OldTimer1960

I don't think that you can really tell anything from Reich working with Manning. I am pretty sure that Manning would still be great if I was his QB coach. On the flip side, that doesn't mean that Reich isn't any good. I think that Reich's career as an intelligent dedicated under-talented QB whose main contributions were as a sounding board for Jim Kelly *might* be a good background for being a QB coach and maybe OC someday. I would think that hiring Reich would be an interesting and exciting thing for a team desperately in need of some excitement.

Why would you advocate spending a 2nd round pick this year on a QB if you plan to spend another high draft pick on a QB next year? As a stop-gap starter a rookie is a very poor idea. I'd rather watch Fitzgerald, Edwards and Brohm fight it out than a rookie start -UNLESS the Bills are very sure that the rookie is their long-term answer.

I understand the sentiment that the Blls have been bad for a very long time and therefore it must be Tom Modrak's fault. However, I've been a draft fanatic for 20+ years and that has allowed me to gain the perspective that: 1. it isn''t always the scouts problem. 2. the team's needs often dictate reaching for players 3. the coaches, who haven't scouted the players often get final say 4. THE DRAFT IS A CRAPSHOOT ANYWAY. Many many picks that look great on draft day go in the crapper. Modrak's draft record is actually pretty good. Now, they haven't addressed the OL until last year. Do you think that is because Modrak didn't scout any OLmen? They didn't hit on JP Losman - do you think no other team would have taken him at about the same spot? And, do you think that his flameout had nothing to do with the coaching he received and the talent (or lack of) around him? Just my opinion, but Modrak has a pretty decent record drafoting and you can't blame him for all of the choices. Given the reality that there are always a lot of draft busts, I think he's done fine.

I know that I've come across as more negative than I really am, but Jerry Sullivan is a flat-out whiney little sh*t. There is NOTHING that the Bills could do that would make him say anything remotely positive about them. I hope that Nix embarrasses him badly in public many times.

Word! This is the way to build this team. Fix the OL and run, run, run to help the defense stay off the field. They can't fix everything overnight, so I say find some beaten up vet like Kerry Collins to come in and compete with Fitzpatrick and take a flyer on a rookie QB no earlier than round 3. Target your franchise QB next year. Depending on who is available, ideally, I'd like the draft to fall something like: 1. OLT 2. LB 3. Another OL, DE or LB

I completely agree. There are already way too many holes to fill on the roster without creating more holes by changing the defensive scheme. In addition, DT might be one of the team's strongest positions and a 3-4 would lessen the need for one of them unless you could for sure move the other to DE. As it is, they already need at least: 1 new starting LB with much better depth for the eventual injury to at least one starter. More help at DE assuming Schobel retires (or maybe is traded to a contender). OLT - desperate need QB - desperate need WR - pretty urgent need if Owens and Reed are not retained Unfortunately, they probably can't get a LT in FA since they are so hard to come by and maybe they can find some old haggard bet QB to come in for a year, but one of their high draft choices must be spent on at least 1 of those positions.

Delete it why? Is it too close to the truth? Seriously, I am a very long-time fan and I have been through thick and thin with this team. I try to find the positive in most every move they make. I even tried thinking positively when then re-upped with Jauron after last season, but this is just a major major reach. Get upset with me for venting if you like, but I have a right to vent as much as you do to jump on me about it.

I was responding to "him and Mike Nolan I wouldn't be too upset". I would be upset with Chan Gailey and the greatest D-coordinator ever. No way on earth Chan Gailey should have ever been in the conversation to be a head coach in the NFL again. This is clearly a case of "hmm, nobody wants this job, who can we get?" "Hey, isn't Chan Gailey out of coaching after getting canned by Georgia Tech? Maybe he'll do it!" Really, how did they even come up with his name?

Another backup QB-wannabe starter. Waste no draft choices on trading for this guy.

The plan was to float the names of weak candidates to lower expectations and then whomever they hired would look much better. However, it seems they read the plan wrong and floated the names of great candidates first, then on to lesser but still recognizable names and then hired a joke.

