The Bills are a very young team now

[billsburgh]

with today's cuts and the roster fianalized for now, there are only 12 out of 53 players with more than 6 years experience in the league and 2 or them are Lindell and Moorman. Add to that that only 25 players have more than 4 years experience. I dont know how this compares with other teams in the league, but I would bet that the Bills are one of the youngest teams in the league now.

[ublinkwescore]

Spikes, Clements, Fletcher - 3 on D...

[ublinkwescore]

Spikes, Clements, Fletcher - 3 on D...

[Mitchy moo]

We'll being young dooms us now, according to some.

[billsburgh]

the only part the has me worried about that is the apparent lack of depth at many positions. and undrafted free agent backing up Fletcher. a rookie as the first tackle off the bech. no depth on the d-line. many of these players may turn out to be pretty good, but at this point they are unproven and havent been tested. It's kind of scary going in to the season with this many unknowns.

[Mitchy moo]

the only part the has me worried about that is the apparent lack of depth at many positions. and undrafted free agent backing up Fletcher. a rookie as the first tackle off the bech. no depth on the d-line. many of these players may turn out to be pretty good, but at this point they are unproven and havent been tested. It's kind of scary going in to the season with this many unknowns.

Alot of teams go into the season's with unknows.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

the only part the has me worried about that is the apparent lack of depth at many positions. and undrafted free agent backing up Fletcher. a rookie as the first tackle off the bech. no depth on the d-line. many of these players may turn out to be pretty good, but at this point they are unproven and havent been tested. It's kind of scary going in to the season with this many unknowns.

You are right about the lack of proven quality depth. But, that's a problem that most rebuilding teams have. And, it could be a real problem.

But, the only way for unproven, untested players to be tested and become proven as players is for them to get a chance to play. Obviously, this coaching staff wasn't happy with what it saw in the development of a lot of the players that it inherited and decided to go with their own young players who they feel have a greater upside or who they feel at least will develop more down the road. Undoubtedly the team and those young players are going to take their lumps during the course of this season, but, by the time the season is over, the coaches will have a pretty good idea of what they have and what they still need to get to build a team that can win on a sustained basis. And, in the process, some of those unproven, untested guys will become proven, tested players that can, hopefully, become the core of the team that they can build around.

[billsburgh]

You are right about the lack of proven quality depth. But, that's a problem that most rebuilding teams have. And, it could be a real problem.

But, the only way for unproven, untested players to be tested and become proven as players is for them to get a chance to play. Obviously, this coaching staff wasn't happy with what it saw in the development of a lot of the players that it inherited and decided to go with their own young players who they feel have a greater upside or who they feel at least will develop more down the road. Undoubtedly the team and those young players are going to take their lumps during the course of this season, but, by the time the season is over, the coaches will have a pretty good idea of what they have and what they still need to get to build a team that can win on a sustained basis. And, in the process, some of those unproven, untested guys will become proven, tested players that can, hopefully, become the core of the team that they can build around.
you're right on all accounts. I guess it's just hard to face that fact that this team is rebuilding once again. I have alot of confidence in the starters. Lets hope they can avoid the inevitable injury bug.

[jamze132]

the only part the has me worried about that is the apparent lack of depth at many positions. and undrafted free agent backing up Fletcher. a rookie as the first tackle off the bech. no depth on the d-line. many of these players may turn out to be pretty good, but at this point they are unproven and havent been tested. It's kind of scary going in to the season with this many unknowns.
I would be willing to bet that if Fletcher went down for a while, Spikes would be moved to the middle.

[Jan Reimers]

We seem, for the most part, to be both younger and faster. Several guys were cut because they simply weren't fast enough for the new D. There is also a strong emphasis on ST play.

To confirm your point, we kept 10 rookies, and have only 7 players 30 or older. This is a team being built for next season and beyond.

[billsburgh]

I would be willing to bet that if Fletcher went down for a while, Spikes would be moved to the middle.
But who would replace Spikes then? Mario Haggan? that doesnt make me feel much better.