[Will the Bills and Sabres Shuffle Out of Buffalo?]

While the Bills situation might be a bit cloudy I see no reason to worry about the Sabres with Pegula around.

[Beyonce]

She actually has a beautiful voice but you would never know it from her live performances, particularly yesterday.

Terrible, terrible performance.

There was nothing in her performance that appealed to me, despite her wonderful looks.

[Gailey- Fitz is the guy for us- full quote in first post]

I posted this elsewhere, but said it somewhat different. A "stud" QB isn't going to solve anything. As long as Gailey is calling in the plays from the sideline and the QB isn't allowed to audible to change them, we're going to see the same result. As long as you give one of the best runners in the NFL only 10-15 carries a game (Spiller) in favor of throwing the ball 40 times, we're going to see the same result. It's easy to blame the player, but sometimes you have to dig deeper to see the real problem.

You have said it all!!!!!

[Mock Draft 2012]

With Decastro at the top it would not be a bad draft.

[UPDATED 2012 Mock Draft]

Well done; it covers most of our needs.

[What two words best describe the Nix/Gailey Tenure]

False hope.

[A Few Thoughts About The Game]

Well thought out and a Merry Christmas to you.

[Visanthe Schiancoe]

Now, try convincing him to think about coming here.

 

The perennial problem.

[Ralph Wilson optimistic Toronto series will be renewed]

If you believe that you FAIL to understand that that NFL is a business. The Toronto series offsets the revenue lost from lack of luxury boxes. Sure it sucks but it helps keep the Bills if Buffalo.

 

Right on!!!!!!!

[This week's most depressed fan base - Buffalo]

Bah! Humbug! We finally win something and everyone complains.

[New Buffalo Bills Graduate Management Assistant]

Build a tunnel from the Peace Bridge to the stadium to allow easier access for our Canadian friends. Need at least 4 lanes.

[Perhaps some progress after 3 days of secret talks]

The owners could always depend on Upshaw to bend over for them...it's not so easy for them without him in the picture.

I don't understand this comment. Are the players underpaid?

[Updated Kiper Mock Draft]

Dareus #3. at 34... martez wilson ilb he is projected 33-45

That's how I see it, too.

[Sabres Tickets]

Try Craiglist - Buufalo - Sabres tickets. You'll get plenty of hits.

[What happened to Ralph Wilson?]

Agreed.

 

USA Today ran a chart right after last season listing 2009 player payroll for all of the NFL teams. The Bills placed 12th on the list, higher than two-thirds of that season's playoff teams (including the Pats).

 

The Bills haven't always gotten the best coaches and free agents because of the perception that the front office doesn't always make the best business decisions. Whether you're a CFO for a Fortune 500 company, a dishwasher, or a pro football player, you want to work for the best organization possible. You want bosses who make decisions which result in success, whether you define success as turning a healthy profit or winning championships.

 

For free agents, receiving top dollar isn't the only consideration. Most players want to get a ring and many are willing to take a bit less to play for a winner. LeBron James would have made more money had he signed with the Cavs, but wanted to join two other top players in a bid for championship gold. Put a salary cap in MLB and the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies will still be top choices for many players because those organizations have developed a culture of winning.

 

From losing Bill Polian to putting Russ Brandon in charge of football operations to bringing in Marv Levy as GM to seemingly countless wrongheaded draft picks, the perception is that RW doesn't make business decisions which result in fielding a winning team. If we can figure this out, it's got to be much clearer to players throughout the league.

 

Cheapness isn't Ralph Wilson's problem. His problem is that his hiring and employee retention practices run completely counter to the best practices used by most other NFL teams. He often values promoting from within over seeking the best available candidate for a job. He values loyalty over results. He seems to have developed a strong preference for hiring key personnel over the age of 60 (I get that, to a degree. I'm in my early 50's and most teens and twentysomethings I meet seem to be speaking a different language. Then again, I'm not trying to run a successful business.)

 

I'm not saying that every front office or coaching hire has been a mistake, only that the Bills seem to cast a far smaller net when looking for job candidates than most other teams.

 

I do believe that RW wants to see the team win and he'd probably relish a Bills Super Bowl victory more than anyone else. I also believe that he honestly believes that his business practices will work and honestly doesn't understand why they're not working.

