FLFan

I would puke, phenomenally.

Thanks for posting. I have seen many comments here that like to excuse Shanahan in Washington because of the owner, but that was not my perception of his tenure in DC either, and I live in the area and read the Post daily. If people thought Marrone was arrogant and abrasive, they will just love old Mike. Shanahan at least brings a pedigree and some great success on his resume, but he would certainly demand full control and that did not work out well for the Deadskins. It could be worth the risk, certainly worth evaluating if you are the Pegulas, but buyer beware.

I would not write off Pat Shurmur as some are ready to do. He has an excellent resume as an offensive coach including OL, QB, and OC. The Browns were then, and are now, the definition of dumpster fire. It would certainly be worth talking to him and getting his perspective on what was wrong with Cleveland, but lack of talent was certainly a huge issue with those teams. For me, HC experience in the NFL would be number 1 on my wish list. The Bills are close and the last thing we need is someone learning on the job. This is what scares me about the hot coordinator of the year candidates. Shurmur has HC experience, a great offensive resume (including now access to Chip Kelly's offense), and would inherit a great defense and a great DC. Much different situation than in Cleveland during his last go. One edit: I just looked it up, and his first coaching hire was Dick Jauron, to replace Rob Ryan. That is uninspiring.

Yes, just LaConfora and I suspect he is being fed that line from Marone's agent, but we don't know. Local reporters with ties to the Bills organization reported the opposite. I seriously doubt they offered Marrone an extension, but who really knows.

This is just more crap being shoveled at the talking heads from Marrone's agent. I take this with a grain of salt. Marrone looks more and more like a dirtbag with every day that goes by.

I am not buying this report. It sounds to me like his source is probably Marrone's agent who would be doing some damage control.

Well said.

No question this is true.

Teams without turmoil are rarely looking for a HC. Also, organizations which undergo ownership change always have turmoil. Always. That said, I think you overstate the "turmoil" a bit. As for Pegula's plan, I am quite sure he has one but is not likely to share much with us. He previously said his plan was to hire a consultant after the season to help him evaluate the organization. I suspect he was not thinking of blowing anything up given the 9/7 finish, but looking for independent advice on structure and personnel on the management side. Marrone quitting has put that on hold. The priority has to be the HC. Stay tuned in the rest. As for the QB quitting, I must have missed the outpouring of tears and consternation around here that Orton would not be back. I think most people had already concluded an upgrade was needed. Nothing has changed. The Bills needed a QB before Orton retired.

I think people are over reacting to this a bit, but it certainly seems like Pegula has every intention of making changes in the front office. My guess is the intention was to bring in a consultant to evaluate structure and performance objectively and advise. Marrone quitting put things off a bit. It does not seem unusual to me that a HC would not report to the GM. Marrone did not report to the GM. He reported to Brandon. I think Pegula does not trust Brandon and is not quite sure what he has in Whaley, hence the short leashes they are both on right now. None of this is unusual to me in an organization with new ownership. I am sure Pegula hoped he would just need to focus on management first, not obtaining a new HC, but that is not how events have unfolded, and he is dealing with it. Relax people. The season has not even been over for a week yet.

Littman has not worked for the Bills since the sale, but Overdorf would not surprise me, nor would Brandon.

I agree with this. I would be ok with Scwartz and a good OC, but I like Bevell above all other candidates mentioned at HC, presuming we can keep Scwartz happy. He is coming from a high quality team and organization, and has done a remarkable job, especially considering the lack of true offensive weapons on that team. Their success speaks volumes of his role in addition to the clearly great defenses they have fielded.

I don't think Marrone ever directly reported to ownership. He may have wanted that and may have actually acted that way, but he was supposed to report to Brandon. There was clearly something disfunctionl going on with the Brandon/Whaley/ Marrone relationship. It sounds like Terry is going to take control until he can get it resolved

How so? Just asking.

I agree. No reason to blow up the defense which would surely happen with Rex. It seems to me that if we are going to go with a HC who had some previous success and is a strong defensive guy, we already have him here in Scwartz. No reason for Ryan to be here.

I would hate Ryan as coach of the Bills. Very bad idea. He has shown no ability to build an offense or offensive staff. It would be a step backward for our defense as well. He is all bluster. I do not get the love for this guy.

They do not need to make any public statement on this. It can and should be discussed privately with the candidates. The Pegulas will announce the business structure at the appropriate time, and this is not it.

If people seriously are expecting that Pegula will publicly lay out his thoughts and plans they are going to be disappointed. That is not his style. They have had less than 24 hours since the dickhead quit. We don't know if that surprised ownership or if it was engineered. We don't know what plans are for Brandon or Whaley. All will be clear in due time.

Wow. That was a short honeymoon. It is going to be a long painful offseason I have the feeling.

It would be shocking to me if there was not some sort of contact, even if indirectly.

Exactly. If they intended to fire Whaley, then Marrone would still be here. Whaley is the one guy they they intend to retain beyond anyone, I believe.

Hacket will not be employed by the Bills in 30 days. Perhaps less.

I agree. I have not heard of any interest in him from other teams looking for a HC, and he is under contract, but it would be difficult to believe he could be retained by a new HC if he is passed over. Perhaps with a truly big name and a bump to asst HC, but Frank Reich?

I have to agree. I actually enjoyed it when he put these shmucks on ice. He tried being direct and open and they crucified him for it. Good luck in NYC though if that is where he lands.

It was always a long shot to me that the Bills would be able to keep Brandon for this very reason. Oakland could be a very good place for him to be. I give Brandon a great deal of credit for keeping the Bills viable in the NFL. He has gotten a great deal of criticism here, some of well deserved, but he has done great work for the Bills and is I am sure well regarded around the league. The Bills just may not be the right place for him right now.