thewildrabbit

from ESPN: After compiling a 40-28 win-loss record in four seasons with the Raiders, Gruden replaced the fired Tony Dungy as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002, via a high-stakes trade that included Tampa Bay's 2002 and 2003 first-round draft picks, 2002 and 2004 second-round draft picks, and $8 million in cash. The trade took place for a number of reasons, including Davis' desire for a more vertical passing attack rather than Gruden's horizontal pass attack, the fact that Gruden's contract would expire a year after the trade, and Davis' uncertainty over whether Gruden was worth as much money as his next contract was sure to pay him. Gruden signed a five-year contract with the Buccaneers worth $17.5 million. The guy gets to TB as the HC only to find he has no # 1 or # 2 draft pick for two years because of the trade that brought him there. Gruden runs a west coast style of offense he leaned under Mike Holmgren,very complicated and even more complex then other west coast coaches like Shanahan runs and he needs a very cerebral QB to run his offense.His biggest fault is in the fact that he runs an over complex offense,he won't find any QB on his level.

Pro Bowl John Lynch played for him for a a lot of years in TB and had only good things to say about Gruden on the NFL network. Some Buc's players don't like him ... yet the Bills players love Jauron.The guy has 100 wins in ten years and Jauron has 57 in 8 1/4 years also he has a won a super bowl and Jauron.... who has watched the super bowl on TV. Chuckie Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result OAK 1998 8 8 0 .500 3rd in AFC West - - - - OAK 1999 8 8 0 .500 4th in AFC West - - - - OAK 2000 12 4 0 .750 1st in AFC West 1 1 .500 Lost to Baltimore Ravens in AFC Championship Game. OAK 2001 10 6 0 .625 1st in AFC West 1 1 .500 Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Divisional Game. OAK Total 38 26 0 .594 2 2 .500 TAM 2002 12 4 0 .750 1st in NFC South 3 0 1.000 Super Bowl XXXVII Champions. TAM 2003 7 9 0 .438 3rd in NFC South - - - - TAM 2004 5 11 0 .312 4th in NFC South - - - - TAM 2005 11 5 0 .688 1st in NFC South 0 1 .000 Lost to Washington Redskins in NFC Wild-Card Game. TAM 2006 4 12 0 .250 4th in NFC South - - - - TAM 2007 9 7 0 .563 1st in NFC South 0 1 .000 Lost to New York Giants in NFC Wild-Card Game. TAM 2008 9 7 0 .563 3rd in NFC South - - - - TAM Total 57 55 0 .509 3 2 .600 Total[6] 95 81 0 .540 5 4 .556 I'd say his coaching record puts him ahead of Jauron Skelator CHI 1999 6 10 0 .375 5th in NFC Central - - - - CHI 2000 5 11 0 .313 5th in NFC Central - - - - CHI 2001 13 3 0 .813 1st in NFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Philadelphia Eagles in NFC Divisional Game. CHI 2002 4 12 0 .250 3rd in NFC North - - - - CHI 2003 7 9 0 .438 3rd in NFC North - - - - CHI Total 35 45 0 .438 0 1 .000 - DET 2005* 1 4 0 .200 3rd in NFC North - - - - DET Total 1 4 0 .200 - - - - BUF 2006 7 9 0 .438 3rd in AFC East - - - - BUF 2007 7 9 0 .438 2rd in AFC East - - - - BUF 2008 7 9 0 .438 4th in AFC East - - - - BUF Total 21 27 0 .438 - - - - Total 57 76 0 .429 0 1 .00 DJ has had one good season in 8 1/4 years leads me to think it was more luck then coaching talent,Jebus, Jauron has never even won a playoff game, even after a 13-3 year.

If I'm not mistaken he had a sort of a power struggle with Jeff Fisher on who to draft in 06, Fisher won and the Titans drafted Vince Young. Reese is responsible for bringing in most of the current players on that team. He will be a big plus for the Patriots front office and their talent evaluation process. The only guy I really listen to and value their opinion in the pre-game shows is Charlie Casserly, someone who the Bills should hire as their next GM,just my take.

