The Senator

I got five words for you - Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer. I've already commented on Spurrier - Steve Spurrier was a lazy 'tard who never bothered to read an entire thread before rehashing a tired argument that's already been rebutted. Plus he had a lousy work ethic - he eschwed the long, grinding hours that go along with an NFL coaching gig, openly mocking Joe Gibbs and others for having cots in their offices and spending all-nighters preparing for game day. In the end, he was just too overwhelmed by the job and actually wanted out. Mike Leach is the 180-degree opposite - the man is a meticulous game-planner, typically works 'til around 2 AM, and is totally consumed by football.

I don't disagree at all that the Bills should have taken Oher with their #1 pick last April - but that WOULD NOT have been giving up a 1st-round pick, it would have been using our 1st round pick to draft a player. If we draft a QB in April, are we 'giving up' a first round pick for that QB? By your way of explanation, we're 'giving up' all of our draft picks on the players we select! Are you really that dense, or do you just have an overwhelming need to be right about your inexplicable love for Peters?

Dumb argument. Not even an argument, really, just an uninformed opinion. Leach a "loud-mouthed diva"? Well, maybe, but a "one-trick pony"? Hardly. And I'm pretty sure Leach knows a thing or two about o-line play - certainly more than you and me, since his very first college coaching gig was o-line coach at Cal Polytech-San Luis Obispo. It's just plain dumb to automatically assume that Leach would use that o-line formation in the pros, or that he'd do anything in the pros exactly the way he operates at Texas Tech. Did he line up his o-line like that when he was offensive coordinator at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops? How 'bout when he was OC at Kentucky? Was their o-line spread like Tech's? The reason he does that at Texas Tech is because of what he has to work with... Mike Leach saw when he came to Texas Tech, that there was no way he would ever be able to match up with Texas, Oklahoma, A&M and the big boys by doing more of what they were doing. He was always going to have to settle for the second and third tier players. How do you win with talent like this? He widened the offensive line splits, so his diminutive quarterbacks would have lanes they could see and throw through as well as to make the edges so far outside that his quarterbacks would have more time against the incredible athleticism many Big 12 Defensive Ends have. Over the course of a game those long pass rushes tire out these monstrous defensive ends so by the fourth quarter his quarterbacks have all day to throw. The offensive line splits vary dramatically from 3 to 9 feet. This also gave his smaller offensive linemen nice angles for those big defensive linemen aligned in the gaps. He committed to passing the ball first, with most seasons averaging over 55 throws per game, and to throwing the ball with just a few concepts. Coach Leach does NOT have a huge play card filled with hundreds of plays and down and distance material, he has a simple piece of non laminated paper with about 30 plays on it. He committed to running those few concepts out of many formations and looks. How and why does it work? The precision of his receiver's routes are second to none. Watch them sometimes, you will not see anything like it anywhere. The timing, the execution in uncanny. There is nothing revolutionary about these football plays, it is the execution that is flawless and revolutionary. The pass protection is equally as flawless, the Tech quarterback has been sacked just twice so far this season. (excerpted from 'Youth Football the Texas Tech Mike Leach Way' - link) Now some folks who are woefully uniformed - yet seem to talk like they know much more about the game than Leach - would call his scheme 'gimmicky', I know. But I call it adapting to the strengths and weaknesses of the players on his roster, and finding a way to neutralize any built-in advantage his opponents might have. And that, my friend, is one of the traits of a GREAT coach, and is also something we have not seen in a Buffalo Bills coach in over a decade. I'll be tuned in to the TT/OU game Saturday - OU hasn't won on the road much (1-4 in road games this season), and hasn't won in Lubbock since 2003. With Sam Bradford's Oklahoma career over, I don't think "Ol' Mike" will have much trouble with the Sooners. And, finally, your Yanni analogy is ridiculous. What Yanni plays cannot - by any stretch of the imagination - be called "classical music". Nor is the 'musical circle' in which Yanni travels anywhere even close the the legitimate world of serious composers like Steven Stucky, et al. Yanni has simply found a easy way to make a living - by catering to 'overindulged simpletons' who only think they are listening to 'classical' music but, in reality, have no idea what 'classical' music is. Now, I understand that some will crusade for a well-known name and the NFL experience of guys like Shanahan, Cowher, Shottenheimer, etc., but the Bills are doing themselves a HUGE disservice if they don't interview and give SERIOUS consideration to... Mike Leach

Fixed, but you might benefit from a remedial English class - unless you're a lazy guy like Jim Kelly.

Kelly - juvenile??? Shown little evidence that he's willing to work at anything? Congratulations - you just won Retard-of-the-Year! Unless you think founding and running 2 charitable foundations (Hunter's Hope Foundation and Kelly for Kids Foundation) and a research center (HJK Research Center for Krabbe Disease), tirelessly raising money to fund that center and other research institutions working to find a cure for all dystrophic illnesses, tirelessly traveling the country to testify before State Legislatures and the US Congress for universal newborn screening for Krabbe's and all other dystrophic diseases, in addition to Jim's very busy public speaking schedule and his annual football camps for kids are all just a lazy man's way of killing time, that is. Hunter's Hope Foundation Kelly for Kids Foundation Kelly/Congress Kelly/State Legislatures JimKelly.com Yep, there's a guy who shows little evidence that he's willing to work at anything. Forget about all the hard work and dedication is took to become the HOF QB that he is, too! Someone needs to light a fire under that lazy, juvenile slacker.

Or, the Bills might find a talented LT that no thought highly enough about to use even a 7th-round pick, like they did with Peters. Nice reach, BTW, but using your own first round pick to draft a player is not "giving up a first-round pick". So, with that minor correction, I think you just described a fantastic trade for the Bills - a 3-for-1 deal where we get 3 promising young players, and the Eagles got an aging, overpaid, fat, lazy, injury-prone, washed-up LT with no heart and a big attitude problem - whom they already seem unhappy with.

Two future o-line studs for an overpaid, fat, lazy, injury-prone, washed-up LT with no heart and a big attitude problem? Are you freaking crazy??? I'll bet the Eagles would jump at that trade!

Are you freakin' kidding me???? Jim Kelly - 6' 3", 226 lbs. Sam Bradford - 6'4" 223 lbs. (and growing) Wouldn't last a game? Chandler, please...in terms of size, ability, and toughness, Bradford is actually the guy who most reminds me of Jim Kelly, though I would rather see Bradford learn how to slide than do this... Sam Bradford Goes Airborne Yes - and we all know what a horrible flop Jim Kelly turned out to be. Honestly, McDave, what are these folks thinking when they call Bradford 'injury-prone'? As mentioned, I really do see a lot of Jim Kelly in Sam Bradford. I was going to mention Kelly's shoulder injury but since you beat me to it, I'll just point out that he also had 2 bad knees - and we still drafted him! I wouldn't get to wrapped up in the shoulder injury - by all accounts, it is 100% surgically repairable, so let's wait 'til April 2010 before the TSW orthopedic surgeons/QB geniuses pronounce his career over - if anything, it may cause Bradford to drop just far enough in the draft to allow the Bills to grab him. Now, if we could just get the right HC/OC to go with him... someone who makes stars out of QBs...an offensive genius like, oh, maybe... Mike Leach - Smart Football

No, don't think it'll be next year - he'll finish his 2-year contract - and I doubt he'd ever come back to Buffalo after all the nonsense he had to endure here. But I agree that JP Losman will most definitely be back in the NFL in 2011 to haunt and laugh at the Bills, probably playing for one of our division rivals.

EXCELLENT points!!!! I vote for... Mike Leach

Use the 'Ignore' feature - it's pretty easy, but I'll email you instructions if you need them.

I'm neither, but my guess is you're illiterate. You might benefit from spending some time studying... The Wit and Wisdom of Mike Leach

Oh heck no - I'll just continue to enjoy Leach's antics in Lubbock, or at Louisville, or USC, or wherever he ends up next. Just hope it's not one of the Bills division rivals. But it's worth a try - last time I 'crusaded' for anyone, Levy ended up at OBD. (Don't blame me though - I was crusading for him to return as HC, not GM!) Love to see what Leach could do with our receivers corp - this from Scott Pelly's 60 Minutes segment on Leach... "If you look at what Mike Leach has done for players, what he has gotten out of players, it's like magic," writer Mike Lewis said. Lewis wrote "Moneyball," a book about how disadvantaged teams succeed in elite sports. "It's as if when he walks into a football program and grabs the quarterback, he sprinkles fairy dust on him, because the quarterback becomes a different human being," he said. The "fairy dust" is Leach's inventive offense. It's a high speed aerial assault. Most teams run 70 plays in a game; Tech runs 90. link But my favorite part is Leach talking about the O-line, where everything starts (and ends)... "I mean the reason they have football is because of the big guys and the, you know, when O Line D Line go one on one and you just get incredibly violent I mean that's what it's all about," he told Pelley. "And you get to see those guys just to war, you know? And it's got all the things that football entails. There's shouting, there's blood, there's boogers, there's a whole thing. I mean, there's spitting, there's fighting, there's ripped jerseys. There's someone grabbing someone's throat. I mean, it's why you have football." Mike Leach on the Importance of the Offensive Line

Obviously you didn't watch the game, or you'd know that Fewell's defense wasn't on the field for the Titans' last 2 TDs.

Leach would spread five of 'em across the field, and call about 70 pass plays. And they'd run their routes with the precision of a Wes Welker or Michael Crabtree. And score about 50 points a game. BTW, Leach has no OC - he's his own OC/QB coach. (Further $$savings$$, Ralph - if you're listening! ) Jimmy Johnson. Barry Switzer. Yeah that would be Mike Leach, unless you can think of a losing program that he's ever been associated with. Yeah there happens to be a head coaching vacancy that didn't exist before, so you're probably going to see a lot of posters making a case for a lot of different head coach candidates - I'm just trying to make a compelling case for the guy I think would be a perfect fit for this team. Then let me introduce you to... (hope your girlfriend's not fat)

lotta wind in lubbock - but he probably had worse wind and freezing cold in Oklahoma, where he was offensive coordinator under bob stoops

Or another Jimmy Johnson. I take it you would prefer another NFL head coach retread or offensive/defensive coordinator failure instead?

Dumbest comparison I ever heard. Spurrier had a sh*tty work ethic. He eschewed the typical NFL coach's long hours for the golf course and, in the end, actually wanted out of his gig as Redskins' coach.

So Mr. Wilson finally swallowed that bitter pill and jettisoned Dick Jauron - by all accounts a fine a decent man, but a disaster as the Bills head coach. Now Ralph has a glorious opportunity to demonstrate why he's in the NFL Hall of Fame by hiring the next great NFL head coach, and it will be a marketeer's dream-come-true for Russ Brandon. The man is, of course... Mike Leach - Talks Football, Global Warming, and Madonna The logic: 1) Mike Leach is unquestionably one of the most innovative minds in football, an offensive genius with a record of success as OC and HC at Oklahoma and Texas Tech - particularly with QBs, but also receivers - and a resume that includes stints as defensive coordinator, o-line coach, and qb's coach. If you want to turn the Bills offense around 180-degrees (and that's what needs to be done), Leach is your guy. 2) Leach is a marketeer's dream - after 3.5 ( ) years of the soporific Dick Jauron, Mike Leach will provide some comic relief to go with his overwhelming competence, and will be one of the most sought-after interviews in all of sports. Ralph and Russ need to create some buzz to ameliorate the undercurrent of ill-will that will no doubt manifest itself at season-ticket renewal time - Mike Leach is 'instant buzz'; just add water. Want to see you're team's head coach featured on... or Buffalo has not embraced a head coach since Marv Levy, with the possible exception of Wade Phillips - Leach would be a huge hit here in The BuffTown. Just imagine Leach doing the weather on the 6 o'clock news... 3) He's affordable, and available. Yeah, he just signed an extension at TT, but being the Pepperdine Juris Doctor he is, managed to get the buyout clause removed, and he's making less than Jauron was/is being paid as the Bills head coach. And there are rumors that Louisville is looking to lure him away from Lubbock. Of course, all that is secondary to winning, which is all Leach does. He has a no-nonsense approach and tolerates no slackers - I guarantee there'd be no coddling of players, no indoor practices in inclement weather... "As coaches, you put pressure on yourself to improve, because ultimately the blame lies there,” Leach said. "Anybody that’s not on board, you get rid of them. It doesn’t matter if it’s a player or a coach or somebody in the background… if they’re not on board, you get rid of them.” Someone's gonna lure this guy to the NFL, Russ/Ralph - don't let it be the Dolphins, the Jets, or - God-forbid - the Cheatriettes*! Belichick? Smellichick! This is Mr. Wilson's opportunity to hire the genius that will put the Bills on a lasting, winning track, and show the whole football world why he's in the Hall of Fame! Time to 'find your inner pirate', Ralph. Swing your sword. GO BILLSSS!!!! REVERSE THE CURSE!!!!!

The very first item on any Bills' 'To Do' list - for both marketing brilliance AND turning this offense around 180 degrees - should be to hire... Swing your sword, Russ - Polian's first move as GM was to hire Levy - it's time for you and this team to find your inner pirate! GO BILLSSS!!!!

Not that I want to see Edwards stay - I'd much rather we draft Sam Bradford or lure Graham Harrell from Saskatchewan - but there is only one HC/OC that could possibly save Fanning-Fan's career, and his name is...

Strangely enough, Bill, all the HOF electors felt differently.

Also well-said. It is Schein that should be declared incompetent.

So now these idiots just make sh*t up to fill the airwaves? Jauron was responsible for Jauron's firing. Simple as that.

Well thank God the Browns are that f'd-up - that means MIKE Holmgren is still available?