Bills release Edwards, Wanny takes over.

[madness]

MarkLud12 (http://twitter.com/#%21/MarkLud12) Mark Ludwiczak
<s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills) have released DC George Edwards. Wannstedt takes over as DC.

[madness]

JoeB_WGR (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeB_WGR) Joe Buscaglia
George Edwards has been fired as defensive coordinator. <s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills)

JoeB_WGR (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeB_WGR) Joe Buscaglia
Dave Wannstedt has been named the new defensive coordinator. <s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills)

[Extremebillsfan247]

MarkLud12 (http://twitter.com/#%21/MarkLud12) Mark Ludwiczak



<s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills) have released DC George Edwards. Wannstedt takes over as DC. Boom, didn't think they would have the guts to do it, but Wannstedt makes more sense than continuing on with Edwards. JMO

[madness]

buffalobills (http://twitter.com/#%21/buffalobills) Buffalo Bills
Gailey tells media that George Edwards has been relieved of his duties & Dave Wannstedt will take over as defensive coordinator

[madness]

JoeB_WGR (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeB_WGR) Joe Buscaglia
Gailey says they'll re-evaluate doing a 4-3 vs. the 3-4 in the offseason. <s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills)

[T-Long]

beautiful. Buddy must have been trolling around the board and got the great idea!!

[Michael82]

First things first...scrap the 3-4! It's not working and the Bills don't have the pieces for it. They are better as a 4-3 team.

[Michael82]

JoeB_WGR (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeB_WGR) Joe Buscaglia



Gailey says they'll re-evaluate doing a 4-3 vs. the 3-4 in the offseason. <s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills)
That's great to hear. But I got one question...what did Wanny do when he was the assistant head coach? How come the defense got worse than last year when he wasn't there?

[madness]

JoeB_WGR (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeB_WGR) Joe Buscaglia
Reason for Edwards being fired? "We're in a production business," says Gailey. <s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills)

buffalobills (http://twitter.com/#%21/buffalobills) Buffalo Bills
Gailey: We're in the evaluation process of everybody on the staff

buffalobills (http://twitter.com/#%21/buffalobills) Buffalo Bills
Gailey says u have to take the whole body of work when it comes to evaluating Stevie Johnson's situation

[Novacane]

I would of liked to see them both canned

[Skooby]

Off with his head!!

[madness]

That's great to hear. But I got one question...what did Wanny do when he was the assistant head coach? How come the defense got worse than last year when he wasn't there?

Wanny could only make suggestions to Edwards. I'm sure someone had to be aware if Edwards was ignoring him or not otherwise why bother keeping one.

[T-Long]

The thought of Dareus and Kyle Williams has got to be intriguing to the defense. Wanny's history is running the 4-3....with those 2 monsters in the middle, no reason to not go majority 4-3. I have been an advocate to run the 3-4, but my God, if that means not having Dareus and Williams on the field at the same time, then it doesn't make much sense IMO

[madness]

buffalobills (http://twitter.com/#%21/buffalobills) Buffalo Bills
Gailey says he would like to have Stevie back but w/ some stipulations.

buffalobills (http://twitter.com/#%21/buffalobills) Buffalo Bills
Gailey: As we get better as a football team, Ryan Fitzpatrick will be very proficient at his job

JoeB_WGR (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeB_WGR) Joe Buscaglia
Gailey says it's a "work in progress" at left tackle right now. Says it has potential with Hairston and the free agent to be D. Bell. <s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills)

JoeB_WGR (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeB_WGR) Joe Buscaglia
Gailey said he told Stevie "We have to get things under control." "Whether he's here or not, he has to get things under control."

ByTimGraham (http://twitter.com/#%21/ByTimGraham) Tim Graham
Bills have fired George Edwards and named Dav Wannstedt defensive coordinator. Hearing QB coach George Cortez's return in serious doubt.

JoeB_WGR (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeB_WGR) Joe Buscaglia
Gailey said he expects and anticipates Shawne Merriman to be back for next season. <s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills)

buffalobills (http://twitter.com/#%21/buffalobills) Buffalo Bills
Gailey says he expects all players who were injured this year to be ready for training camp

JoeBuffaloWins (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeBuffaloWins) Joe
The Edwards shake-up may not being the only thing going down at 1 Bills Drive. I'll have more tomorrow. Another shake-up is coming,

buffalobills (http://twitter.com/#%21/buffalobills) Buffalo Bills
Gailey: We're stronger at offensive & defensive line than we were last year - when healthy

[mrbojanglezs]

They will probably switch to a 4-3.....if carrington slims down can he play 4-3 DE what about Batten and/or moats weren't they DEs in college?

