thewildrabbit

I think most people just don't realize how bad the current Buffalo Bills really is, it needs an identity in the worst way. Shanahan would bring in the west coast offense he learned under Bill Walsh and crapcan the current offensive playbook, which really needs to happen. The offense would take longer to develop then the defense, but once finalized it would make the world of difference. Let's not forget that Shanahan used to own the Patriots with that offense

Oakland= Marc Trestman Carolina= Bill Cowher Buffalo some scrub Cleveland=Mike Holmgren GM...not sure about coach Washington= Mike Shanahan San Diego= Should the Chargers not make the playoffs expect Norv Turner to be fired Houston...Gary Kubiak may get the axe Chicago...Lovie Smith may get the axe Shanahan may end up in Houston- SD- Wash- Chicago, highly unlikely the Bills can afford him.

The fact that the Bills will wait until the season is over leads me to believe this is all BS hype. Sadly, the Buffalo Bills can't compete with Dallas and Washington in any way shape or form mostly because they can't match the offers that Shanahan and Cower will get this off season. I suspect it will go to a bidding war over those two and Buffalo simply can't afford to match their offers, I'm thinking 8-12 million a year range. You have to figure that at least 7 head coaching changes will take place and the Bills will get the scraps as usual. About the ONLY positive thoughts are that the Bills could hire a true football GM like Charlie Casserly, Michael Lombardi. Someone like Bill Polian who can bring in TOP talent every year. Who is smart enough to hire a head coach that can manage the game properly and teach his players to play smart. A GM who is smart enough to hire assistant coaches that have experience and can implement new schemes as the Mike Martz offense and Tampa 2 defense are out dated and should be scrapped.

Did you also take the time to notice that as Fitz started the Bills were able to get Bell back in the lineup at tackle so the line was improved from the game when Edwards last played. You know, the game in which Edwards suffered another concussion, I suppose that is his fault also ... Go back and watch the Saints game, Edwards was literally running for his life every play. He had less then 2 seconds to get rid of the ball almost every play in the second half. As the line took more injuries and played poorly, so did the QB's play. The more he got hit, the more he had trouble getting rid of the ball. Did you ever watch film or read about soldiers in WW 1 and the actual term "shell shocked" It was because of the constant hammering and bombardment of the soldiers in the trenches and after a time they developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. "Symptoms varied widely in intensity, ranging from moderate panic attacks - which sometimes caused men to flee the battlefield: a crime which was invariably regarded as rank cowardice and which resulted in a court martial for desertion - to effective mental and physical paralysis. Sent home to recover many shell shock victims recovered over time, whereas many others continued to feel its effects for years afterwards. http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/shellshock.htm I'll reiterate and simply say, I'm glad Edwards is not starting. He needs to rest and recover from the concussion he suffered this season.

After reading this post it occurs to me that you remind me of another poster on this board that misses the point of a post and just continues to envision things your way while not understanding what someone else is trying to get through to you. He wasn't in any way shape or form a "shell" of his old self, he was in a completely different offense from the 49ers west coast system and still managed to take that team to the playoffs. The truth of the post was that at any given time, any player can have his career abruptly end from a severe concussion.

Yea, it is the entire point of the OP, we all kinda think this is nothing more then BS spin to get fans excited. OTH, should the Bills throw that wheelbarrow and Shanahan catch it and sign to evaluate the team while the season is still underway, it would give him great insight into correcting the many problems offensively on this current team. I still have hope it can get done, the fact that he is even consented to talking to the Bills gives me hope.

I watched Joe Montana, (one of the greatest QB's ever to play in the NFL) go to Kansas City after he left SF and come to Buffalo for an AFC playoff game. I have a 20x30 print I shot myself of Bruce Smith standing over Joe as he holds his facemask with both hands as he lies on the stadium turf concussed, needless to say he didn't finish the game and the Bills went on to a super bowl. Ole Joe soon retired after that season. My point, several... one horrific concussion can end a players career. Montana one of the greatest QB's ever, and went into an inferior offensive system and still played pretty well until he was knocked out by a concussion. Great QB's will play better then an average QB in any system to a point, once they start getting hit enough or concussed, then their play deteriorates no matter how great they are. Players are only as good as the team around them for the most part, rarely does one great player manage to overcome an inept team.

Another question, do all those other QB's you mention. Tom Brady-Payton Manning- Aaron Rodgers-Drew Brees-Ben Roethlisberger have superior O lines-superior coaching-superior schemes- superior teams- superior offenses- superior play callers ? You seem to equate the 09 Packers 08 Steelers O line's as being the worst in the NFL because of the sacks given up by Rodgers and Roethlisberger. I equate the Buffalo Bills having the worst O line in the NFL because of inexperience, lack of talent in the back ups, injuries to the starters. -------------------------------------------------- The Buffalo Bills have one of the worst, if not the worst offensive schemes in the NFL. The have one of the worst play callers because he is a rookie and had two weeks to prepare for the season, so not entirely his fault. The Bills have a second year O line coach, that didn't get the job done last year with seasoned veterans,this year they have mostly rookies. They actually stole a tackle from the packers practice squad and needed to start him. You could start Jesus as the QB of the Bills, and if he gets hit as often as Edwards did, you can believe his play will deteriorate

Your response... Next Question, did Edwards play deteriorate as his starting offensive lineman started getting knocked out of the game and replaced by inferior players?

