Does anyone have a credible plan for improving Bills

[GrudginglyOptimistic]

I doubt it as I have not seen one from any TSW posters.

 

I totally agree that Jauron is not the HC to get the job done here so I have no problem with canning him.

 

However, as some have said, responsibility starts at the top and last I checked though the HC is the top of the on field hierarchy, the problems with this team go beyond the on field foolishness of McKelvin and clearly extend to the player selection and acquisition and the losing result under its owner since the great work of the last GM with independent cojones, Polian was sent packing by Mr. Ralph.

 

There are few steps as silly as somehow blaming our 0 for a decade playoff streak on an HC who has failed by racking up three pathetic 7-9 records in a row. Merely calling for the firing of Jauron would be laughable if it were not so patently stupid as a call for necessary change.

 

Perhaps canning Jauron might make a little sense if it were part of some larger grand plan for fostering the systemic changes need for the Bills to exceed mediocrity. However, I have sen nothing accompanying these calls for pseudo change that would indicate it is a step beyond merely flailing about to pretend to be different when the result would almost certainly be what we saw under Mularkey, GW, or if we were lucky under Wade.

 

What should a Bills fan do?

 

From my perspective, unfortunately there ain't much to be done while Mr. Ralph is Mr. Ralph. He deserves a ton of praise for keeping the team here when there were bigger bucks to be made elsewhere. This is a fact in my book. However, if one is honest this good fact does not nullify the fact that the losing attitude which permeates the team extends from his inconsistent meddling with the team and his sour relationships with key Bills such as Polian and Butler.

 

His seemingly pennywise and poundfoolish mismanagement of the team since the relationship he had with Butler led to him leaving us high and wet has been simply horrible. His dabblings at QB have been the lead disaster we have never recovered from and it seems difficult to me to argue that he was not directly and virtually individually responsible for much of it.

 

1. Only he and he alone could make a handshake deal with Jimbo to award him in his next contract (though such a guarantee directly flaunted the salary cap. Kelly had no next contract and Ralph paid him a million bucks walking away money showing this was an illegal deal. Ralph (with whatever Butler complicity but there was only two hands shaking here) completely miscalculated how much Jimbo had left when even an outside idiot like me could see we needed to start grooming a replacement a year earlier than we over-reached for TC.

 

2. This started a chain of QB miscues which while they cannot be laid solely on Ralph's door, there was enough real $ involved that clearly he played a big role in mismanagement of the RJ/Flutie situation, possibly the Hobert deal, probably the Bledsoe mismanagement and likely the JP mismanagement.

 

At any rate, no one fires the owner, and no one should root for his death (as this may well mean the team leaves) but one hopes that he will get a late life personality change that turns him into a good owner as he is the problem at the top in my view that some folks stupidly want to lay on Jauron. Jauron is not up to the job bit he is not responsible at all for 2/3 of the bad times.

 

What I think a Bills fan should advocate though is that this team and Mr. Ralph find a real football guy to be the GM for this team.

 

Beancounter Brandon may well be good at what he does, but managing a winning football team does not appear to be it.

 

If there is anyone who should be cashiered now it is Brandon. Job 1 of he new HC is gonna be to hire an HC who can do the job that Jauron cannot.

 

However, merely canning Jauron would be do bass ackward as the new HC would be hired with the $ and personality constraints as what we have had that firing Jauron is simply advocating that this team do nothing to make real changes that might make a difference.

[Haven Moses]

Hire Gruden.

 

He can either make something out of Edwards or Fitz, or get a guy off the junkpile cheap (like he did with Gannon and Brad Johnson) and make him into something.

 

He may even have a history with Perry Fewell.

[Bill from NYC]

Easy stuff.....

 

1) Hire Marty or even his kid.

 

2) Draft OTs, DTs and LBs.

 

3) Sign a free agent or 2 who doesn't suck.

 

See how close we are?

[GrudginglyOptimistic]

Easy stuff.....

 

1) Hire Marty or even his kid.

 

2) Draft OTs, DTs and LBs.

 

3) Sign a free agent or 2 who doesn't suck.

 

See how close we are?

I actually do not think we are terribly far from at least turning this thing around so we are moving in a better direction (actually winning playoff games may be a bit further away but simply being truly competitive to make the playoffs would be a first step in the right direction).

