ThurmasThoman

while were at it, doesn't the process of "interviewing" head coaches seem like an outdated procedure, that only happens because of "group-think" with NFL teams: essentially, no club wants to be the first to not interview people, but to just hire a coach. (with regards to the rooney rule, if youre not interviewing ANYONE, its not racist.) what correlation can there possibly be between an interview, and being a head coach? especially when youre actual RECORD of winning and losing football games is, um, public record? wow - doug marrone just blew the bills away in an interview? that's odd. in my own personal interview (looking at college standings on espn.com) he failed to impress me. but really, im curious to see if the bills brain trust knows something more than me. specifically, what skill set he showed in his interview that is going to translate to winning games at the professional level, even though HE COULDNT WIN THEM AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL?

this is exactly how i feel. EXACTLY how i feel. he went .500 in his college career, in a ho-hum conference, with a team that was a train wreck, and not necessarily easy to recruite marquee players to. now, he's coming to an organization that is a train wreck, and not necessarily easy to recruit marquee players to. my question: how is a coach that couldnt win in an easy conference in college with a bad team, going to win in the nfl, with a bad team?

Right. I agree with you 100%. I think everyone who is even remotely concerned with the success of the Buffalo Bills agrees with the fact that this club needs to start winning ball games. However, with regards to that subject, there are literally 10s of thousands of threads where that can be discussed to your heart's content. I don't want to bog down this thread with a response to every single person who says that the best way to improve the bills brand is to "win ball games." We all get that. RATHER: this is for those seemingly minor details of the Bills organization that could potentially be addressed, in a timely fashion, if those in charge read them and said "wow, that's a good idea, i had no idea such a large portion of our fanbase felt that way!" This could theoretically, (with the mods help!) become a place where Russ could skim when he comes to this website, to see if there are any groundbreaking ideas that we, as fans, have that can contribute to the organization. Were not the Patriots, were not the Cowboys, were the Buffalo Bills. We're small market, we're passionate, and we're connected. Let's do something about it. There's a MARKETING DIRECTOR running our football team. Our ideas will be heard. Just make them good ideas. And if you don't have a good idea, leave the space for those that do have ideas to contribute. And with that, I'm leaving this thread to let the internet do with it what it will. And to the guy with the Mayan temple as an avatar - im never paying you. Im a Bills fan, you think I have 50$ bucks to pay up? Double or nothing we make the palyoffs next year?

Mods, please delete this post ASAP. This is a perfect example of exactly what this thread SHOULDN'T be. To the poster: I'm sure Russ is more than aware that we need a new coach (Gailey has been fired,) and a better QB. Russ himself said the Bills brand has been tarnished. Stop living in the past, and stop ripping on the Bills. Leave that for the national media--they are plenty good at it. Use this thread as a platform to suggest meaningful ideas that could actually gain traction within the organization. WIFI in the stadium perhaps? If you can't think of something to contribute, then concede that there are smarter people than you in charge of the organization, and find another thread to post in.

Alright guys, a thought struck me just yesterday. Now that Russ Brandon is acting president of the Buffalo Bills, we as fans have likely never had a greater chance to have our suggestions as fans heard (and acted upon) by the Buffalo Bills. I can, with 100% certainty, assure you that a male in his early 40s with a background in marketing, is familiar with, and peruses message boards such as here, billszone.com, buffalorumblings.com, and the buffalobills.com message board--to get a general feel for the mood of the fans. Is Russ here every day? With a user name, defending the honor of the Bills brand? Hardly likely. But you can be sure that a man with his background is lurking--and reading our threads regarding who the next coach should be, what are our thoughts on Fitz, Gailey, etc. The man wants to sell tickets. This is a community of people who are likely to buy Bills season tickets/renew Bills season tickets/(possibly) cancel Bills season tickets. Don't delude yourself into thinking a community of hundreds (thousands?) of dedicated, passionate, Bills fans at twobillsdrive.com can't move the needle at One Bills Drive. So, with that being said, this thread was inspired by this idea at playstation.com: http://share.blog.us.playstation.com/ Essentially, users post their "off the wall" ideas to improve the brand. If the post is liked (or in this case, quoted?) enough, people who can affect change start to take notice. I think it goes without saying, then, that you should please, please, please avoid things like "draft Geno Smith," or "hire Bill Cowher." Those ideas are hardly ideas, they are business transactions that will be handled by capable minds in the Bills organization. Rather, this can be an area where Russ can truly see... does 99% of Bills nation want the endzones to be red again? So, for starters, I would say this: In the one game a year we wear our throwbacks, we should wear the uniforms from the 90's. It was the most successful period in the organizations post-merge history, and our current uniforms are so similar to the throwback, standing Buffalo uniforms as it is, that it makes them irrelevant. It would be amazing to see our team playing a night game, in HD, with the red helmet, royal blue tops, and white pants. Make it happen Russ!

