Red

I was thinking the same thing. He deserved it, but I think that the team considers itself a major downer from where they wanted to be, and are not feeling in a celebratory mood at this point.

This year, give me a pure, dominating, Pro Bowl-future-Hall-of-Fame LT over any QB coming out.

I would also include drafting running backs from Cali, as last year's game on the snow-covered field in Cleveland demonstrated what 'ol Jimbo is talking about. For anyone who has ever played a game of football in the elements, mother nature can wreak havoc on not only the body, but also the ball. The colder the temperatures, the 'harder' the ball. Compound that with the slick nature that melting snow has on an already hard ball, and it can make for some issues with ball handling, grip, etc. Both Lynch and Edwards demonstrated their amazing lack of experience playing in the snow last year, as both Edwards couldn't hit a pass and Lynch did not seem to be able to hold onto the ball nor get adequate footing in the snow. Ofcourse, the leak that Jauron had them practicing inside, when the weather was getting colder had something to do with it. But for 11 months out of the year, California is heaven on earth in terms of weather. That 1 rainy month- the Cali winter- occurs in January. The rest of the year is sun and fun. It makes a huge difference to have players at the skilled positions be capable of playing in the elements if they come to Buffalo. This is an area where things have gotten off track. During the Levy/ Polian days, the roster was filled with players in the Northern part of the nation or atleast from colder climates (Hansen from North Dakota, for example). When Donahoe came in, there also seemed to be an in flux of draft picks from warm climates (Parrish and Everett from Univ of Miami, JP in California, etc). And I would refrain from stating that California kids are pampered by their parents. This is everywhere. Where I live in Northern VA, it is very similar to CA. The current generation of parents seems to want to be more of an enabling friend than a parent. It is more of a generational parental issue; not something isolated to California. Whoever our new GM will be, I hope that they return to drafting impact players from cold weather schools.

'Tebow not an NFL quarterback'- Jimmy Johnson, former coach of Dallas Cowboys

Man, these pre-draft mock drafts, and the Kiper-ish oogling that goes on certainly makes for great drama, but there have been a far greater number of flops at the QB position that had the sizzle going into the draft than ever lived up to their expectations. Ultimately, I just want a PROVEN GM running the Bills football operation. If that individual drafts Tebow, then I will be onboard. If Brandon, Modrak, and Guy continue making the assessments and calling the shots, then I am not.

Is the point of this post that we are fine where we are? Wood, Levitre, and Hangartner are respectable, with Wood clearly being the stud amongst the entire group. How his injury will effect any future playing status remains to be determined. But he is clearly a home run thus far in a decade of incompetence. Meredith is a nice prospect. Bell may eventually be groomed into a Peters-like clone. McKinney is a solid player and backup. Chambers is abysmal, and Scott is not too far behind in that category. I will be interested to see if newly signed G Simmons can actually come in and contribute. It will be exciting to see him regain some of his stature. That leaves the Bills sorely lacking of dominant players at the tackle positions. I'm not sure what the free agent crop will offer in terms of RT's, but if we could draft a dominant LT with our #1 pick, then we should be in business sooner rather than later. The return of a mauling Wood, a possible Levitre/ Simmons combo backed up by McKinney and Hangartner at Center is a solid interior. Shaping up the tackle positions and allowing Bell and Meredith to learn, develop, and grow will help provide not only solid depth but possible starters for the future.

Yeah, a certain QB named Ryan Leaf was also famous for locker room, "firey" speeches. Spare me the cheerleading, and win something. Then, come to the pros and do the same. Otherwise, it's just alot of hot air and hype.

y'know, maybe it's the hair...

1.) the firing of John Guy and Tom Modrak 2.) the hiring of a real, PROVEN, football GM 3.) letting the GM hire whomever he wants to coach. Those are my top 3.

Well, if you read Brian Billick's book, More Than A Game, talks about how every team has a position on the field that they purposely don't draft high for, as they have an overall philosophy that renders that position something of non-importance in relation to say the other skill positions on the field. Some teams don't draft high for the secondary, some don't draft high at the RB position, etc. Buffalo prefers to not draft high for the OL. To me, and after a near decade of mediocrity, this philosophy needs to change. Both the offensive and defensive lines need to be a priority, and things will begin to change.

Well, if Shanahan turns out to not be interested, then I think we need to get a real GM in here and a real front office. I'm starting to think that shooting for the head coach first is a mistake, when the front office is clearly a bigger problem.

And another thing, hasn't this once Great Nation and especially the City of Buffalo had enough of things from Chicago?

Listen guys, if Shanahan leaves without a deal, then we need a real front office first. Last I checked, Modrak and Guy are still employed at OBD. We need a real GM. Reese, Allen, Accorsi (if he could be convinced to come back) and Wolf are all masters at their craft. All would be excellent candidates to start with. Alot of people rave about Chicago's Greg Gabriel, but I don't know who has been drafted over there that is worth a snot. Seeing as how he is in charge of their drafting, I don't see where he has done a good job. He's A Buffalo guy, so maybe he could take over for John Guy. This would serve to round him out, and perhaps groom him to one day be a GM. Kokinis may also be a good candidate for Pro Personnel. That dude with the Giants may be a good choice for Pro Personnel, too. I would also promote Buddy Nix to be head of college scouting, and give him free rein to select his own scouting staff. This would round out the front office and build it into something to be proud of. Modrak has had too much time to prove that he sucks. Then, with the front office in place, I would go about letting the GM select who he wants as head coach. That head coach can go about selecting his staff. And that that staff, front office, and GM can start drafting and signing free agents to reshape this team into a winner. Then these national idiots currently bashing the Bills organization can eat their words in a couple of years when this team is back leading the pack, and these "top dog" coaches can whimper back to their million dollar contracts as they try to handle coaching and GM duties at the same time. GO BILLS!

