Archives for January 2015

‘The Bills are taking an exhaustive, wide-reaching approach to the search under new owners Terry and Kim Pegula, who bought the franchise in October. Both Pegulas are sitting in on the interviews, along with general manager Doug Whaley and team president Russ Brandon.’

Coaching: Marrone got this team to their first winning season in 10 years and deserves some of the credit for that. I give more credit to Jim Schwartz’s defense which Marrone admittedly didn’t pay that much attention to. Marrone is an offensive line guru who saw his favorite unit fail. His overly conservative game calling was maddening. Crossman had the special teams playing real well all season long. Final Overall Grade B: Continuity takes a blow as Marrone quits. Marrone C+: Could have stayed but was greedy. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

‘What bothers me is that I have passed down this addiction to my son, who has inherited the same disease I suffer from.’

‘The source said that during interviews Whaley not only has spoken in glowing terms about Manuel, he also has made it clear he wants the new coach to make the progress in developing Manuel that Marrone and his staff failed to make.’

‘Reich would go a long way toward stabilizing a dysfunctional organization that lost its way after he left and never fully recovered. He is how he presents himself, an honest and righteous man who doesn’t have ulterior motives. He would come with credibility and class, two qualities they need with so many arrows flying across the front office.’

‘”I’ve been going to a number of stadium and arena developments around the country where, when placed in the right spot in a community, it creates significant economic development around a property. Obviously, that hasn’t happened out in Orchard Park,” Jerry Jr. told reporters. “But picking the right location in this city could be very impactful, not just in terms of having a new home for the Bills but in terms of driving economic development within the city itself.”‘

‘We’ll add a new position each day.’

‘”I look at it this way; we’re extremely happy with Sammy Watkins and we expect big things from him and I’ll let you guys discuss if the trade was worth it,” general manager Doug Whaley said to the media in defending the trade and pick. “We got a No. 1 wide receiver and if we didn’t have a No. 1 wide receiver we’d still be looking for one so in the long term future, however long he plays and if he’s here with the Buffalo Bills, we expect him to put up No. 1 wide receiver numbers.”‘

‘The Pegulas and Brandon aren’t qualified, from a football sense, and because the Bills didn’t expect to be in the market for a coach, the usual names were quickly thrown at the wall: Seattle coordinators, Darrell Bevell (offense) and Dan Quinn (defense), offensive coordinators Adam Gase (Denver) and Hue Jackson (Cincinnati) and Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.’

‘”I moved on. This isn’t about me. I don’t want it about me. I’m not always right … This has been magnified beyond belief. This is my personal opinion about Doug Marrone. If it’s national news, hey it’s a slow news day.”‘

‘Here’s a list of coaches connected to the Bills…’

‘She says her experience as a triathlon coach “involves guiding athletes to achieve the dreams they dream. I believe a coach needs to manage a team and a team of coaches.”‘

‘Marrone also interviewed with the Falcons this week, so the Jets aren’t his only option, but it appears a return to New York isn’t as likely as it appeared to be a few days ago. Things change quickly in the NFL.’

‘Don’t you see? Doug Marrone may be many things, but “unaware” is not one of them. And so, he finagled that opt-out clause (complete with a $4-million golden parachute) with the dopey Bills and has used it to become a free agent.’

‘In the middle of this dysfunction is the man who has been with the organization the longest through the 15 years without a playoff: President and Chief Executive Officer Russ Brandon. Brandon allowed Marrone, a coach with no big-time resume, an opt-out clause that would allow him to receive $4 million even if he did not coach in the third year of his contract.’