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when it comes to Browns, any subject line is open to speculation. jw

Calvin Johnson might, since apologies are in order, no? jw

odd, the Sunoco APlus at 4949 Transit Road in Lancaster has no reviews. it's listed as a brewery. i hear their stuff makes you gassy. jw

especially, the pasters. jw

ah, got ya. i understand. sorry, for the confusion on my end. jw

i don't know of anyone pasting anything in the shoutbox. i thought it was a virtual thing. wouldn't that gum up the works somehow? jw

really, now. interesting. the first question in the postseason press conference, which was asked by me, was to Russ Brandon in regards to how far he and the team need to go to transform the "tarnished" reputation Brandon had noted on the first day he took over as president. do you suggest i should have instead asked "when's the next head coaching search going begin?" puh-leeze. and how can you fathom to guess what storylines and approaches the media will be taking next September in regards to Marrone given that we don't even know if the team will be off to a slow start. funny, we can't win you folks. during the 5-2 start, we in the media were being criticized by some on this board for being overly cynical in regards to the team, and being totally blindsided by how good they were. well, they weren't. now, it's the other way around. you're suggesting what, we bring the pitchforks out already after one season. one? once again, some Bills fans' impatience seems to get the better of them, as if Marrone's 6-10 finish is somehow a continuation of Dick Jauron's legacy. but you're right, we took it easy on Marrone. no one asked him about the Bills missing the playoffs for the 14th straight season. absolutely no one questioned him about Crossman. no one ever raised the possibility that EJ Manuel's season was a disappointment. all of us in the media spent much of the afternoons at 1 Bills Drive sipping tea and playing candy crush, completely ignoring the team's record and its flaws, oblivious to reality. yep. you got it. jw

the top-to-bottom overhaul was organizational from top to bottom. new president. new gm new personnel people. new coach. new coaching staff. new quarterback. right down to the kicker and punter. to expect immediate success following this type of offseason is asking too much. it wasn't just special teams. it wasn't just the quarterback, though the inconsistency at that position played a larger role in the team's record than anything else. it wasn't just coaching it was a lot of things that come with a team with so many new moving parts. ignore the changes that took place as much as you want. very few teams that undergo these types of overhauls with raw newcomers in so many spots have a chance to succeed. these weren't the chiefs, where Andy Reid was a proven coach and brought in a proven quarterback and already had the foundation of a solid defense. McCoy got the most out of the Chargers, though it helped to have a proven quarterback in Rivers. Arians got even more out of the Cardinals, though it helped he had a veteran quarterback, an elite receiver and a solid defense. even then, that wasn't enough to get them in the playoffs. by comparison: what did Gus do in Jax? not much, given the number of changes there. what did Chudz do in Cleveland? he got fired in part because of organizational ineptitude. Trestman couldn't even get the Bears to the playoffs, because the team unraveled under injuries and too many changes on defense. and then there was Marrone, who won some close ones, lost some close ones, but got a better grasp on figuring out what the core and identity of his team will resemble, and laid the groundwork for that core in moving forward. the Bills played to expectations. the expectations are higher next season. jw

we shall see. this is a critical offseason when it comes to building on what the Bills established last year. it was encouraging last year to see the Bills stock up on DL, per Pettine's wishes. and the red flag that went up with Mark Anderson's abrupt cut proved to be a false alarm given how the line came together, and the under-rated addition of Alan Branch. i thought that was a smart move. what was also encouraging is how Whaley did much from a losing hand in adding one of the most qualified backup QB any team acquired after Week 3 of the preseason. Thad Lewis outshone many, including Freeman in Minnesota. of course, a case could be made that they over-estimated on Kolb, but that's another story. i see analytics as already playing an influence on the Bills personnel decisions. i think Branch was one example. we'll see how they proceed. and i think the first step in regards to who is in charge starts with Byrd's status. i said it last summer that the Bills decision to hold firm on Byrd hurt them as much as it did the player. today, it might be hurting them even more. i don't see Byrd blinking, will the Bills? jw

jeebers. based on this, i'd reconsider referring to yourself as a "backer." jw

i'm making no such suggestion regarding Jauron or Marv. i'm sayign continuity is a problem in part because the Bills haven't gotten it right in the first place going back to January 2006, when the upheavel that followed Donahoe's firing and the directionless approach the team took following that move still resonates to this day. the team finally has a GM in place, someone who has NFL experience as a personnel person. and they have a coach in place, too, who seems to have begun establishing an identity for this franchise. to suggest that last season was an out-and-out failure seems to discount much of the positive that did occur. this team needs to now build on that. and this is an important year. but i get the sense from some of these posts that there is a growing sentiment among some fans that the Bills should've changed course yet again after another 6-10 season. really? jw

it is always something because this team goes through head coaches and gms once every three seasons. that is why the roster turnover has blunted any sense of direction for this franchise. and it certainly hasn't helped that the Bills have failed to identify a long-term starter at quarterback. there is a belief that, given time, Doug and Doug, have begun to lay a foundation for long-term success. we'll see. but to start tearing the project down at this point seems a little counter-intuitive, don't you think, and the reason the Bills have been a mess for all these years. jw guess i should apologize for sounding so positive. i can resume being an ass if you like, and overlook facts and perspective, though see the above reply. oh, also, you folks here are the ones that have the option of rooting for the team or not, of paying your hard-earned money on jerseys, tickets, t-shirts, parking etc. no one's forcing these things upon you. i understand fans' impatience, but it's impatience and a combination of franchise ineptitude that got the Bills here in the first place. you folks can choose to root for another team if you're all fed up with the excuses. as for me, i ask questions, provide perspective, seek insight, write stories and get paid whether this team wins or loses. given my job profile, i'm stuck with them. jw

