okbills
01-01-2009, 12:14 PM
I don't think we'll get this anywhere else, so I wrote it up.
Judging by the brisk sales of season ticket sales in the run up to the 2008-2009 Bills campaign, the Buffalo Bills fan base was more than optimistic, they were giddy about the prospects of a great year. Fast forward to the Bills week 6 bye week, and the Bills were sitting atop of the AFC East with a better-than-expected 4-1 record.
The Bills were playing decent football, but they were, after all, beating up on four of five teams which would finish the season a combined 16-48, or a combined 0.333 winning percentage. Of the four of the five wins against these teams, the Bills managed to just beat the Jaguars and the Raiders. But as they say, on any given Sunday, anyone can win.
Coming out of the bye week, the Bills dismantled the Chargers, seemingly dispelling questions about whether or not the Bills were a pretender or a contender. Well, week 16 has come and gone and as Paul Harvey say’s, you know the rest of the story.
The Bill’s screamed out of the gate, compiling an impressive 5-1 record over the first 7 weeks of the schedule. The Bills then did what only the Bills can do; they flopped, rolled over and expired. Over the following 10 weeks, the Bills managed to win two more games, one over the putrid Chiefs and the other, the reeling Broncos.
Losing against the lowly Browns, who finished the season 4-12, on the national stage, seemed insurmountable lows. Yet, the Bills managed to outdo themselves and own a 16-3 clunker in Toronto, and a humiliating home upset at the hands of the 49ers, 10-3.
Soaring wins in September and October turned into gut wrenching, soul-grinding, losses in November and December.
This season was supposed to be “the” season. Dick Jauron’s 2007 Bills were considered a “plucky” bunch, heady and go-getters. The 2007 campaign, while defined by some bewildering losses, including the national spectacle of a loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football and the last minute, one-point loss to the Broncos, included high-praise from the national media. After all, the Bills had undergone the emotions related to seeing one of their teammates nearly paralyzed for life, a QB carousel, and seemingly limitless number of injuries. By most accounts, the 2007 Bills performed above expectations with injuries and when the strength of schedule was taken into consideration.
For 2007, the Bills finished 30th in league-wide passing, 15th in rushing, 30th in touchdowns scored and had a remarkable +9 turnover ratio. The Bills also combined for 26 sacks, down from 40 in 2006, and a net performance attrition of -14 sacks.
Having settled on Trent Edwards as their new starter, solidifying their QB position heading into the 2008 season, the Bills also parted ways with offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild. Former QB Coach Turk Schonert was promoted to replace him. The Bills also failed to renew contracts on a number of special team’s players, including, Josh Stamer, Coy Wire, Jim Leonhard, Sam Aiken, Ryan Neufeld, and Mario Haggan.
The Bills were prepped and ready to steer the ship into the 2008 free agent off season campaign.
Following the 2006 campaign, where the Bills spent millions in upgrading its offensive line, signing Derrick Dockery and Langston Walker, now the Bills turned their attention to upgrading the defensive line.
The Bills finished 25 in league-wide rushing yards allowed, allowing 1,993 yards on 454 attempts, making an average of 4.4 yards per carry. To help “run stuff” and contain opposition runners from reaching the secondary, the Bills signed free agents DT Spencer Johnston and Marcus Stroud.
Bills fans showed voiced their appreciation for locking up former pro-bowler and 2008 alternate Marcus Stroud. Yet, the Bills failed to upgrade tight-end and pass rush, two areas of ongoing concern for their lack of consistent play and big time playmaking.
Nevertheless, Bills fans seemed pleased with the moves and the performance of the 2007 team by gifting the franchise a near record-setting season ticket sales total. Ticket sales topped 52,000, as hordes of Buffalo Billievers broke their piggy banks and shoveled money into Ralph Wilson’s gilded vault.
In the 2008 draft, the Bills failed to address their need for a tight end or a defensive end, opting rather to pick up special teams return “phenom” Leodis McKelvin with their first pick in the draft. McKelvin proved his chops in 2008, easing his way into cornerback duties, with some well deserved acclaim, and kick returning duties.
