Fellow Rumblers.  I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on tomorrow's tilt at the Metrodome.  A current Minneapolis resident and life-long Bills fan, I am deep in the bowels of Vikings land, and this week have proudly sported my red, white and blue in the faces of all the purple priders.  Having grown up in this part of the country my entire life, I have witnessed Vikings Nation go through a myriad of emotions somewhat similar to what Bills fans have also experienced.  However, this Sunday, someone will have to win, and I am excited for this matchup for a number of reasons.  

First a little history.  In the last decade, it is well documented of the struggles of our Bills franchise.  What you may not realize about the Vikings however, is that they have made the playoffs five times in the 2000's.  2000, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2010.  They made it to the NFC title game in 2001 and lost to Atlanta (Under Denny Green) and of course last year they lost to the Saints (under the direction of Brad Childress).  They have a similar proud franchise and tradition, with four Super Bowl losses and a myriad of close losses that have led to many nightmares for their fan base.

Over the course of the last two seasons, expectations have risen to never before seen heights in the Twin Cities as superstars like Favre, Peterson, and Moss have entered the fray to lead the Purple to the promise land.  Those stories are well documented.  As is former Bills Pat Williams and Antoine Winfield playing key roles in a dominating defense over the last six seasons.  Despite the number of pro bowl players, drama-laden antics of #4, and schism between players and HC, the Vikings have accumulated winning season the past 2 years that Bills fans dare to dream of.  However, this season expectations were set at an all time high, and the fan base grew down right angry by week 7.  Just 2 weeks ago, the fan base was polled on whether or not Brad Childress should be fired; 93% of 3,500 fans polled agreed he should be gone.  The next day, he was after the embarrassing loss to Green Bay, their arch rival.

The talk in town this week has been pretty interesting.  From afar, Vikings fans and media members are commenting on this "plucky" Bills club.  Usual statements are "you cannot underestimate these Bills, they have played a lot of close games.  But in the end, the crowd noise of the metrodome, the defensive pass rush of the Vikings and the play of AP against the leagues 32nd rush defense will lead the Vikings to victory."  This very well may be the scenario that may happen, but its hilarious to see how little national people know about our team.  They say our offensive line is awful, they don't give Fitzpatrick the respect he deserves, and no one knows anything about Chan Gailey.

I watch every Vikings and Bills game every week.  The Vikings secondary is really bad.  Winfield is still Winfield, but their safeties look lost, and are terrible tacklers.  Asher Allen and Chris Cook are beatable corners, and getting the Vikings in nickel and dime packages really plays to the weaknesses of the Vikes.  Their front 7 is still solid, however the play of Kevin Williams, Jared Allen and Ray Edwards has dropped off substantially this year.  Greenway, Leber and EJ Henderson remain 3 of the best LB's in the league.  Running the ball is never easy versus the Vikings, as getting solid blocks on those LB's is always difficult.  For the Bills to have success Sunday, they need to be willing to wing it deep, run great route trees that fool those Vikings safeties and protect Fitzmagic.  The crowd noise at the Dome is a huge benefit to the Vikings DE's as it gives them that split second advantage off the ball.  I suspect Gailey will come out firing even so, and defer as always.  Staying in the game in the 1st half is critical.  Getting the ball to start the second half, before the home crowd gets back in its seats is a huge strategic game management decision.  

When the Vikings have the ball, look for them to continue a more conservative game plan with 25 carries for AP.  While he is questionable, I fully expect him to play and Toby Gerhardt is a sufficient replacement as Gerhardt is your classic tough yardage, fall forward RB who keeps the chains moving.  

Key Players of the game:  Minnesota - Visanthe Shiancoe Buffalo - Steve Johnson

Shiancoe is Favre's favorite target and we know what a struggle it is for Buffalo to cover the TE.  For Buffalo, Steve Johnson should have ample opportunities and we get to see how he rebounds from "the drop."

I will be 50 yard line on the Bills sideline to take this one in.  I am excited as ever to see the Bills, and a group of 75 Bills fans are pre-gaming at a local establishment prior to the game.  We will do what we can to cheer on our Bills to a victory.  I hope you enjoy the game and leave comments on predictions and analysis below!