Don't ya like how other teams react if they lose a GM or scouting director,they replace them with another top quality guy.Unlike the Buffalo Bills that would prefer to NOT have a top NFL talent evaluator in a front office position. The Dolphins have VP Bill Parcells and now the Patriots have ex Titan GM Floyd Reese. You would think the Bills would have hired Reese or someone like him to fill that vacant GM position. The Bills get Jauron by:Adam Schefter Reese happy to be back where he belongs Posted: Adam Schefter | Adam Schefter Just over one week ago, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick met with ESPN analyst Floyd Reese. Their meetings led to a multi-year contract that was signed Monday, making Reese the Patriots’ senior adviser, helping to fill the void that Scott Pioli created when he took the Chiefs general manager’s job. Now Reese and his family are planning to move to Foxborough, Mass., so he can jump right into work with next month’s scouting combine and free agency approaching. “The opportunities most of the time are in areas or with teams that are broken, unable to win, don’t have quarterbacks, don’t have backing, maybe have issues with stadiums or facilities, fan support, whatever it may be,” Reese said Tuesday. “This opportunity is so at the opposite end of the spectrum from all of that. “This is indeed a thrill because none of those things are broken. They’re all in very good shape. It’s going to be my role to come in and help however I can.” One of Reese’s jobs will be addressing the Matt Cassel situation. He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and New England is expected to slap its franchise tag on him. Previously, Reese might have assessed the Patriots’ situation on ESPN. Now he will do it for Belichick. “It will be interesting and I’m sure there will be a lot of discussion on it,” Reese said. “I’ve always been one of those who has said that if you think you have two quarterbacks you probably don’t have one. “But this is a situation where having two quarterbacks may very well be true. That will be something that we’ll have to sit down and work out and I’m sure there will be a lot of discussion back and forth.” Yet ultimately, Reese is happy to be off the air and back in the game. “It’s interesting because working for ESPN, the ESPN people were very good to me,” Reese said. “But when you would get away with a former player or someone involved with the NFL, you’d say that the people [at ESPN] were very nice and that they treat you great, but then you would always finish with the line, ‘but, it’s not the NFL.’ “I’ve spent my entire adult life in the NFL. I started coaching in the NFL when I was 24. I have done everything and this is my life. If there’s anything I do know, it’s the NFL. The ability to get back and get back in this position is a thrill.” http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/01/27/reese-happ...ere-he-belongs/

Mike Mayock's top prospects by position for the 2009 NFL Draft Rank Player School Quarterbacks 1 *Matthew Stafford Georgia 2 *Mark Sanchez Southern California 3 *Josh Freeman Kansas State 4 Nate Davis Ball State 5 Rhett Bomar Sam Houston State Running backs 1 *Chris Wells Ohio State 2 *Knowshon Moreno Georgia 3 *LeSean McCoy Pittsburgh 4 *Donald Brown Connecticut 5 *Shonn Green Iowa Fullback 1 Tony Fiammetta Syracuase 2 Quinn Johnson LSU 3 Brannan Southerland Georgia Wide receivers 1 *Michael Crabtree Texas Tech 2 *Jeremy Maclin Missouri 3 *Darrius Heyward-Bey Maryland 4 *Kenny Britt Rutgers 5 *Percy Harvin Florida Tight ends 1 Brandon Pettigrew Oklahoma State 2 Cornelius Ingram Florida 3 *James Casey Rice 4 Travis Beckum Wisconsin 5 Shawn Nelson Southern Mississippi Centers 1 Eric Wood Louisville 2 Max Unger Oregon 3 Alex Mack California 4 A.Q. Shipley Penn State 5 Jonathan Luigs Arkansas Guards 1 Andy Levitre Oregon State 2 Duke Robinson Oklahoma 3 Kraig Urbik Wisconsin 4 Herman Johnson LSU 5 Tyronne Green Auburn Offensive tackles 1 Jason Smith Baylor 2 Eugene Monroe Virginia 3 *Andre Smith Alabama 4 Michael Oher Mississippi 5 *Eben Britton Arizona Defensive ends 1 Brian Orakpo (can play OLB in 3-4) Texas 2 *Everette Brown (OLB) Florida State 3 Tyson Jackson LSU 4 *Aaron Maybin (OLB) Penn State 5 Larry English (OLB) Northern Illinois Defensive tackles 1 B.J. Raji Boston College 2 Peria Jerry Mississippi 3 Ron Brace Boston College 4 Fili Moala Southern California 5 Evander 'Ziggy' Hood Missouri Inside linebackers 1 Rey Maualuga Southern California 2 James Laurinaitis Ohio State 3 Darry Beckwith LSU 4 Dannell Ellerbe Georgia 5 Jason Phillips Texas Christian Outside linebackers 1 Aaron Curry Wake Forest 2 Brian Cushing Southern California 3 Clay Matthews Southern California 4 Clint Sintim Virginia 5 Marcus Freeman Ohio State Safeties 1 Rashad Johnson Alabama 2 Patrick Chung Oregon 3 Louis Delmas Western Michigan 4 Michael Hamlin Clemson 5 William Moore Missouri Cornerbacks 1 Malcolm Jenkins Ohio State 2 *Vontae Davis Illinois 3 Alphonso Smith Wake Forest 4 *D.J. Moore Vanderbilt 5 *Sean Smith Utah I trust this guys opinion far more then any other scout service out there http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8...mp;confirm=true

The SportsXchange lists Aaron Maybin as the 4th best OLB but OLB / DE 6'4'' 248 4.67 40 The guy is skipping the final two seasons at Penn St to declare, 12 sacks and 49 tackles, 20 for a loss and helped lead the Nittany Lions to a 11-1 record.

