BrooklynBills

I'll find it very funny if this statement is about patience and support for Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey

I think Nix has drafted some good players and brought in some good FAs, both marquee and under-the-radar. He has done a good job retaining some of our talented players. But he is also VP of Football Operations. His main responsibility is TEAM BUILDING. Solid player acquisition devoid of a general direction of the team does not make a good GM. If you are in Nix's position, knowing what a good player looks like should be second nature. He has done a terrible job of giving this team ANY identity whatsoever. He cannot defer this to Chan Gailey because Gailey is not that kind of administrator type of coach. The strikes against Nix are well documented on this site. He should go or be re-assigned. He is not a terrible football man but he is not a front office leader, which is what we need most.

You can't pick out the two guys who seem to be exceptions to the rule to prove your point. Mike Shanahan was fired from the Raiders for reasons that have nothing to do with his coaching ability. The truth is he got less than two years with Raiders and his firing is widely viewed as a huge mistake and one of the all-time ego-driven blunders of Al Davis. Bill Belicheck was fired from Cleveland because Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore and basically cleaned house. He re-built a terrible Browns team in the early 90's before modern free agency and had them in the playoffs in 3 years and won a wild card game against the Patriots. The following year the Browns were talked about as a team that could win the Super Bowl. Modell announced that the team was moving to Baltimore and it basically ended the Browns season at the midpoint. The "Belicheck is a failed HC" myth is not one grounded in reality and I would challenge you to find any articles from that time or the time of his hiring in New England that labeled him as a "re-tread" or "failure." Both of these guys were not fired from there jobs because they were viewed as bad coaches and didn't produce wins over a period of time. You need to look at the circumstances surrounding their firing to get a sense of what you are getting as a coach. Their is a difference between getting fired because you didn't produce enough wins over a certain period of time and getting fired because of things happening behind the scenes, just as there is a difference for getting fired because you could get your team to the next level (a la Tom Coughlin with the Jaguars or Tony Dungy with the Bucs). No one considered Tom Coughlin or Tony Dungy failed head coaches because they were fired from there jobs. If you really look at it, you have two kinds of HCs that are successful on their 2nd team: 1. A guy who has displayed the clear ability to handle the job well and be successful(i.e multiple division titles, Super Bowl app, several playoff years). Examples include Tom Coughlin, Dick Vermeil, Bill Belicheck, Tony Dungy, Marv Levy, Chuck Knox, Bill Parcells, Marty Schottenheimer, Don Shula, Mike Holmgren. Guys who fall into this category that were not successful with their 2nd team include Sam Wyche, Jimmy Johnson(kind of a grey area), Dennis Green. These guys tend to be out of work for a little or no time before they are picked back up by another team. Guys who IMO who can be successful with their 2nd team: Jeff Fisher, Andy Reid(if he gets fired), Brian Billick 2. A guy who displayed coaching talent before his first job, was unsuccessful in that job but was not a complete and utter failure, and (this is most important) who went on to something great in another position(albeit in college or as a coordinator) between his first and second job. Examples include Mike Shanahan, Pete Carroll. Guys who fit this mold but failed in there 2nd job: Ray Rhodes, Dom Capers, Dennis Erickson. Guys who IMO can be successful if given a 2nd chance: Josh McDaniels, Nick Saban, Jim Caldwell, Rex Ryan(if fired)

Actually, Jim Harbaugh was an offensive assistant in 2002 and QB coach in 2003. His QB coach in 2002, the year he won the MVP was Marc Trestman. Man, must be nice to be able to assemble a talented coaching staff. Edit: Actually, Trestman was also the OC in 2002 so he may have been QB coach in name only and in fact may have deferred much of the QB coaching to Harbaugh. My point is more about the quality of coaches you need to be a good team.

Jimmy Haslem III, who just purchased the Browns for $1B(or became majority owner anyway) is ranked 360th on Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, with a net worth of $1.2B Robert Rich Jr. is 190th on that list with a net worth of $2.4B. He is 71. He is a vocal supporter of Buffalo sports and has owned the Bisons since '83. I do not have any knowledge of whether or not he has publicly stated an interest in buying the team, but based on the way he has lived his life and his love for Buffalo sports, I find it extremely hard to believe that he would not be interested in purchasing a majority stake in owning the Bills. Just sell the damn team to him already. It should have happened years ago.

we need to run a something out of the 43 base defense. Our d lineman are all built for that and we have no LBs who can play in the 3-4. Not to mention that most of league plays the 34 and is looking for the same personnel. The time to switch to the 34 was 10 years ago just like the time to switch to the Tampa 2 was about 15 years ago. Can't be behind the curve with your defensive scheme because the special players you need to run them at an elite level are few and far between. We just need to be a more aggressive 43 defense. Something similar to what the Seahawks run. We already have alot of the personnel for it and the 43 Under scheme has not taken off across the league like the 34 has recently.

wrong

I honestly think Friday night high school football and Saturday night college football would pull significantly from their ratings in many parts of the country. What they have now is a perfect setup.

