From one year to the next, the NFL can be very volatile. Each season tells its own unique story and teams change with the ebbs and flows of the year. But if you're a fan of the Buffalo Bills, and you've been watching this Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott-led iteration of the team come close to the promised land without getting over the hump for four years now, it must be disheartening to hear Brandon Beane, general manager of the Bills, claim that his team is still in search of its identity.

“This team is still forming its identity and while we know a lot more than what we knew probably four or five weeks ago, I wouldn’t say we exactly know where this team’s going to be,” Beane said, courtesy of Tyler Pacos of WGRZ. “Long season to go . . . and we’ll see where it ends.”

Now while one could argue that this is nothing more than generic front office talk at a midseason press conference, I would gladly play devil's advocate in this circumstance and say this is far more problematic than it may seem to the naked eye. Because in reality, I actually believe Brandon Beane here. I don't think he or Sean McDermott have any idea what this team's identity actually is. And when you're at this stage of the season and your team's development, that is a major cause for concern.

What is the identity of the Buffalo Bills? 

The Buffalo Bills are 5-3, but one could easily make the case that they should be 8-0. Or 3-5. They're the 4th highest scoring team in the league, but so often it feels like they struggle to move the ball in a way that they shouldn't with the amount of talent they have on that side of the ball. They have the 3rd best scoring defense in the league, but injuries to Matt Milano and Tre'Davious White have played a role in the Bills defense looking vulnerable the last few weeks. They don't run the ball particularly well (Josh Allen's decreased rushing attempts plays a role in this) and they can't stop the run. They're second in the NFL in sacks, but have the fourth-most missed tackles in the league.

Here's the point I'm trying to make: Buffalo possesses arguably the highest ceiling of any team in the NFL, but there's not a more inconsistent team in the league. And I'm not just talking about inconsistency in their play on the field. I'm talking about inconsistency throughout the entire organization. The inconsistency in the coaching, the play-calling, the management of the team… it's all spotty at best, and it all starts with Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott.

It didn't feel this way at the start of this Bills run. It felt like this was a team that knew exactly what they wanted to build and how they were going to go about doing it. It felt like with each passing day, Western New York was getting closer to their long-awaited Super Bowl championship. Now, with each passing day, it feels like they're just getting further and further away.