Well, it's not so much experts anymore. The Football Post is reporting that Holmgren turned down the Bills offer to even meet and discuss the position(s). Shottenheimer has taken himself out of the running and from the article posted today it sounds as if he has no interest in returning ever as a coach. Gruden stated that he is committed to television, and Cowher has stated that he wants to wait until the season is over- thus honoring his contract with CBS and more importantly building up the maximum potential number of suitors to create leverage. That only leaves Shanahan. It's not speculation, this is now confirmed. But I am beginning to have a change of heart. Carucci's article about Shanahan and his oft-changing personnel decisions and thirst for deep pockets to waste on players contracts and luxury spending on staff has me worried. This is why he got chased out of Denver... If he does not work out, I think that we should begin in earnest our search for a real, proven, football GM. Guys like Wolf, Reese, and Allen come to mind. Let that GM have complete control of the football operation. Let that GM bring in his own personnel people (fire Modrak and Guy), and select his own coach. Again, I want an experienced GM, someone who has built Super Bowl teams before and is willing to do it again more so than a big name head coach. This is different than what I wanted when Jauron was still employed with the Bills, but I am starting to get a bit pi$$ed at all of these cheap shots these "big dog" head coaches are sending the way of OBD. In short, we need a Bills revival of spirit. We need the second coming of Polian (in terms of success). This starts with a Super Bowl-quality front office. Clear roles, talent, and authority in place. Accountability. Experience. Proven success. That would leave Gabriel out of the running (what has this guy done, anyways?) and Polian's son out too. Hiring Gabriel as a Pro Personnel guy might be a good idea, to eventually groom him to be a GM, but for right now I am more concerned with stocking the front office and scouting department with solid, talented, proven NFL guys. If a proven GM is in charge of the football operation, and allowed to build a winner, I am not so concerned about who the coach is.

That article is a little frightening. I have always liked the Broncos, and know that alot of their Super Bowl success came as a result of having a world-class QB in Elway. But I never knew enough about them to know if they had a GM during their Super Bowl couple 'o years, or if Shanny was running it then, too. I don't like the idea of a coach/ GM. It can't be done. One of the roles will suffer. I love the idea of having Shanahan as a head coach, but he does need some limitations in a strong, experienced, proven, football GM.

And here's an article that has a positive spin on it: "Bill Cowher leaves door open for Buffalo Bills coaching job By Mark J. Miller Buffalo Bills owner Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. is going against his own tradition, it seems. A guy who has always not paid a lot of dough for coaching appears to be going high-end this time around. Wilson is supposedly ready to fork over $10 million a season for the right coach, according to the Buffalo News. Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher was apparently contacted by the Bills to see if he had any interest in taking over the team. He reportedly told the team that he's didn't want to interview for the gig "at this time." Cowher is supposedly happy to wait till season's end to see what other jobs come available. It's not likely that the Bills will wait till the end of the season to hire a new coach. The team supposedly wants someone to be signed on before then. The team is supposedly meeting with former Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Shanahan sometime in the next seven days. Source: Buffalo News" Now, you can read into it what you will, but the very title: "...Cowher leaves the door open..." would suggest positive spin.

He's under contract right now with CBS. After the season, he will be looking at the opportunities. Reading more into it than that is nothing more than TMZ style rumor and not based on any facts. If you love TMZ, then more power to you.

"Mooch" is not being mentioned because he sucks. HE inherited the great 9'ers team that was handed down by a guy who had inherited it from the real architect- Bill Walsh. Why is nobody mentioning George Seifert?

The only credit I will give to the Bills in this issue, is that by starting off when the names at the top of the list, who have expressed interest in both coaching and GM roles, is that you may be able to attract them straight away. If the top names all turn down the Bills lets say, then I would assume that the next step would be to pursue a football GM who will select his own staff. This may just be a process at this point and may evolve into a search for a GM depending on what Shanahan does.

Yes, this is my fear. Shanahan has expressed an interest for the dual GM/ coach role. Cowher, in the article from LaConfora at the NFL states that Cowher does NOT want GM duties. Personally, and ego aside, I think that the dual role is too much for any of them to handle well. One will suffer at the expense of the other. That being said, I would be pursuing a top flight GM that has proven himself capable of building a winner than choosing the coach first. Some GM's will not choose a club if they cannot select their own coach, etc. If we get a coach first, it will limit our ability to land a real GM.

I believe that you are correct, sir. My sister and brother-in-law live down there. But they did say that it has recently been up for sale...

I don't agree with that. There is a big difference between what you are claiming and saying "no" because you want to see all of the opportunities in front of you. He, unlike Shanahan and Holmgren, is also working right now with CBS (and that pitiful attempt at a pregame show- does anyone think the combination of Marino, Esiason, and Sharpe yukking it up are funny?). He's under contract. He may just be saying that to be respectful to CBS and honor his contract (hmm, something Jason Peters needs to learn). I wouldn't get too excited either way. This is going to take time. I personally feel that searching for a top-notch GM should be the priority, especially since the article also hinted that Cowher does not want those duties.

turnabout is fair play...

yes. And ultimately, this is my biggest concern. Each job, both head coach and GM, are both so all-consuming in attention that I don't think 1 man can physically excel at both. His ego may lead him to believe that he can, but if the Tuna can't do it, nobody can. I believe Shanahan WOULD answer so much that has held the Bills back this decade, but with Modrak and Guy still in place, and not a real, football GM working the roster and draft, methinks it would ultimately prove too much for Shanahan to handle. I, too, would rest easier with a real football GM.

Such pessimism. I don't agree with that. It's a big decision, and sometimes organizational change may need to occur first (firing Modrak and Guy) before someone ultimately agrees. A gesture, if you will, of good faith.