BillsVet

I wish more Bills fans carried this opinion/perspective. This will be the third rebuild in 10 seasons and second in five. With the switch to the 3-4, the Bills have (once again) more needs than resources available to fill those needs. QB, LT, NT, perhaps RT, Rush LB, 5 tech DE, and 2nd WR are all positions of need. The options on the roster are either unproven, or will be switched to a new position. If we learned anything from last season, it's that lots of changes at once isn't a solution to problems. And with FA being short on talent and Buffalo's affinity for finding low cost low reward players here, it's going to be awhile before they are competing for a playoff team.

Didn't RW want Flutie in the 85 draft ahead of Bruce Smith? Can't remember if that was conjecture or what. If so, thank goodness BP had the ability to convince RW he didn't know which player was best. It's nonsense to think RW knows the ins and outs of football. He's been an owner, but he's not the guy to make decisions on individual players.

Negativity after losing for an entire decade? And then striking out while attempting to hire a proven HC who's been in the NFL within the past decade? I'm not sure there's anything left but to be negative. I seriously don't understand how anyone can be optimistic about this team. 66 wins in 10 seasons, one winning season in that time, and the notion that when the elderly owner passes the team is sold to the highest bidder. The lease expires in 2012, and no one wants to discuss anything about the future of the team. What's not to love?

Brett Favre Southern Mississippi Tony Romo Eastern Illinois Joe Flacco Delaware Ben Roethlisberger Miami (Ohio) Philip Rivers North Carolina St. Jay Cutler Vanderbilt Drew Brees Purdue Kurt Warner Northern Iowa I know most discussions on this board wind up in either or type arguments. But big name programs don't always produce big time NFL talent, even at QB. But if you're going to find a solid starter, look for them in Round 1 or 2. That is, unless playing the lottery is a talent.

Ticket prices are split 60/40 between home and away teams. Thus, opposing (away) teams have an interest in the home team's ticket prices. It's a big difference if Buffalo plays in the new Giants stadium versus the Jets playing in Buffalo. Owners want the highest revenues, and there's a battle brewing between some of the big market guys like Jones and small teams like Buffalo. Goodell needs to do something fairly quick on this front and revenue sharing isn't enough.

Would you rather be a hitting coach for the Bisons or for the Mets? Edwards was in the college ranks, and it's a promotion to do the same job in the NFL. Players say a lot of things to the media, but the only thing that matters is A) Money and B) Chance of Winning. They'll play wherever they can to meet those criteria. And right now, Buffalo (along with the rest of the NFL) won't be handing out big contracts. It's safe to say the Bills will be in rebuild mode again next season, so winning isn't happening here anytime soon. Players look forward to the day they hit UFA, so they can choose where they go. It's why the RFA's who should be hitting UFA after their 4th and 5th years of service aren't happy. They'll be losing dollars by having to take a tender that might not be as much as another team would give.

Everyone in the NFL says they're going to build through the draft. Heck, Dick Levy said it as well, and that didn't work out so well. And even if the front office is better, there really aren't many building blocks in place. They've got to find so many pieces and hard to find positions: Rush OLB, LT, QB, et al. Which teams has Buddy Nix personally led that were rebuilt? He was first the Pro Personnel Director in SD, and didn't even live in the city the team was in. His address was Tennessee, so day to day activities weren't his responsibility. We're back to arguing how much of it was AJ Smith, and how much credit Nix should get. I'd go with the guy who showed up at Qualcomm most days. Comparing Parcells, who has been at the forefront of rebuilding the Giants, Jets, Patriots, and Cowboys, to Nix/Gailey is insanity. And the thought that the front office will get to spend some money is a joke as well. Teams are going to spend less in 2010, primarily because there's no cap floor. Everyone's waiting to see what happens labor-wise, so the Bills rebuilding might not get off to a great start. Talk about starting all over again.

One of Goodell's main responsibilities is to increase league revenue. And the best way to accomplish this remains for franchises to have new stadiums which typically charge more for tickets and include more high priced luxury boxes. Over the past 15 years, 20 teams have constructed new stadiums. Additionally, KC, CHI, and GB have made huge renovations to existing parks. That's nearly 3/4 of the NFL with new or significantly upgraded homes. NFL Stadiums The commissioner is responsible for the league's health, not individual franchises like Buffalo. He'll step up the pressure on teams like SD, OAK, SF, and BUF to build new homes as a result. Problem is, we all know neither the state or local government have the funding to assist Buffalo. Unless the next owner is willing to spend their own money on a field (in addition to the team purchase price) I can't see the team remaining in WNY.