If you read what Cris Collinsworth has to say about Turk Schonert,his golfing buddy, He is not one to lack confidence almost to a fault. Its my take that he wanted to build a high powered passing offense and it simply didn't work,although it wasn't for lack of trying,constant throwing instead of running the ball. The Bills were a total passing team for most of the season, it wasn't until the Cleveland game that Schonert started using play action passing regularly. The Bills were in constant shotgun formations throughout the season. Schonert might have been somewhat frustrated at Edwards because he kept using the check down for various reasons,so he kept calling passes. Seriously,what would you have Edwards do if he doesn't see anyone open down field,throw an interception,hold the ball and take a sack or use the dump off? If Lee Evans is covered,which was most of the time, his only real other option was Josh Reed. When Josh Reed was injured the offense really stalled in the passing game,no other receiver stepped up. Lynch had 47 receptions for 300 yards receiving and Jackson had 37 receptions for 317 yards,that's a ton of throws to the backs. Stating all this, the Bills really need another quality deep speed receiving threat to help take some pressure off both Lee Evans and Trent Edwards.

as a WR , 6' 0'' and 190 lbs. vs Tebow is 6' 2'' 238 lbs

I wonder if AJ Smith were the Bills GM... would Jauron still be in Buffalo

Few things to take into consideration, this years senior class is weak. The highest rated senior by PFW is Curry at 6.75 out of 9,and 9 being a franchise player.Their Dec ranking have him at 10th best player and now that the underclass have declared he is listed at the 15th pick in their mock draft,going to the Texans. Simply put,he has moved up on boards since December but remember the players he played against in the senior bowl were not rated very high.There is no 7.0-9 caliber O-lineman in this years draft to actually judge him against. All I read about on this board is how the bills need a DE,not a DT, so why are so many clamoring for this guy? PFW rating:1. 90 B.J. Raji Boston College 6.20 6'1/2 335 5.19 Scout.com has him currently rated as the 10th best player ESPN has him at the 15th best player,same as PFW in their mock. ESPN rating Overall Football Traits Production 2 Raji appeared in 11 games during his true freshman season in 2004 finishing with 13 total tackles, six unassisted tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss. He started five of the 11 games he appeared in during the 2005 season finishing with 27 total tackles, 15 unassisted tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks and one pass breakup. Raji started six of the 12 games he appeared in during the 2006 season finishing with 23 total tackles, 16 unassisted tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, three pass breakups and one forced fumble. In 2007, Boston College red-shirted him because of academic issues Height-Weight-Speed 2 Height is decent but he's thickly built. Despite shedding some weight heading into the 2007 season, Raji is still bigger than most DT's. Also possesses better-than-average speed for his size Durability 3 Raji missed 2008 spring practices while rehabbing from shoulder surgery Character 4 Ejected from the 2006 Central Michigan game and suspended for the first half of the Clemson game the following week after throwing a punch at a Central Michigan player. Academic issues and inability to stay eligible raise concerns about work ethic Defensive Tackle specific Traits Agility/Quickness 2 While lacks elite initial burst and lateral mobility, is still quick and athletic for size. Strength/Toughness 3 Hasn't shown elite lower body strength and has problems anchoring against double teams. Appears to wear down late in games and effort is inconsistent when he starts to tire Instincts 2 Keeps head up and locates ball quickly Pass Rusher 3 Takes the shortest path to the quarterback, flashes the ability to collapse the pocket and is a relentless pass rusher. Though isn't very tall, generally gets hands up when isn't going to get to the quarterback and can tip passes at the line of scrimmage. Flashes an effective spin move but relies on power too much and needs to develop more pass rush moves Run Stopper 2 Inconsistent in this area and needs to work on consistently getting under blockers' pads but can hold ground at the point of attack when stays low to the ground. Doesn't use hands well and takes too long to shed block when gets reached. Anticipates snap count and flashes the ability to makes plays behind the line of scrimmage. Takes adequate angles to the ball and flashes the ability to make plays in pursuit. Trait Scale 1 = Exceptional 2 = Above average 3 = Average 4 = Below average 5 = Marginal PFW like ESPN mock draft both have the Bills taking Brandon Pettigrew with the 11th pick, Scout.com has him rated at #22

Direct TV channel 212 is showing all the super bowls in HD... oh wait,nvm

Scout.com doesn't even list the guy as a QB in the upcoming draft,he is listed as the #22 WR 6'0 and 190 lb If he did get a chance to be a QB in the NFL and had some success it sure might open doors for a ton of other players,doubtfull though. At that height he will have big time problems with vision over his O-lineman, and at 190 lbs the first hit from a blindside blitz should send the guy into neverland.