I know this isn't going to happen, but I would love if the Bills knew if the Laconfora rumor is true. Does he really not want to coach the Bills? If that is the case, and the Bills knew with certainty that Chip Kelly does not want to coach here, I would consider this offseason a success if we released a statement saying we had cancelled our interview with him, and basically insinuate that he needs to earn a chance to interview with us, not vice versa. Im just so tired of the Bills being football's whipping boy. A less attractive opening than the Browns?? That's absurd. If Russ is really interested in changing the culture, and repairing the brand, I think telling off some hot-shot college coach with absolutely 0% NFL experiences or contacts to F-off, while encouraging him to take the Browns job instead of Philly so we could beat his ass at least once every 3 years instead of 4 would be a step in the right direction. In the playground that is the NFL, we are the kid getting bullied by the swingset. It's time to punch someone in the mouth. Let's make chip our b*tch.

indeed. from a different era of NFL football. watching that video, on the drive that cut the score to 35-17, there was a beebe catch that would have been overturned and ruled a fumble by modern day instant replay a beebe spike of the ball after a drop that would have been flagged for delay of game or unsportsmanlike conduct by todays officials and beebe clearly stepped out of bounds before catching the td, which would have been overturned by instant replay i have long been an opponent of instant replay, and this video may be my prime example of why. although its the "greatest comeback ever," really, it was the oilers playing a great half of football, then the bills playing a great half of football. you can feel the "momentum" ( a tricky concept to define,) changing with every successful play in that game. kenneth davis running for a first down when we were still down 35-10 elicited a monster fist pump from kent hull: when was the last time you saw a bills O line man celebrating a first down run at midfield? that day was magical, a game the league as a whole still remembers 20 years later. a game that couldnt even exist in todays NFL. magic like that requires illusion and slight of hand, like beebe stepping out by half an inch before catching a touchdown. he was still covered by the corner, the spirit of the play remained unchanged. in todays nfl, that play would be nullified, that comeback wouldnt happen. the nfl has sacrificed the magical and the impossible, to replace it with "perfection." you tell me whats better.

especially when prefaced with "almost."

I think that today is a day that all Bills fans should feel good about. In my opinion, Nix has done a great job as a GM. Believe me when I say I know you can't look at the season and say "what if," but with that being said, if you look at the bills 2012 season, we certainly appear to be right on the doorstep of greatness. As hard as it may be to believe, we were really only 4 plays away from winning the AFC east. Buckle your seat belt for a few "ifs." If CJ doesn't fumble that ball going into the endzone against the Patriots, but instead scores a TD; if Fitz somehow throws a TD on the last play against the Patriots in foxboro; if our D stops the titans on their last drive; and if our D stops the rams on their last drive; were 10-6, the patriots are 10-6, and we win the division. I know that seems ludacris and far-fetched, but it just goes to show that the difference between 12-4 and 6-10 isn't that drastic. So, with that being said, you look at today, and it's easier to imagine someone like Schottenheime or Cowher coming to take the reigns. Couple that with even a mediocre starting qb, and the Bills seem to be on the fast track to being relavant again. I hope.

thought this said "that's the only way to TROLL" for a second. lol. both apply.

lmmfao

i totally get what you're saying, and i think it's valid. i just think that the reason nix is so tired about talking about it RIGHT NOW, is because of an organizational decision to stay the course for the next 4 weeks. me and you both want nix to say: "this season has been a resounding disappointment. ryan fitzpatrick has regressed, and is unable to make the nuanced throws required to get an afc team to the 12 to 13 win threshold necessary to compete for a bye in the playoffs, and give us a realistic shot at representing the AFC in the superbowl. gailey's excessive reliance on fitz has cost us games we should have won, and they both will be sumarilly released from their affiliation with this organization following the final whistle in the jets game in 5 weeks." he could say that. and then, for all intents and purposes, the product that they are trying to sell (the buffalo bills,) has a shelf life that is 5 weeks shorter. it would amount to saying: "this season is over." nix is southern, but he's not dumb. we have home games against the jags and the rams in the next 8 days. believe me when i say that an organization as profitable as the bills knows that despite how god awful we have been this season, odds are actually pretty strong that we will be either tied for, or in sole possesion of a wild card spot 8 days from now. reread that--it seems outlandish, but it is what it is. do you think we can beat the jags and the rams at home? i do. theyre trying to sell a product. there are still tens of thousands of seats that need to be sold. there is clearly a top-down message from bills brass: the season isn't over, no talk about tearing it down yet.

Let me just say something here, that will probably be ignored because were on page 5 and no one wants to hear it. BUT... the bills are going into a game against the Jaguars this weekend. The 2-9 Jacksonville Jaguars. At home. A win, and we could be 1 game back from a wildcard, with a month of football left. I know that were 4-7, and have underperformed. But there's still a quarter of the season left, and the Bills could... COULD.. still catch lightening in a bottle and make the playoffs. ADDITIONALLY, the remaining 3 games at the ralph are all about 15,000 seats short of a sell out. Now, the Bills at the end of the day are a business, like any other business in the world. I can promise you that once a week, the marketing team, senior management, the treasurer, and possibly (but unlikely) the coach have a meeting. This meeting has nothing to do with "how are we going to beat the jags" but more of a forecast, where are we going, what are we doing, type of meeting. So, two options for this weeks meeting: option 1: say "this season is f*cked, were doomed, were going to tear it down this offseason, its over, fitz is cut, gaileys on the way out, see ya in 2013." ok, well--that very well may be the case. hell, it probably IS the case. but the only thing that happens if they come out and say that is NO ONE buys tickets for the remaining games. option 2: say "were staying the course." hope the bills beat the jags this weekend. IF the bills beat the jags this weekend, buffalo wakes up on monday morning 1 game back from the playoffs, with an EASY game against the rams coming up. you might sell 8,000 tickets that day alone, just based on the thought that "hey, i guess the bills arent out of it." All Nix is doing in this interview is "shaping the message." he's not going to go down the "the season is over" road, because there are still 45,000 seats to sell the rest of this season. AND, the bills COULD still contend for a few more weeks. This isnt a conspiracy, its just simple marketing. You guys honestly think that you watch the games, see how terrible fitz is, and nix watches these games, with whaley by his side, and they both say "THAT guy is the qb of our future!"?? i mean, do you really think that's what's happening?

its a money thing man. these players care about 2 things: 1) the paycheck 2) the paycheck its not like byrd cares about signing to miami or jacksonville so he can live somewhere warm. football season is 3 months long... 4 if you play for a team that isn't the bills. you pay, theyll stay. nix has proven he will pay our guys. have some faith. byrd stays and levitre stays.

yeah. i just dont want anyone in this thread or on this board to get confused, and think that I think we have a good team: we dont. at all. we suck. however. were home for the jags this weekend. the freaking 2-9 jaguars. IF WE WIN THIS GAME (vegas has us as 6 point favorites) AND THE STEELERS LOSE (vegas JUST posted the line at ravens -8, after confirmation roth. is sitting) the Bills would be one freaking game back from the wildcard, with 4 winnable games left, 3 at home. ugh. i hate myself for doing this to myself. and believe me, i know that winning out and making the playoffs would result in only 3 things: 1) getting absolutely steamrolled in wildcard weekend by a vastly, VASTLY, superior patriots or broncos team, after i spent an entire week leading up to it euphorically talking myself into ways that we could win the game. 2) chan gailey would return as head coach--despite a terrible body of work, this 5 game window against the dregs of the league could align the planets just right so we stole a wild card in the most improbable of ways, and he would earn another 3 years on the job. 3) fitzpatrick would be our starter at qb next year. i want you to know right now that i would be a much, much happier person if we get killed by the jags this weekend. i want this misery to end. i really do. but ill be damned if i havent looked at the remaining 5 weeks of football action, looked at all the wild card "contenders" and their schedules, looked at the standings, TRIED to talk myself out of it, but i still freaking think we can make the playoffs. im sorry. in all honesty, if i was a mod, i would ban me. but i, in my heart of hearts, thinks were going to the playoffs. i think were going to smoke the jags with ease, i think the steelers are going to get rolled, and i think this board is going to look like mario williams at the airport day next monday morning. exactly. the bills are like sex. its awesome. and even when its bad, its still pretty fun.

http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/145299-guarantee-if-no-playoffs-in-2012-marty-ball-coming-in-2013/

theres nothing you can say that will make me feel worse about myself than i already do. i hate this. i am like an alcoholic who hides bottles behind the couch, or in the toilet tank, and lies to their family. this is my 12 step program--twobillsdrive.com i come to you today to tell you i slipped. i relapsed. addiction cant be cured, its a daily battle. and today, i lost. you can go on with your life, and enjoy your weekend. ill be in the gutter, cheering on this mess of a team, thinking we can make the playoffs.

