What the hell was Levy thinking....

[OpIv37]

going into the season with only 8 OL and 4 DT's?

Considering we use a 4 man rotation on the DL, it's essentially like having no back-ups.

And with the Villarial injury, we only have two backups on the OL- if, for example, Fowler gets hurt, the whole line will have to be re-shuffled.

I know he likes to keep guys for ST ability but so far that hasn't produced results and now we're running into trouble by not having enough bodies for other positions.

[The_Philster]

Levy doesn't make the cuts..he's the GM, not the coach....and anyway, who would you have cut to make room for the extra bodies at those positions?

[Typ0]

they are working with the talent they had.

I've said it many times...special teams is a bonus not a focus of thought. It does look to me like we keep players for ST abilities which is a total mistake IMO. The offense and the defense are the ones on the field all the time...we need to focus on those squads first. Once we are strong in those areas then and only then should we be beefing up special teams. We're putting the cart before the horse.

[OpIv37]

Levy doesn't make the cuts..he's the GM, not the coach....and anyway, who would you have cut to make room for the extra bodies at those positions?

Fine so what the hell was Jauron thinking?

I don't know what I would have done- I'm not the coach. But clearly what Jauron did wasn't right either. I know it's impossible for teams to have depth at every position, but we shouldn't be in a position where we have to go sign someone every time a player gets injured. He doesn't even have enough bodies.

[bigbub2352]

Sam Aiken he is useless, Coy WIre, Shaud WIlliams, and Troy Vincent to name a couple

[The_Philster]

They're only allowed a 53-man roster, you know

[OpIv37]

they are working with the talent they had.


maybe so, but it becomes a lesser of two evils: what's worse- keeping a player who's maybe not quite good enough or not having enough bodies for a certain position?

[The_Philster]

Sam Aiken he is useless, Coy WIre, Shaud WIlliams, and Troy Vincent to name a coupleAiken and Wire are pretty key on special teams...Shaud was supposed to be as well...but he's inactive every week...and Vincent's on IR...he doesn't count toward the 53-man limit

[OpIv37]

They're only allowed a 53-man roster, you know

I'm well aware of that.

But they created a situation where ONE injury requires us to go out and obtain another player. Does that sound like effective use of the 53 slots?

[Michael82]

My problem is...why the hell are the Bills hanging onto Shaud Williams if they are just going to deactivate him before every game? :mad:

[Mitchy moo]

My problem is...why the hell are the Bills hanging onto Shaud Williams if they are just going to deactivate him before every game? :mad:

I never understand why they did that either, it really doesn't make much sense.

[Michael82]

I never understand why they did that either, it really doesn't make much sense.
no it doesnt. I was fine with keeping him because i thought he would be used as a change of pace back or whatever, but he hasnt been used yet. Waste of space that should be used for OL or DL.

[Luisito23]

I disagree with some of this thread especially about Wire....but I see where OP's coming from...




GO BILLS!!!!!!

[John Doe]

What were Levy and Jauron thinking? It goes like this:

Keep the best 4 defensive tackles on the team and the 5th best on the practice squad. If one tackle goes down for a short period of time, tighten up the d-line rotation to 3 guys. If one goes down for a long period of time, then bring the practice squad guy onto the team and either cut someone or put someone on I.R.

It's pretty simple.

[Mr. Cynical]

Fine so what the hell was Jauron thinking?

I don't know what I would have done- I'm not the coach. But clearly what Jauron did wasn't right either. I know it's impossible for teams to have depth at every position, but we shouldn't be in a position where we have to go sign someone every time a player gets injured. He doesn't even have enough bodies.

And so the evidence begins to pile up....the blimp gets closer to the tower...

[The_Philster]

How do you know he didn't influence Dick one way or the other?
The GM will probably have some small influence, yes...but unless you're calling him a liar, I'll take him at his word when he said he'd stay out of coaching decisions.

[Mr. Cynical]

The GM will probably have some small influence, yes...but unless you're calling him a liar, I'll take him at his word when he said he'd stay out of coaching decisions.

