folz

Colts 27 Saints 17 Sorry NO, but down with GW!

We all know about BRUCE DEHAVEN But here's a little more info on the others: STAN HIXON http://www.redskins.com/gen/coaches/Stan_Hixon.jsp Stan coached six seasons as the Redskins wide receivers coach. Under Hixon’s tutelage, Moss had a breakout season in 2005--his first year with the Redskins--that ended with his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Hixon's successful college coaching experience makes him an excellent guide for young players. Prior to joining the Redskins, Hixon coached four years at LSU (2000-03). He served as associate head coach in addition to wide receivers coach and was part of the Tigers’ 2003 NCAA National Championship team. He coached players to three 1,000-yard seasons and had a player named first-team All-SEC three times. Under Hixon’s guidance, Michael Clayton became the fifth 1,000-yard receiver in LSU history and the second under Hixon. That year, Clayton, Henderson and Green combined for 171 catches for 2,374 yards and 26 touchdowns. In 2001, Hixon coached Josh Reed to one of the most dominating seasons ever by a receiver in SEC history. Reed caught a school-record 94 passes for an SEC-record 1,740 yards and seven touchdowns. He was named an All-American and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to college football’s top wide receiver. Prior to LSU, Hixon coached wide receivers at Georgia Tech (1995-99), developing a pair of All-ACC receivers in Campbell and White. He previously coached running backs for two seasons at Wake Forest (1993-94). Hixon served as wide receivers coach at South Carolina (1989-92), producing All-Americans Brooks and Miller, and at Appalachian State (1983-88). He began his college coaching career overseeing running backs at Morehead State (1980-82). Hixon was a standout receiver at Iowa State. He starred in the Peach Bowl in 1977 and the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1978. GEORGE CORTEZ http://www.stampeders.com/team/football_op/profile/?id=4 Cortez has spent 17 seasons in the Canadian Football League — 10 with Calgary, two in Ottawa, four with Montreal and one with Saskatchewan. In six seasons as an offensive coordinator in the CFL (all with the Stamps), Cortez has been to the Grey Cup five times—winning in 1992, 1998, 2001 and 2008. In his second season since rejoining the team in 2007, Cortez’s offence was again among the league leaders in most offensive categories, ranking second in the league in points scored, total offence, average offence per game, first downs, rushing yards and rushing yards per game. The offence led the CFL with the fewest passes intercepted. He worked closely with quarterback Henry Burris, who posted career numbers, and guided him to his first Most Outstanding Player nomination. Burris was named the MVP of the Grey Cup game after helping to post 443 yards of total offence in the championship game. Cortez’s offence also boasted the league’s leading rusher in Joffrey Reynolds, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth consecutive season. Cortez worked for the Montreal Alouettes/Concordes from 1983-86 and with the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1990-91 before joining the Stampeders in 1992 as the offensive line coach. He spent three years in this role before a two-year stint at Southern Methodist University as quarterbacks coach. He returned to the Stamps in 1997 and became the club’s offensive coordinator in 1998. During eight seasons in Calgary, he designed successful offences and is credited with developing quarterbacks Jeff Garcia, Dave Dickenson and Burris. In his first year as Calgary's offensive coordinator, the Stampeders claimed the Grey Cup as the Garcia-led offence paced the CFL in 10 statistical departments. A year later, injuries forced Calgary to use three different starting quarterbacks but Cortez helped the Stamps to their fourth West Division title and Calgary led the CFL in seven offensive categories. In 2000, Cortez helped Dickenson become the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and Calgary’s offence ranked first or second in seven league offensive categories. A year later, the Stamps led the league in eight offensive categories — including scoring (25.4 points per game) — and running back Kelvin Anderson gained 1,383 yards to lead the top-ranked rushing offence. After Calgary won the Grey Cup in 2001, Cortez joined the University of California Golden Bears as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He spent four years at Cal and worked with quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers, who became first-round picks in the National Football League Draft. He would rejoin the Stamps as offensive coordinator/associate head coach in 2007 and under his direction, the Stamps led the league in rushing offence and passing offence while quarterback Henry Burris led the league with 34 touchdown passes despite missing four games. ADRIAN WHITE White is a former NFL defensive back selected in the 2nd round of the 1987 draft by the New York Giants. White spent six seasons in the NFL from 1987-93. http://www.nflplayers.com/user/content.asp...igh=443,0,820,n After retiring from playing cornerback in the NFL for seven years (including being a member of the Giants 1990 Super Bowl Championship team, though he sat out due to injuries), White coached at Southern Illinois University and then coached for two teams in NFL Europe from 2000 to 2007, as the defensive back coach and defensive coordinator. During NFL Europe’s off-seasons, he coached in the NFL. White, 44, is the Buffalo Bills Defensive Quality Control Coach after interning there during 2 previous seasons. (for the bills during the Training Camps of 2006 and 2007).