I haven't written a fanpost in quite some time.  Those of you familiar with this blog know nobody was a more ardent supporter of the Jauron era than this guy.  3.5 years after it started, Jauron was ceremoniously surmounted as HC by Perry Fewell, and now it seems everything I read regarding the Bills says "well at least Chan Gailey isn't Dick Jauron."  I have to admit, 20/20 vision know has me questioning many things that went on in the Jauron era.  Why couldn't he hire a competent OC and find stability?  What was his relationship with Trent Edwards?  We could on and on, but today is not about the past, it is about the present.

I can't think of a more exciting day in the last 365 than today will be.  Think of opening day at the Ralph...can you feel it?  Can you see the stands filled with hungry Bills fans, cautiously optimistic that Chan Gailey will lead them to victory?  I can see the stands chanting "Spiller-Spiller-Spiller" as he electrifies the Ralph with breath-taking runs and one amazing KR or PR that is taken to the house leaving Dolphins players lying all over the field, like a basket of laundry dumped out all over the field.

This is your team.  This is your Stadium Bills fans.  Fill it up and cheer like you never have before.  Get together with your closest friends and relish opening day.  A home opener doesn't come around often, especially one with this much excitement, with a player in Spiller that could be the playmaker this team so desperately needs.

Here's to a year in which the offense is exciting, the defense is attacking, and the coaching is competent.  Here's to hope springs eternal, and maybe just maybe, this is the year we find ourselves ending that 10 year playoff drought once and for all.  Hope is a beautiful thing.

Go Bills!

I know I'll get bashed if I write anything pro-Dick Jauron, but I have no issues defending this man.  Regardless of what you think of Jauron, one thing you can never say is that he is not a great leader.  What is leadership?  Defined by Webster:

"process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task"

Anyone who is a coach, and is in it for the right reasons, knows the right reason is to accomplish goals as a team.  It's not for individual success to gain in their profession, or any other reason, but simply to accomplish the goals they set out.  Each coach will have different ways of motivating his players, each coach has unique personalities, and each coach is shaped by their experiences as a player/coach, mentors and their overall coaching/teaching philosophy.  

I have never seen Dick Jauron lose a football team.  In fact, under the most dire of circumstances, I see Dick Jauron is capable of rallying his team to play at their highest of levels, with energy and passion.  Again, I'm not talking about scheming, game management, or x's and o's, I'm talking simply about leading a team to unite, to play to their potential, and to never quit on the overall goal: to accomplish a common task as a TEAM.

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I had to put this up into a fanpost, in light of the 1-4 start, and the dysfunction of our favorite football team.  This is from Michael Lombardi over at the National Football Post.

Bills GM Russ Brandon on the 6-3 loss: “It is frustrating. I said it last week and I will say it again this week, this is a low point for the organization and for the fan base. We worked our tails off in the offseason to put us in a position that should be better than where we are now. Certainly, we understand the frustration of our fans and everyone that supports this organization.” Working your tail off doesn’t ensure success in the NFL. Working your tail off and making the right moves, however, do ensure success. The Bills placed too much faith in quarterback Trent Edwards, believing he could be their answer as a starter. He’s not a starter. News alert: The Bills need a quarterback.

I could make many points here, but the main point I want to make is about the Bills Front Office.  There are many flaws in Buffalo's organizational structure....but work ethic is not one of them.  It's not like Brandon, Jauron, Modrak, Guy, etc are lazy people.  The problem lies in the fact that there is no one LEADER.  The APPROACH and ATTITUDE of this organization is defined by a committee of people rather than one VOICE, which is why we have no identity as a football team.  There is no football vision.  What are we?  The only thing about the Bills under Dick Jauron that is clear, is that we are a Tampa 2 defense that plays extremely hard, and usually under Bobby April has spectacular special teams.  There is no offensive identity.  They have clearly misevaluated the talent of the OL, and the capability of Trent Edwards as a starting caliber QB in this league.  What separates good businesses from great businesses in any sector is not work ethic, because everyone knows you must work hard to succeed.  It's knowing how to fix things when they go wrong.  It's admitting mistakes and fixing them.  Dick Jauron has had no clue what to do on the offensive side of the ball during his entire tenure and neither has anyone else in the organization for that matter, which is why we have had 3 OC's in 4 years.  

