macaroni

Of the currently unemployed HC/GM possibilities out there are you saying you wouldn't be excited with even our second choice? Shanny, Holmgren, Cowher, Chuckie, Billick ....... shoot give me any one of those and I'll be a heck of a lot happier than I was with the last group of coaches that have graced our doorstep. Granted we all have our favorites in who we would like to see run our team. Mine in order are Cowher, Holmgren, or Shanny .... I don't care too much for the other two (but I think I would take them above a youngster assistant from another team with "potential"). I just can't make myself root for the Dolphins, Cheatriots, or Cowboys No way, No how.

If I were king of the world (which I'm not by the way) I wouldn't give the new GM/HC the authority to fire Brandon. I would seperate the "football" side of the one bills drive team from the "marketing" side of the team. Everyone must agree that filling the stadium for the last decade has been a feat of marketing genius and therefore Brandon (as the marketing guy) may very well have been the ONLY one at One Bills Drive doing his job at a championship level. I'll give him a "pass" for being a pi$$ poor "football guy" GM. Ralph should have one organization responsible for putting dollars in his wallet and a seperate organization responsible for putting Ws on the scoreboard. Once the Ws start piling up, the marketing job will become so simple even a caveman could do it.

ICE ????? .... The real ICE????? If you are, welcome back old buddy. Now don't get a case of "red a$$" over any of the PR speak ..... IMHO the Bills are currently looking far and wide and will NOT give any valid info out to the media hacks until the new GM/HC is either signed or very VERY close to signing.

I'm pretty jazzed about this weeks Jags game ... not because I think we may be on the road to righting our sinking ship ... not because I think the Bills are going to crush the jags in any type of "statement game" .... but because I'm taking my son to his first live Bills game. He's a third generation Bills fan but has never seen a live NFL game ... he's so excited he is about to wet himself ... and it excites me to see he is as jazzed as I was when I was his age going to the rock pile .... now if we could only find a rosted peanut vendor on the Jax version of Best street it would make this trip complete.

It WAS stupid if it was a knee jerk reaction to the bud Adams finger thing, or the T.O. blow up, or the Schoble comments, or the fan reaction. If Dick was fired just becaused he sucked it would have served the team better if the deed was done the week prior to the bye, it would have given the interm coach more time to "work" his team and get on the same page as his coaching staff. It WASN'T stupid if we are on the verge of hiring a head coach/GM combo guy like Shanny, Cower, Holmgren etc and are just clearing the deck to bring him aboard. Only time will tell

The Courier Express???

The marketing strategy has filled the stands to watch some pi$$ poor football the last ten years. I didn't say it's what I wanted .... just said it would be a brillient marketing move (and cheep too!!!) so it would fit right in with the Bills we all know and love.

I've got one word for you ..... Rob Ryan Well OK that's two but ... What a marketing coup that would be ...... the battle of the Ryans twice every year.

getting rid of Sam Adams & Pat Williams at the same time ..... without a plan to replace them. getting rid of Peters & Walker at the same time ..... without a plan to replace them. getting rid of to OC 10 days before the start of the season .... without a plan to replace him. IMHO .... getting rid of these people may or maynot have been the big mistake ..... the mortal sin was not having a plan to replace them. (because of failing memory cells I'm not sure if this also applies to Winfield, Price, the other three linemen we dumped this year, etc etc etc)

IMHO ... the teams "stars" are not what makes the team great, on the contrary it's the second level players who make the team great, and a great team "manufatures" star power. The owner HAS to pay his 1st and second round draft choices top dollar ... so it doesn't make sense that we draft poorly to save $$$ .... where Ralph historically scrimps is the second tier guys .... the bulk of the team .... the quality guys you need good to surround your round 1 & 2 potential super stars to let them succeed. For example is wood a "star" guard??? impossible while he is flanked by a below average center and a horrible Tackle. Can ANY QB become a "star" in Buffalo??? not behind our line. Can a DT become a run stuffing force??? Not without good LBs filling the gaps. I propose that Ralph knows this ..... I also propose he will continue to scrimp with these second tier players until his product stops selling in Buffalo. Ralph needs to open his wallet to keep guys we've been letting go. For someone with more energy than me ..... it would be interesting if you could research the attendence records for those 2-14 years .... and maybe make the correlation between tickets sold and Ralphs decision to pay for players.

That is exactly my point ..... the fear of the team moving keeps fans buying tickets, however until the Bills fans over come that fear they have no leverage in improving the "quality" of the teams play. The threat of a move will always be there .... as a matter of fact ... IMHO ... after Ralph dies it will be just a matter of time before the "businessman" who buys the Bills gets lured to another city by the possibility of doubling or tripling his profits (even if he is a "local" business man)

Just because he has provided a product that the people of Buffalo have wanted in the past, and still seem to want. I'm a big believer in "market place" economics. The fans buying tickets, T-shirts, hats, etc etc etc year after year are obviously satisfied with the product being presented ergo they keep buying and make the owner a profit. This provides no incentive to cut the profit margin to improve the end product. What does everyone think made Ralph open his wallet to allow the team of the 90's to be built ..... Ralph wanting a winner ..... or ..... the empty seats born of the dismal 70's and 80's? The team was so bad the fans didn't worry about the the team moving enough to endure (and pay for) another bad game/season so they stayed away in droves which in turn hit Ralph in the only place he understands ... his wallet. Today the people of Buffalo are so afraid the Bills will move they pack the stands each and every game ... so reap what you have sown .... be thankful Buffalo still has a team ... buy your ticket .... pay for parking ... eat a hot dog .... buy a beer ..... quit your whining and cheer for the owner

Agree 100% ... TO was not signed to play football ... he was signed to sell tickets and has done his job well.