[Michael82]

Anyone else think that Gailey is going to be forced to relinquish power to run the offense as the next "shake up" of the team?

[better days]

JoeBuffaloWins (http://twitter.com/#%21/JoeBuffaloWins) Joe
The Edwards shake-up may not being the only thing going down at 1 Bills Drive. I'll have more tomorrow. Another shake-up is coming,


Let's SHAKE IT UP. Thats what this team needs. I doubt there is a person on this board that did not think Edwards needed to go.

[madness]

grundy208 (http://twitter.com/#%21/grundy208) Matt Hutson
Remember, Wannstedt had to work with Edwards system. Now he will be able to implement his system and philosophy. Should be changes.

buffalobills (http://twitter.com/#%21/buffalobills) Buffalo Bills
Dave Wannstedt set to briefly address the media

[madness]

buffalobills (http://twitter.com/#%21/buffalobills) Buffalo Bills
Wannstedt: Primary focus at this point is evaluation - scheme, players. And ask where can we improve.

caplannfl (http://twitter.com/#%21/caplannfl) Adam Caplan
Wannstedt isn't the best head coach, but he can coach defense. Will be interesting to see what he does schematically with the <s class="hash">#</s>Bills (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Bills) d.

[kishoph]

beautiful. Buddy must have been trolling around the board and got the great idea!!


I don't think Nix needed the boards, Helen Keller could of figured out that Edwards didn't know what he was doing.

[ServoBillieves]

Ah haha... AH haha... AH HAHAHAHA! The best victory if the season! That miserable excuse for a DC is finally gone

[better days]

I don't think Nix needed the boards, Helen Keller could of figured out that Edwards didn't know what he was doing.

Yeah, Chan SHOULD have fired him before the season started.

[madness]

ByTimGraham (http://twitter.com/#%21/ByTimGraham) Tim Graham
Sportsnet.ca reporting Hamilton Tiger-Cats want to interview Bills QB coach George Cortez, who might not be long for Bills regardless.

[better days]

Anyone else think that Gailey is going to be forced to relinquish power to run the offense as the next "shake up" of the team?

Chan may do that, but I doubt he will be forced to do so. I think he said he only wanted to run the offense for a year or two when he was hired as HC.

[kingJofNYC]

Why is George Cortez suddenly getting the boot? Is he the one callin 45+ passes a game.

[streetkings01]

That's great to hear. But I got one question...what did Wanny do when he was the assistant head coach? How come the defense got worse than last year when he wasn't there?Worse than last year? Last years defense was just as bad as this years defense.........we just played better QBs this year and better RBs last year.

[Novacane]

ByTimGraham (http://twitter.com/#%21/ByTimGraham) Tim Graham
Sportsnet.ca reporting Hamilton Tiger-Cats want to interview Bills QB coach George Cortez, who might not be long for Bills regardless.





Can he take the QB's with him????

[better days]

Why is George Cortez suddenly getting the boot? Is he the one callin 45+ passes a game.

No, he is the one who has not improved Fitz's accuracy problems. That is a QB coach's job.

[streetkings01]

Why is George Cortez suddenly getting the boot? Is he the one callin 45+ passes a game.Isn't George Cortez the box ref that says "I'm firm but I'm fair"???? O_o

[madness]

MarkLud12 (http://twitter.com/#%21/MarkLud12) Mark Ludwiczak
Gailey expects Merriman to be a Bill in 2012: "Yeah, I sure do. I expect him to be here, hopefully full-go and healthy and ready to roll."

[Novacane]

No, he is the one who has not improved Fitz's accuracy problems. That is a QB coach's job.



Really? How is he supposed to do that? Fitz is what he is.

[YardRat]

Great news---Edwards is gone.

Bad news--the 'Stache is our new DC.

Good news pending, hopefully--Gailey hires an OC (waiting for Norv Turner to be released?)

[ZAZusmc03]

Wondering if Chan will relinquish OC to Modkins like he had planned originally.

[better days]

Really? How is he supposed to do that? Fitz is what he is.

MAYBE Fitz is what he is maybe not. Fitz is supposed to be a SMART guy. You would think (or maybe I should say I would think) that with PROPER Coaching he could learn to throw the ball better.