 

However, I see little chance of success or improvement which starts with firing Jauron as the Mr. Ralph habit of:

 

Mangled GM relationship with Butler leading to canning Wade

Mangled GM relationship with TD leading to letting go GW and forcing MM out

Mangled GM relationship with Brandon leading to canning DJ

 

would simply keep going with the canning of DJ.

 

Add to that Mr. Ralph remains with a mangled GM Brandon simply making another HC hire and it becomes even clearer that merely canning DJ is advocating nothing in terms of promoting a better future for the Bills.

 

Marty has no history of winning the SB but clearly as good a record of getting Ws as you are gonna get without winning the big one. Gruden at least has an SB win to his credit (though I doubt he gives up the cushy Monday night gig for HC work so quickly).

 

However each of these thoughts is far better than the defining silence of those who loudly advocate canning Dick but offer no opinions not only of an alternative but then what we really might do to make a difference for our team.

 

Yelling for canning DJ comes off as mere flatulence without also saying what step B is or having at least a notion of addressing the real problems at the top of the Bills foodchain.

[Tcali]

I think its simple.

1)Fire Jauron and get a proven winner coach in.One who can manage a clock.

2)I love the way Schobel played in game 1-(but even if he can keep playing 'good' ball we still need 2 more attacking/talented players on the front 7).

-Thats it. Our last 'in control' coach was Marv.We didn't give away stupid games because he managed the clock beautifully ...made intelligent decisions re: going for 2 and a host of other things.

[TheChimp]

IF Ralph Wilson is thinking of firing Dick Jauron, he is most certainly not going to replace him NOW with any high-priced coach from the outide. I'm not POSITIVE about that, but I'm pretty sure.

 

If I were to suggest anything to Ralph Wilson that he might actually DO, I'd suggest that he fire DJ immediately, and replace him with his ONE assistant who has shown an ability to overcome adversity and have his unit ready to play against the best this league has to offer. That man is Alex Van Pelt. There are a myriad reasons, but the most obvious in MY mind is that AVP, unlike his two fellow Coordinators, had HIS men ready to play Monday night. Make whatever argument you want for Bobby April, but McKelvin's idiocy out there could have been prevented by better coaching, and that sh-- cost us the chance to finally get the monkey off our back. Nevermind that, since the league's rule changes, April's bunch has looked mediocre, at best. No, April has been shown to have some glaring deficiencies in his ability to adjust to new challanges, and that McKelvin thing....no way he gets the reigns now. No way.

 

And Fewell's just out. I'm sorry, but he should have been fired along with Schonert. I mean for God's sake, it is almost always Fewell's inadequate game plans that cost the Bills games in the waning moments, almost as badly as Schonert's did when he was in charge of the offense.

 

No, if I am Ralph Wilson, and I watch the clip of Dick Jauron's face after Freddie Jackson scored to make it 24-13 Buffalo, that look that said, "Oh God, can the clock please run out now, please?", I am finally clear as to why this team folds like a house of cards in clutch moments, while other teams rise to the occasion. We have a scaredy cat for a HC. If I need a teeny bit more reason, I think back to how I was forced to MAKE Dick Jauron fire Turk Schonert, a guy who, in the 10 days since he was replaced, has been shown up by AVP like a Mensa guy might school a preschooler. If it weren't for me, Dickie wouldn't have thought to do it.

[GrudginglyOptimistic]

I think its simple.

1)Fire Jauron and get a proven winner coach in.One who can manage a clock.

2)I love the way Schobel played in game 1-(but even if he can keep playing 'good' ball we still need 2 more attacking/talented players on the front 7).

-Thats it. Our last 'in control' coach was Marv.We didn't give away stupid games because he managed the clock beautifully ...made intelligent decisions re: going for 2 and a host of other things.

 

The problem which needs to be fixed however is that the clear past record of GM management by Mr. Ralph has been:

 

1. Had toxic relationship with Polian leading to him getting canned

2. Had toxic relationship with Butler leading him to leave us with Mr. Ralph being clueless about the relationship

3. Rushed into hiring TD when Butler left us twisting and Mr. Ralph failed utterly to manage obvious TD failing that he made sure an HC he hired was not gonna run him out of town so he picked weak HC GW and then weak HC MM before Mr. Ralph canned him.

4. He hired Marv out of some desperation and when Marv went back to retirement he installed the Brandon fiscally oriented reign of error.