I deleted this since I remembered all the arguments we've had on this topic, e.g., the GM's role with the HC, but you snagged it before I had the chance. Anyhoo - I think we had agreed to disagree so I won't post any further on this topic. :)

[Dr. Lecter]

First off your premise is wrong. They have 9 O-lineman on the roster. (Merz, Butler, Pennington and Preston are the reserves). If Fowler goes down, Preston mves over and Merz comes in. Hardly re-shuffling the entire line.

As for DT's there is a roster limit. Keep the 5th DT or DiGrigorio? Or Andre Davis? It is a craphsoot.

Finally, Shaud Williams would be replaced with another inactive player so what is the big deal?

[patmoran2006]

Sam Aiken he is useless, Coy WIre, Shaud WIlliams, and Troy Vincent to name a couple
aiken and wire are far from useless... Troy Vincent nobody saw that coming so you cant really second guess keeping him to tutor Simpson.

Shaud Williams I totally agree with (he hasnt dressed ONCE this year) and you can add Andre Davis to that useless list as well.. Those two are waste products and I'm wishing we had extra fat bodies in their place.

[OpIv37]

What were Levy and Jauron thinking? It goes like this:

Keep the best 4 defensive tackles on the team and the 5th best on the practice squad. If one tackle goes down for a short period of time, tighten up the d-line rotation to 3 guys. If one goes down for a long period of time, then bring the practice squad guy onto the team and either cut someone or put someone on I.R.

It's pretty simple.

our DL now consists of Kyle Williams, Larry Tripplett and Tim Anderson.

Pretty simple and pretty stupid.

[John Doe]

our DL now consists of Kyle Williams, Larry Tripplett and Tim Anderson.

Pretty simple and pretty stupid.

Injuries happen.

The team will deal with it without panic.

[OpIv37]

Injuries happen.

The team will deal with it without panic.

but not without getting lit up on the field.

[Statman]

they are working with the talent they had.

Then they spent some big money to get some other players. They acquired Larry Tripplett for almost $20 million, Peerless Price for over $10 million, Robert Royal for another $10 million, then traded up to get McCargo who many thought may have been there with our 2nd round choice and they gave up another early 3rd round pick to get him.

Was that smart? Are we seeing many fruits from those decisions?

Who's responsible for making those?

Should they be applauded and rewarded for those decisions, the biggest moves of the offseason?

How many penalties do those players have as a group?

As I see it you typically expect more out of players getting that much money.

The team doesn't even seem to have much use for TE's, so why would they pay an unproven TE like Royal that kind of money, to do what? Sit around drop balls and make penalties.

Three more offseasons of moves like those and things cannot possibly improve.

[Statman]

www.firedickjauron.com (http://www.firedickjauron.com)

:roflmao:

Looks like we're not the only ones who hated him. He sucked in Chicago and he sucked when he took over for Mooch last season. So technically he's failed twice. It wasn't a full season in Detroit but he still made bad calls then too.

That was nice of this guy to transfer the site over to us. We're gonna need it.
Can Levy be held accountable for that?

Or does his poop not stink now too?

[Statman]

Let's face it, we're looking at one more season where all we do is beat bad teams. There may be more of them on this year's schedule, but that won't mean that we will have improved.

What happens in the offseason as a result will determine how good we are in the next few seasons. There are quite a few players that are here now that won't be around beginning next season. Fletcher and Clements are two of them. Those are pretty key players. Clements may not be great but who's going to replace him? McGee?

[The_Philster]

So what is Levy's role on this team?
Last I checked, he was the General Manager...what did Polian and Butler do?

[John Doe]

It also goes like this, that if you don't have talented players to begin with then "best" is all relative, is it not? Tripplett was a backup when we got him. Anderson hasn't done anything in the NFL and after that we have two rookies.

If that's the "best" then there's room for some discussion, no?

Same with the o-line.

The poorly concieved point of this thread was that Levy or Jauron were foolish or incompetant because there is no 5th defensive tackle on the team to turn to after the 4th got hurt.

