All_Pro_Bills

Whaley's done a credible job to this point and he's only been calling the shots as GM for a short time. And I don't understand all the love for Polian. Sure, he built the team of the 90's but that was more than 20 years ago. As an older fan I enjoyed those best of times for the Bills but as far as I'm concerned he's yesterday's news. As for Whaley, with the exception of Manuel, and its a big exception which I never understood the choice, he's done a good job. And Marrone opting out and allegedly shooting his mouth off - looking at the big picture no great loss. If true, I suspect this type of behavior is going to raise some red flags with a lot of perspective teams owners. You pay a guy $4M in severence the least he can do is use a little common sense and leave with a little grace and dignity.

I support this as one good option with the exception of considering Donnie Henderson as DC because he's had some experience at the coordinator job. The defense carried this team and the stat show it. This team needs a sharp OC that can game plan and design plays specific to the ability of the players and not some elementary college offensive system that Marrone and Hackett were too stuborn to dump. I'm for keeping Whaley too. I don't think his performance is a problem here. In 2 games the offense scored no TD's In 5 games the offense scored 1 TD In 5 games the offense scored 2 TD's In 4 games the offense scored 3 or more TD's and 2 of those were against the Jets. The other 2, NE, and Denver were losses.

You have to view this as an opportunity rather than a disaster. You had a meglomaniac coach try to leverage and squeeze consessions from a new owner. The owner said no, so the coach had no choice but t exercise his exit clause. Now a 72 year old former GM sees the job as too challenging and declines the offer. Who can blame him? If anything I wonder why Pegula should have considered Polian in the first place. In the end the Bills will end up better and stronger this off season. Because the position in attractive to most of the top candidates for HC openings. The big reason, is the same reason Marrone left, money. You've got the 3rd or 4th wealthiest owner in the league that is not afraid to spend and will give a new coach more or less unlimited resources to get the job done. What HC candidate could ask for more?

The Bills would have to give him permission to speak to other teams. If Marrone wants him he could offer him an assistant HC job and that promotion would generally allow him to move elsewhere. If I was the Bills I'd try to squeeze a 6th or 7th rounder out of the Jets for the fun of it. Just to mess with Marrone if he wants Hackett so badly. But on the other hand, letting him go more or less guarantees the Jets offense will be horrible. The other option is for Pegula to just eat the contract, let him sit at home, and hire another OC. One thing for sure, we don't want Hackett here in 2015 no matter what.

He has several interview scheduled. His agent is doing a fantastic job of selling his client. I can't wait to see which team takes the bait. You have to assume any part of the package Doug demands will include bringing Hackett along. It might be the Jets. Woody Johnson is being advised by Charley Casserly, someone I consider to be a failure as a GM with a series of failed drafts in Washington and Houston and a guy that carried his predessors work to a SB. But Charlie just loves Marrone. Go figure! In a sadistic way I hope he does get the Jet job. It will be fun to watch a guy that had trouble with the Bills press corps explain his stupid in-game decision making to the NYC press. That along with seeing the Bills defense throw around Hacketts high school offense like a ragdoll 2 times a year. I can't think of anything better.

The home team wins..

This is a lot of drama generated by the press. So Marrone might have talked to Polian. Big deal. And if the discussion convinced Polian not to take the Bills gig so what? If so, he was never the right guy for the job because to evaluate a situation you need to come into it with an unbiased view. If he 'took' Marrone's side then he isn't suited for the job, period. So if this is the case he did the Bills a favor. Fact is Polian wasn't the right guy for the job anyway, you need somebody with expertise that doesn't have any connection or allegence to anyone involved. A person that will be completely loyal to the owner. Pegula needs to look forward like he finally did with the Sabres by hiring Murray, not back to the past. And if Marrone was truly bad-mouthing his previous employer, whom he just left while pocketing $4M in severence, he isn't so smart. Bad mouthing a previous employer is a serious no-no issue when it comes to interviewing for a new job. IIn addition, if his contract had non-disclosure and non-defamation clauses he could be putting his severence in jeopardy by shooting off his mouth and making negative comments about the organization. Pegula's statement on Marrone leaving was polite and professional. Translated - "Thanks and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out". In the end I think we'll come out smelling like roses here with a better HC and higher quality staff with some positive changes in the front office along with a clearer organization structure.

