JoeF

This is ugly--thanks for the scoop Lori..

You are correct. The team has the PSL revenue and never has to refund it. The PSL's are revoked if the holder does not renew and then can be resold. The Panthers do allow a transfer of PSL for $300. Last year the Panthers caused an uproar by threatening to revoke PSL's for fans who did not buy playoff tickets. Its not likely that anyone will give up their PSL investment by not renewing--but if my team was planning to go on the cheap for coaching for an anticipated strike year that may or may not happen--It wouldn't show me great commitment to winning.

How many other teams are following this strategy? Approximately zero....Nothing against the Panthers but every pundit I listen to says there will be no strike. This sounds like great messaging cooked up by the PR department. They already have trouble selling out--would you buy PSL's and season tickets to a team that is already planning to cut costs for an unlikely strike year. This just adds to the argument that the Panthers under current ownership do not have the resources to be competitive. They are sitting in the middle of a pretty significant wealth pocket in Charlotte (Spaulding, McColl, Lewis, Bowles, Schwab, and many others)..they are just majority owned right now by the wrong guy.

The new ownership investment would fund Cowher -- but his price would be more reasonable to stay in Carolina, word has it a 30-40% discount in salary which would be about $6.5M/per year - (Note that Fox is scheduled to make $6M in 2010). Cowher would receive limited partner status with the new ownership group. The new ownership would not fund a lucrative extension for John Fox.

Yesterday the news broke that John Fox would be offered the opportunity to fulfill the last year of his contract next year with the Panthers. He would also be allowed to retain his entire staff. Vic Carucci just filed his pro bowl story that had a tidbit I have been hearing for a while. Here is the link and the tidbit: http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8...mp;confirm=true The Carolina Panthers' coaching situation is something to watch. It isn't because the Panthers want to dump John Fox, as many in the media have speculated. As I'm hearing it from various NFL sources, it could very well be a case of Fox not wanting to remain with an organization that might not necessarily provide him with the resources to turn things around. Let me add a bit to this: Panthers owner Jerry Richardson fired his two sons from the organization just before the start of the 2009 regular season. The two sons did not have a common vision for the operation of the franchise. Richardson hired an old buddy from Wofford (SC) College and the then Athletic Director at TCU, Danny Morrison to run the team. Richardson has always been on the cusp of lacking the deep pockets to be an NFL owner. A lot of the Peppers controversy is about having to shell out $30 or 40M in guarantees. Not extending Fox is just more evidence of this. Its very very hard for a lame duck coach and staff to succeed. It would not surprise me if Fox resigns after the game this week. Richardson would get what he wants--no severance ties to a coach, the freedom to after Cowher at a reasonable price, and added value of having Cowher involved to ease the sale of the team to a consortium of well-heeled Charlotte power brokers (Led by former Bank of America CEO's Ken Lewis and Hugh McColl). If Fox is available the Bills should not hesitate a second in coming after him.... Just a little informed speculation...a tad of inside information but it could impact the Bills coaching search.

1) Not TO be 2) From Ball U to Bawl U - The Andre Ramsey Story 3) Come watch the highlight package for 13 other teams 4) More effective than Sominex

Leach would be a perfect fit. The Bills offense has been in the dark all season...he could banish them there permanently.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/news/story?id=4776848 He may be available.....woooo hoooo.... I like Leach a lot-he is the Aristotle of College Football Coaches. I hope the complaint turns out to be unfounded.

Clements' 2 years as Bills OC in 2004 and 2005 were uneventful but he has a decent track record as a QB coach--right now for Green Bay. I think that Weis will want to call plays no matter who holds the title. I think the opposite with Crennel--I think he would be happy in his early sixties coming off hip replacement surgery and a tough tenure in Cleveland--to have complete control of a D. Weis would likely give him that. I posted this in another thread -- but here is my opinion on Weis: Weis was cocky enough to think he could overcome the challenges of Notre Dame. There is no football dorm, there is no training table, there is an unbending disciplinary and academic standard that goes beyond even the Stanford's and Northwestern's. Its just the ND way but it fails in today's football factory mentality. Weis thought he was mighty enough to overcome all this--he wasn't--he tried to bully the system a few times and found out Our Lady is more powerful than the Gospel according to Tuna. It turned out to be a bad situation for both. Charlie is more of a pro coach. I believe this in all my heart. His ego couldn't take pandering to 17 and 18 year olds...he wants to be able to "Fire" guys who don't live up to the standard. The lesson he had at ND will serve him well...I think he can be a really good pro coach. I am not an alum but a fan...its been almost as tough being an Irish fan as a Bills fan.

Cowher doesn't need no stinkin' GM When Cowher does a push up he actually pushes the earth down Cowher had an awkward moment once just to see what it felt like Come on -- you know the drill.

He already changed his first name to fit in...

According to the Charlotte Observer http://blogs.charlotte.com/tom_talks/2009/...ext-season.html I would have liked him to be on the market...my only criticism of him during his tenure with the Panthers is sticking with Jake Delhomme too long this year...