The Bills second pick, WR James Hardy, nearly started his career off with a bang. In May, Hardy allegedly pulled his gun on his father. No charges were filed, and Hardy’s 2008 Bills highlight reel included one dazzling touchdown, and much ado about nothing. He ended his 2008 campaign on the injured reserve and left many unanswered questions about his ability to perform at the highest level of the game. Hardy exhibit troubles holding on to the ball, a lack of concentration, poor route running, and an acute inability to use his large frame to out-muscle his opponents.
Of the final eight draft picks, fourth pick Reggie Corner and eighth pick Stevie Johnson made notable strides in their on-field performances and contributions to the roster. Reggie Corner played solid football down the stretch, and Stevie Johnson’s soft hands and ability to use his body to shield the ball garnered him favorable fan reaction—reaction which remains very upbeat about his future as a Buffalo Bill.
2007 draft picks Trent Edwards, Marshawn Lynch and Paul Posluszny continued to make considerable strides in their sophomore year.
Trent Edwards was, as notable football scribe Peter King stated, the NFL MVP for the first quarter of the year. Following his hot start, and bruising concussion, Edwards leveled out and appeared very mortal over the rest of the course of the season. Flashes of brilliance in the first quarter, the San Diego game, the Chiefs game, and the Bronco game convinced many fans that a junior year at the helm of the offense is in order to ascertain if he truly is the second-coming of Jim Kelly.
The 2008 Bills also suffered against 3-4 defenses. QB Trent Edwards appeared flustered, lost and discombobulated in his play against 3-4 fronts. How Trent improves diagnosing a 3-4 defense will go a long way in improving the performance of the 2009 Bills.
In 2008, Marshawn Lynch continued to build on his reputation as a beast whose mode of running was to obliterate and destroy the opposition. As the offensive line struggled through the first third of the season, Marshawn appeared to be quite average. His yards per carry was below four and bottoming out near three. However, as the offensive line shifted its play into another gear over the last two thirds of the season Marshawn began to drive his legs and his will into the end zone and another 1000 yard season. An off-season hit-and-run allegation tarnished his sterling on-field image.
Notably, Paul Posluszny seemed to underperform. Whether perception or reality, and it is for the coaches to decided, Posluszny seemed to be on the outside looking in for most of the year. His 2008 resume lacks big plays and notable line of scrimmage blow-ups. 2009 should see a marked increase in his abilities, or many fans may begin to doubt him as being the second coming of Shane Conlan.
Donte Whitner, a.k.a., Mr. Guarantee, had a horrible junior season. Not only was he out of step and behind many plays this season, late season injuries and a last game blow up from the Patriots Sammy Morris have many fans calling Whitner a bust—comparatively speaking; that is comparing him against the likes of Indianapolis’s Bob Sanders. Whether the comparison is fair or not, it matters not; what matters is that for the eighth pick of the 2006 draft, Donte Whitner appears not to be improving, and lacks sufficient coverage skills and play-making ability. Most notably, the Bills missed his bone-crushing hits of opposition runners and receivers. Hi senior year leading the secondary will be a big litmus test for the vocal Whitner.
Regarding the defensive ends, including Aaron Schobel, Ryan Denney and Chris Kelsay, early talk of the “disruptive” nature of Marcus Stroud paving the path to the sack promise land never materialized for the Bills. The Bills 2006-2008 pass rush has regressed, badly. In 2006 the Bills logged 40 sacks, in 2007, they logged 26 sacks and in 2008, they logged 27 sacks. An early foot injury to Aaron Schobel sidelined him for the season, leaving the anemic Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney to muster and shoulder the burden of providing an edge pass rush. For their 2008 efforts, Chris Kelsay finished 41 in league wide defensive lineman statistics (up from 48 in ’07), compiling a meager 2.0 sacks, and Ryan Denny, a complete revelation, ranking 14, serving up 4 sacks.
One could not put a finer point on the fact that Bills must invest in some playmaking defensive ends, either through the 2009 free agent period or the 2009 draft.
Regarding the Bills other defensive linemen, Marcus Stroud, Kyle Williams, and Spencer Johnson, the each finished 48, 100 and 16 in 2008 defensive lineman rankings, respectively.
