A Very different team next year...

[im4bflo]

When everyone that went on IR gets back, and trades and the draft,
we'll have a very different team, but even better, a very deep team,
with all the playing time our 2nd and even 3rd stringers got, it's got to
add up to a HUGE plus for our team.
And who will the new OC be? That's a HUGE plus also!

[Al the Bills Fan]

I was just thinking the same thing earlier today. We are going to be a deep team next year, well at least a deeper team. No one wants to see players injured but it has forced some our 2nd and 3rd string guys to sink or swim. Some have really played well and have stepped up.

I am so exicited for the future of this team, i know no one wants to hear "there's always next year" but it true! If we draft well again next year like we did this year we could be playoff bound. (finally) We have a lot of really good young players, I am interested to see if any solid veteran (not too old) players will be brought in via FA to mentor some of these young guys.

[YardRat]

:gobills:

[HAMMER]

Op to crash the party and piss on the coals in 3..2...

[BADTHINGSMAN]

It sucks having to think about next year with 2 weeks left in the season.. Could be worst (especially if your a fin fan).. Agreed there is some nice depth, lets just hope they use the expereince they had wisely..

[OpIv37]

Op to crash the party and piss on the coals in 3..2...

yeah, because you ALWAYS know what I'm going to say, Miss Cleo...

I honestly don't know what to think about next year. Edwards showed some promise and that could lead to better QB play, but he's still young and is going to make some rookie mistakes.

Poz and Simpson will be back, but at the same time they missed some valuable experience this year.

Our RB situation is solid- no complaints there.

We have the cap space and the draft picks to address some of our holes, but other than Dockery and Walker, Marv's FA's have been weak.

There's reason for hope and reason for concern at the same time. Other than what I've said here, I don't even have any comments on it until FA starts and our team starts taking shape.

[BADTHINGSMAN]

yeah, because you ALWAYS know what I'm going to say, Miss Cleo...

I honestly don't know what to think about next year. Edwards showed some promise and that could lead to better QB play, but he's still young and is going to make some rookie mistakes.

Poz and Simpson will be back, but at the same time they missed some valuable experience this year.

Our RB situation is solid- no complaints there.

We have the cap space and the draft picks to address some of our holes, but other than Dockery and Walker, Marv's FA's have been weak.

There's reason for hope and reason for concern at the same time. Other than what I've said here, I don't even have any comments on it until FA starts and our team starts taking shape.


Cant argue with that, very much agreed..

[Billzz]

yeah, because you ALWAYS know what I'm going to say, Miss Cleo...

I honestly don't know what to think about next year. Edwards showed some promise and that could lead to better QB play, but he's still young and is going to make some rookie mistakes.

Poz and Simpson will be back, but at the same time they missed some valuable experience this year.

Our RB situation is solid- no complaints there.

We have the cap space and the draft picks to address some of our holes, but other than Dockery and Walker, Marv's FA's have been weak.

There's reason for hope and reason for concern at the same time. Other than what I've said here, I don't even have any comments on it until FA starts and our team starts taking shape.

Fair assesment.

[raphael120]

I hope we pull a Green Bay, we have a young team built with a strong draft the past two years, and I hope we make the right decisions in the next draft, we have plenty of picks.

Thing is, I feel we take 2 steps forward and 1 step back each year.

Our DT's improved, McCargo is panning out nicely, but our DE's have been resigned to HUGE contracts and quite frankly their play hasn't merited that kind of cap space.

Our oline is great at pass blocking, but we don't have a great QB behind center, thus far (who knows how Edwards will pan out) and we don't have nearly enough talent at reciever to benefit from having a good pass blocking line.

We have a great RB in Lynch and Jackson, but our Oline stinks at run blocking...

It's like we only have half of the equasion with reguards to those 2 spots.

CB we're in trouble because we have no one impactful playing behind Greer or McGee, and our LB situation is still up in the air and needs addressed again.

[HAMMER]

yeah, because you ALWAYS know what I'm going to say, Miss Cleo...