[X-Era]

Zach Brown in the 2nd makes a lot more sense now.

Or Travis Lewis.

[X-Era]

Wondering if Chan will relinquish OC to Modkins like he had planned originally.I think someone like Norv Turner may replace Modkins.

[better days]

Wondering if Chan will relinquish OC to Modkins like he had planned originally.

GOD, I hope not. Let's hope he learned his lesson with Edwards. If the Bills offense regresses because of an inexperienced OC, Chan will get fired for sure after next year.

[ZAZusmc03]

GOD, I hope not. Let's hope he learned his lesson with Edwards. If the Bills offense regresses because of an inexperienced OC, Chan will get fired for sure after next year.

That's actually why I bring it up. I think his experiment w Edwards may be te reason he abandons that plan w Modkins. At least that's what I'm hoping.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

Oh, this is just great... a 4-3? Seriously? They didn't have enough D-linemen to run the 3-4, how the heck do they think they're going to be able to run the 4-3? This doesn't fix the Bills' problems. Lack of talent is lack of talent. Switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic... but then again, that may be the point.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

ByTimGraham (http://twitter.com/#%21/ByTimGraham) Tim Graham
Sportsnet.ca reporting Hamilton Tiger-Cats want to interview Bills QB coach George Cortez, who might not be long for Bills regardless.
Been hearing those rumors for a while... Ti-Cats fans seem real eager to try and land him.

[djjimkelly]

First things first...scrap the 3-4! It's not working and the Bills don't have the pieces for it. They are better as a 4-3 team.

dont agree with this at all

[YardRat]

Oh, this is just great... a 4-3? Seriously? They didn't have enough D-linemen to run the 3-4, how the heck do they think they're going to be able to run the 4-3? This doesn't fix the Bills' problems. Lack of talent is lack of talent. Switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic... but then again, that may be the point.

They do if they quit trying to play their DE's at OLB.

[X-Era]

Oh, this is just great... a 4-3? Seriously? They didn't have enough D-linemen to run the 3-4, how the heck do they think they're going to be able to run the 4-3? This doesn't fix the Bills' problems. Lack of talent is lack of talent. Switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic... but then again, that may be the point.Don't totally agree. Here's the list of guys under contract who can play in the 4-3:

Dareus
Kyle Williams
Dwan Edwards
Alex Carrington
Spencer Johnson
Chris Kelsay

Guys who may be in trouble to make the team if they switch:

Torrell Troup
Kellen Heard

Seems to me like we actually fit better. That said, I don't like that defense as much. It asks your LB'ers to cover a lot of ground in coverage. Barnett can do it, but outside of him I don't think we have enough speed... Maybe a healthy Merriman. Guys like Zach Brown from UNC and Travis Lewis from Okl. may now be options. Both are quick and can cover a lot of ground.

The other issue is the S's having to cover so much ground. I think Wilson and Byrd could do it but I really got sick of watching us get beat in the seems.

[YardRat]

I don't think Troup or Heard would be in trouble...we're pretty set on the dline if we switch back to a 43, IMO.

[djjimkelly]

Don't totally agree. Here's the list of guys under contract who can play in the 4-3:

Dareus
Kyle Williams
Dwan Edwards
Alex Carrington
Spencer Johnson
Chris Kelsay

Guys who may be in trouble to make the team if they switch:

Torrell Troup
Kellen Heard

Seems to me like we actually fit better. That said, I don't like that defense as much. It asks your LB'ers to cover a lot of ground in coverage. Barnett can do it, but outside of him I don't think we have enough speed... Maybe a healthy Merriman. Guys like Zach Brown from UNC and Travis Lewis from Okl. may now be options. Both are quick and can cover a lot of ground.

The other issue is the S's having to cover so much ground. I think Wilson and Byrd could do it but I really got sick of watching us get beat in the seems.


what about LB we have 3 of the 4 if merrimen comes back

sheppard will be a wasted pick if we go back to a 4-3 either way we need 2 OLBs we cant depend on merrimen we have 2 ILBS for the 3-4

a move back would be such a waste of 2 years of D drafting and a waste of 2 years of FA signings i think we are closer then most with the front seven when we are healthy

[Cleve]

So if the front office thought Wannstedt was the answer, why didn't they make this change back in week 8 - before the season was lost?