McCargo was still getting his feet wet in the pro game and was not setting the league on fire - few rookie tackles do. There is plenty of time in the future for him to develop. In the mean time, the team goes to a 3-man rotation instead of a 4-man rotation.

The 5th defensive tackle usually is not a great player on any team. We have one on the practice squad to sign if needed or we can pick one up as a free agent.

It really is pretty simple, but if one is a "sky is falling" kind of poster or a dedicated Levy/Jauron basher, then one will try to make a major issue out of this.

[OpIv37]

The poorly concieved point of this thread was that Levy or Jauron were foolish or incompetant because there is no 5th defensive tackle on the team to turn to after the 4th got hurt.

McCargo was still getting his feet wet in the pro game and was not setting the league on fire - few rookie tackles do. There is plenty of time in the future for him to develop. In the mean time, the team goes to a 3-man rotation instead of a 4-man rotation.

The 5th defensive tackle usually is not a great player on any team. We have one on the practice squad to sign if needed or we can pick one up as a free agent.

It really is pretty simple, but if one is a "sky is falling" kind of poster or a dedicated Levy/Jauron basher, then one will try to make a major issue out of this.

I see, so it's NOT a major issue that we have to go pick up a player in the middle of the season because of ONE injury? To me, that's a pretty big screw up.

Not to mention it's not like our other 3 DT's are dominant. Any situation that results in Tim Anderson getting MORE playing time should be considered a mistake by Levy and/or Jauron.

If you're gonna run a rotation, have the personnel to do it.

[John Doe]

I see, so it's NOT a major issue that we have to go pick up a player in the middle of the season because of ONE injury? To me, that's a pretty big screw up.

Not to mention it's not like our other 3 DT's are dominant. Any situation that results in Tim Anderson getting MORE playing time should be considered a mistake by Levy and/or Jauron.

If you're gonna run a rotation, have the personnel to do it.

By this logic, you should keep 7 defensive tackles in case 3 go down.

[OpIv37]

By this logic, you should keep 7 defensive tackles in case 3 go down.

no, that's not what I said at all.

You should be able to handle one injury without having to go wading through other teams' preseason cuts.

I really don't think that's too much to ask of Levy and Jauron. But apparently, it is.

[Dr. Lecter]

no, that's not what I said at all.

You should be able to handle one injury without having to go wading through other teams' preseason cuts.

I really don't think that's too much to ask of Levy and Jauron. But apparently, it is.

You are unbeleivable sometimes.

There is a 53 man roster. If TE gets hurt, they need on those too. Same at FB. Or at safety.

Tell me, what woudl have YOUR roster breakdown been, by position?

Don't forget the back-uo kicker, punter and 4th string QB or you will be criticized.

[John Doe]

no, that's not what I said at all.

You should be able to handle one injury without having to go wading through other teams' preseason cuts.

I really don't think that's too much to ask of Levy and Jauron. But apparently, it is.

The have handled the situation by going to a 3-man rotation instead of a 4-man rotation.

It really is pretty simple.

If you are against picking up another player if McCargo goes on IR, then so be it.

[BillsFever21]

And so the evidence begins to pile up....the blimp gets closer to the tower...

www.firedickjauron.com (http://www.firedickjauron.com)

:roflmao:

Looks like we're not the only ones who hated him. He sucked in Chicago and he sucked when he took over for Mooch last season. So technically he's failed twice. It wasn't a full season in Detroit but he still made bad calls then too.

That was nice of this guy to transfer the site over to us. We're gonna need it.

[BillsFever21]

First off your premise is wrong. They have 9 O-lineman on the roster. (Merz, Butler, Pennington and Preston are the reserves). If Fowler goes down, Preston mves over and Merz comes in. Hardly re-shuffling the entire line.

As for DT's there is a roster limit. Keep the 5th DT or DiGrigorio? Or Andre Davis? It is a craphsoot.

Finally, Shaud Williams would be replaced with another inactive player so what is the big deal?

