BillsVet

Mike Curtis' hit on that drunk fan always get me. Maybe security should yield to a designated player when idiot fans run onto the field. Watching videos like that with those throwback players makes me realize the origin of the game wasn't Armani suit wearing owners and players driving Bentley's. And most of us want that back, but a 9B industry won't return there. In all seriousness, the toughness aspect is sorely missing in Buffalo. Not a player missing a game versus not, but someone who intimidates opponents. I remember when Whitner hit Johnnie Lee Higgins in the EZ after a long scoring play in 2008, thereby drawing a roughing penalty. This board went ape that someone did something like that, mainly IMO because no one had seen that in a long time. If Chan and Buddy truly believe in toughness and discipline, they'll start beefing up the OL and find LB's who beat RB's into the ground. Not taking skill players, aside from QB, come April.

Any proof of any of this? A lot of homers here don't know that many of these people leak info to the press (Pasquarelli is Modrak's buddy) in order to look good when all goes wrong. As in, I would have taken Cutler in 06 when we failed taking Whitner. Ask a Philly fan what they think of Modrak when he was there. And when someone turns down a chance to be a GM in the NFL, it tells me a lot about their work ethic when a promotion is offered. You've got nothing to back any of this up. And somehow we're morons.

The Bills are sellers and not buyers this year. At most they'll be looking to add picks for April.

Couple great throws and a few not so good ones. Mobility and moving from right to left were pretty good. Wish he wasn't as erratic, but he might be the best of the ones who ultimately declare for the 2011 draft. Like him, but if Luck comes out I'd go with the latter at this early juncture.

Here's what I said when referencing SB participants. You can joke all you want, but SB teams either had an outstanding QB or had an average one with a stellar defense and a running game. In 2006, Grossman had the benefit of a fine defense, with Urlacher, Briggs, Tommie Harris, and a few others. The 09-10 Jets were/are led by an excellent defense (similar to the 08 Ravens) that featured rookie QB's. They were defense first teams that ran the ball, exactly as I mentioned above. That's how they went to the SB. The issue you're arguing is as old as time. Take the QB first or go build other areas. If there are so few stellar QB's in the NFL, doesn't it behoove this team to use their top pick should one become available? There are no guarantees on draft day, just like everyday life. So being afraid of a bust should be mitigated by having a fine scouting department with a savvy GM who knows what they're doing. Jim Kelly didn't come to the Bills in 1983, and I don't live in hypothetical world. When he signed, Polian had already made some fine picks, and followed it up with others, including Wolford, Ballard, McKellar, and others. Metzelaars was received in a trade, That's why this team is so far behind: they have absolutely no building blocks at the hard positions of pass rusher and OT. Polian only got the QB because the USFL went out of business and lost a major court case. If you want to ask questions that can't be answered, fine. But this team will have one top pick that will be untradeable come April IF it's a QB driven league (it is) and a QB is available and worthy of the top pick (we don't know) then that person must be taken. For the sake of history, 8 of the last 10 #1 overall picks have been QB's. Think franchises don't know how important a QB is? I can tell you that when faced with a massive rebuilding (Lions 09, Falcons 08, Colts 98, SD 04, NYG 04) teams will eschew OL and DL when a QB is available at the top of the draft. They fill in from that start. And I don't think any fan should settle 3 years from now (if the team's here) with a team that ekes out a playoff berth. I expect the team to be a contender and not just happy to go to the party. Man, losing for 10 years has lowered expectations so far.

Which teams are going deep into the playoffs with average QB'ing? None. Most teams may not have good to great QB'ing, and most teams don't make the playoffs either. No position in pro sports means more to wins and losses than a NFL QB and the teams with a good one are advancing into the postseason. This decade alone, the SB participants have by and large had good to excellent QB's. And if they didn't, it was because they were elite on the defensive side of the ball or could run it. A rookie QB may not solve everything, but get that piece first and surround them. It takes a lot of financial investment in players and coaching, which is why I don't see the Bills next rebuild being successful. That, and the scouting staff and many in the front office couldn't get fired if they'd have drafted JaMarcus Russell and paid him more than Al Davis.

The constant remains that strong willed and talented football people are eventually shown the door or leave of their own volition. Saban, Knox, Polian, Butler. Those four men are responsible for the vast majority of this team's success. All wanted out or were fired. Question unasked thus far is why? Why would anyone leave after building a successful team? In the case of Saban, he was well-traveled, but the others weren't and probably preferred remaining. Now, the team is left to interview in-house candidates for GM and hire HC's that wouldn't otherwise be in the NFL. And it's not because the weather is bad from November through March.

