Archives for January 7, 2010

‘It appears both the Giants and Bears are aggressively pursuing Fewell, even though he remains a candidate to be the Bills head coach. The Bills were reportedly in Minnesota today to interview Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.’

‘U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has been reassured by Bills owner Ralph Wilson that he has no intention of entertaining offers to relocate the team to Los Angeles.’

‘However, as Bills fans oft do at season’s end, the “what if” game is a common theme. What if the Bills beat the Patriots on Monday night in Week 1 instead of letting a 24-13 lead erode? What if they beat Cleveland, a horrible game that ended 6-3? What if the team stayed relatively healthy and didn’t end with a record 18 players on Injured Reserve? Sadly, though, for Bills fans, the “what if” questions come again after a non-playoff season, the 10th straight for a franchise that played one playoff game in the last decade – Jan. 8, 2000 at Tennessee – a 22-16 loss more commonly called “The Music City Miracle.”‘

‘The introduction of Nix as GM certainly brings in a new era, a breath of fresh air, but also brings some speculation that may leave fans wondering for seasons to come.’

‘When the regular season came to a close last Sunday there was no defensive unit in the NFL that had been on the field for more plays in 2009 than the Bills, 1,086 to be exact. Part of the reason why was Buffalo’s offense, which was last in the league in third down conversion percentage (26%) and last in first downs per game (14.6). They were also last in total offensive plays for the season with just 911.’

‘This is the seventh season in a row the Bills ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in yards, and the fifth straight year they haven’t been able to be better than 23rd in points. This was the third time in the four years since Dick Jauron became head coach in 2006 that the Bills ranked 30th or worst in both first downs and third-down conversions.’

‘Frazier has been on the cusp of landing an NFL head coaching job the previous two years. He interviewed for the jobs in Miami and Atlanta two years ago and in St. Louis, Detroit and Denver last year. He reportedly was the runner-up choice for the Denver job and was a finalist in St. Louis. Frazier’s meeting with the Bills was confirmed by Vikings head coach Brad Childress on Wednesday in an e-mail to the Associated Press.’

‘Fewell took a banged-up, demoralized lot and got three wins out of them. That’s more than I thought they’d get. And where’d it land him? Right out on the street with the rest of the Bills coaching staff. He gets to interview for the heading coach job, though. Whoo hoo.’

‘”I think the series is in good shape and the Bills have made tremendous in-roads into this marketplace with our help,” Montgomery said. “The last game [in December] against the [New York] Jets was a huge step forward and something Paul Beeston and the Jays can capitalize on.”‘

‘Although the Vikings are in the playoffs, Frazier is eligible to talk to the Bills because the Vikings have a bye this week. The Vikings defense finished ranked sixth in the NFL this season, including second against the run.’

‘New general manager Buddy Nix thinks the Bills aren’t that far away from competing for a playoff spot. Perhaps nobody’s told him the team has failed to make the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, that it has burned through six head coaches and four GMs in that span and that last season, the club finished 30th in offense and 19th on defense.’

‘The Bills are scrambling to fit in interviews with coaching candidates whose window to speak with other teams closes next week by NFL rule when the divisional playoff round begins. Another possible candidate is San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.’

‘”Nobody likes uncertainty but nobody is promised a job next year. You don’t know who’s going to be here, or what’s going to happen. The best thing to do is take the offseason, get your mind clear, stay in shape … We’re going to do everything possible to get to where we need to go because our fans deserve more – and we deserve more.” — S Donte Whitner.’