Naturally, then, it is easy to spot Kyle Williams as the 2008 defensive lineman revelation of the year. He finished with 2 sacks and 41 combined tackles. Not only did Williams perform well, his play earned him positive media mention and raised eyebrows from the fan faithful.
Kyle Williams other 2006 Bills draft companions, including Ko Simpson and Ashton Youboty, delivered a mix bag of results. Ko Simpson was horrid, and was eventually replaced by the hard-working and notable Bryan Scott. Simpson may be halfway out the door at One Bills Drive. Youboty on the other-hand was a stalwart performer before landing on the injury reserve. If Youboty performs as well as he did in the early weeks of 2008 and stays healthy for all of 2009, the Bills will have a very strong complement of young, emerging defensive backs.
With McGee, Youboty, McKelvin and Corner, there may be no place for Jabari Greer. Having secured a spot as a the starting cornerback alongside Terrance McGee, Greer performed very well, and if his performance could have withstood the 16-week schedule, Jabari was on pace for a outstanding season and potential nod for the pro-bowl.
Following the dismantling of the 2008 Bills, from 5-1 to 2-8, to finish 7-9 was, by most accounts, a complete and utter fiasco. Some fans predicted 7-9, some worse, some a little better; others followed the path of hubris and predicted even greater things. The great start followed by the great 2008 let down hollowed out much and flattened much of the craze and hope for the 2008 and 2009 Bills.
In fact, the retention of Dick Jauron has many Bills fans, not all, but many, downright depressed and, well, you pick the adjective.
Dick Jauron said 2008 was a critical year, a year to make the playoffs, a year of raised expectations. What followed was nothing of the sort, and with the Bills fans operating under the impression that Dick Jauron had signed a three-year extension earlier on in the season, all hope of a change of direction was lost. However, the clunker in Miami, the “shoot yourself foot” performance against the Jets and the complete boy-whipping at the hands of Bill Belichick and the Patriots left many convinced that the case against Dick Jauron continuing as head coach was beyond possible. The evidence was in, an autopsy of the 2008 Bills season corpse examined, and the fans were ready to act as judge and jury. Dick Jauron was guilty of killing the 2008 Bills season.
However, as much as the 2008 season has been a let-down on the field, Bills fans appear more hurt by the utter perception of contempt by the owner, Ralph Wilson. Whenever Wilson was cornered after one devastating loss or another, he simply chuckled and laughed and blamed a “lack of talent” and that he was used to it—“it” being losing of course.
Ralph Wilson’s approach to what he was seeing on the field and how the team had descended from first to worst in the AFC East resonated with the fans. Resonated like a angry mob being peppered sprayed by police kind of resonating.
Nevertheless, many Bills fans were hopeful as the season drew to a conclusion; the collapse of the team could not be justified. Or could it?
Following another embarrassing loss to the masterful Bill Belichick, of which Dick Jauron now holds an 0-6 record and an absolutely embarrassing 56-10 loss on November 19, 2007, on the national stage, Bills brass and Ralph Wilson huddled in Detroit to plot new directions.
Following the 2007 season, the venerable Marv Levy ducked from the General Manager’s position and stole into the night in a quick adieu. In the meantime, Ralph cooked up a goulash of positions to help shore up the loss of Marv Levy, dividing the General Manager’s jobs amongst his minions, and seemingly elevating everyone to some executive Vice-President’s job.
Rather than strengthening the consistency and efficacy of the franchise, Ralph’s decisions further water-downed any central authority beyond him and his almighty signature. Naturally, the NFL provides such leeway to its owners. Owners may do what they want, and some do. Many don’t do what Ralph does, with the rare “top of the head” exception being Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones.
Many owners prefer to centralize football authority in the hands of a football “brain,” of the likes of Bill Parcells and his ilk. Of the top performing organizations with such a decision-making structure in the NFL includes the Patriots and the Colts—not bad company.
But the Bills refuse to share in this type of “good” company and continue to subsist in a water-downed, convoluted structure of consensual authority and hand-holding, decision-making, cumbaya sessions which probably more resemble Ralph’s minions telling him what he is doing is right and to stay the course. Such a structure of power and decision making reminds many of the old emperor has no clothes story and that the Bills front office and brass enjoy nothing more than an echo chamber.
