GaryPinC

Chud is an interesting hire for Cleveland. I will always remember the great job he did with that Browns offense his first year as OC in 2007. You just don't see a first year OC come in and be so successful very often. Did it with carolina last year also, not sure what happened this season. Hope he does well for the Browns.

This. Subjective experts were willing to talk to us or sought us out. How different this is from last time. Coaches know they have to show significant upwards progress by year 2 and that's really hard if the cupboard is bare when they arrive.

Stevie Johnson said he wanted to be back last year and he himself thought it wouldn't happen.

I'm wrong and you're right, they did have some preliminary talks in June. I guess to me Levitre did sound dissatisfied with the process but maybe he really does just want to leave. http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5310/andy-levitre

I agree with Nix's dissatisfaction and that you can't keep turning over coaching staffs every 3 years but play of the team, lack of adjustments, and decision making on both sides of the ball left no other choice. Bills just reeked of poor coaching this year.

They may keep them on staff, inform them the next head coach will decide and they are free to seek another job in the meantime.

Part of the problem in my mind is that it sounds like Buddy hasn't bothered to have any serious talks with his agent yet. It's a sign of disrespect to a player to be forced to play out the last year of his contract unless injuries were a significant factor.

Thanks for your efforts Chan. I liked you a lot more in the 2010 and most of the 2011 season. Somewhere along the way you turned into a Dick Jauron-style decision maker. Got to take chances and do your own thing. You also needed to kick Wannstedt in the ass instead of leaving him alone on his island. That's what a head coach would have done.

Richardson's a hell of a player, you'll see that in time barring injury problems. Holmgren was the final word on drafting Colt McCoy, I suspect he was with Weeden also. Hindsight. Cleveland made a really good offer, almost as good as Washington's. Pretty good, especially considering the impending change in ownership.

If Nix is gone I wouldn't mind bringing in Tom Heckert, who was whitewashed by the Browns. I think he's done a good job of bringing some solid talent in there. I'm sure his quarterback choices were dictated to a large extent by Holmgren, though I can't believe Weeden is being condemned after one year as a rookie. I think the Browns will be down for another 3 years. We'll see... Heckert's drafts: http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/12/tom_heckerts_draft_picks_as_cl.html

Sorry, you're right, meant "loophole" http://civilliberty.about.com/od/guncontrol/a/Gun-Shows.htm It's state law and that varies a lot. California supposedly has the toughest making the owner guilty of felony or misdemeanor for keeping an unsecured, loaded gun in the house if there's a child under 18 who obtains and uses it or takes it to a public place. http://oag.ca.gov/firearms/tips But most state laws do not address how guns are handled and stored in private homes. As far as crime numbers, i don't know. But just today an 11 year old brought a gun to school in Utah: http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_11-yr-old-utah-boy-takes-gun-to-school-after-connecticut-shooting_1779370 “The boy had an unloaded gun and ammunition in his backpack”, he said, adding: “The .22-caliber handgun had been left at the boy's home by a relative”. This is garbage. No way should this kid have access. Here's some data a few years old about accidental shootings: http://www.thesurvivorsclub.org/extreme/surviving-accidents/accidental-shooting Pretty much any shooting involving a child will involve an unsecured gun. It's simply time to set some higher standards of responsibility for how gun owners store and restrict access to their firearms.

I know I'm just jumping in on this one, and there's no perfect solution but I feel strongly about a starting point. With freedom comes responsibility, and as a gun owner I honestly feel there are too little responsibilities placed on gun owners. Mandatory safety and use training, secure storage laws, ammunition storage laws, and the liability of the gun owner in the event that weapon is used to commit a crime. It's one thing if the perpetrator steals a key and subsequently the gun, but if the thing is just lying around loaded that has always been a real problem for me and I'm sorry to say there are many trained NRA-types who seem to enjoy having a loaded gun easily accessable around the house. As a gun owner, if you feel you need to have unsecured guns lying around, there needs to be legal consequences. Gun owners need to have a responsibility standard for storing and handling guns. This doesn't change who can own a gun, but it would clarify the responsibilities of that ownership. If someone is mentally ill or disturbed in the household, it bears debate and discussion as to if stricter storage/accessability rules need to be put in place. Background check data system should be updated instantly so waiting periods are unnecessary, then you can close the gun show loop. I also believe there are much deeper issues here than guns. If someone blows up a school while hacking away at kids with a machete, will people finally stop fixating on the weapons and look at the motivation behind it?

Are you kidding me? Did you read the entire article? Dad dead at 6. Grandmother who helped raise him, dead @13. Father figure high school coach dead in car crash @ 18. Mom wheelchair bound and dead of congestive heart failure @20. Younger brother Simeon who he helped mentor and was close to, dead this year. Dareus has been afraid to leave his house other than to go play football. And you blithely think he should be able to wall all this off and pour everything into his job? It's one thing when a close relative dies, it's another when your life is full of those scenarios. Dareus is pretty much a hero in my book being able to do so well for himself in spite of how he grew up. And it explains his early season performances. Ever wonder why the Buffalo News never seems to be able to get a story like this?

