27 replies to this topic

[Whitewalker Merriman]

I'm curious, is anyone else getting a vibe that Marrone might be looking at this season and thinking "Well, there's no way we're going to win so let's get rid of the dead wood." ?

I mean, as much as I want the Bills to win, and win now, we're talking about a brand new coach who is inheriting a team which tried to put all its eggs in one basket and broke them. From the moves that we've seen so far, I keep thinking that A) Marrone thinks that he knows a great crop of UFA's who he can work with, or castoffs who are going to play beyond their potential or B) our problems are too severe and too numerous to make a winning team with the players here and we need a purging fire and at least two drafts to get back on track.

While I want A, I keep feeling like B is more likely. Since Marrone has taken over, we've released McGee, Barnett, and Wilson. We aren't going to bring back the decent, but not exceptional, Jones and Nelson. Ryan Fitzpatrick has not been cut and Tarvaris Jackson has been retained meaning there is no clear cut starter at QB. The upcoming QB selection in the draft does not contain any one QB who seems to be a silver bullet, and the most qualified one (Geno Smith) will likely be taken before the Bills get a chance. There are gaping holes at LB and WR, our CB corps are incredibly inexperienced and our starting TE will likely not be available to play until week 8. The cost of holding both Levitre and Byrd is going to break the bank.

Among the cuts we've seen are the players who are in decline and will probably never see the field two seasons from now. We would need every pick we take to become a starter in order to fill all the gaps. I'm still drinking the Kool-Aid, but I need to know if I should mix some whiskey in first...

[BillsWatch]

I do not think the Bills front office would have hired him if he was upfront with such a plan.

They know Bills fandom is not as solid as it used to be and they want to sell tickets.

[Captain Hindsight]

Ask me after FA and the draft and Ill let you know.

My gut is this team will be a hell of a lot better because the defense will you know, play defense

[Kellyto83TD]

I hope it is honestly. I know fans consistently bitch about this but we really need to have a pure crap season where we finish 1 or 2 in the draft then address QB with a top Talent

[Bufcomments]

Captain Hindsight, on 25 February 2013 - 01:40 PM, said:

Ask me after FA and the draft and Ill let you know.

My gut is this team will be a hell of a lot better because the defense will you know, play defense

Your right

It way to early to guess the roster right now. Until the draft is over then we will have a better idea.

I still have a slight bit of hope just because Chan is gone.

[CodeMonkey]

BillsWatch, on 25 February 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

I do not think the Bills front office would have hired him if he was upfront with such a plan.

They know Bills fandom is not as solid as it used to be and they want to sell tickets.

I disagree.  Bills fandom, particularly season ticket buying fandom, is as solid as ever.
Plus they have the built in excuse of new coaching staff and lots of new players should the Bills suck again this season.
The ticket buying public will excuse at least one season of sucking under Marrone.

[Whitewalker Merriman]

Captain Hindsight, on 25 February 2013 - 01:40 PM, said:

Ask me after FA and the draft and Ill let you know.

My gut is this team will be a hell of a lot better because the defense will you know, play defense

I hope so (re: the defense) because I kept looking at our lineup last year and thinking "with all the talent here, they can't possibly be this bad". I just hope that Pettine knows what to do with an extremely talented D-line, Byrd and Gilmore.

[tennesseeboy]

Let's start with this presumption.  Marrone should do better next year than the Bills did this year.  He should be in the running for the division title in year 2 and he should be in playoffs by year 3.  This honeymoon concept of "wasting" a year is bull.  You have a good solid draft, get an actual player who can help you in free agency, and develop a playbook.  You are either moving forward or you are moving backward.

[Gordio]

tennesseeboy, on 25 February 2013 - 01:51 PM, said:

Let's start with this presumption.  Marrone should do better next year than the Bills did this year.  He should be in the running for the division title in year 2 and he should be in playoffs by year 3.  This honeymoon concept of "wasting" a year is bull.  You have a good solid draft, get an actual player who can help you in free agency, and develop a playbook.  You are either moving forward or you are moving backward.

Yes exactly.  Bringing in Pettine is the best move the front office will do all offseason.  There is noway, with the players on the defense the Bills had last year they should of been that bad.  Most of it had to be coaching.  & yes we need a few LBs but other then that I think this defense should be much improved over last year.

[reddogblitz]

I'm hoping Coach Marrone isn't playing this as a rebuilding year both for us fans sake and his.  A coach that is rebuilding is rebuilding for the next coach to come in.

[B-Large]

Gordio, on 25 February 2013 - 02:27 PM, said:

Yes exactly.  Bringing in Pettine is the best move the front office will do all offseason.  There is noway, with the players on the defense the Bills had last year they should of been that bad.  Most of it had to be coaching.  & yes we need a few LBs but other then that I think this defense should be much improved over last year.

The Bills have a nice base to build on roster wise, and we assume (assume) they will address our WR, LB and depth issues in the draft.  Last years Defense performance was inexcusable, I am gonig to chock it up to a coordinator that has seen the game pass him by, or simple thought what he was doing would work.  Pettine might be the one move that turns this team around from bottom feeder of the East to competitive team in the East, and perhaps in the running till the end for a WC spot in the postseason.  We are not goin to be imposing out Will this year, but I bet our D is getting off the the field and keeping games close, against good teams not just the dregs of the NFL.

