Tavern talk: Bills need a team for the elements

Mike, Tim Russert is dead. Are you saying that only divine intervention will help the Bills?

This is the bottom for us Bills fans. Our franchise is a joke, an embarrassment and there is no hope with Ralph Wilson calling the shots. Michael, my dream is for you to run the Bills! Please!!!!!!! My biggest fear is the Bills won't be relevant again before the team gets moved, and that will be the saddest day of all

I don't mean to sound too morbid, but I'm wondering if Lombardi had this post prepared kind of like how network news anchors have obituaries prepared for presidents years before they die.

Sounds like they need the Bengals DC Zimmer.

i think fireing dick was the right thing to do.there are a alote of things i would do before next season comes.I would sign 1 or 2 veteran tackles,sign michel vick,sign t.o. for another year,start byrd and whitner as db's,trade edwards for a draft pick,keep powell as head coach,release derek fine and fined a trustable tightend that can make plays.the bills need alote of help,but this what i think they should do.im tired of the bills losin do something fast.

whil we r at the bottom agin....nothing new.....all we need is a new left tackle,right tackle and maby even a center im ok with eric and andy. also a new slb ellison is not geting it done.. but most of all more DEPTH

buffalo can still have better than a .500 season look at there scheduel the only two hard ones are the cols and pats who proved to we can beat.Hopefully the start playing roscoe parish hes a playmaker who can win ball games and so isnt hardy lets get this guys involved. and plz get a new qb hahahaha

I always thought the Bills problem was constantly letting players walk away. Its not to say that all of the guys are worth keeping but you can't keep letting good players leave your team every year. McGahee leaves so you have to take Lynch, Peters leaves, Clements, Greer. It always seems like the bills are running on a treadmill when it comes to their personnel. The draft is used to replace the players who have expiring contracts instead of bolstering the team.

You do realize until keith ellison got hurt a couple weeks back he was leading the league in tackles. Their are many more holes to fill the SLB!!

Michael's article is a great example of what is fundementally wrong with this once great (or at least solidly competitive) organization. Why is it he, an outsider nowhere near Buffalo, knows what this franchise's identity should be and what its problems are better than the owner, front office, and coaching staff.

Whether Michael is right or wrong, the one truth is that this organization will never return to glory, or even league significance, until there is new leadership with a single vision and voice. Personally, I do not believe that will ever happen until Ralph is no longer the owner. But I still hold out hope that today's move is not an isolated incident.

And Ralph...do you want to some free cash to pay off Jauron so you don't have to eat his contract? How about selling the naming rights to the freaking stadium, you ego maniac. You're in the hall of fame now, so your name will live on after you are gone.

I hope Ralph goes after a proven coach this time and not the likes of a Greg Williams,Mike Mularkey or a Dick Jauron. I don't think Fewells going to be a long term answer at least not until he can get his own run defense figured out. We need a disciplinarian that does what it takes to make these guys tackle and to eliminate all theses sensless penilties and to manage the clock and the game the way it should be. I am pissed, and want to see progress
(some light and the end of the tunnel) hopefully this is the first step AGAIN!.
GO BILLS !!!

Bama's nose tackle would eliminate the run game for other teams. You need to stop the run in bad weather. There's the games you need to get over the hump, and the size you need to allow Bills speed investments to stay on the edge where they belong, while their linebackers are free to run the ball down(PaulP.,etc).

Hard to run a Wildcat over a mountain, uphill, it's too steep.

Teams like the Pats are going to be what they are. You might not be able to emulate them entirely. Just match your team to the environs you play in and hope to split with them or wear them down so they lose their share in following weeks or the playoffs.

Consider using franchise money for a kicker, not a wideout. It's worth its weight in Euros for games facing that kind of weather(even if it is to retain who you developed). Those division games can be close decisions.

They tried size along the O line but Walker wasn't quite athletic enough. Free agency might be the best bet there. The Cal connection for Lynch is important, if Al Davis decides to let go of Michalzik there may be a fast way to rebuild an O line and plug Lynch into his best kind of running(though Green Bay could certainly use him as well).