And Andre Davis has contributed so much this season...

[Dr. Lecter]

He recovered the blocked punt against the Fishies.

[OpIv37]

The have handled the situation by going to a 3-man rotation instead of a 4-man rotation.

It really is pretty simple.

If you are against picking up another player if McCargo goes on IR, then so be it.

I see. Well, considering we were getting our asses kicked in the 4 man rotation, what makes you think a 3 man rotation is acceptable? It's asking the same guys who were already underperforming to be on the field more and make more plays. Man, how could I not see Levy and Jauron's strategy for victory?

[John Doe]

I see. Well, considering we were getting our asses kicked in the 4 man rotation, what makes you think a 3 man rotation is acceptable? It's asking the same guys who were already underperforming to be on the field more and make more plays. Man, how could I not see Levy and Jauron's strategy for victory?

They played mostly a 3-man rotation early in the season.

Most teams don't play more than that on a regular basis.

The 3-man rotation will do for now. It's not ideal, but that's the limitations of a 53-man roster.

Sorry that you can't deal with it.

[OpIv37]

You are unbeleivable sometimes.

There is a 53 man roster. If TE gets hurt, they need on those too. Same at FB. Or at safety.

Tell me, what woudl have YOUR roster breakdown been, by position?

Don't forget the back-uo kicker, punter and 4th string QB or you will be criticized.

right, because all 3 QB's play in EVERY game like all 4 DT's do.

And kickers and punters get injured just as often as DT's.

Why is squeezing ONE extra DT on the 53 man roster such a tall order? Are you trying to suggest that every one of those 53 guys has been on the field so far this year?

[Typ0]

For a team that the coaches preach about this great rotation their gonna use to keep all their DL fresh you would think they would need more then 3 or 4 DT's. That's one hell of a rotation.

If you had Tommie Harris and Marcus Stroud who are great players and can play any downs then you may be able to get by with that. Not when you have junk to begin with and preach about this rotation you're gonna use to keep everyone fresh.


got to get the system in place and working even though the talent isn't here yet. We need to build the team starting now not when we get Tommie Harris and Marcus Stroud. And then when those guys get here they will be an addition and much easier to integrate.

[OpIv37]

They played mostly a 3-man rotation early in the season.

Most teams don't play more than that on a regular basis.

The 3-man rotation will do for now. It's not ideal, but that's the limitations of a 53-man roster.

Sorry that you can't deal with it.

and I'm sorry that you're willing to accept mediocrity. The DL sucked when we had 4 guys to rotate in, now we only have 3 and it's going to get even worse.

Again, I don't see why asking for 5 DT's when we're playing a 4 man rotation is such a big deal. Unless you honestly think that everyone on the 53 man roster has actually been on the field this year.

[G. Host]

My problem is...why the hell are the Bills hanging onto Shaud Williams if they are just going to deactivate him before every game? :mad:

The same reason whym they kept Gates last year - they need a backup RB who can play if needed and who can go through the driills every week. When Willis has a holdout because he does not get enough carries or the A-Train is nicked up then Williams will be active and that RB will be inactive.

[BillsFever21]

our DL now consists of Kyle Williams, Larry Tripplett and Tim Anderson.

Pretty simple and pretty stupid.

This means start every starting RB that is facing Buffalo for the rest of the season in your FF league.

John McCargo really helped us out a lot this season. He lasted 5 games this year and in them 5 games showed nothing. Not only that he was drafted as a backup to Larry Triplett.

Some are already trying to say this may be one of the best drafts we ever had 5 games into the season? It may turn out to be a good draft in the long run but you can't proclaim it great from the first 5 games.

4 of the 9 players can't even make the active roster yet and one of them is a 3rd round pick. Three of them are on the OL where we're weak at to begin with.

One of our 1st round picks only made it 5 games into the season. Ellison only has 12 solo tackles through the first 5 games. Kyle Williams hasn't done much either after a good preseason. Simpson and Whitner have looked decent so far. Nothing great enough to contribute this draft as the best in the history of our team

So that means only 4 of our 9 draft picks are on the active roster. You could see that on a great team without many holes. On a poor 5-11 team without much depth to begin with it's not a great sign though.