I've seen in a number of threads where posters say Buddy and/or Chan are bad or will be bad simply because they are old. And we should have picked younger guys who are more in touch. But age also means experience... not saying that always leads to success, but their age does not preclude that they will fail. Ok, Ralph is 91, that is old But 58 and 70 years old in this day and age doesn't mean you're ready for the retirement home, or are going senile, or are so hopelessly out of touch with the world that you can't be productive anymore. Chan just turned 58 years old Bill Belichick is 57 (only 3 months younger than Chan) Pete Carroll is 58 (4 months older than Chan) Mike Shanahan is 57 (only 7 months younger than Chan) John Fox is 55 Wade Phillips is 62 Jim Caldwell is 55 (and in a Superbowl) Tom Coughlin is 63 (won a Superbowl at 61) Norv Turner is 57 Marty Schottenheimer was 63 his last year in SD (66 now) Marv Levy was 71 when he retired (went to Super Bowls at age 65, 66, 67, and 68) Dick Vermeil was 69 when he retired (won Superbowl when he was 63) Bill Parcells coached until he was 65 I could go on and on... If we had hired Shanahan would anyone be saying he's too old? Buddy is 70 years old Bill Parcells is 68 Mike Holmgren is 62 Bill Polian is 67 A.J. Smith is 61 Jerry Jones is 67 Al Davis is 80 (ok, bad example) GM info was harder to find and yes, Buddy is one of the oldest current GMs, but would anyone be saying they were too old if we hired Parcells or Polian? Age doesn't mean anything, but experience can mean everything I am not saying these guys will be successful (but I hope they are) and I'm fine with people arguing against them because of their records/resumes, or them being retreads, or in-house hires, or whatever, but please stop with the they aren't good because they are old stuff...

Ok, I did say in my post "the really important hiring", but I only meant that the DC hire would need to be more experienced/proven successful than the OC hiring because in essence, Chan is the OC and Modkins is his 2nd lieutenant...whereas the DC will be for the most part running the show on that side of the ball so Chan isn't spreading himself too thin. I didn't mean it is more important than the hiring of the head coach and yes, Chan wasn't the sexy pick we all wanted, but he seems like a good choice to me now that the dust has settled. He's as hungry as we fans are (to prove himself/chip on the shoulder). And I'm glad they got a coach who wants to be in Buffalo and isn't afraid of the challenge. I'm glad we got a guy who is going to concentrate on fixing the offense. And for what will be asked of him (Modkins), it is more important that he is someone who knows how Chan wants things run and can teach that well, rather than to be bringing an entirely different system with him or a lot of OC experience (he won't be calling the games). That is why I think we didn't need a super genius experienced O coordinator and I'm not upset by the hire of Modkins, but I do think they need to hire an experienced, good DC. And I would be upset if they don't pick an experienced guy for that position. Just because someone has a big name we all recognize and past success, doesn't guarantee that they are the right person for the job or will automatically make everything better (see Terrell Owens). And in reverse, just because we don't recognize their name doesn't mean they aren't good at what they do or will be asked to do. Can anyone say 100% that Cowher, or Billick, or Marty would have succeeded in Buffalo and that Chan will not? I like the amount of experience that Buddy and Chan bring to the table after the last 10 years of bad or inexperienced FO men and offensive futility. So Buddy has never been a GM, but he has a hell of alot more experience for the job than Marv or Brandon. So Chan isn't Cowher...but Cowher thinks he's a damn good coach. Jauron and Guy are gone! Brandon won't be calling the shots when it comes to personnel. Right now, the glass is half-full (not half-empty) for me and I'm just hoping optimistically that the glass isn't filled only with Kool-aid this time.

Since Chan will be running the offense and calling his own game, as others have stated, Modkins will be his right-hand man in teaching the offense and game planning. He knows how Chan runs his offense, having worked for him for most of his coaching career, so he will be a trusted partner who can hit the ground running (as far as teaching the system to the players). If Chan tried to bring in a bigger name OC, then first he would have to teach his system to the new coordinator, hope he can teach it well to the players, and then hope the OC's ego doesn't get in the way to where he wants to start implementing some of his own stuff and possibly undermining Chan's offense. And I like that these guys aren't just specialists, but are overall football coaches. Chan is not only a good offensive guy, but he's also coached defense and special teams at points in his career and Modkins has not only coached RBs, but also TEs and DBs in his career. And reading the bios of Modkins that others have posted, it really look like he knows how to coach up RBs. Just think if Fred and Marshawn can both get even better, how scary will our running game be (provided the team can develop/fix the OL). The really important coaching hire will be the DC. Chan's going to have to rely on him to be a lot more independent when taking care of that side of the ball.

