Bills the next "Carolina Panthers"?

[Demon]

Buffalo (6-10): There shouldn't be much dropoff, even if cornerback Antoine Winfield somehow escapes in free agency, from the defense that catapulted all the way to No. 2 in the league in 2003. The big task for rookie coach Mike Mularkey, the inventive offensive schemer, is to rehabilitate the career of quarterback Drew Bledsoe, whose numbers fell off precipitously last season. Buffalo could use another outside playmaker, but Mularkey and his staff figure to upgrade the performances of younger veterans like tailback Travis Henry and wide receiver Josh Reed. The offensive line needs a fix but veteran mentor Jim McNally has worked wonders with even less talent than is on hand here. Obviously, the Bills are in a difficult division, one that includes the reigning league champions, and will need more offense to compete.

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/column...len&id=1730910

[realmendontwearteal]

anything is possiable.... i always like seein new teams at the end.... and thats what makes football a good sport.......

[Jeff1220]

It's great to see articles like that. But I recall seeing many of those articles last offseason, and it didn't exactly translate into a successful season.
I'm excited that 2003 is over. I am cautiously hopeful that the 2004 Bills can deliver.

[Kolbiss]

i am Pessimistically optamistic!!

[helmetguy]

Originally posted by Jeff1220
It's great to see articles like that. But I recall seeing many of those articles last offseason, and it didn't exactly translate into a successful season.
I'm excited that 2003 is over. I am cautiously hopeful that the 2004 Bills can deliver.

I'm with you, Jeff. That is, I'm optimistic about our possibilities the coming season. I was never really high on GW from the start of his tenure and, in hindsight, he succeeded in confirming the doubts I had. I'm still convinced that our problems in 2003 had less to do with the players we had (particularly on offense) and more to do with the misallocation of their talents. Mularkey, thus far, is going in the right direction-180 degrees opposite of the course GW set out on.

[Tatonka]

i am passafistically optimsnizzle.

[Turf]

I am of the impression that we'll find a way to @*&^ it up.

[Voltron]

I am trying to not get excited. This year my motto is going to be the same as the one I think the team should use. "One game at a time"

I will root and cheer for my bills but I will not talk poop on line or with friends. I have a new wait and see attitude.

I am excited about the possibilities of our Line with McNally and also Wyche coaching Drew and Travis Brown could be intresting. I think that both could be much better with some full time help, although I have started to questions Drews desire to play this game.

[BigZ]

I'm getting excited about the possibilities given the talent on the team and especially with the credentials of the coaching staff that MM has put together.

If the schemes are put together to play to the players strengths, we should do pretty well. Some fundamental coaching of technique, especially on the OL (McNally) is a downright necessity.

Someone (Wyche) getting into Drew's head and getting the mental clock working again is imperitive.

Now the hard part, and the part to be realistic (not pessimistic) about - the Bills play in what is probably the toughest division in the NFL. We play the reigning SB champs twice. Another 10-6 team twice. The Jets, who have as much talent as we did, should have been better last year just like us.

If we played against Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cinci twice each year the record would be a different story.

[helmetguy]

Originally posted by Voltron
I am trying to not get excited. This year my motto is going to be the same as the one I think the team should use. "One game at a time"

I will root and cheer for my bills but I will not talk poop on line or with friends. I have a new wait and see attitude.

I am excited about the possibilities of our Line with McNally and also Wyche coaching Drew and Travis Brown could be intresting. I think that both could be much better with some full time help, although I have started to questions Drews desire to play this game.

From the little snippets that come out every once in a while, it sounds like Drew's seeming lack of desire was more frustration than complacency. It probably had a lot to do with how unworkable KG's game planning was becoming. There were a couple of times, when I was watching tapes of last year's games that, when they showed DB and KG side-by-side, KG would be talking and DB looked like he could just roll his eyes in disbelief. Last week, I watched my tape of the "Comeback Game." Late in the third quarter, the camera panned to KG and Warren Moon on the sidelines. I nearly fell off the couch when I saw the look on Moon's face! Almost identical to the one I described for DB! I'm a lot more optimistic about the team's future with Mularkey. With GW, I had my trepidations from the day he was introduced.

[superbills]

Originally posted by Tatonka
i am passafistically optimsnizzle.

'Sup Dogg?

[elltrain22]

LenPasq is a smart guy, and i hope and pray he is right.