BillnutinHouston

Do you mean "boat load"?

Come on, have some standards man!

So if prediction threads (posts?) are a waste of time, what are posts that COMMENT on prediction posts? Why get mad about what I posted? Time will tell if I'm right or wrong.

Donte - when we beg you to make plays, we mean FOOTBALL plays. Not plays on words.

Pasting this from a prediction thread I started this morning, that was closed by our genius moderators: SHANAHAN IS A BILL... Just having some fun trying to interpret the circumstances of the meeting this week, and the statement that Shanahan made when it was done. Bottom line, I think he and Russ hammered out a gentlemen's agreement that they cannot announce right away due to the Rooney rule. Follow me on this logic: - I think most would agree that meeting for 7 hours, past midnight on the first day, is pretty meaningful in itself. But why stretch the meeting over TWO DAYS - is this a "sleep on it" kind of thing? If nothing else, it shows me that there were some pretty in-depth conversations taking place. - Shanahan's description of the meeting as "excellent" and "productive" are very interesting word choices to me, in that they are much more than a perfunctory description. And, he stated that he was "impressed" with Brandon's presentation. If in the end Shanahan had intentions of going elsewhere, why would it serve his interests to be so effusive in his description of the meeting? I don't think it does - unless he's just naturally an extremely gracious guy. Now, some might say that Shanahan might have subtly hyped his meeting with Russ in an effort to entice another team to offer him an even better deal. I ask, is he really going to get a better deal than $10 MILLION A YEAR WITH FULL CONTROL OF THE FOOTBALL OPERATIONS? I doubt it. - Shanahan said he and Russ will "stay in touch" and (paraphrasing here) "see what develops". This could mean several things but I believe this is the code phrase for, "we can't announce any results until the Bills have interviewed Fewell." Again, why did he feel it necessary to say they will stay in touch? I read this as his way of leaving the door open for a later announcement of a deal. Call me crazy but I'm predicting right now that this is all but a done deal. OK, flame away...

Just having some fun trying to interpret the circumstances of the meeting this week, and the statement that Shanahan made when it was done. Bottom line, I think he and Russ hammered out a gentlemen's agreement that they cannot announce right away due to the Rooney rule. Follow me on this logic: - I think most would agree that meeting for 7 hours is pretty meaningful in itself. But why stretch the meeting over TWO DAYS - is this a "sleep on it" kind of thing? If nothing else, it shows me that there were some pretty in-depth conversations taking place. - Shanahan's description of the meeting as "excellent" and "productive" are very interesting word choices to me, in that they are much more than a perfunctory description. And, he stated that he was "impressed" with Brandon's presentation. If in the end Shanahan had intentions of going elsewhere, why would it serve his interests to be so effusive in his description of the meeting? I don't think it does - unless he's just naturally an extremely gracious guy. Now, some might say that Shanahan might have subtly hyped his meeting with Russ in an effort to entice another team to offer him an even better deal. I ask, is he really going to get a better deal than $10 million a year with full control of the football operations? I doubt it. - Shanahan said he and Russ will "stay in touch" and (paraphrasing here) "see what develops". This could mean several things but I believe this is the code phrase for, "we can't announce any results until the Bills have interviewed Fewell." Again, why did he feel it necessary to say they will stay in touch? I read this as his way of leaving the door open for a later announcement of a deal. Call me crazy but I'm predicting right now that this is all but a done deal. OK, flame away...

So the update is...? Nice thread.

If Russ didn't get the door slammed in his face, it's a win.

I wasn't able to listen to the audio clip but surmising from the comments above, I guess we are supposed to believe that Shanahan, while not going public with his true feelings for the Bills' offer, has confided in a colleague that he has no interest in coming to Buffalo. I just find it hard to believe that people like Shanahan, who are at the very top of their profession, talk to other "top football men" and share their intimate thoughts about, and reactions to, various rumored job offers. Do they really have the need to blab to each other like 12-year old schoolgirls? I would think that these types, who are highly competitive and used to playing things close to the vest, would keep their true feelings to themselves. This is, after all, a multimillion-dollar poker game for these guys. I put little stock in secondhand reports, even from "top football men".

EXACTLY After a decade of failure and the TO signing last year it's understandable for the fans to be cynical about all the news. But the idea that the leaks are all a marketing ploy MAKES NO SENSE. Put yourself in Brandon's shoes - how would an epic fail on your part be good marketing?