I honestly don't know what to think about next year. Edwards showed some promise and that could lead to better QB play, but he's still young and is going to make some rookie mistakes.

Poz and Simpson will be back, but at the same time they missed some valuable experience this year.

Our RB situation is solid- no complaints there.

We have the cap space and the draft picks to address some of our holes, but other than Dockery and Walker, Marv's FA's have been weak.

There's reason for hope and reason for concern at the same time. Other than what I've said here, I don't even have any comments on it until FA starts and our team starts taking shape.

Everyone on the board knows exactly what you are going to say. You have said it 34,000 times.

[OpIv37]

Everyone on the board knows exactly what you are going to say. You have said it 34,000 times.

and 33,000 of those were responses to other things that have been said over and over. Yet, you only criticize me for repeating myself and not other people. hmmm.....

[elltrain22]

We as Bills fans, especially for the past 10 years, have been saying wait until next year, but the thing about this year to next is you actually believe it may be true. All of that have a hint of realism in us know that for the past 10 years, there hasn't been much excitement about this team, for many reasons. Next year, it's a whole new ballgame. We have: a good young qb who knows how to win games & manage the game, a great running game w/ a possible all pro to be (Lynch), a consistent o-line that continues to improve, the best special teams unit in the NFL, a crop of players (important ones) that have been hurt coming back, 30+ million in cap space to sign FA's, and like 10 draft picks. IMO, there is more to be excited about then there has in a long time. We could very realistically be a 10 win team next season.

[TacklingDummy]

We have the cap space and the draft picks to address some of our holes, but other than Dockery and Walker, Marv's FA's have been weak.


31 other teams are competing for Free Agents. The Bills can't sign them all.

[OpIv37]

31 other teams are competing for Free Agents. The Bills can't sign them all.

that's no excuse for signing 3 guys who couldn't even make it a year. Hell, Bowen never even played a snap for us.

[TacklingDummy]

that's no excuse for signing 3 guys who couldn't even make it a year. Hell, Bowen never even played a snap for us.

So, sometimes you just need bodies.

Are the Bills the only team who have done this?

[justasportsfan]

that's no excuse for signing 3 guys who couldn't even make it a year. Hell, Bowen never even played a snap for us.
All rebuilding teams go through that. Even the great Polian doesn't get it all right .

Are you happy with the teams direction?

[Mahdi]

If there was one receiver that we could add to our offense that would improve it drastically it would be Brandon Marshall. He isnt available obviously but if we could draft someone like him it would open things up for Lee and Reed in a big way, add a TE like Jacob Tamme to that, with our pass blocking, we would instantly become a top 10 offense... guaranteed.

[OpIv37]

So, sometimes you just need bodies.

Are the Bills the only team who have done this?

"someone else made the same mistake" is not an excuse for making a mistake.

We shouldn't let other teams take all the quality FA's and just pick up whoever's left because we need body's. It's Marv's job to find guys who will help the team and find a way to get them here.

I'll give him a pass on guys like Gaines, J. Butler, Scott, Copeland Bryan etc because we needed bodies AFTER the season started due to injury, and anyone who could have helped was signed back in March.

But his off-season FA acquisitions have had a lot more misses than hits.

[OpIv37]

Are you happy with the teams direction?

That's a tough question.

The good is that we have a lot of young guys who are performing well, and the D is starting to look better.

The bad is that despite all the off-season attention, the O still sucks, and the D is still a Cover 2 which is difficult to perfect. And our HC is suspect at best.

I see reasons for encouragement, but I have my doubts about creating the right situation for the Cover 2 to work and I have my doubts about Jauron.

[justasportsfan]

That's a tough question.

The good is that we have a lot of young guys who are performing well, and the D is starting to look better.

The bad is that despite all the off-season attention, the O still sucks, and the D is still a Cover 2 which is difficult to perfect. And our HC is suspect at best.

I see reasons for encouragement, but I have my doubts about creating the right situation for the Cover 2 to work and I have my doubts about Jauron.

Safe and fair enough.