As was reported, Bills brass, including Russ Brandon, Tom Modrak, Littman, the number cruncher, and Ralph, and if there were others, we are not aware, sat down to decide the fate of Jauron and the Bills empire.
Bills brass decided to keep Jauron, and bedlam ensued. A majority of fans, to say the least, were not happy.
Among the biggest problems with the Bills and their colossal letdown was the franchises ability to accept, or own, the season’s failure. Few players, no coaches, or front office staff, or the owner, have publicly told the fan base that mistakes were made and that errors were made, and that their patronage is appreciated.
During the 2008 season, coaches like Jon Gruden and Jim Zorn openly owned up to and apologized for the performance of the team. Such public accountability goes a long way to assuaging hurt feelings and bitter attitudes. To avoid owning the 2008 season and its regrettable results while rehiring the coach many fans blame for the result has concussed the fan base to the point of delirium.
It was the old bait and switch and Buffalo Bill fans were left holding the bag. Picturing Ralph and his franchise salting away 52,000 season ticket sales only added to the general and growing dissatisfaction. And this all happened on top of the Bills playing home games in Toronto, a decision which irked many Buffalonian Bills fans, and was further exacerbated by the cavalier attitudes of Ralph Wilson and Ted Rogers.
To say the Bills need to reach out to the fan base, and soon, is nothing short of an understatement.
One can only muse about what decisions the Bills brass has taken to try and calm down the fan base. Certainly, there is much area for improvement. And since the owner has taken the head coach off the table and those of his staff, presuming, the Bills should be considering opening up the vaults and spending on some key free agents.
For 2009, the Bills desperately need to create a pass rush, a more consistent rotation in the middle, a strong pass rushing and good coverage OLB, and strong, talented full back and a stud tight end. And while this list is long, for Bills fans, there are two areas of the many mentioned here which must be addressed of having any hope of soothing bad blood between itself and the fan base: pass rush and tight end.
If those two positions are staffed with credible, top-flight personnel from the draft of free agency, the Bills will be able to take a breath, reignite the zeal of the fan base, and rest a little longer on their so-called laurels.
Anything short of this and the Bills are in for a further deterioration of their brand and their fan base.
Judging by the brisk sales of season ticket sales in the run up to the 2008-2009 Bills campaign, the Buffalo Bills fan base was more than optimistic, they were giddy about the prospects of a great year. Fast forward to the Bills week 6 bye week, and the Bills were sitting atop of the AFC East with a better-than-expected 4-1 record.
The Bills were playing decent football, but they were, after all, beating up on four of five teams which would finish the season a combined 16-48, or a combined 0.333 winning percentage. Of the four of the five wins against these teams, the Bills managed to just beat the Jaguars and the Raiders. But as they say, on any given Sunday, anyone can win.
Coming out of the bye week, the Bills dismantled the Chargers, seemingly dispelling questions about whether or not the Bills were a pretender or a contender. Well, week 16 has come and gone and as Paul Harvey say’s, you know the rest of the story.
The Bill’s screamed out of the gate, compiling an impressive 5-1 record over the first 7 weeks of the schedule. The Bills then did what only the Bills can do; they flopped, rolled over and expired. Over the following 10 weeks, the Bills managed to win two more games, one over the putrid Chiefs and the other, the reeling Broncos.
Losing against the lowly Browns, who finished the season 4-12, on the national stage, seemed insurmountable lows. Yet, the Bills managed to outdo themselves and own a 16-3 clunker in Toronto, and a humiliating home upset at the hands of the 49ers, 10-3.
Soaring wins in September and October turned into gut wrenching, soul-grinding, losses in November and December.
This season was supposed to be “the” season. Dick Jauron’s 2007 Bills were considered a “plucky” bunch, heady and go-getters. The 2007 campaign, while defined by some bewildering losses, including the national spectacle of a loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football and the last minute, one-point loss to the Broncos, included high-praise from the national media. After all, the Bills had undergone the emotions related to seeing one of their teammates nearly paralyzed for life, a QB carousel, and seemingly limitless number of injuries. By most accounts, the 2007 Bills performed above expectations with injuries and when the strength of schedule was taken into consideration.
