hondo in seattle

As crazy as this may sound, I'm just going to trust Doug. None of the candidates particularly excite me. They all have blemishes or concerns on their resumes. Then again, sometimes guys with blemished resumes become successful head coaches. Whaley will do his due diligence, He'll learn far more about each candidate than we can possibly know. Hopefully, he'll make the right decision. Next year's W-L record and on field performance will tell us if Doug got the right guy.

That was uncanny. Even though the odds never veered from 50-50, I started expecting the Bills to win the coin toss. Who says we're a cursed team?

Oh. I feel stupid now. So the truth is... Coughlin was the front-runner. Then he and DW both remembered they don't like each other. So now he's not interested. A Lynn was also the front-runner. But then he saw the DW presser and remembered he didn't like DW so then he wasn't interested. But today he's interviewing anyway. And everyone across the nation agrees that the Bills are the most dysfunctional team in the NFL although a PFT poll says it's overwhelmingly either the 49ers or Browns.

Nice job connecting some dots.

I think that's a realistic, rational scenario. Despite all the crying over TT's deficiencies, our offense was reasonably productive this year. They did put points on the board. So maybe you go another year with TT, continue to develop Cardale, and maybe draft a QB too if someone the scouts believe in is there for the taking. Football isn't ramen. You don't pop it into the microwave for 2 minutes and get what you want. There might not be a great answer at QB for 2017, merely a serviceable one with a patient plan for the future.

I doubt if Lynn is telling Doug today that he's having second thoughts.

Chip Kelly was an offensive innovator. That's all he really offered. He's not a Vince Lombardi leader-of-men type. And it seems the NFL caught up to his offense. I'm not sure what he has left to offer in the pros.

Smarts are great. But a good coach needs more. * Leadership skills (has to bring out the best in people) * Organizational skills (must be able to maximize the practice schedule, etc) * Evaluation skills (can ID good coaches, good players) * Communication skills (everything from overarching vision to the details of technique need to be communicated powerfully and clearly) * Tactical skills (needs to be smart at X's and O's - to a certain extent, a football game is a chess match) And so on. I have no way of knowing if Reich has all those skills. His resume suggests he might have some of them.

Nice find. I was once an officer in the army. During a combat operation, a NYT reporter showed up with permission to talk to some of my soldiers. He wasn't getting a quote he could use so finally he threw out an incendiary one-liner he wrote himself and asked if anyone would be willing to have it attributed to him. One young private agreed and the quote went off like a bomb when it was printed. My conversation with my boss went something like this, "The SecDef chewed out General Powell who chewed out General Schwarzkopf who chewed out General Luck... and now I'm chewing out you!" I'm sure he was exaggerating but the quote was controversial enough to be newsworthy and no soldier even actually said it. And this was the New York Times.

Reporters want two credible sources. Football writers don't care. "A source close to the organization" means someone like Jerry Sullivan who actually has no insider information. "Buzz around the league" doesn't mean what the league players, coaches, or front office guys are saying. It instead refers to what the talking heads are mindlessly repeating. Agreed. They're not all cut from the same cloth.

Here's good news, sort of. According to PFT, the Bills are not the most dysfunction club in the NFL: 1. 49ers: 43% 2. Browns: 32% 3. Bills 10% 4. Jets 6% 5. Rams 5% 6. Chargers 3% We're only the 3rd most dysfunctional according to a PFT poll. The 9ers and Brownies are way out in front right now. Though it wouldn't surprise me if some Bills fans started voting repeatedly for the Bills. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/01/03/which-nfl-franchise-is-the-most-dysfunctional/

Is the coach a loser, or the QB? Did the D fail to deliver or the O? While I'm not enamored with TT's poor accuracy, he did lead an offense that scored a lot of points. And the OP is right, TT helped this running attack work. I see the logic here with the OP. We haven't had a really good QB since Kelly so let's be realistic. We're probably not going to find the new Kelly soon. So let's build the offense around TT and fix the D. This offense scored a lot of points without a real RT and a cast of walking wounded and rejects at WR. If we go all in on the TT offense, we could score more points next year. Enough points to get to the playoffs if the D steps up. I'd rather find a franchise QB but I understand the alternative solution.

I just don't enough about Lynn to have any strong opinion. Obviously, his credentials are a little weak. Less than a full season as an OC. There's nothing in his resume that screams NEXT HEAD COACH. Then again, he may be the next Vince Lombardi. I know nothing about his leadership skills, his knowledge of X's and O's, his ability to manage an effective off-season, and so on. The Bills brass have had an opportunity to get to know him the past couple years. Maybe they see things in him we just can't. And maybe - just maybe - they're right.

Sage advice! At one point, the media was saying Coughlin was the guy. Now they're saying he's not even interested and won't interview.

Actually, if I'm a coach in a league with a win-now mentality I'm thinking Denver is a better option than Buffalo. They may have the best roster and went 9-7 this year. If I'm obsessing about QB, maybe I pick San Diego. Phillip Rivers may not have many years left but he's the best QB on an available team. Buffalo is not the clear-cut best option. But we're certainly not the worst either, despite the 'dumpster fire' and 'dysfunction' remarks. The real dumpster fire is San Francisco with a 2-14 type roster and a CEO/owner that the media is saying should fire himself. When players are free agents they talk about a lot of stuff but usually sign the biggest offer. Coaches aren't much different, and we have an owner willing to pay not just for a good HC - but for a good OC and DC too.