[Mahdi]

"someone else made the same mistake" is not an excuse for making a mistake.

We shouldn't let other teams take all the quality FA's and just pick up whoever's left because we need body's. It's Marv's job to find guys who will help the team and find a way to get them here.

I'll give him a pass on guys like Gaines, J. Butler, Scott, Copeland Bryan etc because we needed bodies AFTER the season started due to injury, and anyone who could have helped was signed back in March.

But his off-season FA acquisitions have had a lot more misses than hits.
Levy's FAs:

Robert Royal--- Miss
P.Price-- Miss
L.Walker-- Hit
D.Dockery-- Hit
A.Hargrove--Hit
J.Webster-- inj
Whittle-- inj
M.Bowen-- inj
A.Thomas-- Hit
L.Tripplett-- tough one, but id say Hit overall

The thing I notice here is that the misses we have aren't being paid much money which means that when the FO signed these guys they weren't intended to be major contributors but just role players or stop-gap players.

The big money we paid out we paid to players who are having a big impact on offense and defense.

Bottom line with the Bills is this... we are not going to be active in FA. This team will be built through the draft almost exclusively. The reason we spent big money on the OL was that we were dreadful there and they knew that they needed to get an OL together and give them a year together before they complete the offense through the next draft. Now everything is set up for us to grab some playmakers at WR and TE which would round out the offense. I fully expect McGee, Greer and Youboty to be our top 3 corners next year, along with Ellison/DiG, Poz, Crowell as our starters and the same DL with maybe a late round pick at DT.

[justasportsfan]

Levy's FAs:

Robert Royal--- Miss
P.Price-- Miss
L.Walker-- Hit
D.Dockery-- Hit
A.Hargrove--Hit
J.Webster-- inj
Whittle-- inj
M.Bowen-- inj
A.Thomas-- Hit
L.Tripplett-- tough one, but id say Hit overall

.you're missing Andre' Davis , Fowler, Tutan Reyes and NAll Ball.

Peters ,Kelsay, Reed, Schobel and Parrish . All re-signed.

Am I missing more? :idunno:

[Mahdi]

you're missing Andre' Davis , Fowler, Tutan Reyes and NAll Ball.

Peters ,Kelsay, Reed, Schobel and Parrish . All re-signed.

Am I missing more? :idunno:
Yeah I really only consider Fowler from that bunch and he has been a reliable starter...Reyes and Davis and Nall were all question mark signings to fill positions. Nall you can argue was brought in to compete but its not like we paid him a ton.

Our own guys dont really count as FA... thats just keeping yer own guys.

[OpIv37]

Levy's FAs:

Robert Royal--- Miss
P.Price-- Miss
L.Walker-- Hit
D.Dockery-- Hit
A.Hargrove--Hit
J.Webster-- inj
Whittle-- inj
M.Bowen-- inj
A.Thomas-- Hit
L.Tripplett-- tough one, but id say Hit overall

The thing I notice here is that the misses we have aren't being paid much money which means that when the FO signed these guys they weren't intended to be major contributors but just role players or stop-gap players.

The big money we paid out we paid to players who are having a big impact on offense and defense.

Bottom line with the Bills is this... we are not going to be active in FA. This team will be built through the draft almost exclusively. The reason we spent big money on the OL was that we were dreadful there and they knew that they needed to get an OL together and give them a year together before they complete the offense through the next draft. Now everything is set up for us to grab some playmakers at WR and TE which would round out the offense. I fully expect McGee, Greer and Youboty to be our top 3 corners next year, along with Ellison/DiG, Poz, Crowell as our starters and the same DL with maybe a late round pick at DT.

I'd call Tripplett a miss. The guy has had 4, maybe 5 good games in 2 seasons. The good news is that is last 2 or 3 have been good, so maybe he's finally improving, but overall, this guy has sucked a lot more than he's performed.

A-Train was solid last year and worthless this year, so I'd call that one a push.

