Dawgg Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Haven't posted since the offseason, but thought i'd drop in and share my thoughts. 1. If it's not evident now how badly Marv Levy screwed up this franchise in his 2 short years in Buffalo, you'll never get it. Both of his first round picks (Whitner and Lynch) are being outplayed by undrafted free agents. Another first round pick (McCargo) has secured himself a spot in the Erik Flowers Hall of Shame. Marv's expensive efforts to fix the offensive line were lauded when Dockery and Walker came to town. 3 years and $28M later, they are no longer on this squad. Marv's choice of head coach... we all know how that one went. 2. Speaking of the head coach... It's a cycle that repeats itself every 3 years in Buffalo where everyone calls for the coach's head under the guise that a new coach will suddenly change things for the better. Jauron is awful, there's no doubt, but there is absolutely no head coach that can win with this team. This team was built poorly from top to bottom, has no depth, and the talent level is abysmal across the board, except for maybe WR and CB. Firing Jauron is a temporary fix. Cleaning house in the front office is what is truly needed. 3. Yesterday, Donte Whitner, the Bills' prized first round pick of 2005, was standing on the sideline watching an undrafted free agent and converted wide receiver take his place. Yes, folks, Donte Whitner was benched in favor of George Wilson. The excuses for Whitner over the years have been nothing sort of amazing. Dean, Ramius, C.Biscuit and even the venerable Tim Graham have had all kinds of excuses in their back pocket ready to justify Whitner's sub-par play and lack of impact: no pass rush, his supporting cast sucks, he's a leader, he holds pizza parties in his basement, he's my friend on Facebook! Folks, the play on the field doesn't lie. Whitner is not even one of the top 3 safeties on this team and his play has been abysmal. He's had a few good days, but that certainly isn't saying much. It's unfortunate that Marv Levy reached for this player when so many blue chip players were available. The 2005 draft was one of the deepest in years. 4. Poz is just not very good. Again, why Marv traded up and overpaid to move up a few slots instead of letting David Harris fall to his lap is beyond amazing. This team needs a new middle linebacker. A few years ago, fans were ecstatic that they let London Fletcher go. Be careful what you wish for... 5. I see a lot of fans directing their anger at TO and his "body language." WTF do you expect him to do??? He's wants to win badly and he's sick and tired of the ineptitude that pervades this team. It's high time someone blew up and started letting it be known that this is not acceptable. It sure doesn't seem like anyone else on this team cares. 6. Trent Edwards has been playing awful football. I certainly thought he was the real deal at QB and now... not so much. Having said that, it's not doing him any favors that (a) the offensive line sucks and (b) he has no QB coach and a first-time offensive coordinator, who 2 years ago was a quality control coach. Could a Norv Turner-like coach get more out of him? I tend to think so, but that doesn't mean he's the long-term solution behind center. 7. Fred Jackson is awesome. He's everything that's right about the game and he showed it again yesterday. While Marv really crapped the bed as GM, signing Fred Jackson is one of his truly stellar moves. Why Fred Jackson isn't starting over Lynch is beyond me. I hope they keep him in Buffalo until he retires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No QB - No Bueno Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Bow wow wow yippio yippiay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurlyBurly51 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Sounds about right. This goes back to Ralph going into his protective shell after Donohoe. Marv clearly was not the right choice. There's a lot of work to do. Does getting Cowher or Shanahan and giving them full control give us hope? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Welcome back Dawgg! You have been missed! Outstanding post, agree 100% with all points except #6, never thought Trent was the true answer, he was just better (for a while) than the garbage that played at QB the previous 4 seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCNC Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 I think you nailed it dawgg. great post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 I agree with most of this, but isn't it the case that Whitner had a high ankle sprain? He was an emergency player, according to the paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDD Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Not to be picky and you make valid points but Levy, with the Coe College connection, played a roll in Fred Jackson coming to Buffalo. I like both backs and you need two to compete. I for one was mad when London Fletcher left via FA. I love how Levy tried to justify it with the whole tackling downfield angle. Poz couldn't carry Fletcher's jock. And I'm pissed about trading Peters too for the record. Too many bad decisions and not enough good ones for this franchise. This team is at least 3 years away from being competitive and that's if they draft well and bring in top free agents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 6. Trent Edwards has been playing awful football. I certainly thought he was the real deal at QB and now... not so much. Having said that, it's not doing him any favors that (a) the offensive line sucks and (b) he has no QB coach and a first-time offensive coordinator, who 2 years ago was a quality control coach. Could a Norv Turner-like coach get more out of him? I tend to think so, but that doesn't mean he's the long-term solution behind center. Along with Fitzpatrick, the awesome duo have registered just TWO games this year of getting past 200 YARDS passing. Pop Gun / Pop Warner indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrFishfinder Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 