Punch

Sal Maiorana ‏@salmaiorana WGR is asking whether this is #Bills first head coach hire directly from college. The author of Relentless can confirm that it is.

Yes, at 6:16am. Sal Maiorana is even confirming it is done.

He was the Bills OC from 2004-05--- I see Van Pelt didn't join the Bills' coaching staff until 2006 though, so maybe that's not necessarily the connection.

Probably due to Tom Clements.

Well, the Browns match this more than the Bills, arguably. They've already hired a new President in Alec Scheiner that has utilized football analytics in the NFL (with Dallas), and he'll be hiring at least one major specialist in that regard. The Bills willingness to head in this direction is positive, but it's not an advantage over Cleveland. EDIT: Another thing that gets left out is that Joe Banner is very close with Kelly's agent David Dunn. Jim Overdorf is good friends with agent Drew Rosenhaus, and apparently this was instrumental in Terrell Owens signing in Buffalo.

I'm curious why you preferred Landry Jones in the first if you think Bray is the most talented QB in this year's draft class. Did you just think Jones was more NFL ready in year 1 than Bray? I ask because I don't know much about him.

What's funny is that prior to any interviews taking placed, it was "revealed" that Kelly did not require personnel control, and also strongly hinted that Cleveland was holding off on hiring a GM because they were open to giving him as much control as he wanted. Up is down, left is right, right is wrong.

Not a single hint. But the interview was "confirmed" to be over approximately half an hour after it was revealed they were meeting. Then, assumptions were made. And now here we are.

Another grain of salt: Reuben Frank ‏@RoobCSN So Kelly likely has offers from Lurie & Banner. Eagles & Browns keeping other options open until CK decides [or stays at Ore]. Makes sense. Retweeted by Sal Capaccio Reuben Frank ‏@RoobCSN Can confirm that meeting in Phoenix with Eagles and Kelly has ended after nine hours.

Of course. It's funny that reporters will report something of this nature as if it's some kind of shocking definitive statement. It's due diligence, and just a part of the puzzle. That's as fair as anything, especially considering how little inside information the usual suspects in the national or local media seem to have regarding the Bills decisions. See: Chan Gailey, Buddy Nix, Mario Williams, et al. I'm just being pragmatic.

Grain of salt here: Reuben Frank ‏@RoobCSN OK, now THIS is interesting. I'm told by league source Eagles still planning to meet tomorrow with McCoy and Marrone. So there's that. Retweeted by Ian Rapoport

I get the sense that the repeated claims that the Bills were a "token" interview and were/are not serious contenders means one of two things: 1) it's true, or 2) the "radio silence" by the Bills organization means the reporters are making assumptions. I'm leaning towards 1) it's true, because info is leaking from Kelly's camp as well, and there's been nothing to suggest Buffalo is really in it. But we'll know soon enough, and then one way or the other, the Bills will have a coach.

"held to" 99 yards? Did Dom Capers inject Ponder's elbow with the bursitis? That's the only thing that "slowed" AP. ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo Adrian Peterson was held to 99 rush yards after totaling 199 last week. Find out how the Packers shut down Peterson: http://es.pn/WhPw9y

Already debunked.

New threads are typically mocked when one poster begins multiple copies of the same thread, ad nauseam. If you truly think this is a great thread then please read JohnnyGold's follow-up post on page 1:

I posted this in the Chip Kelly thread: FWIW, NFL Network's Ian Rappaport hears the following from around the league regarding the Bills: The Bills' QB situation is certainly a question mark. The other thing is, I hear nothing but good things around the league when it comes to eventual GM Doug Whaley and CEO Russ Brandon. It's rare you hear such positive reviews about, well, anything, but these two are respected. Brandon for his ability to be an administrator, Whaley for his personnel prowess. People love old Steelers alums, and Whaley would like to build in the model of what we see in Pittsburgh. The phrase I heard most often with regard to Buffalo's situation? "They are in good hands." Something you don't often hear.

Amen! It fully depends on to what degree Whaley and Brandon have embraced Kelly's philosophy as far as in-game management and roster building. Despite the fact Brandon said the organization will embrace football analytics, it's possible they're not quite "all in" to the extent that Kelly would find desirable. Yes, the tide is turning. Russ and Doug appear to be impressing across the board. It's reason to feel good going forward.

As they did with Gailey--- which helped feed the negative perception, for a time. That's all I intended with that post. If it was not artfully written, then I apologize for any confusion. I want to see the Bills organization return to being a desirable location--- it appears that may have already begun, to some degree, and I hope it continues.

Then please ignore it and move on. I love the Bills and want to see them get the best available coach. End of story.

FWIW, NFL Network's Ian Rappaport hears the following from around the league regarding the Bills: The Bills' QB situation is certainly a question mark. The other thing is, I hear nothing but good things around the league when it comes to eventual GM Doug Whaley and CEO Russ Brandon. It's rare you hear such positive reviews about, well, anything, but these two are respected. Brandon for his ability to be an administrator, Whaley for his personnel prowess. People love old Steelers alums, and Whaley would like to build in the model of what we see in Pittsburgh. The phrase I heard most often with regard to Buffalo's situation? "They are in good hands." Something you don't often hear.

I mean it was obviously what I meant, not obvious that the Bills wanted him and didn't get him--- hence my very next sentence in that quoted post. If the Eagles, Browns and Bills all interview Kelly and Marrone, and the Bills are the odd man out, it could add to the perception of the organization as "undesirable". That's all I'm saying.

If Kelly chooses the Browns and Marrone goes to the Eagles, or vice versa--- isn't that obvious? Of course, the Bills may have liked someone better than either and will hire that candidate, but it would be unknown if that were the case. That's why I say "in principle". I'd like for perception of the organization to be as a desirable destination, is my point, and the constant media reports of the Bills being a "token" interview with Kelly is tiresome. I hope it's not the case. Ha!

You're right. And although I understand that circumstances change, I disagree with this tweet that twitter is to blame (although it does serve as an enabler)--- this misinformation is "95%" being reported by actual reporters: John Wawrow ‏@john_wawrow Funny, I just read something somewhere, in which someone accused Twitter as being unreliable as source for news. Say it ain't so. The one thing that seems to be constant in all the "updates" (aside from maybe one or two) is that the Bills are completely irrelevant in the Chip Kelly discussion.

The NHL CBA negotiation tweets are as wild and unreliable--- everything has to be taken with a grain of salt.

It would be a shame if the Bills finished 3rd in the running for each of these guys, in principle. It's a retweet from a guy at Sportsradio 94 WIP Philadelphia--- strange comment at the end: "If wrong my source is fired." Brian Startare ‏@brianstartare Sources tell me Chip Kelly and the eagles are close to an agreement on a 5 year deal. If I'm right I'm golden. If wrong my source is fired