Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

[Jan Reimers]

As I read the myriad of negative posts that tell us that we are doomed to continue making the same mistakes that past Bills' regimes have made, I am reminded of a few basic facts:

Buddy Nix, Chan Gailey and Doug Whaley are not Tom Donahoe/Marv Levy, Dick Jauron/Mike Mularkey/Gregg Williams or John Guy. It is somewhat foolish to automatically assume that they will make the same poor draft selections, FA moves, or coaching decisions as their predecessors.

With good, veteran football men in place, it is likewise silly to assume that Russ Brandon - a very bright marketing and business executive - would be so stupid as to try to control or dictate player personnel decisions.

Ralph Wilson, some would say, is the common denominator in our failures. But Ralph has owned this team in the '60s and the '90s, when we won 6 AFL/AFC Championships and went to 4 straight Super Bowls, as well as in our decade of decline. To assume we can never win again with Ralph as owner is specious as well.

Every season represents a new start, but this one especially. Brandon has been kicked back upstairs, and a new regime of grizzled, down-to-earth football men has been hired to breath fresh life into this team.

Sure, the naysayers might be right. It may turn out to be the same old thing we've experienced since the late '90s. But with the changes we've made, it is just plain ridiculous to flatly ASSUME that things won't get better.

[mayotm]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

As I read the myriad of negative posts that tell us that we are doomed to continue making the same mistakes that past Bills' regimes have made, I am reminded of a few basic facts:

Buddy Nix, Chan Gailey and Doug Whaley are not Tom Donahoe/Marv Levy, Dick Jauron/Mike Mularkey/Gregg Williams or John Guy. It is somewhat foolish to automatically assume that they will make the same poor draft selections, FA moves, or coaching decisions as their predecessors.

With good, veteran football men in place, it is likewise silly to assume that Russ Brandon - a very bright marketing and business executive - would be so stupid as to try to control or dictate player personnel decisions.

Ralph Wilson, some would say, is the common denominator in our failures. But Ralph has owned this team in the '60s and the '90s, when we won 6 AFL/AFC Championships and went to 4 straight Super Bowls, as well as in our decade of decline. To assume we can never win again is specious as well.

Every season represents a new start, but this one especially. Brandon has been kicked back upstairs, and a new regime of grizzled, down-to-earth football men has been hired to breath fresh life into this team.

Sure, the naysayers might be right. It may turn out to be the same old thing we've experienced since the late '90s. But with the changes we've made, it is just plain ridiculous to flatly ASSUME that things won't get better.

Can't wait to see OP's response since he's assumed the responsibility of shooting down any post that isn't completely negative.

[trapezeus]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

usually in the last ten years we were served either be hopeful with no plans of getting better vs. this team sucks. That created the realist vs. homer debates for the last couple years

with this new regime, it seems like there really is a plan. we have to see how gailey is as a coach, but it's assumed he's not as god awful as jauron. And this creates a middle ground between realists and homers.

I'm in that new group. i liked the draft, i don't think it's enough to turn around a very bad 2009 team. but i think the 2009 and 2010 drafts are giving us a core. where we are finally getting answers and playmakers at key positions.

I don't think it can help us from being a bad team in 2010, but i think coming out of the 2011 draft, we could be one of those sleep teams where we know the team is good but the NFL wrote us off.

I think they are on the right path.

[SABURZFAN]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

great thread Jan.


i like this fresh start. i'm not expecting Super Bowl nor playoffs this year but i think we might be in some exciting games that go down to the wire. with the new regime building off of last years draft with this years draft and FA pickups, we're looking at another step of going a whole new direction. if the last bunch of idiots guided bad teams to 6-10 and 7-9 records, we should be a little more optimistic that it isn't the same crap year in and year out like the last 4 years.

[YardRat]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

Oh, c'mon now...if Op didn't piss and moan and whine and cry this off-season, half of the board would be disappointed and the other half would wonder who hacked into his account.

It's springtime, after the annual draft...The snow melts, the flowers bloom, and Op goes off on the Bills. It's a given.

[The Spaz]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

Good post!

[tampabay25690]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

Great thread.......
I hate the negativity 90% of the time.
Its nice to have positive Threads

[Night Train]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

How DARE you take a fresh look at this new administration !

[shelby]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

Love the optimism tendered with realism!

[Buddo]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

I'm far more optimistic about this coming season than I have been in recent years. While I've felt that we have been largely competent on Defense in that period, although there were things that did especially tick me off, we have been so appalling on Offense, that it was necessary to remind myself what an offense looked like, by watching the occasional game that didn't have the Bills in it.
I believe that we will see all round improvement, from STs (who were not great last year) to the Offense actually resembling one, and a D that can actually stop the run, to not having half a squad on IR.
Although I do not envision us to be playoff bound, I can see that it is possible to maybe achieve a winning season. I'm not sold on the Jets or Fins tbh, as being that much better than us. Both sanchez and Henne are unproven, and could quite easily be given a hard time by our secondary. It will be difficult to put points on them though, especially the Jets.
For that to happen, we need reasonable play from both the LT and QB positions in particular, but the O-Line as a whole. Get that, and we can be annoying as hell, especially within the division.
On the other hand, should we not resolve the above issues, at least in the interim, we will struggle to get 6 or 7 wins.
We aren't remotely a complete team, but if a few things go our way, we can be a competitive team.
Irrespective of how it actually all came about, I believe that the Bills finally have a triumvirate of solid football guys, in Nix, Whaley and Gailey, who will get this thing headed in the right direction, and keep it there.
By the end of year three of these guys, I expect us to be in the playoffs, i.e. 2012, and I also expect us to be visiting them regularly thereafter.

[OpIv37]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

As I read the myriad of negative posts that tell us that we are doomed to continue making the same mistakes that past Bills' regimes have made, I am reminded of a few basic facts:

Buddy Nix, Chan Gailey and Doug Whaley are not Tom Donahoe/Marv Levy, Dick Jauron/Mike Mularkey/Gregg Williams or John Guy. It is somewhat foolish to automatically assume that they will make the same poor draft selections, FA moves, or coaching decisions as their predecessors.

With good, veteran football men in place, it is likewise silly to assume that Russ Brandon - a very bright marketing and business executive - would be so stupid as to try to control or dictate player personnel decisions.

Ralph Wilson, some would say, is the common denominator in our failures. But Ralph has owned this team in the '60s and the '90s, when we won 6 AFL/AFC Championships and went to 4 straight Super Bowls, as well as in our decade of decline. To assume we can never win again with Ralph as owner is specious as well.

Every season represents a new start, but this one especially. Brandon has been kicked back upstairs, and a new regime of grizzled, down-to-earth football men has been hired to breath fresh life into this team.

Sure, the naysayers might be right. It may turn out to be the same old thing we've experienced since the late '90s. But with the changes we've made, it is just plain ridiculous to flatly ASSUME that things won't get better.

It's ridiculous to assume anything different than that status quo until this organization proves otherwise. After nearly 50 years of this crap, you're STILL willing to give them the benefit of the doubt? That's simply illogical.

[Night Train]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

It's ridiculous to assume anything different than that status quo until this organization proves otherwise. After nearly 50 years of this crap, you're STILL willing to give them the benefit of the doubt? That's simply illogical.

You'd be a God on the Lions board.

[Typ0]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

Your post is more of the same Jan. The new guys are not the same guys as the last guys therefore things are looking up unless proven otherwise.

[YardRat]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

I'm more optimistic about this season than I have been for the last few. I don't know if that's really saying much, though.

[Griff]

Re: Each Season Represents a Fresh Start

This is the first year that I'm not expecting much, but at the same time not negative.