I was a little worried about Frazier at first because (like many others) I didn't want the Bills to stick with the Tampa 2 defense, I too was concerned maybe it wasn't the coaching, but the talent in MINN that made them a good D (obviously it always goes hand-in-hand), and maybe all the interviews he had received were only due to the Rooney rule. But I'm starting to warm up to him and this article helped...what helped sway me in the article was that he is not an exclusive cover 2 guy, he cut his teeth on a 4-3 and can do both...and more importantly that he was both Dungy's and Childress' soundboard and number 2 man. Two head coaches turned to him for advice and counsel. Dungy gave him an Asst to the Head Coach title while he was a DB coach and then Childress made him Asst Head Coach in MINN. And he did supposedly finish 2nd in two previous head coaching openings. So, I thought (maybe with rose-colored glasses to try and explain away my fear that the Bills are just totally inept) what if the coaching search went like this...talk to Shanny to gauge interest...Nix enters and makes his list, so what if his list was 1. Cowher, 2. Frazier. So, they meet with Cowher, give Perry his courtesy interview, and interview Frazier. Cowher looks doubtful and they are happy with the Frazier interview, so they make their decision, but have to wait for Minn to be out of the playoffs. To keep the fans and media somewhat at bay and to cover all of their bases in the meantime, they ask for interviews with Schotty, Grimm, and whoever else, who turn them down because they have inside info that Frazier is going to be the guy. Or maybe I'm just grasping at straws.

I really don't mean to sound condescending but I assume you guys are young and weren't around or old enough to watch the Marv teams of the 80s and 90s... I'm with you as far as saying Marv wasn't a good GM...it wasn't the job he wanted or was best/experienced at and basically was just brought in to make the fans comfortable with the team again after Donahoe's bunker mentality, but to claim he was a sub par coach is just crazy. A subpar coach doesn't have the following stat line even with great players: 11 seasons 110-65 (won 63% of his games) 7 division crowns 8 playoff appearences 5 AFC Championship games (one Ronnie Harmon drop from going to 6 AFC Championships) 4 Superbowls And don't bring up the AFC was weak thing...Marv's Bills went 14-2 against the NFC during the 4 Superbowl runs and the two loses were to WAS the last game of 1990 and DET last game of 1991 when the Bills had locked up home-field advantage and were resting players. In 1990 the Bills lost the SB on a kick that could have easily gone through and they win it, it was a great game and no one got outcoached...just 3 weeks earlier in the regular season the Bills had beat the Giants in another hard fought, nail-biter...two evenly matched teams and coaches. Ok, we got pounded in the next 3 Superbowls...WAS had a miracle year in 1991 and the Dallas lines were too big and good against us in 1992 and 1993...although we did beat them in the regular seson in 1993 between them beating us in two superbowls...but outside of those 3 games rarely if ever did I see a Marv team get outcoached in the 201 games that he coached for us. And if Marv is only considered great because he had great talent, then what do you say about Jimmy Johnson, are you telling me those Dallas teams weren't loaded (even more so than the Bills in 1992 and 1993)? What about every other coach that went to and won or lost a Superbowl? Plus, let's not forget what goes into a good head coach. I'm sure there are a million things, but what jumps out to me are Xs and Os, Game management, team/personnel management, and Leadership. I can't speak with enough authority on Marv's Xs and Os other than to say they won a hell of a lot of games, but I don't remember any big-time game management gaffs, Marv always had the players and coaches managed well and pulling in the same direction, and he was second to none as far as leadership and motivation. Marv was a great coach and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame...don't let his two years as a pseudo GM tarnish what he was, is, and always will be to Buffalo Bills fans.

Obviously Cowher was a head coach longer and had quite a bit of early success, but on just a whim I thought I would compare the two coaches stats during just the years they were both head coaches, especially since they coached in the same division, so they were meeting similar opponents and each other twice a year... Cowher coached Pitt from 1992 to 2006; Billick coached Bal from 1999 to 2007, so, their overlap years were 1999 to 2006. 1999 Pitt 6-10 Bal 8-8 2000 Pitt 9-7 Bal 12-4 won the superbowl 2001 Pitt 13-3 lost to NE in AFC Championship Bal 10-6 lost to Pitt in Divisional round of playoffs 2002 Pitt 10-5-1 lost to Tenn in Divisional round of playoffs Bal 7-9 2003 Pitt 6-10 Bal 10-6 lost to Tenn in Wild Card game 2004 Pitt 15-1 lost to NE in AFC Championship game Bal 9-7 2005 Pitt 11-5 won the Superbowl Bal 6-10 2006 Pitt 8-8 Bal 13-3 lost to Colts in divisional round So: Cowher 78-49-1 60.9375 winning % 5 winning seasons 4 playoff appearances 1 Superbowl Billick 75-53 58.59375 winning % 5 winning seasons 4 playoff appearances 1 Superbowl Head to Head in the regular season they faced each other 16 times with each coach winning 8 times; Cowher and the Steelers did win their only playoff meeting in 2001. Cowher would still be my first choice (if he wants to come), he did go to the playoffs 6 of 7 years (1992-1998) before Billick took over in Baltimore. Overall Cowher made playoffs 10 of 15 years, Billick made playoffs 4 of 9 years...but maybe Cowher doesn't make as many playoffs early on if Billick was coaching in Baltimore during those early years and they were battling for the division every year like they were from 1999-2006. Anyhow, while they were both coaching in the same division things were pretty even, so maybe overall there isn't as big a difference as many of us may have assumed. I'd be more than ok with Billick if Cowher doesn't want to come.

