dpberr

I'm not sure what ESPN's "plan" is while they continue to hemorrhage subscribers and viewers. I was shocked at how poor the Sports Reporters show has become. The stories are garbage and about as hard hitting as a MyPillow. I don't know why Berman stays after a demotion like that. He helped build that network into what it is today.

I see it differently. If the decision to not retain Taylor has been made, that is a signal IMO, that the Bills are open to other coaches besides Anthony Lynn. Which is fine. However, they better have a plan and that's what concerns me.

It seems that every year there is a specific crop of candidates to be interviewed and teams only interview certain candidates in that group. Does anyone have insight into why certain coaches become hot names, others do not, and why teams seem to target specific coaches? I wonder why teams wouldn't want to interview all candidates and all candidates wouldn't want to interview for all the open jobs.

He didn't meet the quota for incoherent wrestler voice shouting on the broadcast. ESPN is tailoring its programming towards the younger generation - that doesn't watch television. Bad move. The generation that happens to keep television around is seeing all the people it likes and knows replaced by poorly trained television personalities/former NFL players. I watched a mid-80s CBS broadcast of THE NFL TODAY the other night that had Brent Musburger, Dick Butkus with some awesome hair and Irv Cross for in studio commentary. It was Masterpiece Theater in comparison to today's shows. No yelling, no lifetime stories and bonafide real analysis.

I'm not as enthused about him as I was prior to the last game of the season. I expected better performance. Not a win, but a decent looking, respectable loss. The press conference wasn't inspiring either only being slightly less disasterous than Whaley's. I'm disappointed that the interviews are once again taking place in Florida. That tells me that it's not Doug Whaley's choice. If they want an authentic process - bring them all to Buffalo, not Aspen, not Boca and have Doug do his job. Being even somewhat truthful about the process would help too. Second rounders can go see whoever is playing "owner" that day. Sometimes it's Kim. Sometimes it's Terry. Nobody's sure.

This is an excellent thread because the more I think about how the press conferences themselves have become news, it reinforces the fact that Berchtold isn't doing his job well. The media is not to blame for the sub-par Lynn and Whaley press conferences. The media can ask whatever questions it wants to, however many times, about any subject. The Bills can't control all of that. However, they can put their employees in the best position to answer questions and that takes preparation and having the right people available to answer the questions, including the owner. You also don't let the employees twist in the wind, at the complete mercy of the press. It's appalling to me that this Berchtold guy was invisible at perhaps the two most important press conferences of the year. They have failed miserably at that. Public speaking is part of the job. If Whaley has problems doing it, get him the help he needs to do it better and give him some prepared remarks for crying out loud.

"Howard Hughes-like Pegulas" I agree with his take on that.

I agree. You get the feeling there are a lot of hall walkers at OBD.

Not yet. Just had lunch with him yesterday. He's tired of hanging out at the same airport. If you want Seifert, you have to go to him now. We should see what Barry Switzer is up to.

Don't forget Ron Meyer. He has a winning record (54-50) with lots of AFC experience. Everybody says it's going to be the 80s again anyways...

Wouldn't surprise me that NFL owners and the NFL organization are stoking the media fire on the Bills. There are too many unstable franchises. The NFL can't be delighted to have mercury spills in San Francisco, San Diego and Buffalo and the failed nation/state of Cleveland Browns all the while trying to keep the Titans, Raiders and the Rams from descending into the same depths at the same time.

Out of those choices, I'll take Tom Coughlin. I think the ship needs to be righted and he has the experience, track record, consistency and gravitas to do it. The Week 17 game and yesterday's press conference opened my eyes to the problems this team faces in 2017. I think first-time head coaches would get eaten alive. Buffalo is perhaps the most challenging place to coach in the NFL.

Got you all beat. I flew to talk to George Seifert. Had an enjoyable light lunch. I know, I know. We usually wait for him to come up but this time why not get ahead of the game. Who's up for a road trip to visit Ron Meyer? Ron doesn't have a jet.

Where was she today? If it weren't for press releases and some trusted reporters, you'd never hear from her on the problems facing the franchise.

Sending your GM out there absolutely clueless about why the head coach was fired is embarrassing. He's the GM. He should know.

This board has a talent most intelligence agencies would covet. I've always wondered if other fan boards track flights. The air traffic control thread is a classic. I love it.

The Bills should have finished strong yesterday. They did not. I wasn't disappointed they lost. I was disappointed in how they lost. Do the players under contract really have what it takes to be winners? To sustain success should they achieve it? As I said in another thread, the team has a lot of great athletes and a dearth of real football players. I think that matters.

It wouldn't shock me that today was his last NFL game. I can't conceive of any NFL team that'd want him on the field. He can't play the position.

Lynn's audition was a disaster. Doug Whaley should follow Rex out the door. His roster has lots of wonderful athletes and precious few football players.

I agree on Lynn. His audition was a disaster.

Crazy idea? Yes. He's been figured out because it's really Ryan's defense.

Rex's defense requires a David Harris or Ray Lewis type of football intelligent player making the calls. Bart Scott benefitted from playing alongside both men. Harris and Lewis were always on the field, rarely injured. Absent Aaron Williams, the Bills did not have this person.

In baseball it's happened quite a few times, most notably Billy Martin. In football, probably most recent case is Art Shell and the Raiders. Fired in 1989, rehired in 2006. Much like Coughlin wanting to be coach and not the GM, I doubt Phillips wants to be a head coach. I think Elway has an ego and thinks everyone can be replaced besides him so it wouldn't surprise me to see Phillips get a better deal elsewhere.

I don't think Coughlin wants full control of the football team. He wants to coach one and I don't think for very long either. Maybe 2-3 years. I think he's motivated to prove the New York Giants wrong and show that he can still coach and win. Buffalo is an attractive spot because the coach who puts Buffalo into the playoffs is easily a Coach of the Year candidate and it is a hell of a capstone to his legacy. Buffalo in the playoffs on top of his work in Jacksonville and in New York makes him a first ballot hall of fame coach. If you want a challenge as a head coach, there is no bigger of a challenge than the one in Orchard Park, NY. Part of me is concerned by that because if he's on a personal mission to prove "his" way still works, that's what Ryan was - on a mission to prove something to the Jets and it was not successful. The Bills have to decide on whether the Coughlin way has a place in the 2017 NFL. Part of me sees it as a positive - He's been successful everywhere, he's taken the time to reflect (unlike Ryan) and he's motivated. He hates being fired.

I agree. I'd add that I think that when it comes to ownership, this falls on Kim, not Terry. If you're to believe the narrative, Kim is the shotcaller. IMO, she strikes me as a person who's comfortable with being the owner so long as there are softball questions and press junkets with nice photos but relies heavily on Brandon/Whaley for the football "details." A problem occurs when relatively straightforward situations (like explaining why you fired an under-performing coach or why you don't want to risk $30 million dollars) spiral out of her control due to the substantial professional shortcomings of both men. I think the behavior of the press is a manifestation of the weak leadership. You have no owner or GM who's out there explaining what happened and telling it how it is. Instead, they throw a woefully unprepared for the moment Anthony Lynn out there and you get a lot of inconsistent stories. If Whaley can't do it and Brandon doesn't want to do it - they should hire a Press Secretary just like the White House does and have him or her be the "face".