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Now that the Jets have agreed to a deal with AAron Maybin, if they are able to pry Vernon Gohlston away from Chicago we could see a D line with Maybin at one end and Gohlston at the other. GASP! Maybe they could team up and get their first sack at the same time.

OK, let me say up front: I have never done this kind of deep dive into another team's coaching staff. So I rely on you, my fellow "up against the Stadium Wall" friends, to help me: is this typical, or off the reservation? Bottom line: most of our coaches and assistants are strongly connected to Gailey either through his tenure at the Chiefs, or his tenure at Georgia Tech. I suspect this is typical around the NFL: head coaches bring in people whose work they know and respect and build loyalty by giving opportunity for a "step". The good news: the staff presumably works well with and is willing to be led by Chan. The bad news: since Chan hadn't been a HC since '99, we have minimal NFL experience and a lot of assistant coaches with Georgia Tech ties. Potential problem: we have a bunch of assistant coaches on the DC side who are tied more tightly to Chan than to Edwards; only the DB coach Catavolos has ties to Edwards. The OLB coach knew Chan in Mia and lost his job to Edwards; The DL coach is from GTech and has no prior experience in the NFL. If you've got an in with my boss, do I feel free to critique or even direct? How well is dissent handled? I'm told all head coaches are born control freaks, but Chan is an offensive-minded coach and needs a strong DC. Does Edwards suck, or does he lack a free hand with most of his ass'ts tied to Chan more than to him? It can be a "CLM" to dish the buds of the boss. The firing: Demontie Cross, ILB coach, was the only DA without prior ties to Chan or Edwards. Was he not working well with the team/not doing his job well? He's one of two Fewell coaching holdovers; did he speak out too freely about problems this year? Or was he fired because a sacrificial goat was needed and he's the guy who lacked the "previous colleague" card? The question: Do our coaches really know what it takes to excel in the NFL or even to win, both in the prep. the coaches must put in or the prep. of the players? If not, how can we get there from here? Of all the units on our team, I would say the QB and WRs have made the biggest step up. Coincidence that those are the coaches who were apparently brought in on merit? Our D and O coaching staff. Ties to Gailey are bolded; Ties to Edwards in italics. Nix - OC for Chiefs '08, GTech '02-07, OC for Mia '00-01, HC Dal '98-99 Offensive Staff OC: Modkins Den RB '09 Chiefs RB '08 GTech DB, RB '02-07 TE: Bicknell Chiefs OL/TE '07-09, Temple '06, NFL Europe OC '04-'05 QB: Cortez CFL 18 years OL: D'Alessandris Chiefs '08-09 GTech '02-07 asst OL: Bobby Johnson IU '05-'09 WR: Hixon Wash '04-'09, LSU '00-'03 QC/scouting: Patullo Chiefs QC '07-08 UAriz '04-06 DC: G. Edwards Mia LB '05-09, Cle LB '04, Wash DC '03, Dal LB '98-01 DB: Catavolos Buf DB '06-10, Det '04-05, Wash '02-'03 ILB: Cross Buf LB/ass't '06-'10, IowaSt '01-'05 OLB: Sanders Buf '09-'10, GB DC '06-08 LB '05, Mia LB '01-04 DL: Gif Smith Buf '10, GTech '04-09 QC/scouting: White Buf ''08-'10 Personal knowledge is a time-honored method of talent acquisition. It works when the decision makers know 'the best'. It's an epic fail when the only talent personally known to the decision makers is 2nd rate.

I fear that Mr Brohm will look like the projected first pick he was suppose to be. By that I mean, he will come out against the 30th ranked pass defense and throw for 2 to 4 scores, and 250+ yards in a victory against the falcons. And remember this is an indoor game. While this is happening the Jets beat the colts, and during the game Manning gets roughed up a little. Then next week, the colts rest Manning, and Brohm throws for 200+ yards and 2 scores in a victory over the colts. That might sound great, but the colts have home field through the playoffs at that point. They are playing to not get injured. So everyone in Buffalo is now thinking they have the QB of the future after all, these numbers project to 3600 yards passing and 40 TDs in a 16 game season. the problem of course being that neither team plays in the dreaded 3-4 defense, both play a similar defense to Buffalo. And Bufallo has made players look like hall of famers And then the pain continues, we don't draft a QB even if Clauson is there. in 2010 Brohm comes out looking like the practice squad player the Packers made him, and suffer through the year again...then christmas 2010 we are talking about Locker.

