Casey D

Well said...CD

This is America. Communism has failed. It's RW's property, he has no obligation to sell anything because it suits you. Perhaps you should make him an offer he cannot refuse, if you have the money.

Let's see who is the next coach before reaching the conclusions you do.

Untrue. Nix is the GM and Guy will not be renewed in May.

Baltimore fans are happy Billick is gone. Harbaugh took a 3-13 team under Billick and has made two straight playoff appearances. Ozzie Newsome built this team and he is almost Polian like in what he does, Billick benefited mightily from that. And Billick is a very smug, irritating personality...CD

Thanks. As for other reactions about how everything sucks and we need an entire housecleaning, well that is not going to happen. The only way for this franchise to be a top destination would be to have a first rate stadium. Buffalo--the people of Greater Buffalo-- cannot afford that, so if you are waiting for this team to be Dallas, Washington, NE or Philly is terms of being desireable, then you'll have to wait until the team moves to LA or Toronto. This team needs to be luckier than most to have a chance to win the SB given the new economics of the NFL. We need to hit most everything right, coach, picks, etc. to have a chance. That is the nature of a franchise in Buffalo, which will only get worse if the NFL goes to a MLB revenue sharing type system... CD

I understand, but they don't want Billick for a variety of reasons. They won't interview someone they won't hire.

As with others on the Board, I grow weary of the hyperventilating over the coaching search. Now I read Jerry Sullivan today and he sounds like my first wife. Notiwthstanding all the whining, the Bills are trying to do exactly what most fans want in their coaching search. First, the Bills hired a "real" GM. Is he the only guy they could have hired, who knows? Who knows if GM candidates were more interested in the Bills than hot coaching candidates given the Bills situation. But we got a real football guy, so we have to see what he does. Hopefully better than Donahoe, the big name guy we got last time. Now, on to the coaching search. The Bills are in a hole as a team given their record over the past 10 years, the QB situation, the labor situation, the ownership uncertainty, and a city that is perpetually in an economic hole with a fourth rate stadium from a revenue perspective. OK, we are not the most desireable coaching job in 2010--what a shock. The only way to get more desireable when you've hit bottom is to get to work and change things. The Bills are doing that, and we are the only coaching job right now, which is a lucky break. Now, the Bills have set their coaching sites very high despite their situation. Would you want them to do less? They have not been trolling at the bar at closing time looking for anyone with a pulse. Cowher, Shanahan, Gruden, Harbaugh, Leslie Frazier, Brian S., Russ G.--these are the cream of the crop in terms of what is out there. If you ask out Jessica Biel, Heidi Klum and Scarlett Johanssen and score only one date, have you failed? It's not like the Bills have been courting the Three Stooges. Some folks want a Billick or Fassel, mostly to hire someone now so they can reduce their blood pressure. Obviously, the Bills don't want these guys--they are selective too(there, I said it). I live in Washington, and when Billick's name comes up as a possible candidate for the Bills, sports talk folks down here think it's a joke. "Good luck with that" they say. His rep down here is that he is an arrogant and difficult person whose success is mixed despite the SB ring. Not wanting him is not crazy, it's a reasonable judgment. That's why these guys are unemployed. If the Bills end up with a guy like Frazier, and for all we know the Bills have told him he's the guy, we will have landed a top prospect as a coach. Given the Bills situation, that is a very good outcome--the best you could hope for given where this franchise is right now. The fact we don't get to tell three other pretty girls we won't date them may make us feel less special, but at the end of the day we only need one good coaching prospect. And the Bills seem intent on getting one. The rest of the media firestorm is just BS, designed to fill air time and internet pages... CD

To make room for Lynch

Looks like Pennington is out for the year... per ESPN...