Gruden just resigned with ESPN for another 2 years as fans love the guy, no way would he even consider coaching in 2010 as he is having to much fun on MNF. Jon Gruden: Up until this week I fully expected him to be jumping back into coaching in 2010. But he extended his broadcasting contract with ESPN and I am told that deal is pretty ironclad. There aren't many ways out in 2010 and Gruden loves his current gig. He sees the franchise John Madden created, and at age 45 is relishing the opportunity to build his brand off the field. A source very close to him told me "there is zero chance" Gruden coaches in 2010. Washington would have been a very viable option, but "that ship has sailed," the source said. http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story?id=090...mp;confirm=true

Did you watch the opener against NE, did Edwards play well?

Clearly you missed the opener against the Patriots in which Edwards played really well. As the injuries hit the O line, Edwards play declined. Even Jim Kelly stated when he first arrived in Buffalo he couldn't do it by himself, that he needed a decent team around him, and Polian gave it to him. I'm not arguing that Edwards isn't playing poorly recently, I'm arguing that his poor play is the result of getting hit so often and suffering another concussion.

I'm honestly hoping the Bills move towards an offensive head coach. Someone who can come into Buffalo and crap can the current playbook and install the west coast offense. You know, like the one Shanahan had in Denver that gave Belicheat fits.

Yea and Cassell didn't even play in college, he was a backup his entire career at USC and yet took his team to a 11-5 record. How is Cassel doing in KC this year 2-7 ? ITS MAGIC!!!! You are the one who brought up Brady (12 sacks) and Manning (8 sacks) they WIN because they are protected and able to throw any pass they want. You are comparing a player in Rodgers who sat behind a legend for 4 years and learned the WEST COAST offense. I hear lots of analysts stating that Rodgers causes all those sacks because he holds on to the ball to long while waiting for his receivers to break open. Besides, he is in a better offensive system with better coaches and better play calling, better receivers and an actual blocking tight end.

The mistakes Jauron made with the current O line and firing Schonert cost him his job. I could see that before the season started the Bills were going to have big problems on the offense. Most everyone else in the country did also because everyone was taking the under in Vegas, which was 7 games. The coaching staff has ruined Trent Edwards much the same way they ruined JP Losman, and they will continue to ruin every young QB they bring in unless they get some decent tackles that can stay healthy and do their Job. I don't foresee Fitz having a ton of success in the current offense if he starts getting hit like Edwards did, particularly if he gets concussed. Those can add up to permanent brain damage and turn a bright young college grad into someone with a lifetime of issues. I hope they don't play Edwards the rest of the season so he gets a chance to recover properly.

I agree. If I had any say in the matter, If Shanahan is hired I would hope he would only be the head coach and completely overhaul the Bills offense and run it, while hiring away Mike Nolan from the Bronco's to be his DC / assistant HC

A few more things... This current Buffalo Bills offensive scheme is total crap IMO, the last two seasons they have had very inferior play callers and lousy protection schemes. They had a rookie offensive line coach last year and he is in his second year this year. How often do you see Big Ben get nailed by safety blitzer who came clean because nobody touched him on his blind side and then proceeded to drive him into the turf. The current Buffalo offense needs a complete overhaul,O line, protections, formations, play calls, players in many positions. Jauron was a great guy and all, but a horrid coach at finding assistants. I'll be greatly surprised if the next head coach keeps anyone from this current staff, except for perhaps Bobby April.

Big Ben is about the ONLY QB currently playing in the NFL that can get it done with a less then stellar O line. Just because he gets sacked a bunch doesn't necessarily mean it is because of the O line either, he holds on to the ball to long a ton, but he can get away with it by moving around and avoiding the pass rush. The guy is so big he is very difficult to tackle and sack. Besides that 08 Steeler line had a hella lot more experience then this years Buffalo Bills. Plus they had the best defense in the NFL last year which helped win a bunch of games. Again your comparing a top QB in the NFL who is indeed very special, to a very average QB. Schonert had Edwards in the shotgun about 70% of the time last season, everyone knew when the Bills were passing. This season he has a rookie play caller who was hired two weeks before the start of the season and everyone expects him to play great despite the crap offensive line and rookie OC. Still, I wonder how well Big Ben would play behind the horrid Bills line game after game. One severe concussion could ruin his whole season, or entire career.

Most Bills fans were starting to think about doing something besides watching their team on Sundays,(I know I was) that's how bad things were looking with Jauron at the helm. Even the mere mention that the Bills have setup an interview with someone like Mike Shanahan has already turned around most fans feelings and already generated a positive spin this year, about next year. While Shanahan might keep Brandon if he is indeed hired, it just looks to me that he will want total power like he had in Denver. If that is the case then Brandon will lose the GM title and possibly even the COO. Still, I tend to agree with the OP here, and until I see Shanahan or Cowher actually hired, then I will believe it. My take, you can count on the Bills FO pulling the wool over fans eyes in some way or another and hiring another scrub head coach...again!

