217014170

It's not a Super Bowl ring when you lose...it's a Conference Championship Ring...big difference.

I considered him but he will be radioactive by the time the season is over. He needs to sit on a TV set for a season and hope the Falcons look just as bad next year. Besides...the Bills do not need a Defensive minded head coach...Defense is already a strength and trending positively. If they go Defensive minded head coach they need to look at John Pagano in San Diego. Chuck Pagano's brother and he looks like he grew up in Buffalo! For those who want Rex Ryan...you really want John Pagano.

Jim Schwartz is just Gregg Williams 2.0...just stop with that nonsense.

I respectfully disagree. For the Bills to win the competition for a "high profile" coach, the sales pitch has got to be over the top. Granted, with Littman (aka Uncle Scrooge McDuck) no longer controlling the cash flow in to Orchard Park money should not be an issue. For "high profile" COACHES with established records (Cowher, Gruden, etc...) the conditions have to be absolutely perfect as they have their legacy to lose. And, for them, money is not the lure. It has to be a "cannot lose" environment. Full control and in the absence of an established, successful, stable QB, a high 1st round pick with an Andrew Luck type prospect waiting. Much was learned by Joe Gibbs' return to coaching...does anyone even remember?? Phil Jackson did not return to the Knicks to COACH... Anyway...the lack of a first round pick will absolutely be in the CON column of any "high profile" candidate. Buffalo will never lure an established candidate if they have to compete to get him. I think the personnel department is in the best shape since John Butler and AJ Smith. I am a big believer in separation of duties and not giving any one person the God switch. Bring in a coach that cares about coaching football players that care about playing football. Not administrators that stay at Holiday Inn Express and get "permission" to run a billion dollar operation. Pat Shurmur

http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/172391-pat-shurmur-just-makes-sense/ It's long but worth a read if I do say so myself.

Pat Shurmur...I created a post on this before the false 5-3 euphoria. Working under Chip Kelly...has head coach experience. Seems a number of great coaches fail in Cleveland before they realize their true potential. He is the right choice. The Chip Kelly offense is quarterback agnostic...

Half Time Dance Off...was it Kid 'n' Play?

"WTF, Doug? A hoodie? Seriously?"

Apologies...I realize you are saving your voice for your Ray Rice testimony. :-)

"Dear Mr. Watkins, We regretfully inform you that your request to make the five yards preceding each end zone as a safe, no tackle, extra celebration zone is hereby denied." (Dated 26 October 2014, 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time) - Roger Goodell

"As a fellow Bills receiver I see nothing wrong with enjoying the moment of individual glory in a game that will inevitably end up being a blow out." -Don Beebe