I wanted a totally unbiased outsider to come into the job so Pollan not accepting the position doesn't bother me. In fact I'm glad he declined. Bringing in Polian was exactly like TP's yesterday's hero's approach with the Sabres. It forces ownership to go outside their comfort zone and do something else, something that might be more effective. There's also talk that Marrone 'convinced' Polian not to take the job which is neither confirmed or denied. If Bill needs Doug to tell him that then strike two I don't want him. Most likely after looking at the position he just wasn't interested in coming back and putting in the time. You don't need to be a genius to see some obvious issues with the Bills. You have a coach and GM that aren't on the same page with personnel or systems. You have an OC that is not NFL competent at calling and game planning at this level and a HC that has a personal relationship clouding his judgment here. You have an offense that has regressed in the two years under Marrone, an alledged offensive guy. You have a defense that is playing at a championship level pretty much on auto-pilot with two different DC's in 2 years. (an observation and not a problem) You don't have an identified starter at QB going into 2015. You have Ralph's old guard cronies still embedded in the organization after 3 months of new ownership. You have a new owner who should have brought in his advisors the Monday after the NFL approved his bid so they could observe the workings of the organization during the course of the season, not after it is over.. The hard part isn't figuring out what's wrong but rather what to do to fix it but Marrone leaving makes solving the first 3 easier. Polian was not the guy I wanted doing this.

His interaction with the NYC media could become a new source of entertainment..

Marrone did Pegula a favor by opting out. He saved the new owner from future second guessing about the decision to axe a head coach that just went 9-7. Now its a decision he doesn't have to make and he won't make the same mistake of waiting and hoping that he made with the Sabres. As for Marrrone, his business aptitude appears to be higher than his coaching ability. He leveraged improving a terrible Syracuse squad to competitiveness into an NFL HQ position and has now leveraged that position into coaching free agency where he will command a much higher salary. And while I'll give him credit for starting the turnaround of the Bills losing culture the shortcomings on offense, QB problems aside, were unacceptable and with the same crew in charge of the offense next year I couldn't see much hope for improvement. I think we can do better and will do better with an owner committed to spending and bringing in competent professional people to run the football side of the operation. For me, Doug opting out yesterday was a late Christmas gift. Happy New Year to all.

I'll wager you can find somebody better than Hackett even under the conditions you cite. For one, we have an owner who doesn't appear to be concerned or afraid to spend money to get what he wants. And Marrone will never fire Hackett no matter how putrid the Bills offense is because of his personal relationship. Its inhibiting his ability to evaluate the performance of his OC and to perform one of the functions of the HC. In business, that's a problem where there are clear performance issues and I think we can all agree the Bills offense has performed poorly for many reasons. One is the lack of an experienced and NFL competent OC...

If he leaves it might not be the worst thing. The Bills have 3 problems on the offensive side of the ball, QB, offensive line, and offensive coordinator. DM opting out is the only way there's a chance to improve the last. If Marrone opts out Hackett would go with him to his next destination as part of the package. I hope fans of the new team are going to be happy scoring around 17 points per game My first inclination afterwards would be to promote Schwartz to HC, Pepper Johnson to DC, and bring an NFL competent OC in while dumping most of the offensive coaches and retaining the DC and ST staffs. For the most part, the resurection of the defense has more to do with Pettine and Schwartz than it does with Marrone and lets not say the Bills didn't address the offensive line. They signed C. Williams and spent 3 picks on lineman while retaining most of the other offensive lineman. To me the problem is on the HQ, OC, and o-line coach not the GM.

Mike Glennon from Tampa might be available for the right price assuming the Buc's pick Mariota with the 1st overall choice. He's put up decent numbers with a lousy team and has the physical tools for the position. Something like a condtional 3rd or 4th in '16 that improves based on his performance might do it. Unlike most of the other QB options I don't see a lot of baggage or issues and the cap number is very low.

I think Mariota is the better prospect particularly because of WInston's behavioral issues and I'm looking forward to #2 Oregon vs. #3 Florida State at 5PM New Years Day. But I wouldn't do Joe B's deal proposal for either..

