Red

Right. I was responding to someone stating that he probably does not want to come to Buffalo. He wouldn't be wasting his time if he wasn't interested.

Well, here is one thing that I don't think that you are considering when stating the Bills will be rebuilding 'AGAIN'. This Bills squad is one of the youngest in the league. They won't be having to scrap a bunch of established veterans. Most of the players on this squad have come up within the past 4 seasons. Therefore, most are able to be built around. Poz, Wood (I pray he returns to form), Bryd, Evans, Lynch, Jackson, Levitre, Williams, Maybin, McGee, McElvin, Whitner, Edwards, and Nelson are all young. Schobel and Reed are getting older. Moorman and Lindell are aging, but their positions are not usually affected by age as the rest of the spots. We need to see what Hardy and Johnson can do. Bell, Brohm, and Meredith are also intriguing prospects. IF the Bills draft wisely on the offensive line (LT, RT), and on defense (DT, DE, LB), and pepper that with some solid 4th or 5th year players, this could be a team to be reckoned with sooner rather than later. We just need to make sure that Modrak and Guy are not calling the shots.

ah, that's because GEICO s-u-c-k-s!

Me too. If you read today's Washington Times article about how Ralph Wilson is going to leave no stone unturned in fixing the Bills, I think that a more conservative (if possible) approach for our emotions may be warranted. In the article, no one's job is safe. They will be considering a football GM. Now, this runs contrary to the reports that the Bills will be throwing everything they can at Shanahan so that he does not leave until he is coach of the Bills. If it does not materialize this week, I would not give up hope. I think that Shanahan would ultimately fix the offense and get this team headed in the right direction, but I have 2 concerns. First, if Shanahan becomes the coach/ GM, not even the Tuna himself could successfully handle those dual roles. That is what got Shanahan chased out of Denver, and I don't know if it ultimately would be in Shanahan's best interest (or Holmgren, or Cowher) to serve both roles. They are both so consuming that 'a house divided will not stand'. They will be performing well in one, but not the other, or vice versa. That concerns me. Second, Shanahan would be a great addition, but ultimately I still fault the severe lack of competent talent people being what has hindered Buffalo the most. John Guy and Tom Modrak will be on their 4th coach, 3rd roster being remade, and perhaps 6th starting QB. Does anyone else see what I am getting at? If after all of those changes the product still remains the same, that isn't ability, scheme, style of coaching, or what meal they had prior to the game. In all of that change, the only 2 constants: Guy and Modrak will need to be sent packing. If those 2 idiots are still with the team next offseason, I think that whoever comes in as head coach of the Bills will be severely hindered by the horrible choices Modrak and Guy have proven they are capable of. 8 years going now, and what have Modrak and Guy got to show for it?

Yeah, I agree. He actually has been reported as saying that he is "intrigued" about the thought of coaching the Bills because their financial situation is so solid. And if he wasn't interested, he wouldn't be coming to Buffalo this week for an interview.

There is no offensive line. Therefore, no QB is going to be able to "show what he can do". The only thing a QB will be showing is how gracefully they can land on their derriere.

Seriously? Owens would have been lucky to have caught a ball, the defense would have surrendered 50 points in the 4th quarter, and I would be miserably asking myself why I wasted my time watching that Bills team. I hope that it is not only playing for "tape", or for the excitement of a new coach, as this was truly a strong effort to be proud of. We finally has some semblance of an offense...

not nonsense when you consider that Wood has been the best offensive lineman drafted by this club in 2 decades. not nonsense when you need him to learn and develop in the game to get better. not nonsense when you need to build around a player like Wood. There is a vacuum with his absence. I sincerely hope that the injury is not career ending, and that he can return for next years training camp to pick up where he left off.

Per Schefter today on ESPN (for all that is worth), the Bills will do everything in their power to not allow Shanahan to leave without a deal. I'm just unsure of how this would effect the front office. It is clear to me, and many other fans, that both Guy and Modrak are the equivalent of 8 year old, expired milk sitting in our refridgerator rotting. The sad thing is, that even if they are let go by the new coach/ GM in a much-needed house cleaning, their influence (more Modrak than Guy) will still be felt this offseason and draft, as the same scouting staff and Director of Scouting is in place. Word is that Shanahan will be given say in the football operation, personnel department, etc. As much as I love the idea of having someone like Shanahan running the Bills, I worry that it will prove too much for one man to do. I think he will bring back instant credibility to the organization, but will the role of coach/ GM prove too much? I guess I would feel best if a serious GM were hired first, and Modrak and Guy were fired. Then a coach can be hired. If Ralph is serious (as he appears to be), then guys like Shanahan, Cowher, and Holmgren apparently are wanting both duties. The issue is that I don't believe anyone- including the Tuna- has been able to succeed in that dual role. In fact it was this dual role in Denver that led to the eventual downfall of Shanahan as coach of the Broncos.