I swore up and down this wasnt going to happen. Was going to go out and enjoy my sunday with my family--sleep in, brunch, christmas shopping, maybe some outdoor activities. then i played with the playoff machine: http://espn.go.com/n...layoffs/machine at first, i was wildly unrealistic with it, and got the bills a playoff spot with ease. then, i went back through, and was a little more reserved, and managed to get us a 6 seed pretty quickly. then, i looked at our schedule: jags/rams/dolphins/seahawks/jets and all of a sudden, it happened. i realized, unfortunately, i was going to be watching the jags game, hoping for the playoffs. sorry guys. i hate me just as much as you do. but im not giving up on the playoffs. sadly, i think we can do this.

packers 2 years ago? they won the super bowl with the best qb in the league, then went 15-1 the following year. dynasties are rare, a football game between 2 great teams is a 50/50 bet--thats what the super bowl is. packers could win one this year, that would give them 2 titles in 3 years, with a 15-1 record in the middle of that. would that not be a GREAT team? christ, if the bills one 2 superbowls with a 15-1 season sandwhiched between, i would legally change my name to Buffalo F. Bills and tattoo the standing buffalo on my face.

amazing idea! within the last 2 minutes of a half, any play that does not result in positive yards results in a stoppage of the clock, just like an incomplete pass. would add so much intrigue. god, pure genius my friend, better than any of my ideas (except for the scheduling one.)

And can make 3 changes to the league. What would they be and why? Just a fun thread to take our minds off how terrible the Bills are. A lot of times I read things like this, and get a new perspective on the game I had never had before. Years ago, someone on here said they would make overtime "first to score 6 points," and that sticks with me to this day as the most eloquent solution to the puzzle that baffles everyone. But moving on with the thread: (oh, and PS: please try to stay away from force ralph to sell, liquidate the bills roster, ban gailey from the league, and every other lame attempt at humor that is surely forthcoming. We get it, the Bills are awful, move on, lets talk football.) Rule 1) From this point forward, instant replay is hereby banned from any NFL event. GMS draft the wrong players and hire the wrong coaches. Coaches call the wrong plays and make the wrong substitutions. Players run the play wrong or turn the ball over. Error is a part of sport--it is the opposite of success. Or, worded differently, success is just the elimination of error. Why then are referees held to a level that literally no other human being on the planet is held to? It is impossible for them to ever meet this criteria, so instead of trying to get their success rate as close to 100% as possible, let's let them make errors in the heat of the moment. "Momentum" is a notoriously difficult concept to quantify (read: it's bullshlt) but there are plays in a game, (last sunday, the colts punt returner getting sent to the locker room and losing the ball) where what you SEE with your eyes: "WOW!!! that guy just got knocked into next week! OF COURSE HE FUMBLED! GO BILLS!" is then reviewed, negated, and the feeling, the excitement of the moment, is just... gone. Rule 2) Any player who lingers by a group of officials as they are discussing the call on the field is assessed a 15 yard delay of game penalty. Multiple infractions will result in suspensions without pay. I can't stand seeing a ref throw a flag, huddle up with several other officials, wes welker walks into the frame, screams something, and suddenly what may have been a flag being picked up results in a pass interference. This one shouldnt even take me being comish to enact. If the league continues to bill itself as the "made for tv" sport that it claims to be, it should realize that seeing an offensive lineman for the ravens signal what the penalty is before the ref looks ridiculous. Stay away from the refs while theyre debating the merits of a call. Rule 3) The scheduling will be changed to "punish" good teams. We will use our own AFC east as an example. What it is now: (6) games against your division (4) games against one division within your conference (4) NFC games (2) games within your conference, based on last years standing. What I am changing the schedule to: (6) games against your division (remains the same) (6) games against your conference, based on last years standing - (3rd and 4th place teams play all 3rd and 4th place teams, 1st and 2nd place teams play all 1st and 2nd place teams) (4) games against NFC teams who finished in the corresponding slot in their division the previous year (AFC east champ plays NFC east, NFC south, NFC north and NFC west champs) BASED ON CURRENT STANDINGS, next years patriots schedule would be: bills (2x) jets (2x) dolphins (2x) giants bears falcons 49ers ravens steelers texans colts broncos chargers While the Bills would have a lineup of: patriots (2x) jets (2x) dolphins (2x) eagles lions panthers cardinals bengals browns titans jaguars raiders chiefs Winning your division would still come down to beating the teams in your division - but the wild card would become a TRUE wild card. YOUR TURN!