 

Under these mismanaged GM situations (does anyone disagree they were managed poorly by Mr. Ralph) he had a series of HC disasters with the fired Wade, not ready for prime time GW and MM and the current Jauron regime.

 

What on earth makes you think that the current Mr. Ralph/Brandon hiring effort would do anything except the same level of HC hiring effectiveness that has brought you and others to the point of wanting DJ gone.

 

Making the same mistake over and over (and over and over in this case) again but for some reason expecting a different result is one definition of insanity.

 

Mr. Ralph cannot be fired as owner (except by a higher power) so I think the clear answer for a Bills fan (even if it is an unlikely to occur answer is to advocate the hiring of a real GM who then would hire a real HC.

 

Merely firing DJ and then depending on Mr. Ralph/Brandon to do something different seems simply foolish to me.

 

What is your or anyone who advocated canning DJ plan to make this different?

[TheChimp]

By Week 8, Alex van Pelt will look like a credible option, even when compared to these "saviors" like Gruden (who took a team created by Dungy and won ONCE with them before he lost control) or Marty Schottenheimer. Watch.

[Thurman#1]

Just wait.

 

We played right with the Pats* all game long. Heartache or not, we're headed in the right direction.

[VJ91]

.....1. Only he and he alone could make a handshake deal with Jimbo to award him in his next contract (though such a guarantee directly flaunted the salary cap. Kelly had no next contract and Ralph paid him a million bucks walking away money showing this was an illegal deal...... Beancounter Brandon may well be good at what he does, but managing a winning football team does not appear to be it.

 

I don't understand your point on Kelly. His last season he led the Bills to a 10-6-0 record and a wild card playoff game at home against the upstart Jags. His Bills lost that game, while he got knocked out of the game injured. He called it a career after that, but what would you give to see the Bills win 10 games and earn a home playoff game today?? I don't think Jimbo played "a year too long" at all. And as far as Todd Collins was concerned, wasn't he a third round draft choice? How does that qualify as a "reach."? If anything, the Bills should have used an earlier pick on a better QB of the future back then. And I have never heard that Wilson tells his people who to draft. If he did, the Bills might very well have taken Doug Flutie as a rookie out of BC with the number one pick in the '85 draft, while HOF er Bruce Smith would have gone to the team drafting second.

 

And Jeff Litwin is the bean counter. Russ Brandon is the marketing guru, and Jim Overdorff is the contract and salary cap guy, in the "inner circle."

 

I think we had better all hope that the current group of people running and coaching the Bills makes a run at the playoffs this season, because at 91 years old, I dont' think Wilson has any intention of hiring another strong willed yet outstanding football guy like Parcells or Holmgren or an experienced GM, to come in and blow it all up for him again. He may be forced to fire DJ if he doesn't at least win 9 games this year. But I would not look for an experienced expensive coach to replace him. Most likely April or Fewell will come in and try their best.

[DCbillsfan]

I doubt it as I have not seen one from any TSW posters.

 

I totally agree that Jauron is not the HC to get the job done here so I have no problem with canning him.

 

However, as some have said, responsibility starts at the top and last I checked though the HC is the top of the on field hierarchy, the problems with this team go beyond the on field foolishness of McKelvin and clearly extend to the player selection and acquisition and the losing result under its owner since the great work of the last GM with independent cojones, Polian was sent packing by Mr. Ralph.

 

There are few steps as silly as somehow blaming our 0 for a decade playoff streak on an HC who has failed by racking up three pathetic 7-9 records in a row. Merely calling for the firing of Jauron would be laughable if it were not so patently stupid as a call for necessary change.

 

Perhaps canning Jauron might make a little sense if it were part of some larger grand plan for fostering the systemic changes need for the Bills to exceed mediocrity. However, I have sen nothing accompanying these calls for pseudo change that would indicate it is a step beyond merely flailing about to pretend to be different when the result would almost certainly be what we saw under Mularkey, GW, or if we were lucky under Wade.

 

What should a Bills fan do?

 

From my perspective, unfortunately there ain't much to be done while Mr. Ralph is Mr. Ralph. He deserves a ton of praise for keeping the team here when there were bigger bucks to be made elsewhere. This is a fact in my book. However, if one is honest this good fact does not nullify the fact that the losing attitude which permeates the team extends from his inconsistent meddling with the team and his sour relationships with key Bills such as Polian and Butler.

