BillsVet

Which team is trending upward and which is going nowhere again? Which team gives their fans something to have a little hope in and which one doesn't? Which one is more likely to have a bonafide franchise QB and which one may get one in the next draft? I'll agree there is no blueprint for rebuilding. I can also tell you that rebuilds aren't successful when you radically change the defensive scheme twice in 3 years. They normally don't succeed when that rebuilding team avoids drafting a QB within the first two seasons to develop. Donahoe was 31-49 in 5 seasons. Levy/Brandon 27-37 in 4. Buddy Nix is 15-29. Everyone agrees the first two groups weren't good enough, but the last guy, with almost 3 complete seasons, is worse. Is it rebuilding or tearing down?

Nix not having a backup plan and going all-in with Fitzpatrick is the worst thing he did these past 3 seasons. Upon his hiring, Nix had 2 years of starting tape on Fitzpatrick (08 and 09) and still insisted after 2010 on making him the unquestioned QB. And then they sign or trade for 3 other guys who they really don't want to play because that threatens their unwavering support in Fitz. I'm not crazy about all the resources it took Shanahan and Carroll to find their guys, but the fact remains they valued the position more than this group has. And when they realized their mistakes, they were proactive in correcting them. I guess this is what you get when you hire septuagenarian GM's who've been scouts and haven't managed anything in the front office. Even as Director of Pro Personnel in SD, he was working out of Tennessee. He's above his pay grade and the results show it.

What most people like you don't understand about rebuilding is that each year players are aging and contracts are expiring. This year alone, the Bills have decisions to make on Byrd, Levitre, and perhaps even McKelvin. Next year, every player is a year older and the Bills are no further along in the rebuild process. I'd even argue this rebuild is worse than the previous attempts under Levy and Donahoe, which goes against the conventional wisdom that Nix was a better talent evaluator. Well, he's not a better GM if the record means anything. The two teams that started rebuilds in 2010, Seattle and Washington, are both demonstrating success after 2 seasons. Seattle is 7-9, 7-9, and 7-5. Washington 6-10, 5-11, and 6-6. Both are in the playoff hunt while the Bills have been all but eliminated. If the standard of excellence is not winning but losing with a better roster on paper, well then Buffalo has succeeded. Too bad that doesn't get you a playoff appearance.

Dick Jauron/Perry Fewell: 27-37 (06-09) with Marv Levy and Russ Brandon the GM's. Chan Gailey: 15-29 (10-present) with Buddy Nix leading the front office. Is there anything else that matters? And why after 2+ seasons rebuilding can this franchise not win more than 35% of their games?

Are you saying Jauron should have been retained? There'd be a lot of continuity by now. The Bills can win games with Fitzpatrick. As a matter of fact, he's won 8 since the 3-0 start to the 2011 season.

Any of those guys QB's? The vast majority of elite QB's in the NFL who get to the playoffs, are taken typically in the top 10 of the first round. It's much more nuanced than just getting great players. It's about getting the players where this team needs them. And right now they need a QB.

A few stops, even against the Patriots, is not a metric I'd cite to demonstrate improvement. But, if some defensive stops are indicative of improvement, I'll counter with that 3rd and 17 last week and allowing the Colts to go 8 of 16 on third downs. In crucial moments they come up short, as evidenced by their showing last week. The standard was a lot higher and they've come up woefully short in all phases. They don't force a lot of turnovers, the linebackers are atrocious, and they're 31st against the run. There are no excuses in the third year of a rebuild.

I doubt anyone expected a mediocre to average defense, with some predicting Buffalo would be top 5 this year. It's also amazing that the "improvement" in their last 2 games came against rebuilding teams with rookie QB's.

Study hall distractions? Book reports must be a pain. If a big part of the draft is dumb luck, it sounds like the Bills going back to about 2002 have had a lot of dumb and not much luck.

Nix's appearance today on GR reminded me of the Chan Gailey introductory PC. That day, he used an inordinate amount of time to disparage those who said the Bills weren't getting interviews, etc. by resorting to the Baghdad Bob-esque line of saying they got 35 calls a day among other preposterous claims. Buddy's frustration comes out when he is forced to defend. He isn't tactful, doesn't respond well to (much deserved in this case) criticism, and thinks more highly of himself to have to answer these types of questions. He could have provided the political answer and be done with it, but he didn't. It reflects poorly on him and the organization.

