All_Pro_Bills

There is some talent on this team and I think this team is about 5 position upgrades from becoming a playoff contender. That said, its still up to management to find the necessary talent and coaching to get that talent playing to its full potential. The sad fact is our front office and coaching staff is no match for the 3 teams in our division. And the Jets are intent on significantly upgrading their coaching position. Expressing an interest in Shanahan, Cowher, etc. So ask yourself this, given history and ability, how does a Dick Juron coaching staff stack up against Mike Shanahan possibly in NY, Bellichek in NE, and Sparano mentored by Parcells in Miami? As a fan of 30+ years I cannot recall of time of more frustration, anger, and disenchantment. I really feel sorry for some of the players too. They're going to waste their most productive years playing under this clueless and overmatched HQ. Right now Wilson is playing on the emotions and deep loyalty of Bills fans. Figuring he can get away with holding onto Juron and saving the money required to buyout him and some of the coaching staff while the loyal fans fill the stadium and buy merchandise. This baffles me. Realistically, how many seasons does he have left until he passes on? And he's content to waste one more season with no chance of winning the title? If it was me out go 'balls to the wall', spend and do whatever it takes, and go for it before my time to comes to leave this Earth. What's the difference if you die with $2 billion or $3 billion? Either way, your family is going to be well taken care of. How about taking care of the fans who have stood behind your team since its inception and leave them something they covet? A Super Bowl champion and nothing less should be acceptable. The question is, are Bills fans going to buy 'it' next season? Given the current state of affairs I for one will not.....

Bingo. A good coaching staff will put their players in the best position to win. At that point its up to the players to use their abilities and execute the schemes. We never get to find out what these players are capable of because they're rarely used effectively. The O-Line was a great example. You got big guys up front? So just go man on man and bury the defense. We saw some of that late in the season but then we see the 3rd and 1, 4th and 1 empty backfield formation. When I see that I just walk away from the TV. Nothing personal but Juron is a bad coach and Wilson is a bad owner that could care less about winning or the fan base as long as the cash is rolling into his bank account. Only when Ralph's vested interests are at stake, his cash flow and the franchise value will he do something. And the only way for that to happen is for us fans to stop spending our hard-earned money. Some will say the risk is losing the franchise to another city but that's no excuse to accept mediocrity as a way of life. Buffalo and the fans deserves better...

Good insight. You're right. It's incomprehensible to me how someone in his situation, an aging NFL franchise owner, would be content to leave this Earth with a legacy of losing when he's got the resources at his disposal to go out a winner. Fair or not, I suspect future generations of football fans will remember Ralph Wilson as the penny pinching owner of a team that couldn't win the championship, not as a guy who built a fortune out of nothing. Regards.....

One thing is obvious, Ralph is not motivated by winning. I know very little about his other business interests. Perhaps others do but I wonder if he would stand for sub-standard management in those other businesses? I suspect that since the NFL is essentially an uncompetitive monopoly, the business not the conflict between franchises for the title, he can do pretty much whatever he wants and get away with it. The reality is that no team is ever eliminated from the league for poor performance. In his other businesses, if there is actual competition that would endanger the survival of the business enterprise I suspect he'd move pretty quick to oust Juron-like managers (or would never hire them at all). These issues aside, Happy New Year to all...

Its possible but that didn't stop Dolphins ownership from hiring Parcells and writing an opt-out clause into his contract in the event the team was sold. Using a little foresight. Estate tax rates are expected to be increased as well as capital gains. Given all the talk we've heard about the Kelly group wanting to buy the team and keep it local I expect they'd be in the mix to buy the team when the time comes. We've also got some political heavyweights in our corner, Schumer and the Commissioner. If they do move where would they go? Everybody keeps talking L.A. but I don't see it because California is broke. About $45 billion in the hole this year and with the cities near bankruptcy who is going to pay for a new stadium? Given the fiscal stress almost every state and city is going to face into the foreseeable future I suspect we're about to witness the end of taxpayer financed stadiums for private sports franchises.

