2003Contenders

I highly doubt that either of them is going anywhere. Actually, if Schobel regains the form he showed prior to last year, then it is hard to argue that he is actually overpaid. Kelsay is certainly a different matter. However, he appears to be so popular with his teammates and the coaching staff that I don't foresee him being let go either. I said in another thread that I believe that Kelsay will wind up being Sanders' pet project. We can dream about the growth that Kampman exhibited under Sanders, can't we?

Call me crazy but I don't think Kelsay is going anywhere. He appears to have a good relationship with his teammates, the coaching staff likes him -- and I have a feeling that he is going to be Sanders' pet project.

As much as I respect Steeler fans, who are certainly great, something dawned on me last night. There is a significant argument to be made that Kurt Warner would go into the Hall of Fame should he retire tomorrow and never play another down in the NFL. His rookie season was in 1999, which also happens to be the last time that the Bills even made it into the playoffs. Yet here we all are STILL rooting for our beloved Bills and praying that the franchise won't move. I think Bills fans are second to none.

I, for one, have NEVER understood the criticism that Jauron has received here and elsewhere for routinely deferring when the Bills win the coin flip. Practically every coach in the NFL makes the same call. It affords you the possibility of getting the ball on offense twice in a row, which can't happen if you kick off to start the second half. (Remember Super Bowl XXV, when the Bills offense was on the sideline for over an hour as the Giants ended the first half with a long drive and started the second half in similar fashion?) If the Cardinals score at the end of the half, instead of Harrison taking it the other way, the complexion of this decision changes in a big way.

One quick question for those of you that want to show Kelsay the door and are praying that Brian Orakpo is still on the board when the Bills pick at #11: Are you aware of the fact that Orakpo topped out at 5.5 sacks in his most productive year at Texas?

While Bill Parcells' axiom of "You are what your record says you are" is a truism, I tend to believe that sometimes a team can be better or worse than another team with the same record. The title of the thread is also thought-provoking in the sense that it doesn't pose the question of which team was the best -- but which season was Jauron's best. That implies to me that the question is: In which season did Jauron do his best job coaching. Obviously with the 5-1 collapse, the 0-6 record against division foes and the well-documented series of questionable decisions made toward the end of the regular season, it is rather easy to pinpoint 2008 as his worst since coaching with the Buffalo Bills. To be honest, though, prior to this season I honestly thought he did a pretty good job with the talent and the unfortunate series of injuries that he was forced to contend with. Recall that the team went 7-9 (and was in a number of other games, losing by 3 points or less to quality opponents like the Patriots, Colts and Chargers) and that was with J.P. Losman starting every game at QB. I really do believe that he did a remarkable job of damage control and hiding our deficiencies that season. 2007 was wrought with so many injuries that one could almost give him a mulligan for the less than .500 results. Count me as one of the few on this board that was not mortified by Ralph's decision to keep Jauron around for another year. Did he deserve to be fired based on his 2008 failures? Perhaps. But, as indicated above, I feel that he has done a good coaching job in 2 of his 3 seasons here. I also believe that he may have been somewhat hampered in 2008 by the amount of youth not only on the roster -- but in the front office and coaching ranks as well. Yes, Trent Edwards just completed his first full season as a starter. But will Turk learn from his mistakes as a rookie OC? How about AVP as QB Coach? With the absence of a true GM, the entire front office had to step it up a notch (especially Brandon). Might the whole organization be better prepared after their 2008 learning experience? I believe that we will learn a lot about the direction of this team based on what goes on in the off-season. Will they make prudent decisions in free agency? Will they make full use of all possible options on draft day? How will Brandon and company handle Jason Peters' likely holdout again this season?

Some quick thoughts about Kelsay without playing the defender role too much... 1. There is more to being a DE than just getting sacks: Run containment, backing off into coverage, occupying blockers, etc. Depending on the scheme and the assigned role, a quality DE could register just a couple of sacks per year and STILL be doing his job. 2. The coaching staff seems pretty happy with Kelsay, which implies that he is playing the role envisioned for him reasonably well. 3. I think Kelsay hit free agency at exactly the right time, when salaries for DEs were going through the roof. The year before the Packers had just signed Aaron Kampman to a huge contract that seemed somewhat unwarranted at the time based on past performance. However, Kampman responded with a career year. I believe that the Bills overpaid for Kelsay's services largely because they were convinced that he was on the cusp of a breakout season. If nothing else, signing him long-term prevented a team like the Patriots from picking him up. We know that BB would find a way to best utilize Kelsay's talents. 4. Like Donte Whitner, it is hard to gauge how much Kelsay's individual production on the field has been hurt by his own versatility, which was further diluted by the rash of injuries that the team has experienced the past two seasons.

Remember what happened the last time Ralph hired a former (and highly regarded) GM who was working at ESPN at the time?