In the Vic Carucci thread someone said that on Sirius radio Vic said the talent level was so bad on the Bills team that 1/2 to 2/3 of the roster would be cut under new management. So it got me wondering who I and the rest of you think are worthy of sticking around if (I mean when, please when) we get a new GM and head coach. I pasted the roster below for easy reference and listed who I think would or should stay below that. What do you all think? ROSTER # NAME POS. HT. WT. AGE YRS. COLLEGE 77 Bell, Demetrius OL 6-5 307 25 1 Northwestern State University 31 Byrd, Jairus S 5-10 200 23 R Oregon 73 Chambers, Kirk T 6-7 315 30 5 Stanford 27 Corner, Reggie CB 5-9 175 25 2 University of Akron 57 Corto, Jon LB 6-1 220 25 2 Sacred Heart 92 Denney, Ryan DE 6-7 264 32 8 BYU 52 Draft, Chris LB 5-11 234 33 11 Stanford 5 Edwards, Trent QB 6-4 231 26 3 Stanford 93 Ellis, Chris DE 6-4 261 24 2 Virginia Tech 56 Ellison, Keith LB 6-0 229 25 4 Oregon State 83 Evans, Lee WR 5-10 197 28 6 Wisconsin 86 Fine, Derek TE 6-3 247 26 2 Kansas 14 Fitzpatrick, Ryan QB 6-2 225 26 4 Harvard 29 Florence, Drayton CB 6-0 195 28 7 Tuskegee 10 Hamdan, Gibran QB 6-4 220 28 3 Indiana 63 Hangartner, Geoff OL 6-5 301 27 5 Texas A&M 84 Hardy, James WR 6-5 220 23 2 Indiana 54 Harris, Nic LB 6-2 232 23 R Oklahoma 22 Jackson, Fred RB 6-1 215 28 3 Coe College 17 Jenkins, Justin WR 6-0 207 28 3 Mississippi State 91 Johnson, Spencer DT 6-3 286 27 6 Auburn 13 Johnson, Steve WR 6-2 202 23 2 University of Kentucky 35 Johnson, Todd DB 6-1 204 30 6 Florida 90 Kelsay, Chris DE 6-4 261 30 7 Nebraska 25 Lankster, Ellis CB 5-9 190 22 R West Virginia 67 Levitre, Andy OL 6-2 305 23 R Oregon State 9 Lindell, Rian K 6-3 233 32 10 Washington State 23 Lynch, Marshawn RB 5-11 215 23 3 Cal 58 Maybin, Aaron DE 6-4 250 21 R Penn State 97 McCargo, John DT 6-2 307 26 4 NC State 24 McGee, Terrence CB 5-9 198 29 7 Northwestern State 38 McIntyre, Corey FB 6-0 258 30 5 West Virginia 68 McKinney, Seth OL 6-3 310 30 8 Texas A&M 69 Meredith, Jamon OL 6-5 304 23 R South Carolina 8 Moorman, Brian P 6-0 172 33 9 Pittsburgh State 89 Nelson, Shawn TE 6-5 240 24 R Southern Mississippi 81 Owens, Terrell WR 6-3 224 35 14 Tennessee-Chattanoog 59 Palmer, Ashlee LB 6-1 236 23 R Mississippi 11 Parrish, Roscoe WR 5-9 178 27 5 Miami (Fla.) 51 Posluszny, Paul LB 6-1 238 25 3 Penn State 82 Reed, Josh WR 5-10 210 29 8 LSU 65 Sanborn, Garrison LS 6-0 240 24 R Florida State 94 Schobel, Aaron DE 6-4 243 32 9 TCU 43 Scott, Bryan S 6-1 219 28 7 Penn State 79 Scott, Jonathan OL 6-6 318 26 3 Texas 99 Stroud, Marcus DT 6-6 310 31 9 Georgia 88 Stupar, Jonathan TE 6-3 254 25 1 Virginia 21 Wendling, John S 6-1 222 26 3 Wyoming 20 Whitner, Donte S 5-10 208 24 4 Ohio State 95 Williams, Kyle DT 6-1 306 26 4 Louisiana State 37 Wilson, George S 6-0 212 28 4 Arkansas 70 Wood, Eric OL 6-4 315 23 R Louisville 26 Youboty, Ashton CB 5-11 189 25 4 Ohio State INJURED RESERVE # NAME POS. HT. WT. AGE YRS. COLLEGE 53 Buggs, Marcus LB 5-10 223 24 2 Vanderbilt 60 Butler, Brad OL 6-7 315 26 4 Virginia 25 Hairston, Justise RB 6-1 210 26 1 Central Connecticut 71 McGhee, Jermaine DE 6-2 257 25 1 Prairie View A&M 28 McKelvin , Leodis CB 5-10 184 24 2 Troy 55 Mitchell, Kawika LB 6-1 253 30 7 South Florida 61 Philip, Marvin C 6-1 307 27 1 California 40 Sargeant, Lydell DB 6-1 187 22 R Penn State 80 Schouman, Derek TE 6-2 223 24 3 Boise State 98 Smith, Marcus DE 6-4 295 25 1 Arizona PRACTICE SQUAD # NAME POS. HT. WT. AGE YRS. COLLEGE 42 Hall, Bruce RB 5-11 205 24 1 Mississippi 47 Harris, Cary DB 5-11 187 22 R USC 18 Hawthorne, C.J. WR 5-11 168 25 1 Hawaii 74 Hennessey, Nick OL 6-5 291 23 R Colgate 15 Huggins, Felton WR 6-2 186 26 1 Southeastern Louisia 75 Mace, Corey DT 6-3 287 23 2 Wyoming 76 Ramsey, Andre OL 6-5 322 22 R Ball State 50 Waters, Anthony LB 6-3 238 So, my amateur opinion would be (based on talent-level alone, I didn't take into consideration their salary or contracts or numbers at particular positions, etc.): Definitely Keep Jarius Byrd Lee Evans Marshawn Lynch Fred Jackson Eric Wood Marcus Stroud Brian Moorman Terrence McGee Leodis McKelvin Paul Posluszny Shawn Nelson Andy Levitre Reggie Corner Kyle Williams (even if we were to upgrade and he wasn't starting) Definitely Keep due to potential (even if not starter) Demetius Bell Steve Johnson Aaron Maybin Nic Harris Would Probably Keep Rian Lindell Aaron Schobel (although could be a victim due to age and injuries) Bryan Scott (seems solid) Brad Butler (would be happy with him as a backup swing OL) On the Bubble Trent Edwards (a lot rides on how he finishes out this season) Drayton Florence Geoff Hangartner Chris Kelsay (although I do think he's played well this year) Ellis Lankster Terrell Owens (who knows what's going on with him) James Hardy (could he break out in third year?) Jamon Meredith Donte Whitner Kawika Mitchell George Wilson (just because I like him) Lydell Sargeant (Don't really know enough yet one way or the other) Ashlee Palmer (ditto) Ashton Youbouty (although injury history may totally ruin his chances) As harsh as it sounds, everyone else looks expendable or easily replaceable to me. It might take some time to replace them, but I don't know that we would ever miss them. So, out of 71 players (including IR and Practice Squad) I would definitely keep 18 players, would probably keep 4 more, and maybe 6 to 9 more from the bubble guys...so that's 28-31 of 71 or an average of keeping only 39% to 44% of the players currently with the team. I really expected when I started this that I would disagree with Carucci and say that it wouldn't be nearly as high as two thirds, but my list isn't far from that. If only two of the bubble players were to stick around we'd be at Vic's two thirds. What do you all think? Anyone I forgot? Anyone I listed you wouldn't keep around? Are we really this bad?