 

His seemingly pennywise and poundfoolish mismanagement of the team since the relationship he had with Butler led to him leaving us high and wet has been simply horrible. His dabblings at QB have been the lead disaster we have never recovered from and it seems difficult to me to argue that he was not directly and virtually individually responsible for much of it.

 

1. Only he and he alone could make a handshake deal with Jimbo to award him in his next contract (though such a guarantee directly flaunted the salary cap. Kelly had no next contract and Ralph paid him a million bucks walking away money showing this was an illegal deal. Ralph (with whatever Butler complicity but there was only two hands shaking here) completely miscalculated how much Jimbo had left when even an outside idiot like me could see we needed to start grooming a replacement a year earlier than we over-reached for TC.

 

2. This started a chain of QB miscues which while they cannot be laid solely on Ralph's door, there was enough real $ involved that clearly he played a big role in mismanagement of the RJ/Flutie situation, possibly the Hobert deal, probably the Bledsoe mismanagement and likely the JP mismanagement.

 

At any rate, no one fires the owner, and no one should root for his death (as this may well mean the team leaves) but one hopes that he will get a late life personality change that turns him into a good owner as he is the problem at the top in my view that some folks stupidly want to lay on Jauron. Jauron is not up to the job bit he is not responsible at all for 2/3 of the bad times.

 

What I think a Bills fan should advocate though is that this team and Mr. Ralph find a real football guy to be the GM for this team.

 

Beancounter Brandon may well be good at what he does, but managing a winning football team does not appear to be it.

 

If there is anyone who should be cashiered now it is Brandon. Job 1 of he new HC is gonna be to hire an HC who can do the job that Jauron cannot.

 

However, merely canning Jauron would be do bass ackward as the new HC would be hired with the $ and personality constraints as what we have had that firing Jauron is simply advocating that this team do nothing to make real changes that might make a difference.

Most fans who want change say fire Jauron because Jauron's performance as HC is on display every Sunday for evaluation. Therefore it is easier for fans to evaluate him and conclude "Fire Jauron."

 

However the problems with the Bills run deeper than Jauron. Evaluating talent and getting their money's worth on draft picks is a significant problem. Reaching for players is a common theme. Example Whitner 8th pick overall.

 

- Need to replace Tom Modrak with a person who knows talent and willing to live in Buffalo. Current situation of Modrak living in Florida or whereever is nonsense.

 

Evaluation of pro personnel is weak as well.

 

- Should replace John Guy.

 

Hire a football guy to be GM. Brandon is a marketing guy but he is not the answer as GM.

 

- Wilson had it somewhat right when he hired Tom Donahoe. He hired a football guy but decided to not only fire Donahoe but to assume control of the team as well.

 

Wilson has no idea how to run a team. His best years as owner were, as most people know, when football people were calling the shots.

 

Need to keep adding talent to the offensive and defensive lines. They have some talent that will develop but need to focus on the lines. If they can get the lines straighten out then everything else should fall into place.

[Keukasmallies]

Ralph Wilson owns, and Russ Brandon manages, a business venture entitled The Buffalo Bills. The product they turn out sells extremely well. Seats are flying off the shelves. The company has almost sold out of this years production run, no matter the quality of the product. The company is making money even in tough economic times.

 

So the company gets some bad ink; bad ink is better than no ink at all.

 

Why on earth would any owner, or manager, want to make ANY changes?

[Rico]

1. Ralph apologizes to Bill Polian, begging forgiveness for his past actions.

2. Ralph hires Chris Polian as new GM ASAP, but makes no formal announcement.

3. From now until the end of the season, Chris (with help from Bill) begins to plot the front office personnel for the next Bills regime.

4. The day after the Super Bowl (Monday), Chris Polian is announced as GM.

5. The next day (Tuesday), Jeff Littmann, Tom Modrak, John Guy, Dick Jauron, Perry Fewell, and every other misfit all receive their pink slip. Russ Brandon moves back over to marketing, Buddy Nix can stay in scouting, and of course Chuck Lester still has a job.

6. The next HC and all other key front office positions are filled within the next 2 weeks. Don't know who the HC is yet, but with all the research that Chris has done the past few months, he's bound to be a winner.

[Red]

Just wait.

 

We played right with the Pats* all game long. Heartache or not, we're headed in the right direction.

 

THANK YOU, oh voice of reason!

 

I can't believe the amount of whining on this site!

