jahnyc

The Bills may retain Grey? Is this possible?

I gave TD the benefit of the doubt for the first couple of years. But now with Marv (with no GM experience) and RW as our decision makers, the last thing we needed as fans was a move that would create new doubt in our collective minds. The current structure, RW's age, MM resigning (and not getting paid out on his contract), Modrak in Florida, RW in Detroit and Marv in Chigcago has created an unstable and weird situation. From the perspective of the franchise, we really needed TD to be successful. He was not, and now there are significant consequences.

Who knows how this will turn out, but I note the following: 1. Many Packer fans seem to still like and respect Sherman. On this board, many such posts to this effect were made. I noted almost no support for Jauron from any fans of the Bears or Bills fans living in Chicago. 2. Sherman head to head against Jauron was 7-1. 3. I think most fans are bitterly disappointed. After a very crappy time under TD and the bizarre resignation of MM, we needed more than the hiring of Jauron. 4. Stop with the comparisons to Belichick. I know that with Cleveland his record was well under .500. This does not mean that Jauron will have success because BB did with his second opportunity to be head coach. 5. How is Jauron going to attract quality assistant coaches and free agents? I don't see it.

I had a feeling that it was going to be Jauron when RW drove him to the airport after his interview. I also recall hearing that RW liked Jauron when the Bills last interviewd head coaches (and ended up with MM).

I have no problem with posters claiming to have inside contacts and information, but the problem with Soprano was that he posted so many times and with such certainty. This poster should be banned.

Disappointing in a number of ways. First, many seemed to believe that Sherman was the better candidate. I also excited about the possibility of Bates as def. coordinator. Second, I was upset when TD picked MM because of the so called "Pittsburgh" connection. I did not think that MM was the best candidate at the time, but I thought he got the job because TD was comfortable with him. We passed on Weiss, Crennel and others. Now it seems that Marv and RW are making the same mistake. Sherman has an excellent track record and playoff appearances. Jauron does not, other than one season and one playoff appearance. Are the players, possible free agents and fans going to view this as a franchise that is making a commitment to winning? I don't believe so. Finally, I am incredibly annoyed at all of the poster with so called inside information. Some of these people should be banned from the board if the Jauron hire is true.

Another interesting part of the story is the MM fired the defensive staff before walking away. I wonder if some of the assistant coaches would have otherwise stayed, assuming that the next HC and defensive coordinator were interested in retaining them. Unfortunate that MM had the opportunity to fire them and not the next HC.

In his Notebook, Pete Prisco indicates that MM had problems with his defensive staff and they second guessed him with the players. Sorry cannot link, but see cbssportsline.com. If true, I think MM's departure is a very good thing for team. MM had problems with his defensive staff, problems with veterans, problems with his own offensive coordinator, family issues, etc. A clean start was necessary because there is no way that MM could have been successful under these circumstances. It sounds like he had lost his team and his staff. I am pleased that the Bills are looking primarily at coaches with experience as head coaches. We need some maturity and experience with our next head coach.

I would expect that a trustee/executor of RW's estate would have a fiduciary obligation to get maximum value for the sale of the Bills. I read an article some time ago where RW stated that it would violate law to include a provision in his will that the Bills be sold to an owner who would agree to keep the team in Buffalo. Does anyone recall this or know if this is true? I agree that even if a local person does not purchase the Bills, it still would be possible that an owner living in another city would purchase the Bills and keep them in Buffalo. In any event, we will need strong support from the NFL, NY state (senators and governor) and local officials to make sure that the Bills stay in New York after RW is no longer the owner of the Bills.

But where are all the candidates? All we are hearing is Jauron and Sherman. If this is the case, then the Bills have their mind made up. Maybe RW wanted Jauron the last time and TD talked him out of it. I have a feeling that no one else is being considered.

Yes, I agree. Very strange. Particularly since the first candidate interviewed is not drawing interest from any other team. Why no interest in some of the other candidates for other head coaching positions (i.e., Linnehan, Grimm, Al Saunders)? I am surprised that we did not interview Payton or try to interview Mangini. The only two names that seem to be on the Bills' list are Jauron and Sherman. I really would like to hear some new names.