To answer the question...Brandon seemingly has already begun ingratiating himself with the new ownership. That's what he does and who he his...he is a salesman. The fact that Kim Pegula sat in the audience during the press conference can be interpreted in two ways: (1) Tactical, in that the Pegulas already have a plan for how the chain of command will look and they want Brandon to know that they (the Pegulas) will control that...there is no ownership "team" that includes Brandon or (2) just a good mom/wife wanting to be near her children and share the moment as a family. Editorial side note...I believe Brandon gets WAY too much credit for saving the Bills and regionalizing the team. The Marketing "department" prior to Brandon being brought in was essentially two people and some interns. The entire league was transforming at that time (1997 and 1998) realizing the power and strength of the brand. It was a great time for a marketing/sales guy because the entire league was riding the wave. Pure football guys were annoyed because the focus really moved to marketing. The WNY business leaders and politicians at the time were really driving the regionalization - putting pressure on business owners to buy suites, etc. A thirty year old kid (Russ's approx. age when he joined the Bills) with no football background did not "save" the Bills. Well, he did play DB at St. John Fisher. Brandon did take advantage of a perfect storm created by leveraging his association with a World Series winning organization and the start of the boom in the NFL. That's not his fault...it was just great timing and a great opportunity. Keep in mind, the NFL owners at that time were stressed out over bars showing games on DirecTv and charging a cover and worried about Jerry Jones wanting to cut a side deal with Pepsi when the league deal was with Coke. Seemingly small potatoes in hindsight. From day one Russ has surrounded himself with people he knew and it goes very deep...Marc Honan, David Wheat, his brother, etc.... Look at the titles in the Front Office. Everyone with a "C" level title (Chief) is a Russ Brandon crony. His Admin is the only Admin in the building with "Executive" in her title. Guys like Overdorf (who gets WAY too much credit/blame on this board, BTW) and Berchtold who were there for a decade (or more) before Brandon are not the Chief of anything...in title. Which tells me they resisted being sucked into the Brandon orbit even though they play key roles in the organization. That is a somewhat unseen aspect of the "old guard/new guard" discussion. The old guard is older than the Brandon era. There are at least three silos to the organization - pure Football which Whaley should run (to include coaching, trainers, scouting), a Football Admin (salary cap, travel, etc.) group which Overdorf runs, and the Business/Sales side which Brandon runs now. A case could be made for a fourth silo for Media Relations (Berchtold). Any "consultant" would be focused on the main product - football. Brandon should not be in a leadership position in football discussions. He should not be allowed to derail the evaluation because there may be a tendency to say "it's not like we didn't want to do that but we would get blocked by Detroit (Littman) when we presented it." From a financial perspective Jeff Littman controlled Ralph Wilson Enterprises of which the Buffalo Bills were just another asset. Therefore, he was responsible for all things money at One Bills Drive. He made the decision long ago that the Bills would be self sufficient and they would not take money from other RWE entities to support the Bills. Overdorf manages the cap and negotiates contracts (among other things) but he does not choose players and decide what they will get paid. He makes recommendations based on what the cap will allow. He is in the draft room and he is the point of contact for agents but his role is administrative and he is good at it. I am sure the Pegulas, and their representatives, have had a very good look at the business side of the organization and have the same if not more key contacts in the greater WNY area and beyond. Out of necessity, Brandon did elevate to a role of key decision maker for the Bills. In terms of his value moving forward, it would be limited especially at his current salary. He has appointed a Chief Marketing Officer and a Chief Administration Officer, etc. I don't see him remaining "President" or COO... Keeping Brandon on long term extends a dysfunctional political problem that this organization has endured for decades. Too many people in the organization will remain loyal to Brandon and could possibly usurp the authority of the new supreme decision maker. Brandon has already started laying the groundwork for stepping back and keeping a job by stating that the GM has always had control of the roster and the coach was always responsible for the on the field product. However, for example, when the deal surfaced to trade up to get Watkins, Whaley looked at Brandon for approval and Brandon stated "do it"...no reason for a citation here there is plenty of proof out there. That was not a financial approval...that was a football decision. Brandon (and his Chiefs) is certainly in a tough spot. As much as he benefitted from his long tenure with the Bills it may ultimately hurt his career. From what I have heard, he has three years left on his contract and I am sure the Pegulas would honor any remaining obligation...whether they are legally bound or not. Littman is gone and will not be back and DO NOT make the mistake of linking Overdorf to Brandon. The Pegulas are not soft. Kim Pegula will emerge as the leader of the business ops side of the organization once they figure out how to manage the Sabres/Bills relationship legally. It's pretty obvious she was the driving force behind the purchase. There will be a purge, it will be interesting to see how deep it goes.

Realistic, current NFL HC/OC/DC that MAY be available after 2014 for the Bills ((O) indicates offensive minded and (D) indicates defensive minded): Mike Smith (D) Gary Kubiak (O) Pat Shurmur (O) John Pagano (D) Dennis Thurman (D) (Rex disciple) Todd Bowles (D) I believe previous NFL HC experience will be important to the new ownership so people like Jim Haslett and maybe Perry Fewell (Interim HC exp.) could enter the discussion - the Bills connection is coincidental and could help or hurt. I think Haslett's window has closed but would be a sentimental choice in BUF. I would like to see Fewell get a shot in NY after Coughlin retires. An offensive minded coach would likely be more interested in keeping Schwartz to run the defense and make him Asst. Head Coach/Defense. If that's the case I like Shurmur #1 and Kubiak #2 (Wade Phillips as DC in this scenario?). A defensive minded HC (not named Schwartz) hire would likely indicate a complete staff turnover. In that case I really like John Pagano (Brother to Chuck and protege of Greg Manusky). Maybe he could lure Frank Reich as Asst. Head Coach Offense. Todd Bowles would be another sexy choice. In either of these cases I would hope the ownership would require a VERY strong OC with NFL HC experience (which would rule out Reich). I really hope the new ownership does not get pressured/tempted to over pay for a "name". I am encouraged on the stated strategy of bringing in a trusted, knowledgeable football resource to aid the evaluation and transition.

Well...interesting trivia maybe only to me: Paul Hackett (Nate's dad, obviously) replaced two former Bills OC's while working on other teams, Joe Pendry (Chiefs - 1993) and Dan Henning (Jets - 2001).