I don't disagree with you. Last year a lot of fans on this very board thought RW just had to spend big on UFA's for a team that was near 10 seasons without a playoff appearance. Needless to say, it didn't happen. TO, IMO, was merely a PR move. I liked the move, but only for what it was: a shot of adrenaline for a franchise hurting. It worked to sell tickets and focus attention on the team, but nothing more. I really think that both coaches AND players aren't really high on going to Buffalo. I suspect most in the NFL know this is a rebuilding project now, given the lack of OT's, a starting QB, and paucity of players that fit the front 7 of their new defense. The only way this off-season to find good players may be the trade route.

I wouldn't see raising ticket prices as leading to more FA dollars being spent. Even when the Bills went to Toronto, RW admitted that deal wouldn't mean more money spent on players. With no cap this year and more players being RFA's, I'd anticipate teams will sit tight, tender their RFA's, and wait for the impending labor issues to blow over. After all, RW made his "changes" to the organization and there's no hurry to build a winner. The franchise is committed to making fewer commitments to complete a sale. If the Rams deal is any indication, team's aren't going for their value as determined by Forbes.

10 of these QB's aren't even starters anymore. I seriously doubt any of these 10 are starting in 2010, and thus I would constitute them as NFL retreads. Even if they were, are Dan Orlovsky, Tyler Thigpen, and Derek Anderson QUALITY starters? I'd say half the teams in today's NFL have decent to excellent QB's. And of those, most have been taken in the first or second. There are exceptions, as well as first or second round bust QB's. Still, the odds of finding a franchise QB out of the first or second are small.

Name your QBs then. I'll guarantee the vast majority of solid starting NFL QB's in 2009 were from the first or second round.

This thread is turning into a Rahm Emanuel thing. Your comparison, in essence, means that if Bruce Gradkowski starts a game, it carries as much weight as someone like Peyton Manning. It's not the quantity of starting QB's and how they're acquired. It's the quality for goodness sakes. Quality QB's typically arrive via the first or second round of the NFL draft. While that's not to say they can't be found in rounds 3 and below or UDFA, the likelihood is extremely small. When I think quality starting QBs, I'm thinking Brady, Flacco, Palmer, Roethlisberger, Schaub, P. Manning, Rivers, Romo, E. Manning, McNabb, Cutler, Rodgers, Favre, Ryan, Brees, and Warner. 12 of those guys are first rounders, or 75%.

I recall last season, in the wake of another playoff-less season, many on this board anticipated big spending in UFA. The end result was a backup QB, low priced C, depth (who is good) CB, and a name WR on a one year deal. The Bills are committed to making few commitments. And given the potential lockout in 2011 and more players being RFA's, I can't see them spending big money. If anything, they'll shed payroll in 2010, especially when Schobel retires, and Whitner and McCargo are released. No salary cap means no salary floor. Failure on the football field does not mean appeasing fans with free agent dollars at OBD. If anything, they'll talk up the draft and making more Hangartner type signings. That, and more hype to sell tickets.

The likelihood of finding a quality starting QB outside the top two rounds is slim. There are always exceptions, but it's rare for a guy to come out of the 3rd round and below or via the UDFA ranks. Of the NFL starting QB's in 2009, I count Warner, M. Hasselbeck, Bulger, Delhomme, Romo, Orton, Cassel, Gradkowski, Schaub, Garrard, Edwards/Fitzpatrick, and Brady as the only signal callers who were acquired below the 2nd round. And I'd say only 2-3 of those guys are quality. In contrast, from 1999-2008, 93 QB's were taken in rounds 3-7. And yet, in 2009, only Brady and Schaub are what I would consider dependable or better QB's. That's not a good ratio if you're looking to find a QB below round 2. I'm not going to review UDFA signings for the same period, but if Warner and Romo are the only examples, I'm sure they're in the minority as well. QB's taken - Draft History

GB drafted Brohm because they thought him the BPA at that point in the draft. Favre was turning 38 in 07 and Rodgers had completed his 2nd NFL season of not playing behind #4. It just so happens that Rodgers is one of the top QB's in the NFL after being an apprentice for 3 seasons. Still, for GB to miss on Brohm in the 2nd is alarming, especially because an unheralded 7th round pick beat him up. Draft equity being what it is, when a 7th beats a 2nd, that's not good. And then Mr. Exception chimes in and says it doesn't matter where someone is drafted and cites Brady, Warner, Romo. But check where the majority of the starting QB's were taken. You guessed it, the first round or second rounds.

