Tailgate Lou Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 The hardest part about being a Bills fan, beside the gastrointestinal disruptions, is the renewed sense of optimism. Pining away for a silver lining, year after year, no matter how agonizing or heartwrenching our season ends...were all lickin' our fingers come time for the combine. Now just take a bowling ball shot and sit down, son. Lemme give you a fresh, cold splash of reality, straight from the grill: Nix was never the best choice. But he wasn't that bad of one, either, considering the fact that NO ONE WANTED THE JOB! You can blame the ownership, you can blame the management, you can blame yer spooky superstitions, but this team has become a no-man's land throughout the NFL landscape. From players all the way up to front office personnel, they avoid us like the plague! That being said, it's acceptable that we got Nix to roll up his sleeves and dig into the mess, as well as for him to pull in a talent evaluator/GM successor from a franchise that is established in the same exact mold we'd like to replicate: A hard-nosed, cold-weather, run-first team with an aggressive and run-stuffing D. Whaley has witnessed firsthand how to build and maintain such a franchise. The best move Nix has made may have been the Whaley hiring. So he couldn't completely make Black & Gold in Buffalo, as Cowher didn't want the job, but Buddy got the guy Cowher said he'd hire first...Chan Gailey. Buddy then went out and hired a guy for his defense who may not have architected a 4-3 to 3-4 switch, but at least taken part in such a mess firsthand. George Edwards helped the dolphins linebackers learn the transition, so he gets a shot to do a bit more here. Again, neither of these guys were the best available, but the perhaps the best of who was willing to take on the job. Buddy & Chan have a plan, which is to fix the car. So maybe they can't take it from a Kia to a Porsche, but they can at least get it running. The first thing you do is lift the hood. Upon doing so, they've realized that its best to take apart the engine, clean it up, re-tool it and then give it a fresh start. Yes, they could have seen Edwards was a disaster on film, but you've gotta see if you can fix it yourself before you disguard it completely. Once they saw that all the pep-talking, posturing and perfect soundbites didn't measure up to 4 quarters against elite passrush for Trent, then you go to the next man up. When Fitz proved he had the moxy to sling it, Trent becomes expendable. It was a contract year and he still couldn't pull the trigger, boom, roasted. Lynch has been showcased all season, THEY NEVER WANTED HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE, that's why you get Spiller. In a league where Moss gets a 3rd rounder from a desperate, win-now team... count your blessings that Buddy finagled a 4th plus conditional for a player who is anything but a sure thing for Canton. Give it time. Anyone who thinks that you can wave around a bunch of money and get top notch players to shuffle off to Buffalo should ask Julius Peppers why he chose a fiercer furry creature a but further west. Building through the draft is a painstaking but cathartic process, and we haven't done it the right way in a long, loooong time. Chan will be the coach until the team turns a corner, then as the league perception changes on the team, better coaches and better players will want to come, but they won't do that until someone lays the groundwork. So if the smoke is making your eyes water, then you're not done yet... and neither is the massive restoration project at OBD that nobody ever wanted to start in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 I'll drink to that!! :beer: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akm0404 Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 This post is good, coming from among the most negative of the downtrodden. I suspect you are overly optimistic, but I certainly hope you are correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macaroni Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Good post .... Now that I'm old and wise in the way of the world, all I ask from "my team" is that they entertain me ... I don't demand championships ... don't demand 16-0 ... don't even demand they win any particular game. Would I like any of the above .... youuuuuuu betcha But I understand it's just a game and all I want to do is be entertained. Now I also understand this team is not capable of entertaining me on Sunday afternoons this year (and probably for the next one or two), but I sure enjoy sitting back and watching the brain trust retooling. Will it work this time??? Heck I don't know, but it IS fun watching it unfold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 I give it 5 years. It takes time when you aren't good at any position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Best first post ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 The reason nobody wanted the job is because of the pecking order at OBD, most GM's would want more power and say over the draft, free agency and players in general The GM and head coach are handcuffed to the owner Ralph Wilson- Treasurer Jeff Littmann- Russ Brandon CEO- Jim Overdorf S VP of football admin....pretty tough to get anything done when you have no power over anything Still, I'm not certain as to who is responsible and who made the call to sign Cornell Green or give Chris Kelsay an extension, but they need to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Best first post ever. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottytubes54 Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 This is a good post, one worth commenting on. I can't say that I am overwhelmed with Nix and Gailey at this point, but they do enough things that seem savvy to me, to provide me with encouragement. For instance, showcasing Lynch is one thing, but the other thing that they were able to do by playing him prior to trading him was give Freddy time to heal his hand more rather than push it earlier...as well as let Spiller get acclimated slowly, hopefully helping to avoid the late season wall that rookies seem to hit. Dumping Edwards is synonomous with admitting they were wrong, and that type of acknowledment, should be recognized. If you can't be perfect, at least admit when you are wrong and move on. I am not sure that previous coaching/management regimens would've done that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tailgate Lou Posted October 6, 2010 Author Share Posted October 6, 2010 Best first post ever. Well Thank You Kindly! And to think I wrote it from my mobile whilst sippin a cold one infront of Steven Seagal: Lawman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cåblelady Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Well Thank You Kindly! And to think I wrote it from my mobile whilst sippin a cold one infront of Steven Seagal: Lawman! sweet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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