The best consideration might be bringing Martyball to Buffalo. That would probably mean he runs the manpower decisions and promotes his son to HC. It would be stealing some fire from another team?

"Buffalo is on lovely Lake Erie, which has been known to stimulate a few hostile weather changes and create some strong winds, so the type of team that represents the Bills has to be the biggest team in the NFL -- a team that can dominate physically and control both lines of scrimmage because there’s a good chance that half the games will be played in windy, foul weather and only the strong will survive.The Bills must build a size/speed/tough team that can play with intelligence on both sides. Yes, this sounds like a Bill Parcells kind of team, and that’s exactly what they need -- a Parcells type of team. It’s the only way to go in Buffalo."

Mike, were you asleep during the Bills 1990-1993 Super Bowl runs? Not exactly a squad of behemoths, especially on the defensive side of the ball where they were smallish.

I agree that the Bills need to do a better job of planning and have an in-depth, coherent plan, but I disagree that they need to be the biggest, most physically dominating team in the NFL on both sides of the ball--the Bills teams that went to 4 SBs and came within a couple of feet of winning the first were not, nor were Favre's Packer teams or Brady's NE offense. There is talent on this Bills team, but what there is isn't enough and hasn't been able to stay healthy consisently enough. The defense, built to flourish when given leads that the offense has never given it, has performed well until ground down by the failures of the offense. With its mediocre finishes and defensive-minded head coaches who have not understood offensive football in the NFL, the Bills have managed to draft good, solid players, but not enough game-changers, especially at the QB position. With the rules changes of the last decade, regardless of whether teams run to set up the pass or pass to set up the run, NFL football has become a passing game. To be successful and contend for a title, a team needs to have a QB who can make big plays (if only for a long streak during key parts of the season and playoffs) and an offensive line that can protect him. The Bills have had neither since T.Donahoe came to town.

While it may take a season or two of finishing really poorly for the Bills to be in a position to draft the kind of game-changing players that they need, it is imperitive that Ralph Wilson open up his wallet and bring in a proven football mind (too bad Parcells isn't available) who can create an in-depth plan to turn this into a winning franchise again that will utilize some of the quality players that have been acquired over these painful losing seasons. Considering his age, Mr. Wilson may feel that he would be better off leaving that money to his wife and family than investing it in the Bills, but they stand to get far less if he fails to make that investment and the Bills continue to sink in reputation and value. No matter how good Russ Brandon is at marketing, selling pipe-dreams to increasingly disillusioned and disgusted Bills fans is going to get a lot harder unless Mr. Wilson realizes that his team needs a serious plan and a proven winner to do the planning and oversee its proper execution.

Thanks for the great article.

Being a loyal ,passionate and 20+ year fan of the Bills has not been easy as I am from Mass.However I remain strong and committed.The Bills made a terrible mistake getting rd of Jason Peters.Clearly this has manifested into a team that cannot run with consistency and most importantly protect the quarterback on pass plays.They must invest in replacing Peters and if this means using their number one pick in April then so be it.I think Eric Wood may become the best guard in the NFL AND THE bILLS MUST BUILD THE TEAM AROUND HIM AND THE OFFENSIVE LINE.Everything in football starts up front. Vince Lombardi could be the coach of this team,with Peyton Manning at QB and the Bills would still show little success because of their off line.
I know we have had injueies,but we need an animal at left tackle.gET HIM ASAP!!
Go Bills
MIKE

Micheal...........................I have been screaming this since the second I found out buffalo wanted to run a cover-2 defense in wintry buffalo. You can't even throw the ball half the season in buffalo and the defense they run is designed to shut down passing games but its weakness is against the run.....im sorry but common sense needs to come into play at some point. Jauron had to go and they need to bring back the 3-4 scheme and let poz flow to the ball. He isnt a cover-2 lb'er and maybin would be a stud in old in the 3-4 scheme......yet why am i the one that has to point this crap out what do the fools in the front office get paid for....