Unfortunately Ralph is playing on the loyalty of Bills fans betting they'll support the team regardless of his callous decision to retain Juron. He's just too cheap to eat the cost of the extension, which is probably equivalent to one year's salary for a top flight coach. Whatever product he puts out he figures the fans will support it. But even the most loyal fanbase in the league, Bills fans, have limits to the pain and suffering they'll put up with. And there's alway the 'threat' of moving the team if the fans don't support it. Given the state of the economy, plus massive state and local budget deficits (and likely declarations of bankruptcy and bailouts of states and cities coming) I seriously doubt any city or state is going to find the funding needed to build an NFL stadium. And we've got the commissioner in our corner looking out for Bills fans too, a WNY native. I also feel sorry for players like Lynch and Jackson. Here's a couple guys coming into the prime years of their careers in a position not known for longevity. It will be sad to see their best years wasted working under a clueless bungler like Juron. With any luck (I hate to use the word luck) they'll start out 2009 at 0-8 and it will force Wilson to pull the plug on Juron, maybe promote April to HQ in the interim, and then find somebody decent for 2010. After 30+ years supporting the team I'm calling 2009 a 'bye year'. The hard truth is we won't have a winner, unless by chance, until ownership passes to somebody with the desire and a plan to put a winner on the field.

I 2nd your assessment of the previous analysis. I DVR'd the game and watched the Bills last possession of the 1st half several times. They ran 11 plays in 4:18. 6 runs and 5 passes. 3 of the passes were check downs to the TE. Twice they wasted about 40 seconds wandering around and huddling when they should have been in hurry up mode. It left me wondering if they even practice the 2 minute drill? Juron insists they have preparing during the week for every situation yet the hesitation, indecision, casual use of timeouts, and puzzling play calls leads me to conclude they are not prepared for Sunday.

WFAN in NY was bemoaning about the Jets late season crash and the commentator said 'If Dick Juron wasn't the worst coach in the league the Jets would have dropped their last 5, not 4 of 5." So yeah, its no secret. Phil Simms was on later talking about Cowher and how keeping the current GM and bringing in Cowher's 'people' should not be a show stopper. He said 'you're spending what, about $127 million on players, and you can't find the money to bring in one more guy into the front office"? I thought of the Bills plight with a penny pinching owner and since because I was driving at the time I had to avoid crashing from laughter...

Ralph's tactic of putting the HQ into an 'I quit' scenario if he doesn't tow the line and fire a couple assistants is bush league management. This makes me wonder if we're ever going to get quality independent thinkers, with integrity and vision, to work the front office and the coaching staff while current ownership remains in place. If Mr. Wilson made a mistake signing Juron to an extension then he needs to 'man-up' and eat the cost of his mistake. Get a professional football GM in here for God's sake (and the fan base). Just because Donahoe didn't work out the way it was intended doesn't mean that approach is wrong. Look at a few other teams where the owner meddles, Dallas, Oakland, and Detroit (until the junior Ford chimed in). These franchises are dysfunctional. So are the Bills under Wilson, that's the only way to describe it. Ralph should know better. When he pulled this stunt with Wade he refused to pay the man. In the end, the courts and the league ruled in Phillip's favor and awarded him the remaining monies on his contract. If you don't want to keep Juron show some professional courtesy and deal with Dick openly and honestly man to man. He might not be the world's greatest coach (not even close) but treat the guy with some dignity and respect.

There are only 32 head coaching jobs in the most prestigious sports league in North America, arguably the world. And in a typical year only a handful of teams have vacancies. Getting somebody of stature to come to Buffalo is not impossible given the right offer and opportunity. Outside of a couple perceived glamour locations, like NY (or really NJ), most U.S. cities are basically the same if you’re out there slugging out a living. A lot of board members would argue with the following statement but I believe this team is about a half dozen player upgrades away from contention. No top to bottom rebuilding job is needed given the right Front Office and Coaches. A good coach would have squeezed out 2, maybe 3, more wins out of this bunch. Now if ownership would only see the light and bring in a first class management and coaching team we could move forward and contend.