With Fred playing so well in the first two games it seemed that we didn't miss Marshawn as much we thought we might...but I was wondering if we did really miss him in the New Orleans game. With the way the NO D-line was playing would we have had a better chance in that game if we were pounding the middle with Marshawn early in the game even if we weren't making big plays at first, just to start to wear them down and then when Fred came in they'd have to adjust to his game, and then switch them up and keep their D off balance. Maybe I'm just clutching at straws, but could Marshawn's return be just what this offense needs to get moving again? (Along with the O-line staying healthy and progressing, of course). Beauty and the Beast (our version of thunder and lightning)...here's to hoping. Marshawn's response when a reporter asked him if sitting the 3 games made him hungrier to play: "I'm always hungry and now it's time to eat."

Like San Jose Bills Fan said, this move had nothing to do with John Guy...this was all about our College/Draft staff and then maybe what the coaches saw in the preseason. And since we were looking for OTs in the draft they probably scouted this guy out and knew a lot about him. Despite what many say about Brandon being a marketing guy, we have had some real good drafts under his watch and with Nix added to the mix it looks like our College staff is pretty darn good, so I'm excited about this move...homegrown Oline is going to be better than journeyman or past-their-prime vets line, the youngs guys may stumble here and there, but the future is looking good. Now these moves were John Guy (except for letting Peters go)...I guess we know where the weak link on the staff is and why the team may have gone in the direction they did this time around. And I'm sure the way our young (smart/athletic) Olinemen are playing probably gave the coaches/FO some confidence to go with another young (smart/atheletic) guy. Everyone was so worried that we didn't draft an OT after Peters left...and now its basically like we did, a fifth rounder with a lot of potential that some had projected as high as the 2nd round. And did you see the kid's arms and shoulders in video 3 that gflande1 posted on page 7?

I think these guys summed it up best...why fight over who is number one/starting? It doesn't matter if it is Evans or Owens or Lynch or Jackson...they will all be productive (hopefully) doing what each one does best and they're all going to get their touches and help out the team. Fred and Marshawn are going to be a two-headed monster...with these two backs, we can spread you out or pound it down your throat... the only thing I would say is that Marshawn (and f'n MacGahee) could learn a lot from Fred about being a more patient back and waiting for your blocks to set up...that definitely reminded me of TT as Reed83Evans pointed out how Fred set up and patiently worked off his blocks.