Simply put.  Dick Jauron is a great coach, a great leader and a great person.  He is not however, a General Manager a talent evaluator, nor is he the one clear voice in the Bills organization.  He clearly has his flaws, but those flaws are due to the committee approach of the organization and his lack of ability to make football decisions.    They obviously screwed up big time spending all those FA dollars on Dockery & Walker.  They have yet to find a QB, or an offensive coordinator.  They have yet to find an identity in 3+ seasons.  

Last thing I'll say.  Everyone was giving so much kudos to the no-huddle approach in the off-season.  This was clearly Dick Jauron's attempt at trying something new, something different to finally score enough points.  In theory it was a good idea.  However, he failed to think about having such a young and inexperienced OL and what it would take for them to run this system.  The failure to think ahead about the APPROACH, led to the disaster and atrocious discipline of yesterday's circus of false starts.  Trent IS NOT Peyton Manning.  He cannot read a pre-snap defense and get them in the right play like they had hoped the no-huddle would allow him to do.  They did not evaluate him correctly, or maybe they aren't putting him in the best position to succeed.  He has regressed.  Why?  Remember when you were in school and the teacher was teaching you something you already knew?  What did you do?  You sluffed off and didn't pay attention because you knew it all already.  Or how about when a teacher was shuffling through notes, trying to figure out what to say next?  I feel this is what the OC position for Edwards has been like.  No clear identity, no clear vision, and thus Edwards has not progressed, but rather has regressed because he spends his time trying new things that AVP/DJ are pulling from you know where.  Has he worked hard?  No doubt.  Is he of high character?  Yes.  But he has not progressed because no one has any clue what the offense is supposed to look like in Buffalo.  The APPROACH stinks and the attitude suffers because of it.  

For the last 3 years on this blog, as the Bills have suffered, at some point every year it comes time to talk about firing the coach, time to rebuild, and etc.  Every time we have this conversation it ends with the same conclusion in my opinion:  As long as Ralph Wilson is the owner of this team, the Buffalo Bills will never build a consistent winner.  The days of Jon Butler and Bill Polian seem like light years ago.  And until or unless Ralph or some new owner realize this, that you have to have one voice, one leader, one man in charge of your organization, the only time of year we will have any amount of excitement will be between February and August.  Because, when the games count, and they start counting wins and losses, the teams that have carefully executed their approach and plan for success (i.e Pitt, Indy, NE, Denver, Balt to name a few) will always be light years ahead of (Buffalo, St Louis, Cleveland, Washington).  

The NFL is such a ridiculous phenomenon.  No other professional sport has one game a week, to allow fans, media and critics bash or praise each team based on one game.  Literally, week to week, if you were an outsider with no clue on how the NFL works, you would think people were completely 100% bipolar.  How else can you explain it?  The Bills leading up to week 1, were predicted to lose by 10-50 points to the Pats.  After week 1, some said what an effort, others destroyed McKelvin's property.  After week 2, some said look at what this offense can be, others said "eh it was the Bucs."  After week 3, we are back to how most felt after the pre-season, thinking Trent-ative is back, T.O. is about to go Chuck Norris on Edwards, and Dick Jauron has no clue on game-day management (see 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter).  

I'm here to tell you that perspective is a tool all people need to use.  Great leaders in business or sports know how to first identify the problem, find the best possible way to correct the errors, and if that doesn't work, have the BALLS or courage to CHANGE and try something else.  The best leaders call it knowing when to admit that your way is not the best way, and having the courage to change for the betterment of the T-E-A-M.  Dick Jauron has shown that.  He fired Turk Schonert, he cut Langston Walker, he traded Jason Peters, signed T.O., drafted Shawn Nelson, and most notably went to a complete no-huddle offense.  These are drastic changes that were made after 3 years of winning just .438% of there games.  

But now we are in full regular season mode.  While game planning and X's and O's are undoubtedly crucial to success, more so than anything is what you have don ein minicamps, OTA's, training camp and practice leading up to this point.  Week to week game plans change, but the fundamentals of football do not change. 

I go to one Bills game every year.  This was my 4th straight trip. I have never once met a casual friend or stranger that understands why I depart my hometown of Minneapolis every Fall to travel to Buffalo to see a Bills game.  I tell them it's because I love my team, I love the NFL, I love the city, and I feel a commonality with Bills fans that I can only get by attending the Ralph.  However, I have yet to see a Bills victory in my travels.  Not that I am here for sympathy, but my last two trips, (last year vs the NYJ, and this year vs NO) have been very troubling.  Both games Dick Jauron's teams have looked flat, prone to mental errors especially on offense, and have lacked discipline in the kicking game, and  in their offensive assignments.  Trent Edwards looked miserable on Sunday, but the real question is WHY?  The kid prepares like no other, has an unreal work ethic, wants to be the best, and does not get rattled.  But why then, can he not step up and play more consistently?