We need to acknowledge the Bills did attempt to address the offensive line last off season. They drafted 3 lineman, retained most of their players from '13, and signed free agent guard Chris Williams, a guy nobody else had at the top of their list. The problem is their effort, with the exception of Henderson, was a failure. But let's suppose the Bills 'fix' the offensive line this off season, sign a couple of prominet free agent lineman and draft a couple players too. And they have a good/great offensive line. We can agree they don't need an all-pro QB but the problem is whomever they go into the 2015 season with has got to display a minimum level of NFL competency. EJ has not shown that competency with any consistency and unless the team believes he can or has improved to that level no option at QB should be off the table. Its not a choice of fixing one or the other but rather both the line and the QB need to be addressed together this off season and the best possible option at QB needs to be found. If that's EJ then that's what we need to do.

Have to disagree concerning Mike Glennon. My view is he's put up decent numbers and has shown poise and command while playing for a crummy Tampa team. If the Buc's pick Mariota with the #1 they might be willing to part with Glennon for something like a conditional 4th rounder in 2016. But that's just one option the Bills should pursue and while a lot of the available QB's won't meet the cut nothing should be dismissed without the team doing some homework, all options should be on the table at this point. Even the CFL might be a place to look. While I'm not ready to give up on EJ and I believe its possible to learn to read defenses and progressions I'm not sure you can 'learn' accuracy. That and pocket pressence, appear to be his biggest flaws that might not be correctable. And they are serious problems if you want to play QB in the NFL. Will he come into training camp next year significantly better? Bradford and RG3 would be the other two QB's I'd evaluate first and right now I don't think veteran retreads like Cutler are going to be the answer. But a thorough analysis and evaluation process should tell the team what they need to know about each option. Other than that the team needs to consider the draft and I think we need to wait until after the draft combine to see what prospects emerge.

Culter signed a multi-year deal last off season and isn't a free agent. The Bears could release him or trade him but his contract is prohibitive. I just don't see Culter as a realistic option for the Bills for many reasons. With the Buc's likely choosing Mariota with the 1st pick I'd like to see the Bills make a fair offer for Mike Glennon. While he's not the most mobile QB, he's got prototypical size and arm strength and has had some decent success with a crummy Tampa team. Watching his play I can see a lot of poise and ability to diagnose and read the defense and go through progressions with the ability to deliver the ball with some accuracy. Maybe a conditional 4th round pick would get him? Other than Glennon, they might want to look at Mallet, Bradford or RG3. That's where I would start but my list is certainly not complete and who knows what the Bills are thinking...

I gotta agree with you here. For being an offensive guy I would have expected him (and the OC) to get more out of this group. QB issues aside, you have a pretty diverse group of receivers and running backs with specific talents but I didn't see any obvious customization of the offensive scheme to design and run plays specific to the talents of players like Watkins or Spiller or Goodwin to name three. And innovation? Its hard to use that word in the same sentence when describing the Bills offense. And the offensive line? Frankly, I don't want to hear the excuse there isn't enough talent here at this point. You've had a couple drafts and off seasons to correct the problem and I don't see any real improvement beyond lucking out with Henderson at RT this season. I just have to figure you don't know how to solve the problem. And if the problem is the front office and the head coach are not on the same page then that's item #1 for new ownership to resolve. Numbers don't lie. The Bills scored 343 points this season for an average of 21.4 points per game. You subtract out those two big games against the Jets and return TD's (3) and the average for the non-Jet 14 games is 18.7. That isn't going to cut it against teams that regularly score in the 30 point range. You can't expect the defense to play a perfect game every week. The offense has got to bail them out once or twice during the season. Overall, I've got mixed feelings about Marrone. I think he's done some good and has changed the culture surrounding the team and has things headed in the right direction. But can he take it to the next level in season 3 with the same offensive system and an overmatched OC? If he stays or goes I have a sense of confidence that ownership is going to bring in some top tier candidates rather than the bargain level choices we've had to settle for in the Wilson years. Whatever happens I trust ownership will do whatever it takes. I'm more concerned about what happens with Spiller and Hughes situations, what the approach is to the QB problem. and which free agents the team will pursue than I am about Marrone's status.