When was the last time we saw our O-line making significant blocks on the second level let alone on the third level? These guys we're making successful blocks down the field...look at Freddy's TD...Hangartner makes a key block on the outside at the second level and Levitre and Evans are at the goal line blocking (10 yards from the line of scrimmage) to get Fred in the endzone. So much for big, slow, soft lineman...bring on the young, smart, athletic guys who can pull and finish blocks. Things are looking up (despite the heartbreaking loss)...as soon as these guys have more experience, more knowledge of eachother, and cut down on the rookie mistakes...they could be scarey good. And even though we lost, loved watching us kill the Pats early and often with the screen...I've seen way too many games where it was the reverse.

I know we've all been burned one time too often...we're afraid to still have hope cause we don't want to get crushed again...we've lost faith in our coaches and our FO and our team looks like a train wreck from the outside...but ya know what? On Monday night...there's a Bills game on and I can't wait! We're 0-0...there's always a sliver of hope...so let's wait and see what the boys are made of before we write them off..."Was it over when the Germans bombed Peral Harbor?...and it ain't over now...who's with me...AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" 50 years! The Kool-Aid is on the house!

Just speculating... Maybe Schouman and Fine are better blockers and the team is expecting Nelson to be the main pass catching TE. So they didn't think they'd need Stupar's receiving skills and if he wasn't a better blocker than the other two, he had to be the odd man out. While Maybin and Ellis both look very promising, Mayb is a rookie and Ellis is still unproven. If you cut Denny and Kelsey to keep Cope, then the team has another position where they are expecting young guys to come through without a plan B. I'm sure they hope the young guys come on and steal the starting spots, but they at least know they will get solid play from the vets (not stellar, but solid) so they won't be up a creek if the young guys don't come through early in the season.

I'm not totally defending Jauron here...but to me it sounds like everyone knew there was a problem with the offense and something needed to be done, but Schonert was digging in his heels and not wanting to change things. It kind of sounds like he dug his own grave by not being willing to change things up at the request of the head coach no less. according to Gaughan: Besides the results, Schonert rubbed some members of the organization the wrong way by not being as open to their suggestions as they thought he should be, sources within the team said. His connection with quarterback Trent Edwards also was a concern within the team, which also might have been related to Schonert's autocratic style. http://www.buffalonews.com/452/story/784899.html And he (Schonert) talked about the serious philosophical differences he had with Jauron about the Bills offense. "He (Jauron) told me the offense wasn't simple enough for him," Schonert said. "We had too many formations, too many plays. I didn't simplify it to his liking." "He wants a 'Pop Warner' offense," Schonert said, referring to the Bills head coach. "He limited me in formations, and limited me in plays. He's been on my back all offseason. per Tim Graham: The first internal sign of concern became evident earlier this week when receiver Lee Evans said he sought personal reassurance from the coaching staff that the offense would be more productive. "We needed to see something different," Evans said. "We wanted to hear that things were OK." http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4446060 Lee Evans Tweeted this, "I was surprised to hear we fired our O.C. He was a good dude and I learned a lot from him. It changes things but I’m looking forward to working and winning with the new O.C.” – Lee Evans Kawika Mitchell Tweeted, "No. Dick wouldnt do it if it wasnt rite. Its a tuff biz but if ur not producin" http://www.wgr550.com/Sports/5152829 Then there were the candid comments from Trent about the coaching and obviously a lot of frustration from the players. imo, Jauron's biggest detriment as a coach is not his lack of enthusiasm or clock management or what have you, it's the fact that he can never seem to hire a qualified Offensive Coordinator and then sticking with those guys no matter what...maybe with his butt on the line he has finally seen his error...we don't know what we have in AVP yet and I'm sure there will be some growing pains...but its got to be better if everyone is working on the same page rather than fighting and dissention. Coaching is about collaboration...working with the other coaches, listening to your players, etc. I also agree with Dan's post on page 1 that simpler might be better...

I know we're all a little frustrated and nervous about the upcoming season... But, why all the hate for Aaron? He's been a Bill for a long time, played hard for our team and had some great seasons... I can understand people questioning whether he's lost a step or should be starting or whatever, but some posts are just spewed with venom towards him. Why? He's been a career-long Bill, who exceeded expectations and was solid for our team for years. Show some respect to a true Buffalo Bill. Since the 2001 season he ranks second in total sacks, only behind Jason Taylor. He started in 116 consecutive games with the Bills from 2003[1] until 2008 2 Pro Bowls

I haven't heard about his ST play, but Lankster has been a beast in the practice setting as well (from what I've read). And seriously, most of our DBs are young and may take a while to become top performers, but we are stacked: McGee, McKelvin, Florence, Corner, Youbouty, Lankster, and even Sargeant and Harris have shown some promise. If only every position was as stacked as CB, RB, and WR.