 

I mean, c'mon! Everyone, EVERYONE predicted the Bills to be slaughtered. I simply wanted them to belong on the field and fight back.

 

It was far from the blowout everyone predicted, the Bills owned the Patriots (poor little Wus Welker couldn't get his YAC- wahhh), were in Brady's face, and protected Trent with practically 3 rookies on the O-line.

 

To have the Patsies against the ropes and have their fans silent for 58 minutes of the game, and to lose it on a correctable play...though the score did not indicate it, the Bills won Monday night.

 

If they play like that the rest of the year, they WILL be in the playoffs.

 

Now wipe the snot off of your shirts you bunch of pansies, stand up, and represent on Sunday. Cuz the Bucs are goin down!

[Red]

1. Ralph apologizes to Bill Polian, begging forgiveness for his past actions.

2. Ralph hires Chris Polian as new GM ASAP, but makes no formal announcement.

3. From now until the end of the season, Chris (with help from Bill) begins to plot the front office personnel for the next Bills regime.

4. The day after the Super Bowl (Monday), Chris Polian is announced as GM.

5. The next day (Tuesday), Jeff Littmann, Tom Modrak, John Guy, Dick Jauron, Perry Fewell, and every other misfit all receive their pink slip. Russ Brandon moves back over to marketing, Buddy Nix can stay in scouting, and of course Chuck Lester still has a job.

6. The next HC and all other key front office positions are filled within the next 2 weeks. Don't know who the HC is yet, but with all the research that Chris has done the past few months, he's bound to be a winner.

 

the two guys I highlighted are the real culprits.

 

glad to see others are starting to see the light.

 

GO BILLS!

[Rico]

the two guys I highlighted are the real culprits.

 

glad to see others are starting to see the light.

 

GO BILLS!

[R. Rich]

THANK YOU, oh voice of reason!

 

I can't believe the amount of whining on this site!

 

I mean, c'mon! Everyone, EVERYONE predicted the Bills to be slaughtered. I simply wanted them to belong on the field and fight back.

 

It was far from the blowout everyone predicted, the Bills owned the Patriots (poor little Wus Welker couldn't get his YAC- wahhh), were in Brady's face, and protected Trent with practically 3 rookies on the O-line.

 

To have the Patsies against the ropes and have their fans silent for 58 minutes of the game, and to lose it on a correctable play...though the score did not indicate it, the Bills won Monday night.

 

If they play like that the rest of the year, they WILL be in the playoffs.

 

Now wipe the snot off of your shirts you bunch of pansies, stand up, and represent on Sunday. Cuz the Bucs are goin down!

 

 

I want 'em to win.

[KOKBILLS]

I want 'em to win.

 

Me 2 Rich...Me 2...

[buffaloaggie]

THANK YOU, oh voice of reason!

 

I can't believe the amount of whining on this site!

 

I mean, c'mon! Everyone, EVERYONE predicted the Bills to be slaughtered. I simply wanted them to belong on the field and fight back.

 

It was far from the blowout everyone predicted, the Bills owned the Patriots (poor little Wus Welker couldn't get his YAC- wahhh), were in Brady's face, and protected Trent with practically 3 rookies on the O-line.

 

To have the Patsies against the ropes and have their fans silent for 58 minutes of the game, and to lose it on a correctable play...though the score did not indicate it, the Bills won Monday night.

 

If they play like that the rest of the year, they WILL be in the playoffs.

 

Now wipe the snot off of your shirts you bunch of pansies, stand up, and represent on Sunday. Cuz the Bucs are goin down!

Absolutely. The Bills we saw against the Pats were not the same team that we saw in the preseason. I was not impressed with anyone's performance in the preseason but the Bills really stepped it up many notches. Now, Jauron can redeem himself by picking this team up after a tough loss and continue to build on a pretty good performance, save 72 seconds.

 

My apologies for beating up on Aaron Schobel in the preseason. He was the star of the game, along with Fred Jackson. The O-Line too, minus Bell's gaffes.

 

Promoting AVP was a great first step to improving the Bills performance.

[KOKBILLS]

Just wait.

 

We played right with the Pats* all game long. Heartache or not, we're headed in the right direction.

 

Not saying You're right or wrong...But did You feel the same way when the Bills lost a close one to the Pats in the 2006 Opener? I did...Now I'm not so easily fooled...We'll see...