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don't know. don't care. don't cover other teams. either way, the truth eventually comes out. jw

and in my book, i think Bill Belichick is the most innovative and best game-preparers in the business. ... how he beat the Broncos by conceding a safety in the final minute a few years back had nothing to do with cheating, and everything to do with playing the long odds left before him. how the Patriots dismantled the Bills 56-10 on that Sunday night game was the best offensive display of football i've ever seen. how Belichik went for it on fourth down time and time again to keep Peyton off the field was his only recourse. it didn't ultimately work, but it was to his credit that he kept going for it. how he stockpiled draft picks to add value and overcome having to pick late in the first round was ingenious. how he went after not one but two tight ends because he saw how they could fit his system was smart, and something any team -- including the Bills -- should be faulted in their failure to adapt. jw's the kind of guy that values a free drink and a good whiskey at any time of day. i'm weird like that. couldn't tell you if it's a western new york thing, but it's better than overpriced beer in toronto. jw

and since no one at OBD is willing to talk except to the team-controlled radio show and its website, it certainly opens the door to questions, no? jw

i should hope the Bills had this type of dynasty questioned, no? jw

no. jw

let's be clear on a few things here. i chose "skepticism" on purpose, not "doubt" or "concern" or "feelings of doom." for those suggesting that i reveal sources or report what i know, well, that's just it. from everything that i know, this is what i've come up with: a kind of "i don't know." and yet i can't ignore the feelings of being skeptical in the wake of this latest "new era" that's supposed to be different from the other "new eras" when it's quite evident that the only changes that have been made are at the coaching level, something this team has gone through more than once before. i'll also state this: my initial choice for coach was Whisenhunt (and also heard good things about Tom Cable and perhaps Jay Gruden). and my choice for coach when they hired Gregg Williams was John Fox. and my choice for coach when the Bills hired Jauron was not Jauron. and my choice before they hired Chan was actually Perry Fewell, though i told friends and colleagues that Perry was the "right coach" at the wrong time. Buddy wanted someone with experience and it's unclear whether the fanbase would support someone who was so connected to Jauron, especially after the fire'em all billboards went up. so, having been to this rodeo more than once in my 13 years here, i have developed a level of "skepticism" particularly after how last season unraveled. hopes were dashed and very little changed, particularly the record. and what happens amid all this is a good man gets fired and the promise of "an exhaustive" search lasts a mere four days when it's particularly clear there were far more stones that could've been turned. if Russ Brandon is in this for the long run, then why rush to make a decision? i don't know. that's not been explained except the comment from Buddy Nix in which he said they found their man. well, what was the rush. if Doug Marrone was the man, why talk to Chip Kelly and Lovie Smith? and why go so far as to set up an interview with Mike McCoy only to have that postponed by McCoy. a franchise that's had one real sniff at the playoffs in 13 seasons, i think, should do more to uncover all stones rather than tip over a few and leave the rest for others. is the expectation to win next season? well, that's not clear. and if it's not, and another rebuilding process is in order with a new quarterback and, most definitely, a new coaching staff then where does that leave anyone at this point? two, three years away? well, if that's the case, then why not wait until after the Super Bowl to come up with more than a modest list of candidates that can be pored over. too often over these past five coaching searches, the Bills have rushed to find their man in essentially the first couple of weeks of January. Gregg Williams was hired on Feb. 1, or about three weeks after the titans were eliminated from the playoffs. Mike Mularkey was hired on Jan. 15 Jauron was hired on Jan. 23, but two weeks after Mularkey resigned. Gailey was hired on Jan. 20, three weeks after Buddy Nix took over. And then there was Doug Marrone, who needed only five or so days to make an impression. wouldn't a longer wait to find the man be thinking out of the box. ... heck, the Eagles, who have actually been to the playoffs were in the process of interviewing numerous candidates before Chip Kelly apparently reconsidered. so what is it in which Doug Marrone blew the Bills away in four or five interviews? funny, i don't recall anyone ever saying except for vague references that he was the man. maybe he is. for his sake and for the sake of a win-starved fanbase, i hope that's the case. as i wrote, i hope this one works, because there's nothing as exhausting in the writing business as covering a coaching search. that said, is it fair to say that the Bills really interviewed only four coaches and a "Rooney Rule" candidate. it could turn out that Horton was the most qualified, who knows. as for my other point, can i not wonder why there has been such a desire to keep Doug and his staff under wraps, except for a few inhouse-conducted interviews with vaguely and safely crafted questions. i worry when people play their cards too close to their vests. it opens the door to skepticism, ergo this thread. jw

he flat out denied it. saying, "is this one of those times you say, 'don't believe everything you read.'" jw

i would also question some of the "glowing" reports that have come out regarding this hire. Marrone has already called one of those reports false in claiming he made a video presentation to each of the teams he interviewed. i would consider the source(s) of those reports and see whether they might have certain similar ties in regards to representation, and whether it raises any questions in regards to a conflict of interest. jw

i hope Doug Marrone succeeds, and yet i'm left to wonder if this search was as "exhaustive" as Russ Brandon vowed it would be. He said there would be "no stone left unturned." and yet, there appears to have been some stones that weren't even touched. what concerns me further is that there's been a clear desire on the part of the Buffalo Bills to "market" this coach and his staff to the public with team-generated, spoon-fed questions and quotes. there appears to be a want and desire to "market" this choice, without the glare of actual objective questioning. this could surely well be interpreted as a complaint in regards to how the Buffalo Bills intend to control their message and how it's presented to the public. I certainly hope that after 13 years of covering a non-playoff team that they have it right. To me, I have several questions, including whether Mr. Brandon succeeded in his term as the Bills' GM, a time in which the team drafted Leodis McKelvin and Aaron Maybin in the first round. jw.

