Tolstoy Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I have been a Bills fan since the early 1980's, and can never remember the team's future being as dim and cloudy as it is now. Here are the reasons things look so bad (I am sorry if you have heard all this before): 1. The owner is aged, and the team very well could move out of Buffalo any year now (e.g., if Ralph, God bless his soul, passed away tomorrow, and the team were sold to a Toronto or LA group in the next six months, it could be moved for the 2011-12 season). 2. Even if Ralph lasts 5-10 more years (a big if!), the GM is new at the job, and relatively unproven. He very well could be over his head, and the Bills could fail badly at bringing in talented players and coaches over the next 5 years. 3. Even if Ralph lasts 5-10 more years, and Nix does well as GM (two big if's now!), we can't seem to bring in a quality head coach. WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER UNTESTED COORDINATOR OR A FAILED RETREAD COACH! The reason for this is that we have gone this route and it has failed miserably. It could very well fail again (does anyone doubt that?). We do not want to go 3 or 4 more seasons rebuilding, with a new coach, with more 5-11, 6-10, 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7 (whoopee!) seasons, only to find that this coach didn't have what it takes, and start all over again. For the love of God, no more of this please! We need a proven commodity, a guy who knows what the hell he is doing, and can inspire confidence. That is why we were all rooting for Shanahan and Cowher. Maybe we still have a shot at a proven coach, but it appears to be dimming by the day, what with unproven guys like Brian Shot. in NY turning us down. 4. Even if Ralph lasts a while, and Nix is good, and we get a good coach (now three gigantic if's!), we will not go anywhere without at least a decent QB. I don't see anyone fitting that description on the horizon. A McNabb would be a good stopgap, but would not get us through to a championship in 2-3 years. We need to develop a good QB. How good have we been at that in the last decade??? So, even if the owner, GM, and coach situation works out, what are the chances that we will suddenly hit the jackpot with a good QB? Folks, the chances of this ship being righted in the next 5 years are really, really slim. I live out of state, and ask myself why I subject myself to the pain of being a Bills fan. I guess it is like family. You can't choose your family. If your father is an alcoholic, a criminal, and a deadbeat (BTW, my dad is not--he is a great man), he is still your father. So the Bills are still my team, and will always be so. But things look so depressing at the moment. Whatever glimmer of light used to shine at the end of the tunnel is no longer shining for me. The Bills tunnel has turned into complete darkness. Can someone give me any reason to hope? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpcolosi Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I have been a Bills fan since the early 1980's, and can never remember the team's future being as dim and cloudy as it is now. Here are the reasons things look so bad (I am sorry if you have heard all this before): 1. The owner is aged, and the team very well could move out of Buffalo any year now (e.g., if Ralph, God bless his soul, passed away tomorrow, and the team were sold to a Toronto or LA group in the next six months, it could be moved for the 2011-12 season). 2. Even if Ralph lasts 5-10 more years (a big if!), the GM is new at the job, and relatively unproven. He very well could be over his head, and the Bills could fail badly at bringing in talented players and coaches over the next 5 years. 3. Even if Ralph lasts 5-10 more years, and Nix does well as GM (two big if's now!), we can't seem to bring in a quality head coach. WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER UNTESTED COORDINATOR OR A FAILED RETREAD COACH! The reason for this is that we have gone this route and it has failed miserably. It could very well fail again (does anyone doubt that?). We do not want to go 3 or 4 more seasons rebuilding, with a new coach, with more 5-11, 6-10, 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7 (whoopee!) seasons, only to find that this coach didn't have what it takes, and start all over again. For the love of God, no more of this please! We need a proven commodity, a guy who knows what the hell he is doing, and can inspire confidence. That is why we were all rooting for Shanahan and Cowher. Maybe we still have a shot at a proven coach, but it appears to be dimming by the day, what with unproven guys like Brian Shot. in NY turning us down. 4. Even if Ralph lasts a while, and Nix is good, and we get a good coach (now three gigantic if's!), we will not go anywhere without at least a decent QB. I don't see anyone fitting that description on the horizon. A McNabb would be a good stopgap, but would not get us through to a championship in 2-3 years. We need to develop a good QB. How good have we been at that in the last decade??? So, even if the owner, GM, and coach situation works out, what are the chances that we will suddenly hit the jackpot with a good QB? Folks, the chances of this ship being righted in the next 5 years are really, really slim. I live out of state, and ask myself why I subject myself to the pain of being a Bills fan. I guess it is like family. You can't choose your family. If your father is an alcoholic, a criminal, and a deadbeat (BTW, my dad is not--he is a great man), he is still your father. So the Bills are still my team, and will always be so. But things look so depressing at the moment. Whatever glimmer of light used to shine at the end of the tunnel is no longer shining for me. The Bills tunnel has turned into complete darkness. Can someone give me any reason to hope? 3 words - watered down league Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Our young players. Our secondary is good right now with McKelvin, McGee, Florence, Corner, Lankster, Wilson, Scott, and Whitner. We probably have one of the better secondaries in the league, actually. They would be even better if we could get more cosistent pressure on the QB and stop the run. I think Puz will make a good OLB when they finally decide to switch him to that position. That's his more natural position and he would operate better from the LOLB or ROLB slots. We have Stroud and Williams on the interior. Granted, I think that we need another guy who wreaks havoc in there, but it's a solid foundation none the less. On offense we have the makings of a solid interior OL. I would rather have seen Wood playing OC from the get go, but Levitre, Hang, and Wood are solid with the potential to be really good. We still have Evans, Freddy, and Lynch (for now) which gives us some weapons on offense. If Butler comes back 100%, we get another WR to go with Evans or one of our draft picks finally come into their own, we get a starting quality NFL LT, a QB, a true MLB, and a couple of pieces along the DL we will be in the playoff hunt. Long list, but possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolstoy Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 Our young players. Our secondary is good right now with McKelvin, McGee, Florence, Corner, Lankster, Wilson, Scott, and Whitner. We probably have one of the better secondaries in the league, actually. They would be even better if we could get more cosistent pressure on the QB and stop the run. I think Puz will make a good OLB when they finally decide to switch him to that position. That's his more natural position and he would operate better from the LOLB or ROLB slots. We have Stroud and Williams on the interior. Granted, I think that we need another guy who wreaks havoc in there, but it's a solid foundation none the less. On offense we have the makings of a solid interior OL. I would rather have seen Wood playing OC from the get go, but Levitre, Hang, and Wood are solid with the potential to be really good. We still have Evans, Freddy, and Lynch (for now) which gives us some weapons on offense. If Butler comes back 100%, we get another WR to go with Evans or one of our draft picks finally come into their own, we get a starting quality NFL LT, a QB, a true MLB, and a couple of pieces along the DL we will be in the playoff hunt. Long list, but possible. Good points. We can only hope that we don't squander this talent in the next five years. I was reflecting the other day on Moulds, who was a very good WR, but who played for the Bills after the SB runner-up era. His talent was, in a sense, wasted, in so far as he never contributed to a championship team. Maybe that is a bit harsh, but I think that great players become greatest only when they help the team become successful, and Moulds was unable to do that because of the team around him. So too, all of the talent we have now could theoretically go wasted in the next five years, unless the ownership, GM, coach, and QB situation works out (as well as a host of other minor items)! But thanks for responding. I am a little more hopeful than before, just not much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofton80 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 High pick in a deep draft? I'm trying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K Gun Special Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 were not the Raiders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 your able to read this thread...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts