bills_fan

If Jeff Fisher was ever available, I'd hope Ralph recruited him college style to take the job. He's a terrific HC and I'd love to have him in Buffalo.

I'm not that lucky.

Yes, and those Pitt teams crashed and burned after a year or two with the gadget play offense, so much so that Cowher asked his new OC before he hired him "Do you belive in running the ball?" Since Whisehurt (spelling) was hired and Cowher went back to winning with running game and defense the Steelers are 23-6.

Gawd, I really miss those days. We fans had a successful team that made the playoffs and all we could do is argue about the QB instead of enjoying the ride. We basically jettisoned a Head Coach who was 29-19, clamored for a QB who was 22-9 as a starter (thanks for the stats Scribo) to leave town and did it with a bit of an attitude. Man, were we spoiled from the SB years. We should be so lucky to have those problems now.

I don't fault the 1st year QB who is just now starting his 8th game for misreading the play or the bad throw. I fault the coach who called the play, trying to trick Miami, instead of trying to physically beat them. Face it, with Mularkey we've been sold snake oil, power-smash mouth running team, who often gets too cute. Give Willis 3 shots from the 3 against that defense at that particular time and would bet my apartment that he gets in.

Today's quote in the Buffalo News is disturbing on several levels and confirms the worst about Mularkey.... He still doesn't get it. 1st & goal at the Miami 3, Miami's D is sucking wind, you're about to put the game away. We are supposed to be a "power rushing" team. Playing "smash mouth" Steeler-esque football, at least thats what we were sold. Instead, Mularkey still believes that the best way to beat an opponent is to trick them. Come on Mike, run the friggin ball down their throats. Sure, they may know its coming, and when they can't stop it, its all the more disheartening. BTW - On that play, JP faked to Willis, the cameraman followed Willis (I believe assuming a run) and Willis was in the end zone before the cameraman realized he didn't have the ball and panned back to JP.

If this is actually true, I have absolutely no problem with EM's actions. He wanted it checked out prior to continuing. After what happened to TKO, and knowing he's gone after this year, no reason to risk his career for this ship of fools. He has one more contract to sign and he won't be able to do that if he tears an Achilles.

Considering all of the blown 4th quarter leads the last couple of years, we could use some resiliency and backbone. I think Marv is an inspirational leader (like Vermiel) who would manage the personalities of the team and leave the X's and O's to the coordinators. Can you see Marv getting into the present situation with EM?

Well, Atlanta's OL was mediocre before Gibbs coached them. And JP can run around.

and how its done. I'd LOVE to bring this scheme to Buffalo. It would work so well, especially in the winter weather. What about Rick Dennison (Broncs line coach) for OC next year? Enjoy. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ApOn...v=tsn&type=lgns

As an organization, we stink. We have no class and have shown no respect for players or fans from Donahoe (you jackass) on down. After the expected purge of TD, MM, and the rest of the sorry lot, we have a lot of work to do. We must restore our credibility around around the league. The best way to do that is with a very well respected, classy coach, whom players and fans respond to. Yes, this is the official bring back Marv Levy thread. I know the negatives and that he will need strong coordinators etc. But this is about restoring the good name of our organization. I can't think of any other coach who could do that. Marv, we need you, please come back.

And to further compliacte things...the AP picked up on it and reported that the final decision rests with Ralph. Now Ralph is in a tough spot, do you back your neophyte moron coach or your star receiver. Either way he sends a message to either the vet players who may cvome to Buffalo as free agents or possible coaches around the league that is not good. Moulds didn't do anything like TO, so EM, a respected vet and team leader, could be suspended for ticky-tack BS. Or, Ralph won't back a coach who wants to suspend a disruptive player. Ralph is truly between a rock and a hard place here. Thanks MM for not having a clue how to deal with players and putting Ralph in this situation. Thanks TD (you jackass) for giving us another coach without a friggin clue, and forcing Ralph to step in and resolve things.

We can dream right?

This whole organization has turned into a pathetic joke!! We used to be known for treating players with respect, and taking care of our own. Now TD has absolutely butchered our organization's reputation around the league. Examples include, Steve Christie, Reuben Brown, Pat Williams, Sam Adams, now Eric Moulds. Come on. Win or lose, we used to have a lot more class as an organization. Ralph, please get this jackass outta town & lets rebuild this team from the top down.