nah, that's never gonna happen. so quit dreamin. jw oh, sorry, i wanted to suggest to you la bilge that crap happens once in awhile. sorry if anyone beat me to this.

the end of innocence for me came unexpectedly. i was nine or so when the nixon impeachment hearings took place. oddly enough, i rushed home to watch what went down, kimba be damned. jw truly, what's your point?

there is always some untempered euphoria and chance for a "fresh start" that comes with each coaching hire. i was merely attempting to raise a nagging concern that i have from my objective perspective as having now gone through five of these things. anything and mostly everything that's said in these opening press conferences are quite often forgotten come September. heck, someone here asked me to recall the previous four inaugural press conferences. for some reason, they were all relatively unmemorable. in fact, i more recall what each coach said to me or in public on the days they were fired or resigned. again, i'll wait until a year from now before making up my mind on Doug. could be a great guy. could be questions. i'm not sure just as of yet. oh, and by the way, that was my question regarding the report of the time Marrone apparently committed in studying the teams he was interviewing with. ... geez, shefter was wrong. jw

trying not to be a downer, but i wonder how this "exhaustive" and "leave no stoned unturned" search lasted less than a week and failed to identify some of the candidates that are now available to be interviewed and candidates still coaching in the playoffs. all i'm saying is that being skeptical makes me wonder whether things have changed. these are questions that are unanswered at this point. and after 13 seasons of missing the playoffs, what benefit of the doubt have the Bills earned. even Russ Brandon said the team's reputation has been "tarnished." it's not as if i'm paving new ground here. jw

and yet, if you went online, you could see that The Buffalo News did have news of Marrone. though the print media, initially, was slow to adapt in this modern age, newspapers have turned to the internet to enhance their ability to provide up to date news. the criticism you present here is not a new one. back in the day, if something broke at 2 a.m. after publishing deadlines and was reported on TV and/or radio, then the same criticism would apply. and yet, in today's world, i think your criticism is less apt because "newspapers" are more capable than ever to provide news when it happens. it's called the internet. jw

but what if that player is Mario as a poster here suggested? jw

i think we're a little off topic here. at least one poster here suggested Marrone was very good at getting rid of the slackers at Syracuse. i don't know how that translates at the NFL level. and any coach that's incapable of getting rid of slackers, be it in college, NFL or high school for that matter, isn't long for the job in the first place. jw

on the other hand, Marrone has never been an NFL head coach. ruling over a college program, whether you're Nick Saban or Jeff Quinn or Doug Marrone is one thing. a so-called "student athlete" has very little recourse if he's benched or has his scholarship stripped or is suspended. at the NFL level there's far more nuance required, i think. and, i wasn't making any comparisons here to Chip Kelly, nor attempting to suggest i favored Chip Kelly over any of the other candidates. i didn't. and to San Jose's point, Marrone might have NFL experience, but it's as an assistant coach. i would suggest to say that there's a difference being an offensive coordinator and a head coach. all i'm saying is these are words of caution. i exchanged texts today with a very prominent Bills fan, who is excited about this decision. fine, i said, you can be. good for you. trouble is, i've been around this new coach block one too many times, and been fooled by hype and expectations and 5-2 and 4-1 starts to know better. i intend to start making my mind up at say this point next year. call me skeptical, i wrote. maybe i'm from Missouri these days: you know, the show me state. jw

ummm, word of caution: this isn't a college team. these aren't college players. it's one thing to take a my way/highway approach in college. another to do so in the NFL when guaranteed contracts and practice limitations (days, hours and contact) are in place. and before someone suggests that it's a new coach's perogative to rid team of chaff, well then that was my concern going into a coaching change in the first place: how many Bills fans sign up for more rebuilding? just a few thoughts. jw

Here's what I can report, from the last story I filed. Four people familiar with negotiations have confirmed to the AP that Marrone has agreed to a deal with the Bills. One person said, the details of the contract are still being finalized. A formal announcement is not expected until either later today, or tomorrow. ... One person has said Marrone has already informed SU officials that he's leaving for an NFL job. Marrone was identified as the team's leading candidate last night. The Bills' scheduled interview with Mike McCoy in Denver was postponed by McCoy. jw

the D and C story was posted at 6:16 a.m. ... several outlets, including the AP, are now reporting that the deal is done. which is what the AP was told about an hour ago. jw

all i saw was the insurance ad of a car careening down a highway, and some guy hanging on to the windshield. ... jw

well, i didn't say that ... jw

IT'S A FAKE ACCOUNT. THE WILCOTS ACCOUNT IS FAKE. jw

click the link to account ... or actually don't. it's fake. jw