A lot of the NFL's popularity is due to the mystique and lore about the game and its history. You can change the way the game is played over time but keep the traditional structure in place and not lose that history. Jim Brown played on Sunday, the Steelers played on Sunday, Joe Montana, etc. The connection with the game's past is more prevalent with this commonality that all the players share. That and the NFL practically owns TV on Sunday and you would not be able to replicate that on another day. Just as many people associate football with Sunday as they do with going to church, if not more. Yes, they kind of fell into that but they'd be stupid to throw that away.

Whaley was considered a top young candidate for a GM job for several years Whaley has been considered a top young GM candidate for several years, including before he joined the Bills. When he joined the Bills, it was widely assumed that it was an apprenticeship for eventually taking over the Bills GM position.

The notion that Polian "knows QBs" is such a ridiculous comment. Jim Kelly was technically already a Bill when he took over the GM duties. He also drafted Kerry Collins with the 5th overall pick with the Carolina Panthers and everybody "knew" Peyton Manning was going to be good. Give the keys to Whaley. Bringing in Bill Polian as a front office consultant would definitely set off some red flags if I were a potential candidate for the GM position. The GM shouldn't really have another personnel person looking over his shoulder.

Why would Seattle trade him? They are paying Russel Wilson almost nothing to be the starter. They don't have to move Flynn at all plus they have already payed half his contract up front.

The beginning of the Donahoe era had so much promise as he drafted very well early on(how he handled the peerless price thing was simply incredible), but there were some fundamental flaws in how he built the team. That team needed a true rebuild from the ground up and they never got it because he dove too quickly into free agency (although the players he signed were pretty good, it put too much pressure on the team to win right away which forced him to make poor decisions later on). He was jettisoning good players and replacing them with the draft instead of building a base core of talent through the draft. He traded two different first round picks for quarterbacks who didn't work out, another on a RB when we already had Travis Henry, and one on a collosal bust of an OT. Say what you want about Nix but he has not made nearly as many poor decisions as Donahoe. Not yet anyway.

Matt Barkley does not look very good in those videos

Ralph has never had a problem paying players. I can't think of situation where a player left because of contract issues. Sure, they let guys go, but it was never a situation where the Bills just were like we want to keep you but we won't pay you. We never were big money spenders, but we were never cheap with player contracts. It is everything else that Ralph doesn't believe in spending money on. Ralph has never shelled out for premier coaching or management, whether it be HCs or assistants. One of the biggest reasons why coaches don't want to come here is the limited assistant coaching budget.

Reading between the lines, if Buddy really believes that the roster is much improved and has more talent than when he took over, then the Bills poor record should indicate that Gailey is underperforming as the HC. You can't improve the roster and have better coaching and regress in record. Something doesn't add up. Either the coaching is poor or the roster is not as talented as you think. Nix has consistently said that he believes they are a better team than their record and that they have done a good job of adding talent. I think this is a subtle jab that he is NOT happy with Gailey's job performance. If you really look there is evidence that they are not seeing eye to eye on some things. I don't think Nix drafted Spiller at 9 overall with his first pick as GM to see him underutilized in 3rd season. I don't think he traded for Tavaris Jackson to see him inactive all season, even if it was injury insurance for Fitz. If Fitz went down, why would Jackson be any more or less ready to play than where he is now. I don't think Nix re-signed Rian Lindell to new contract less than a year ago (which pays the 8th highest average salary among kickers) to see him attempt 1 FG over 50 yards and only 5 over 40 yards (of which he has made all of BTW) and only 20 FGs all year.

I think the front office is much more stable now than when Chan was hired. Whaley is here and is respected around the league. The scouting department has been bolstered. The ownership thing is an issue but it is not something that will keep up and coming assistants from taking the job. The fact of the matter is that a very good young coach has interviewed for this job each and every time we had a vacancy. Marvin Lewis, Gregg Williams, and John Fox in 2001, two are still head coaches. Mularkey, Romeo Crennel, and Charlie Weis in 2004(along with Dick Jauron), two are current HCs. Sean Payton in 2006. Frazier in 2010.