The defensive flaws were painfully evident by week 8 - a sieve like 'defense' against the run, and one of the highest yards allowed per game of any team in the NFL - why wait?

[djjimkelly]

add in whaley is a 3-4 man because of his pittsburgh days

and buddy has always been a 3-4 man

i think we are sticking to it

[SABURZFAN]

the Bills are off to a good start heading into this offseason.

[THE END OF ALL DAYS]

people have to STOP expecting Merriman to to ever play with any reliability. hes been hurt for like 4 years how much longer you gotta be beat over the head to understand hes DONE

[X-Era]

what about LB we have 3 of the 4 if merrimen comes back

sheppard will be a wasted pick if we go back to a 4-3 either way we need 2 OLBs we cant depend on merrimen we have 2 ILBS for the 3-4

a move back would be such a waste of 2 years of D drafting and a waste of 2 years of FA signings i think we are closer then most with the front seven when we are healthyI won't defend Sheppard, I'm still not a fan. I'd like us to add athletic guys that can cover a lot of ground. That's why I mentioned Zach Brown and Travis Lewis. I kind of hope they don't resign Bryan Scott now, I didn't like him playing LB'er.

[kingJofNYC]

No, he is the one who has not improved Fitz's accuracy problems. That is a QB coach's job.
All the coaching in the world isn't going to fix Fitz's accuracy. You also don't sign a QB to a contract extension if he has throwing issues. Cortez is a scapegoat, convince the fans that it was coaching and not Fitzpatricks terrible play that led to the collapse.

Was Cortez doing a good job when the team was 5-2, sure looked like he was.

Edit: we have no 4-3 edge rushers and ****ty lbs, the Troup pick is going to kill us, same with Carrington. Those were 3-4 picks all the way and we passed up on linebackers like Sean Lee and Bowman to solidify a 3-4 front. What a ****ing joke. Another year, another system with more holes to fill.

[madness]

After what Dareus did in the middle this year, and then add that next to a healthy K. Williams... I don't know how you can not go back to a 4-3 no matter how close you are to a 3-4.

Dareus and K. Williams both commanded double teams most of the time on their own. If you only put three hats on those two, one of them is going to break through on a regular basis. Focusing on keeping these guys out of the middle is going to make our DE's look real good. Heck, Kelsay's decent season this year could be twice as good shading the outside of those two.

Now imagine having some decent DE's on the outside....

[better days]

So if the front office thought Wannstedt was the answer, why didn't they make this change back in week 8 - before the season was lost?

The defensive flaws were painfully evident by week 8 - a sieve like 'defense' against the run, and one of the highest yards allowed per game of any team in the NFL - why wait?

The only answer I can come up with is Wanny has been out of the NFL for 6 years. Maybe they wanted to let him get his feet wet this year by WATCHING, so he could see how the NFL has changed since he last coached in it.

[Philagape]

Oh, this is just great... a 4-3? Seriously? They didn't have enough D-linemen to run the 3-4, how the heck do they think they're going to be able to run the 4-3?

They had FIVE linemen on the field most of the time, and two of them were "outside linebackers."

[mrbojanglezs]

I think someone like Norv Turner may replace Modkins.

this doesn't make sense. Modkins has been Gailey's right hand man quite a few times now. Plus Modkins does not call the plays....Modkins is the running backs coach and the running backs have played quite well have they not?

Why do you think Gailey will give up the playcalling duties?

[TigerJ]

Personnel wise, the Bills are in flux between a 3-4 and a 4-3 alignment. I'm not sure really how feasible it is to do it, though the Bills have been trying, but I think what I would like to see is continuing to develop the hybrid idea. Draft defensive players who are scheme flexible. The defensive scheme doesn't affect what they need for a secondary that much. A good DB should be able to play man or zone, and isn't bothered regardless of how the linebackers and D-linemen are lined up. Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus are scheme versatile. Barnett seems to be too, though I think he'd be an outside backer in the 4-3. We would need a guy who can switch between a 4-3 and a 3-4 right defensive end or a 4-3 defensive end and a 3-4 rush linebacker. Courtney Upshaw can probably do the latter as could Vinny Curry. Coples could possible do the former. Chris Kelsay had about as strong a year as he's had in his career. We know he can go back to DE. He's on the wrong side of 30 now and Buffalo needs to be thinking about his replacement regardless of what alignment they end up using. Carrington might be able to handle DT in a 4-3 or left DE in a 3-4. Regardless of what the Bills do scheme wise, Nix needs to sprinkle in talent upgrades wherever he can.

