.e., Aikman). This is a team with some talent and veterans that has the potential to win now. This was not supposed to be a rebuilding year and the roster does not reflect that kind of situation. It is up to the coaches and the players. Let's see what happens this weekend.

No and No. I am more concerned about MM. There is talent on the team, but I am not sure that MM is a difference maker as a coach.

I don't think you can blame all of our woes on JP, but I do think there is a link between the mediocre to poor play of our defense and starting JP as our quarterback. Specifically, football is a game of emotion, confidence and momentum. If the team does not have confidence in the abilities of JP, it will affect their play. I think, to a certain degree, that is what is going on with the defense and the offense. For example, while the defense played pretty well overall against NO, they were demoralized by the end of the game and it showed in their performance. They also were tired, since they had been on the field for most of the game. If the team is very talented and you believe that Holcomb can be a solid starter, then I think you have to play him for a couple of games. You can't give up on a season after four games and begin thinking about next year and all of the valuable experience that JP is getting for next year. Who knows about next year? On the other hand, if it is clear that Holcomb is not the answer, then you must stick with JP for the balance of the season. Only the coaches can make this determination.

Sorry if already posted, but Gregg Easterbrook (Tuesday morning QB at NFL.com) points out the following: 1. Only 3 points scored in the second half (all year!); 2. MM's questionnable decision to punt late in the game instead of going for it on 4th down when the Bills were losing by more than a touchdown; and 3. Last but not least, the poor play of our o-line, the lack of high draft picks devoted to the o-line and how the problems we are having on offense, including our failures to convert on 4th down, are directly attributable to our failure to address the o-line.

You can't blame JP alone for the three losses. You can blame certain people for putting him in this situation (poor o-line, questionnable coaching, unrealistic expectations). Moving on from that, I am not sure of the way to proceed with JP. I suppose he gets the remainder of the season to learn and play, particularly if one thinks that Holcomb would not be an improvement because of his overall talent or the poor o-line. If JP struggles for the rest of the year, what do you do next year? I really don't think we should be throwing away this year at this stage, but, at a minimum, the team needs hope for next year. Eli Manning looked horrible last year and has looked very good so far this year. Can JP make the leap either during this year or next year? Can the team wait for him to develop? There are many considerations here. How will the business side of things be affected by being patient with JP? Can we get quality free agents to come to Buffalo if JP has a poor season? Can we retain our own players? Thoughts?

Is it the talent or the coaching (or both)? TD had a second chance to get his guy. This time it was MM, and I have doubts about his abilities. Poor play callling and too many penalties. I think we have some talent, and I think an excellent head coach could be successful with this team. There are obvious flaws and problems with this team in terms of talent, but MM and T. Clements do not inspire confidence and we are stuck, at best, with mediocre coaching. What to do? Well, TD can't fire MM if the team flops this season. He is in the second year of a five year deal and this was TD's choice after another long and exhaustive search. It would be equally as difficult to fire T. Clements. After all, TD complained bitterly that GW should have hired Clements instead of Gilbride. TD is stuck and so are we.

I think Charlie was the guy. I was really disappointed when we did not wait and sign him as our hc. He has turned around the ND offense in one season. Maybe coaching at the college level is less of a challenge, but I doubt it. He is a difference maker. We will see about MM. He may have the intangibles, but I can't say his offensive scheme is innovative.

By the fifth year (even the fourth year) of TD's reign, the Bills should be in the playoffs. If not, criticism is more than justified. You can't argue that the guy is a great gm until we start making the playoffs on a consistent basis.

I don't think TD is going anywhere because RW gave him an extension and I am not sure he has the energy or desire to find a new gm and coach. We look crummy so far and I have strong sense of how the rest of the season will go, but we do have 13 games to play. I think the real problem will be if JP looks bad in the remaining games. Next year will not be very promising in that case. At a minimum, we need to see JP make some progress. As far as TD, he is responsible for bringing in the players and choosing the head coach. The buck stops with him. No execuses about injuries, players not performing or the salary cap. He drafted the players, signed the free agents and chose the head coaches (so far). It is a bad situation when fans are thinking about next season after three games.

After four years, I am troubled that: 1. our o-line needs to be fixed 2. few late round draft picks have contributed 3. the jury is out on the second hc selected by TD after the first one failed 4. we may not have a quarterback for the future 5. we have not made the playoffs (while other teams have rebuilt and made the playoffs) 6. we may have large holes to fill this offseason (o-line and DT) 7. we may lose Clements, creating another large hole 8. our senior management shows such questionnable judgment (thinking that JP could come in a play effectively and consistently and that PW would not be missed) Clearly, TD has made great moves, such as trading PP to Atlanta. But I feel that we are treading water and not making progress. It is early, and I hope my sense of the situation proves wrong in every way.