Oh the humanity

See, and you guys were worried? J.P. J.P. J.P. yea Playoffs here we come......yea baby! http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt2Knm9bFbQ

- Jason holds out through training camp - Jason comes back in so he doesn't get fined any more and give up a year of eligibility for free agency - The bills reinsert him in the lineup....whether it be at RT because Walker had been practicing at LT for so long.....or just insert Peters back and LT - Peters gets HURT because he has not been practicing at a NFL level for training camp. Please report Jason....

....is that Big Bob's wallet comes out late in the game if it's close and the refs end up deciding this one, as they have in many prior Bills-Pats* contests. Anyone else have that nagging feeling that if this one turns out to be close we can count on seeing the BS hankies fly yet again late in the game just in time to let the Cheatahs steal it?

But when Obama says it, it's what now? Not that I disagree with it but is this the change he talked about?

We all know there are a number of reasons to love this move by Buffalo, and as well as skeptics, as their should be, considering T.O's antics and the state of the Bills at this time. I think most people should understand that T.O has a 1 year contract, and basically he (and his agent) are smart enough to know he better knot screw this up. Having said this, I have a lot of confidence that T.O will not cause major issues for this reason. But here is the 'what if' scenario: T.O catches 75 passes, 1100 yards 10 TD's and the Bills 'Circle Of Trust' says "we need to lock this guy up for 3 more years" and they DO so...to me THAT is when T.O will become a major issue. Ultimately, this is the perfect ending (at least from my vantage point) to T.O's stay in Buffalo: 1. The Bills make the playoffs in 2009 2. The arrival of T.O elevates Edwards and Lee's games. 3. T.O goes somewhere else, the Bills now truly understand they needed a WR all along and they get another one in 2009 to help Lee and Trent.

Our offense is going to perform decent but our defense will be bad. I guess that would make sense as every time we get a head coach, we pick somebody another team would only consider as a coordinator. Hopefully Chan gives us a great offensive year and Ralph spends some money on a good DC next year. Go Bills. This should be a fun season.

I will be one of the several hundred thousand attending the Stewart/Colbert event in DC. Anyone else going? Also if any of you are DC natives I'd appreciate any parking tips. Right now the plan is to park near the new ballpark and walk the mile and a half to the Mall. I'd like to avoid the Metro since I have a plane to catch. PTR

http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2009/10/01/d...ency-te-option/

Where are all the mean players? Why does Pitts & Balt seem to find them?

I spoke about this multiple times throughout the year in many different threads concerning Nate Clements and his possible departure. Now looking back, this off season (to me anyhow) has become worse then I could ever had imagined a few months ago. Yes, good teams are built through the draft. I understand that. But while they make themselves a good team through the draft, these teams are mostly willing to keep good veterans on the roster to groom the draftees and make them better. We have now let Nate Clements, London Fletcher, Willis McGahee, and Takeo Spikes (assuming) all go. This is concerning basically due to the fact that we do not already have good draftees waiting in the wings to take over these positions. We have no premier RB on the staff. Furthermore we do not even have a RB that has the possibility of a becoming a premier RB. We, as Bills nation, are relying on the fact that we can "trust in Marv" and that the draft is not yet here. I hope some of you come to realize that for us to even match the record/possibility of the team we had last year, we must draft a RB who is as good immediately as Willis McGahee. Two linebackers, who are as good as Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher, immediately, and a CB who is as good as Nate Clements is, immediately (Good luck). Yes, maybe we will have a draft that will produce good players in the future (2-3 years), but I doubt any of our draftees will be as good as the players we let go, in their rookie season. Therefore, please understand that we will probably, undoubtedly, take a step back this season. And all the optimists say (all together now) "trust in marv"

