Sisyphean Bills

Thanks for the link. I hadn't read that. Did you notice it was Russ Brandon's decision?

Um, no. This is a logical fallacy. Just because Fewell took the interim title does not mean he was their first choice nor even the best choice. All it means is that he was the one that agreed to take on a bad job. There is almost an unwritten code when it comes to mid-season dismissals among coaches. Someone that eagerly jumps into the situation could easily get themselves blackballed and with the amount of coaching movement in the NFL, making enemies isn't a priority. Or, as in Fewell's case, jumping in is a token move where you are just coaching out the string and fired yourself. An experiences assistant with a good reputation isn't going to see any professional upside in taking over a beat down team from his former boss and friend. The writing is on the wall.

Ralph is the best owner in the history of the Buffalo Bills! Wahoo! Ralph's in the Hall of Fame.

How do you know that the Bills were the disinterested party? The guy reportedly took a buy out, no? When someone does that, they usually aren't looking to stay around longer.

Super Bowl!

http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/index.php?...t&p=1714946 Are they "stealing" my material?

Wil Wolford was drafted a long, long time ago.

There is a potential problem in hiring someone out of retirement that I haven't seen mentioned. Given the way the coaching search has apparently gone and potentially other such issues, it is not entirely out of the question that Buddy Nix decides to remove himself from the equation and re-retire (see Marv Levy). He's done a life's work and he could decide that the weather is better and that the golf cart wasn't really that bad.

Yes and no. Watch the latest press conference. Wilson is frail at best. Wilson makes several comments and then looks for and asks Brandon to confirm what he just said. There is little doubt that there is cooperation and trust between these two. They are working in concert. This is not an unheard of situation either. It is well known in Washington that Duke Short was the person with the power, the "real" Senator from South Carolina and you had to go through him to get the vote. Thurmond's staff may have worked for him, but they also helped him "remember" his position on the issues.

No problem. Really, my research post was to simply present some data on where "great coaches" come from. The data does not support that you look to the team that just won the Super Bowl or went really deep in the playoffs that year. Good coaches can be found in a wide variety of ways. The pattern is that there is no pattern and no singular mode to success. As far as Capers, he might be desperate enough to come here. Gotta love him nodding off in the box too.

This is an important point for a team that is trying to position itself as a farm team for the rest of the league, which is a needed service now that the Arena and Europe leagues are defunct. Spend 3 or 4 years getting guys like Meredith and Maybin ready (or not) to be NFL caliber players and just in time for free agency.

Naivete? He didn't want to waste his or the Bills time because he knows he wants to stay where he is and you call that "naivete"? People turn down interviews all the time. There is nothing unusual or naive about it whatsoever. Quite the opposite, actually.

Sounds like a guy desperate to leave his current situation. Not. Still, it is surprising he doesn't jump on a 1 year contract offer.

I'm sure Ralph doesn't walk up to anybody at this point. He sits by his Bat Phone. As for Buddy, my theory is that Buddy was hired when he was because Russ Brandon's search had stalled big time. Smithers couldn't talk shop and was getting blown off by everyone, so he and Burns decided to front someone else in the form of Buddy Nix. This certainly seemed to energize the search a bit initially. Regardless, it is what it is and everyone knows it.

Good post. It is true. Gil Brandt puts it that coaches across the NFL know what is going to happen 2 days before it happens, they are that well connected in their fraternity.

Just so you know, it was Jerry Jones that made the big trade for Roy Williams and Phillips wasn't exactly on board with the idea. Many people in the league view Williams as a one-dimensional, lazy, lackluster player and the Cowboys gave up quite a bit for him. Jerry Jones also brought T.O. to the Cowboys over strong objections by Parcells.

Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.

You're right, I blew it with where Mike Shanahan came from before Denver. He did come from the 49ers and they had won the Super Bowl in 94. Seifert: He was with the 49ers, so he wasn't hired away by anyone. Holmgren: Was hired after the 91 season by Green Bay. The 49ers did not make the playoffs in 91. Thanks for pointing out 2 more Super Bowl winning coaches that did not come from a different Super Bowl winning team to the team they won the Super Bowl with. Want to keep playing? Joe Gibbs: Hired in 1980 from San Diego. San Diego has never won a Super Bowl. Bill Parcells: Promoted from within by the Giants. Was an assistant to Perkins, Giants were not a playoff team. Bill Walsh: Hired out of college ranks. Mike Ditka: Hired from Cowboys. Cowboys did not win the Super Bowl that year. Tom Flores: Internally promoted. John Madden: Internally promoted. Don Shula: Hired from the Colts. He went 8-5-1 in his final year in Baltimore and they didn't make the playoffs. Going back further is getting rather pointless at this point. So, you have 1 Super Bowl winning coach hired from a Super Bowl winning team in 43 years. Obviously, that is the only way to hire your next coach.

Maybe the point is that coaches are prostitutes. The only thing that matters is the cash.

I take it that you want him gone. Are you 100% sure that he was the problem?

But, it could explain the report that the Bills had offered Cowher an amazing 1 year deal.

My hunch is that the Bills figured that they were closing in on who they wanted as HC. He'd have say on his staff, but if he wanted to keep some of the coaches already in place, all he'd have to do is say so, and they refuse other teams' requests. The notion that the Bills had a long list and were going to quickly narrow it down to 2 or 3 candidates to take to Ralph hasn't gone as planned. They have had 0 candidates come to Buffalo for interviews. How many of the current playoff teams have coordinators that are absolutely desperate to leave again?

Let me clarify by way of illuminating a third option. The Bills could well want him to stay but he could refuse to sign an extension. Unless he signs an extension, this is what I'd say is going on. It makes little business sense to "clean house" by letting people make paper airplanes and throw pencils into the ceiling tiles for months before they walk away.

No problem, PTR. Russ Brandon can fill in as HC to get us over the hump. After all, he hasn't proven he can't do it. (Just kidding, my friend. I hope.)

Sort of ironic to keep reading "an offensive guy" and Frazier and Rivera in the same sentence over and over and over.