We've seen it far too often where people gang up and destroy someone who makes an ill-advised post or statement. None of that should take place here and you were humble enough to admit you were wrong. It's just really hard to imagine RW firing the architect of the greatest run in franchise history, but this remains the truth. Watching Polian go onto success with CAR and IND is like seeing the girl you once dated get a better guy after you dumped her.

If the rumor is correct that Buffalo likes Ponder, it wouldn't be surprising. Mediocre QB's who have a low ypa and turn the ball over are really undervalued. As are slow OLB's who weren't that good of a 43DE.

So can I continue saying RW fired Polian now? Two common denominators to the Bills' repeated failures: RW and Littman. And that is not up for debate.

A QB refusing to sign would be the nail in the coffin for this franchise. Someone will make the point it didn't hurt SD in 2004, but the scenarios are completely different aside from Nix being in both places. SD already and unknowingly had a top QB on the roster and received a king's ransom for the pick from NYG. Several respected people have come out and openly questioned how the BIlls operate, including Pat Kirwan, Jay Glazer, and Adam Schein. For a #1 pick to pull a John Elway on Buffalo would make clear the fact that Buffalo can't compete and isn't willing to do so.

No one's offering a trade for the #1 pick. It hasn't been done in 7 years come next April and back then the salary impact was much less than it will be barring a new CBA with a rookie cap. If you want to make the point that the first pick isn't always the best, well, that happens almost every year. It's a weak point, especially when bad front offices get the top choice because they remain at the top of the draft year in and year out. The teams that bust on QB's with #1 picks are those who are or were perennially bad: OAK, SF, HOU, ATL, CLE, and SD pre-Butler/Smith. Those teams always draft in the top 10 because their front offices were horrible. By comparison, IND, SD, NYG, NYJ, and ATL won't be returning in the top 3 anytime soon. And Polian and Jimmy Johnson knew what they were doing in 98 and 89 respectively. They never returned to the top 10 of the draft either. It's funny that some fans are so fearful of using that top pick because there's a chance it won't go right. That's a defeatist mentality borne out of this front office's failure to draft well for the better part of a decade. It's why the Bills are where they are.

There are too many ifs yet to be determined, but Luck is the clear-cut top QB at this point. As with most topics in the NFL, nothing is black and white. But here, if you've got the #1 pick, you take the best QB if there's a need and move forward. There are exceptions, but barring a Ricky Williams type offer, teams get the best QB with the top pick. Your Elway comparison is made with the benefit of hindsight. That deal would have gone over like a lead weight when Kelly didn't sign and considering the Bills had just jettisoned Chuck Knox so they could get Kay Stephenson. For argument's sake, let's assume there's a rookie cap in 2011 and Luck comes out. Buffalo deals the top pick for a package of picks. At that point, there'd be a revolt when Luck lands elsewhere and the Bills take a lesser prospect in order to built the other areas of the team.

If Buffalo has the first pick, Luck is available, and they trade it then just close up shop and move. The circumstances in 2001 and 2004 were very much different, in that neither #1 guy, Vick nor E. Manning, were who SD wanted. And the guaranteed money back then was a fraction of what it'll be in 2011 without a CBA including a rookie cap. In 01, Vick was not a complete NFL QB. E. Manning and Rivers in 04 were the top 2 QB's in a deep class. It doesn't look at this point like there's much guaranteed behind Luck if he comes out. Mallett has footwork and touch issues while Locker is more athlete than QB right now. That's not to say they can't be good, but you don't pass up a turn to take a NFL ready QB with huge potential. Bill Polian could have traded down in 98 and let someone else take P. Manning. But he didn't and that guy became the cornerstone of the franchise.

If the Bills OLB's had to rush their starting OT's each week, would they be able to get to a QB?

I would have thought offensive genius Chan Gailey would have figured out a starting RB without a trade, distributed the ball to the water bug 9th overall pick, and not had an issue picking a QB. But 5 weeks in we're finally getting some answers! Maybe by Week 10 they'll have some more slants called to minimize the lack of pass protection.

One off-season into Year 0 of the rebuild, Buddy has emphasized not trading picks and that they'll sit out free agency while the big dollars are spent. Dwan Edwards and Andra Davis were lower to middle cost UFA's brought in to help the 3-4 transition, which is what they've done. At this point in the rebuild they're sellers, not buyers. They'd rather sign other teams PS guys or sign some street free agents than trade picks or even players like Lee Evans. Trade deadline or not, it's going to be a long season and no reinforcements are coming.