REALLY??? There is no possible explanation for the Chan Gailey hiring other than that the organization is completely inept and could find no remotely reasonable candidate that would take the job. This is truly a joke at the same level (or worse) than the Raiders hiring Lane Kiffin, moving him from USC OC to NFL HC. It won't do anything for the Bills' current QBs because there isn't a remotely viable starting-calibre NFL QB on the roster.

Yes, but he was a terrible head coach in Dallas. You could probably write the same article about Dick Jauron's prowess as a defensive assistant. I am sure that you could write it about Dick LeBeau's career, but he was an all-time bad head coach when he got his shot. Why Gailey should even get another chance is beyond me. I am so severely disappointed that I can't even express it in words.

QB: You can also turn it around and say "I'm afraid to find out why Brohm - a 2nd round draft pick very recently - wasn't even on the Packer's active roster". RB: Agreed that Jackson is good. Lynch is OK, but not worth the problems he causes off-field and is always just a brain-fart away from being suspended again. I think this position does need to be addressed. OL: I do agree that the line (if healthy) isn't that bad and has upside. However, I think they do need another viable LT candidate this offseason. Maybe D. Bell will be the answer. I certainly think he is athletic enough, but he really was over-matched in the games he played this year. Too bad he got hurt because he could have really benefitted from more experience. WR: If Owens goes, this position is really weak (esp. if Reed leaves, too). TE: I agree that Nelson showed some flashes of being good as a receiver. Schouman and the others do not make the grade, IMHO. Still, this wouldn't be a high-priority position for me if I were in charge. DL: I think the Bills are OK at DT, but could use another young DT as Stroud is getting older. I am not as down on Kelsay as others are. I thought he actually played pretty well this year. Still, they do need another DE. LB: Poz is really starting to be good and Mitchell is OK, but another starter is definitely needed and good backups for both inside and outside are needed. DBs: No complaints. This team isn't devoid of talent, but it is really lacking at the two most important positions on Offense - QB and LT. Those also are the two most difficult positions to fill.

While I think Brohm should be given a chance to compete, but looking at the fact that a 2nd round pick couldn't even stay on GB's active roster, I'd say that he shouldn't be Plan A going into training camp. I could be OK with them going to camp with Brohm, Fitzpatrick, some fading veteran and a mid-late round rookie at QB. Heck, if they want to bring TE in to let him compete, OK too. I don't think that any of them are the answer, but I'd rather see help brought in to shore up the D and hopefully to find a LT on the OL. If they can get a LT and build a good-very good D this offseason, they can work on finding a top QB and some WRs next year. I think that is the fastest route to competitiveness.

That is one way to look at it. Another way is to realize that this is a team with no LT and no QB - THE 2 most important positions on offense. On defense, they were LAST in rushing defense, so something is wrong on that side, too.

I'd like to see some quality candidates actually seem interested in interviewing with the team. Unfortunately, that isn't happening. Yeah, I guess Leslie Frazier did seem interested, but it seems to be that the Bills are really having to twist Grimm's arm to interview. Up front, they said that they would talk to the candidates in roughly the order of their preference and so far no hire. So, from that I conclude that they are on to plan B or plan C at this point. Not the way to start the "next great era in Bills history" - at least it doesn't look like a good way to do so.

I really am not usually this pessimistic, but this is seriously bad. NOBODY wants this job! I understand the Bills taking their time - to an extent, but when half of the candidates that you want to talk to turn down the opportunity to even interview for what would be a promotion and big pay increase, you have to figure that SOMETHING is very BROKEN. At this point, whomever they hire will have no credibility from day 1 since he will obviously be a desperation hire. How will this desperation hire even put together a staff of assistants. Who will want to come work for the 15th or 16th choice of an organization?

This is exactly the problem that the Bills have faced in the past when they've "taken their time" to hire a new head coach. I wish I could say otherwise, but the Bills will be putzing around for a while longer, hire a compromise guy to be their HC and he'll put together a weak staff of assistants from what is left on the market. This has really been the scenario since Wade Phillips left and it looks like it will be the same this time. This should really not be that complicated.