Fair enough. That decision by DJ was just another in a series of head scratchers. It was obvious the D was gassed at that point. Down by 2 scores, the O needed to give the D a breather and some hope to get them to play hard. The punt was a white flag. Which is what is most amazing about DJ's decision making. He is neither conservative nor gambling--he is conservative when he should gamble and gambles when he should play it safe. The punt yesterday was an example of when a gamble was in order but he went conservative--but he goes both ways: Game 1, he does not tell McKelvin to take a knee or if he took the ball out, go down when he hit resistance. Instead he gambles for no reason and loses the ball. Last year-- Losman rolling out against the Jets when a knee or handoff would end the game--gambles when he should play it safe. Last Year-- Settles for a 47 FG attempt against Cleveland on a cold and windy night... conservative when a slight risk was required to get an easier kick. Two years ago-- Dallas on Monday night--is passing the ball late in the game when the Bills are within chip shot range of a FG that would sew up the game. Gets picked--Bills go on to lose. Gambles when playing it safe is the right call. There are more of these than I can recall off the top, but DJ makes decisions like this that are just really bad. He's the George Costanza of coaches--every instinct he has seems to be wrong--he should just do the opposite... CD

What are you talking about? NO is a very good team. Brees is some kind of God and he did little passing. It was a 3 point game until late. We have a young and banged up offensive line. A still developing QB, and a coach who makes poor strategic decisions most of the time. We lost, but your breathless hyperbole about it was a "complete laydown is nonsense." CD

Chad Henne will get his first start. CD

MRI must not have been good.

per bb

Why mess up mass hysteria with facts?

You say this because they cut Walker?

Did not say that they rolled this out that well, but most of this was done in the off-season. The only change now is Bell for Walker. I assume they feel Butler is better than Walker at RT. Or at least that any marginal difference is not worth $5M. Recall--the line sucked last year. So now we need to keep these guys? Why? We overpaid for Walker and Dockery. but now we are lost without them? Why? Let's just see what happens. I don't think this team is that good, but at least they are trying to shake things up. The coach will be next...CD

Well after the 2-8 finish to last year, everyone said they needed to blow up things up and start over. Well they have. A new guy at each OL position(4 totally new), TO, and a new coodinator. Now folks say we are a laughing stock for blowing it up. What do you want--change or stay the same? What difference does it make anyway? At least there is hope that these guys can get better. And if they don't then Jauron is gone, which is what everyone wants anyway. So it works or it doesn't, but it can't be much worse that it was, and if it is, we get a new coach. It at least will make for good drama....CD

B+, same as Arizona. Only Green Bay with an A and Jets with an A- got higher grades. He loved the Bills picks, and would have given them an A except they failed to address the OT position. Coming from this guy, high praise...CD

You are correct. The plan is, left to right, Walker-Wood-Hangartner-Levitre-Butler. Others are backups. Things can change, but that is the plan for now, for better or worse...CD

Really, I did not get that impression at all. The exchange with Delhomme said to me they were close because Hangartner came in and protected Delhomme's ass. Between that, and the guy's clear intelligence, he seems like an excellent pick up for a center. Perhaps with him making the line calls, and an upgrade on the line overall(still needing a LG of course), we will see significant improvement. But it is funny how people read the same thing and have totally different takes.

It is for 4 years, but I have seen no numbers. There is an article on the main page from a Rock Hill paper in South Carolina, where Hangartner says it is not a "sick" contract, but it is for more money than I ever thought I'd make. Estimated to be north of $3M/year-- probably $14-16M for 4 years. That article is also interesting in what it reveals about Hangartner. Talks about how much he is liked in Carolina, and about an emotional phone call he had with Delhomme about leaving. Seeing that, and seeing he is real smart--which is critical for a center, as it impacts the whole line as he makes the blocking calls--I am feeling very good about this guy. Now we need a left guard, a linebacker, and someone who can make plays catching the ball(WR or TE) in FA and we would be in pretty good shape going into the draft. I also like Fitzpatrick. I think a smart QB is really good too. Strikes me as a Frank Reich type, not blessed with great physical tools, so he can't be a starter because his weaknesses are eventually exposed, but plenty smart and good to fill in. Brains are underestimated at the QB position, in favor of physical gifts. That's Losman's problem, all the physical tools in the world, but inadequate brain power to harness those gifts...CD

That's good.

Exactly! CD