I think its pretty simple. If we win the last 3 or go 2-1, I think there is no question that Chan comes back. If we go 1-2 or lose the last 3, I think Chan will be fired. I think its pretty clear that Buddy doesn't WANT to fire Gailey. But if the team really crumbles in the end of the season here, Buddy will HAVE to fire him. I think Gailey is dangerously close to losing the team here. There are some serious questions about how he is running the team that have to be being discussed within the locker room. Also, I think the Gailey/Nix connection is alot looser than most people think. These guys have no prior connection and it is well known that Gailey was not Nix's top choice for the job. Secondly, yes, Mike Shanahan turned them down. As did Jim Harbaugh. And Russ Grimm and Brian Schottenheimer did decline the interview. I cannot speak to the Grimm situation but Harbaugh wanted to stay on the West Coast and Schotty was coming off two straight trips to AFC championship game. I believe that Shanahan was concerned about there not being a strong personnel man here (can't blame him). Both Leslie Frazier and Perry Fewell did interview. Leslie Frazier was a very sought after HC candidate and Fewell is an up and coming assistant who will be getting plenty of interviews this offseason and will probably get a HC job at some point. Brian Billick openly campaigned for the job as well. To say that no one wanted the job is a bit of a stretch. We could have (and should have) hired Frazier. This was a year before he took the Vikings job. He was the clear front runner to be the head coach but the rumor was that Ralph wanted an offensive mind after the big guys like Cowher and Shanahan turned him down. To say no one wants the job is a bit of a stretch. No one wanted the job 3 years ago because the front office was in such disarray it was astonishing. Russ Brandon was the GM the previous year. They were talking to coaches before hiring a GM. It was a mess. Believe it or not there is alot more stability now. The ownership/impending relocation is an issue, but not one that would preclude a prospective HC candidate from accepting the job. There were many more factors involved than that.

Does anyone realize that Trent Dilfer was a top ten pick and made the Pro Bowl with Tampa Bay before he went to Baltimore? You don't need a Hall of Fame QB to win the Super Bowl, but he needs to at least have TALENT. Also, Dilfer was a QB in possibly one of the worst periods of QB play in the NFL. There was a serious lack of overall star power at QB position at that time. Marino, Elway, Young , Aikman had all retired. There was no Brady or Brees yet, and Peyton Manning had not yet ascended to god-status. The top QBs were Favre, young Manning, Rich Gannon, Brian Griese, Elvis Grbac, McNair, Kurt Warner, Jeff Garcia, Dante Culpepper, McNabb.

I like how they had him standing up alot at DE. They showed alot of different d line looks tonight which was nice to see.

2nd week in a row, the offense gets the ball with its first possession of the second half with a chance to take control of the game and it's a 3 and out.

Dennis Erickson

I'd love this scenario with Whaley and Grimm here. It really depends on which coaching positions end up coming open, but you could see openings in Philadelphia, Dallas, New Orleans, San Diego, New York Jets, Cleveland, and Kansas City. San Diego, Cleveland, and Kansas City could see front office overhauls as well. Not sure, but there will be some nice jobs out there.

A good coach/front office/quarterback can change the culture of a team and pretty quickly. See Bill Walsh in San Francisco, Bill Polian/Tony Dungy in Indianapolis(with help from Manning) and Buffalo, John Butler/Martyball in San Diego, Bill Parcells in New England and with the Jets, Jimmy Johnson in Dallas, Mike Holmgren in Green Bay and Seattle, Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville. More modern examples are Andy Reid in Philadelphia, Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay, Jeff Fisher in Houston/Tennessee, Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati, Sean Payton/Drew Brees in New Orleans, Jim Harbaugh in San Fran. You cannot really say that any of the above situations were worse than the current situation with the Bills and you can argue that some were worse, like the Pats and Jets when Parcells took over, the Bengals when they hired Marvin Lewis, the Chargers, the Bucs. Those franchises were absolute jokes at the time. BUT GOOD FOOTBALL PEOPLE CAN TURN YOUR FRANCHISE AROUND PRETTY QUICKLY. You need a strong football personality somewhere in your heirarchy, preferably at HC.

He is either a free safety or your 3rd corner covering guys in the slot. He is not a boundary player. That is exactly what people said his draft year. Ron Brooks definitely has the size and ability to play against WRs on the outside. He is 5-11 190. That is pretty typical corner size. Aaron Williams will be our starting free safety next season when J Byrd leaves via free agency. No way he re-signs here after this season and that franchise tag will be needed on Levitre.