Sacks aren't everything, but back in 2005 when Sanders was the DL COach (which is what we are most interested in), his Packers recorded just 35 sacks. Our Bills managed 39.

For a guy that is getting so much hype, his college stats just don't seem to back it up. We need someone capable of applying pressure to the QB on a regular basis, and I don't know that this guy is the answer based on his college production.

Signing Greer provides all kinds of flexibility. It is insurance in case McGee walks next year. It is also insurance in case McKelvin struggles in his sophomore year. It also would keep us from having to invest a high draft pick on a CB yet again in 2009 or 2010. It sounds like Greer, who is coming off a knee injury, is willing to take a home team discount. So why not oblige?

Given the (on paper) tough schedule we have in front of us in 2009, I think it is entirely possible that this team could be MUCH better this year -- and still wind up with a losing record. With the sad recent state of this frnachise, I am satisfied with progression without even grandeurs of a playoff run.

He played the role that was intended for him. If the FO thought he was worth the money they offered, I do not believe that his performance on the field would make them believe otherwise.

I just don't see how anyone can write off Edwards just yet. There were times early this season when the team was having trouble running the football, and Edwards successfully carried the offense. I know some will argue that the opponents he faced during that 5-1 stretch were odious. However, he played a near perfect game against the Chargers, the same same Chargers team that did a pretty good job holding Peyton Manning in check in the Wild Card game a couple of weeks back. Edwards certainly hit a major speed bump after that in the divisional games and showed a weakness facing 3-4 defenses. The question will be whether or not he can adapt/adjust and continue to progress. The young man clearly has the smarts and (yes) the necessary physical tools to get the job done. If we don't see a positive progression by the end of the 2009 season, then perhaps we do need to look elsewhere. One thing that would help, I believe, is bringing in a smart veteran backup that can help him -- rather than the uncoachable likes of JP Losman. I am also not sold on AVP at QB Coach either. True, he served as a rookie in that capacity and may get better with experience. The same goes for Turk. The key is that these guys need to get together and formulate a game plan that will allow them to best take advantage of the 3-4 defensive schemes that prevail in the division. After all, the way to get into the playoffs is to figure out a way to beat the teams in your division, right? Of course, some of that may involve changes in personnel, especially Center and TE.

All of the above. The thing that I've noticed is that you just don't see our WRs getting much separation. That has been the case for years now. I tend to agree that the play calling and designed routes certainly need to improve. However, the receivers all need to do a better job of running the proper routes and making the necessary adjustments. Meanwhile, Trent needs to do a better job anticipating his throws and throwing the ball BEFORE the receiver comes out of his break. He needs to have greater confidence that his receivers will be where they need to be; the receivers need to instill that confidence by ALWAYS running the route the right way.

Have you come across reports that I haven't regarding the specifics of Jauron's contract extension? Remember, he reportedly signed the extension when the team was 5-1 and his name was being mentioned as a possible Head Coach of the Year candidate. I would suspect that he is now being paid the going rate for head coaches in the league -- and eating his contract would have cost significantly more than the $4.5 M you suggest. Not to mention, whatever amount it would have cost for his replacement and entire new staff.

With 2010 being a potentially uncapped year and severe restrictions placed on teams for how they can prorate signing bonuses in 2009, it makes smart business sense to go back to school until the CBA situation is worked out.

I agree that those are pretty realistic. Although, I have a feeling that Brown will re-sign with the Ravens.

I would love for one of the top 2-3 DEs in this year's draft to fall to us at 11. However, if that doesn't happen, then I do NOT believe that we can afford to reach for another DE just because he plays a position of need. This team has far too many decent-to-good players and few (if any) stud players. I would be willing to draft a player at virtually any position (except for maybe RB) if I thought he had the chance to be a true difference-maker.

T.O. is fast running out of opportunities, given his age and track record of being a poor teammate. However, he has actually shown that he will usually behave himself the first season with a team -- even in Philly and Dallas. Assuming that he is let go and assuming that there isn't much interest in him, I don't see the downside in signing him to a one-year veteran minimum contract (possibly with incentives). Yes, he has a tendency to drop passes and he's slid a little in recent years, but opponents still MUST account for him on every play. Imagine how that would finally free up Lee, not to mention open up the running game.

Or, how about if we brought in a DC and OC that were as good at coaching up their units as Bobby April is with his?

Remember also that Fine missed the first few weeks of the season with an injury.

Isn't Boldin a free agent?

Since I firmly believe that the team's greatest need is at OLB/DE, provided we bring in a major upgrade at DE, I can live with bringing Crowell back at OLB.

Actually he does have one of the strongest arms in the NFL. He CAN throw the ball with a lot of zip. You are, however, quite right about his over-long delivery, which when coupled with his lack of mobility, make him a sitting duck in the pocket. I would say that he is a cross between Bledsoe and Cunningham WITHOUT Cunningham's legs, of course. Still, not a bad option at all as a backup.