dpberr

Ironically, this will probably be the reason why the Bills pass on Whitner. I can't envision the FO being pleased whatsoever with a member of the team wanting to box a member of the media. This is the sort of thing that breaks the camel's back. Not like I care. I'd rather George Wilson.

The signing of Reggie White put Green Bay on the map.

I sorta see the Bears/Packers vs. Jets Super Bowl akin to the 1987 Miami vs. Penn State "Good versus Evil" Fiesta Bowl Game.

Outstanding move. Love it.

There is a difference between being "cheap" and foolishly signing coaches to contracts that can paralyze you for years into the future. I've heard the "Wilson is cheap" argument for years, but started considering how the structure of the contract plays into it when I read an article where some players keep getting paid for decades into the future by their former teams solely based on how they set up the contract when they sighed with the team. We never know as fans if these "hot" coaches (Shanahan, Cowher) insist on some ridiculous deferred compensation clause where a team pays them literally for decades, or so much of the contract is guaranteed. Why, as an owner, would you want to pay an employee decades after he was last an employee for your company? Why would you submit to paying a guy the bulk of his salary years after he was lousy and only lasted on the job a year? This might extend to any coach you interview and hire. It's not always about the amount of money. We just never know if it's money=money between two contracts. I doubt it's that simple. If Wilson has avoided the big names because of things like that, I credit, not criticize him for keeping the team out of contract hell.

No deals to anybody in the AFC.

+1. Couldn't agree more.

I'd love to root for the Jets. They only have one SB appearance, ever. However, Rex Ryan and this particularly obnoxious team negates my sense of Super Bowl history. Go Steelers.

Only way he goes to Cleveland is to snipe the head coach position when and if Shurmur fails. Shurmur is a complete unknown. Gailey is not. The Bills are the best option if Wannstedt's desire is to be a head coach in the NFL again. Turn the Bills around, beat the Jets and/or Patriots, and you are all of a sudden "hot" name once again. The Browns have even less talent on defense than the Bills. All that being said, while I'd love Wannstedt as a hire, I'm intrigued by Mangini as our resident Jets/Patriots killer.

The playoffs show that anything is possible when you have 1)an elite defense and 2)you have a competent to outstanding TE. For the Bills, neither is impossible to fix this coming draft and FA. I think FAs on defense have more impact than on the offense.

My guess is that Jauron told the Eagles he only interviews for "open" positions out of respect for SM. The Eagles made the position open.

Let's not hit the panic button. I think Philly made the move to keep Jauron from taking the DC job for the Browns. All that being said, having watched the Eagles this year, being trapped in their market, the team needs defensive help, especially at linebacker. Regardless of who is coordinating it, good teams knew how to exploit that. The Eagles could not run the blitz packages you are accustomed to seeing due to the dearth of talent at the position. I feel Wannstedt will be with the Bills for 2011. I have a better feeling about it after SD filled their position internally.

I'd nominate Jeff Fisher. You don't stick around for nearly two decades as coach by being really bad at it.

GG: Outstanding point. I think that Edwards would go the college route and find a gig pretty quickly if Wannstedt was brought in. I don't see Wannstedt taking any job but the DC if he's hired by the Bills.

I think Fox is a good coach. He was undermined by the worst front office in the league with the worst GM in the league in Marty Hurney. The draft misses, missed free agent opportunities and the worst, not signing Peppers to an extension gave Fox a bunch of either bad or inconsistent teams. Carolina won't improve until they clean out their front office.

I wonder if SI assumes there's a lockout, and therefore no free agents that Carolina could pick up at QB. Gabbert is a big stretch at #1.

I'd hate that pick. (Green at #3) It's all about defense this year. Everything else is just conversation.

This makes zero sense, and I call shenanigans. Wannstedt is strictly a 4-3 guy.

Question is...what defense will he run? He's run the 3-4 and the Tampa 2. I think that affects which defensive player gets taken. I only see the Panthers going for Green if they say, get Vince Young for QB, or otherwise address that position to their satisfaction in free agency.

Isn't Quinn a one-year wonder? I only ask because of our outstanding track record with such selections. I agree he looks good, but did he only have one good year? I'd be happy with Dareus, Bowers or Fairley. I was impressed by Fairley's play last night.

They need healthy playmakers on defense. Bob Sanders is quite a talent, but he's only on the field for five minutes every season. Further, their run defense is their biggest liability. That Tampa 2 defense is soft, with a light, but weak linebacking corps. When your safeties are your leading tacklers, you know you have a big problem.

This story = history, revisionist

Smith's downfall was that he spent a laughable amount of time *not* in training camp or with the team. He sabotaged his own career.

You can't coach leadership and mental toughness, essential skills for a QB and a player in general. The way I see it is if Jeff Fisher can't do it, in years of trying, another old school guy like Chan won't either.

I think ESPN needs to do more stories of the "good" NFL players do. The good men, who happen to be NFL players, get crowded out by the media's obsession for controversy and scandal. I'm thinking of players like Warrick Dunn. It could be argued he's had more of an impact on the NFL and its fans for his off the field work than his on-the field performance.