None of us understand that this is a process

[Nappy Roots]

There's a difference between rooting for an 8-8 season and expecting one.

perfectally put words...

im thinking 7-9 wins...but ill be rooting for 16-0 as always. and when sunday rolls around i always expect to win, cept some last season, but in the end 7-9 wins is most realistic.

 

[Crisis]

Voice of reason.


Also you guys constantly compare yourself to the Chargers, "look at them, they turned it around"

How many years did it take them. they methodically put that puzzle together, and it finally clicked.

I say the same thing everytime they bring the Chargers up but they always seem to ignore it.

 

[Nappy Roots]

I say the same thing everytime they bring the Chargers up but they always seem to ignore it.

true story, they were building that team for a few years.

 

[Mike13]

Voice of reason.


Also you guys constantly compare yourself to the Chargers, "look at them, they turned it around"

How many years did it take them. they methodically put that puzzle together, and it finally clicked.

Thats all true, it is going to take us a while to be a good team again(like San Diego), But that doesnt mean we can't have at least an 8-8 or 9-7 season.

No offense but it might take Buffalo a while to become a good team too. You guys have a rookie QB who will be good one day, but as for now he
is like Carson Palmer. (I don't mean that in a bad way Palmer is good and like I said JP will be good eventually) Don't count McGahee to carry the team all the time, since he is sort of injury prone, and other teams will find a a way to slow him down during a game. Ronnie will probably experience the same thing sometime in his career (most good RBs do) however has he gets better and more experience he will correct his flaws. Your O line has been inconsistent over the past few years, and that is never good for an inexperienced QB.

 

[MelbournePhin]

I say the same thing everytime they bring the Chargers up but they always seem to ignore it.

and you two seem to ignore us when we tell you that losman hasnt proven sh-t yet

 

[LarryFinFan]

I have read so many threads in the past week about how we are a sure playoff team, and for sure gonna win 10+ games (some wacko went as far as 13-3 on another thread). However, us fans havent dealt with rebuilding before, and we r expecting way too much out of these players. We have a rookie coach, rookie runningback, inexperienced qb (that would be aj, gus is just old), and a defense that has yet to prove itself. I would love for us to go 13-3, hell i would love for us not to lose period, but i think we r getting carried away here.

I agree that there are some really, really, really optimistic folks out there...I don't have too many concerns that Saban is a rookie coach. The biggest reason that I feel that we are in for an up and down year with probably 8-8 as the best case scenario is that we really haven't changed much on our OL. Yes, we have the best or second best OL coach. There is reason for optimism with Carey's development, Big Mac's ankle should be much stronger than last year, and Hadnot was a pleasant surprise and should only be better...but we seem to have replaced St. Clair with McDougle, but St. Clair had the best year of any of our OL last year. Now, I am not saying that he is our best OL...but he had the best year of play of the starting 5 guys did.

It can be argued (and I have argued it myself) that AJ was not given a proper opportunity and the OL played so poorly that we really didn't see whether he is the answer for us or even a step up from Ears. That will have to be seen...AJ is going into the 2nd half of his first extended game time experience...he'll have some ups and downs.

The offense in general will be operating on it's 3rd offensive scheme in 3 years (if you call what we had last year a scheme). Our WR corp is mediocre but could be much better than last year if Boston can play up to his hype. As you mentioned we have rookie RB, can't really know what to expect from RW and have some promise in KJ and Morris, but it's really a question mark area as well.

So, in a long-winded and round about way, I too question the optimism of folks calling us playoff bound, etc. I think we are a better team than the last few years on paper...but whether that will translate to the field is unknown...

 

[painnotpleasure]

There's a difference between rooting for an 8-8 season and expecting one.

I couldn't agree with you more. Well said. :up:

 

[Losman7]

Thats all true, it is going to take us a while to be a good team again(like San Diego), But that doesnt mean we can't have at least an 8-8 or 9-7 season.

No offense but it might take Buffalo a while to become a good team too. You guys have a rookie QB who will be good one day, but as for now he
is like Carson Palmer. (I don't mean that in a bad way Palmer is good and like I said JP will be good eventually) Don't count McGahee to carry the team all the time, since he is sort of injury prone, and other teams will find a a way to slow him down during a game. Ronnie will probably experience the same thing sometime in his career (most good RBs do) however has he gets better and more experience he will correct his flaws. Your O line has been inconsistent over the past few years, and that is never good for an inexperienced QB.

No doubt you could win 8 games, possibly more. You truly had 0 running game last year. Bad line + No Ricky = 0 Running game.

Now you have a respectable threat and its going to improve your team.

 

[Dolfins]

I don't see how anyone could think the fins would not have a .500 season with everything that has happened this offseason......on paper atleast. Everything looks pretty nice compared to last year or even 2 years ago when they went 10-6. However it is too early to even start predicting records. No telling who is going to be healthy/injured or even on the team by the start of the season. I personally don't care what the fins record is this year, I am just glad to see Wanny gone and the organization moving forward.

 

[Losman7]

I don't see how anyone could think the fins would not have a .500 season with everything that has happened this offseason......on paper atleast. Everything looks pretty nice compared to last year or even 2 years ago when they went 10-6. However it is too early to even start predicting records. No telling who is going to be healthy/injured or even on the team by the start of the season. I personally don't care what the fins record is this year, I am just glad to see Wanny gone and the organization moving forward.

You have to remember, and even if it hurts to qadmit it, the bills are a much better team than they were two years ago too.

TKO, SAM, Lawyer, Vincent, Willis, Evans, Posey, Villarial, Shelton, we've improved alot too, making the division that much harder.

 

[DolfanISS]

My highest expectation for this years team is 8-8. However I think anyone who rules out anything in today's NFL sounds dumber than anyone who thinks we will go 12-4 or 13-3. We've seen it too many times before. Not just last years Chargers, they are just the freshest worst to first team in recent memory.

The Rams of 1999, slowly built huh??? Yeah they wanted their starting QB to get hurt to pave the way for there Arena league star.

The 2001 Patriots, Slowly built right???? more like a team that was well on the decline until a 3rd string QB gave them life.

2003 Panthers, slowly built again, 2-14 to Super Bowl, to 8-8 or 7-9.

Much of winning in today's NFL is tribute to timing, catching oppenents at the right time, peaking at the right time and getting healthy at the right time (See 2000 Ravens, 2001 Pats, 2003 Panthers and 2002 Bucs) as well as getting plenty of bounces and breaks.

 

[DolfanISS]

You have to remember, and even if it hurts to qadmit it, the bills are a much better team than they were two years ago too.

TKO, SAM, Lawyer, Vincent, Willis, Evans, Posey, Villarial, Shelton, we've improved alot too, making the division that much harder.

That's also a very good point and I don't mean that the Bills are a much better team and yada yada yada Bills Bills Bills. I mean the level of competition in the divison has changed dramatically in the past couple of seasons. I've seen threads where people have compared the 2005 team to the 2000 team which went 11-5 and won the division. What they are forgeting is that in 2000 the Pats sucked, the Bills sucked and the Jets, although they swept us, were nothing to right home about. We took the division in 2000 becuase we were the only good team in our division. That will not be the case in 2005.