BillsVet

Wonderful perspective there. I think that sums up many of Bills fans' concerns with respect to this coaching staff. Today I went over the opponents next season, and it's plain scary. CAR, ATL, IND, TEN, and the AFCE teams twice. That's 10 tough games, with HOU, CLE, KC, JAC, NO, and TB. Even with a huge infusion of talent, this coaching staff has never proven the ability to beat good teams. It won't begin next season. You are correct re: DJ. He is so slow to recognize on gameday and has no presence to realize what is happening, This was on display at the end of the first half against NE. I watched from the front row in section 123 how Preston fell for the bait from the Patriots. And DJ sauntered onto the field to take to referee Gene Steratore when the clock expired. That single play was a microcosm of the entire season with Buffalo players unaware of the moment and a coach of the same mindset.

That's why he was given a 2 year contract prior to 2007. If they weren't serious about playing him, why would they have re-signed him? DJ and his defensive coaches didn't realize what they had in (EDIT: Greer). It's why they wasted a 3rd rounder on Youboty (who's can't stay healthy) and signed a guy who's out of the NFL in Jason Webster. Greer has been a good player, but DJ's coaches didn't know it. Kinda like they didn't know to play Fred Jackson over Anthony Thomas or bench Peerless Price when he couldn't play. DJ doesn't know his own personnel, which is just another in a litany of reasons why he's incompetent. Greer was better in 06 than Youboty.

The point remains that no one with half a brain would consider working for Ralph. BN in Houston is correct in that Ralph wants all the power for himself. The Bills are his dictatorship, and he revels in controlling this team. Sure, Littman, Brandon, and Bogged-Down join him, but is there any question RW makes the decisions with financial input from Littman? I am confident that people in league circles know what a train wreck the Bills have become. Guys like Casserly, Pioli, et al would not even think of coming here even if Wilson offered the kind of contract they'd want. Polian and AJ Smith have probably advised anyone who's up and coming not to go to Buffalo. That much I'm sure of.

You're missing the obvious. If you run a PA pass, it means the QB has to turn his back to the DL. And with Preston and Fowler acting as tissue paper to protect the QB, that was a turnover waiting to happen. It's why they rarely ran PA against teams with good DT's. The Jets, Patsies, and Brownies come to mind.

This league is about coaching and QB play. You know that. And Bill Parcells inherited Quincy freaking Carter at QB and took this team to the playoffs in 2003. But you don't research your posts and thus didn't realize that. He then acquired Bledsoe, though replaced him with Romo when he figured out the latter was better. I'd also point out that Parcells knew when to make the change to Romo, who Dallas signed as a UDFA in 2003. I'm sure Parcells had a hand in that acquisition. Romo isn't great, but give credit where credit is due before marginalizing Parcells work in Big D. He also had to put up with a prima donna owner who overruled him and signed locker room cancer Terrell Owens. Parcells was amazing considering what he had to contend with. At this point I'd rather barely beat a team than barely lose. Especially when Miami barely beat us twice this season. Winning by 1 is better than losing by 1. Even you know that. Let's all marginalize Miami because they're better than us. In essence, your posts are excuses, because you're upset the Dolphins are winners and everyone in our organization, save perhaps about 5 players and Bobby April are losers.

Excellent post. The decision to retain DJ is emblematic of where this franchise is going. I have to believe there was always a light at the end of the tunnel until this week. Whether it was during the late 60s when OJ came. Or when Saban returned and got the team to the playoffs in 74. Or hiring Knox before 1980. Or, my first experience when I was about 10 watching the team advance to the AFC Championship in 1988. Wilson snuffed out the light at the end of the tunnel by saying it wasn't hard to keep DJ. With that, there is no way out of this for Buffalo fans, aside from finding another team. Hoping this team gets better with the same retreads is non-sensical. For me, firing Polian in 93 was bad enough. But the fact that bean counter Littman and Bogdan had a hand in it makes the decision even more infuriating.

I wouldn't assume Miami will get throttled this weekend, especially with home field advantage. And even if they do, it won't because they're outcoached. Miami won't replicate the NYJ from 06 to 07, because their foundation is more sound. The Jets did not have the front office to sustain success, and bowed to Brett Favre to pull off a PR coup. Miami has no-nonsense guys like Sparano and Ireland who don't care about winning the PR battle, but winning football games. The incoming owner in MIA knows he has the right setup in the front office and won't change it. Meanwhile, Woody Johnson entrusted his success to Mike Tannenbaum who used to practice law. It's kinda like asking the marketing guy to be the de facto GM and expecting success. Get a real football man with an eye for talent, vision for the future, and you're almost guaranteed to win. Go against the grain and amazingly you don't win. It's that simple.