This team reflects its leader, Dick Jauron.  Players work hard, don't throw teammates under the bus in the media, are classy and full of character, and treat each other with respect.  That all stems from the HC.  Mike Lombardi said about the Bills the following: they are hard to play but not hard to beat. What does that mean?  Different interpretations can be made but I think it means their effort is always 100%, they don't beat themselves on defense, and they always come to play on gameday.  However, they don't challenge good opponents into the 4th quarter.  They don't put the pressure on the opposition.  Yesterday, the defense played with heart, and Chris Kelsay, IMO, had one of his best games as a Bill.  He was great in dissecting plays, read and reacting and making tackles when the opportunity presented itself (I had to throw that in there for K).  

If the Bills want to go from a 5-7 Win team (which they looked like on Sunday) to a 8-11 Win team (which Jauron needs to keep his job) they have to go from preparing to play, to preparing to Win.  I felt going into this season that Jauron was ready to make change because "it was necessary."  His job is on the line, he is desperate to win, to keep it, and to accomplish something no coach in Buffalo has done in 10 years....make the playoffs.  He did that in off-season personnel changes, and now he needs to do it in the way his teams play on Sundays.  The OL looked like a bunch of rookies on Sunday.  Trent Edwards looked like the check-down QB afraid to make a mistake, we saw last year in Cleveland.  Why does this persist?  Why is Captain Checkdown one of Trent's bipolar characters?  Maybe it's his genetic disposition.  Like when golfers are under pressure, they often have a swing that "comes out and rears its head."  It's the golfers who can go to a "get me over swing" in those situations or can thrive in those situations that separate Tiger from say your run of the mill tour pro.  

To sum up, we can argue why Trent goes to his conservative ways, or why the Bills struggled vs NO and may continue to struggle vs above-average teams this season.  But the bottom line is the proof is in the pudding so to speak.  Coach Jauron always prepares his team to play, but does he prepare them to win?  Mental mistakes, penalties (most penalized team in the league), lack of effort, are results of inconsistent mental performance.  This is troubling, yet also breeds optimism knowing these are correctable errors.  Perhaps the offense (AVP, Trent, EVERYONE) got complacent after beating Tampa Bay.  Perhaps they thought they were on the right track after success in NE and vs TB.  The weapons are available, and it's the job of Edwards to get them the ball.  From the stands it was clearly evident to see T.O. "doggin it" on plays where he felt he wasn't going to get the football.  You can see how this adversely affects Edwards.  Then when he needs a big play from T.O. should Trent have confidence in T.O. to be there, to run his route 100% when he has seen his body language go to sour grapes as the game wore on?  Frustration yields inconsistency in play and performance.  I saw it first hand on Sunday.  

Here's the Bills offensive possession results from Sunday:

1 - Punt

2- FG - Fake results in TD

3 - Punt

4 - Punt

5 - Punt

2nd Half

6 - Punt

7 - INT on throw to T.O.

8 - Punt 

9 - Punt

10 - Punt on 4th and 1 from own 28 with 7:30 left

11 - TO on downs

12 - Punt on 4th and 10 form own 20

Not exactly lighting up the scoreboard.  The Bills owned the ball for 26:26, were 2-14 on 3rd down, had 13 first downs, and completed just 20/35 passes (not including Moorman's) for an avg of 4.4 yds per attempt.  One stat Lombardi loves is passes completed plus rushing attempts.  NO was (16 completed + 38 rushing attempts = 54).  The Bills were (17 completed +  21 attempts for 38).  That is a huge disparity and tells the story.