With ongoing discussions and the likelihood of a trade of Spiikes, I am afraid that the Bills, whom if last year is any indication will take a player who hasn't been on the fans' radar or not as substantially so, will draft Pos; Posluszny is considered a good fit at strong-side linebacker, which would be his position on the Bills and the position from which Spikes would be departing. I'm not a crackpot and I REALLY, genuinely fear this. The reason that I am afraid has less to do with Posluszny's value as a prospective NFL linebacker (I think he could be pretty good; at least solid) as it does at his value as a draft pick at pick #12. The justification for Posluszny at #12 is already partially being articulated- for what it's worth, there have been more and more suggestions around the league that have him going fourteenth to Carolina (serious linebacker needs before they lost SLB, Chris Draft), and fifteenth to Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, Posluszny would be a replacement for Porter but not the pass-rushing threat that Joey was; they're slowly transitioning to a more Mike Tomlin-favored Cover 2 scheme- that's why I'm surprised many believe, mistakenly so, IMO, that pass-rushing threats like Jarvis Moss will go to the Steelers at #15. I doubt they're looking for a prototype of the player they released (if was about more than money or decreasing production out of Porter that they released him). If the Steelers go linebacker, I think that a player like Pos, a better run-stuffer than pass-rusher, will be the sort of player they seek. Jacksonville at seventeenth is also mentioned as a possible destination for Pos, and I could see that happening as well. If not them, then perhaps #20 to the Giants. Then he'd fall to New England at #24, likely. Of course, Posluszny looks better and better the further and further you go down the 1st-round because the Scouts' grades for him (which are not at all identical to individual teams' grades for anyone) suggest that he would be a very significant reach at #12, even with the Whitner-esque rationale provided that the teams not far below us may want him, too. And keep in mind that there is a VERY good chance that Okoye and Willis will not be options; they're two of the hottest and expotential risers in the draft. No, players more likely to fall include someone like Jamaal Anderson, whose combine didn't enhance his status (Levi Brown won't fall out of the top-ten because of he's a projected left tackle- a greater priority usually). I could see this scenario playing out (negating trade possibilities or roster additions- like Carr to Oakland): 1. Oakland- QB JaMarcus Russell 2. Detroit- OT Joe Thomas 3. Cleveland- QB Brady Quinn 4. Tampa Bay- WR Calvin Johnson 5. Arizona- DE Gaines Adams 6. Washington- DT Amobi Okoye 7. Minnesota- RB Adrian Peterson 8. Atlanta- FS Laron Landry 9. Miami- OT Levi Brown 10. Houston- DT Alan Branch 11. San Francisco- MLB Patrick Willis 12. Buffalo- OLB Paul Posluszny

Do they make them anymore?

Sometime around The Big O's inauguration the powers that be will finally make the announcement that we are in fact in a recession and have been for the past three quarters. Then what usually happens when the announcement comes out? A recovery. And who's going to take credit for that recovery. Well maybe not The Big O (but he probably will) but all you idiots here who voted for him. It's going to be unbearable.

I understand the desire of the intellectual posters on TSW to want to show how thoughtful and non-Kool-Aid-ish they are by making sure to point out things that any intelligent Bills fan already knows. (Giving up 400+ yards is not good! One cannot expect to get five turnovers a game! You need to tackle the people with the ball before they get down the field!) Let a thousand flowers bloom, and a couple of thousand message board posts too. It keeps us all grounded, and keeps the exchanges lively. But the most intelligent thing one can say right now is that, despite weaknesses that still exist, the Bills have managed to win four out of their first five games, and winning provides more encouragement for future wins than losing does. (Consider that my contribution to the intellectual efforts to state the obvious). No one can say with certainty how the rest of the season will go, especially considering that no one said with certainty how these five games would go. Whether the Bills will continue winning will indeed depend on how well they manage to maintain their current strengths and shore up their current weaknesses. It should be an interesting twelve weeks, giving all Bills fans things to hope for, and fewer things to fear. Which is not a bad thing at all.

2 huge emotional wins at home....2 crockpot parties at his house after the Raiders and Patriots games....I think this road game threw Fitz a curveball.....he had nothing to look forward to after the game"......no swedish meatballs, no wings, no 20ft subs cut in pieces with toothpicks.....next week will be different. seriously, these guys will bounce back nicely. They have demonstrated resilience in the past - they need to harness their emotions at halftime and play their game . This game was a growing pain for this young team....they will continue to improve and have fun doing it. I'm excited to be along for the ride and lookin forward to being in OP for the Eagles.

Change the unis...end the streak! Start winning. End of the Sabres slug, end of the golf attire Bills uniform...onwards and upwards.

Yikes!

Down here in the DC area, the Maryland football team (mascot: a terrapin, which is a turtle) have built up the motto: "fear the turtle". Kind of goofy at first, but has caught on and now 20million people know what that means. It helps that the team is also good. My point: if we can build up Fitz by spreading the "Fear the Beard" motto, media all along the East coast will make the association, know what it means, and run with it. Someone put the sign on the wall at the Ralph Sunday with "Fear the Beard" on it... may even get Fitz to start growing it...

so I have been growing my beard out in honor to the amish rifle. I am not going to shave until I have drill which is October 15th. As of now i haven't shaved since the 21st of august. We all need a little stubble to honor fitzy.

After the Sunday Night game, NBC had a headline snippet thing at the bottom of the screen during some interviews, and this is what they had to say about the game. I haven't heard anything else in the media about this. Obviously it has to do with contract negotiations, but I'm left wondering where this came from.

Unlike his predecessor who was declared a future head coach the day Gregg named him DC, this guy could be a hot assistant in no time. I hope we get a Super Bowl out of him before he leaves.