With a few exceptions, this team is collectively doing a really convincing job of appearing to have packed it in for the season. The players and coaching staff know that a lot of them will be in different locations with different occupations next year. Some football related, some not. Does anyone think the Bills will win more than 5-6 games this season? Raise your hand if you do. Yeah, me neither. The season is more than half done, the train has made it over the mountaintop, is heading downhill and picking up speed. Other than hoping for a giant housecleaning, a big name head coach and a huge contract to stay in Buffalo, it's difficult to imagine why most players would want to stay. Cripes, at least make it through the season intact in case another team picks you up. It's fun watching a few of the players who seem to be playing for the sheer joy of it AND have talent, as ridiculous as that might sound. Other than that, it's like watching a Step-on-the-Rake contest every Sunday. "This one's shot, this one's an idiot, this one can't run left, this one is afraid of blue, this one sucks, this one reeks, this one drools...." Spielberg couldn't write this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kipers Hair Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Haven't posted since the offseason, but thought i'd drop in and share my thoughts. 1. If it's not evident now how badly Marv Levy screwed up this franchise in his 2 short years in Buffalo, you'll never get it. Both of his first round picks (Whitner and Lynch) are being outplayed by undrafted free agents. Another first round pick (McCargo) has secured himself a spot in the Erik Flowers Hall of Shame. Marv's expensive efforts to fix the offensive line were lauded when Dockery and Walker came to town. 3 years and $28M later, they are no longer on this squad. Marv's choice of head coach... we all know how that one went. 2. Speaking of the head coach... It's a cycle that repeats itself every 3 years in Buffalo where everyone calls for the coach's head under the guise that a new coach will suddenly change things for the better. Jauron is awful, there's no doubt, but there is absolutely no head coach that can win with this team. This team was built poorly from top to bottom, has no depth, and the talent level is abysmal across the board, except for maybe WR and CB. Firing Jauron is a temporary fix. Cleaning house in the front office is what is truly needed. 3. Yesterday, Donte Whitner, the Bills' prized first round pick of 2005, was standing on the sideline watching an undrafted free agent and converted wide receiver take his place. Yes, folks, Donte Whitner was benched in favor of George Wilson. The excuses for Whitner over the years have been nothing sort of amazing. Dean, Ramius, C.Biscuit and even the venerable Tim Graham have had all kinds of excuses in their back pocket ready to justify Whitner's sub-par play and lack of impact: no pass rush, his supporting cast sucks, he's a leader, he holds pizza parties in his basement, he's my friend on Facebook! Folks, the play on the field doesn't lie. Whitner is not even one of the top 3 safeties on this team and his play has been abysmal. He's had a few good days, but that certainly isn't saying much. It's unfortunate that Marv Levy reached for this player when so many blue chip players were available. The 2005 draft was one of the deepest in years. 4. Poz is just not very good. Again, why Marv traded up and overpaid to move up a few slots instead of letting David Harris fall to his lap is beyond amazing. This team needs a new middle linebacker. A few years ago, fans were ecstatic that they let London Fletcher go. Be careful what you wish for... 5. I see a lot of fans directing their anger at TO and his "body language." WTF do you expect him to do??? He's wants to win badly and he's sick and tired of the ineptitude that pervades this team. It's high time someone blew up and started letting it be known that this is not acceptable. It sure doesn't seem like anyone else on this team cares. 6. Trent Edwards has been playing awful football. I certainly thought he was the real deal at QB and now... not so much. Having said that, it's not doing him any favors that (a) the offensive line sucks and (b) he has no QB coach and a first-time offensive coordinator, who 2 years ago was a quality control coach. Could a Norv Turner-like coach get more out of him? I tend to think so, but that doesn't mean he's the long-term solution behind center. 7. Fred Jackson is awesome. He's everything that's right about the game and he showed it again yesterday. While Marv really crapped the bed as GM, signing Fred Jackson is one of his truly stellar moves. Why Fred Jackson isn't starting over Lynch is beyond me. I hope they keep him in Buffalo until he retires. Brilliant and honest observations...Love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnychemo Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Marv's expensive efforts to fix the offensive line were lauded when Dockery and Walker came to town. 3 years and $28M later, they are no longer on this squad. And consider the time bomb that set into motion...I blame Marv overpaying Dockery and Walker for the whole Jason Peters fiasco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPeaTear Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 3. Yesterday, Donte Whitner, the Bills' prized first round pick of 2005, was standing on the sideline watching an undrafted free agent and converted wide receiver take his place. Yes, folks, Donte Whitner was benched in favor of George Wilson. The excuses for Whitner over the years have been nothing sort of amazing. Dean, Ramius, C.Biscuit and even the venerable Tim Graham have had all kinds of excuses in their back pocket ready to justify Whitner's sub-par play and lack of impact: no pass rush, his supporting cast sucks, he's a leader, he holds pizza parties in his basement, he's my friend on Facebook! Well he is my friend on facebook, and who doesn't love a pizza party?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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