Senior bowl play doesn't mean much sometimes, last year Joe Flacco had a horrid game and he is doing just fine in the NFL. One thing to remember that PFW graded all the seniors from this years draft class very low,highest rated senior was Curry at 6.75 out of a scale to 9.0 and that being a franchise player. So if not for the CBA ending next year and all the underclassmen declaring, this years draft would be sad indeed.

I am completely serious,the Bills really need to find another receiver somewhere to open up the passing game. Josh Reed is a possession guy so TJ H would help, but not as much as a game breaker on the other side of Lee Evans. Crabtree will go to the Seahawks at 4, Maclin will go to the Raiders at 7 and if Percy Harvin is there at 11 and the Bills went for him,I wouldn't cry, all these guys are game breakers. Last year there weren't any receivers worthy of a first round pick. This year with all the underclassmen declaring there might be 5-6 receivers going in the first. I wouldn't even be unhappy if Sanchez or Stafford are there at 11 and the Bills take either one. True franchise QB's are rare and if Edwards continues to develop into one fine,if not the Bills will have one in one of those two. Trust me, if Edwards plays great and the Bills want to move either of those two QB's by next mid season to a team looking for a QB because of injuries,they will get the farm for him. I wouldn't cry if they go after TE Brandon Pettigrew either,from what I've seen of him he is a great blocker and catches anything thrown close to him. About the only positions I'd rather not see the Bills go after with that #11 is a Center and an undersized DE as it would take some time to develop them. Unless somebody really steps up in the senior bowl or combine as it is still very early to properly evaluate any of these players just yet.

watch the kid in the senior bowl,lets see how he does

Kinda sad to think it might actually happen again with Jauron as HC for the next two years, If RW is still with us perhaps he will awaken long enough to hire another Knox or Levy.

That is exactly what the Tampa 2 defense is all about,only the front 4 doing all the pass rushing.

Lets not forget that the Bills best pass rusher was injured most of the season,so naturally the sack total will go down. It kind of alarms me to see that lack of production when one player goes down with an injury. Reflecting on this, what makes you think that since this Bills staff hasn't been able to obtain anyone equal to or better then Schobel the last few years, that their piss poor talent evaluation skills will suddenly correct themselves and the Bills will get a superstar DE in the draft? I have no faith in this Bills coaching staff OR front office to have the ability to draft someone even close to Schobel's ability,it's why I mentioned going after a FA rather then draft a player,especially another undersized DE when the Bills already have 5 that are not getting the job done at pass rushing. Bryon Copeland 6' 4" 240 Ryan Denny 6' 7'' 264 Chris Kelsay 6' 4'' 261 Cory Mace 6' 3'' 294-listed on the roster and has one tackle Ryan Neikll 6' 3'' 253 Arron Schobel 6' 4'' 243 IR Chris Ellis 6' 4'' 261- the Bills drafted him in the 3rd round last year,did he even play a down? If I had a say in anything I'd go full bore after Suggs, yeah at 6' 3'' and 260. but at least I'd know I'm getting a super star pass rusher. Suggs is an instrumental piece of a defense that ranked second in the NFL during the regular season. He led the Ravens with eight sacks, had a career-high 102 tackles and intercepted two passes, taking one back for a touchdown.

Isn't Harrision a ROLB for the Steelers, does he play up on the line with a hand down?

To date I haven't heard anything from OBD about needing another pass rushing DE as a high priority,from all the fans yes,from the Bills coaches, nothing.Looking at the stats from last season and previous seasons I'd rather see them go after a bigger DE, I must be in the minority though. If someone has read anywhere that the Bills FO is looking at drafting a pass rushing DE with the 11th pick please post it

No,he may ultimately be a great DE someday. I just dislike undersized DE's,I'm fed up with the Bills bad rush defense and would rather see the Bills get a FA DE like Peppers rather then draft some undersized kid that has to gain weight/ muscle to get better. The Bills already have a super lightweight DE in Schobel,do you honestly think another 250 lb, hands down on the line DE will help the Bills run defense?

I'm old school and its the "Don" that was the Bills biggest nemesis IMO, TEN YEARS without a win,the entire decade of the 70's. Marv & co turned out to be Kryptonite

Eric Flowers please no..I quite agree,there are 2-3 stand out receivers in the first 20 picks-Crabtree-Maclin-Harvin-Nicks-Bey and Lee Evans really needs a burner on the other side to help him out, one of them will get single coverage and be open. Maclin or Harvin might actually be worth the 11th pick.

agree I'm just so sick of watching the Patriots pound the ball for 100+ yards every time they play the Bills,and last time they did it with a 4th string RB

thanks, I'm glad someone besides the nose breather agrees with me