The bills as far as talent are not that far off. Our secondary will play well and Mabin needs to move yo OLB inplace of Ellison. Then we need to find that imoveable object to play alongside Marcus Stroud. We need to cut Chris Kelsey loose and find a good DE in his place. I think the OL will be fine with a couple of changes. Demeitrius Bell should be moved to RT, find a good LT in the off season to go with a big name coach. I repeat, A BIG NAME COACH. And we will have our playoff team.

Bills have made a ton of bad personnel decisions over the years and the team is a mess. I have absolutely no faith that Brandon knows what he is doing....and Wilson, well, he's the guy who fired Polian, isn't he? I'm beginning to think a sale is the only thing that is going to turn the team around. Of course a sale will also likely take the team away from Buffalo - a bit of a Catch 22, isn't it?

It's been terrible not so much that we stink but that good players keep leaving, going back to the second coming of Doug Flutie. We haven't even been entertaining. I say, taking the weather into account, let's go wildcat and get some athletic QBs from college on the cheap (only the monster passers seem to go first round) and see if something sticks to the wall. It would at least provide some excitement. Look at Tennessee, they have a terrible record but their fans are going to look forward to the games because of Vince. Same when flutie was here. And in a few years, Brady will be gone or Belicheck will be washed up, and maybe it will be time for another run. These things take time.

And no more NFL retreads for coaches. Jauron has had enough talent to take second in the AFC East when he arrived, and we never even managed that. Our teams were exactly like the Bears when he was coach there, only with less defensive talent and our O talent was essentially squandered.

Another outsider view:

Because of the climate and small fan base, the Bills need to take a contrarian view of how to win. Similar to using the Denver altitude as a competitive advantage, the Bills need to become a mean, punishing, running team.

Hire Paul Johnson or someone in alignment with his offensive philosophy. Draft Tim Tebow early and Josh Nesbitt late as a backup. Get big as Lombardi suggests and run the ball. I am in the South, but not a Gator or a Yellow Jacket; just a football fan.

BTW, love the NFP - It's required reading.

Maybe the Bills were building a small, fast team for the indoor comforts of Toronto!!

Thanx but no thanx Mike. Over the years here there might be 1, and 2 at the most, so-called 'bad-weather games'. And, with 1 game set up in the dome in Toronto; we're back to 1 game being 'bad' !
Didn't you see the K-Gun teams. They did just fine. They lost those SBs because they were out-coached in the 1st one and just not good enough in the other 3. While having over-sized linemen may be the ideal; you don't Need that to win.

Jeff Gruden would be an ideal coach for a tough team....

you have got to be kidding about wanting the dog killer vick as qb for the bills. he has below average accuracy. the winds here will make him look like he is intentionally passing the ball to the other team. he is not the answer. there are several strong arm accurate throwers in the draft. it is a huge risk taking a qb in the draft but no more of a risk than any of the available nfl free agent qb's. vick isn't even available right now he still has another year of obligation to Philly. would you trade a 1st or 2nd round pick and a player to pick up vick??

Brandon has to go too. Hes an accountant for christs sake. We need football guys. How about Dungy in a roll like Parcells has with Miami. Then comes vick and jackson in the widcat. We need heavy help on the Offensive Line there are quite of few Offensive Lineman sittin on other teams benches that a re vets and could help our young guys with talent. Esp E Wood who should be playin center

Mike - 100%, no make that 1000% correct. Half of the home games, plus road games against the NYJ and NE (depending on the time of year they are schedule), will be played in nasty weather, whether that is rain, wind, or snow. You can't finesse your way through that. This doesn't taken into account any other games on the schedule.

Right now, we are a soft team. Defensively - we can't stop the run against ANYONE and we can't sustain a pass rush against ANYONE. On offense, the rookie guards (Wood and Levitre) are a start on the line, but we need a LT (which we had in Peters) and possibly a RT, as well as QB. There is some talent, but there are a handful of holes to fill before we will be a playoff contender. We'll see who Ralph Wilson hires, but getting bigger and tougher will be a step in the right direction.