Management did a poor job of filling holes in the offseason. We needed upgrades on the o-line and we lost Jennings, who at least was consistent in his play. We signed a couple of guys who would have provided decent depth but are instead starters. We lost P. Williams and did not find a replacement. I would hate to go into this off-season trying to fix the o-line and DT and then lose Clements. That would be a lot to accomplish in one off-season.

Do we know the length of the extension? I thought I read (or it was speculated) that it was an additional one or two years. Whether you like or hate TD, we should all be able to agree that it has been too long since we made the playoffs. The failure to build the o-line defies explanation.

I agree strongly with your second and third points. I don't understand the reluctance to invest in either high draft picks or free agents to improve our o-line. We have all recognized the weaknesses, and opposing teams have consistently exploited these weaknesses. It is not about coaching. It is about talent, or the lack thereof. As to your second thought, many teams have successfully been "rebuilt" in relatively short periods of time. TD has had five years, two coaches and enough resources.

We are three games into the season and some seem to think that it is okay to play JP win or lose for the rest of the season. We need to win now, not next year. This season should not be about preparing for next season. The coaches should do what they need to do. If it means playing Holcomb, play him. If JP improves, fine. We haven't played any of our AFC East divisional rivals. The season is still full of possibilities.

The Bills gave up more than 170 yards rushing (not including rush yards from Vick) and had no sacks. JP threw for 75 yards and has led the team to two tds in three games. This was a home game. The defense misses Pat Williams and JP is not ready to lead the offense. He likely will struggle more on the road. Put in Holcomb if JP has problems next week. The Bills need to win next week. JP will have plenty of time to play this season if the team continues to struggle. For now, use Holcomb if he can provide a spark and consistent play. It is too early to give up on the season and chalk it up to a learning experience for JP. That is not fair to the team or the fans.

I agree, but it has been a long time since we made the playoff. I will be upset if JP's erratic play keeps us out of the playoffs. I think the defense and the special teams are playoff team caliber.

From what I understand (I was on a plane yesterday during the game), we had no success running the ball yesterday. Was that on the oline, JP, coaching, WM, or all of the foregoing?

I should rephrase that: our potential weaknesses are obvious. We have a second year qb who did not play last year, an oline that could be more talented and which lacks depth, a starting dt who may be better as a reserve than a starter and and a def line which lacks depth. We have been discussing these things for months; there are no mysteries here. Opposing coaches understand our potential weaknesses and it is up to our coaches to compensate for them. Please upgrade the oline next season. It will take some of the pressure off of JP and help the rbs and the defense.

Much uncertainty this year. A second year qb with a crummy o-line combined with a solid defense and strong special teams (other than Lindell) produces this result. It will be interesting and fun. Although I am somewhat neutral towards TD, I am a little tired of all of the positive spinning about TD. We are into year five and have not made the playoffs. That is the most important fact (other than the Bills still playing in Buffalo). The o-line is still average at best and our back-ups are inexperienced. I don't see much talent at DT, other than S. Adams. Our starting and back-up linebackers look great, but where is the overall team depth? Wire? Aiken? I know that TD has done many good things, which I purposefully did not focus on in this reply. I am very pleased that season ticket sales and attendance have improved. My biggest concern is that the Bills will eventually leave Buffalo. TD seems to be focused on improving the stability of the franchise, which I appreciate. But we need to start making the playoffs on a consistent basis. It has been too long. Bottom line: the negative posts are as interesting to me as the positive posts. Keep them both coming.

Unless there are significant injuries, the defense will be very solid and the special teams strong. MM's challenge will be the offense. He inherited a strong defense and our special teams have improved to one of the best. MM was brought in to fix the offense, and that is what will be needed to make the playoffs this year. Although JP is a qb with no experience and the o-lline has questions, there are weapons in WM, EM and L. Evans. There is hope if JP can play with some consistency (i.e., without turning the ball over) and the offense makes use of the skill players mentioned above. MM's coaching abilities, in particular on offense, will be the key to the season (along with injuries, the play of JP and the performance of the o-line). Because of the strength of our other units, we really need JP to be no worse than average. I hope JP will play better, but to be competitive, this is what we need. Regarding our special teams, I can't help but think that the unit's stregth must be a combination of coaching and talent. For example, I believe that some of our back-up linebackers (Crowell, Stamer etc.) may be legitimate starting prospects. I hope this bodes well for the overall talent of our reserves, because I am worried about the o-line starters and depth. When M. Williams came out of last night's game, I was concerned about our lack of RT depth. I don't see that we have an experienced back-up at the tackle position this year. Price fulfilled that role well over the last number of years, but he was not re-signed. I know that we can move players around (i.e., Teague), but I would feel more comfortable with other alternatives.