MSN Fox Sports put out their offensive power positional rankings...I know, who cares what the media has to say, but for the curious... QB: 12th__I was a bit surprised we ranked that high, not because I don't believe in Trent, but didn't think the media was sold yet OL: 28th__Understandable due to 2 rookies and all the changes, although I think they'll turn out a lot better than that WR/TE: 3rd__Behind just Arizona and the Patriots RB: 17th__This surprised me quite a bit though, 17th? really? http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9735822...gs:-QB-packages http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9848856...gs:-OL-packages http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9787230...-WR/TE-packages http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9746990...gs:-RB-packages

I think all fans should be critical of the coaching staff and performances on the field if its lacking (and it has been), but I think the point of the original post is that its the off season so there isn't anything to be critical about right now and yet so many posts no matter what the topic is turns into "Who cares, our coach is a proven loser, 6-10 next year" If people want to start a thread about Jauron's inadequacies as a coach, go for it, but to just jump into every thread (not saying you personally LGB) to say Jauron is a loser we're doomed gets old. He's our coach to start next season whether anyone likes it or not and calling him a loser won't change it...so lets talk about other things and when they start playing games again if the team tanks, everyone can start ranting again about Jauron. A lot of us, who are trying to stay positive for next season, aren't saying Jauron is a world beater, but considering he will be our coach next year and we can't change it, we're willing to stand behind him and give him another chance...what other choice is there? And, of course, talent matters when assessing a coaches record, how could it not? See my post on page 3 of this thread, the comparison isn't saying Jauron is as good of a coach as Bellicheck, but saying Bellicheck wasn't successful until his 7th year as a head coach, so its not unheard of for a coach to seem like a perennial loser and then start winning. People continue to learn and grow until the day they die, people get better at their jobs the longer they do them..."experience is the best teacher"...at what age do you think people can't get better at something? 40, 50, 60?

Pretty realistic take and says what most on TBD say, its going to come down to how well the lines play... But, I found these points interesting as these are some players I have heard posters question... "And fourth-year pro Kyle Williams has emerged as one of the preeminent run-defenders in the NFL. Williams doesn’t have Stroud’s size or explosive strength, but he shows better leverage and makes a ton of plays on second effort." "This would also allow veteran strong safety Bryan Scott to start and continue the resurgence of his once-promising career." "The group is headlined by third-year stud Paul Posluszny, a classic Mike ‘Backer who thrives in this Cover 2 scheme."

I don't think anyone is saying Jauron is or will be Bellicheck or do what he's done, but I do think the Cleveland/Bellicheck argument is valid as far as saying someone might still have success even if his career started off slow...I'm not saying Jauron is one of the best coaches in the league but I hate the "The truth is he just sucks" or "Once a loser always a loser" arguments because it precludes the fact that talent has anything to do with a team's record or that a person can learn, grow, and get better no matter how old he is. Jauron's and Bellicheck's record with their first teams (in 5 seasons each) is almost identical and Bellicheck's winning percentage after 6 years as a head coach was 42.7%. I'm sure people were saying "Once a loser always a loser". Then Brady took over as QB and they go on an amazing run. I'm not saying its all due to Brady (and not the coaching) but it sure hasn't hurt Bellicheck and his record either. I'm willing to go into this season optimistic and giving Jauron another chance now that he has more talent to work with and if the team tanks, no doubt he will be fired, so let's give him one more chance. Bill Bellicheck 5 years in Cleveland 36-44 45% winning pct (1 winning season) 1991 6-10 1992 7-9 1993 7-9 1994 11-5 1995 5-11 1st year in New England 5-11 Then Tom Brady took over the team and they have had 8 winning seasons and the 3 *SBs (obviously last year's winning record can't be due to Brady, though) Dick Jauron 5 years in Chicago 35-45 43.75% winning pct (1 winning season) 1999 6-10 2000 5-11 2001 13-3 2002 4-12 2003 7-9 Jauron's detractors count the 5 games as interim coach as a full season of coaching for Jauron, but please it was Detroit and he was only interim coach I don't see as how you can really pin that 1-4 on him at that point. 3 years in Buffalo, three 7-9 seasons So Bellicheck had 1 good season in 6 years as head coach and then broke out in his 7th season (the season Brady started) Jauron has had 1 good season in 8 years as head coach. Can he break out this year? Here's hoping. Go Bills!

RW didn't pay big for Polian, he was a virtual unknown when he came to the Bills not the consensus "genius" he later became. From an article on "Goliath" "Polian paid the bills by selling advertising for American Farmer magazine, but he followed his heart to jobs coaching football at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and scouting--for next to nothing--for the Canadian Football League's Montreal Allouettes. In Montreal, Polian's work caught the eye of Levy, the Allouettes' coach at the time. "I said, 'Who the hell is this Bill Polian?'" recalled Levy. "His notes were impeccable, well-detailed, and most importantly, his scouting reports were incredibly accurate." At last, Polian had an ally inside professional football. After being hired as a scout with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1978, when Levy was coaching there, Polian quickly distinguished himself. But still his path to greatness was anything but direct--and as slow as Booger McFarland in the 40-yard dash. He bounced to the fledgling U.S. Football League's Chicago Blitz in 1982, and worked for the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers for two seasons. He arrived in Buffalo in 1985 (actually 1984) on the heels of back-to-back 2-14 seasons as an unknown." From Wikipedia: "He was originally hired as director of pro personnel, where he impressed Bills Owner Ralph Wilson by telling then-coach Kay Stephenson "We were 2-14 on merit--we have the worst personnel in the NFL". On February 7, 1985, Bills general manager Terry Bledsoe suffered a heart attack and Polian was named along with, director of scouting, Norm Pollom, to handle contract negotiations in Bledsoe's absence. Polian was instrumental in the signing of Bruce Smith to his first NFL contract. This impressed the Bills' hierarchy enough to warrant a promotion to GM, after the firing of Bledsoe, in 1985. The fans were not impressed with the promotion of Polian however. Most observers considered the move business as usual, on a 2-14 team." Sounds a lot like Brandon's in-house promotion with the fans bitching (not to say Brandon will become Polian-esque or that he had as much football experience, but when Polian was promoted to GM he was no sure homerun). GO BILLS!