This draft certaintly has a long ways to go. In the long run it could turn out to be decent. It's far from anything special so far though. Especially to be labeled as "one of the best in our history" like some people have said. That has more to do with people wanting it to be then it has to do with onfield results so far.

[BillsFever21]

He recovered the blocked punt against the Fishies.

Wow, I'm impressed. Lets sign him to a contract extension right now. His season long production to this point is a fumble recovery on a punt blocked by somebody else.

Don't tell me you're that blinded by the Bills that you consider that a good season and worth a roster spot till this point? If so then some of the expectations of this team has went down the drain over the last 6 years.

It sure takes a talented player to lay on top of a football. Surely nobody else on the team could've done that. We may be able to get a 2nd round draft pick for him.

[Mr. Cynical]

So what is Levy's role on this team?

Making sure Ralph's AARP membership is up to date.

[BillsFever21]

For a team that the coaches preach about this great rotation their gonna use to keep all their DL fresh you would think they would need more then 3 or 4 DT's. That's one hell of a rotation.

If you had Tommie Harris and Marcus Stroud who are great players and can play any downs then you may be able to get by with that. Not when you have junk to begin with and preach about this rotation you're gonna use to keep everyone fresh.

[John Doe]

and I'm sorry that you're willing to accept mediocrity. The DL sucked when we had 4 guys to rotate in, now we only have 3 and it's going to get even worse.

Again, I don't see why asking for 5 DT's when we're playing a 4 man rotation is such a big deal. Unless you honestly think that everyone on the 53 man roster has actually been on the field this year.

The 5th best defensive tackle from the Bills training camp was Jason Jefferson. He is now on our practice squad and is available if needed.

[OpIv37]

The 5th best defensive tackle from the Bills training camp was Jason Jefferson. He is now on our practice squad and is available if needed.

but he hasn't been activated. And other teams are allowed to pick players off the practice squad.

So, where exactly is the commitment to the four man rotation that Jauron was preaching?

This DL is horrid. Levy gets an A for effort for bringing in 3 new D linemen. So far, he gets a D- for DL performance.

[Dr. Lecter]

but he hasn't been activated. And other teams are allowed to pick players off the practice squad.

So, where exactly is the commitment to the four man rotation that Jauron was preaching?

This DL is horrid. Levy gets an A for effort for bringing in 3 new D linemen. So far, he gets a D- for DL performance.

It is Tuesday. Calm down.

As for the performance, they were bad against Chicago (like most DL's) and New England. Other than that, an objective look at their performance is that it has not been too bad.

Of course there are two rookies getting significant PT. Some people might give them time to develop.

[Dr. Lecter]

And Op; please stop the 'accept mediocrity' crap.

None of us like it and it makes you sound like the "You are not a true fan" crowd.

[OpIv37]

It is Tuesday. Calm down.

As for the performance, they were bad against Chicago (like most DL's) and New England. Other than that, an objective look at their performance is that it has not been too bad.

Of course there are two rookies getting significant PT. Some people might give them time to develop.

No pressure at all against the Jets. No pressure against the Vikings at the end of the game, allowing them to get back in.

Out of 5 games I'd say they had one good one (Dolphins), one mediocre one (Vikings) and 3 bad ones.

While they're developing, we're getting beat.

[OpIv37]

And Op; please stop the 'accept mediocrity' crap.

None of us like it and it makes you sound like the "You are not a true fan" crowd.

honestly, I don't know what else to say to him. He insists on defending crap decisions. No matter how bad a player is or how bad a coaching decision or FO decision is, he finds a way to justify it. If he actually cares about this team winning, it's completely illogical.

[Dr. Lecter]

This means start every starting RB that is facing Buffalo for the rest of the season in your FF league.

John McCargo really helped us out a lot this season. He lasted 5 games this year and in them 5 games showed nothing. Not only that he was drafted as a backup to Larry Triplett.