Last post on this for me... Was at the game yesterday. 11 rows behind the bench in section 136--lots of Bills fans in our section -- As we all saw the Bills were never in the game. A minute and a half in we were down 7-0 and I looked at my kids and said enjoy the sights and sounds because the offense is going to run for the bus. We took our share of "good natured" ribbing but all in all lots of fun. I sat there almost satisfied in saying that this is an excuse to blow this up. The Offense is the problem and the problem runs very deep. The line just gets dominated on most plays -- but then again--Andre "Freakin" Ramsey probably never thought he would be a #1 LT in the NFL his UDFA rookie year and facing John Abraham. He was just a happy go lucky kid at Ball State a year ago. The problem is part scheme, but its mostly talent on the line. The opposing D doesn't have to worry about our so called weapons because we are so easy to overpower upfront. I would say we lack a QB and should go after one--but from seeing the line it would be really hard to evaluate the QB's we have on the roster. Smarter football minds than me would know where to start. If you have someone available who is a widely considered offensive genius who also happens to be looking for redemption--you need to consider him. That guy could be Weis. My parameters would be 1) He has to be the choice of a GM we hire this week or next. I am a huge Floyd Reese fan--he is a defensive and strength and conditioning coach by birth. He knows talent on the D side of the ball. 2) We have to bring in an experienced DC - Romeo Crenell would be the obvious choice because of the friendship and experience with Weis 3) Reese is 62, Crennell is 62 or 63 -- we have to bring in folks to groom for both of them --- Marc Ross and Darryl Talley would be my choices... Weis was cocky enough to think he could overcome the challenges of Notre Dame. There is no football dorm, there is no training table, there is an unbending disciplinary and academic standard that goes beyond even the Stanford's and Northwestern's. Its just the ND way but it fails in today's football factory mentality. Weis thought he was mighty enough to overcome all this--he wasn't--he tried to bully the system a few times and found out Our Lady is more powerful than the Gospel according to Tuna. It turned out to be a bad situation for both. Charlie is more of a pro coach. I believe this in all my heart. His ego couldn't take pandering to 17 and 18 year olds...he wants to be able to "Fire" guys who don't live up to the standard. The lesson he had at ND will serve him well...I think he can be a really good pro coach. A deep side note: Leodis McKelvin was about 5 seats away from us..we didn't bug him -- but as I saw Youboty and Corner getting torched all day -- we did look at each other once near halftime and I said--"we need you"...he smiled and said his leg was doing better. Had a cool group of friends with him -- Poz and Florence kept looking up at him shaking their heads...We have a lot of talent on sidelines this year....the bounce back could be quicker than we think with the right leadership.

John rooster (pause) tosten.... a classic line... Also a pretty damn good burrito at Moe's.......

Romeo Crennel would be a candidate for DC. Marc Ross, now with the G-men, but formerly of the Bills would be a candidate for director of pro personnel or as GM. All from the Parcells lineage... Crennel sat out this year from coaching to recover from hip replacement surgery. Ross is a real up and coming football mind. If we added someone like Floyd Reese as the GM to groom Ross for 3-4 years, I would say we have started on a good path.

I felt the earth move as I got the v-text... http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-3...b8-380c3e0cb98f

WR Steve Johnson, CB Ashton Youboty, DB Cary Harris, OL Jamon Meredith, WR James Hardy, TE Joe Klopfenstein, DE Chris Ellis. Owens starting--practiced yesterday for walk - through

Another key Bill seemingly headed to the IR. What a crummy year..... Hope its something that allows for a quick come back.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/310193-...-fans-celebrate Its also on espn.com... http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4750356 First thought was the same as yours--Danny has a deal with someone who wants total control.

Twitter him and tell him of your dissatisfaction. As for posting this on the main board -- this has squat to do with the Bills unless Brian Kelly is related to Jim so use off the wall. We have our own football team that has underperformed for most of the last decade and a half -- we don't need to be talking about another team that has done the same... ;-)

1) I don't know many grad students who want to live with Jabba the Hutt 2) If Weis said this you have to look no further for reasons why he is no longer the coach at Notre Dame. Go be a cub reporter for Perez Hilton. 3) I guess its easy to get mad when you go 0-5 against your rival CYA Charlie...

Not even close......particularly when you consider the $35M or so price tag....Elin... Swings a mean iron too.

I sat next to him. He stole some of my nachos. Bastard. We did have an ongoing conversation. Highlights: He said he would have punted instead of trying the field goal and wondered openly why they practiced in the rain. He said he refuses to wear a headset. He used the phrase "took the sails out of our wind" and he wore a pullover sweater that looked like Picasso puked..by the end of the game I told him never to come back to WNY. Why would we want a guy that lost to Trent Edwards and Dick Jauron at home last year?

I think Chuck Lester was one...Thurman and Jim had a few and mistook Chuck's chiseled physique for a player.

Watched him all year long. He has been solid. We picked him up as a street free agent and he panned out and we signed him for another year. Not every free agent we pick up has to be ****...this one worked out.