Buffalo drafted Jeff Burris and Thomas Smith after losing Odomes to UFA back in 93. Before then, they'd taken James Williams, who busted. So there was a method for taking those guys early. Besides, their OL and DL was already strong, a product of Bill Polian knowing what the hell to do and ignoring Linda Bogdan's worthless opinion. They were strong at the specialty positions as well, hence selecting DB's. Fast forward to 2006, and the Bills had Clements, McGee, and Greer. With a distinct weakness on the OL and DL, they decided to make luxury picks and take 3 DB's out of 4 picks. They followed that up with 4 more DB's in the next 2 drafts. I trust BP to make good picks. He's not batting 1.000, but he's usually right on. Can anyone say they trust the Bills front office to make good picks, especially with no one a decent record up there outside of perhaps Modrak calling the shots? It's fine to take DB's when your lines are strong. But if not, taking a DB is a luxury pick.

Thanks Astro. One thing though. Do you think Aaron Maybin is worth watching for Penn State?

I found it interesting that Modrak is being taken into the inner-circle. (I wonder if that means, "thank you sir may I have another" with RW administering the blows) I maintain that DJ had an overwhelming hand in who this team drafted. Taking 7 DB's with 26 picks clinched it for me. If it's true Modrak will have some power, I think it's a swipe more at DJ's personnel moves and even Brandon for being inexperienced. The personnel on this team isn't any better than it was in 2006. (Cue Dean)

Buffalo's payroll, if we're lucky, will be middle of the road this season. Suggs and Peppers, if they hit the open market, will command at least 8M+ per. Neither is coming to Buffalo, because RW knows that spending doesn't equate to winning either. His last two major investments of Dockery and Walker are failed attempts to buy an OL. I agree with BN in Houston. RW is content and will not make another major investment into this team. When people reach old age, their take on the world changes. By no means do I think RW is ready to depart, but he's not the same person he was when Wade was fired. He's accepted his place, made peace with the NFL, and moved on. He'll ride out the string with what he has and nothing more. There is no hope right now. The players would have to be so good to overcome a HC who single-handedly loses games. The only way I think it could improve is if the QB is allowed to make calls for himself. Same on defense. Because the HC, OC, and DC are so inept that they can't be counted on to do anything other than screw it all up.

I would agree and cite another example of his mindset. Apparently, RW negotiated the contract with DJ. OK whatever. But his unwillingness to pay coaches is well-known and not going to change. Ever. We're not sure what DJ is making, but I'm sure it's not in the top half of the NFL. As far as the front office, there won't be any changes as SB pointed out. Ralph knows the going rate for solid NFL GM's is high, and so he divides that responsibility among Brandon, Modrak, and Guy, with help from Overdorf. He cut his costs by promoting them and not having to hire a GM. We're just steering the ship straight until it eventually sinks. When fans don't return this coming year like they did in 08, the team will blame the economy without any admission that the product is so poor most fans have stepped away. GG's column, IMO, is what a lot of fans are thinking. Having been at each home game this year, the fans are just fed up-old and new. The decision to keep DJ will put many over the edge.

1. The Peters thing was handled poorly-on both ends. It didn't help that marketing guy RB was up against a savvy player agent. 2. Mitchell, Stroud, and Johnson were decent to good signings. 3. Turkey Schonert had been in the NFL as a QB coach for years. It's ironic that he wasn't good enough before to get an OC job, but now he is. He was under DJ's thumb and I don't think he knew what to do when the initial plan didn't work. 4. They should have let JPL go, and find a veteran QB. 5. To be fair to their top pick in 08, there weren't a host of options for DE at 11. Harvey had been taken. 6. The DJ extension was directly negotiated by Ralph. That's a 90 year old man making decisions which not surprisingly did not work out. I believe it was the decision to re-up DJ that forced RW's hand to retain him. Again, Ralph is the problem. No decent GM will ever work for this franchise again. Ralph has basically made it clear he is the one making decisions and I would not be surprised if Brandon leaves for greener pastures. No one can work for RW, and he pushes people out the door. Unless of course your name is Jeff Littman, chief bean counter.

Miami used to be a joke. Now they're a legit NFL franchise because they completely gutted their front office. There are four organizations I would consider minor league outfits: Detroit, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Saint Louis. Oakland isn't included because they at least spend money. KC and CLE at least will to hire a GM. San Fran has a coach. Buffalo, Detroit, Cincinnait, and St. Louis could begin the NFL minor league if they wanted.

For Buffalo to go 7-9 against their 08 schedule is terrible. Or as Charles Barkley would say, "terbl."

VOR, you've ignored a few things, because you're too busy finding excuses for Miami. Other moves Parcells made: 1. Hiring Tony Sparano. He outcoached DJ on two occasions, although he's in his first season and DJ was in his eighth full. 2. Improving the OL: Parcells signed G Justin Smiley, drafted Jake Long, (which moved Vernon Carey to RT) drafted G Donald Thomas, and already had C Samson Satele. 3. Changed the defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4, which had the effect of making supposed over the hill LB Joey Porter a sack machine again. That move allowed Matt Roth to play a simlar role. 4. Trading for Anthony Fasano, and re-signing both Greg Camarillo and Ricky Williams. All three played an important role in that offense, by giving the offense options. 5. Hiring Pasqualoni and Henning as experienced coordinators to make the transition for Sparano. Those guys aren't the highest caliber coordinators, but they devised schemes (The Wildcat) to make that team maximize their talent. Parcells very presence made everyone realize they were not going to be babied. BP made a point of letting people know if they slacked off they were gone. It's one of the reasons Ernest Wilford didn't play much. Sure, Pennington was a reason for success. But, he wasn't worth 10 wins all by himself. The Miami Dolphins have less talent than the Buffalo Bills, but they had good coaching and didn't turn the ball over. Both teams had low penalties, but it was Miami that had clear leadership. EDIT: Miami has a better front office, better coaching, and better overall leadership. They also happen to have a bettter owner.