Some are already trying to say this may be one of the best drafts we ever had 5 games into the season? It may turn out to be a good draft in the long run but you can't proclaim it great from the first 5 games.

4 of the 9 players can't even make the active roster yet and one of them is a 3rd round pick. Three of them are on the OL where we're weak at to begin with.

One of our 1st round picks only made it 5 games into the season. Ellison only has 12 solo tackles through the first 5 games. Kyle Williams hasn't done much either after a good preseason. Simpson and Whitner have looked decent so far. Nothing great enough to contribute this draft as the best in the history of our team

So that means only 4 of our 9 draft picks are on the active roster. You could see that on a great team without many holes. On a poor 5-11 team without much depth to begin with it's not a great sign though.

This draft certaintly has a long ways to go. In the long run it could turn out to be decent. It's far from anything special so far though. Especially to be labeled as "one of the best in our history" like some people have said. That has more to do with people wanting it to be then it has to do with onfield results so far.

Some people are way off base. Look at the stats of teh RB's the Bills have face. Chester Freakin' Taylor did nothing. Miami had limited yards. The Jets RB did nothing.

As for the draft, it is looking damn good. I guess in some people's books if all rookies are not starting on day 1 it is a waste. But not I. Look at it objectively;

1 Whitner - Starting
2. McCargo - was receiving significant PT until Marv/Dick made him get injured. Was showing improvement against Minnesota.
3. Youboty - Inactive. Missed most of TC.
4. Simpson - Starter.
5. Kyle Williams - Playing significant time. A 5th round pick.
6. Brad Butler - Been inactive. Likely project. Allowed team to cut Greg Jerman
7. Keith Ellison - Starting for TKO and playing well, especially for a 6th round pick.
8. Terrence Pennington - Active for all games. 3rd tackle.
9. Aaron Merz - Active for one game. Late 7th round pick.

Find me another team that has as many rookies playing signifcant time.

[OpIv37]

Some people are way off base. Look at the stats of teh RB's the Bills have face. Chester Freakin' Taylor did nothing. Miami had limited yards. The Jets RB did nothing.

but there was also no pass pressure whatsoever in either of those games.

[Statman]

Levy doesn't make the cuts..he's the GM, not the coach....and anyway, who would you have cut to make room for the extra bodies at those positions?
So what is Levy's role on this team?

[Dr. Lecter]

No pressure at all against the Jets. No pressure against the Vikings at the end of the game, allowing them to get back in.

Out of 5 games I'd say they had one good one (Dolphins), one mediocre one (Vikings) and 3 bad ones.

While they're developing, we're getting beat.

As much as we hate it, developing young teams lose.

Also if you count pressure, throw NE in as mediocre. They beat the crap out of golden boy all day long. There was no pressure against the Jets due to the quick passes. There was no way to get to Pennington and they did shut down the running game so call that mediocre.

Also remember that pressure comes from more than the DL and also that the Bears have on of the best (if not the best) OL in the NFL. Give them some credit.

[John Doe]

but he hasn't been activated. And other teams are allowed to pick players off the practice squad.

So, where exactly is the commitment to the four man rotation that Jauron was preaching?

This DL is horrid. Levy gets an A for effort for bringing in 3 new D linemen. So far, he gets a D- for DL performance.

Jefferson is still on the practice squad. Maybe he will be picked up, maybe he won't, but he is still available to us as the 5th tackle.

There is no law that says a team has to have a 4-man rotation. When the talent level goes down, perhaps it is best to go with 3.

The DL was not good in the Chicago game and is certainly the weak point of the defense. It does not mean that it cannot improve as the whole defense becomes more experienced, even without McCargo.

[Dr. Lecter]

but there was also no pass pressure whatsoever in either of those games.

These out of order posts from this AM are confusing the hell out of me.

[Statman]

Injuries happen.

The team will deal with it without panic.
Also, the Bills have one of the shortest injury lists in the league. It's also not as if we've lost our key starters here. Look around the league and see what teams are losing. We lose a rookie DT that hasn't done much and it's a big deal why now?