I could go on and on, and this has turned into a mind dump here, but the bottom line is you expect to see progress with this offense, unfotunately on Sunday we saw regression.  Edwards and AVP never figured out how to beat the NO defense.  With a poor rushing attack, the Bills struggled, and it can be argued they didn't run it enough.  If this offense could somehow, eliminate mental errors, and build some confidence, I believe the potential is there.  With 5 games before the bye week of (@ MIA, vs CLE, @ NYJ, @ CAR, vs HOU) the Bills can pretty much determine if they will contend the 2nd half or be a non-factor.  You have to think a record of 4-4 at the Bye week is an absolute minimum to have any shot at the playoffs, and with a much tougher second half of the schedule, I don't see how they can be worst than 5-3 and have any shot.  It's often said that games in September are tough to decipher as teams build their foundations and get a feel for other teams schemes and effectiveness.  Well, September is over, the Bills went 1-2.  It's now time to shut up or put up.  It starts this Sunday in MIA, and if ever there was a time to Dick Jauron to summon that desperation to keep his job, to get his team to play with such conviction and emotion as they did in week 1 @ NE, that time is now.  Now is the time.  This is the week.  Let's see how it.  "When it's too tough for them it's just right for us" As Marv Levy used to say, well that couldn't be more true than this week against MIAMI.  I

You play to win the game.  The 2009 season is about to begin for our beloved franchise the Buffalo Bills.  Back in April of 2007, Brian Galliford initiated this blog here at Buffalo Rumblings, and it went from a couple of users like myself, to the thousands of hits it now receives daily.  Since that time I have been a loyal reader, active participator, and always a die-hard Bills fan.  The growth at Rumblings over the last two years has been fun to see, the site has gotten better, the tools are improved, you can have an avatar for example, and the quality of the content has indeed improved, thanks to the great writers Brian has assembled.  The one thing that has remained constant is that the Bills have continued to be mired in mediocrity, and Kurupt still hates Chris Kelsay more than ever.  

Why am I mentioning all of this?  Well, because this blog has developed and grown into something Dick Jauron and his staff has not in his three-plus years on the job.  Entering year four, there are a million questions surrounding this Bills team, mostly on the offensive side of the football.  I am here to give my take on the upcoming season, to use logic and analysis, and to try and calm some fears that many of the national media critics and fans have ingrained into their brains before the season has even begun.

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With the addition of T.O. much has been said about not only what T.O. can bring to the passing game in Buffalo, but also what effect he will have on Evans, Reed, Parrish and company.  Mainly, what will this do to Lee Evans?  Evans has been a legit #1 in Buffalo since he arrived in 2004.  With sporadic QB play, Evans leads the league in big play TD catches in the last 5 seasons.  He is the definition of a "big play guy."  He is 28 years old, entering his 6th NFL season, has a career high of 82 catches in 2006 and caught a mere 63 balls last year.  He has speed, he handles his body well, and he has strong hands.  He has never been the premier WR like Andre Johnson, whom despite many losing seasons has been able to put up Pro-Bowl numbers.  However, Evans possesses good route-running, ability to separate off the line of scrimmage, and ability to always have DB's thinking in the back of their heads "this guy can beat me deep all day."  

Michael Lombardi wrote in his column for the National Football Post yesterday about how Amani Toomer and T.O. struggled to separate from DB's last season, which is the main reason these veteran WR's have diminished skills.  I have a die-hard Cowboys fan who is a great friend of mine, who said the Cowboys were forced to slide T.O. in motion a lot to try and give him a head start on separating from DB's.  Add to that that T.O. led the league in drops last year, and you really have to question about the player we are getting.  Make no doubt about it, T.O.'s skills have diminished.  However, his work ethic, influence on this team and fan base, leadership, and ability to teach James Hardy make the signing a no-brainer in my book.  The real WR on this team is Lee Evans, as he is in his prime, has developed a rapport with QB Trent Edwards for the past 2 seasons, and is coming off signing his mega 4 year deal for ~$36 million.  Lombardi had this to say in his column about T.O. last year and more importantly about how teams will play the Bills this season:

Many people feel Terrell Owens was dismissed from Dallas for his poor behavior, but just as important was his inability to consistently beat press coverage, which made him a liability at times and resulted in his termination. When teams rolled to Owens, he was not the same player, so the Cowboys had to motion to create space. Since the NFL is not the CFL, teams can only motion one player at a time. If you’re a team that has too many receivers who struggle to separate from bump, your passing game is going to struggle. In Buffalo, Owens will not face rolled coverage -- Lee Evans will. If teams don’t roll to Evans, he’ll put 100 yards on them before halftime. Trust me on that.