Everyone is sick of GM, HC, and QB turnover. But until they get it right, this will remain commonplace as RW hasn't selected a good GM since Polian more than 25 years ago. Even Butler and Wade inherited their positions after a firing/retirement. And so it leaves us with an owner hiring bad GM's, those GM's picking bad coaches, and the same GM making bad decisions on draft day and in free agency. The rebuild is not going in the right direction, as evidenced by their 14-29 record. To think it's going to change, at this juncture, is delusional.

It's easier to accept bad to mediocre football now because the roster is so much better.

Since 2011, teams have selected 13 QB's in rounds 1-3. Call it revisionist history, call it whatever, but there have been opportunities to get a developmental guy before having their hand was forced by Fitzpatrick's failings. Now they're in emergency mode and while McShay's opinion is worth little, it doesn't appear there are quality options. At least not in the 8-12 range where they'll be picking. And if they move up (I thought drafting for need was wrong) it'll be done to put out a fire they have. From a planning standpoint, the Bills have bungled the QB worse than anyone, and that includes the Seahawks. The result is a team at sea in a sailboat without any wind.

Oh definitely. But the ST sales numbers won't be known when Nix, Gailey, et al are summoned to meet RW. Perhaps Brandon will interject there with predictions. Still, there ain't no one coming to the rescue, because I don't think anyone has the nerve to tell the owner they have no candidates if the HC or GM is/are fired.

Gailey's in survival mode now. He and Nix tied their futures to Fitzpatrick and will be called to RW's house at some point soon after the season ends to explain themselves. What matters is what they both say to RW. Good thing this is a QB heavy draft.

Bona fide HC candidates want a few things before coming to a franchise. They need a solid owner who actually keeps tabs, but not a micro-manager. They want a GM who knows what he's doing or they can trust. They need a good QB or a high pick to get their own, with the latter more likely. And of course a competitive compensation package. Bottom line is they want a reasonable chance to succeed and Buffalo cannot offer that. The Bills can give you an ownership group that's muddled at best, a GM who was retired and isn't the slam dunk personnel guy some said he was, with a QB situation which is a complete dumpster fire. Pay also isn't exactly going rate either. No one signs up for this many impediments to success. No one at least who might be in demand among other more reputable franchises.

Even if Nix retires (he won't be fired) and Whaley takes the GM gig, there's debate about who's running the team on behalf of RW. Is it Littman, Brandon, or Overdorf? Anyone who thinks RW is doing it day to day is kidding themselves. There isn't a weaker team in the entire league at the 4 critical positions: Owner, GM, HC, and QB. You just can't name a worse combination and changing the GM won't significantly improve this team's fortunes without the other 3 being upgraded.

I'm sure George Cortez is willing to return for the HC job. And best of all he's got familiarity with many of the Bills players like his former QB, Fitz!

You have to love people that selectively pin good decisions on some without pinning the bad ones. Like Nix with the 2009 draft, but not responsible for 2010. Or the 2011 defensive performance on Edwards, but Wannstedt was totally immune. Or now that Whaley has assumed a high role in the front office that he isn't part of the problem because he's not the actual GM. One has to wonder, as you've noted, why Whaley would leave a model franchise for a bottom tier one (at the time) 8 years without a playoff appearance and in need of another rebuild. Why did Pittsburgh let him go? Was it because Kevin Colbert is the brains of the operation there or because he wasn't solid, or perhaps he just wanted a challenge and had a ceiling with the Steelers. Either way, the Bills aren't a place you go to build or complete a career. It's become NFL Siberia for many players, coaches, and front office types.

Browns have a younger owner who is already clearing out the the front office. Not saying he'll get them to the Super Bowl, but Buffalo's ownership situation is immediately worse.

Any Buffalo coaching search is like parents doing their kids' school clothes shopping at yard sales. Just a bunch of hand-me downs that other people didn't want.

So why, nearly 3 years ago, did multiple coaches turn down this wonderful opportunity to interview? In theory there are 32 head NFL coaching jobs and people viewed Buffalo's as career kryptonite. A previous poster answered most of the reasons why no one wants to work in Buffalo. I'd offer that it's not a job people have a reasonable chance of success at because ownership is what it is, and the GM does not provide the personnel for a HC to win. That's been on display for 3 years now under this regime.

Modkins makes the Tim Horton's run in the mornings and on those late nights they're working on game-plans that don't feature their best offensive player.

I get the impression Gailey's return to the NFL HC ranks has been an attempt to show he's still innovative. Even with two solid running backs, he insists on throwing the ball. Yet strangely enough, he will go ultra conservative when faced with a situation like kicking a fifty yard FG.

Is he planning on having a hockey game or is Nix trying to mess with the warm weather Jaguars next week?