To add to that, he was supposed to be an offensive genius and yet the offense is where his teams failed year after year. Soo, if the Bills hire Mike Nolan, Rex Ryan or Marvin Lewis to be the DC and Cam Cameron as the OC, then perhaps they might field a competent team.

Bad teams usually have less talented coaching staffs who continually make the wrong decisions about their personnel. I've seen so many QB's come into the NFL over the last 20 years and go to bad team's, only to see them fail over and over. Many of them taken #1 overall, only to watch them get sacked again and again. After so many sacks they lose confidence in their Line, their receivers and themselves. Tom Brady went 16-0 and went into the SB undefeated, there they met the fierce some NY Giants pass rush and they lost because Brady didn't have time to throw. Both Payton Manning and Tom Brady are currently two of the least sacked QB's in the NFL, that is why they win so many games. Their O lines gives them enough time to complete almost any pass. If the Bills are trying to make do with a less talented QB then Brady or Manning, then they need to protect him better and run more often to set up the pass, kinda simple really and yet escapes the Idiot coaches. If Manning, Brady or even Drew Brees were the Bills QB, they yea they might have played like Trent Edwards did in the opener at NE and even won a few more games then him. But then after getting his as many times as he has this season and suffered another severe concussion you have to wonder how any QB could withstand that abuse and keep playing great. Players like Brady, Manning, Brees are rare finds and teams go all out to protect them, if they don't they miss the playoffs like the Patriots did last season when Brady hit the IR. That NE O line is so good that a backup QB who had never played college ball took the team to an 11-5 record. If the Bills didn't have so many injuries at the tackle position this year and so many players coming and going on that line, the Bills could easily be 5-4. Heck, the Bills O line is so bad they stole a tackle from the Packers practice squad and started him

I'm just a football fan and an average schmo who sorta has an idea of how things should work on an NFL team. Stating that, I see real morons running the Buffalo Bills because of the azz backwards way they do things. Dick Jauron stated he wanted to win NOW, and with everything he did he seemed to shoot himself in the foot over and over. Continuity is a major key to building an offensive line and every year Jauron was in Buffalo he would overhaul it and replace a few players, only to see them fail as badly as the players they replaced. Last season he retooled the entire line and installed 3 rookies, to be honest 4 rookies as Bell didn't have much playing time The LT position is usually the hardest to fill because it protects the QB's blind side and requires a player with special talent, hence the higher salary. I think the Bills coaching staff honestly thought Langston Walker could get the job done at LT so they didn't draft a tackle or get one as a FA, kinda odd though considering most of the world knew the guy was overweight and slow footed. So then they cut him because he can't get to the line fast enough to run the no huddle, which the Bills scrapped earlier this year. Makes no sense to me as at least Walker could have held down the RT spot and the Bills would have more bodies to put in at LT. BTW, I think the real problem with Jason Peters is when his Line coach Jim McNally retired and Jauron replaced him with the assistant who had never been a line coach previous to that point. If the Bills had hired an experienced line coach to replace McNally, I think Peters and the entire line would have performed better and Jauron wouldn't have made such stupid decisions about free agents the Bills brought in. Coaching is everything in the NFL! Not for nothing but spending a 1st and 2nd pick on guards is about the lamest thing ever, both might be good players but you can usually find good guards in the 3rd 4th round,You spend 1st -2nd picks on tackles. Jauron knew how to run a defensive secondary and little else about the rest of the team JMO. His biggest failure as head coach was the assistants he hired were usually promoted from within the org and rookies, and it got him fired. Truly, the blind leading the blind.

Rus Brandon is currently the COO /GM and from everything I've read... Ralph Wilson didn't even know the Bills were in contact with Shanahan. My take is between Brandon and Guy they both got Jauron Fired because the fan base was thinking of jumping ship big time. I'm thinking that long time season ticket holders were sincerely talking about simply quitting the Bills and not coming back. Brandon and Guy both want to see next season sell out again and created the hype for Shanahan and Cowher and other big names that have been talked about on these boards. Think of the spin that signing TO did for season ticket sales this off season. They want to get more spin going to get the fans excited about next season. To me this is all BS hype spun out by two guys who want to keep their jobs. Just think for a moment, If the Bills did hire Shanahan and he wants total control like he had in Denver ,where does that leave Brandon as GM? Shanahan or Cowher would probably fire Brandon first thing! As far as Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher as head coach in Buffalo...I'll believe it when I see it!!!!

Dan Marino was never a head coach, he was hired to be the "senior vice president of football operations" for the Dolphins and he thought it was supposed to be a figure head position. Just lend his name to the team to attract free agents and Bolster the teams image. What happened was... he was asked to start doing actual duties and abruptly quit, I don't blame him either as he knew he was in over his head. Broadcasting is much simpler and the pay was probably about the same, as he had a network job and HBO inside the NFL job offers.

What he said