Why do I bring this up?  Because Lee Evans will still be facing the double coverages.  Teams will play that safety high on Lee's side to prevent the big play.  So while many people think the addition of T.O. will be like relieving a log jam in a struggling to flow stream, I believe that the addition of T.O. only helps if he can also make big plays on the other side OR open it up for the skill players Lynch, Jackson, Parrish, Reed, etc to make plays in the underneath game.  And I will be the first to say I really doubt whether T.O. can be a legit #2 across from Evans in the ultra-competitive AFC, in which Owens has NEVER played a full season in.  

If T.O. cannot effectively get off the line and win 1-on-1 battles especially on 3rd down, then this offense will not be much more effective than last season.  And if Trent and Turk FORCE the ball to T.O. that will end up in an even worse situation.  While revamping the OL was something that had to be done, if they can be effective in the run game, and handle these 3-4 fronts, the Bills offense I don't see how it will be any better than last year.  Point blank, this team HAS to up its scoring average from 21 per game of last season, to 23-24 this season, unless the defense becomes Top 10 which I don't see possible with Kelsay still on this roster.

The no-huddle, the addition of Rhodes and Shawn Nelson, the hopeful improvement of Steve Johnson, Derek Schouman, Derek Fine, and most importantly Trent Edwards is what fans, media and observers are looking at as reasons this offense can improve BESIDES the most obvious and T.O.  

Prediction:  If this team wants to go to the playoffs, there is no doubt who should lead this team there in the WR corps and that's Lee Evans.  Maybe he will continue to get double-teamed but that will just open up the run game, and other skill players, and Trent needs to finally recognize this.  If I have to hear about 8 man coverages and how they are doubling Lee over the top, I'm going to puke.  Make an ADJUSTMENT, run the ball effectively, and utilize the short-underneath passing game and no-huddle to make teams get out of those coverages!    T.O. should be a role player this season, and not a focal point.  If he is a focal point, sure he'll get his stats (and he'll drop a ton of balls), but I guarantee we won't be going to the playoffs.  The Bills want to go to the playoffs for the first time in a decade, Lee Evans is the guy that should and can lead them there.  

Phew....what a weekend it was fellas.  The culmination of anticipation that started way back on December 28th when the Bills concluded their season in an anti-climatic game at the Ralph vs the NE Patriots.  Since then so much has happened.  And I'm not about to summarize it all here, but the culmination was yesterday with the NFL Draft.  There is a possibility the Bills may go after Leroy Hill of Seattle, or as jri111 pointed out already this morning the Bills should take a gander at players like Tamba Hali of the KC Chiefs.

But for all intensive purposes our roster is set.  God willing, no one will sustain a season-ending injury in any rookie OTA's or mini camps this summer, and the Bills will begin the 2009 season with a fully healthy roster....at least we can hope.  On paper, there are a lot of things to get excited about, but I'm here to comment on the following thesis of my post here today:

Dick Jauron's whole goal of becoming better in 2009 is simple:  Score more points, and have the lead in more games.

Bear with me as I try and lay out this theme I have recognized throughout the off-season as I've chartered every move the Bills have made and tried to read as much as possible from every source of information I have laid my hands on.  I know I touched on this back in February but I'm too lazy to link it up right now and no one would read it anyways.  But let me throw a few stats at you.

In 2008 the Bills Offense averaged 21 pts per game good for 23rd in the league.  In 2008 the Bills Defense on average gave up 21.4 pts per game.  For the season the Offense scored 336 pts the Defense gave up 342.  Let's take a look at some playoff teams from last year and their Offensive pts per game:

Pittsburg - 21.7, Arizona - 26.7, NE 25.6, Minnesota 23.7, Titans 23.7, Dolphins 21.6

And the Top Defensive units:

Pittsburgh 13.9, Titans 14.6, Eagles 18.1, Ravens 15.2, Miami 19.8, etc

My point of this excercise is, your POINT DIFFERENTIAL needs to be at least +2  pts per game like the Dolphins but on average +3-6 pts for teams that win enough games to qualify for the playoffs.  So what this tells me is the Bills are close, real close to getting over the hump as their point differential was only -0.4 pts so I believe this team is closer to becoming a 10-6 football team then they are to becoming a 5-11 team, especially if the Bills improve in 2009, which you think would with a QB entering his 3rd year and he sould be enough better to get this team over the hump if you believe in Trent Edwards as a legit NFL QB.