are you kidding me? spiller and jackson would be taken ahead of most every running back in the league, and we have them BOTH. levitre, wood, and glenn are top oline players, and are YOUNG. theyre only going to get better, and all would be taken very early in a draft. stevie is a solid wideout, maybe not all world, but after guys like megatron are off the board, hes going to be someone you draft. he's a technical route runner, and can find ways to get open. gms around the league know how bad fitz is. the fact that stevie is as good as he is, shows you how great he actually is (if that makes sense.) chandler as a tight end has hands and can get open -- hernandez and gronk would go ahead of him, but not by much. mario, kyle williams and yes, even dareus would go in the middle of the pack for d linemen. gilmore would go early as a corner, especially because he's young and has held his own as a rookie, hes only going to get better. plus he's physical as hell, and isnt afraid to play the run, something that you dont always see with pretty boy corners who love the media and like to have white pants when the game is over *cough* revis island *cough* jairus byrd is one of the best safeties in the league, the guy is a ball hawk and has won afc defensive player of the week multiple times. mckelvin can take ANY kick to the house, he is one of the best special teams players in the game. our punter is a rookie, but gets better week to week, he was sticking them inside the 5 all day long against the colts. he had a bad shank against the titans in his first game--oh well--rookies make mistakes. i've long since forgotten moorman. really, our linebackers, second wide out, and freaking QUARTERBACK are all that sucks on this team. unfortunately, without a quarterback, you cant do much in this league. this is a bad thread, no offense, but the bills are loaded with talent. thats what makes watching this team so frustrating. we're THIS close to being a powerhouse team in the league, just need someone to get the ball to our talent. hopefully next year.

here's the conundrum: i love that video. i think it's hilarious. i'm glad there are bills fans that do that at the ralph. that passion, that inebriation, that foul-mouthed behavior, the fact that that's grown men tantruming like children--all of that is what makes the NFL so special. it's a war out there. it's a life style. it's football. with that being said, i feel bad for those players, and personally, i could never say those things to another human being that hadn't wronged me in some way (to his face--behind a keyboard, thats a whole different story.) i mean, i hate fitz. think he's the worst thing thats happened to the bills on the field since the music city miracle. but i still cheer for him, i would never say those things to him, to wanny, to chan, to any of them.

There are some great posts in this thread--maybe the most uplifting Bills thread of the year, simply because the people responding are realistic in their devotion to the Bills. Don't know if anyone will read my 2 cents or respond, but let me just say that I agree with the OP 100%. This was the most gut-punch awful Bills season I can remember. From opening kickoff week 1, through us punting it away to the Colts with 3 minutes left this past week. I find it hard to believe that our 0-8 start/4-12 finish in 2010 was more enjoyable than this season, but for some strange reason--it was. that "almost" win against the steelers in 2010? it seemed like we had a young, growing team, and ANYTHING was possible in the future. we were challenging the big boys of the league. the comeback win against the bengals. the almost win against the chiefs and ravens. that season was, for some reason, magical in its own pathetic way. last season--that start seemed legit, and the drop off seemed like it was because of injuries. it seemed like the team for the first 8 games of last season and the last 8 games of 2010 was who we really were. 9 to 10 wins, going in the right direction. but this season? man. we just have never had it. we seemed out of contention from week 1 forward. wins against cleveland? kansas city? who cares, youre SUPPOSED to beat cleveland and kansas city. then smoked by new england and san fran to prove, beyond a doubt, we had no shot. it just hasnt been enjoyable from game one on. its just been really really really UNENJOYABLE. thats the only way i can put it.

idk, thats where buying season tickets to find out comes into play. we know fitz isnt the answer. thats my only point. christ, 4-12, 6-10, now 4-7. i mean, we DEFINITIVELY KNOW fitz isnt the answer. lets let someone else have a turn?