Gailey's problem is all too sadly the same as Jauron's: He game plans around what the other team is going to do to stop the Bills and changes his offensive focus accordingly. We lack killer instinct because we lack coaches who trust their players to do what they're best at and only adjust if it's not working. This has got to suck confidence from our players. Think the Belicheck goes into a game thinking he'll use Welker as a decoy and do something completely different? Stevie's comments about Fitzy audibles, Spiller's touches, etc all point glaringly at it.

I do wonder if Modkins has a bigger role in the playcalling this year

Colt's arm strengh is noticeably worse than Fitzpatrick's. Colt's a great guy and leader and definitely got a bit of a raw deal getting shoved aside for Weeden but they did it because Colt simply can't throw well beyond mid-range. It's awful actually.

Exactly. Most or all of these players are going to be physically and/or mentally afflicted from this game the rest of their lives. Will that be worth it? I do wonder about how much Mario's attitude and play have factored into this mess though. Got the article today:http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/19963387/2012/10/31/mario-williams-still-has-issues-with-the-way-he-left-the-texans where Mario blames the GM for him leaving town. When he was recruited by the Bills he mentioned several times it was important that we didn't expect him to be a leader, simply let him do his own thing. I think Sully's article on Mario captured the rest of it well. Sounds like Mario has been treated with kid gloves and in fact it reminds me of LeBron's time in Cleveland. Mario seems to love blaming somebody or something else when he's having problems. Got to believe that's screwed up the locker room a bit, especially when everybody in the organization really wanted Mario here.

Agree. These players are human beings, highly paid, but still human beings. There's a spectrum from just going through the motions to adequately doing your job to putting everthing you have into doing your job. How easy is it to put everything you have into your job if your boss and everyone above him is incompetent? Then you look at your paycheck, the punishing nature of the game, the incompetent FO again and where are players going to end up on that spectrum? Anyone who's ever worked for incompetent superiors knows how diffficult it is to maintain enthusiasm for the job.

I would like to see more of Tashard on the field. I like both Freddy and CJ but both have similar running styles and Tashard is much more of a hard hitting slasher. Good change of pace back. Tough situation with so much talent back there though. And I think both CJ and Fred are secretly unhappy about splitting carries. These men are warriors and competitors who want the rock. I think they respect each other and are making the best of the situation.

Is this really a surprise? Put his house on the market at least a couple months ago. I don't want the guy in Buffalo. He's a jerk, really didn't do much for Cleveland. Colt McCoy was his baby, and I truly believe he made a mistake not giving Mangini one more year. Heckert is bringing the talent in, once Joe Banner of the Eagles gets installed things should really look up for the Browns (unless they sack Shurmer).

Had to laugh about a quote from the PD article from today: "He (Juaron) can explain complex schemes and provide insightful answers during his weekly 15-minute segment with the media." http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/09/quiet_leader_dick_jauron_makin.html (I'm not a fan of writer Bill Livingston, he's kind of a passive-aggressive version of Sullivan) Every time I see Jauron quoted here in Cleveland it's worth a nostalgic laugh. He is doing a great job with the Browns' defense, though. Just not a head coach-type.

Sometimes its better on TV but usually the camera focus is too tight to really see the entire play unfold. Not too hard to focus on a defensive end from the stands.

I can tell you from being at the game that Mario also did a great job of crashing down inside to stop the runner on multiple plays. He definitely reminded me of Bruce on those plays. He's very good and the sacks will come.

Thanks for the great summaries, I was at the game today and came away with these impressions: I think Fitz's footwork coaching was all good in preseason but suspect it's messed up his confidence and style. Mentally he didn't look like the same quarterback. Doesn't seem to go through all his progressions, definitely stares down receivers more than in the past and seems to lack that attitude of seeing all his receivers looking to make a play. He's always had the accuracy problems, now he seems like he's just trying to execute the offense. Perhaps he's thinking about his footwork too much. Love how set the Bills are at running back. Spiller is fantastic, love Tashard's straight-ahead slasher style. Complements CJ and Fred. Can't wait for Fred back. Kudos to offensive coaching staff for great game plan. Mix of wildcat was effective and not overdone. 'Bout time the run game took center stage! Young CB's just need some playing time to get better. A lot of KC completions were a case of young DB not turning around to see the ball in time but having good position. It'll improve. We are still so vulnerable to the seam pass up the middle. I was perplexed that Wilson or Byrd never stepped up to help cover the route. Anybody know why this is? A couple plays Barnett was covering until ~20 yds downfield but had no safety help. They really need to fix this. Mario did a great job stopping the run and definitely had 2 or 3 guys blocking him at time.

Did it say when the $3 mil becomes guaranteed? A lot of times (and when this was signed everyone knew his injury problem) it won't become guaranteed until the regular season starts.