All_Pro_Bills

Washington, with Shanahan and Snyder, have a win now approach. Still what does it say when you trade a vet QB to one of your division rivals? IMO, it means we're not scared of you beating us twice a year. The Bills have needs at other postions which I prefer they address in round 1 (e.g. OT), but I've got no gripe if they take Clausen at #9. As for being a prick I think there's a fine line between that and having confidence and projecting that confidence in your actions and words. As he matures I suspect he'll adapt and refine his demeanor. All I know about the guy is what I've seen on Saturday afternoon's and from those performances he merits a good look. Personal behavior aside, the only question that I care about is can the Bills win with this guy as the QB?

Right. You can't make progress selling at the bottom. I'd like to see what the new staff can do with the offense, and Lynch, before making a move to trade a player that has been productive, last year being the exception. Good teams don't move players unless they've already got a replacement groomed and on the roster. Moving a player and creating a new 'need' is just running in place. If somebody makes an offer you can't refuse then that bears consideration. But a possible 4th rounder? Pass...

Agree. Unless you've got a replacement on the roster it makes no sense to trade Lynch for a draft choice to be used for another RB. If that approach would produce a viable replacement your trading partner should just keep their pick and choose the same guy minus the bagage. They need to stop degrading the roster and add talent, drop the like-for-like trade and draft mentality, stop the running in place approach to building the roster.

Here in central New Jersey we've gotten about 6" so far with up to another 12" expected. They do a decent job of snow removal in my town and the surrounding areas. If you know what you're doing you can get around okay. The local drivers on the road are another story. They seem incapable of adapting their driving style to the conditions. Ice and snow are slippery? Wow. You mean I can't go 75 mph? The inevitable crashes and traffic tie-ups occur. Anyway, that aside, the most amazing aspect of each storm is the survivalist rush to the supermarket to stock up on supplies of bread, eggs, and milk. Its quite comical. And its just a one day event in most cases. If you didn't know about the snow storm you'd think the world was coming to an end.

The game was competitive and pretty well played but not having any rooting interest, except for a couple boxes in the office pool, I wasn't really into the game. As somebody posted earlier too many commercial breaks. IMO, most of the commericals were relatively infantile and stupid rather than funny. Whether that's an indictment of my sense of humor or society at-large is open to debate. The game itself has become less of a sporting event and more of a Hollywood spectacle attended by celebrities who can afford the top-dollar ticket prices and have connections, rather than true football fans. Its the chic place to be. I enjoyed the games on conference championship weekend a lot more because it was just football.

The truth is there are several ways to find a franchise QB, trade, free agency, draft. None are 100% foolproof. The Bills have gotten QB's via all 3 methods over the past decade and have had little success. Ultimately, it boils down to your ability to identify the right guy, at the right time, in the right situation, and luck. The Bills have had none of those go their way. Is the front office with the new GM and assistant GM in a better position to judge talent than the past crew? I think so but only time will tell. IMO, #1 and #2 is protect the QB and stop the run. The Bills as built don't do either well. Until those problems are solved I don't see how any franchise QB, no matter how talented, can thrive. He won't have the ball, or the lead, and will be under constant pressure. Those circumstances have already ruined a couple prospective QB's, Losman and Edwards. Although I'd like to see Claussen or Bradford in a Bills uniform in 2010 I'm inclined to side with the idea that spending high picks on building the O-line, and 'D', is the best way to go, given the state of the team now.

1) Charter a bank 2) Make bad loans 3) Declare bankruptcy 4) Get government assistance 5) Pay yourself a $1 billion bonus

No question profit and loss are major drivers behind business decisions. No profit = no business, so its essential for a business to be profitable to expand and grow, continue to employ people, and service their customers. But NFL football is more than an entertainment business. There's another aspect to this beyond the dollars and cents analysis. There is also an emotional component at play. Ego. To someone with a large ego, a high net worth, and a high opinion of themselves, running with the big dogs so to speak, winning in the NFL tranlates to boosting their personal success above that of their multi-millionaire and billionaire friends and associates. Do we actually believe Snyder bought the Redskins to make money or to acquire a rich man's 'toy'? I'm guessing a guy like Snyder given the choice of making a $100 million next season or losing $20 million but winning the Super Bowl will choose the later. I heard rumor that a member of Jim Kelly's investor group was Donald Trump. Personally, I think Trump is a shameless self-promotor. On the other hand, as a Bill's fan I'd welcome a guy like that at the top. Somebody who would make winning the highest priority.

