There IS Truth To The Bills Having A Bad Rep Among Players

[Night Train]

I've been going to games since the mid 60's but cannot put on homer rose colored glasses.

Next year, the Bills have to draft a QB early to give the overall appearance of a team that wishes to take the next step, since I don't see many wins this season. Then quality Vets will be more likely to sign. Fitz would have to play out of his mind to change the thought of keeping him beyond this last year of his deal.

Nix & Gailey have basically been here a year and a half, try to correct the 10 year + directionless wandering of this franchise, basically led astray by TD & Jauron. (Ralph is always going to be the common problem until his death, we all know that). They were were left with a worse roster than many think and the Draft IS the primary way to reverse that fortune.

Like them or not, these last 2 drafts and the next 2 will define the tenure of Nix & Gailey. Neither is going anywhere for at least 2-3 more years, so we'll observe the progress of their picks, since only 2nd tier vets will venture here in the meantime.

Seems like the Jauron era is being purged from the roster, so this current youth wil make or break us. Play them.

Outside of QB, the O doesn't look half bad. This team will be measured by the progress of the D. They need to stop the run consistently and keep us in games, instead of watching teams march down the field or seemingly convert every 3rd and long opportunity. Nix has been trying by getting a lot of new faces for the DL and now he must flip all those bad Vet LB's and let the kids play, sans Merriman.

Still, perception is king and we're one of the 2-3 teams Vets don't wish to sign with until we show actual progress. Showing improvement & getting a top QB next year should change that view in a big way.

Until then, hoping the D can reverse their recent play and keep us in games. Eyes wide open.

Can't wait until Sept. and please play the kids.

[streetkings01]

Drafting a rookie QB next year won't make free agents come to Buffalo. Overspending, a winning team and a good QB period is what will bring the top free agents to Buffalo. Most vets don't want to play with a rookie QB because they don't want to take the lumps and the growing pains before he becomes a good QB.

[alohabillsfan]

Take a look at the offense the first 3 games under Edwards and then the offense under Fitz. The offense looked and performed much better because of Fitz. Geez.

[Night Train]

Take a look at the offense the first 3 games under Edwards and then the offense under Fitz. The offense looked and performed much better because of Fitz. Geez.

I like Fitz. He's got major balls and who can't admire that ? The polar opposite of Trentative.

He's incredibly erratic and maybe he can be more consistent this year.. but the team was dead last in turnover ratio and he had some killer turnovers at critical times. Limited talent with a large brain. He's got Coach written all over him.

This is still a QB driven league and the search goes on. Seems like the rest of the roster is being worked on. Let's complete the puzzle and keep them together for a few years.

[Raptor]

We have to fight the stigma that we are the Raiders East...The other 3 teams in this Div doing whatever they can to get better isn't helping our case either

[trapezeus]

i agree. For this to even be close to turning around, the new players have to take pride in being a unit and being able to turn it around.

The easiest way would have been to plug in a few holes with FA. they haven't done that and missed on people who could do that.

the only thing the bills front office has really proven to do well is to sell bad football to desperate fans and make the league give them more money for no particular reason.

Until they put a better product out there, they should be held accountable at the russ brandon/Ralph wilson level. At the nix and gailey level, we have to remember that the spiller pick hasn't done anything yet so nix isn't flawless, and gailey never ran last year and couldn't figure out that he didn't have a 3-4 defense until like week 8. there are problems. But they just are so obviously jauron-ish. So their weakness is kind of masked because we had the worst coach in NFL history. Everything has been an improvement since.

[Bill Cody]

Drafting a rookie QB next year won't make free agents come to Buffalo.

As James Earl Jones said in "Field of Dreams", "if the Bills draft Luck, they will come".

[BidsJr]

I was as against Fitzpatrick as anyone. That being said, he played slightly above average in my opinion last year and gained my respect as a gamer.

If he can improve that to solidly above average this year I would extend him and start drafting a 2nd-4th rd QB every year until I found a good one.

I think with a solid team around him Fitz can take us to the playoffs. (If he improves just a bit over last year.)

[Ebenezer]

Win. That's all it takes. Win games and then players will come here.

[BigZ]

Ralph needs to stay in the box and let the football people be the ones out front. Prospective players who see the bumbling that Ralph does are probably embarassed for our players but don't want to join them. Ralph also inserts himself into talking to prospects, free agents and draft choices. I know that if he was showing me around 1 Bills drive that the only thing on my mind would be: "Oh God, please don't let him die while he's talking to me!"

Let Buddy and Chan be the face of the franchise. They may have those southern accents but at least they don't forget what they're saying in midsentence.

[Historian]

we had the worst coach in NFL history.

Three in a row as a matter of fact, but who's counting?

[justasportsfan]

I've been going to games since the mid 60's but cannot put on homer rose colored glasses.


Didn't know you were older than Ralph.

[Night Train]

Didn't know you were older than Ralph.

Just my line of bull. :up: