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Considering our QB situation, I guess it's good we're getting a guy who knows how to coordinate a running game.

What does this mean? Did Rex say these things about Jerry? Crap, that's not good.

That's certainly one way to look at it. And I hope you're right. It also could mean Roman has no talent coordinating a passing attack which is how many fans & media-types in the Bay Area think.

Good find. I feel a little better now. But is Kaep really solely to blame for the 49ers lack of productivity throwing the ball?

I never hated Rex when he was at New York. In fact I liked the way he believed in his players and admired the defense he built. But I didn't want him to come here because (1) he's a bit of a buffoon, and (2) he's had little success on offense. But when you look at the other dozen coaches we interviewed, you could find reasons not to like them as well. Either their success was a long time ago, or their resumes were thin, or whatever. In each case, you can find reasons why they aren't head coaches right now already. I don't know if Rex was the best choice but he certainly wasn't the worst choice. My dream scenario was Tony Dungy or Bill Cowher coming out of retirement to coach the Bills but that was never going to happen and posters here would criticize even that ('Too long out of football.' 'Don't want the Cover 2.' 'The Chin is overrated.'). There was no candidate close to being a consensus perfect choice. Every candidate has their warts (or foot fetish as the case may be). As you say, we can only get behind Rex now and hope for the best. Combining Rex with a good OC could do wonders for this team.

So we fired a coach who was 2 games below .500 to hire a coach who's 2 games (including playoffs) below .500? Curiously, the internet is saying Schwartz is out and Schwartz is in. In fact, FanSided is reporting both. http://fansided.com/2015/01/11/rex-ryan-wants-keep-jim-schwartz-bills-defensive-coordinator/ http://fansided.com/2015/01/11/buffalo-bills-replace-jim-schwartz-defensive-coordinator/?utm_source=FanSided&utm_medium=Network&utm_campaign=RelatedCategory (Yeah, I know, FanSided doesn't have 'real' sportswriters). Why so much faith in Roman?

Let me jump on the bandwagon noting how unloved Roman is in the Bay Area where they're surprised Roman's getting HC and OC consideration. http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/Go-figure-49ers-Roman-hot-candidate-5997808.php GM Trent Baalke's daughter tweeted this about Roman after the 9ers lost to Seattle 19-3 on Thanksgiving, “The 49ers don’t want you no more.” As a curious counterpoint to the stats FeartheLosing shared, in 2014 SF was the #30 passing team in 2013 SF was the #30 passing team in 2012 SF was the #23 passing team in 2011 SF was the #29 passing team

It's not revisionist. Lots of us felt at the time that Chan was doing an awesome job with the offense given the poor OL, QB, and WR talent he had on the roster. If (1) Chan had better players, and (2) found a good DC, he would still be the head coach. Of course, those are two huge ifs. Marrone outperformed Gailey because he had better talent and hired better DCs. The better talent is thanks to the FO. The better DCs may also be due to the FO. For example, when Schwartz was offered the job, I doubt he thought, "Great! I have a chance to work with the legendary Doug Marrone!" More likely, he looked at the loaded Bills defensive roster and couldn't resist the opportunity to coach those great players. Marrone didn't excel in his supposed area of expertise: offense. Both Marrone and Gailey had offenses bereft of OL and QB talent. But Gailey did a much better job with the cards he was dealt.

EJ is the best QB on the roster right now and Whaley is up-talking him. Why is this either surprising or controversial?

I was surprised when some posters were unhappy to learn that the Pegulas were involved in the interview process. I guess they were worried about a Jerry Jones type scenario with an amateur owner making football decisions. But I think the Pegulas need to be involved in the process. They are the owners and as I learned in the army, "The leader is in the critical place at the critical time." Would we instead want the Pegulas to hang out in Boca Raton when a new HC is being chosen? This has got to be a great learning experience for them - talking to a dozen smart NFL insiders with very different perspectives. The smarter the Pegulas become, the better owners they'll be.

I've read people calling this situation "a circus" and saying the Pegulas are "in over their heads." I doubt that's how they feel. I think they feel excitement as they think about - and work for - a bright future for the Bills. This is their first opportunity to make their mark on the team and start leading the team forward. It would be foolish of us to think that all their initial decisions will be good ones, but hopefully they get the big decisions right. Like this HC. Good luck to them.

You don't have to look outside Buffalo to find coaches worse than DM. We've already had 'way worse' and I worry every day that we'll get a new coach who will be as bad as Harvey Johnson, Jim Ringo, Kay Stephenson, Hank Bullough or Gregg Williams. Then again, I hope every day that we get someone much better than DM. Worry and hope, always in some kind of balance. Isn't that the life of a Bills fan?

I think this is a very cogent argument. I also disagree. If any of the victims' friends or families saw the Simpson name up there, I think they would be hurt to know we were glorifying a man who did so much evil in their lives. Sports franchises shouldn't be in the business of hurting innocent people, or glorifying monsters. But I don't think it's a good idea to un-retire #32 because I'd hate to have it assigned to some rookie. Yeah, eventually it would become 'just another number' but the first kid to wear that number would have the number of our greatest player and worst villain on his back. That's too much to carry.

