Punch

Excellent take. Particularly when taking Seattle's part into consideration. A minor actor in Kolb created a rather dramatic shift in the theater of the NFL.

Wow. I think you're the only person in America that read/heard Whaley's comments and attributed any significance to them at all aside from showing some affection for former colleagues. I hope they don't throw the book at him

Whisenhunt has agreed to an interview--- I doubt he'd turn us down outright unless he received a better offer. I'm still holding out hope that they're just doing their due diligence or their interest in Whisenhunt is as an OC under Ray Horton.

His innovations could prove to be a short lived gimmick, but I'd rather he not be dismissed out of hand. He doesn't have the credentials yet, but his approach is significant enough that he should be taken under serious consideration as a signpost to forward thinking.

There seemed to be some confusion on WGR after they spoke with Brandon one-on-one in regards to what degree statistical analysis would be used in player evaluation due to the fact the dept. will be run by Jim Overdorf's group. This seems to have been clarified somewhat, but I don't know how much infrastructure could possibly be in place. The punting thing may or may not show Whisenhunt to have similar tendencies to "old fashioned" coaches like Gailey. Or it could mean nothing at all, with no context. Like zonabb implied, it's not really true analytics, but it seemed to make sense at the time. Same here. Indications from Jerry Sullivan on WGR on Monday are that Russ Brandon has been all for making sweeping changes to the organizational approach for a few years, but he was held in check to some degree. I'd like to see an uninhibited youth infused new vision. I'm interested in Chip Kelly because he has an innovative approach to offense--- however, it remains to be seen if that will translate to the NFL although it can be argued that the NCAAF innovations are emerging in the NFL year after year. You are right, though--- he hasn't accomplished enough to stand on those merits alone. I'd just like him to be under consideration and not dismissed out of hand.

I've enjoyed some of your previous posts because they were thoughtful and provided interesting insight and I think your underlying reasons for being opposed to Lovie Smith are fair. But today, you're being relentlessly argumentative on this topic--- it's not a personal issue I have with you, it's a disservice to the board in general. I'm only asking you to chill, nothing more.

I'm very interested in Horton as a candidate, so if he's out of the running for any position in Arizona, then it's good news for the Bills--- if they believe he's the right guy.

There was a plot point relevant to the post I quoted. Nix said today it was ultimately his decision.

Ha!--- well, Horton was rumored to be top of the Cards list, which is reportedly why they kept the staff in place. I haven't heard of any other teams (besides the Bills and Cards) being linked to Horton, so that could be good news for us. Then again, would Horton stay in Arizona as DC if Reid is the coach? A lot of intertwining plotlines with just one name, which is what makes this whole search so intriguing.

That is typically the case for all coaches. But I think you've made your point. I'd appreciate it if you'd try stating your case in a less aggressive manner.

Has anyone seen Prometheus?

IIRC, Ray Horton and the entire defensive staff are still under contract--- I wonder how this news affects Horton, one way or the other?

I posted it because it was relevant to the discussion happening on WGR at that moment. That particular punting reference isn't really a stat at all, especially without more context--- but punting has become symbolic of the flag waving being done by Mike Schopp. My main concern was WGR had inferred (following their one-on-one with Brandon) that statistical analysis was going to be used in structuring contracts but not necessarily with actual football performance--- this was apparently not correct.

Doesn't Doug Whaley fit that bill? Joe Buscaglia remarked earlier today following the PC that for Whaley, today is essentially Day 1, despite the fact Nix is still in place. He may not have the final word at GM, but they are a front office team in transition.

Tim Graham ‏@ByTimGraham Just spoke to source close to Lovie Smith who says "Lovie feels very good about" Bills being a good fit. Don't know if Bills feel same.

http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2013/01/01/head-coach-search-team-heads-west/ WGR mentioned that buffalobills.com confirmed they were heading to Arizona, but if you read Chris Brown's confirmation, it refers back to non-confirmation confirmation that Brandon made on WGR. So--- it's likely that's what is happening tomorrow, but it's not exactly an iron clad confirmation.

Following the collective catharsis of the previous several posts, this post makes me laugh because it just drags it all back up to the surface.

A little clarification on "Football Analytics" from Chris Brown: Bills new President and CEO Russ Brandon made mention of establishing a layer of analytics to the organization that will analyze the club from top to bottom. But there’s a player evaluation element to it that will likely assist in completing the assessment of a player on the roster or prospective player. “Yeah, we want to make sure we look at everything relative to our operation and make sure we’re making good and smart decisions,” Brandon told Buffalobills.com. ”And that really focuses on player evaluation and it focuses mainly on cap management. Scouting is still the lifeblood of our organization and it always will be as long as I’m here. It’s just other opportunities that present themselves. You see it throughout baseball; you see it in the NBA. It’s just another resource and a tool that should be in your war chest as you move forward.” Managing the salary cap as it pertains to players likely means that the analytics will provide an additional layer in assessing what a player’s true worth is to the team based on advanced metrics of on field performance.

My wariness with Brandon only stems from not knowing where his loyalties lay in regards to the concept of Littman & Co. That could be overblown on my part (and I certainly hope that it is), but it's still there.

It doesn't appear to be an issue as in 2009: Whisenhunt and Ray Horton are being interviewed tomorrow and Lovie Smith has already expressed (confirmed) interest in the job. According to WGR, 20-25 coaches have contacted the Bills with interest--- who they are exactly isn't known, aside from Lovie. The options don't appear to be limited.

There do appear to be several seasons of mediocrity with Lovie's record, but a few things that should be taken into consideration: Jerry Angelo is an obstacle at the GM position; the roster is in decline, agewise; Lovie's best season returned the Bears to the Super Bowl despite Rex Grossman at QB. I don't have particularly strong feelings for Lovie Smith, but I do think he'd be an excellent caretaker to return the franchise to respectability. I do not think he is the type of transformative new mind I'd like to see take the Bills into the future, but I think he's had some success in a tough division despite many organizational obstacles.

The top caliber of available coaches had a particular price range; ESPN and the NFL Network reported the Bills were willing to meet that price; the Bills met with these coaches. It's something I have chosen to believe in the sense that it is a series of facts reported by major news outlets that go hand in hand. But you are right, I wasn't in the room--- but I also wasn't in the room when Ralph Wilson told Russ Brandon he is the new caretaker of the franchise. That is also "something I have chosen to believe" that I didn't see with my own eyes. I don't have much of anything invested in this aside from the fact that I don't really understand your major issue with semantics. You win the day, I guess.

Yes, I read it. Perhaps they didn't specifically offer $10M to Shanny, but the likes of Shanahan, Gruden and Cowher would not bother meeting with the Bills if they were unwilling to pay them accordingly.

Simple Yes or No question: do you like the roster today on a whole more than in 2009?

WGR suggesting that the Analytics Dept. is mostly regarding contract structuring, etc. The fact that it would be under Jim Overdorf endorses this opinion, so it's disheartening. This note regarding Whisenhunt shows how basic football analytics would likely not recommend him as a top candidate: Buffalo Rising ‏ @ BuffaloRising Since '07 (Whisenhunt's tenure), AZ has punted from inside the opponent's 40 yard line 36 times. The Bills have done it 27 times Retweeted by Jeremy White Additionally, Nix said in the PC that "percentages" show proven HCs with NFL experience make better candidates whereas 8 of the 12 HCs in the postseason this year did not match that criteria when hired.