The problem is that you can't build entirely through the draft. It takes too long and you lose players to age/FA/injury etc. Going the Redskins route and signing every FA out there doesn't work, but at some point you need to bring in impact FA's. To be fair, both Dockery and Walker have had a positive impact on this team, but we don't have the tools at the skill positions to take advantage.

And this is off-topic, but what's the deal with Youboty anyway? He'll be on the field and make a few plays, then he'll completely disappear for a few weeks. When he's played, he looked decent, but there seems to be some hesitation on the part of the staff to put him on the field. I don't get it.

[Mahdi]

I'd call Tripplett a miss. The guy has had 4, maybe 5 good games in 2 seasons. The good news is that is last 2 or 3 have been good, so maybe he's finally improving, but overall, this guy has sucked a lot more than he's performed.

A-Train was solid last year and worthless this year, so I'd call that one a push.

The problem is that you can't build entirely through the draft. It takes too long and you lose players to age/FA/injury etc. Going the Redskins route and signing every FA out there doesn't work, but at some point you need to bring in impact FA's. To be fair, both Dockery and Walker have had a positive impact on this team, but we don't have the tools at the skill positions to take advantage.

And this is off-topic, but what's the deal with Youboty anyway? He'll be on the field and make a few plays, then he'll completely disappear for a few weeks. When he's played, he looked decent, but there seems to be some hesitation on the part of the staff to put him on the field. I don't get it.
Wouldnt mind knowing what the deal is myself.... He looks like a player when he's out there... I guess its just bad timing for him... Greer came in and played well and Youboty isn't suited for the slot. That makes him the odd man out.

[im4bflo]

Wouldnt mind knowing what the deal is myself.... He looks like a player when he's out there... I guess its just bad timing for him... Greer came in and played well and Youboty isn't suited for the slot. That makes him the odd man out.

You're right, Greer just took that job away from Youboty, so he disappeared.
Greer really played well, I remember him much more than Youboty.
He took advantage of the situation, and won him a job.
That's the NFL!

[TigerJ]

I'm an optimist, and thus I think the team is going to be improved next season. The key difference is going to be depth. This season we discovered depth the team didn't know it had at RB, TE, LB, and FS, and probably several more positions. Several guys who are starting now, will go back to being backups next season, but we will have the luxury of knowing they can play if they have to, and in some cases quite well. I'm expecting that the offensive line will benefit from the continuity gained from working together this season.

I'm hoping Aaron Schobel puts back on some of the weight he took off for this season. He didn't gain much quickness and lost strength. I'm also hoping Hargrove continues to be given a larger role at DE. I think he deserves it. I'm also hoping that Al Wallace figures into the mix at DE. I think he's more than just a warm body in the rotation. I don't know what to think of Youboty. He's shown flashes, just not enough considering he's a veteran now. I think Webster is worthless at CB, but I think Jerametrius Butler can play some and provide depth. Some draft prognosticators are assuming Buffalo takes a CB in round one. I don't see it myself.

Like a lot of Bills fans, I figure the Bills #1 need in the draft is a good big receiver to take pressure off Evans. Lesser needs include upgrades at center, TE, and OLB. Defensive end is ticklish because as others have noted Buffalo is locked into long term deals for three of them; Schobel, Kelsay, and Denney. I think we may be stuck with them. As I said, I hope Schobel can regain his effectiveness with a little more weight.

I'm also hopeful that we'll see more of Derek Schouman and John Wengler. I think they have some upside if Schouman can get a bit stronger, and Wengler a little less raw.

[njsue]

Marv has to come up HUGE in the free agency signings for the bills defense.

[jamze132]

I have said before that I will be happy in FA if we come out with a very good pass catching TE and a legitimate #2 receiver.

[njsue]

I have said before that I will be happy in FA if we come out with a very good pass catching TE and a legitimate #2 receiver.

I expect Marv Levy to do us bills fans proud in free agency.

[dannyek71]

Basically, next year we are getting Ko back (hes decent, but not a stud by any means) and Poz back. The rest of the guys on IR (Harrison, A-train etc...) are not really difference makers.