My concern with this argument is that just because other good QBs were drafted in the 1st round doesn't mean that taking Tebow or McCoy in round 1 guarantees that they will be good. There are TONS of QBs taken high in round 1 that were TERRIBLE in the NFL. Most of those guys had no business being taken that high, but teams were following the philosophy that they need their franchise QB no mater what so they reached for these guys. That is BAD drafting. Now, if they truly feel that Tebow or McCoy is going to be a great NFL QB, then they should probably grab them. But they should not take them just to take a QB in the first round. (I don't think either of those guys is going to be good in the NFL, but what do I know?)

Based only on what I've read at SportingNews' WarRoom and ProFootbabllWeekly, Davis is a tremendous natural talent who is fat and out of shape. He was reportedly benched at some point this season for being over-weight. If true, not the kind of player I'd want to hand a $10M signing bonus to and then hope that he shows up in shape. Caveat: Some players do mature and "get it". Bruce Smith was also way over-weight when he came out of college, but when the light went on he became a physical specimen - perhaps one of the best-conditioned DL of his time. Caveat: Sometimes these characterizations/reports on draftees are just plain wrong.

I don't think that the Bills can really talk with Fox while he is under contract with Carolina. I think that would be tampering. Now, they could maybe let "intermediaries" get the word out that the Bills want a coach that is "like John Fox in Carolina". Whether that rumor filtering to Fox would be enough to convince him to quit as Carolina's coach is a big question. If I were Fox, it wouldn't be enough for me.

Assuming Eric Wood can return healthy for next year, I think that the only glaring hole is at LT. Now, that is a MAJOR glaring hole as it is the most important position on the OL. I think Demetrius Bell is quite athletic, but he didn't show much this year before getting hurt. Maybe another off-season of strength training and technique work will make him a viable option, but I wouldn't want him to be plan A at LT going into next season. I think a healthy Brad Butler could be adequate at RT and other options are easier to find at RT (by far) than at LT. There is the rub. Good LTs don't come along very often and while they might have a shot at the #3 or 4 LT at pick 9 this year, it is a tough thing to use that high of a pick on a player who might never be more than an OK starter at that important position. QB is a similar situation where the Bills obviously have a huge problem. Again though, it is unlikely (in my opinion) that they'll have a shot at a top QB by pick 9 and I'm not sure that I like any of the top QBs this year anyway. If Sam Bradford is there, is he worth the pick? Do you like ND's Clausen? I'm not particularly sold on either. I'd consider Tim Tebow in the 2nd round, but not at pick 9. So, that leaves either settling for someone that is probably not worth a high pick at either of these two important positions or going another direction with a player that the team feels much better about. I suspect that they will almost have to go with another position rather than reach for a questionable LT or QB prospect. The D could sure use another LB and Rolando McClain or Brandon Spikes will probably be available. Another DL (end or T) would never hurt, either. I guess that I didn't answer the question, but I think that they'll neither get their LT or QB - at least not in round 1 this year.

While I don't profess to really know if either guy would be a good head coach, I'd take a pass. I don't think a 1-year DC (McDermott) is what we want to take a shot on. I think Zimmer has kicked around for a long time with no consideration that I know of as a head coach.

To my knowledge, Schottenheimer had nothing to do with building the Jets O-Line. I think the cornerstones (Faneca, D-Brick Ferguson, Mangold) were there before Schottenheimer was. I can't completely dismiss him, but as a head coach, he wouldn't have the time to spend with a young QB. Skills developing a certain position don't necessarily translate to head coach. The head coach is more CEO than a departmental specialist.

Brian Schottenheimer is the least qualified of the tattered lot of assistants that the Bills will be picking from. Since Russ Grimm has refused to even interview, I *guess* Leslie Frazier is probably the most accomplished of the remaining lot. Maybe Ron Rivera *might* be OK. Assuming Cowher isn't interested and assuming the Bills aren't interested in Billick, the Bills will be training a rookie head coach next year - complete with the same stupid BS we've witnessed from Jauron, Fewell, Mularkey etc. Penalties and poor clock management again!