It was reported that TE lost the locker room late in the season. To me, TE's disappearance is a combination of two things: 1) His mental state isn't one that rebounds from adversity. Not like a Brees, P. Manning, Rodgers, Favre, or the elite QB's in the game. 2) His HC was responsible for some of the dullest offenses in Bills history. That's not saying they were the worst, but three coordinators looked eerily similar when crunch time rolled around. I still don't know why TE remained loyal to DJ as his career was twisting downward in that backwards offense DJ's been running. OBD will have a hard time selling Edwards as the starter in 2010 and they've already got an uphill climb after hiring Gailey.

Must be the second language. That's all I've got.

Jackson has a lot less mileage on his wheels than most RB's do at 29. Lynch bulked up far too much during this past off-season and still dances too much in the backfield. Buffalo has demonstrated a penchant for releasing higher priced players who don't start, which depletes their depth. Marshawn is getting paid decent but not great money to probably enter 2010 as the backup. That is, if he's around in July.

Nope, none at all. Finding QB's is just being lucky, much like most of the Bills pursuits nowadays. Just ask Bill Polian, he totally lucked into taking Peyton in 1998 over Ryan Leaf. The draft is a big crap-shoot, and if Buffalo fails, it's being unlucky.

Not to mention you've wasted time chasing something you won't get. Buffalo tried to obtain DL Israel Idonije and G Reggie Wells in 06 and were denied by their teams, Chicago and Arizona respectively. Given that Buffalo's front office can only sign one guy at a time (see Evans and Peters in 08) most likely they removed themselves from pursuing other UFA's in Dick Levy's first foray into an offseason together. Perhaps that why the crown jewel of the 06 offseason was current UFL scrub Larry Tripplett.

You've left out the coaching aspect. BAL and ATL last season along with NYJ this season minimized their rookie QB's weaknesses and had strong running games to take pressure off the young signal callers. That was no coincidence. To simplify it down to the "right rookie" leaves out how important it is to use them correctly. The Jets ran for 170 ypg this season, and ATL had Michael Turner running 20-25 times in 2008. Likewise, BAL has always been good on the ground, and now has an emerging star at RB in Ray Rice. Every single rookie QB has growing pains. It's a matter of coaching around them and once again putting them in a position to succeed. All three of those teams also had outstanding OL's to help set that rookie up for success.

The guy was a nice person, but what he did on draft day 06-08 was draft players who will not be contributors much longer. If, after four seasons all Buffalo has is only secondary, that's not success. It's abject failure. Buffalo used two firsts on DB's, one of whom may not even be on the team next year, and signed several UFA's in the course of DJ's four off-seasons. Of course they should have a solid secondary, they spent a lot of resources on it. But you can continue thanking DJ (and Marv) next season when the team must rebuild their front defensive front 7 and find OT's capable of pass blocking. Even without a move to the 3-4, Buffalo needed a lot of help on both sides of the LOS. For goodness sakes they gave up 150+ yards rushing per game last season! And that was worse than what they yielded in DJ's first season. See a trend here? At the rate DJ and company were going, it would have taken them 15 years to rebuild off the TD era.

Wilfork is a UFA, the result of being a six year veteran. I suspect NE will franchise him and possibly trade him, a la GB dealing Corey Williams to the Browns in 08. Finding a 3-4 NT will cost a lot, either in the draft or via FA. With no less than 13 teams running that defense, competition will be stiff for guys who can play that all important position. I don't see Pickett being re-signed, but he'll get a lot of attention on the market.

Again, why has he been on three teams in 3 seasons? I'm not writing him off, but after three years in the pros, I'd expect more than simply being a generally inactive 3rd stringer for a team featuring Pat White as their #2 QB. I'm just fed up with the notion of finding a QB on the bargain bin. Chances are the kid isn't it, but stranger things have happened.