I am pretty excited, probably the most excietd I have been in 5 years.  If we can nail it on a rookie QB, don't even care if he plays this year, we will be back going forward.... please, please, for all that is holy don't draft a QB at #8 and draft the "right" QB when the appropriate times comes, 2nd or 3rd.

[JPS]

In today's NFL, 1 year may be all Marrone has.  Think about it. They suck. Ralph dies. New owner brings in new people. Add the fact that Malarkey just got fired after 1 really bad season and I think Marrone will be coaching his ass off and making decisions that will help him win NOW and in the future.

[Dr. Trooth]

No, he's just culling players that he absolutely knows this team cannot win with.  None of the players let go are not going to start anywhere or even compete for a starting job.

Consider it addition by subtraction

[hmsmystic]

OK let's be realistic.  When was the last Bill's season that wasn't a complete write off??  Of course this will be a lost year.  We are deviod or below standards of NFL caliber talent at several positions (QB, WR, TE, MLB, OLB, SS, CB2)

Two of our top players are free agents.

We haven't had a great draft in years

Our owner and President for the duration of this losing spell are still in place.  etc.

I"ll go in hoping of for the best of course, but expectations are for anothe lost season

[Best Player Available]

JPS, on 25 February 2013 - 02:42 PM, said:

In today's NFL, 1 year may be all Marrone has.  Think about it. They suck. Ralph dies. New owner brings in new people. Add the fact that Malarkey just got fired after 1 really bad season and I think Marrone will be coaching his ass off and making decisions that will help him win NOW and in the future.

The situation you cite may be true. But, This season is more than a coaching staff change. The pressure of fielding a winner extends right to the new CEO. Brandon's talent lies in marketing. He could sell sand in the desert, to a man dying of thirst. His GM is clearly not good, and old school. The Whaley "extension" announcement was perfectly timed at a league event for maximum exposure for a team this has been a laughing stock for well over a decade. The Bills desperately seek respect. Anything will do for now. Marrones comments on being tight lipped on Syracuse players is kind of funny. Since except for the 2 or 3 players in the past. Syracuse is not a huge NFL machine, like say Penn state once was. Or the SEC.
Marrone may be the best hire since Saban. But, that will take more than one or even 2 years to settle out. Cutting B-grade talent, having no QB worth his salt, having a DE that they wildly overspent (how many good players could that 50 mil guarantee have got the team this year?) Also, the draft I hear is deep in DE's making the shortsighted Nix move even laughable.The team will indeed sell this season as a rebuild.

Even the remark that Mclovin will start by Nix makes me cringe. This team has very, very few franchise type players on either side of the ball. As crazy at it may seem, the dullphins are on a better track to take over the pats* than the Bills are. This team has to be rebuilt to win in the division Maybe Marrone actually understands the concept.

He's not getting any money from a lot of fans I know until someone proves these moves are intelligent.

Edited by Best Player Available, 25 February 2013 - 03:28 PM.

[Dorkington]

I don't have anything but low expectations for this season. We have holes at almost every major position group, poor drafting history and not loaded with cap room. Unless the staff is somehow genius level, I just don't think we have the talent to compete.

[eball]

Did anyone hear/read Rex Ryan's comments the other day?  I'm only paraphrasing, but Ryan certainly hinted the Bills already have a lot of talent on defense and he expects Pettine to make hay with those guys.

I don't believe cutting over-valued players like Wilson, Barnett, Jones, and Nelson is a sign of "writing off" the season.  Rather, I see it as a sign the new/old regime is looking to improve at all levels.

Until they find the answer at QB, though, all they're really doing is herding cats.

[Charles Romes]

Let it go completely to hell for Johnny Manzell.  Trade for Curtis Painter if necessary to guarantee that it happens.

[The Bunk]

I think we're all going to be shocked at how different a lot of the same guys will look this year with better coaching. Buffalo probably had a bottom 3 coaching staff in football last year. Especially on defense. This is a defense that should be attacking offenses and flying around out there, Wanny had us lumped up in this boring base defense that was as exotic as a blonde haired blue eyed girl from Illinois. Offensively i think the run game will again be strong, We have the worst wideouts in football and as of this moment two mediocre at BEST QB's in fitz and t jack.

[T master]

I did a post earlier this week called more questions than answers & that is what Marrone seems to be doing to the team.

I would think that coming into the situation that he has inherited you build on the good players you have & let the slackers or underachievers go, but that seems to be the exact opposite that Marrone is doing.

He has let go the players with the best out put on the team & kept the more questionable ones.

Barnnett & WIlson were 1 & 2 in tackles last year GONE, Jones i never got any way i think he was in that Gailey dream that him & Fitz were really good player so i did mind seeing him go.

Then there is letting Nelson go after Buddy said he needs a big WR that can go up & get the ball, not to mention that he was second in catches in 2011, another head scratcher.

But yet so far they Keep Brad Smith   , Ruvell Martin , Kelsay which i like & think is a good team guy but he has been here 10 years & is getting paid WAY to much if they restructure then maybe but the money could be better used elsewhere !!

I just hope Morrone doesn't turn out to be a moron !!

eball, on 25 February 2013 - 04:24 PM, said:

I don't believe cutting over-valued players like Wilson, Barnett, Jones, and Nelson is a sign of "writing off" the season.  Rather, I see it as a sign the new/old regime is looking to improve at all levels.

Until they find the answer at QB, though, all they're really doing is herding cats.

I get it but those were the guys (all but Jones) with the highest or second highest out put on the team !!

Edited by T master, 25 February 2013 - 05:48 PM.