QLC_SIZEOF(stats.xmit_off), QLC_OFF(stats.xmit_off)},
        {"skb_alloc_failure", QLC_SIZEOF(stats.skb_alloc_failure),
                QLC_OFF(stats.skb_alloc_failure)},
-       {"null skb",
-               QLC_SIZEOF(stats.null_skb), QLC_OFF(stats.null_skb)},
        {"null rxbuf",
                QLC_SIZEOF(stats.null_rxbuf), QLC_OFF(stats.null_rxbuf)},
        {"rx dma map error", QLC_SIZEOF(stats.rx_dma_map_error),
 
                rds_ring = &recv_ctx->rds_rings[ring];
                for (i = 0; i < rds_ring->num_desc; ++i) {
                        rx_buf = &(rds_ring->rx_buf_arr[i]);
-                       if (rx_buf->state == QLCNIC_BUFFER_FREE)
+                       if (rx_buf->skb == NULL)
                                continue;
+
                        pci_unmap_single(adapter->pdev,
                                        rx_buf->dma,
                                        rds_ring->dma_size,
                                        PCI_DMA_FROMDEVICE);
-                       if (rx_buf->skb != NULL)
-                               dev_kfree_skb_any(rx_buf->skb);
+
+                       dev_kfree_skb_any(rx_buf->skb);
                }
        }
 }
                        list_add_tail(&rx_buf->list,
                                        &rds_ring->free_list);
                        rx_buf->ref_handle = i;
-                       rx_buf->state = QLCNIC_BUFFER_FREE;
                        rx_buf++;
                }
                spin_lock_init(&rds_ring->lock);
        dma_addr_t dma;
        struct pci_dev *pdev = adapter->pdev;
 
-       buffer->skb = dev_alloc_skb(rds_ring->skb_size);
-       if (!buffer->skb) {
+       skb = dev_alloc_skb(rds_ring->skb_size);
+       if (!skb) {
                adapter->stats.skb_alloc_failure++;
                return -ENOMEM;
        }
 
-       skb = buffer->skb;
-
        skb_reserve(skb, 2);
 
        dma = pci_map_single(pdev, skb->data,
        if (pci_dma_mapping_error(pdev, dma)) {
                adapter->stats.rx_dma_map_error++;
                dev_kfree_skb_any(skb);
-               buffer->skb = NULL;
                return -ENOMEM;
        }
 
        buffer->skb = skb;
        buffer->dma = dma;
-       buffer->state = QLCNIC_BUFFER_BUSY;
 
        return 0;
 }
 
        buffer = &rds_ring->rx_buf_arr[index];
 
+       if (unlikely(buffer->skb == NULL)) {
+               WARN_ON(1);
+               return NULL;
+       }
+
        pci_unmap_single(adapter->pdev, buffer->dma, rds_ring->dma_size,
                        PCI_DMA_FROMDEVICE);
 
        skb = buffer->skb;
-       if (!skb) {
-               adapter->stats.null_skb++;
-               goto no_skb;
-       }
 
        if (likely(adapter->rx_csum && cksum == STATUS_CKSUM_OK)) {
                adapter->stats.csummed++;
        skb->dev = adapter->netdev;
 
        buffer->skb = NULL;
-no_skb:
-       buffer->state = QLCNIC_BUFFER_FREE;
+
        return skb;
 }
 
 
                WARN_ON(desc_cnt > 1);
 
-               if (rxbuf)
+               if (likely(rxbuf))
                        list_add_tail(&rxbuf->list, &sds_ring->free_list[ring]);
                else
                        adapter->stats.null_rxbuf++;