Some teams are losing some big name players.

[Statman]

What were Levy and Jauron thinking? It goes like this:

Keep the best 4 defensive tackles on the team and the 5th best on the practice squad. If one tackle goes down for a short period of time, tighten up the d-line rotation to 3 guys. If one goes down for a long period of time, then bring the practice squad guy onto the team and either cut someone or put someone on I.R.

It's pretty simple.
It also goes like this, that if you don't have talented players to begin with then "best" is all relative, is it not? Tripplett was a backup when we got him. Anderson hasn't done anything in the NFL and after that we have two rookies.

If that's the "best" then there's room for some discussion, no?

Same with the o-line.

[Statman]

The GM will probably have some small influence, yes...but unless you're calling him a liar, I'll take him at his word when he said he'd stay out of coaching decisions.
So what does he do then?

Sit around and make statements to the media?

What can people look at for Levy and assess his job performance on?

[John Doe]

honestly, I don't know what else to say to him. He insists on defending crap decisions. No matter how bad a player is or how bad a coaching decision or FO decision is, he finds a way to justify it. If he actually cares about this team winning, it's completely illogical.

Your opinion about what constitutes "crap decisions" does not necessarily mesh with reality.

Your contention that I am satisfied with mediocrity is wrong. For now, I am satisfied with the team's progress considering all that has gone before. That does not preclude me from being a true Bills fan.

Your personal vendetta against me and other posters who have a positive outlook is less than admirable.

[OpIv37]

Your opinion about what constitutes "crap decisions" does not necessarily mesh with reality.

Your contention that I am satisfied with mediocrity is wrong. For now, I am satisfied with the team's progress considering all that has gone before. That does not preclude me from being a true Bills fan.

Your personal vendetta against me and other posters who have a positive outlook is less than admirable.

We lost 40-7 and our crap DL is about to get worse but you still have a positive outlook? Why?

It's not the positive outlook- it's the inability to acknowedge anything negative about this team whatsoever despite a decade of poor performance. Differences of opinion on "crap decisions" notwithstanding, you can't argue with the playoff drought, 5-11 last year or 40-7 last week.

[Mr. Cynical]

What can people look at for Levy and assess his job performance on?

W-L record, plain and simple. Other than the owner, the GM is the one ultimately responsible for the success and/or failure of a football team.

[John Doe]

We lost 40-7 and our crap DL is about to get worse but you still have a positive outlook? Why?

It's not the positive outlook- it's the inability to acknowedge anything negative about this team whatsoever despite a decade of poor performance. Differences of opinion on "crap decisions" notwithstanding, you can't argue with the playoff drought, 5-11 last year or 40-7 last week.

I can acknowledge a poor performance like last week's but it is not the end of the season, let alone the world. It was against the best team in the league, on their home turf. It was against a team that destroyed the Seahawks the week before at Seattle. The Seahawks went to the last superbowl and they just might go to the next one. Why should I dwell on a Bills loss to the Bears after that?

Overall, I think the team is headed in the right direction. The record of the past years does not invalidate that opinion. Just because the previous GM did not do a good job does not mean that the current GM will not do a lot better.

Besides that, a win in Miami puts a smile on my face for the entire season.

[OpIv37]

I can acknowledge a poor performance like last week's but it is not the end of the season, let alone the world. It was against the best team in the league, on their home turf. It was against a team that destroyed the Seahawks the week before at Seattle. The Seahawks went to the last superbowl and they just might go to the next one. Why should I dwell on a Bills loss to the Bears after that?

Overall, I think the team is headed in the right direction. The record of the past years does not invalidate that opinion. Just because the previous GM did not do a good job does not mean that the current GM will not do a lot better.

Besides that, a win in Miami puts a smile on my face for the entire season.

a win in Miami is definitely a good thing- no arguments there.

As far as the right decision, sometimes I think we are and sometimes I think we're not. I think a lot depends on JP's development. So far he's looking like he may be NFL caliber (except for the Bears game) but if he's not it will be a serious setback for this team.

