Dennis in NC

Yeah, he's their Marquee de Sade free agent signing... painful snaps to nowhere.

Around half time, the analysts mentioned that the interior OL had been dominating, and that not much had been heard about DTs Raji and Brace. I did not see the whole game, but caught that comment.

Wow, great article! So Buddy actually RAN the Chargers drafts, with input from coaches. Holy cow. I'm glad to see him back with the Bills.

I seem to recall that Gaines got $2Mil+ per year from Detroit, not exactly dirt cheap... But I rather liked Gaines, too, especially for a mid-season pickup.

How does a great center NOT fit the style of player we need? WTF? And who still believes Alex Mack will last until the 2nd round?

Also, take note that most of the playoff teams have actually drafted some OL in the first 3 rounds, and developed those guys into starters. That is critical to building a winning team, IMO.

When the Jets' owner said "we didn't start thinking about this (firing Mangini) yesterday...", I thought about how Ralph was going to wait until Wednesday to meet with Dick et al, it drove home the point about where the Bills' trouble begins - right at the top. It must be nice to have a "football braintrust" (i.e., people who GET IT) running your football team. I fear the Bills never will have it.

As Darren Sharper is limping off the field, the announcer (Chris Myers, I think) says: "I'm no more a doctor than Dr Phil, but I'd say Sharper is done for the day" I'll bet Dr Phil's people loved that one. I got a kick out of that. You know that if you can do a Forrest Gump impression, you can just as easily do Dr Phil.

I saw that, and kind of figured it was a safe way to finish the PR. Didn't Philly have a 9-point lead at the time? The same guy, Desean Jackson, did a really stupid thing in the game - he ended up out of bounds on the Vikes side, and he was yapping at Brad Childress. Not usually a good idea.

Well, smokey, it is a pretty horrible thing to say. But I'll bet there are many Bills fans out there who feel that way, but don't have the guts (or political incorrectness or whatever) to express it. Besides, that excellence crap is overrated. The Buffalo Bills -- Commitment to Mediocrity

The Bills' action in regards to these 2 below-average centers should tell the fans a lot about where the team is headed. If they think Duke is good enough to retain, especially after today's debacle, then the Bills apparently have no one who can assess offensive line talent. If the Bills get through the April draft without selecting a center, then my dear friends, we are in for a very ugly time in the near future.

I remember thinking during/after those games "wow, the Raiders aren't that bad" after it took a 4th Q comeback to beat them. Then the same thing happened against the Rams. The weak opponent looked pretty good against the Bills. Of course, both of those head coaches got canned right after the Bills beat them. Hmmm.... Well, the Seahawks, Raiders, Rams et al really ARE THAT BAD! I guess that is hard to see after just 4 games. Now we know how bad our team really is. Merry Christmas, Bills fans! You too, Ralph!

I have to disagree with your lazy bum assessment. JP showed up in February and apparently worked very hard to learn the QB position. So he certainly put in the effort. Whether the coaching was lousy or JP just lacked the mental sharpness for the game, I don't know, but he tried hard (from what the papers reported). So, another one bites the dust. Another QB hopeful could not get job done. But not for lack of effort.

I believe it just comes down to talent evaluation and then talent selection. The draft. Here's the coach talking about OT Jonathan Scott: “He’s just an offensive tackle that we’ve liked,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “We had worked him out earlier in the year. He’s an athletic guy and we thought this time of year for next year, training camp and stuff those offensive tackles are so hard to find. So hopefully it will work out well.” Hard to find? Hey how about DRAFTING a freakin' offensive lineman or two, eh Dick?!?! Do you guys think the Bills can get through April's draft without drafting a Center in the first 3 rounds? With 3 or 4 good centers available, this is a perfect year to grab a center and tackle early. Do you think the front orifice feels that way? Sometimes I wonder.

Yeah, that's the part the Bills management(?) can not admit - that THE SEASON IS OVER (thanks a lot), and we should be checking out players like Hamden for the near future. "Running for the bus"??? Hell, yeah! Open your pants, and see what you've got!

Sierra Vista bzzzzzzt, the V-word, yeah, Sierra V. On those 2 days per year when we get snow, a credit card will suffice as a snow (frost) scraper. If you leave for work late enough, the sun will have come up and eliminated the frost from your car anyway. Arizona's geology is very intriguing, too - lots of diversity among the rocks.

But Jauron only has to be "acceptable" to one man. But that one man is pretty old and isn't in the mood for any negative 'Chicken soup for the soul'. He has had enough change in his life, thank you very much. "I like Dick. He's a heck of a good guy!" says Ralph Wilson enthusiastically. Why would Ralph fire his new BFF (which, in Ralph's world, "forever" in BFF may be pretty accurate) ? Heck, the players like Dick. (Sounds like we should get out some old Dick Nixon campaign buttons. "I like Dick" - actually, they did not use that campaign slogan - and, of course, my Ralphie quote is strictly made up. Merry Christmas everybody!

Jim, I feel your pain. But it's a dry pain... I have the Sunday Ticket package, so I am compelled to watch our sad Bills every week. I have pretty much given up on expecting a championship season from the Bills in my lifetime. Hell, lately I can't wait until the game ends (mercifully), so I can watch one of the good games, between TWO competitive teams, fer chirissake. Arrgghh. I have lived away from Buffalo for 16 years, but there is just one team I can genuinely care about. We pretended to be Jack Kemp and Glenn Bass playing pitch 'n catch football in the street in Kenmore. So how could I root for any other team? I wonder a bit about how I will feel when the Bills are no longer in Buffalo. I'm guessing it will happen in my lifetime. It's just economics, I reckon. Jim, how's the weather up there? I am about 10 miles from the Mexican border. We get the occasional dusting of snow in our so-called "winter" (because we are at close to 5000 feet altitude). But we always recall growing up in the City of Good Neighbors. Meeting your neighbors as you help push their car out of a snow bank...

Trent's concussion. The team won't admit it, but Trent has not been the same efficient QB since then.

8and8Forever ?! Wow, that is one powerful moniker! And painfully true for our Bills. Or at least painfully true for the fans. Some of the players seem content to be playing football for a living.

I am unsure about the value of Belichik's assistants as head coaches. Mangini is doing OK, but Crennel and Weis seem to have flopped as HCs. So, I don't think it's automatic that a Belichik guy will succeed as your next HC.

The Carolina running game is enough to make a Bills fan drool... And many of you guys who follow the draft will notice how many of the Panthers OL are 1st, 2nd, 3rd round draft picks - home grown, so to speak. Not added as overpriced free agents. Players you may have hoped for the Bills to draft over the past decade or so. Can you imagine what Marshawn could do behind an OL like the Panthers have? Sigh.....

Holy crap! He is not only a cornerback, he is also Vernon Davis' brother! How's THAT for negative football temperament (or motivation or whatever Vernon's problem is). Yeesh. Stay away from that Davis family, please. Taking a CB in a deep OT draft... sounds about right for these Bills.

Must agree with you here. Mitchell was horrible yesterday. On one "tackle", he barely just pushed the guy. I had thought Kawika was going to be a great influence for the Bills, but he has been pretty lame IMO.

Thanks. I almost always use Firefox. I will make an exception this time. Those %^@ Microsoft monopolists...