Dick Jauron's philosophy this entire off-season by going after T.O., drafting Shawn Nelson, signing Dominic Rhodes, drafting two nasty rookie OL and signing C, Geoff Hangartner, all says "we got to score more points."  It's simple I know, but the flip side of this philosophy is by scoring points, and subsequently having more leads in football games, the Bills strengths will now come to the forefront in the eyes of Dick Jauron.

In the OBD post-draft presser, there are some great quotes that help me solidify my argument and point to what these guys are thinking at OBD.  I believe what I'm about to disect below will allow all of us to understand the reason behind why we have gone after the type of personnel we have this off-season.

Dick Jauron on Shawn Nelson as blocker and his philosophy on having a much improved passing offense in 2009.

"I've always believed the better you are throwing the ball the better you are running it and the better you are running the better you are....they go together....so if we can run it effectively it will make him a better pass receiver and if we can throw it and make them fear the TE, use the TE in the offense that will make him a better blocker cuz they'll have to defend him and they'll be having to be thinking about defending him and you know that adds a lot to a guy's ability to block.  It's hard to block anybody if they know it's coming."

I love this quote.  Dick Jauron says again that they have to utilize these pass catchers.  We must become a more potent passing team and by doing that we will keep defenses more off-balance.  We are too predictable.  This offense has to become proficient in the passing game to become a better team and increase that point differential from -0.4 to +3 pts to make the playoffs and it starts with the passing attack.

Dick Jauron here comments on a question regarding his team's outside linebacker competititon:

Keith has really played well for us whenever we've asked him to step up and play and we're happy where were at it.  We're at the point where we got enough players to challenge him.  It's a position just like every position on our football team and very much related to what I just said earlier about running the ball better and how it makes it easier to throw it.....when the whole thing works together when the offense scores more points there's not as much pressure on say the run defense there's more pressure on the pass defense.  It'll be an interesting thing to watch develop.  I like our guys I like our depth we have right now."

Here again Jauron reitierates his emphasis to score more points.  By having more leads, and playing versus teams passing the ball, Dick Jauron thinks his football team will be better.  The Bills gave up 122 yds per game in the run game good for 22nd in the NFL and gave up 204 yds per game in the passing game good for 13th in the NFL in 2008.  Dick Jauron thinks his team will even be better against the pass in 2009 with development of Posluszny, McKelvin and now Maybin as well as a healthy Schobel and a stable of defensive backs to go up against New England.  The Bills have tried so hard to address where the Bills pass offense and pass defense via free agency and the draft. 

Of course ultimately it all comes down to the development of Trent Edwards and his ability to take advantage of the assortment of weapons he know possesses.  Turk Schonert must be feeling the pressure.  With Dick Jauron and the FO giving Schonert all of these weapons for him to use, the pressure now solely relies on Schonert coaching that offense and utilitzing the weapons appropriately so the Bills can become a top 15 offense for the first time in over 5 seasons.  The dynamic backfield of Lynch, Jackson and Rhodes provides stability not just in the running game, but most importantly in the pass-protection game.  Lynch is a solid blocker, jackson is always in the right place and Rhodes played in Indy, where pass blocking by running backs is their forte.  The only major question mark is will the OL hold up to give Trent time?  I think it may be a rough go at first, but the talent invested in that OL now is significant and I believe they will be good enough for Trent next season.

But you see Dick Jauron's building of this team, I think finally came to frutition when he got Maybin and Byrd on Saturday.  An explosive playmaking DE, and a ball hawking Safety.  For this defense to become top 15, it needed a DE that wasn't ok at rushing the passer, they needed to get a guy who was dominant as a pass rusher and Maybin is that guy.  He can flat out beat you off the edge and for Kurupt and Bills Nation that is a dream come true.

So what are your thoughts on Buffalo's philosophy of off-season acquisitions?  Pretty simple right?  Score more points offensively and consequently play with more leads, so our defense can know what's coming and if we know what's coming we can stop it.

Do you think this was the right way to go about building this football team to win in 2009?  What are your thoughts on where this team is now compared to 2006 when Dick Jauron & Marv Levy arrived?  I think regardless of what you think of the philosophy, they have drafted some pretty good players lately and maybe if they get enough of "their" guys their scheme and philosophy will finally translate to 10-12 wins and a return the Bills to prominence.  Cuz if they do, we will all be loving how great these guys are.  That's what's on the line Brandon, Modrak & DJ....you have a chance to finally put a franchise back on the map.  So for Bills Nation sake as well as yours I hope this huge off-season overhaul finally leads to an AFC East crown.

