2003Contenders

I actually expect that the team will play well this week for a variety of reasons: 1. JP is due. Yes, he is too erratic to be a decent starting QB, but when he's on, he CAN play well. After the back-to-back lousy efforts against the 49ers and Dolphins, he should be due for a good game. He's also historically played pretty well against the Jets. His job is to avoid the big mistakes: don't turn the ball over or take unnecessary sacks. 2. Marshawn is ready to lay it all on the line. Maybe I am giving the coaches too much credit, but I honestly believe that they will come out with a game plan to run the football with purpose. If they stay committed to it, the Jets could be worn down by the 4th quarter. 3. After the Toronto embarrassment, the team will be highly motivated to put that behind them. I actually think going on the road is a good thing -- and (crazy as it sounds) like their chances better at the Meadowlands than at home. 4. The Jets aren't nearly as good as their record would suggest. I actually like the Bills defense BETTER than the Jets' -- even during this bad run, the Bills defense has been limiting opponents to about 20 points per game.

For all the problems the team has had since 1998, Wade wasn't one of them. All he did was go 29-19 as head coach and take us to the playoffs in 2 of his 3 years here. In fact, Wade's record during those 3 years was better than Marv's was in his final three years coaching the team. So if you want to blame Marv for the current team, blame him for some of the questionable decisions he made as GM the last two years -- not for leaving the team in Wade's hands.

Have you all forgotten that this guy had his play calling duties taken from him as an assistant with the Ravens just last year?

No thanks.

Bingo! Probably the best assessment I have read in these here parts. The head coach's job is to prepare his team -- regardless of the talent level he has at his disposal -- to be prepared each week and play the best that they can play. Up until the mid-season collapse this year, I really felt like Jauron had done a pretty good job of doing exactly that. If nothing else, in his first two seasons as head coach, Jauron's teams always seemed to win the games that they were supposed to win. For whatever reason, that went by the wayside earlier this year to the point where we have lost 3-4 games that we had no business losing. I think Jauron is what I would call a good coach for a bad team. He is best served working from adversity and trying to keep the damage down. That is his "gift". His conservative style normally keeps the team in the game -- but they just about always lose to the better team anyway. The fact that the loss is by a smaller margin is somewhat irrelevant, but it gives a false sense of actually being more competitive. That damage control style was fine back in 2006 -- and even to a certain point last season. However, when the team got off to the hot start this season (mainly thanks to an easy schedule), he failed to build upon the momentum and help this team believe that they could do even better. The problem isn't necessarily with the conservatism. After all, passing the ball on 2nd and 3rd down from the 2 yard line certainly isn't conservative. The problem is that once he gets out of his safe haven of damage control, he doesn't know what to do! His best mode is a survival/hang-on-for-dear-life mode, rather than an aggressive/attack mode. With better personnel -- that is, assuming you believe that the roster is better than it was a year or two ago -- the team needs a coach that is more in tune with knowing how to take that next step. I, for one, will be very interested in seeing how the final three games play out. I am not interested so much in W's as I am of the team giving a good account of itself.

It's because deep down Dick knows that the coach on the other sidelines is better than he is -- and the timeouts would only serve to better prepare the opponent for the up coming play.

Indeed. The 6-7 record is inflated by a very easy schedule and some uncharacteristically good luck at the beginning of the season. This team is probably the worst team we have had since that 3-13 disaster back in 2001. Wait until next year when the Bills have to face the NFC South and AFC South teams instead of the West.

I was actually thinking about this same thing this morning. I was thinking about this for two reasons. First, because of the comments made by Ralph: How much merit is there to the notion that Jauron is a victim of a poor roster. Second, I was wondering to myself just how much of a setback it would be if Jauron was gone and someone did decide to just "blow it all up". I honestly don't see many players on this roster that I would be teary-eyed about seeing leave if a new HC were to start cleaning house.

Therein lies the value of these last 3 games, right? Let's see if Edwards can end the season on a high note -- that is, if his groin doesn't hold him back.

Yep. I suspect that if that fabled contract was actually signed without stipulations and that if Ralph refuses to fire Jauron because of it -- then Turk will become the sacrificial lamb to appease us all. The question then becomes: Who would Jauron replace him with?

Gannon suggested that the drop was at least partially Losman's fault. Namely, a veteran QB should understand who he is throwing the ball to and a TE like Royal is not going to be bale to handle a hot potato in the same fashion as a quality WR.

I don't think Ralph's age has a whole lot to do with his shortcomings as an owner. Aside from the Polian years (I view the early Butler years as a piggyback off the Polian years -- as once Butler's own moves started catching up with him, the team started heading south), this franchise has never been one of the most successful.

It almost seems crazy that JP is in the midst of his 5th season in the NFL. However, there is a precedent for n'er do wells whose light bulb suddenly went on -- and suddenly defied all logic by becoming a good QB. Rich Gannon and Vinnie Testeverde both come to mind. Wouldn't it be something if JP's light bulb turned on tomorrow afternoon? Not saying it will happen, mind you...

Some of that "character" talk when it comes to the Bills has been a myth. Kelly, Bruce, and Thurman weren't exactly choir boys. Let's not forget about Moulds, Henry, Willis, Hargrove...

Note also that the TD dynamic was a unique one. Yes, Ralph made him one of the highest paid GMs in the NFL with unprecedented authority, but the implication was that Ralph was unwilling to pay a top-flight coach. Meanwhile, after having just lost a power stuggle with Cowher in Pittsburgh, TD didn't want a high profile head coach, so we'll never know how much of that can be attributed to Ralph being cheap - or TD being hypersensitive. In Ralph's defense, I know numbers weren't astronomical like they are today even 10 years ago. But after taking the team to 4 straight Super Bowls, I would have to guess that Marv was probably one of the highest paid coaches in the league by the end of his tenure, no?

