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Eric wood approves. Ittakestime doesn’t. I’m not sure what to think.

I don’t think you can fairly evaluate a HC on his decision-making. Too subjective. To a certain extent, I think a PFF could evaluate the roster and then calculate expected wins. Then look at actual wins.

I'd forgotten about that but you're right. I wonder if Roman would be better suited as a run-game consultant than an OC.

I agree but I'll add something I heard somewhere.... Roman has more IQ than EQ. He doesn't always build the kinds of relationships with his position coaches and players that bring out their best. Roman does his best work alone in his office, breaking down film and drawing ideas up on his whiteboard. This observation, if true, seems to explain what we saw with the Bills where the Bills offense was more productive just after he left. They continued to use Roman's run concepts and play designs but ALynn was in the leadership role.

Imagine you owned a company in Northern California. Later you moved that company to Nevada. Wouldn’t you consider the former employees in CA as part of the company’s history? Wouldn’t you still want to honor their contributions?

I agree. But I wonder why NFL teams don't have both kinds of QB coaches on staff... One who's good at breaking down film, installing the game plan, and so on. And another who works with the QB on his mechanics. In the Bills case, why don't we have both Culley and Jordan Palmer at OBD?

I can’t remember where but I heard Culley is a good x and o, film room guy. He’s not good with QB biomechanics.

Who we fire isn't the really important thing. It's who we hire. I'm confident that there guys out there better than Robiskie, Crossman, and Castillo. But is that who'll end up with? As of right now, we don't know if we've upgraded any of these coaching positions or - god forbid - downgraded. I'm interested in the next steps.

When Greg Roman was here - and I acknowledge the guy had his flaws - it was fun to watch our running attack. Not only did Roman employ effective run concepts but the offensive linemen always seemed to be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. We weren't overpowering people but the combination of play-design and play-execution was awesome. Our run game this year wasn't as well schemed as back then but I can't say the plays were terribly designed. We ran the same plays other NFL teams ran - but with less success. We just didn't execute. Granted good linemen execute better than bad linemen - they have quicker feet, better balance and so on. But often times we just didn't get a hat on the tackler. Both Beane and McD said the offensive line was 'out of sync' and that's a fair assessment I think. That falls on the offensive line coach (Castillo) and run game coordinator (Castillo again). It's pretty obvious why Castillo had to go. I'm not sure how much the lack of production can be blamed on the RB coach. Did the RBs run to the wrong hole? Not know their assignments? As a fan, I didn't see any compelling evidence that our RBs weren't coached well. I saw an OL that didn't give the RBs a chance to be successful.

I generally agree with this. The GMs and HCs who prioritize STs stock them with good players who then produce good results. But not all ST coaches are created equal. I think McD can upgrade Crossman.

I was about to post something very similar. Castillo was adamant that he knows how to develop players. Both McD and Beane said the OL was out of sync. They might all be telling accurate stories.

There's an old saying in India, "When a pickpocket walks down the street, all he sees is pockets." Like everyone else, I notice that Jerry gets held a lot - maybe because we're watching for it?

I do think there's a difference in how a NFL coach effectively treats his players and what's effective in college. But maybe a bigger difference is that college coaches need to recruit their players. Recruiting is not a vital skill for NFL coaches but if a college coach can't recruit, he fails.

There's no certainty in drafting college players - especially QBs. Some GM - I forget which one - once said that no college QB is NFL-ready. So you have to guess which will continue to develop their skills and which won't. Due diligence only gets you so far. In the end, you cross your fingers. Josh's arm talent has been pretty much as expected based on the little vid I watched and the scouting reports I had read. What he can do with his legs is a revelation. And I've been pleased with the role he's developing as a team leader. I'm not convinced yet that he's a franchise QB but I am hopeful.

That's the thing. NFL GMs have tremendous resources. Millions of dollars to spend. Lots of college and pro scouts who are all fully immersed in football. Countless connections on college campuses and around the NFL. Hundreds of hours of tape. Hours and hours of interviews. Private detectives to do background work. In the end, there's still an element of luck. But Average Joe can't replicate the level of due diligence done by a NFL GM. And Mayock's never had these kinds of resources before. Will he know how to use them as wisely as a GM who's worked in the NFL for the past 15 years and worked his way up from a regional scout position?

Mostly agree. We have 10 draft picks and roughly $100 million to spend on free agents. Nonetheless, Beane's is not going to fill all the holes on offense we're talking about. The right players just won't be available in every case. We will, of course, see a partial rebuild. Hopefully the OL gets a pretty major overhaul. But next season we'll still see some weaker guys suiting up and playing on the offensive side of the ball.

This is pretty much where I'm at. A better OL will produce a better running game and a better passing game. We need offensive linemen. Shady is getting old and there's no question a younger, quicker back to take over the mantle would be great. But considering we need offensive linemen, wide receivers, and a TE - not to mention some upgrades on defense - how high do you prioritize RB?

I think when Beane talks about being judicious in free agency, he means he wants to find his superstars in the draft. FA superstars are premium priced - and don't always work out. Beane mostly wants to use his cap money for solid - if not spectacular - starters and depth players. With roughly $100 mil to spend, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he went after one big name free agent.

True enough. But what does he know about running a winning organization? How will he organize his scouts and what instructions will he give them? What credibility will he have with his staff? Choosing Mayock is odd even when you assume Gruden is going to be the de facto GM. Then again, Mayock is a smart guy who's picked a lot of brains in his decades hanging out with scouts and other personnel guys. Maybe there's hope for him - but he's not who I would have chosen if I was Chucky.

Or to supplement him. From what I've ready, Culley is good at breaking down defenses in the film room. Palmer is good at QB biomechanics. Two very different, complementary skill sets.

Both NY and Miami are in turmoil and Brady may - finally - be showing signs of age. It might be time for the Bills to take control of the AFCE.

Coach Cowher says McD is on of the best coaches in the NFL. KW talks highly of both Beane and McD.

I didn't see what Mills did either. But I did like the way Josh walked away from the melee as if nothing much was happening.

I agree he’s not a #1 - but not because of the stats. Andre Reed wouldn’t have posted good numbers with this offense.

I remember watching Steve DeBerg in 1978 and wondering what the heck was this clown doing lining up behind center pretending to be a NFL QB? He was unspeakably bad that season, completing just 45% of his passes with a 8-22 TD to INT ratio. His passer rating of 40.0 wasn't quite Peterman bad but it was close. The next year DeBerg completed 60% of his passes and went on to have a decent career. (DeBerg is #31 on the all-time passing yards list, only 4 spots below Kelly). Some guys get better with experience and coaching. And some guys get better when they get the right cast around them. Hopefully both things happen with Josh.