No one in their right mind expected the Dolphins to make the playoffs. But they were going to turn it around no matter what. And when you have a front office that has competent and legitimate personnel people, combined with a no-nonsense HC, you'll have success. Parcells was an investment in the franchise. Paying him 3M per sounds like a lot, but Miami now has at least the foundation to win for a long time. Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano learned from Parcells, and the balance of power may be shifting in the AFCE. NE will always be there, NYJ have some issues, but the Bills are and will be the worst team in the AFCE next season with DJ and RB running the show.

From Tim Graham's blog for today regarding the Dolfelons: Dolphins owner Huizenga, desperate to revitalize his team even though he was about to sell it, reached out to Parcells to run his faltering front office. Huizenga is a fan's dream. He recognizes when the organization isn't working, doesn't hesitate to spend whatever it takes and readily admits he doesn't know enough about football to meddle. Buffalo Bills fans who scanned that sentence just had pangs of wanderlust. Huizenga, before selling off a large stake in his beloved Dolphins and their stadium, made what could be remembered as the greatest decision of his tenure when he convinced Parcells to come out of retirement. Huizenga gave Parcells a four-year, $12 million contract and carte blanche over football operations. "It cost us $27 million to fire all the coaches," Huizenga noted after Sunday's victory at the Meadowlands. The owner, who will retain only five percent of the Dolphins once the sale is finalized, had endured Dave Wannstedt, Jim Bates, Nick Saban and Cameron since Jimmy Johnson left in 1999. The smile and bewildered expression on Huizenga's face indicated Sunday's accomplishment was worth the cost. "I thought if we did 8-8 this year, we would have done well," Huizenga said. "I was trying to be realistic. This is unbelievable." An owner on the verge of selling the team still in it to win it.

The Bills MO these past few seasons has been to shed good players and then keep on the treadmill by replacing them with draft picks. Letting Fletcher and Clements go forced us to draft Posluszny and McKelvin. Releasing Milloy meant drafting Whitner, at least according to DJ, who ultimately decided in that first draft. Someone will inevtiably pipe in and talk about the cap, and how those players cost money, but when you draft for need every season, you'll never get talented enough across the board. Sad thing is, the Bills have been in rebuild mode for three seasons with DJ, and their final record isn't any better. Trading Peters for picks would be just like the typical third rate front office Buffalo has.

Ralph is a glutton for figureheads. First Levy, now Russell. As long as they do what he says, they'll be at the top. Of course, doesn't the president oversee the COO? Oh wait, that's Ralphie too. "Russ, get me some Depends! Right now!! Jerry Sullivan is skewering me again!"

To draft 7 DB's out of 26 picks and use 2 out of 4 first rounders on DB's is why I think DJ was deciding. Sure, they'll say it's "consensus" but with few legitimately successful NFL personnel people, DJ has the run on the draft. Now that the talent level isn't much better with DJ, RW believes getting Modrak into the inner circle to overrule or at least match DJ is the answer. Hence, the story about Modrak liking Cutler in 05. Even so, is Russ going to tell DJ what to do? Guy, Modrak, and their people make recommendations, but cannot decide. Meanwhile, Linda Bogged down can do whatever she wants. Including crying to the best modern day GM, and a future HOFer because he didn't do what she wanted him to. Evaluating talent is what this team hasn't done well since Butler walked out the door. Even though Butler wasn't as good as Polian, God rest his soul, he was an improvement over having the marketing guy. A third rate organization with third rate talent and third rate talent evaluators.

That's an excellent point about the four who gathered to review the season in Detroit this week. I didn't get to see much of the 02-05 Bills because I was in the military, but it's amazing to read from fans both young and not as young how they are tired of this. I have to respect those who've followed this team before the SB years, because it was lean in the 70s, then between Know and about 88. And it seems like more of them are saying enough is enough.

DJ has the ultimate in job security: no one who knows football and has the authority to can his butt. Angelo knew DJ was a failure, as you point out, and probably knew he'd eventually send him packing. I'd take Jim Mora just for the tirades. At least the losses would be more entertaining.

The 2009 Buffalo Bills: Obviously we'd like to be 16-0. Just don't ask us what we'll end up. The 2009 Buffalo Bills: Keeping Dick Jauron and Turk Schonert off the unemployment lines since 2006.

No one has wanted DJ as a HC since about 2001. Even then, you know Jerry Angelo wanted him gone. It would take five years before the Bears organization decided to rid themselves of DJ. It was reported RW personally negotiated the contract with DJ or his people. If that's the case, why even have a front office? Ralph thinks he can do it all himself, at 90 years of age.