To me, Nix is the GM version of HQ Rex Ryan. His abrasive attitude set the tone this season by turning the hapless team culture of the Jets around. Whether its something lasting time will tell. If and how Nix translates this street figher attitude to acquiring the necessary talent to produce wins on the field is something we'll all be watching. Winning is going to be the only measure of success that counts.

They should trade down in the 1st round and acquire a few extra picks. This team has too many major holes for one top pick to make any significant difference. Trade down into the middle of the 1st and an OT like Bulaga would likely still be on the board and depending on the terms of a draft choice swap, maybe with an additional 2nd rounder they can look at LB and DT. Obviously, to pull off any trade you've got to find a partner. While I like the idea of getting a franchise QB and solving that problem after what seems like forever, going into 2010 I can't see many scenarios where that is going to tranlate into any real improvement without first upgrading the lines on both sides of the ball. Put a rookie QB behind this O-line without any upgrades at tackle and he's on IR before week 6.....

Your point on meddling is valid. Look at two of the better known meddlers. Snyder and Jones. They may be meddlers and you can question their results, but you can't question their passion and commitment to doing what it takes to build a winning team. This is what Bills ownership lacks, commitment. The team talked a good game about evaluating the organization and making changes but in the end came up small.

Your post is excellent and drills down the issue of 'market size' to the detailed level needed to understand what kind of interest a transplanted team would garner. Measured purely by individuals interested in a local pro football team, I'd wager the Buffalo market would fare pretty well in terms of 'relative' market size (football fans divided by total population).

Are you saying we might have a coach that evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of his players then develops a scheme/gameplan that emphasizes the strengths and avoids the weaknesses? Wow. Maybe there is hope?

Sounds like you're describing the script of Major League. A story about a baseball teams young female owner's attempt to create a team so distasteful to the fans that it would justify moving the team to another city. The team realizing they are a bunch of second rate losers, rally around each other and win the penant. In our case seriously doubt we'll get the happy ending that the movie provided.

Completely agree. But ask this, would football-intelligent people been forced into a situation of having to make this choice? Or would potential candidates have viewed the opportunity in a better light? A strike/lockout in 2010 is looking like the best option for next season.

They have been better off keep Jauron (never thought I'd even contemplate this), or giving the job to Fewell, or April.

Agree. What's wrong with having somebody that's got a pair for a change? As I posted earlier, my belief is commitment to winning is the root issue, or lack of it. That’s the ‘elephant in the room’ that no uninterested candidate speaks of directly. There was talk earlier of ‘doing whatever it takes’ (I’m paraphrasing) but so far all we’ve seen out of the front office is a superficial rearrangement of the reporting relationships but no real changes in the power and decision structure. As long as marketing and finance sit at the head table with the owner and football operations is at the kiddies’ table nothing is going to translate to winning on the field.

I like your analogy but I'll take it a step further. The problem is if Jessica and Heidi find out that you asked Scarlett out, and she said no, they are likely to rebuff you too. They will figure if he's not good enough for her why should I date him? Fact is, the easiest time to find a new girlfriend is when you have one already. Just like in football, the best time to find a coach is when a lot of people want the job. In the Bills situation, perception or reality (and I'm not saying I agree), it appears they are desperate. How many potential candidates already said no thanks? IMO, there is nothing wrong with the city of Buffalo or prospects for improving the team. They way the league is structured all 32 teams have pretty much the same chance of success. The issue is with ownership, past decisions, and a reputation for interference. But even with meddling, you have that elsewhere in sports, Jones and Snyder in football, Steinbrenner in baseball, maybe Cuban in basketball. On the other hand I cannot question any of them for their commitment to winning. Can you say that about Ralph? He’s committed to winning? I think that is the main concern for potential head coaches. The owners lack of commitment, real or perceived, to winning and how that impacts the job. Not money, not organization. No high profile candidate with a drive to advance is going to take a chance on a head coaching job that will make them look like a failure and stifle their career.

That and a lot of undisplined penalties did them in. Kicking the challenge flag, 15 yards? C'mon man! Get your head in the game. Several personal fouls, after the play. Ryan had his team focused and you didn't see the Jets do anything stupid the entire game. Disipline is a area where the coach counts...