I agree that a lot will be riding on whether the OL and QB can play well this year... And I have always said that Jauron's biggest weakness as a coach has been his selection of OCs. But, in his defense (as far as his game plans or playing not to lose) look at the QBs he has had over the years (Miller, JP, Trent--who even if he turns out to be good, he was a rookie and 2nd year player so far for Jauron and young QBs make mistakes). Jauron hasn't had elite talent on his offenses with the Bears or Bills, so maybe in that situation you have to play it safe. Would you as a coach give JP the green light to sling away like Favre, Brady, or Manning? How about Miller? How about Trent as a rookie? Part of the FO's job is to get us excited about new players and the season to come to where maybe we (at least the homers) have overestimated our talent level and expected too much from the O. But maybe Jauron didn't have much choice but to play it close to the vest because he knew all too well about the true talent level of the team (especially the O-line's ability to protect the QB for enough time, no proven 2nd WR, etc.). Just because you want to open it up, doesn't mean that you can. Like it or not Jauron's our coach for this season. Let's see what he and Turk can do with some improved talent... and if they can't do anything, play too conservatively and lose then the change will be made. But let's suck it up and give him one more chance. The only other choice is to remain bitter. Spartacus, what I think you overlook with posters like that is they are not saying Walker is equal to or better than Peters as a player, but that Peters played way below his potential last year and that Walker should at least play up to Peters' play of last year. Unless you think we got Jason's best last year. So saying there won't be a drop off isn't speaking overall talent-wise, but from an improvement or drop-off from last year. Its like when people say whoever plays OLB will be a dropoff from Crowell, but Crowell didn't play last year so from last year to this its either a push (Ellison for Ellison) or improvement someone steps up and plays better.

I'm not saying we couldn't use more talent, but I definitely think you underrate some of our players as well as the FO and coaching staff. Josh Reed is better than mediocre as a slot receiver, I think Fine and Nelson will be the TEs over Schouman (or Fine and Schouman if Nelson doesn't come on), Ellison and Kelsey may not be full time starter material, but there is no way they are garbage, and Simpson won't be the starting FS, it'll be either Byrd or Whitner. Plus, so many of our guys are young with a lot of potential...Lynch is still getting better, Evans production should increase significantly, TE should get better, Poz should get better, the rookies will get better. There is a lot of unproven talent on this roster that give this team a lot of upside. I think your ratings will be significantly better by the end of next season. Here is my take: OFFENSE QB.Edwards=Average (but I think he'll move up to good this year) RB.Lynch=Good (but Lynch, Jackson, Rhodes as a group could be great) FB.McIntyre=Mediocre WR.Evans=Good (with possibility of moving up to great with T.O opposite him) WR.Owens=Great (Has been elite, but is he still? I'll leave him at great) WR. Reed=Average to good (he may be mediocre as a 2nd WR, but in the slot he'll be pretty good) TE.Fine, Nelson (not Schouman)=Mediocre (I think it'll move up to at least average, but they still have to prove themselves) LT.Walker=Average (I'll leave him there until we see what he can do on the left side) LG.Levitre=? (w/ lots of upside) C.Hangartner=Good RG.Woods=? (w/ lots of upside) RT.Butler=Average DEFENSE RE. Schobel=Good DT.Stroud=Good DT.Williams=Average LE.Kelsay=Average (sure Kelsey isn't great, but he ain't garbage either) OLB.Elison=Mediocre to average MLB.Posluszny=Average (with upside) OLB.Mitchell=Average CB.McGee=Good CB.McKelvin=Good already (with upside) CB.Florence/Youbouty/Corner=I think the best of this group will turn out to be good FS.Byrd/Whitner=This should at least be average SS.Whitner/Scott=Average to good Coaching Staff=Average to good (Sure they aren't Bellicheat-elite, but how many coaching staffs in the league would you consider garbage? one or two maybe...so mediocre would put Jauron et al as bottom 5 coaching staffs in the league? I think they have a lot to prove, but Jauron has to at least be middle of the pack don't you think? Especially if the whole point of your post is that they don't have enough talent to work with) Front Office=Average to good (Counting since Brandon took over: Two good drafts, Stroud and T.O. in FA/trade, etc.)