I take heat for saying this, but I'm convinced that the increased bodyweights of football players as a result of anabolic drug use is responsible for the great majority of these injuries. I don't have the statistics (are there any compiled?), but I don't remember this frequent of season ending injuries ever before. And the nature of them is alarming. Biceps tears, pectoral tears, achilles tendon injuries, etc are all indicative of anabolic drug abuse. Anyone remember high school health? You know, the basics of why one should not do steroids? The whole 'muscles grow too big and tendons and ligaments do not keep up' thing? Watching those early 90's Bills teams- and the NFL for that matter- these types of injuries were nonexistent. I don't have numbers to back up my assertion, but did players of the 70's, 80's, and 90's have both the severity and frequency of injuries that today's players seem to have? Sorry to go off track, but I think the injuries are a occurring as a direct result of anabolic drug abuse. I will now sit back and take my challengers...

isn't it ironic that Edwards was to blame. Then TO. Then Evans. And now Marshawn. Does not anyone see that without an offensive line, none of these guys can do anything? I really don't know how the Bills will be able to field a team after this game. Wood and McKinney getting injured? This is horrific. Can they forfeit?

God, that was awful. Figures that our stud draft pick gets his tib/ fib blown out. What a year...what a decade...

Perhaps it was the improvement over JP. To finally have a QB who had a grasp of not staring down your receiver, holding the ball for too long, waiting for him to get open. Perhaps it was the quick, accurate decisions for short- moderate gains. And to finally escape those ill-timed JP turnovers, heck- even Bledsoes' turnovers and lead feet- made me feel like we were making progress. I can't back it up with stats (nor do I have the time nor desire to do so), but he was a different QB last year prior to the concussion. He was a big improvement over Bledsoe and Losman. But he has clearly regressed. Edwards needs some time on the shelf. He needs to be rebuilt by someone who knows what they are doing to regain lost confidence in his line and receivers. He needs to be coached up to read the field properly. Perhaps a couple of years as a #2 or #3 under a Shanahan regime would work. He learns, while the offense gets better.

I will 100% agree that the commercials have become ridiculous. I can remember back when the Bills were going to Super Bowls, and during a time-out on the field the announcers would give you a background story of a player, and it made for a much richer appreciation (atleast for me) of the players, teams, and games. It was more interesting. It has begun to madden (not John) me with how with every stoppage, every hangnail, we must be inundated with 2-4 commercials, that have been pounded into our brains over, and over, and over again from all of the SAME previous commercials that were just on the air 2 minutes earlier. I know it's a business, blah, blah, blah, but the once interesting story of the individual players has been replaced with ads for GM and Miller Lite. Thanks for the attempt at mind control, but my next truck will most likely be a Toyota and my favorite beer is Molson Canadian.

waaaaaaaaaaaaay too early for a guy signed mid-week to be expected to play.

One word: NO!

Hey- Jauron is fired. It will take along time to dig ourselves out of this mess.

Jeff Garcia trumps both of 'em.

Well, the good news is that we will probably be drafting in the top 8 again. Hopefully, we will be solidifying the offensive line. On a side note, how much of a boner move does it look like now that we drafted Donte Whitner above Pro-Bowler Haloti Ngata? I certainly don't want another Mike Williams-type pick, but if Modrak and Guy are gone...I will feel better.

Completely agree. Considering that this is only Trent's 3rd year, he still has 1 year left on his deal, and he will most likely be dealing with his 4th offensive coordinator in what will be 4 seasons, not to mention the horrid state of the offensive line, and it is clear that he is not getting much of an opportunity to not only learn the position, but become successful. He is not the same player since that hit last year against Arizona. Not sure what that means, but he is not the same QB.