Ralph is running a basic command and control management system. He calls the shots. I suspect its the same with all his business interests. The GM may have the GM title and the official accountabilities that go along with that position, and the pro personnel director, and the director of college scouting, and so forth. You're not really the GM, or the pro personnel director, or the director of college scouting. You are an information gathering assistant to the owner. No decision of importance is made without final consent of the owner. Some might think this is okay, even the way it should be. After all, its his football team, isn't it? But for an organization to function well, the owner needs to set the basic parameters and objectives for the operation and the employees, the budget, strategy, goals, marketing, and financial objectives, and for on-the-field performance. Then get out of the way and let the people hired to do the football and operational jobs do their jobs. Ralph isn't going to change, he won't do what I suggest above. In most instances, highly skilled and experienced people won't work in a highly directed environment where authority is not delegated to them. This is true in any business field not just football.

I have no visibility into the decision making process at One Bills Drive. But if I was in the position of either Guy or Modrak, and my input was consistently ignored (whether its true or not, who knows for sure?), and as a result I acquired a reputation as a poor evaluator of talent it would not sit well with me. I'd either let it be known publicly through whatever means was available that the draft selections and free agent signings were not my recommendation or simply quit. Because if my intent was to continue making a living in a football front office, somewhere, I'd do whatever would be necessary to protect my reputation and livelihood. Since neither of the above has happened, IMO you've got to assume they've had a heavy hand in the selections and the decision making process.

My concern with the coordinator route has nothing to do with the qualifications or potential of any of the candidates. Some of them will probably turn out to be great NFL head coaches. The problem is the Bills simply stink at identifying coordinators to hire as their head coach. In the 50 year history of the Bills, I cannot remember former coordinator they hired to be head coach that was successful. The 3 most successful coaches I remember, Saban, Knox, and Levy were head coaches in the league (Saban at least on his second tour).

Frazier might turn out to be a great head coach. From what I've read (not knowing the guy personally) he seems competent and well respected by his players. But the right choice for the Bills right now is a guy with head coaching experience. IMO the choice of a coordinator is not logical, and perhaps lacks total common sense for the Bills. This is because of two thing, their current situation, and their history of failure with bringing coordinators into the head coach position. Its simply a matter of risk, you pick a guy with experience and a past of success and you know what you're getting. Right now, after all the fumbling and bumbling of the past decade, the Bills as a franchise cannot afford to miss on a coach again. Selecting a coordinator with no NFL head coaching experience is risky, and that's not a risk the Bills should be taking given the situation. The Bills are like a hunter with bad aim and one bullet. He sees two deer. One huge buck and another smaller one. The big buck is 300 yards away into the wind. It would take a great shot to hit him. An experienced hunter would have a better chance of making it but you have been down on your luck recently and your aim has been off. So what do you do? Take a big chance on hitting the big buck and probably going home empty handed, or take the easier more probable shot at the closer target? The Bills taking a coordinator right now for head coach is like the hunter with bad aim shooting 300 yards into the wind. Take the easier shot, hire a guy with experience. It's that simple.....

He always seemed like an odd choice to me because up until the Jets backed into the playoffs when the Colts and Bengals rolled over, most Jets fans I know wanted this guy fired because his play calling was terrible. Personally, I have no opinion of his play calling but find to disparity in perception strange.

On my drive to work this morning I was listening to the Boomer and Carton show on WFAN. Billick was a guest this morning. The discussion centered around the playoffs, notably the Jets, the match ups this weekend, and what Brian did during his tenure with the Ravens to prepare the team for the playoffs and Super Bowl. IMO, some interesting remarks, articulate comments and insight by the former coach. Carton asked him 'when will you be announced as the next coach of the Buffalo Bills'? To this Brian remarked the team appears to be going in a 'different direction' seeming to prefer the 'hot coordinator' route to fill the head coaching vacancy. After the interview, Boomer made a few candid remarks, to paraphrase what I remember, 'If you're a Bills fans you've got to want a guy like Brian, someone who knows how to build and manage an organization'. To continue, 'The Bills have good players on their roster and an experienced head coach like Brian is what that team needs right now.' Prior to the discussion I had no issue if the Bills hired Billick. And after listening to the discussion it didn't change my opinion. My fear with the 'hot coordinator' route is unless we get lucky, we go back to learn on the job mode for another 3 years and basically go nowhere.