For 2007, the Bills finished 30th in league-wide passing, 15th in rushing, 30th in touchdowns scored and had a remarkable +9 turnover ratio. The Bills also combined for 26 sacks, down from 40 in 2006, and a net performance attrition of -14 sacks.
Having settled on Trent Edwards as their new starter, solidifying their QB position heading into the 2008 season, the Bills also parted ways with offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild. Former QB Coach Turk Schonert was promoted to replace him. The Bills also failed to renew contracts on a number of special team’s players, including, Josh Stamer, Coy Wire, Jim Leonhard, Sam Aiken, Ryan Neufeld, and Mario Haggan.
The Bills were prepped and ready to steer the ship into the 2008 free agent off season campaign.
Following the 2006 campaign, where the Bills spent millions in upgrading its offensive line, signing Derrick Dockery and Langston Walker, now the Bills turned their attention to upgrading the defensive line.
The Bills finished 25 in league-wide rushing yards allowed, allowing 1,993 yards on 454 attempts, making an average of 4.4 yards per carry. To help “run stuff” and contain opposition runners from reaching the secondary, the Bills signed free agents DT Spencer Johnston and Marcus Stroud.
Bills fans showed voiced their appreciation for locking up former pro-bowler and 2008 alternate Marcus Stroud. Yet, the Bills failed to upgrade tight-end and pass rush, two areas of ongoing concern for their lack of consistent play and big time playmaking.
Nevertheless, Bills fans seemed pleased with the moves and the performance of the 2007 team by gifting the franchise a near record-setting season ticket sales total. Ticket sales topped 52,000, as hordes of Buffalo Billievers broke their piggy banks and shoveled money into Ralph Wilson’s gilded vault.
In the 2008 draft, the Bills failed to address their need for a tight end or a defensive end, opting rather to pick up special teams return “phenom” Leodis McKelvin with their first pick in the draft. McKelvin proved his chops in 2008, easing his way into cornerback duties, with some well deserved acclaim, and kick returning duties.
The Bills second pick, WR James Hardy, nearly started his career off with a bang. In May, Hardy allegedly pulled his gun on his father. No charges were filed, and Hardy’s 2008 Bills highlight reel included one dazzling touchdown, and much ado about nothing. He ended his 2008 campaign on the injured reserve and left many unanswered questions about his ability to perform at the highest level of the game. Hardy exhibit troubles holding on to the ball, a lack of concentration, poor route running, and an acute inability to use his large frame to out-muscle his opponents.
Of the final eight draft picks, fourth pick Reggie Corner and eighth pick Stevie Johnson made notable strides in their on-field performances and contributions to the roster. Reggie Corner played solid football down the stretch, and Stevie Johnson’s soft hands and ability to use his body to shield the ball garnered him favorable fan reaction—reaction which remains very upbeat about his future as a Buffalo Bill.
2007 draft picks Trent Edwards, Marshawn Lynch and Paul Posluszny continued to make considerable strides in their sophomore year.
Trent Edwards was, as notable football scribe Peter King stated, the NFL MVP for the first quarter of the year. Following his hot start, and bruising concussion, Edwards leveled out and appeared very mortal over the rest of the course of the season. Flashes of brilliance in the first quarter, the San Diego game, the Chiefs game, and the Bronco game convinced many fans that a junior year at the helm of the offense is in order to ascertain if he truly is the second-coming of Jim Kelly.
The 2008 Bills also suffered against 3-4 defenses. QB Trent Edwards appeared flustered, lost and discombobulated in his play against 3-4 fronts. How Trent improves diagnosing a 3-4 defense will go a long way in improving the performance of the 2009 Bills.
In 2008, Marshawn Lynch continued to build on his reputation as a beast whose mode of running was to obliterate and destroy the opposition. As the offensive line struggled through the first third of the season, Marshawn appeared to be quite average. His yards per carry was below four and bottoming out near three. However, as the offensive line shifted its play into another gear over the last two thirds of the season Marshawn began to drive his legs and his will into the end zone and another 1000 yard season. An off-season hit-and-run allegation tarnished his sterling on-field image.