The problem Ralph faces is any changes in estate and capital gains taxes enacted in 2009 will be retroactive to January 1st, 2009. That's why the Dolphin and Steeler ownership agreements have been completed prior to December 31st, to avoid the potential higher rates.

I have to agree with Sully here even though my expectations yesterday were pretty low. The staff's approach to this game was certainly not consistent with that of a team with nothing to lose. They coached and played afraid. Afraid to make mistakes, afraid to take chances, afraid of big bad Bill. At the end of the 1st half they had 2 timeouts plus the 2 minute warning and 4:16 on the clock. They ran 11 plays, most of them rushing plays with the wind at their backs. Three of the passes were check downs to the TE for minimal yardage. And they wasted up to 40 seconds between plays on 2 occasions I can recall. It looked to me like the offense never practices the 2 minute drill. The staff was content with playing for a FG attempt to tie the game at the half. Only when the game was out of reach did the play calling open things up. Too late. But this all seems like Juron's standard mode of operation, play not to lose, keep it close, and hope to pull it out. If Wilson is commited to improving the staff by bringing in someone with a high level of competence (and hoepfully experience) I say make the change at HC. But if he's going to bring in another second tier head coach why make the change from one dud to another? C'mon Ralph. Play to win....

Sullivan can be a bit caustic but his message seems logical. Until the Bills have a coaching staff that is capable of matching wits with the likes of Patriots (and now the Dolphins it appears) they will be at a competitive disadvantage. And after several failured attempts this decade it seems unlikly ownership is willing to make the investment to resolve this gap. Firing Juron makes no sense unless Wilson is serious about upgrading the coaching staff.

I figure the Jets already got their Xmas present from the Bills last week and blew their chance against Seattle. How many favors do these guys want? That said, I'd enjoy seeing the Bills beat NE although it would mean dropping a couple slots down in the draft.

I have to agree we haven't seen a lot of stellar play out of Donte this year. That said, IMO most of the Bills defensive backfield woes are the result of a subpar front seven. Specifically, the undersized DE's and a lack of size and speed at the linebacker position. For example, I look at Jim Leonhard starting for the Ravens and recall him making a few plays for the Bills, but not being overly effective in the secondary. Yet he starts for the Ravens defense and effectively blitzing, tackling, and making plays in the secondary. We've got to get some pass rushing DE's, and upgrade at LB, and put some consistent pressure on the QB or this team is going to struggle to reach the .500 mark again next season. If that happens I suspect we'll see a lot more big plays out of Whitner and his pal's on the backend...

You are right; the Bills have spent a considerable amount of money on free agents and locking up some players on the roster to long term deals. Whether or not those investments prove to be wise or foolish is a subject of debate. Mr. Wilson is spending money on players. But where he falls short is in spending for FO and Coaching. If the Bills truly do not have the talent then it’s the fault of those whose job it is to go out and identify and acquire those players. And the coaches whose job it is to take whatever talent a player has and work with them to help it reach its potential. But for arguments sake was it really Ralph who hired Dick Juron? Didn't he come with glowing recommendations from the then pseudo GM Marv Levy, after he went through the interview process of prospective coaches three years ago? So shouldn't we blame Marv for recommending Juron rather than blame Wilson for hiring him? So perhaps Wilson's fault is not his own judgment of coaches but rather his judgment in assessing the recommendations of his advisors? That said I still think the blame ultimately falls at the owners feet...

A key reason why these sales are being consumated before the end of 2008 is expected changes in capital gain and estate tax rates. The new administration is sure to propose legislation in 2009 to raise these taxes on the 'rich'. Whether you agree with that philosophy or not, the result is these sales are happening now to avoid higher taxes. Any tax changes passed in 2009 will be retroactive to January 1, 2009. If Ralph is as frugal as some suspect, would he be looking to sell the team before the end of 2008 to avoid the higher tax rates on either himself or his estate? To this point have not seen or heard any rumblings about the Bills being in play.