The only player who would seem to be the odd man out, if the Bills go full time to a 4-3, is Shawne Merriman. I think he is strictly a 3-4 rush linebacker.

[zone]

I am fine with going back to a 4-3 front as long as we stay far away from the "Tampa 2"

[YardRat]

All the coaching in the world isn't going to fix Fitz's accuracy. You also don't sign a QB to a contract extension if he has throwing issues. Cortez is a scapegoat, convince the fans that it was coaching and not Fitzpatricks terrible play that led to the collapse.

Was Cortez doing a good job when the team was 5-2, sure looked like he was.

Edit: we have no 4-3 edge rushers and ****ty lbs, the Troup pick is going to kill us, same with Carrington. Those were 3-4 picks all the way and we passed up on linebackers like Sean Lee and Bowman to solidify a 3-4 front. What a ****ing joke. Another year, another system with more holes to fill.

I think both will be OK if we go back to the 43. Troup can still play DT, and Carrington DE...

[paladin warrior]

Yea!!!! It f**k it about time . Why wait for the day of game. Now it time to find good def 2012 draft.. upshaw look good or ?

[Extremebillsfan247]

First things first...scrap the 3-4! It's not working and the Bills don't have the pieces for it. They are better as a 4-3 team.I think Wannstedt will try to fit the scheme to the players he has available. After listening to his interview, that is the impression I got from him. He talked about how the game has changed, and how you really have to be a flexible defense now. We may not see much change in the way the Bills play defense in 2012, but the preparation, and how he manages it is what will really make the difference. I'm thinking that all this defense needs is a DC that can make sense of what they are trying to do. Wannstedt has been coaching a long time. I'm pretty confident he will make it work. JMO

[madness]

Isn't George Cortez the box ref that says "I'm firm but I'm fair"???? O_o
Close.. Joe Cortez

[Johnny Bugmenot]

people have to STOP expecting Merriman to to ever play with any reliability. hes been hurt for like 4 years how much longer you gotta be beat over the head to understand hes DONE
Then where the hell else are we supposed to expect an OLB to come from? He's the guy, the best OLB available. Like it or not. Arthur Moats is not consistent enough, and you're not going to get one falling out of the sky. He's getting paid how many millions? He can play. He should play, and Wanny should have a little branding iron poking Mr. Merriman in the backside to prod him into playing.

[madness]

The only answer I can come up with is Wanny has been out of the NFL for 6 years. Maybe they wanted to let him get his feet wet this year by WATCHING, so he could see how the NFL has changed since he last coached in it.
It would be unfair to Wanny and the players if that scenario played out. First, Wanny would carry the burden for any inherited failures through the rest of the season. Second, Wanny not only has his own scheme but defensive philosophy which could contradict mostly everything the players already know and implement on the field each week. Only a full offseason would benefit all parties involved. Lastly, this roster is riddled with injuries right now. Gailey stated today everybody should be ready come training camp. This gives Wanny plenty of time to reevaluate his roster and determine how he can get some form of a successful product on the field next season.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

Wanny was a 43 coach in dallas, chicago, miami, and univ. of pitt. we are going to a 43. my guess is moats and batten are moved to 43 olb, they are not good enough edge rushers let alone big enough to play de... merriman is a wildcard and nix must act like he will not be able to play. to me, this is our 43 front

merriman/rookie
williams/troup/heard
dareus/edwards
kelsay/ carrington

barnett/rookie
shepp/morrison/white
moats/batten


bottom line, kelsay and merriman might have to be replaced. meaning our first two picks going to a 43 will be 43 pass rushing de. our pass rush is putrid. kelsay is 33, merriman cant stay healthy, and carrington will have to lose weight. johnson is not a de and i dont see him making the team. something like coples in rd 1 and another de in rd 2 or 3... or we might pick up a fa, who knows. i think we just need depth at lb...

[tampabay25690]

The thought of Dareus and Kyle Williams has got to be intriguing to the defense. Wanny's history is running the 4-3....with those 2 monsters in the middle, no reason to not go majority 4-3. I have been an advocate to run the 3-4, but my God, if that means not having Dareus and Williams on the field at the same time, then it doesn't make much sense IMO

Having Troup healthy and Heard who I thought played well..
Nice depth

[Dantheman1280]

I don't think Troup or Heard would be in trouble...we're pretty set on the dline if we switch back to a 43, IMO.