Of course Rex, and any potential HC, would worry about the unsettled QB situation here. HC candidates always worry about how much talent a team has. Especially when HCs these days typically get only about 3 years to turn a team around. Let's be honest, just as many coaches get canned because they don't have enough player talent as get canned for their own ineptitude. Probably more. (As an aside, maybe that's why it may be a bad idea to the have the HC work for the GM - GMs use HCs as scapegoats for their own failures). The problem for HC candidates is that there are only 32 HC jobs and maybe only 6 HC openings each year. Getting one of those 6 openings is highly competitive. And of the 6 openings, maybe only 1 of them is on a team that can compete right now. The other 5 are devoid of high performing stars - that's why the previous HC was fired. It seems to me, QB problem or not, the Bills are this year's can-compete-right-now team. I don't want Rex, and if he's a little more sensitive about QBs than the average coach, I get it - but if he doesn't want to coach here, he's a fool.

I'll limit myself to these two guesses: The Bills hire Frank Reich. Marrone doesn't land a HC position.

I'm ambivalent about this. Nothing in my history of Bills fandom gave me greater joy, and quickened my pulse, like watching OJ breaking into the open field. His name on the Wall of Fame conjures up images of his miraculous grace, power and vision when he wore number 32 for the Bills. His feats of gridiron magic are indelibly stamped in our collective memories and that's why his name is there. On the other hand, post-Buffalo OJ is a scumbag murderer. I wonder what the relatives of his victims think when they see his name still on the Wall. Why do we glorify a monster? For me it would be a tough call but if I were Terry Pegula, the name would come down.

Tim Graham says a lot of the buzz about Marrone being a HC candidate for this or that team is probably being drummed up by his agent 'leaking' things to the media. TG doesn't think many teams were interested in Marrone when we hired him. Nor does he think many teams are interested him now - despite what his agent might be leaking to sportswriters. The agent's leaked rumors are an attempt to create interest by making Marrone seem like a hot commodity, when he's actually not. I wouldn't be surprised to see Marrone just sit this season out. I don't think he'll be offered a NFL HC job or even an OC job. (Oddly, his credentials to be HC are better than his credentials to be an OC. At the Saints, he was a glorified OL coach. With us, his offenses failed miserably.) The problem with him taking a position as a position coach is that he'd be conceding that he's not really HC material. A desperate college team might offer a HC position but I think he thinks he's too big for that.

I'm not negative. I am anxious.... anxious about the turmoil at OBD... anxious about our QB situation... anxious about the HC search. But I am also hopeful. Change can be negative. It can be neutral. And it can be good. This is a great opportunity for the Pegulas to make their mark on the team.

You don't need to be boisterous to win in the NFL. You just need to be good. Like Jeremy, I don't care about personality. I care about ability. Give us a HC who wins.

Perfect.

You may very well be right about Manuel's potential. BUT... He's completing nearly 60% of his passes despite his lack of experience and problematic OL. I'm a Purdue grad so I've followed Drew Brees career. I remember people making similar arguments about Brees when he was with the Bolts. Lots of fans and pundits thought Brees just didn't have what it takes to be a franchise QB. Somebody mentioned Alex Smith and we could also throw in Jim Plunkett among others. Some QBs just start badly in the NFL. I'm all in favor of signing a veteran QB and even drafting a QB. But I'm not completely sold that EJ can never be a franchise QB - not yet. I suspect Whaley's glowing remarks about EJ come with some balance. I doubt if he's saying, "You need to start this guy for the next few years because I'm convinced he will be an outstanding QB." He's probably suggesting there's some potential there but the Bills will also look elsewhere.

Eggers has a point, sort of. If she hired a good OC, DC and ST coach, should could potentially field a winning team. But you really need to know football inside and out to have credibility as a coach. A few women know football well enough to report it. But how many know it well enough to coach it? I don't question female intellect. It's just that women today don't have the requisite hands-on experience and it will be hard for them to gain it. I imagine it will start some day with a woman as a QC coach in the college ranks. I can't see a woman getting hired as a position coach - at least not now, not in the NFL.

Head Coach applicant, Mary Eggers , of Rochester says you don't need to have played the game to be a good coach. "Something is absent on the team. If I can see it through a TV screen, then you must see it in person. Something is missing. There is such great potential there and there is a missing link. YOU HAVE GREAT PLAYERS. We need something deeper." "If I were coach of the Bills I would develop a comprehensive program. Keyword being PROGRAM. I would.... With the assistance of the organization develop a five year strategic plan for our team to not just get to the playoffs, but win the Super Bowl. We need to sit down and look at our team. Where are we strong? Where are we weak? The answer does not lie in what key player we need to get but in..... how do we raise one another's games?" http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2015/01/rochester_woman_next_bills_coach_letter_application_to_new_owner_pegula.html

It could very well be sour grapes. But Manisha Mehta's articles - with sources in Buffalo - seem to paint the very same picture.