Fellow Rumblers,

I first want to commend Brian and his staff of writers (Kurupt, MatthewRichWarren, and Sireric, etc) as well as everyone else for their tremendous efforts at informing us on draft propspects, news, scouting reports, etc.  I feel that going into this draft I'm the most informed I have ever been going into an NFL Draft.  Many of us are draft junkies.  If you're like me, probably at some point between January and April, you question yourself, "why do I spend so much time on this?  Should I get a life?  Am I wasting my life on 19-23 year old kids that'll I never meet?  What does any of this matter in the end it's the Bills we're talking about here."  The head games I play with myself last all spring. Sometimes I think I need a break, but the draft infatuates all of us because this is a great fantasy for all of us.  We all envision us calling the shots, what we would do, etc.  The whole way the NFL is run is fascinating to me, and the opportunities we have at this blog to get information that you can't find anywhere else, is really what takes the cake for me.

The way the Bills run their organization, if you've followed this site for a while, you'll realize that Dick Jauron, Tom Modrak, Russ Brandon, etc are not perfect, but they are no slouches either.  The Bills have constraints financially, marketability, and ultimately because it's Buffalo it's just not a desirable locale for professional athletes.  You have to be realistic about the expectations for an organization like the Bills in the day and age we live in.  Once you accept that, and accept the fact that Ralph isn't cheap, that the FO wants and is trying desperately to win, and understand the framework with which the Bills have to work with, you can take it for what it is, and truly enjoy the whole process.  It's not that Dick Jauron loves burning timeouts, that they wanted Jason Peters to leave, that they don't regret many mistakes, it's that simply they are human and ultimately this organization has not had that "one special player" come to Buffalo to bring us back to our glory days.  We are hoping Trent Edwards is that guy...if he's not, Dick Jauron and co. will be on the first Wagon out of town with Edwards as well.

Now a couple of thoughts on the weekend coming up.  Here's what Michael Lombardi, my favorite writer on the NFL, and person in general had to say on what he's hearing from the Bills in his Friday Morning Column.

3.    Buffalo wants to pick a pass rusher at No. 11 and will try to find a tight end or offensive lineman with the pick from the Eagles.

Hardly earth shattering.  The only question is, is anyone besides Ayers on their mind at #11?  Orakpo I think is this year's Vernon Gholston.  Maybin doesn't seem to fit our scheme.  Everette Brown is just too damn stubby for me.  Ayers seems to be the pick unless the Bills see Orakpo as someone that could translate to the NFL in year 1. The most likely scenario sees Buffalo taking Robert Ayers and then trying to trade up to get Brandon Pettigrew in the low to mid 20's.  However, if Andre Smith falls to 9-10 range, don't be surprised to see if Buffalo can go up and get him. 

The 2009 season will be all set up come Monday morning.  Draft picks will report to their first mini camp, OTA's will start in May and go through June.  The roster will be mostly set, and the coaching staff will be doing all they can to prepare for the Monday nighter in NE.  This weekend is the official commencement of the Off-Season, usually the Super Bowl for the Bills.  I urge all of you rumblers to just enjoy the weekend.  Enjoy having 3 picks on day 1.  Enjoy sporting your Bills gear, talking about how much you love T.O., how Dick Jauron's stoic demeanor drives you nuts, and how TE can become the man.  2009 is primed to be a media circus that could indeed blow up in DJ's face.  But it also could be a very, very fun ride.  Right now it still is.  We are still honeymooning with T.O., and the 3 starters we pluck from this draft will again reignite the fanbase.

So soak up the pre-draft hype.  The specualation about your favorite team.  Get the grill going, down some brews or bourbon, and soak it all up.  This is our weekend Bills fans.  It's as good as it gets.  When Goodell says "The Bills are on the clock" and those juices start flowing, enjoy it.  It's going to be a fun ride.  I spend every NFL Draft with 10 of my closest buddies, TV in the garage, grill going, a Keg of a local microbrew, and my newly minted T.O. jersey.  How do the rest of you plan to spend your NFL Draft Saturday and how pumped are you for Saturday?