I'm in the middle on Tyrod. He's done some good things and is clearly better than some of our FA options. But he's not an elite QB. I do, btw, give him some credit for the effectiveness of the ground game this year. His presence in the backfield - and the way the plays are designed - make it harder for defenses to key on Shady or MG. Saying all that, I don't buy into advanced metrics. Virtually any metric invented to evaluate QBs does so on a per-pass-play basis. This is a flawed approach. Productivity matters. A guy who goes 15 of 20 for 150 yards with no INTS and 1 TD doesn't contribute as much as the QB who goes 30 of 40 for 300 yards with no INTs and 2 TDs. Yet most statistical systems will rate those games equivalently. Sometimes you need your QB to throw for 300+ yards. The goal is to score and win the field position battle. To do all that you need to 'matriculate' the ball down the field. TT hasn't shown a consistent ability to move the ball down the field with passes. As we all know, TT has only one 300 yard game on his resume. So I think Jim is right to a certain extent. Then again, looking at the past few years, the Bills have a .500 overall roster. Most new coaches don't get to take over winning clubs. Head coaching positions are so rare and difficult to come by that both Hue Jackson and Mike Pettine were persuaded to take the hopeless Browns job. The Bills roster is good enough to attract some good candidates though others might indeed shy away from a team with TT as QB.

This is funny. "Coughlin was thought to be a leading candidate..." By who? The media. Now the very same media is saying Coughlin is unlikely to interview. The headline should be "The media is wrong again!" Coughlin did win two Super Bowls but his average season W-L record is 8.5-7.5. His record says he's barely above average. His age says his best years are probably behind him. We're not missing out.

Lynn interviewed with San Francisco today. I thought he said he wouldn't be the first black applicant for a HC position. He understandably doesn't want to just be a Rooney Rule guy. The article states he was the first candidate of any color to interview to be Chip Kelly's replacement. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/49ers-interview-anthony-lynn-coaching-job-220038038--nfl.html;_ylt=A0LEVjHOj21Yk5gAHVQPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--

Wow. I live in Seattle and talk with an ex Hawk from time to time. I don't get the same feeling you get. The people here view Buffalo as just another NFL club with maybe three main distinguishing characteristics, (1) it's cold and snowy in Buffalo, (2) the new owner is rich, (3) the Bills haven't been to the playoffs in forever - though not a horrible team lately. The fans here in Seattle, including the ex player, are not trashing the team. In fact, most see it as a positive that we fired Rex. The rest is just soap opera. By the way, things are far worse in San Francisco. There the media is asking the co-owner and CEO, Jed York, why he stopped at Chip Kelly and Trent Baalke? Why didn't he fire himself too? Hilarious.

"utter ineptitude at all levels." Hmm... the NFL is a highly competitive league. Only the very best players, coaches, and personnel evaluators in the college ranks and CFL make it to the NFL. The Bills have been .500 over the past three years. That means they are exactly average. Not good. Not bad. But in the very middle of an elite pack. I'm not sure how that can be described as "utter ineptitude." My problem is the average-ness. I want to see Buffalo wining playoff games and being average doesn't get you there. Seems like Terry & Kim feel the same way because they're looking to upgrade the guy best in a position to make that happen.

That all sounds like common sense. But Buffalo, right now, is built to run the ball. We have more talent for running than passing. We need an OC who understands the running game. A good passing game coordinator who's not as good at coordinating a running attack might struggle to score points with the players we currently have. 2013 Sporting New "Coordinator of the Year".

Beautiful

I like King. He's pretty well connected in the NFL. Typically has good sources. When he calls, players, coaches and front office people usually answer. But this was not insightful. I'm not even convinced it's entirely accurate. If I'm a DC or OC hoping to be a HC for another team, I won't spend a lot of time watching pressers. Nor do I care much what's said - it's all just PR. I will care about these things: * What does the roster look like? We have a .500 roster - better than most new HCs. * How much money will I have for my assistants? Pegula's willing to pay. * Who's my QB? TT isn't worse than most QBs on bad teams with HC openings. * How much will I be paid? Pegula will open the checkbook. * Quality of Life? Different coaches will evaluate life in Buffalo differently. * Do I like the people I'll be working with? Many haven't yet met Terry, Kim and/or Doug. But Terry and Kim seem like real nice people.

Maybe my memory is bad, but I thought once upon a time he used to do real reporting with real sources. Nowadays, he just seems to repeat what he's read on the internet or heard from an uninformed source (like a fellow media guy who likewise knows nothing and is only speculating). Yep. Not that this doesn't happen to other teams from time to time. But the timing was horrible and might have been the proverbial straw.

I'm sure you're partially right. I think the Whaley/Monos combo is more attractive to football insiders than to the Buffalo News. I don't know if I'd call Whaley's personnel team "damn good." I think they've been good in free agency. I think they've been so-so in the draft. I'm guessing that people in the NFL look at the Bills and see an average-ish roster. And that makes Whaley and his team credible personnel guys, not "damn good" ones. But I don't believe they have a bad reputation among coaches and other NFL insiders, despite the wild headlines in the media.