I had my suspicions earlier and since life is cruel to us Bills fans I am not surprised. For those of you unlucky enough to get the NFL Network, a replay of the Bills-Jets game is on tonight at 8 PM ET. Personally, I'd rather get a colonoscopy than watch the ending of that game again. On a cheerful note, holiday wishes to Bills fans everywhere......

If I was Juron I would definitely sit Losman. The coaching staff and JP both know he's not going to be here next year. But the coaching staff gave him the opportunity to play and sell himself to the rest of the league as a viable free agent option. Yes, I hated the play call and thought it was stupid when your running game was destroying the Jets defense but Losman had two options on that play. 1) pass to the FB, 2) if that wasn't there, throw the ball away. Instead, he decided to improvise, holding the ball and then coughing it up. He just had to follow his orders, so don't think, just do! Winning that game could have generated some interest in him but he blew it by pulling his cowboy stunt and I can't see any reason why some other team would want to consider him as a viable QB option (1,2, or 3). Play Hamdan. Its no secret Losman is not going to be here next year and it will give us a look at the 3rd QB. Plus give us diehard fans a reason to watch which I for one won't be doing if he's under center against Denver.

Enough talent is not the problem. The root of the problem is not having good talent evaluators. And great coaching that is responsible for helping that talent reach its potential. We can't even win a game in our division this year. Look at the Jets. Patriots, and Dolphins front offices and coaching. Face it, we have inferior management and coaching (with a couple exceptions like B. April). And the core problem is an owner who sees no reason to resolve this handicap.

This seems implausible, a nightmare. Has any group of people suffered more than Bills fans? They ought to create some Federal bailout fund to compensate us all for pain and suffering. Economy sucks? No problem. Lose your job? Piece of cake. Can pay your bills? What's the big deal. You can torture us, even kill us. We're Bills fans. Anything you do to us after the season we've been through won't faze us one bit. But seriously. My question is: how is this going to play out with the fan base? The season ticket holders, etc. I live out of town and come back for 1 game a year. Make it a weekend and visit with old friends, wings, etc. So a couple nights in a hotel, food and entertainment, tailgating, travel expenses, tickets, and a couple hundred bucks my wife drops every year in the field house store after the game. In my current mindset I can't see myself shelling out the cash for a game next year if the same crew returns. I also subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket so I've seen it all this year. How do you season ticket holders feel?

Running backs are unstopable so what do you call? A play action pass. Sure Losman coughed up the ball but he should never have been put into that postion. Great call. Is Raplh laughing now? Because I am not.....

Sis - I wouldn't disagree but its not my point. All I’m seeking to do is isolate the impact of one variable on the system. In this case the system is the Bills and the variable is the coach. Swapping the identity of the coach, in this example with Belicheck, would improve the result by at least a couple wins. It’s possible some other coaches might do worse. I’m not saying Juron’s a bad guy or a bad coach. I just disagree with the notion that this roster with this schedule would still be 6-7 no matter who is coaching and nobody could have done any better.

While its possible to win without a great QB I'd agree that in the majority of cases its a necessary ingredient for success. There are a couple differing opinions on the impact of the HQ, I won't get into that. But let me ask, does anyone believe the if Belicheck had the current Bills roster and was confronted by the same circumstances (with injuries, etc.) that he wouldn't have been able to squeeze out a couple more wins? Minimally 8-6? Regards...

We've had 3 head coaching clunkers in a row. Just using the law of averages we're due to hit the jackpot sooner or later. Ralph is a classic command and control manager who cannot find it in himself to delegate to his subordinates. People like that are fearful of high competency, high skill people. Sooner or later the coach is going to get fed up with being directed and the top is going to blow off the arrangement. He would never hire a coach that would demand the autonomy and authority of a high profile coach like Cowher. That marriage would be doomed to failure from day 1. If we don't get another on the job trainee or 2nd rate reject then I'll be pleasantly surprised. Ralph has as much chance of bringing in a high profile coach as Al Davis does in Oakland. Wonder why they've sucked since 'Chucky' left? Both owners are old guard types from the same mold; want to call all the shots with Ralph being a little more discreet about it so big Al gets all the negative press in the national news while Ralph flies under the radar.