you continue with the assumption that all or many of these returning players were stud, Pro Bowlers, future hall of famers off a team that finished 6-10, no less. -- there were concerns across the o-line entering the season particularly at right guard and with the loss of Andy Levitre. a replacement for Levitre has not yet been found. -- while RB was the team's strength entering the season, and continued to be through the season, the anticipation was it was going to take time to adapt the offense to Marrone/Hackett's scheme. -- oh, and i see you fail to mention a new quarterback. how convenient. you make it seem as if the introduction of a rookie quarterback is akin to adding a new long-snapper on special teams. this is clearly where your case begins to unravel. -- Scott Chandler was coming off a serious injury and his practice time limited in training camp and his playing time also limited early in the season. as for this "other" or "second" top TE, to what reincarnation of Tony Gonzalez do you speak of? -- why do you go on about these receivers, as if they were a strength coming into the season. this was a position in transition, with two raw newcomers added to the mix. jeepers, you seem to make this receiving group out to be 2000 Rams or this season's Broncos. puh-leeze. -- yadda, yadda, yadda about the defense returning mostly in tact. 1) it didn't. 2) S Jairus Byrd wasn't ready. 3) McKelvin wasn't a full-time starter last season. 4) Aaron Williams was switching position. 5) have you heard of this fellow Kiko? 6) Manny Lawson. 7) Carrington was getting an increased role. 8) Mario Williams was playing a different role. 9) the defensive scheme certainly didn't return intact. you seem to boost your case to meet your over-valued expecations in believing this team was some sort of bona fide contender. it wasn't. jw

right, because they were a young team coming off a near top-to-bottom offseason overhaul. thanks for making my point. jw

not sure i buy your selective reasoning. yes, that's why that team won 3 games, not 6. but with a rookie quarterback, who missed 6 games, and an almost entirely new receiving core, right? ok? actually, 3 of 5 on OL, because Hairston was supposed to be play RT. and the other OL lost was Andy Levitre, which created a hole the Bills failed to fill throughout the season. easy to say that about the DL, even though it was put in a position to have to learn an entirely new system. not sure how you take into account the Byrd situation, or Gilmore's injury. -- us "apologists" noted that the experienced depth on this team was very thin which would make it difficult for team to compete if injuries occured. and yet, you fail to point out that some of the "holdovers," Bradham and Moats struggled. so, were all the "holdovers" coming back under-achievers or not? there were no expectations of EJ Manuel playing "average" to start the season. most rookies don't do that. even Marrone acknowledged in May that Manuel was "unpolished." Kevin Kolb was not the laughingstock QB of the league. to suggest so overlooks the numbers he's put up. the only question about him has been his health. still is. what is this "fortuitous schedule" you speak of. they had 6 games against playoff teams. and of their 16 games, 12 were against teams that finished at .500 or better. right, special teams cost them, like the time Rainey broke off an 80-yard run, or Stevie's third-down drop against the Patriots. or Tuel's pick-6 at the goal-line, or EJ's dreadful inconsistency at the Jets. say what you will about the Browns game -- and Powell was released a day later -- but i'm thinking EJ's injury and Jeff Tuel's pick-6 had something to do with that loss, too, no? becasue the Bills always beat the Patriots at Gillette, right? and yet, both are still on staff. jw

really, that's what you're hanging your hat on, "accountability." is there a coach out there that doesn't bang the "accountablity" drum? this is not a new concept. jw

Driesbach was out of football last season after five seasons at Rice. and i do know Driesbach (defensive coordinator), Pettine (graduate assistant) and Doug Whaley (player) were all together at the same time at Pitt from 1993-94. Pettine, in fact, has spoken highly of Driesbach. so, this move comes as a bit of a surprise. jw

that's not what i meant. i meant i expected the team to finish 6-10. and they did. they met my expectations, and were better than many in the business who had them at 4 wins. and who of these rookie HCs do you speak of that have done such a good job. for as many Harbaughs as there are that succeed, there are just as many Chudz's in the NFL. much of their success depends on whether they have a bona fide starter at QB -- the Colts had Luck, the Bills did not. have one unit, usually a defense, that plays lights out -- Carroll did in Seattle, Arians did in Arizona, the Bills did not because they were still putting together the pieces. much of it also relies on stablity at the GM position -- the Ravens and 49ers had that, the Bills have not. there was transformational change that took place with the Bills this offseason, much like the changes that took place in Gregg Williams' first year. and it was no surprise that the Bills struggled in 2001, just as it wasn't a surprise that they were a much better team in Mularkey's first year in 2004 because much of the foundation was already put in place. that was not present heading into this season. the Bills purged far too many players. not sure if "ample" opportunity to win 9 was there. jw

yeah, it's sickening when QBs succeed. why can't these guys struggle like QBs do in Buffalo for lo so many years. unfair. jw

Driesbach, to my knowledge, never worked for Marrone. in fact, Driesbach had previous ties to Pettine. the two worked together at Pitt in the mid-1990s, and, if i'm not mistaken, were also had ties back in Philly. jw

ha. that made me laugh. jw

yep? that said, which finger you figure i'm holding up, doc oc? jw

hah! good one. jw

references always appreciated. please go on and get drunk. jw

an absolutely silly and preposterous notion, indeed. jw