First of all, I wish nothing but success for the Bills as they are currently constituted. Second, please research Pat Shurmur's career in totality before you simply react to his name and his very short time with the Browns. My 10 supporting points (in no specific order): 1. Proven record developing young quarterbacks (Donovan McNabb, Sam Bradford, Nick Foles). Some people have been hoping the Bills would try to get Bradford in the off season. I am not a big fan but if that were to happen Shurmur would be a great choice to partner with him (OC in St. Louis 2009-2010). 2. Descended from the Holmgren/Reid coaching tree. A few of you are hoping that the new ownership brings in Holmgren as a transition consultant (Personally I am hoping for Ernie Accorsi who consulted on the Panthers turn around in 2012 - among other things, of course). And some of you were clamoring for Reid when he was available. 3. Holmgren hired Shurmur in Cleveland as the HC before their bizarre ownership transition (Haslam). I would presume Shurmur is still on Holmgren's short list. Note: Browns are still paying Shurmur through 2014 :-). 4. Shurmur was an All American center at Michigan State as a player after injury forced him to move from linebacker. Safe assumption he knows how to manage the O line. 5. Nephew of long time pro coach Fritz Shurmur (deceased). 6. Currently working as OC under Chip Kelly in Philadelphia. Granted, Kelly calls the plays but Shurmur is well aligned with the no huddle philosophy and has assisted in implementing it with two different types of QBs. 7. Reality is, if there is a change at HC or OC going into next year for the Bills, it will be tough to recruit a "big time" coach (whatever that means) mostly due to the lack of a 1st round pick. Shurmur is a good choice because he has had experience implementing the offense of the future with varying styles at QB. IMO, he will maximize what we currently have at that position (Orton and Manuel). 8. Shurmur and Bryce Brown are familiar with one another from their time together in PHI. So....if Brown takes off this year he can be the centerpiece of Shurmur's offense. 9. The hurry up attack de-emphasizes current weaknesses along the O Line - assuming we can focus on fixing the TE position, Spiller comes back healthy and couples with Bryce Brown at RB, AND we find the right combination on the OLine. I really think Marrone and Hackett are trying to implement a similar up tempo offense, they collectively just lack the NFL experience (mostly Hackett). Chip Kelly was smart enough to surround himself with NFL vets (see article in link below). 10. Shurmur has HC experience and with the Bills defense quickly establishing itself as elite (at times), he could focus on the offense and leave the defense to Schwartz (if he is still around). Recent article on Shurmur: http://articles.phil...0hoHdsTDoqeF.99 Shurmur Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia....iki/Pat_Shurmur I will post my other realistic choices for HC in another thread sometime soon. Spoiler...think San Diego coordinator not named Reich (even though I think he will be great in a few years).

In my opinion, if you have a shot to draft the Outland Trophy winner you take them. It might be the best post season college award in terms of transition to the NFL. This year's winner is Barrett Jones - LT, Alabama. Most of the guys on this list had long term, outstanding careers... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outland_Trophy

I think you have it backwards. Irsay is declaring a "new era" by dismissing the Polians. The Manning/Polian era is over. They will purge salary - Manning, Mathis, Wayne, etc. - and hand the ball to Luck. I also think Irsay has a GM in mind as he has stated his intentions to let the new GM make the coaching staff decisions. The one guy we should get if he becomes available is Jon Torine, the current Colts Strength and Conditioning coach. When Polian took over in Indy he called Rusty Jones and asked for a recommendation; Torine was Jones's assistant at the time. Polian interviewed him at the combine, hired him, and he has been there for 14 years. "Clearly we're in a rebuilding stage," Irsay said. "There's no sugar-coating that. The decisions coming up are crucial."

The Hunt for Red October - Admiral Josh Painter: "This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it."

No chance...John Butler would roll over in his grave. John Butler and AJ Smith were a package deal. Now, if you want to speculate, I could see Bill Polian hiring him in Indianapolis to handle the draft and mentor young Chris Polian at least short term.

Where's that "Bill All-Time All Moron Team" thread? I think we have an addition.

Lonnie Johnson...cannot find the link to fake punt/Sharper hit...

Inactive players are still part of the 53 man roster. They receive a full game check. Each team has 45 players available and in uniform/eligible to play on gameday. Think Peyton Manning. He is not going on IR. He is not eligible to be placed on the practice squad. He will remain on the 53 man roster and be inactive each week receiving a full game day check. The Colts are holding out hope that he may be able to play at some point in the season. Players may be injured but not so injured to warrant IR...thus inactive.

#4...nothing sets an organization back further than missing on a QB early in the first round...primarily because of the money involved...it's the only position that has acquired immunity when it comes to salary slotting #5...Agree...Players from the SEC have dominated the NFL draft for the past few years by a large margin. Last year, 25 of 32 teams drafted at least one player from an an SEC school. Buffalo was not one of them. Six (6) of New England's draft picks were from SEC schools.

I was at that game. As sad as that was there was something more sad about that game. It was Steve Tasker's last game and he got ejected! Very sad...

I don't think anyone misses T.O. more than Lee Evans for a lot of reasons. Not the least of which being the lightning rod for criticism at the #1 WR position. If you can fault Buddy and Chan for one thing it would be miscalculating T.O.'s fuel gage.