For the conspiracy theorists... I wonder if TD told Mularkey not to use EM so JP didn't establish a connection with him & it would be easier to let him go. Something stinks at OBD and it starts at the top. Two respected veteran players going off on Mularkey? Mularkey wanting to SUSPEND EM? Thats ridiculous. How many times did Marv have personality conflicts during the glory years? All those guys were strong willed, but it never came out like this. This whole organization with TD, Mularkey, Tom CLements etc. is a joke.

They'll go where the money is (See Jennings, Jonas). Also, we do still have some vets who can recruit, like Troy Vincent. Ummm, no. Sure, but there are several CBs and WRs better than the guys I suggested out there, Jackson is on the downside, that leaves Backus as the only premium guy for us to go and get. Not in my eyes. Our season ticket base is the highest its been since 93, and as much as I dislike Donohoe, that jackass, he has the team in a stable financial situation. Plus, I don't think at 87 years old, Wilson will be cheap about anything.

Actually, Detroit's line has been suprisingly very good at pass protection. Last week tehre was a thread regarding fewest sacks allowed per pass attempt. The Lions are right there near the top of the league the last 4-5 years. I have to believe their LT is one of the reasons.

They're tight because of the boatload of dead money. If we can get low 1st year base salaries, and then increase from there, we'll be OK. I agree it looks better with Moulds, but not at that number. And David Givens is a very good WR, plus it weakens the Patsies. As the Patsis have shown, you don't need a "name" WR crops to be successful.

Actually, I was hoping over Jauron the last time, even over Weiss, because I wanted an experienced coach.

Lets hear what you have to say...here's mine. OK, its not as bad as you think. The big problem I have is that Teflon Tom may be trying to do it. First, lets address the cap. Right now the Bills are 8 mil under the projected 06 cap. The rest of the division is over, by at least 8 mil (NE) to 30 mil (NYJ). Add to the cap the potential saving of cutting Moulds, Mike Williams, Bennie Anderson, Sam Adams and Jeff Posey. If you add up the saving from those cuts (all made pre-June 1) you would end up with approximately 7-8 mil in additional cap space, as well as a boatload of dead money on the 06 cap. As an aside, I have no problem taking the dead money right on the 06 cap, fixing what we can, and using the money in 06 to extend the players who will be here long term (JP, Evans etc.) and fill one or two holes in 06. Re-signing Trey Teague or Josh Reed are not an option. Thus, we end up with approximately 16 million in cap space. With our new-found riches, we have a myriad of positions to fill. Chief among them are DT, LT, CB and WR. The best FA LT available is Jeff Backus from Detroit. He is an Unrestricted Free Agent and all we have to do is pay him, and he's ours. The new collective bargaining rules limit the amount of time a bonus can be spread out to 4 years. Thus, I believe that we could get him for something like a 5 year, 40 mil deal, with 12 up front as a SB. His cap number for 06 would be around 7, not bad for your starting LT, leaving us approximately 9 mil left. Now, on to CB. We cannot franchise Nate Clements. We can sign him long term, but by franchising him, all of our remaining cap money would be eaten up. Signing Nate will be a matter of if Nate wants to sign in Buffalo & if we offer him the cash. Personally, I don't think he wants to be here. So, bye Nate. That leaves us in the 2nd tier CB market. We could sign Will Allen off the Giants for 1/2 the money it would take to sign Nate, and still have cash left-over. He's not as good, but with the new rules regarding illegal contact etc., no CB is, so why pay the money. Next is WR. Evans is a great deep threat, Parrish can be elusive, but what we really need is a reliable possession receiver. Since Moulds has to be replaced, many will advocate for Reggie Wayne, but he'll cost too much. The interesting choice is David Givens. He's not flashy, just reliable, and weakens the Patsies, since they can't afford to sign him. He's eat up the bulk of our remaining cap space, but would be a reliable target for JP. DT - For starters, I would offer both Ron Edwards and Justin Bannan identical small contracts and see which one bites. Whichever bites, we'll sign for depth purposes as our 4th DT. Now, our D has been missing a two-gap DT since letting Phat Pat walk (Thanks Donohoe you jackass). Since huge DT's in their prime are expensive, and rarely become available, Corey Simon being the exception (Thanks Donohoe you jackass), a different approach is necessary. Perhaps the signing of a veteran DT, who is coming off a couple of injury plauged years, but can still be effective in a limited role is the way to go...perhaps Grady Jackson from the Packers. Jackson is 6'5" and 345. He doesn't move much. Nor can the opposing OL move him much. He is just what we need. Because he's 33, he may be looking for one more decent contract. I'll bet we can get him at 3 years 9 mil, with 3 mil up front. Thats only a 3 mil cap hit, for a guy who will play all 1st downs and some 2nd downs. That would be just about all of our remaining cap room, except for the draft. The draft... our 1st round pick should be used on one of the two great available DTs, either Haloti Ngata of Oregon or Gabe Watson of Michigan, either of whom will be available with our 1st round pick. Our 2nd round pick should be used to address the deficiency at LG. The Bills are the only team in the league without a starting OL that they drafted (Thanks Donohoe you jackass), so lets change that. Charles Spencer of Pitt or Davin Joseph of Oklahoma would look real good here, and both should be available within the first 10 picks of the 2nd round. Now, we have 2 third round picks due to the Titans stupidly dealing for Travis Henry. We need a SS to groom to take over for Milloy in 06, a potential MLB to take over for London after 07, and a more reliable backup RB. At this point, take your pick. Thus, according to my plan, the 06 Bills would look something like this.... WR - Evans, Givens, Parrish, Aiken RB - McGahee, Williams, Draft Pick FB - Shelton QB - Losman, Holcomb LT - Backus LG - 2nd Round Draft Pick C - Duke Preston RG - Villarial RT - Peters DE - Schobel, Kelsay, Denney DT - Grady Jackson, 1st Round Pick, Tim Anderson, Edwards or Bannan OLB - Spikes, Crowell (now starting), Haggan MLB - Fletcher CB - McGee, Allen, Greer, King S - Vincent, Milloy Problem is, we need someone to coach this team. While I'd love to dump Mularkey, that won't happen. I do think Tom Clements will be dumped, for a new Offensive Coordinator who can run the friggin ball. I think Gray comes back. With respect to Donahoe, he's gone. The title of President is given to Russ Brandon (currently marketing director) and Modrak becomes the GM. The business and football operations become separated. Thats my 06 plan. It should be decent. Then in 07, we'll have the necessary cap space to solve the Milloy problem if the 3rd round pick doesn't work out, possibly get the ultimate successor to Fletcher with a 1st round pick, and take care of some extensions. Problem is if jackass Donahoe is in Buffalo, I don't think any of it will happen.

