dpberr

The thing that gives me pause about Brian Billick is that despite being a coach with a Super Bowl victory and a .556 winning percentage and despite being regarded as a sharp NFL mind, no NFL team has hired him away from being an analyst to be a coach in four years. He, along with Bill Cowher are approaching the "Gibbs Line" where you've been away from the game too long that it's passed you by.

Much like Seattle did to Aaron Curry, Oakland played McClain out of position as a rookie and he was never the same. McClain, coming out of college would have excelled in a 3-4 defense because wait for it....he played in a 3-4 defense at Alabama and was a superstar, his play worthy of that high draft status. I put this failure square on the shoulders of the Raiders. If they wanted an inside 4-3 backer, they should have drafted one.

Philly fans are some of the most fair-weathered fans in all of sports. Half empty stadiums now for a team that went to the playoffs 9 out of 14 seasons under Reid. Andy Reid should have taken the season off after losing his son. You need to mourn and recover from that loss. You can't simply ignore it or put it on the life credit card and pay it later. I see a shell of a man on the sidelines that has no heart for football right now. I think he'll coach again,but if he's smart, he'll take a year off from the sidelines.

The words that paralyze any parent's heart: Three month old daughter.

I think there has been an active succession plan since the beginning of last year. I think that the new management group has been contributing to decisions for a while now with free agent signings, the stadium lease and with front office personnel.

I wish the NFL would ban alcohol at NFL games (including tailgates) for a year to see if attendance would go up, stay the same, or go down. I think the NFL will head there eventually. They have to make the game more family friendly to keep the crowds, just like minor league baseball found out. The drunks will soon not be as profitable as the family will be. Otherwise, the trend of just investing in a big screen and watching a game from the house with the kids will continue.

A team of talent, but sloppy, undisciplined talent from QB to defensive tackle. That's what costs them games. Inconsistency and lack of discipline. And that's coaching. I think Schwartz is a decent coach but perhaps not the right fit personality wise to get the most out of those guys. I think that's part of the reason Schiano in TB has been successful. College coach essentially coaching a very young college-esque roster.

That empty backfield on the 3rd and 1 was ridiculously stupid and reckless. I don't think there is a football coach anywhere else in the United States that would do that.

I believe Mariucci was being honest. Fitzpatrick would probably do well in a WCO type of offense.

I think it'd be hard to meander between head coach and coordinator, especially older the guy and the career, and coming from a very patient franchise like the Texans. Anywhere else and Kubiak was probably fired 2-3 seasons ago and on their third incarnation of of a "plan".

It sucks that KC got that 15 yard excessive celebration penalty on a touchdown that was brought back. That didn't seem terribly fair. No touchdown, no celebration. Cause and effect. Can't have effect without the cause. I don't see how the NFL can take one away but enforce the other.

P1 for linebacker help. I'm getting a sinking feeling that it wasn't the front four but the lousy linebackers all along. Does anybody have a good write up on any college linebackers that could be potential Bills in the draft?

Barring a playoff miracle, Reid is gone at the end of the year. No, wouldn't want him. He's had the benefit of money being spent on the team every year for free agents and top coaching assistants and nearly 100% control and gets nowhere. If you're Jeff Lurie what else could you possibly give Andy Reid to make that team successful? If he can't make a go of it there, what makes you think he's going to do better elsewhere?

I'm not sure anymore if it's the lack of media respect or possibly they just don't know a lot about the Bills so they grasp to say something about a team they don't know much about whatsoever. Let's face it, the Bills are one of the more obscure NFL teams, and of course that's of their own doing. You can't escape Obscurity Island by not making the playoffs for over a decade.

After taking a mental health day from the election, I can say that I was stunned and dead wrong about this election. I'm surprised white voters stayed home. Up to 7 million didn't vote at all. I was surprised at the ultimately lacking GOP enthusiasm. I was surprised that despite a majority of people saying the US is going in the wrong direction, they still voted for the incumbent. 2016 will be very interesting. The Democrats won't have Barack Obama to run out there and I think the majority of people who voted for him voted because they like him, specifically. On off years Democrats fare badly in elections.

1980 redux. It's felt like the late 70s the last four years. I don't think it's close.

I'm intrigued by your choice.

An Obama re-election is the doom America has been historically smart enough to postpone before.

I wouldn't be a fan of this move. He, along with his brother have always been all hat, no cattle. As DC, I think he's underwhelmed in his stops at Oakland, Cleveland and Dallas and their teams don't get better. They either stay the same or regress.

The George Seifert at the Airport...one of this board's all time great threads. Comedy gold still. It's one of those threads that if you made into a play and dramatically read the posts...would be hilarious.

Yes. Carolina coaching is worse than ours. I'm convinced Rivera sees a different team than the one he has. They don't use their two talented running backs and their scheme doesn't play to Newton's or Steve Smith's strengths as football players. Carolina would set back the franchise years by trading the player versus finding new coaches. Newton in enlightened coaching hands, would be an excellent NFL player.

Andy Reid has a contract that runs through 2013. That's why he fired Castillio in Philadelphia. Gailey has no such Sword of Damocles. At worst he plays out the contract and it's not renewed. Beats being fired. And let's face it...he's got the organization in a tough position. Firing Gailey during the season creates huge problems. It's nowhere as clean as Fewell replacing Jauron.

"...and the Bills need to look at regionalizing Nova Scotia." Hilarious.

I'd be for giving Inge a shot as DC. Why not. Sanders....he comes from the school of the Jim Bates pathetically bad run defenses...been there, still doing that.

Exactly.