I don't know. I don't care about temperament or how well a coach performs in a press conference. I just want W's. Wade was a player's coach. Gregg was an in-your-face guy. Mularkey was brought in to help bolster mental toughness. Jauron was supposed to be cerebral. Funny enough, Bill Parcells' mantra when he enters a new situation is the following: "You need to identify the things you do that are making you lose -- and then don't do those things." It's so simple, it's almost elegant, isn't it? All three of the other teams in our division bear some semblance of his imprint. He took over each of these teams (Pats in 93, Jets in 97, Dolphins in 08) when there were literally the worst team in the league the year before -- and made an immediate impact. If I were Jauron (and staff), I would quit trying to show everyone how smart I am. And STOP trying to draw up plays that go counter to conventional wisdom! (Sometimes it is OK to run the ball on 3rd and 1!) In fact, I would REALLY dumb down the offense (in particular), and stick with a small playbook that isn't too difficult for the players to master. Think that would cut down on wasted timeouts? WRs running poor routes? Maybe get a guy like Hardy, who seems to have trouble knowing where to lineup on each play, more involved?

True. Actually, even with Trent's poor play, if Lindell makes those kicks against Cleveland and SF, we are looking at 8-4 and there is probably a somewhat even divide amongst Jauron supporters and haters. The record itself would lend a note of credibility to the supporters. ("How can you talk about firing a coach that is 8-4?") Of course, the reality is this: Would the team have been any better if Lindell had made those kicks? Yes, the record certainly would have been better, and these final 4 games wouldn't be as do-or-die. But would the team have really been any better?

It's funny how quickly perceptions change. Just 6 weeks ago, the team was 5-1. Not only did I think they were headed in the right direction, but I also thought that this could be a team that could be good for a long time given their youth and relative health in terms of the salary cap going forward. Trent also looked like a candidate for league MVP at that time. Funny how his going south seems to have coincided with Jauron's approval rating. It will be interesting to see how perceptions change after these last 4 games.

Sounds about right. Now, let's think outside of the box for a moment. Let's first assume that an extension was signed. Let's also assume that there were no contingencies (like a playoff appearance), which would absolve Ralph of having to pay Jauron should he elect to fire him at season's end. The rumor was a 3-year extension, right? The big question is: how much do we honesty think that contract totaled? The existing contract paid Jauron in the $1-2M range. It seems like forever ago, but when the offer was reportedly on the table, the Bills were 5-1 and Jauron was being mentioned as one of the 3-4 candidates for Coach of the Year. So it is certainly feasible that the contract could have been for something like $3 M per year. Firing him at the end of the season, would then mean that Ralph would be on tab for $9 M. Remember that Ralph was so cheap as to fight against paying Wade that final $750K he owed him...

Bruce didn't take the flu shot because he reportedly had a phobia about needles. Ralph actually had a private plane ready in Buffalo to fly Bruce to the game in Pittsburgh in the event that he should recover in time, since he was too sick to even travel. The offense struggled through much of the first half. When Kelly went down with a shoulder/neck injury, AVP came in and actually helped the offense get back on track. Funny enough, AVP was only the #2 man that day because rookie Todd Collins had stunk it up so bad in the season finale against Houston, who also started a rookie QB by the name of Steve McNair. The trainers shot Jim up with some pain relief meds and he managed to trot back onto the field in time to finish off a drive that put the team within a score (I think it was like 25-21 or something) late in the 3rd quarter. I remember after that TD, one of the announcers joked that they expected to see Bruce come flying in any second! Bruce never showed up, the Steelers did a great job of converting 3rd downs and pretty much won going away from there on out.

Even those that really like Trent will concede that it is the sheer nature of the beast that a 2nd year QB still has a lot to learn. I think his biggest problem in recent weeks has been confidence. Partly in himself -- but even more so in his teammates. In the game against Cleveland, Jaws pointed out that Trent had no yet mastered the fine art of knowing when to throw a pass BEFORE the receiver came out of his break. Part of me has to wonder if at least some of that has to do with the youth at the WR and TE positions (especially when Reed was out). I also do not think that it is by accident that he has struggled almost exclusively with the 3-4 defenses. It seems that defenses have adjusted to him, but he has yet to adjust to them. Throwing out the Arizona game in which he didn't even play a full series, this year Trent is 5-1 against teams that have never seen him before. He is 0-4 against teams that have. Hopefully he will learn to adjust. I also have to blame the coaching staff for not doing a better job preparing him each week.

The Lions' situation is an odd one. And it is hard to put your finger on exactly why they have sucked so bad for so long. Unlike stingy Ralph, the Fords have been willing to shell out large sums of money for players and coaches. Think Ralph would have ever shelled out the $ it took to bring in Mooch? Also, although their drafts haven't reaped large rewards, I couldn't argue with many of Millen's picks at the time. Of course, I get my intel from magazines and the sort -- perhaps that's what Millen was doing too? LOL I think the biggest thing is that the culture of losing has left many of the better players longing to go elsewhere. So even when the Lions do bring up a good young player, he ultimately wants to be traded or sign with another team when he becomes a free agent.

How about an on sides kick to start the game, since we know that Dick will surely defer to the second half?

I can't say that I disagree with anything Mort said there.

Spagnolo would be my first choice, but he was offered the head coaching job in Washington but turned it down because he wanted full control in the personnel department. I don't see Ralph giving him that kind of control or paying what Danny was willing to pay last year. Don't laugh, but Schottenheimer could be an interesting choice.