Ya know, last time Marv actually expressed an interest in the job. He would need very good coordinators, to do the X and O stuff, but I don't think hiring Marv to serve as coach/CEO is such a bad idea.

And, unfortunately, we haven't been able to rush the passer since.

I also think the last 5 games will determine if EM is here in 06. If, as I expect, he builds some chemistry with JP and has a few big games, then I don't see how TD can't bring him back for 06. I want the lines fixed as much as anyone, but I'm a little sick of the Bills being the proverbial boy putting his finger in the leak, watching a new one open every year. There has to be a way to sign a guy like Hutch and keep EM. With all our potential cuts (MW, Posey, Adams? etc.), guys not being re-signed (Teague), and the expected rise in the cap, we ought to be able to do both.

Bill- I agree with respect to the restructuring of EM, but why not simply keep him for 06 at his present number? I know its high (10.8), but if the cuts proceed as expected, and the cap rises, then we could afford EM and fix our lines. EM provides a nice security blanket for the younger players. Then, if and when he is cut after the 06 season, he only counts 1.7 in cap room for that season. Seems a bit better than cutting him after 05 and taking the 5.2 mil hit. At least, then you have a productive player for what he counts against your cap.

With all of the cuts you propose, and I agree with, and the dead $$ coming off for Bledsoe we won't be hurting for cap space, even if we franchised Nate and signed an OL/cheaper DT (see Jackson, Grady). I disagree with any extension for EM. But why not simply keep him. Yes, 10.8 is a lot, but not ridiculous. The cap will rise next year. As long as it doesn't hamper our ability to rebuild the lines, keep him and pay him. At least for one season to protect our young offensive players, I don't see the problem.