BillsVet

Offense is the name of the game in today's NFL and defense isn't winning games like it did years ago. That said, the best way to stopping some of these high powered offenses is by forcing turnovers, something Byrd and the Bills did quite well this season. Buffalo actually tied for 3rd in the NFL in takeaways. Losing Byrd might save the team money, but his production won't be replaced by the likes of Aaron Williams, Duke Williams, or Jonathan Meeks. It's just be another move by a team looking to save money above being competitive before a 2014 season they must make the post-season.

The 2012 Chiefs had several pro bowlers and managed to go 2-14. Certainly a big part of that was QB, but individual talent isn't getting teams over the top unless it includes the QB position, which happens to be the greatest force multiplier on a football field. Having individual talent at G, C, S, RB, LB is nice, but it's not typically winning games. I don't think the game has changed from being able to throw the ball, protect the guy throwing it, and get after your opponents guy throwing it. This makes two separate NFL coaching staffs that have "misused" Spiller. And if you count how Clemson used him, it could be argued 3 staffs. He's frequently nicked up and while he does gut these injuries out, it's always going to prevent him from getting more touches. And yet, Hackett isn't a fan of using Spiller in the passing game, as evidenced by his 33 catches in 15 games.

Urbik was abused by the more nimble Gerald McCoy, who was named first team All-Pro this year. Urbik's strong suit is winning in the phone-booth, and he's playing RG because that position doesn't demand the mobility in most offenses. And for the sake of discussion, many are discussing the concept of drafting tackles and making them guards when all else fails. That's a last resort for a tackle and not the ideal scenario. At the same time, some college tackles aren't going to transition to being NFL tackles and are more suitable to guard. It depends on the individual The Bills seem willing to be a power blocking scheme, but they need more talent to do what they'd like offensively.

Wait, who votes for these awards? What are their qualifications? After all, voters for the All-Pro team put Jason Peters in. I'm being sarcastic, but PFF pales in comparison as far as credibility to the All-Pro or even Pro Bowl voting. I still suspect Marrone will advise Whaley that Dareus does not fit into their plans and try to move him for a mid round pick.

Brandon is linked directly with the Marrone hire and was actively involved in the interviewing process. And if Russ is involved, it's his reputation on the line as well, so they'll wait until the bitter end if Marrone doesn't succeed. I recall a few years ago Brandon, Overdorf, Littman, and RW meeting in Detroit to determine if DJ's fate. Rumor was Brandon voted against, but ultimately they retained a guy who'd be fired in less than a year. With this in mind, I seriously wonder if going 8-8 or 7-9 in year 2 of Marrone would result in the HC being fired. After all, every HC search opens the team up to attention from the outside which is something Buffalo despises.

No, they're not. But neither franchise are willing to sit on their hands. As much as I think Cleveland looks really bad here (Banner hired Chudzinski) they decided to make the change now rather than wait another season. Call that knee-jerk, but the league is rapidly changing and most fans aren't willing to accept losing very long. Buffalo is 28-52 since 2009, or good for winning 35% of their games. They've gone through 2 HC's and are on #3 since that time. And for the record, the last time the term "continuity" was discussed on this board was late December 2008 when RW decided to retain the recently re-signed Dick Jauron. He of the 2-8 finish to that season. That didn't end up working. Continuity is garbage.

Tell that to Chudzinski and Schiano. Teams trying to win AND willing to do the previously unthinkable aren't waiting 3 years for the HC and QB to perform. I believe Buffalo is trying to win, but insist on their terms which aren't in-line with what successful teams across the NFL are doing. STC's might not be like an OC or DC, but I'm starting to think Marrone is almost a Schiano clone. Improved a moribund college team but isn't ready to handle pro players and win in the most competitive league in North America.

Absolutely. And I would add that we have to ask, based on the playoff games, how does a team get good as quickly as possible? It's by having the QB in place and building around that guy, not drafting defensive and offensive pieces. Not to rag on Nix again, but his strategy was to build the entire team and then get the QB. That's just not going to work in the current NFL. Each team has their flaws, but the common denominator is that QB who makes average players better and good players excellent. Who is Andrew Luck throwing to anyway? I fear OBD will not take a QB for the same reason it seemed like Nix wouldn't. They were so proud of their hand-picked guy and wouldn't do a thing to make it seem they questioned him. Tell that to Seattle who, in that frame of mind, embarrassed themselves repeatedly before they drafted Russell Wilson.

