I couldn’t help but feel like you left out one key area of leadership, and that is the player who’s mentality because contagious, a sort of mental leader. I really believe that one of the biggest problems the Bills have suffered from in recent years is that many did not think we had a winner here and that many young players, whether publicly or not, did not want to be in Buffalo because there was no drug-ridden, prostitute filled, nightclub strips to shoot up like in Miami or because there was no major market for sponsorships and celebrity appearances like in New York City.

Well, I think Marshawn Lynch became that mental leader who changed all that even in his rookie year. He made it public he wanted to be in Buffalo, that he believed we were winners in Buffalo, and that he wanted to embrace this city. Trust me, for other young players on the roster who might be thinking thoughts of the glory life on a San Diego beach seeing and hearing that kind of attitude from a young guy your own age hits home a lot harder than seeing and hearing it from a veteran who maybe is old enough not to want the same things as a younger guy anymore. It demonstrates what kind of maturity and attitude young players should have because the best young player on the team is proving it. I do think we’re on the road to playoff appearances soon and a large part of that is that a guy like Marshawn is getting a young core to be proud of the city they represent and be proud of the product they put on the field every Sunday. That is how winners are made, in the head.

At the professional level these guys are getting paid. They know if they win, do well individually, and as a team, they get paid. Look at Kavika Mitchell. He got paid coming off a Super Bowl probably didn’t hurt his salary negotiation.

As outsiders we want to tag the so called “leaders.” In football, the QB is most of the time the guy praised in wins and criticized in losses. Trent is our QB. He has to lead by example. Leading the offense to 6 pts instead of 3’s. The best players on the Bills are the leaders. The Bills have done the right thing, IMO. They have used FA to bolster areas of need that they need to supplement quickly and couldn’t through the draft in Dockery, Walker, Stroud and Mitchell. But the rest of the team is really all guys that have been drafted by the Bills. That is what breeds consistency, camaraderie and wins in the end.

I think this year’s rookie class, McKelvin, Hardy, Ellis, and Poz (i throw him in there cuz he basically is) will thrive this year bc of the veteran players around them that have built this team to what everyone hopes is a playoff team this year. They will contribute right away.

Brian is exactly right in characterizing the different ways players on the Bills lead. But we don’t have a Peyton Manning, Face of the franchise guy. In football with so many different groups, there are many leaders. I think that is what makes the game so great.

did you have to bring up the name “Rob Johnson”? Wasn’t there another alternative to that painful memory that you resurrected in our minds? Even “Billy Joe Hobert” would’ve been better…

I can definitely see Marshawm as a leader on this team. “Beast Mode” is exactly the kind of thing to get your teammates amped up and inspired. I think of Poz (Posluszny, that is, before he got hurt) and Crowell on the defensive side (and Schobel, in his own way).

This brings me to my next question: Are there any leaders on the special teams, besides the kickers, that provide leadership? I think of McGee & Parish for the return teams – what about the kick coverage teams?

since we’re talking about leadership maybe we could sign a young, talented man greatly in need of some. I couldn’t help but notice that Adarius Bowman still is not signed. What do this blogs authors think about giving the kid a shot? I think with the attitude we have building here his misfortune could be turned into a focal point of determination, a chip on the ole shoulder as they say. Too many receivers as is? Or maybe there is a reason he’s still unsigned? (although his production has to count for something, I mean I’d say at least 30% of the league smokes dope)

in the second sentence, then never even talk about Jauron? Jauron needs to do a better job of leading this team as well, especially in the area of managing the game on Sunday. How many games did we lose last year because we could not seem to make adjustments in the second half? We go into half time competitive. Then, the other team makes some adjustments, and we couldn’t seem to figure out how to counter.

How many times….did we see the same old frick’n thing? Now, maybe that was partly do to the inability of the offense, especially at QB to make plays…..but Jauron is so damn conservative. And which is why we lost so many 4th quarter games last year, i.e. Denver, Dallas come to the top of my head. Cuz, Jauron does not know what to do other than play conservative.

His gameday management has left a lot to be desired. Not sure how he can get better at that. He actually is fine calling 3 running plays inside the 20. I hope Turk runs a great open, unpredictable offense. I hiope Jauron lets him have free reign

I agree with you guys on halftime adjustments. The Bills were horrible at that. But is that DJ’s fault? Yes, to an extent, but no as well. Let me explain…

SF was just a bad OC – call it like it is/was. It was his game plan that was so maddening, and predictable. Does Jauron have final say? Yes, of course he does. So while he does get the plan, we should really remember that SF is, as Lewis Black would say, the Root of All Evil.

As far as leadership goes, you have to tip your hat to DJ. No matter what adversity faced that team, they played hard. You can’t say that for a lot of teams in the league. People around football gave the Bills a lot of props last year for their effort. That’s good leadership if you ask me.

Quick question – how wide open and unpredictable was the Giants offense last year? I have no problems with a conservative offense, given the fact that you have a 2nd year QB…

I like DJ a lot. He has built a great foundation and the talent on the Bills is starting to measure up to the top half of the league. However, it is all about W’s in this business and while his teams have shown an uncanny ability to compete through tons of injuries and against the critics, his in-game mgmt has shown to be lack luster. He is a defensive coach. he does that well. But he needs an offensive coach who can score points with his schemes.

Conservative doesn’t win in the NFL. Until the Bills offense can run out the clock, or give the shot to the jugular late in the 4th quarter this team will lack what it takes to win. Every 4th quarter of close games come down to the defense hoping to stop someone. The pats, colts, and even Giants of last year had their OFFENSE win games in the 4th quarter. This defense will bend but not break, but if you lack an offense that is potent you have a 7-9, 10-6 team.