2003Contenders

Obviously the book is out on Hardy. He struggled as most WRs do in his rookie season and pretty much lost his entire second season recovering from the knee injury. Ironically enough, his downward spiral coincided with Edwards' in the sense that Hardy was the receiver who caught that clutch 3rd down reception early in the Arizona game, when Edwards showed the cajones to hang in there and complete the pass -- only the get concussed by Wilson. As we've said ad nauseum, Edwards was never the same after that. Nor was Hardy. And, indeed, in the ill-fated Cleveland Monday nighter, it was an early interception that Edwards threw (which appeared to be Hardy's fault), which totally shot Edwards' confidence -- and likely Hardy's as well. It will be interesting to see if a competent offensive coach (which I believe Gailey is) can help Hardy rise to the next level.

I do wish him well in future endeavors (beginning in Philly) because he really is a good guy. It's funny how some posters see the world as black or white with no hints of gray. DJ wasn't all bad: he genuinely had his team well prepared, got his players to play hard for him and did an outstanding job of building our secondary. However, he had many problems that he just couldn't overcome: poor game-day decisions, poor player personnel decisions (and I do believe that the draft picks were mostly on him) -- but his biggest downfall was his complete and utter disregard for the offense and refrain from hiring a top notch OC to run the offense. If the offense had even been competent (say ranking around 15th rather than 30th in the league) during his tenure, he would STILL be here.

3rd stringer for Miami? Didn't he also come in cold off the bench in the season finale -- and darn near beat the Steelers in a game that the Steelers were desperate to win?

He wrapped everything up with this quote: "It's just so hard to win in the NFL." ;-)

That does make it sound like he is indeed waiting on a staff member from one of the Super Bowl teams for the DC position.

What about a staff member from one of the Pro Bowl teams (Dallas or San Diego)? Dave Campo, for example, still coaches in Dallas, and we know he and Gailey have ties. Also, has the organization ever formally specified what Sanders' specific role will be?

1. As a DC facing a premiere QB like Manning, you most certainly would love to say that QB knocked out of the game. 2. As a coach, you should NEVER admit this to the press Classic Gregg and evidence once again that he simply doesn't get it. That's why he came to Buffalo, inherited a pretty good defense, dismantled it (because he knew better than anyone else how to best assemble a team), rubbed all the veteran players the wrong way -- and was asked to leave after 3 years. Then, goes to Washington, where he effectively plays the bad cop role to Gibbs' "aw shucks" good cop. But once Gibbs is gone, gets passed over for the head coaching job largely because of his inability to get along with others. And it is stuff like this which makes Williams a fantastic DC -- but a terrible HC.

The way I look at it, the only one of the three QBs that we can draw a serious conclusion on is Fitz. That is, he has proven to be exactly what you want in a backup: a solid performer, who is capable of starting a few games here and there, but not consistent enough to be the starter. (Think: Frank Reich) With Edwards I keep going back to how he played, not just in those first 6 back in 2008, but even how he looked in his rookie year. Remember, the word we kept hearing about him was "poise". He didn't get flustered, made quick decisions, and unloaded the ball quickly. Well, that is what really seemed to be missing from his arsenal the past two years. Can the dude get his mojo back? I don't know, since he certainly regressed over the last year and a half. But he went from having Fairchild (lousy and overly conservative) as his OC as a rookie to Schonert (even worse than Fairchild) to AVP (whose play calling was overly predictable to say the least). Obviously, we have no idea what we have in Brohm. I don't think you can draw any conclusions from that Atlanta game last season, as he certainly didn't embarrass himself behind a patchwork OL -- but he certainly didn't open eyes either. Barring a trade for a top shelf QB (like McNabb), I think we may have to be content with what we have. There is no free agent that I prefer over what we have now. I don't especially like any of the QBs in this year's draft -- at least not as an instant starter. And I believe that early emphasis on fortifying the offensive line (BOTH in the draft AND free agency) would go further toward fixing the offense. I would like to see a serious 3-way open competition for the starting QB position in the off-season. If Fitz wins that comepetition, then I think we know the answer about Trent for once and for all.

John, may the Good Lord bless you and your family during this trying time. May He also send angels to help guide the doctors to the correct path for a full and speedy recovery!

It was a known fact that the Bills were on on a tight leash headed into that first Super Bowl against Dallas. In fact, the leash may have been too tight, as many observers thought they entered the game very tense.

Perhaps bringing him back would allow us to exorcise the demons of "Touchdown Throw Forward".