Troup played in a 4-3 in college and did it very well! He is more suited to play the 4-3 IMO..

[jamze132]

Raise your hand if you thought it was a good idea to have Spencer flippin' Johnson playing OLB. Just one? George Edwards, you're fired.

I don't think the scheme is really a big deal. The NFL is changing and you have to be able to be flexible on defense now. We will stick with the hybrid. The biggest problem is the play calling on defense. GE had no damn clue. He couldn't spell blitz, and 90% of everything he did could be described as "vanilla". I think Wanny brings improvement with the same roster just by play calling alone.

[Cleve]

Raise your hand if you thought it was a good idea to have Spencer flippin' Johnson playing OLB. Just one? George Edwards, you're fired.

I don't think the scheme is really a big deal. The NFL is changing and you have to be able to be flexible on defense now. We will stick with the hybrid. The biggest problem is the play calling on defense. GE had no damn clue. He couldn't spell blitz, and 90% of everything he did could be described as "vanilla". I think Wanny brings improvement with the same roster just by play calling alone.

I just can't understand why the change wasn't made earlier in the season, before the season was beyond salvaging. It's not like they brought Wanny in from outside - he was already on the payroll. By the midpoint in the season, it should have been painfully obvious the Bills defense was horrible. Why was Edwards given an entire season of FAIL?

IF the front office thinks Wanny will be better than Edwards, why the blazes did they wait to make a change?


If our defense had been better, week 9 moving forward, we might have ended up with a better win/loss record and maybe squeaked into the playoffs?

[T-Long]

I would have much rather seen Arthur Moats playing the other OLB instead of Spencer Johnson, instead of just on passing downs. I think he is our best rusher on the roster (I know, sorry right?) If they do go to a 4-3 the majority of the time, look for Spencer to go back down in a reserve role at DE behind Kelsay and Edwards. Really looking forward to seeing what pash rusher Buddy is able to get at 10...

[jamze132]

I just can't understand why the change wasn't made earlier in the season, before the season was beyond salvaging. It's not like they brought Wanny in from outside - he was already on the payroll. By the midpoint in the season, it should have been painfully obvious the Bills defense was horrible. Why was Edwards given an entire season of FAIL?

IF the front office thinks Wanny will be better than Edwards, why the blazes did they wait to make a change?


If our defense had been better, week 9 moving forward, we might have ended up with a better win/loss record and maybe squeaked into the playoffs?
Question that hopefully is answered by OBD soon.

[Syderick]

Wanny should be an improvement over Edwards.

[YardRat]

Wanny was a 43 coach in dallas, chicago, miami, and univ. of pitt. we are going to a 43. my guess is moats and batten are moved to 43 olb, they are not good enough edge rushers let alone big enough to play de... merriman is a wildcard and nix must act like he will not be able to play. to me, this is our 43 front

merriman/rookie
williams/troup/heard
dareus/edwards
kelsay/ carrington

barnett/rookie
shepp/morrison/white
moats/batten


bottom line, kelsay and merriman might have to be replaced. meaning our first two picks going to a 43 will be 43 pass rushing de. our pass rush is putrid. kelsay is 33, merriman cant stay healthy, and carrington will have to lose weight. johnson is not a de and i dont see him making the team. something like coples in rd 1 and another de in rd 2 or 3... or we might pick up a fa, who knows. i think we just need depth at lb...

It doesn't matter how you shuffle it...that's still a piss-poor excuse for an NFL linebacker corps.

[EDS]

Then where the hell else are we supposed to expect an OLB to come from? He's the guy, the best OLB available. Like it or not. Arthur Moats is not consistent enough, and you're not going to get one falling out of the sky. He's getting paid how many millions? He can play. He should play, and Wanny should have a little branding iron poking Mr. Merriman in the backside to prod him into playing.

Merriman has not been healthy or effective since about 2007. He is done. Chances of him being healthy and contributing for more than a few games are very slim, so to rely on him is just plain stupid.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

Merriman has not been healthy or effective since about 2007. He is done. Chances of him being healthy and contributing for more than a few games are very slim, so to rely on him is just plain stupid.
They have no other choice but to rely on him. Eventually these injuries heal, given enough time. They said Marcus Dupree would never play pro football again after injuring his knee far worse than Merriman's injury. Five years later, he made a comeback-- perfectly healthy. Eventually the injury excuse is no longer valid. Injuries don't last for years on end.