This is a sad statement. DW is easily replaceable, and being the 8th overall pick he's as close to being a bust without actually being one. Marv's drafts were the result of consensus, which translates to compromise. Why this team decided to rebuild its secondary before the OL and DL was beyond me. I can excuse them for holding onto JP in 06 and not drafting Cutler (like Modrak claimed he wanted to do) but there was no reason to draft DW. I was blasted for having the audacity to note that Marv had no NFL experience handling the highest ranking position on the football side of the house. And now 4 years later it's clear that while his intention to replicate the Polian years was nice, he didn't have Butler, Smith, or Adams to help him make decisions. In their place he had Modrak, Guy, and Jauron who won't go down as much beyond mediocre talent evaluators. Also find it funny that Modrak's survived through 4 different GM's. Maybe he (like Overdorf) can't be fired without the owner's personal consent?

How does a professional sports team have a plan when they've got a 92 year old owner who admits they need another 3 years? And said owner already hired a 70 year old man for GM who hires a 58 year old man who's had multiple spins on the coaching merry go-round with little success in 9 years? And aside from firing a bad Pro Personnel Director, what's changed in the front office to demonstrate non-football people aren't still influencing decisions? Nothing. If more Bills fans expanded their minds and looked at how other teams rebuild, they'd understand by the end of Year 0 there should be some good signs. Sure it's early, but they're grasping at straws already. The DC is throwing the kitchen sink out there, is rotating guys and still can't stop Jacksonville from rolling up 450 yards and scoring on 8 of 9 possessions. Offensively, I've seen little from Gailey to get his prized possession, their 9th overall pick, the ball. The OT's are a revolving door of terrible, and they were either A) fooled by Edwards off-season or B) arrogant to think they could change him. Ughhh. Changes aren't necessarily better. It's more rearranging of deck chairs.

Russ did go to the Combine to scout. And was promptly laughed at for masquerading as a GM. I saw Mr. Smithers walking on the field Sunday. Didn't look enthused, but hey, they've got Toronto for a few more mil.

Not quite. Marv's drafts, the result of "consensus" were horrid. The mark of a decent starter is whether they can earn a contract extension or win big in UFA. Whitner won't be re-signed and neither will Ellison. Williams is high-energy, but part of a defense leading the league in rushing yards allowed. It's not a crusade like it was 2-3 years ago for me to say those drafts, particularly when viewed with who they missed picking, were brutal. They wouldn't be rebuilding if they had 3 legitimate NFL starters from each draft.

I recommend fans read "The GM" about Ernie Accorsi's last year as GM for the NY Giants. When Accorsi was faced with a top pick in 2004, he personally scouted Eli Manning and said that was his guy. He also scouted Jeremy Schockey in 2002 and even went to his hometown. And if my rep was dependent on a high pick, I'd want my GM to personally see a guy if he chooses to pick him. GM's do indeed scout, and I have no issue with Buddy doing this. He has an Asst. GM in Whaley who's been around for a few years. Besides, don't they have phones now? It's not like the guy is completely out of touch if he's not physically at OBD.

Polian had a hand in the 85 draft, then built the team through 3 more drafts (with help from ex-USFL'ers) before they went to the AFC Championship in 88. In 2010, team's have help in free agency and frequently build in 1-2 years. I don't think this rebuild will last less than 3 more off-seasons. Even if RW remains owner, the stadium lease expires after the 2012 season.

I could see the NFL, as a possible offering to the NFLPA, yielding the rookie wage scale during CBA negotiations. That doesn't mean it's not an issue, just that both sides know the success of the NFL stands in the balance. This is a problem owners created with help from scrupulous agents. 1st rounders on average receive 15-20% more over the same slot from a year earlier. If the same holds true in 2011 and Buffalo selects a QB, the kid will get 55-60M! I too have a hard time seeing anyone paying that out, let alone Buffalo.

IMO, far too man people overestimated Chan Gailey and Buddy Nix. We all tend to get emotional with our teams and value our players/coaches more than they're worth. Gailey and Nix are what they are: people unproven in their current positions who would most likely not be in the NFL were it not for this franchise. Both are likable, both are versed in football-speak, and both have cut their teeth in lower jobs. Right now, the GM and HC are working under conditions unsuitable to winning in the NFL of 2010. A new GM ought to hire his own people, but it's people like Modrak and Overdorf who couldn't get fired if they wanted to. George Costanza dragging the World Series trophy around in the parking lot comes to mind. There's no reason the entire front office wasn't cleaned out, unless it isn't the GM calling the shots.