Numerous examples exist of the Bills allowing solid pros to depart and drafting their replacements high. Heck, at MLB/ILB in the past 8 seasons, they allowed Fletcher to leave as a free agent and replaced him with 2nd round pick Posluszny, who left in free agency. They then take Sheppard in the third round in 2011, trade him when he wasn't good, and then drafted Alonso in the 2nd last year. It's a revolving door, and we haven't even discussed the RB and DB positions yet. If the Bills can't come to terms with Byrd, and they may well have poisoned that well, then what does that say about the Bills commitment to winning?

Have to believe the Rogers people were just losing too much money.

Wouldn't surprise me. The Bills are typically behind league trends by a few years and know by now that having a large WR or more athletic TE is what most good offenses have. Besides, they've invested in a first round pick and need to provide him more weapons if he's going to succeed. I think this team goes offense in round 1, as they did last year.

Forgive me. I have trouble not criticizing a franchise when it's on rebuild 2 (or 1B if that's your perspective) in the past 4 seasons and has managed to go 22-42 during that time. Ironically, your point about me critiquing should be paralleled with your penchant for being an unabashed homer unwilling to ever say anything negative about a team which can't win 35% of their games in the past 4 seasons. Check my posting history if you'd like to research the point you made about my availability. That's simply throwing something against the wall and hoping it sticks.

Here's another narrative widely pushed attempting to demonstrate separation from the Nix years. How about of the 22-25 starters/players with significant PT from 2012, how many rolled over into 2013? I can think already of several who started and played significant minutes from one year to the next. SJ, CJ, FJ, Graham, Chandler, Wood, Urbik, Glenn, Pears. Mario, KW, Dareus, Gilmore, Byrd, AW, McKelvin. Not quite 50% turnover. Over the past 8 seasons, the Bills have not built a roster, using the draft primarily to replace departed veterans. Perhaps that's changing, but we'll know if their direction changes if Byrd is retained. If not, another self-made hole needs to be filled.

Similar to the narrative that Kolb was signed to be the starter so Manuel could sit behind him. Not many first rounders the past 3 drafts who are picked and subsequently sit major time behind a veteran. I dare say Manuel was there to start from day 1, but they wanted someone pushing him in camp. Fine, but the guy pushing had a significant injury history that repeated itself twice in the span of a month.

There's been a lot of talk over the years out of OBD, notably the Nixisms like this proverbial baby. Buddy had a big hand in building the 2013 Bills and it should be clear by now his tenure didn't come close to matching his braggadocio. After all, winning NFL games at the rate a very good major league baseball player hits isn't what I'd call being "not that far away."

And we're always 2-4 positions away from fielding a playoff team.

This sums it up from Sullivan's column: "The fact is, they went 0-8 against teams that ranked higher than 25th in total offense in the NFL entering the weekend. They played against one running back who finished in the top 15 in the league." Beating lightweights and losing to the big boys has been Buffalo's MO for years now. Someone will cite Carolina, but that team was different 3 months ago than they are now. Stats are nice, but wins are better and that defense isn't getting it done across the board.

Brandon, and to a greater extent Whaley and Marrone have all their eggs in the Manuel basket. It's all on their hand-picked QB. I love the insane strawman arguments, but what's even better is cherry-picked stats. And when someone is desperate, saying because you don't work in the NFL or have played football above HS that you're not able to have an opinion. To the off-season!

Maybe Russ will demand the HC fire ST coach. If he refuses, then perhaps they'll fire the HC and then sue him for breach of contract. Ah, the good old days when Buffalo could go .500.

A new marketing campaign from Russ Smithers and the boys in the front office that hypes their first round pick. Cosmetic changes and continued hype of a further tarnished brand.

Marrone has big coaching staff decisions to make after just one season. That doesn't give me confidence he knows what he's doing going forward.

Five straight seasons of ten losses or more. Call it the curse of Jauron.

Don't know what happened to the guy, but maybe the lifestyle went to his head. Who knows, but I don't remember this stuff happening last year with Gailey at the helm. Perhaps it was happening but nothing leaked out. I can see Dareus traded in the offseason for a mid round pick. The gifts of Nix that keep on giving.

Didn't they run for the bus in last seasons finale at New England? My how things have changed.

Brandon saying the series will be re-evaluated is simply pandering to the fans who see the Toronto series for what it is: a cash grab so Buffalo can remain in the field with the big time owners. There's a competition among owners to earn the most, and while Buffalo won't compete with Dallas or NYC, playing in Toronto moves them closer in that race. Unfortunately, the end result is a team playing at no better than a neutral field which ultimately hurts them. The Toronto series is the epicenter of all that's wrong with how Buffalo is run. While every team needs to profit (it's a free market) the downside here is that it impacts success on the field. I suspect they can't get out of the deal, nor would they leave money on the table. If they could, it would give Brandon a lot of credibility and remove the idea he's running it more to profit than most teams are managed.