Notably, Paul Posluszny seemed to underperform. Whether perception or reality, and it is for the coaches to decided, Posluszny seemed to be on the outside looking in for most of the year. His 2008 resume lacks big plays and notable line of scrimmage blow-ups. 2009 should see a marked increase in his abilities, or many fans may begin to doubt him as being the second coming of Shane Conlan.
Donte Whitner, a.k.a., Mr. Guarantee, had a horrible junior season. Not only was he out of step and behind many plays this season, late season injuries and a last game blow up from the Patriots Sammy Morris have many fans calling Whitner a bust—comparatively speaking; that is comparing him against the likes of Indianapolis’s Bob Sanders. Whether the comparison is fair or not, it matters not; what matters is that for the eighth pick of the 2006 draft, Donte Whitner appears not to be improving, and lacks sufficient coverage skills and play-making ability. Most notably, the Bills missed his bone-crushing hits of opposition runners and receivers. Hi senior year leading the secondary will be a big litmus test for the vocal Whitner.
Regarding the defensive ends, including Aaron Schobel, Ryan Denney and Chris Kelsay, early talk of the “disruptive” nature of Marcus Stroud paving the path to the sack promise land never materialized for the Bills. The Bills 2006-2008 pass rush has regressed, badly. In 2006 the Bills logged 40 sacks, in 2007, they logged 26 sacks and in 2008, they logged 27 sacks. An early foot injury to Aaron Schobel sidelined him for the season, leaving the anemic Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney to muster and shoulder the burden of providing an edge pass rush. For their 2008 efforts, Chris Kelsay finished 41 in league wide defensive lineman statistics (up from 48 in ’07), compiling a meager 2.0 sacks, and Ryan Denny, a complete revelation, ranking 14, serving up 4 sacks.
One could not put a finer point on the fact that Bills must invest in some playmaking defensive ends, either through the 2009 free agent period or the 2009 draft.
Regarding the Bills other defensive linemen, Marcus Stroud, Kyle Williams, and Spencer Johnson, the each finished 48, 100 and 16 in 2008 defensive lineman rankings, respectively.
Naturally, then, it is easy to spot Kyle Williams as the 2008 defensive lineman revelation of the year. He finished with 2 sacks and 41 combined tackles. Not only did Williams perform well, his play earned him positive media mention and raised eyebrows from the fan faithful.
Kyle Williams other 2006 Bills draft companions, including Ko Simpson and Ashton Youboty, delivered a mix bag of results. Ko Simpson was horrid, and was eventually replaced by the hard-working and notable Bryan Scott. Simpson may be halfway out the door at One Bills Drive. Youboty on the other-hand was a stalwart performer before landing on the injury reserve. If Youboty performs as well as he did in the early weeks of 2008 and stays healthy for all of 2009, the Bills will have a very strong complement of young, emerging defensive backs.
With McGee, Youboty, McKelvin and Corner, there may be no place for Jabari Greer. Having secured a spot as a the starting cornerback alongside Terrance McGee, Greer performed very well, and if his performance could have withstood the 16-week schedule, Jabari was on pace for a outstanding season and potential nod for the pro-bowl.
Following the dismantling of the 2008 Bills, from 5-1 to 2-8, to finish 7-9 was, by most accounts, a complete and utter fiasco. Some fans predicted 7-9, some worse, some a little better; others followed the path of hubris and predicted even greater things. The great start followed by the great 2008 let down hollowed out much and flattened much of the craze and hope for the 2008 and 2009 Bills.
In fact, the retention of Dick Jauron has many Bills fans, not all, but many, downright depressed and, well, you pick the adjective.
Dick Jauron said 2008 was a critical year, a year to make the playoffs, a year of raised expectations. What followed was nothing of the sort, and with the Bills fans operating under the impression that Dick Jauron had signed a three-year extension earlier on in the season, all hope of a change of direction was lost. However, the clunker in Miami, the “shoot yourself foot” performance against the Jets and the complete boy-whipping at the hands of Bill Belichick and the Patriots left many convinced that the case against Dick Jauron continuing as head coach was beyond possible. The evidence was in, an autopsy of the 2008 Bills season corpse examined, and the fans were ready to act as judge and jury. Dick Jauron was guilty of killing the 2008 Bills season.