I'm also not convinced on Jauron/Fairchild. They haven't been as grossly incompetent as Mularkey/Clements, but they've still made some mistakes this year.

Time will tell, I guess.

[Mr. Cynical]

Just because the previous GM did not do a good job does not mean that the current GM will not do a lot better.

True, but nor does it mean the current GM won't do as bad or worse. The W-L record will prove out which one is the case. As for the time period for proving that case is anyone's guess, but he is 81.

[Dr. Lecter]

We lost 40-7 and our crap DL is about to get worse but you still have a positive outlook? Why?

It's not the positive outlook- it's the inability to acknowedge anything negative about this team whatsoever despite a decade of poor performance. Differences of opinion on "crap decisions" notwithstanding, you can't argue with the playoff drought, 5-11 last year or 40-7 last week.

The playoff drought has nothing to with Levy or Jauron. I don't know why it is always brought up when dicussing what the new administration is doing/has done. Neither does last year's 5-11 record. Those two facts have NOTHING to do with Dick or Marv.

As for him not acknowledging the negative, when was the last time you saw anything positive? Or did no dwell and focus on a negative?

[YardRat]

Last year we were 2-3 after five games. Same this year.

Up to this point, the current administration has done no better or no worse than the previous one.

[OpIv37]

The playoff drought has nothing to with Levy or Jauron. I don't know why it is always brought up when dicussing what the new administration is doing/has done. Neither does last year's 5-11 record. Those two facts have NOTHING to do with Dick or Marv.

As for him not acknowledging the negative, when was the last time you saw anything positive? Or did no dwell and focus on a negative?

obviously you don't read my posts very well. I've said a lot of positive things since the season started. But there was absolutely nothing positive coming out of the game on Sunday. We failed in every aspect.

[Dr. Lecter]

Yes we did.

1. Young teams do that.
2. The Bears have made experinced teams do that.

That is why the one game is nothing to panic or freak out over.

[OpIv37]

Yes we did.

1. Young teams do that.
2. The Bears have made experinced teams do that.

That is why the one game is nothing to panic or freak out over.

failing in EVERY aspect is nothing to freak out over? Yes, the Bears are the better team, but that's no excuse for turnovers, penalties, dropped passes, missed tackles, etc.

Getting beat by a better team happens. Ridiculous mistakes on the part of the Bills is not acceptable.

[OpIv37]

rebuilding is supposed to be about improvement- what improvement did we show Sunday over, say, the SD game last year?

[jamze132]

Do we need 9 DB's on the roster?

[Dr. Lecter]

Do we need 9 DB's on the roster?

Most teams have 9 or 10.

[justasportsfan]

Your opinion about what constitutes "crap decisions" does not necessarily mesh with reality.

Your contention that I am satisfied with mediocrity is wrong. For now, I am satisfied with the team's progress considering all that has gone before. That does not preclude me from being a true Bills fan.

Your personal vendetta against me and other posters who have a positive outlook is less than admirable.
WORD

[justasportsfan]

It's not the positive outlook- it's the inability to acknowedge anything negative about this team whatsoever despite a decade of poor performance. .HUh? Just because we're not overly dramatic or make as much noise like you when it comes to negative stuff , doesn't mean we're not acknowledging the negatives. I don't think we've picked the bills to go to the playoffs or win the division. That in itself is a negative against the team. We just don't scream and shout like you do.

[OpIv37]

HUh? Just because we're not overly dramatic or make as much noise like you when it comes to negative stuff , doesn't mean we're not acknowledging the negatives. I don't think we've picked the bills to go to the playoffs or win the division. That in itself is a negative against the team. We just don't scream and shout like you do.

maybe you don't, but I've even seen you give the team some deserved criticism at times.

John Doe never says anything critical of any player, coach or FO personnel on the team, and sometimes they deserve criticism.

And whenever I criticize someone, he always finds a reason to defend them, regardless of how deserved that criticism is.