Strengthening the ligaments and muscles around the knee help to prevent injury. I think alot of the problems with knee injuries are more reflective of the increased bodyweights players are at in today's sports, and the sheer forces involved on the knee joint. Playing surfaces may be somewhat to blame- though I would fault the concrete-like playing surface of the old astroturf as opposed to today's. With that being said, when Rusty Jones was running the program for the Bills, injuries did seem less commonplace and we were among the top 3 teams in the league in terms of innovation and development of our players. The only difficult sell I could imagine is that Rusty is native to the Chicago area, and is now on the Bears staff. I would certainly like him back, though.

That makes it even sweeter. Nelson looks like he may be the real deal for a change.

That was my fear should the Bills have paid him what he wanted. I think ultimately, they should have found a replacement. But for all of his contract squabbles, and hold-outs, the Bills actually got the better end of this deal. For starters, they were able to obtain both a first round draft pick (used to select Wood) and a later round pick next year. Considering that he was an undrafted college TE which cost the Bills nothing, that is a pretty good return on investment. Secondly, his contract squabbles were an undermining influence to the team. He had just signed a contract, and before the ink is even dry he then demands a new one, holds out, and really hinders the team with his absence. Thirdly, the comments made by the Bills that they wanted to get tougher on the offensive line was a reason why Dockery, Preston, and Fowler were released. Giving the number of sacks Peters gave up last year, and his annoyingly selfish contract demands, and with the News now coming out of Philly, could it be that he was one of the weaknesses that the staff was talking of? Finally, Wood is a stud and perhaps the brightest prospect drafted by the Bills for the offensive line in almost 2 decades.

All of the doubters need to shut their yaps at this juncture. We just lost some major dead weight at head coach. Shanahan is scheduled to be here next week to talk. Thurman Thomas' twitter yesterday stated that no one is safe and major organizational change is coming. If that means Modrak and Guy are gone, my faith will be restored that Ralph has atleast identified the CORRECT problems with the club these past 8 seasons. I'm excited about the movement, and even like the signing of that tight end yesterday. Something tells me we might have gotten something there. As far as Brohm is concerned, this is nothing more than a positive as far as I am concerned. We need an infusion of new faces with talent. But why are these moves taking place after Jauron is fired? Brohm would clearly be an improvement over Hamdan, and with proper grooming may be able to take over some day. Does anyone else see this as strange that with Jauron gone, the team seems to have blasted out of some horrible funk and is now excited again? Today's News article on Fewell's practices and the statements made with Fitzpatrick named the starter seems to have lit a fuse under quite a few players arses. I like these 2 signings the past couple of days. Or is it just that I am excited again?

To those who think that these greats would not come here: You underestimate the ego of these men. I believe that this is really a situation for the Bills to lose. 1.) They currently do not have an actual GM. Brandon was awarded the role and title after Levy vacated the premises by default. Cowher, Shanahan, and Holmgren all are proven, all have won Super Bowls, and would most likely want coaching and personnel power. Their currently is no head coach. It would make sense to start with these guys, since the current openings would match their demands. 2.) The next move, should these 3 be interviewed and all decline hoping for bigger gold at the end of their rainbows, then hiring a proven GM would be the next step. Floyd Reese, Bruce Allen, Ron Wolf all come to mind. For those getting all weak in the knees for Greg Gabriel, what exactly are his credentials? He is over in Chicago, which as far as I can tell is a long way from the playoffs. What exactly has he built with staying power? His Buffalo roots, sadly, are not enough to want him. Chicago is hardly a powerhouse. Their defense is a shell of its former self. They haven't had a receiver in years. And prior to Cutler have not had a QB since McMahon. Again, what is so great about Gabriel? 3.) The Bills can really, really screw things up if they go after a coach instead of a GM should Shanahan, Cowher, or Holmgren turn them down. As with most clubs, a GM coming in wants his people in positions to succeed. If the Bills go out and hire a coach (whether it be Trestman, Haslett, or anyone), that would be undermining a potential GM because he will not be able to implement his strategy right off the bat. The good news is that they are striking while the iron is hot, and just like the Twitter post from Thurman Thomas yesterday via Jim Kelly, Ralph is going to spend money this time. We have a good 10 weeks to round out the plan and candidates. I'll ultimately be happier when Modrak and Guy are fired, but this is a good start. GO BILLS!