spartacus

forgot to add that he pads his stats against the totally inept Big 12 defenses they really don't play any defense in that league

since Ralph has no clue, the #1 priority is to find a good GM who will mold the Bills into a tough blue collar team which can control the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense. First step is gut the existing front office and disband the "inner circle". Anything less than this is pissing in the wind. The GM then needs to hire the coach who can shares these beliefs and can execute the plan. The coach needs to have head coaching experience, but does not need to be one of the egomaniacs for whom they will have to break the bank. Someone like Kirk Ferentz has proven himself running a program and has NFL experience as an OL coach under Bellicheat.

good thing we passed on the stud LT Ryan Clady for McKelvin probably help Shanahan focus on how stupid the Bills front office has been in acquiring talent.

when you plan the entire off-season for Walker to play LT, you don't cut the guy outright days before the season starts when the guy you want to replace is already injured. I'm not a big fan of Walker, especially at LT, but he is healthy and light years ahead of what has been playing OL for this team since he left.

too bad Dick is gone or they would have started him at LB next week with Scott can't have enough small slow DBs

or the more likley interpretation is that Shanhan will be using the Bills opportunity as leverage in negotiations with other clubs. It does Shanahan zero good to shut down the Bills at this time, even if he has zero interest in their potential offer, hates Brandon and thinks Ralph is a senile meddling old codger. of course, he is going to say what he said I will believe Ralph will pay $10+ mil for a coach when they produce the signed contract. Whatever they pay will be wasted if they don't gut the front office as well.

yeah -you need a crystal ball to determine that a 2nd year player with zero experience who is already injured may have some problems starting for the 1st time at LT. you must have shared brilliant foresight with OBD

and just think, that crackerjack clown show is still making the personal decisions, with Ralph considering the "possibility" of reviewing the front office

WRONG You aren't building from the ground up when you don't even have a GM to set the philosophy of the organization and demand the accountability needed to execute the plan. proof that the "inner circle" has not been building from the ground up is the total ineptness of the OL and front 7, premium picks and resources sacrificed for DBs and other "small" positions. I use the word "small" loosely, as the Bills like all of their defenders to be severely undersized from what every other team in the league employs.

please post a link to where actually says he is "going to spend money to bring professional management back into the franchise" The quote I remember from the day they fired Dick is that it was a "possibility" they would review the front office.

especially if he can convince some team that the Bills actually offered $10 mil + and a piece of ownership

Bradford will be the obvious Bills pick another player who suffered multiple season ending injuries and will not have proven that he can ever return to his previous capabilities. probably will waste extra picks to trade up to get him too just like with Poz

you are probably right who could have possibly foreseen a problem when you cut Walker right before the season AFTER Bell was already injured for several weeks of camp. Cutting Chambers and then being forced to re-sign him 2 days later (after every other team passed on him) couldn't be seen as a forecast of the disaster to follow. and relying on Butler as the cornerstone of the OL when he hasn't been healthy since he's been here was also a masterstroke of planning

that crackerjack front office is still employed and making all personnel decisions and don't expect Ralph to change it next year either absolutely criminal what they did to the OL, though

he paid top money to bring in Knox - that's it. Levy was hired on the cheap after his single wing didn't cut it in KC and the USFL folded Saban did not get big money

50 years of Ralph's program will do that to you when he goes out and hires a quality HC ONCE in 50 years, hard to see Ralph changing his tune now.

"Go out and find a good GM and let him hire a good coach" This is what they need to do, if for no other reason to disband the "inner circle" "Unless all this is just another brilliant R Brandon marketing ploy" Unforunately this is also probably true. doesn't cost Ralph much to pursue these coaches and get the hype rolling. we will see how much Ralph really spends on the next great re-tread. can you say Jim Haslett

I especially like the part of his windup where he drops the ball to his knees. His release is probably twice as slow as Leftwich but he is a winner - which should count for something in buffalo

who needs a GM when you have the mystical "inner circle" to foster group think and eliminate accountablility it's worked great so far (at least as far as anyone being held accountable - not so much for building an NFL caliber team)

you must be a law student who has trouble with the contracts class. if the contract was not guaranteed, his old team would not owe him anything past the year he was fired - thus no need to mitigate damages

the "talk" is misplaced Ralph has a 50 year history proving his cheapness in hiring a head coach and GM. In 50 years, he has paid market rates to bring in a top coach (Knox) only once and a top GM (Donahoe) only once. the only "cheap" talk is of Ralph actually spending big money on a new coach and GM. For all the hype being generated about spending $50 mil and partial ownership, the total actual cost to Ralph was for the trip to Denver by Brandon to see Shanahan. The rest of the hype doesn't cost Ralph a dime - but does get the fans all juiced up.

Jones and Snyder love the media spotlight much more than Ralph- but Ralph does not take a backseat to anyone when it comes to screwing up the football decisions of his team. go no farther than the mysterious "inner circle" which Ralph uses to deflect attention away from himself

Bill I think you are off base here Bell has a famous father - how can he not be a super-star? not to mention he was scouted and drafted by the stellar Bills front office, a bastion of excellence in building "offensive" lines The Bills used similar rationale to draft the really tall Hardy, who also has justified the ironclad logic at OBD. If Bell was no good, there is no way the Bills would have passed up another midget DB to take him get your act together

This is true The Bills need a solid foundation in the front office more than a glamor coach with a huge ego. These HC /GM combos are all failures because the GM side consistently gives the HC side less than stellar talent. A lot like Pat Riley. Pat the coach is a great motivator and great coach. unfortunately, Pat the GM hates young players and consistently trades young talent for the old overthehill vets who breakdown. Pat the coach would have won more championships if Pat the GM had forced him to play young talent. Shanahan vastly overrates his abilities as a talent evaluator and general manager. He is reckless with his personnel decisions and management of cash and the salary cap. He may be able to coach, but this team needs a strong GM to set the foundation and reign in the egomanic coach.