Sisyphean Bills

Actually, if he played for the Dolphins, guys would be laughing at him keeping up the tradition of thuggery in Miami. Since he plays for the Bills, they hope it didn't happen and that he can worm out of situations he puts himself in.

Um, no. http://www.gradeinflation.com/

Are they firing Andy Reid too?

What's his value in a trade? A yard of tape? Getting his name tied to a robbery isn't exactly what Mr. Goodell wants out of players with 2 strikes against them. Heading down the Onterrio "Whizzinator" Smith road of fame.

Now, we can hire both Jim Moras.

The Bills have to build a better team, not just patch a hole or two, hence it's the player. Do you spend your 1st round pick on John McCargo because you need a DT or Cade McNown because you need a QB and he's the best one left or do you go with the best player (using your example) Cornelius Bennett, even though you already have an average LB?

Rumor: Smithers to fly to Tallahassee with his laptop and woo Bobby Bowden.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl...ll_chris01.html http://wisconsin.rivals.com/viewcoach.asp?...1&year=2010

Makes sense. Tell the scouts, "I had a boo-boo, so daddy told me not to play." That will improve his draft status. BTW, I didn't want Colt before he was injured.

They just said he wanted to go back in but the Doctor and Mack Brown told him he was done.

The process goes like this. <ring> <ring> "Uh, Hello?" "Hi, Coach. This is Buddy Nix calling from the Buff" <click> "alo Bills. We are ... uh, hello? Coach? Coach?" <dial tone> "Who's next in the White Pages, Russ?"

Did anyone hold a press conference to announce that water is wet?

OTOH, I doubt Ralph Wilson is awake enough hours in a day to make all the craptastic decisions he has thrown at his feet.

There are more teams that have stayed in the hunt (been to the playoffs 6 or more seasons) this past decade than teams that have been shutout of the playoffs. In other words, it takes some real "luck" to be that bad.

They were talking about Cowher returning to coaching. Marty was saying that he believes Cowher will eventually return to coaching. Since the Bills are about the only opening around, it's a possibility if Cowher does get back into coaching this year it would be with the Buffalo Bills. (You don't say.)

The guy that you call "the negotiator" has cut players on his own authority. Is there any clearer indictment of bottomline trumping football? It's comical that so many people suggest that members of the inner circle have no power or influence and therefore deserve the benefit of the doubt.

The guy that has his fingerprints all over every contract is a "non-factor"? Really?

Was Russ trying to get a date with Mike Shanahan? If so, that could explain Mike's lack of interest in the job. In most hiring situations, the candidate is flown in for the interview. That let's him meet the entire team, get a tour of the facilities, see the general area, look at real-estate, check out schools, etc. It's not possible to fly the community to the candidate and most employers fully understand that. Personally, I would never fly to a candidate's place to interview (beg) him for a hire because it is backwards and would be a huge, violently flailed red flag that the candidate doesn't really want the job and doesn't consider working with us important. I owe it to the rest of my team to show some pride and self-respect, and no single person eclipses the entire organization.

As far as the coaching search, cash-to-cap could have very much to do with why so many coaches just flat turn down the Bills requests for an interview. (It seems far more plausible than suggestions that the nightlife -- how much time does an NFL coach really have to get wasted and pick up babes anyway? -- in Buffalo isn't as good as it is in Cleveland, so that's why the Browns are landing big fish whilst the Bills dig for worms. ) Mularkey quit this team and stated that the reason he left was that it was being structured so that he didn't feel he would have any ability to compete. At this point, he seems to have been 100% on the mark. Now, assistant coaches are rejecting offers at interviews. This is 1 of only 32 jobs like it in the world. But, it appears that it will only be attractive to a very desperate coach. Why? If indeed, the accounting is structured such that the team is hamstrung out of the gate, then that would be a huge and legit football executive reason to not want the job. How many coaches want to put their name and reputation on the line, knowing that people will only look at the W-L columns, and knowing they are being placed behind the 8 ball. That the vision is: we don't need to change anything, we need luck.

On the bright side, I don't have to change my signature!

Many teams are fiscally responsible and manage their cap well. They do not all use the exact same accounting practices. The Bills version, which they call "Cash-to-Cap", has been a problem in that it is designed to protect the team (read: disadvantage player) and they don't seem willing to bend their numbers. For example, they could not, under these self-imposed rules, offer a new contract to both Lee Evans and Jason Peters in the same cap year because they would charge both signing bonuses against their cap space in the same cap year. Therefore, they negotiate from a "queue" of players. This leads to Peters being disgruntled and holding out and the Bills eventual decision to rebuild their OL from scratch. Another example, because they count bonuses immediately, they put themselves behind the 8 ball as far as signing veterans that demand a large signing bonus, a financial commitment by the team so they aren't dumped after a few weeks like Edgerrin James was and embarrassed. By following their own cash-to-cap rules, they took themselves out of the running as far as signing a Derrick Brooks type player to fill an obvious hole and really couldn't even sign a second tier free agent at the position. Thus, they go into the season with the exact same, below average front 7 as they had the previous year. Various meanderings: Am I saying the Bills are "cheap"? No. The problem with cash-to-cap isn't as simple as "being cheap" versus "throwing money around". It is an self-imposed set of rules that has had an impact on how the team is built and has therefore had a direct impact on the players on the field, which is the end product we pay for on Sunday afternoons. Have the Bills brought in the "right" players? No. I've never said otherwise. The team devoid of depth, veteran leadership, and superstars for the most part. I don't believe that this is completely coincidental and just bad luck but rather that there are team internal policies that have affected this situation as well. (Saying John Guy and Tom Modrak are stupid is an overly easy, mundane answer.)

Are the Bills still going to be using their cash-to-cap system? How does this affect their coaching search? What are Russ Smithers and Waylon Overdorf going to do?

Good thread.

Management of the team has been totally incompetent, for sure. Nix is a great scout, but he still works for Burns and Smithers. The roster. We have a handful of good players. Big whoop. Every team has a handful of good players. We don't have any leaders in the club house. Donte Whitner is this team's most vocal leader. Are you !@#$ing kidding me?