I would buy your argument that its all about "timing" and "smoke and mirrors" if the season ticket deadline for next season was a month from now. But hype at this stage does your marketing no good if you ultimately fire blanks at the end of the process - in fact I would argue that its counterproductive to hype the big-name coaches and then ultimately hire another second or third-tier coach. Any other theories out there?

I remember reading that but I don't understand the logic. If you know or think you're going to get fired, you tell all - why? Retribution? Is telling all going to make you more attractive to your next employer?

For an organization that normally works hard to operate under a cloak of secrecy, the last week sure has been quite newsworthy, with reports out about several former coaches (Shanahan, Gruden, Cowher, Schottenheimer) being contacted or considered by the Bills. Even salary numbers are being bandied about. What do you make of this? Is there a method behind the madness? I can think of a few possibilities: - The leaks out of OBD are intentional, designed to create a buzz in the media and among the corps of coaching candidates - the idea being to package Buffalo as a hot destination, and get the word out that the job is lucrative. - The leaks are coming from the candidates themselves. But would all four of the above named coaches blab this to the media after they hang up the phone with (on) Brandon? - The leaks out of OBD are accidental, just more evidence of OBD incompetence. Interested to hear your theories on this. Hoping for some intelligent thought, don't let me down guys - I know you can do it...

What the statement DOESN'T say is as important as what it does say. 1) The first sentence is meaningless. 2) The statement says nothing about moving ahead with the search, nor does it deny moving ahead - which means (to me) that they ARE moving ahead. 3) They are not talking any more about this, while they move ahead.

I still don't get your annoyance. Yes, we are at that point where the rule is relevant - we just fired our coach, plan to hire another one, and it applies. Not sure why you think it's "petty" - it just applies. It is what it is. The main reason I posted this is, I was curious to know if that rule applies to front office jobs as well as coaching vacancies, and yes, it appears to. I thought others might have the same question.

Calm down? What part of my post were you reacting to?

Some cuts and pastes from Wikipedia, if you put any faith in that source: "The Rooney Rule, established in 2003,[1] requires National Football League teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations opportunities. As of June 15, 2009, Rooney Rule requirements now apply to all searches for senior football operations positions within the NFL, regardless of a team's title for that position.[8]" So it appears that the Bills can't "just go after" Shanahan or anyone else without doing additional interviews, unless they are willing to absorb a fine. Ralph will most definitely conduct the obligatory minority interview so as not to throw away money needlessly.

All I can say is WOW.

Does anybody else think that dropping Gilbride's, Haslett's and Trestman's names just MIGHT be an attempt, lame as it is, to reduce Shanahan's considerable negotiating leverage? I do. If Ralph is truly house cleaning as many suspect he is, the other names are just smoke screens. Keep in mind that none of the "also rans" are, to my knowledge, widely known to be requiring "full control" of football operations as Shanahan is. If the Bills are active this early, they are looking for a full-charge guy, not just a coach. You don't hire a coach and THEN a GM (unless you are the Browns).

No, of course you are not bitter. If I'm not mistaken, Brandon is credited with successfully regionalizing the franchise (yes, the move to Pittsford was a part of this) and is most likely the primary force behind the Toronto deal. When you can deliver healthy new sources of revenue to your boss, you are generally in good shape, employment wise.

I guess at the University AT Buffalo they don't teach proper sentence structure - in your sentence, the word you were looking for is "lies" rather than "relies". Just saying...

Exactly. If the driver for Ralph was playing Trent, he would just pick up the phone and tell Dick what he wanted and Dick would comply.

That article was not one of Tim's better efforts, and in particular his list of "other" candidates was uninspired and included no rationale for who was included and who wasn't. Also, the photo with Perry Fewell's name below it, wasn't Perry.

This article was Lombardi's application to be GM of the Bills. He says the front office needs to develop a detailed plan for the type of team/players they want, knowing full well that the current cast of characters are incapable of doing this.

It IS a desperation move on Dick's part, no question about it. What will be interesting to see is, after the Bills go to 3-7 and inch closer to being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, if the "win now" moves continue in week 11 or if the "let's see what we have on the roster" forces win out. To me that will be an indication of how widespread the feeling is in the front office that there will be a full housecleaning. If you have any "juice" in the front office and are caclculating that you MIGHT have a future with the Bills, you try to justify your job by getting your picks on the field to show promise for next year. If you think you're about to be fired and your only hope is to win now, you advocate panic moves.