That is an interesting point .... If you can take the emotion of being a long sufferering Bills fan out of the equation ... Exactly what is Ralph's responsibilities as an owner (remember I said owner NOT fan)? His responsibility is to provide a product, in a market, that sells (and puts money in his pocket by the way). I think we can all agree that he has done just that ... it may be an inferior product, I won't argue that, but it DOES sell. We fans want to win ... owners want to profit, that's just the way it is. We can blame him all we want for being a piss poor Bills fan but you gotta agree that he is a pretty darn good owner. BOO all you want don't make the fact that I think it is pretty classless stop you .... but I think a more fitting "demonstartion" would be if the fans drowned out his speach with the chant "WE WANT A WINNER" an even better demonstaration would be a dip in ticket sales to tell him an inferior product will NO LONGER SELL in Buffalo ... then again you have to worry if he can find another market willing to buy his inferior product.

Hey Jax Bills backer ... I'm going to bring my son up to Jax for the Bills game for his first NFL game. What's the best way to get tickets? On line, or walk up to gate? Which sections would be best to sit in .... looking for shade, field view, Bills fan friendly etc.

I don't think that's true ..... I'm a huge Edwards fan, but I'd be happy as punch if Fitz wins every game that he's in. As a matter of fact from the beginning I was a Lamonica fan and had no trouble rooting for Kemp .... I was a Flutie fan who had no trouble rooting for Johnson .... I was a Bledsoe fan who had no trouble rooting for J.P .... now I'm an Edwards fan ... but I continue rooting for a Bills win no matter who is behind center.

IMHO (being the old fogey that I am) the NFL is going to H .. E .. double hockey sticks since free angency. Gone are the days when you rooted for a team because you liked the players. The owners have no loyalty to the players, the players have no loyalty to the team (or city), but we fans keep rooting for ..... ahhhh .... I'm not quite sure what we are rooting for. With free agency came the astronomical wages, and in an attempt to "stand out" we have the pre planned "celebrations" for every touchdown, first down, compleated pass, defended pass, 2yard run etc. etc. etc. The players act like clowns to get air time to establish themselves as media darlings and increase their "star power". As far as people saying that the number of teams dilute the talent pool ...... I say Bull Poop .... Lord Farve has been in the league for 19 years ... you can't make me believe there hasn't been at least 32 quality QBs come out of college between the careers of Farve and Sanchez ...... The teams just don't have to find them because we fans buy the crap like "we're rebuilding" .... "our hands are tied by the cap" ... "new O-coordinator" ... "new head coach" ... "new system" ... excuses are easier to make than teams are to build (especially when the fans are filling the stadium and buying the T-shirts anyway). In years gone by you'd go to a ball game eat some peanuts and watch a good football game ..... now you go and see a bunch of big ol' fat guys shuckin and jiving doing the "I'm a zillionaire happy dance" between commercial time outs. DON'T GET ME STARTED

And that's a good thing because it means they won't get too far ahead and the Bills still may be able to catch them to win the division??????

Don't believe everything you read on the internet ......... that's how World War I started ya' know.

A blonde a Rabbi and a prune were walking down the street ...... oh nevermind

Running a marathon while wearing a burlap thong

I disagree with your thought that this would be the perfect year to fire your coach and hire one of the "unemployed" coaches on your list. IMHO .... those coaches would only entertain wages in the $8 - $10 million dollar/year range .... with the very real possibility of a lock out next year, do you think Wilson is willing to pay that kind of money and possibly have his new coach sit idle next year??? I'm NOT saying Dick shouldn't be fired ...... and I'm NOT saying I wouldn't LOVE to have just about any coach on your list replace him ...... I just don't think it's the perfect year. (that's why I predict Dick finishes out the year .... and lasts into the off season at least until the CBA gets worked out)

I will admit I was wrong in doubting our off season moves I will admit I was wrong about doubting our young inexperianced O-line I will admit I was wrong about the T.O. signing I will admit I was wrong about thinking the firing of Turk 10 days before our opener was a dumb idea I will admit I was wrong about thinking cutting our LT 1 week before our opener was a dumb idea I will admit I was wrong about AVP being destined to fail as an OC Will I admit I was wrong about D.J. not being the coach I want on my sideline????? NEVER

I agree about Crabtree ..... let's say because that he's shown that he really is a me first "head case" and S.F. decides he is not worth signing because of the future hassles ..... where does he go next year in the draft ...... is somebody crazy enough to draft him #3 or higher to give him the $$$$ he's asking? What happens to contract negotiations next year if he's drafted lower 1st round high 2nd round??? Does he demand #5 money because that's where he was originally drafted???? Wacky I tell ya just waky

IMHO ..... The problem isn't with the last few moves made ...... it's how/when the moves were made. Turk gets canned because the Bills brain trust wasn't happy with his game plans/play calling during pre-season .... but they were happy enough during the end of last season during the REAL games while we were circuling the toilet bowl to keep him .... what the heck happened between December of last year and last week???? They cut Walker because he's a slow gob of goo ......... is he really any slower of fatter than he was last year? Is he any fatter and slower than he was last week when we cut Chambers and kept him???? The FO wants to "blow up" the team ......... fine with me but it should have been blown up MONTHS ago.