I would have been okay with Payton. He seems to be very well thought of and is a "fresh" face.

It was reported that the Bills requested and received permission to speak to Payton. Now it seems that he will become HC of the Saints without meeting with the Bills. Is the New Orleans situation more attractive than the one with the Bills? I find this hard to believe, but I am concerned if that is the perception. Where are all of the hot shot assistant coaches/coordinators? Seems like a tough year to be searching for a new head coach.

Whether or not Mangini becomes a good coach, the AFC East is shaping up as a tough division. NE and Miami wil be well coached and attractive destinations for free agents.

I agree that he could be a flop, but I also like taking a chance on a coach that is smart and likely well trained. Maybe the problem is that I am not excited about the group of possible head coaches that the media is reporting we are going to interview. I do recall feeling that Weis was the guy when we last were looking for a coach. I was disappointed when we hired MM. This time I feel like the Bills are looking at a bunch of guys with very mixed track records (Sherman, Jauron and Haslett). Then again, Marv's record before joining the Bills was similarly mixed.

Mangini seems to have real potential. Smart and trained under Belichick. I had hoped the Bills would have at least talked to him. Saban, Belichick and Mangini. If Mangini is the real deal, this will be a tough group of coaches to face twice a year.

Sorry can't link, but Peter King notes in Monday Morning QB that Ralph made a lot of calls (daily) to Donahoe and the coaches. He suggests that it took time away from more important activities. This should make the HC position for the Bills that much more attractive to potential candidates.

Yes, living in NYC, the Jets do seem to have interest in Mangini. I also have read reports that the Jets like Tice (believe it or not).

Have not seem his name mentioned since the initial speculation the day MM re-signed. Has his name come up any where since then a possible replacement for MM?

I really like Marv, but he needs to think of the best interests of the team, not himself, as the Bills consider the next HC of the team. I was disappointed in the way he responded to questions about his interest in becoming HC. He should have stated that he has no interest in becoming HC. He was hired for a particular position within the organization and the team needs him in that capacity now. I don't think it is good for the team's efforts in recruiting a new HC if there is a suggestion/perception that Marv wants back in as coach of the team. I know he wants to coach again, but his new position is the right job for the team and him at this time. We need to move on and find a new HC and bring some stability back to the organization.

The Gray situation makes no sense, particularly when the news media is reporting that he is one of the leading contenders for HC. Is Marv going to live in Buffalo? This new structure does not make a lot of sense to me; I can understand MM's concerns about it and the ability to attract coordinators and staff into this kind of a situation. MM ends up looking okay because the Bills wanted to retain him and he was not fired.

I think you have really hit on one of the most important (if not the most important) situation facing the Bills during this offseason: how do we know if JP can be the guy next year (and after)? Clearly, there will be little patience with JP; if he starts he will need to perform. I think the Bills should bring in a veteran QB other that KH and let JP and the veteran compete for the starting job. The team needs to win now.

I really think a fresh start was needed with the head coach as well. If you know that you have a great head coach, changing the assistants makes sense. If you have no idea how good a head coach you have, making these types of changes make little sense. While I like Marv, I hope this does not result in Marv becoming HC if the team stumbles at the start of next season.

I understand, but if you fire MM next year, the team will be eating the costs of the new assistants that are not retained next year when the new coach want to hire his own assistants. MM is one of the lowest paid coaches in the NFL. Eating the last three years of his contract would not be significant compared to what other teams have been willing to do with much more highly compensated head coaches. Plus MM would likely find other employment, which would offset these amounts.

I don't understand firing all of these assistant coaches and the coordinators and keeping MM. 1. MM has not show much as HC. This is not Parcells. Can it really be suggested that the poor play of the offense and the defense was somehow not related to MM's performance as HC (i.e., it was the fault of the assistant coaches)? Makes no sense to me. 2. What coordinator or assistant coach would come to Buffalo knowing that MM was almost fired and could be replaced next year (possibly by Levy)? 3. Were all of the defensive assistants not up to par? I know the defense had a poor year, but do you wipe away the two years prior when the defense performed well?