This seems to indicate the Front Office and the Head Coach & his staff are not on the same page here. An organization cannot function at a high level this way. This gets reflected by the product on the field. Clearly in order to resolve this situation one or the other, or both need to go. Internal debate and differences are a normal part of any business but once a course of action or a plan is determined then everybody has got to get behind it and the time for disagreement is over. Big priority for ownership to resolve..

This appears to be true, the play of the line as a unit and its individuals has deteriorated. And I'd suggest the Bills made a concerted effort to focus on the offensive line in last year's off-season. They signed Chris Williams (who wasn't rated high on the free agent board) and drafted Kouandjio, Richardson, and Henderson so this need wasn't ignored but rather it wasn't successfully addressed by the front office. So what should give us any shread of confidence they are going to do it right this off-season? Meanwhile, teams like New England, Green Bay, and San Diego, just seem to find guys they can plug right into the line up and continue to play at a high level.

Plug Watkins into that situation and I suspect his numbers will be comparable or better. Put Beckham on the Bills offense and he has a fraction of his current numbers. And further ... put Megotron on the Bills and he becomes the world's biggest decoy..

During the playoff drought the BIlls have had a long history of mismanaging the Running Back position. We had Travis Henry (2001-2004) but Donahoe jumped at the bait and took Willis McGahee (2003-2006 did not play rookie season) with the Bills 1st. Henry went on to have several productive seasons elsewhere prior to getting into too much trouble with the law. And McGahee moved on to a few more seasons mostly with the Ravens. Then we drafted Lynch (2007-2010) who wore out his welcome here and got traded for table scraps while Nix jumped to the podium in 10 seconds or so to draft Spiller (2010-2014), a guy advertised as having speed and elusiveness that rarely got to showcase that ability. Quietly through this Fred Jackson (2007-2014) has been a steady force. My feelings about sigining or not signing Spiller are mixed. If we're going to have the same offense with the same coordinator with the same set of plays next season he might as well go someplace else because they probably won't make effective use of him. If we're going to get some new blood on the sidelines managing the offense that can design plays to maximize the production of the players based on their strengths then I say re-sign CJ..

I'd like to see Hughes back but I also got to believe he's the beneficiary of playing with 3 potential pro bowl players and that has some real positive impact on his production. Kind of like the 4th Ghostbuster. Did it really matter who played the part (it was Ernie Hudson)?

I'm still on the fence with dumping Marrone but I think the Bills head coaching job is a very desirable position. Here's why: You've got an owner that is going to pay market, or maybe higher, to sign a big time coach. You've got an owner that is going to be willing to provide you with almost unlimited resources to get the job done. Assistants, equipment, scouts, you name it. This isn't a 3 year rebuild job. Not even a reload. Its a case of finding a QB and a couple blockers, along with installing an offensive system that is designed for the players on the roster. A championship level defense is in place and prospects for keeping it together for a few more years are good. Any coach that brought a Super Bowl championship to the hard-luck Bills would become a legendary figure, memorialized and remembered for all time. In 25 years people will still remember the guy and the team he coached to the title, you stay in some big-time college program you'll become an afterthought soon enough. Hell, you achieve the amazing and unbelievable feat of bringing the Super Bowl to the Bills and they might need to change the name of the trophy to you!

As a life-long fan yesterday's result didn't surprise me. I expected the Bills to disappoint us in some way one more time, in order to maximize our overall anguish, before the end of the season and this was it. Flopping against a 2 win team, a team that has played better and won the last two at home but still a 2 win team with nothing much to play for against a team that is supposed to be 'fighting' for a playoff spot. But given that I emotionally wrote them off after the back-to-back losses to Kansas City and Miami I didn't get too excited. After falling to 5-5 and looking ahead at the December schedule I figured they were finished, And now its 15 seasons and counting. 15 seasons! Its almost like you need to make a conscious effort to be that bad to miss the playoffs for that long a period. So onto another off season of optimism as the search for the answer continues. My only hope is new ownership 'gets it right' and makes the necessary changes.