However, as much as the 2008 season has been a let-down on the field, Bills fans appear more hurt by the utter perception of contempt by the owner, Ralph Wilson. Whenever Wilson was cornered after one devastating loss or another, he simply chuckled and laughed and blamed a “lack of talent” and that he was used to it—“it” being losing of course.
Ralph Wilson’s approach to what he was seeing on the field and how the team had descended from first to worst in the AFC East resonated with the fans. Resonated like a angry mob being peppered sprayed by police kind of resonating.
Nevertheless, many Bills fans were hopeful as the season drew to a conclusion; the collapse of the team could not be justified. Or could it?
Following another embarrassing loss to the masterful Bill Belichick, of which Dick Jauron now holds an 0-6 record and an absolutely embarrassing 56-10 loss on November 19, 2007, on the national stage, Bills brass and Ralph Wilson huddled in Detroit to plot new directions.
Following the 2007 season, the venerable Marv Levy ducked from the General Manager’s position and stole into the night in a quick adieu. In the meantime, Ralph cooked up a goulash of positions to help shore up the loss of Marv Levy, dividing the General Manager’s jobs amongst his minions, and seemingly elevating everyone to some executive Vice-President’s job.
Rather than strengthening the consistency and efficacy of the franchise, Ralph’s decisions further water-downed any central authority beyond him and his almighty signature. Naturally, the NFL provides such leeway to its owners. Owners may do what they want, and some do. Many don’t do what Ralph does, with the rare “top of the head” exception being Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones.
Many owners prefer to centralize football authority in the hands of a football “brain,” of the likes of Bill Parcells and his ilk. Of the top performing organizations with such a decision-making structure in the NFL includes the Patriots and the Colts—not bad company.
But the Bills refuse to share in this type of “good” company and continue to subsist in a water-downed, convoluted structure of consensual authority and hand-holding, decision-making, cumbaya sessions which probably more resemble Ralph’s minions telling him what he is doing is right and to stay the course. Such a structure of power and decision making reminds many of the old emperor has no clothes story and that the Bills front office and brass enjoy nothing more than an echo chamber.
As was reported, Bills brass, including Russ Brandon, Tom Modrak, Littman, the number cruncher, and Ralph, and if there were others, we are not aware, sat down to decide the fate of Jauron and the Bills empire.
Bills brass decided to keep Jauron, and bedlam ensued. A majority of fans, to say the least, were not happy.
Among the biggest problems with the Bills and their colossal letdown was the franchises ability to accept, or own, the season’s failure. Few players, no coaches, or front office staff, or the owner, have publicly told the fan base that mistakes were made and that errors were made, and that their patronage is appreciated.
During the 2008 season, coaches like Jon Gruden and Jim Zorn openly owned up to and apologized for the performance of the team. Such public accountability goes a long way to assuaging hurt feelings and bitter attitudes. To avoid owning the 2008 season and its regrettable results while rehiring the coach many fans blame for the result has concussed the fan base to the point of delirium.
It was the old bait and switch and Buffalo Bill fans were left holding the bag. Picturing Ralph and his franchise salting away 52,000 season ticket sales only added to the general and growing dissatisfaction. And this all happened on top of the Bills playing home games in Toronto, a decision which irked many Buffalonian Bills fans, and was further exacerbated by the cavalier attitudes of Ralph Wilson and Ted Rogers.
To say the Bills need to reach out to the fan base, and soon, is nothing short of an understatement.
One can only muse about what decisions the Bills brass has taken to try and calm down the fan base. Certainly, there is much area for improvement. And since the owner has taken the head coach off the table and those of his staff, presuming, the Bills should be considering opening up the vaults and spending on some key free agents.
For 2009, the Bills desperately need to create a pass rush, a more consistent rotation in the middle, a strong pass rushing and good coverage OLB, and strong, talented full back and a stud tight end. And while this list is long, for Bills fans, there are two areas of the many mentioned here which must be addressed of having any hope of soothing bad blood between itself and the fan base: pass rush and tight end.
If those two positions are staffed with credible, top-flight personnel from the draft of free agency, the Bills will be able to take a breath, reignite the zeal of the fan base, and rest a little longer on their so-called laurels.
Anything short of this and the Bills are in for a further deterioration of their brand and their fan base.