[EDS]

They have no other choice but to rely on him. Eventually these injuries heal, given enough time. They said Marcus Dupree would never play pro football again after injuring his knee far worse than Merriman's injury. Five years later, he made a comeback-- perfectly healthy. Eventually the injury excuse is no longer valid. Injuries don't last for years on end.

If injuries do not last for years on end how come Merriman's injuries have lasted for 5+ years? How many more years should the Bills hold out hope that he will return to form/health?

[Cleve]

Question that hopefully is answered by OBD soon.

Yeah, I'm not gonna hold my breath on that one. There aren't going to be any more answers - and they're just going to ignore it since they don't want anyone questioning the timing too closely.

It was clearly a poor decision by the Front Office to wait until the season was beyond salvaging. Not even sure who the 'Front Office" really is - is it Wilson, Dumbdon, or Nix? Who is calling the shots anyways???

[Ickybaluky]

They have no other choice but to rely on him. Eventually these injuries heal, given enough time. They said Marcus Dupree would never play pro football again after injuring his knee far worse than Merriman's injury. Five years later, he made a comeback-- perfectly healthy. Eventually the injury excuse is no longer valid. Injuries don't last for years on end.

Of course, when Dupree returned he missed half the season with another injury. When he finally got back on the field he sucked, because he wasn't near the runner he was before and screwed the pooch in the passing game. He was cut the following year in preseason and was never heard from again.

Probably not the guy you want to use as an example.

[justasportsfan]

Right now the only thing Merriman is good for is recruiting players and Pep talk in the locker room.

[ZAZusmc03]

I hope that this surgery is what had been needed all along to get Merriman back to a healthy, dependable player. But I don't think thats the case at all. But IF he is on this roster come the 1st game of the season next year, I'll be hoping its the truth. Until then, I prefer not to think he or Easley have a spot on the team. No more counting on injured/unproven players.

[methos4ever]

Good article on why the Johns and Joes will make more importance than the scheme they're in:
http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2012/1/2/2678253/late-opinion-of-wannstadt-move

Does anyone really think that Wannstadt hasn't really learned a bunch about defense in 20 years, that he couldn't run any style of defense? Ron Rivera coached the Bears Tampa 2, went to San Diego and became the Charger's ILB coach, then DC. But he ran a 3-4, learned from Wade Phillips. For sure, Wannstadt knows the Landry 4-3, the Bates 4-3, and what he got from Edwards' scheme, which was a combination of the Marvin Lewis 46 and a straight 3-4. That's only if Wannstadt didn't know it prior, which is likely.

The player transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3 is easy:

DT: The NT, Kyle Williams, goes to DT. The LDE, Dareus, goes to DT. Kellen Heard and Spencer Johnson back them up.

LDE: A combination of Kelsay, Carrington, and Edwards. In 46 looks, Carrington and Edwards are exactly who you want at LDE. That's a nice rotation, with Carrington as the eventual starter.

RDE: A big gaping hole, but Merriman might pull some downs here.

SLB: A combination of Moats, Merriman and Batten. Most 4-3's have the SLB playing like a 3-4 OLB anyway, so this isn't a big deal. Might need help here, though, if Moats can't figure out coverages or Merriman can't play here due to injury.

MLB: Sheppard.

WLB: Barnett.

And Nix can keep drafting 3-4, because the players fit. And it allows more hybrid looks, since the defense can often change scheme with the same player, like the Ravens do. The need for edge rushers exists in both defenses. Buffalo needs two OLB's in a 3-4, and a RDE and SLB in the 4-3. Same-same.

And Yardie, after going 'round the bend with you, after looking back at the season and the Pats game in particular...turnovers or not you were right - Edwards had to go.

[Bill Cody]

MAYBE Fitz is what he is maybe not. Fitz is supposed to be a SMART guy. You would think (or maybe I should say I would think) that with PROPER Coaching he could learn to throw the ball better.

If being smart was what you needed to be a great passer we would have seen a bunch more folks from Harvard make the NFL before Fitz. Fitz knows WHAT to do he just can't do it.

[Ickybaluky]

If being smart was what you needed to be a great passer we would have seen a bunch more folks from Harvard make the NFL before Fitz.

Not only that, but if being smart was what you needed to be a great passer then Marino would have sucked.

[Cleve]

Gotta have a balance of athletic talent and smarts. JP Losman had an arm, and he had enthusiasm, but he seemed as dumb as a box of rocks.