 

It's not the payroll, it's not the weather, it's not city itself...after all, similar teams/cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Green Bay don't have problems attracting top playing and coaching talent. It's the front office.

 

This is as well expressed analysis of RW as I have ever read.

[Jets prove adding top name Free Agents help]

Jets are proving that you can win with an elite defense and average offense that coddles the quarterback position like a baby. That's about it.

 

You're right on target on this one.

[Why is Gailey keeping Edwards?]

Why? Because Edwards was Chan's pick for the DC position and he is not going to give up on him after one year (no matter how crappy the D was this year). If you give up on him after one year, what does that say to the new guy if his new scheme doesn't work next year? Also, your players are forever in a state of learning a new scheme and will never fully grasp it if they are changing DC's year in and year out. Are there better options out there? Without a doubt, however those other options will have a high cost and Wilson will not pay a DC as much or more than he is paying his head coach. We're stuck with Edwards for at least one more year, if there is no improvement next year (not sure how there can't be), then I would expect a change.

 

I believe you've got it right.

[Bye bye Donte...]

I fully agree. What the Bills (and some of us fans) don't seem to get, at least for the last decade or so, is that you don't get better by dumping your best players (even if they're mediocre) and drafting guys to replace them. You get better by dumping your worst players, and drafting guys to either play alongside your best guys or take their jobs. Poz takes a lot of blame, but what if he was our 3rd-best LB? That'd be pretty good. And what if Whitner was the 7th-best guy on our D instead of the 3rd-best? Not too shabby.

 

Off the top of my head:

 

Lawyer Milloy wasn't cutting it, so he got cut & we drafted Donte Whitner

Willis McGahee wasn't cutting it, so he got traded & we drafted Marshawn Lynch

Takeo Spikes & London Fletcher weren't cutting it*, so neither was offered a new contract, & we drafted Poz & signed Kawika Mitchell

Now Poz isn't cutting it*, so we let him go and ?

 

For Whitner, I'll give the Bills a pass, because while I would like to see him back, he's apparently asking top 5 money for a safety, and a small-market team like the Bills can't afford to play an average to above-average starter like he's a difference maker.

 

(I also sort of give the Bills a pass on all the CBs, because I tend to think that if the finances were different, the Bills would've loved to keep Clements, Greer, and maybe Winfield. Criticizing the Bills for being cheap is a different topic. I'm criticizing the Bills for doing a poor job of team-building.)

 

*THEY MAKE ALL THEIR TACKLES 5 YARDS DOWNFIELD! GAH! Every other team's linebackers make at least half their tackles in the backfield!! Right?

 

Anyway, for a team who's stated goal is to build through the draft and essentially not use free agency to acquire talent, I hope they realize that for that to work, they have to 1.) have good drafts, and 2.) almost never lose a good player to free agency. They're looking 0 for 2 on that right now, but we'll see.

 

Very well thought out.

[Dan Pee's]

I think he's a little young for the job.

[Marty ball?]

I believe that after the dust settles it will be Marty. Most of the big names just don't want to come here. I would be happy with that as he's done a good job wherever he's gone.

[Last Post Until Jauron Is Let Go - Truly]

You are suffering from the unfortunate delusion that Ralph cares what the fans think. You've got to know that he considers himself the saviour. You have no right to question him on any matter.

[PFT Final Mock; What is Florio smoking]

The most inane draft I've seen yet. Really questions this guy's credibility.

[Stl Bills ALL Lineman Draft (Versions A&B)]

I agree with the general approach.

[Visitors all day at OBD but they all left with no contracts?]

I believe the lack of signings is a direct reflection of the incompetence of the front office. The players have at least interest in coming here by visiting here. They need $ to sign. It is very obvious the FO is running things on the cheap. In the past the Bills have sat on players until a deal has been worked out. By low-balling them it encourages them to leave.

 

What I am saying is not rocket-science but what many others are saying. Now the frustration is really getting to me.

[Am I the only one]

I agree. But the facts are is that Buffalo is not an attractive sight: Undertainties about coaching, their dismal performance; questionable reputation(old and cheap) of the owner and the area itself create a tough sell.