I would treat it like a situation in which I have one of my fantasy players going up against the Bills in any given week. That is, I would hope that my son has a great game -- but that the Bills wind up victorious!

Let's also not forget that Edwards has sustained two (that we know of) serious concussions in the past two seasons. Knowledge of that HAS to factor into Gailey's evaluation, since Trent could very well be one more concussion away from having to retire from the sport. Note that Gailey did get an up close look at Troy Aikman's final years, which were also plagued with concussions.

I agree with the OP's sentiments. Locating a solid LT (possibly even in free agency) would go a long way toward cementing the OL. I think we will also discover that if we get a competent QB back there, that the OL will also look much improved.

When Shanahan took over and hired Haslett to be his new DC, did the Redskins can Greg Blache? If he is available, he could be worth a look. As bad as Washington was last year, their defense was pretty good.

I'm actually cool with Modrak. I suspect that many of the misses that have occurred over the years (especially the first round blunders) were NOT his fault.

Actually, I don't think Ralph played a big role in this decision other than ultimately signing off on it. I honestly believe that Gailey turned out to be the guy that Nix wanted -- and Ralph merely gave his ultimate blessing. So, if you are unhappy with the Gailey selection, blame Nix.

Funny how all the negative press just a few days ago was all about the candidates who kept turning the Bills down -- and how there was no way that the team was going to even convince a quality candidate to seriously interview for the job. Now these same dirt bags are now ridiculing the Bills for NOT interviewing the likes of Billick, Marty, Martz, etc. Sometimes team dynamics play an important role in hiring decisions. Billick is a good coach, but he comes across as a condescending ass, and I doubt that he and Nix would have been compatible. I get the impression that Gailey wasn't even on the radar when Nix started his search. In discussions with Cowher (not necessarily a genuine interview), Cowher suggested that Nix talk to Gailey. Modrak seconded the nomination -- and once Nix spoke with Gailey, the two probably hit it off very well. In a way, it is similar to what happened with Marv and Jauron -- only now instead fo a couple of Ivy leagues, we have a couple of good ole boys -- a couple of good ole boys who know a lot about football.

I look at this one of two ways: 1. Graham's article is hogwash. If that is the case, don't lose any sleep over it for obvious reasons. 2. Graham's article is accurate. If that is the case, then Marty was clearly playing games with his public comments about not wanting to come back to coach again. Was he expecting the Bills to come begging him to coach? I think what happened in San Diego is that he got caught playing games with the Chargers. Remember after the Chargers lost, there was speculation that Smith would fire Marty. Instead, Smith not only gave Marty the vote of confidence that he could keep his job but that the team was interested in signing him to a long-term contract. When Marty said thanks but no thanks, Smith realized that Marty was playing ego games, so he fired him. Maybe Ralph didn't want to have to kiss anyone's ass to come to Buffalo to coach.

That tells me that he probably does already have his staff lined up -- but gauging the fan backlash in the announcement of Gailey as HC, the marketing folks told him not to roll the assistants out just yet.

Insinuated that he may hire an OC, but he (Gailey) would be the one calling the plays -- at least at first.

To be honest, I am willing to give both Guy and Modrak a bit of a pass, since I have too much of a feeling that Jauron had way too much say on the guys they drafted and acquired in free agency. We have heard way too many stories of players that Modrak recommended that the coaching staff (or someone else) overruled. Modrak supposedly wanted Cushing last year, Revis the year we took Lynch, and Cutler the year we took Whitner. All of this may be wives' tales, of course -- but where there is smoke there is fire. Somehow, I think the combination of him Nix and Gailey will do a much better job of assessing talent. I don't think it is any coincidence that Nix's involvement last year helped guide one of the best drafts we have had in a decade -- even with Maybin under-performing as a rookie. Guy's responsibility is to recommend free agents and bring them in. Afterwords it is up to the coaches (and bean counters) who they actually sign. Remember all the players that passed through Orchard Park the past few years -- and left WITHOUT contracts?

Well, in fairness, he was let go just a couple of weeks before the season started. Teams around the league pretty much have their systems, packages, etc set by then. Also he wasn't let go by KC because of his coaching abilities. It was a matter of Haley (a former OC) wanting to run his own offense.

Maybe ESPN can send a reporter to interview Ralph live on TV -- and start asking for his opinion on wildly outrageous topics (like Adolf Hitler). That was enough to convince MLB to come in and seize control of the Cincinnati Reds from Marge Schott back in the 90s.