Ed_Formerly_of_Roch

Didn't Marv cut Haslett when he was here? I spite of what Fred Smerlas might try to tell you, I'm not so sure that Has wasn't one of those guys that Marv got rid of as he consdered him a cancer?? (Along with Fred)

I really think that was Ralph being vindictive, rather than Ralph being cheap. Either way, he came across as a fool and that may have cost him his shot at HOF. Everyone seems to think that the reason TD hired unknowns was to prevent a power struggle like he had with Cowler in Pitt. And with the unkown, cam a lowe salary. So maybe it wasn't Ralph, but TD. We'll know the answer to that one in a couple weeks depending on who they hire.

Who said you're giving them a one year contract? They will likely be given three or even four year contracts. Other than the coordinators, doesn't make much difference as even if they come to Buffalo, and in a year MM gets fired, the new head coach wants a whole new staff, so they're let go. The new D line then would get paid by Ralph until they get a new job which likely would occur with in a year anyway. So at most Ralph pays them for a year.

Records obtained with totally different rosters. I'm totally convinced if we had hired either instead of Williams, right now they'd be ex head coaches of the Bills as they too would have been fired a year or two a go. I don't think anyone could win with the roster here in Buffalo. Yes there are some good players here, but the o-line mess has killed this team. The argument could be made that they were stornger personailities and wouldn't have allowed TD to give the mthe talent he did, but that's debatable. I think we'd still have the same team with a few exceptions.

But the problem is they aren't voted in by other owners, but by writers. Most probably weren't even born when Ralph loaned Davis the $$ They are nominated because of their contributions, but there's nothing to prevent a votor from casting his vote strictly based on wins. I do think that the last five years or so in Buffalo have hurts Ralphs chances too. Whether it's true or not, his reputation of being cheap has hurt, and he's held too many grudges. Lou Saban and Wade Phillips are two big ones that have hurt him. I'd like to see him voted in, but these things have hurt him.

Your concept if fine, but don't think realistic. You'll never get any kind of good skill players for that kind of $$. Granted, I agree with you that with a good line, you don't need the best RB or WR, but I think your number are too low, particually when you include backups. On the otherhand I do think you over spent on the O-line so may get some extra $$'s from there. The other problem yu'll run into is a guy like Preston signs his first contract within your numbers, But if he becomes any good, his next contract would put him over your allowable. I've always felt though that you're better off signing the best safety or best center in the league as you can aquire top level talent at those positions for less money than the top RB or top QB

Didn't someone here start a post the other day suggesting we should draft him?? He'll fit Marv's charator need real well! Vick Arrested

Umm... This trick was tried already two years ago by the Giants and the Chargers. For the Giants to go from the #4 pick to the #1 spot, all they gave up was I believe two #1's and two #3's (or was it #2's) Either way was a hell of alot more than Losman and the #8! Maybe if you also threw in this years #2 and next years #1, you might get them to at least start returning phone calls. And if we somehow were to make the trade, you're getting a guy who may go #2, but can just as easily be a bust. Besides McNabb, what running QB has come close to being great? (some people may say that statement excludes McNabb too)

So guy was Guy? I've heard he's a wise guy!

I'd go with offense first as it takes longer for those guys to devleop. In addition as the season wore down Anderson was starting to come on. And if you do bring Adams back, then not in terrible shape there. On offense, you need as many as two new players plus likely to start Preston as a third new starter. Maybe you move Williams to guard, then need one new one. I think this will be answered by who they can sign as a free agent.

At the time I thought I recalled that the Steelers wouldn't give permission to interview Whisenhunt as they planned on making him the OC, which they did. It does indicate though that Pitt viewed Whisnehunt as being better than Clements though.

As much as I'm a Bills fan, I have to admire the Pats. Tehy win with little fanfare. As Milloy stated, Super Bowl rings don't feed your family. Well you see where he is now. They rarly make the police blotter. They just win and whe nsomeone is gone, they replace him with someone else who fills that role.

You have a point there. It was that Onion loaf yesterday at Tony Roma's that did it!

What happened? I went to the bathroom, the score was 17-14 Cinnci, came back and 28-17 Pitt!!

Good to see you didn't say; "This is not Belichick" as he didn't do any better than MM in his first two years at Cleveland, 6-10, 7-9, followed by 7-9, 11-5, 5-11 in years 3-5. 1983 was Parcells first year, and the Giants were 3-12-1 followed by 9-7 in 83. So MM actually has a better two year record than both these guys. Am I saying MM is better than these two? No, but I am saying he could be and no one knows. But I do know that if you keep changing coaches every two to three years, you'll likely never get anyplace!

That really doesn't matter as even if they fire Gray tomorrow, if he gets a job next week paying equal or more, the Bills are off the hook. Or are you suggesting the Bill's aren't going to fire Gray at all and will keep him if he doesn't get a head coach job to avoid paying him?? I think Gray is finished with the Bill's one way or another. I think he's being kept right now as it looks a little better when he's interviewing to list himself as currently employed as the def coord of the Bills as opposed to a recently fired coord. So the Bills are doing him a favor, with the understanding likely that if all of a sudden the person they are looking at is ready to sign, Gray would be immediately let go. That probably won't happen though as right now with all the changes going on, no one like a Caper,s Hasslett, etc will take a coordjob until all the head jobs are filled. So Gray hangs arounda couple more weeks, then is let go. The lower level copaches were let go now probably so they have a better change to find a new job which would save the Bills some money. Plus they aren't currently being interviewed for a head coach position.

Maybe not micromanaged, but I find it more than a coincidence that many people commented how MM began to sound like GW. I think that's due to TD pullling their string on what to say and not say to press, fans, and players. TD seemed to live the 21 century management style very well which tend to be alot of smoke and mirrors. If MM didn't do as TD told him, he got taken out to the woodshed for a talking to. After awhile MM finally got it! I think that will make MM a better coach escaping from under that tstyle of managing. MM was 9 and 7 the year prior. If he's so bad, how do you explain that? It wasn't just due to an easier schedule. I belive anyone can look like a great coach when they have good players. Will Marv get him the good players, don't know, but it can't get much worse. While agree too that TD was a tireless worker, etc, but he wasn't a very good scout. Or at the least was to infatuated with the skill positions. I can'r say for certain that MM will become a great coach, but considering what he was given last year, a 1st year starting QB, an offensive line with two new starters, and a third for over half the year when MW got hurt, a defense that got old in a hurry, I can't say that MM is the problem. You just don't know. And changing course every 2 or 3 years due to impatience gets you know where.

What movie was that in? I remember seeing it??

If he were fired by the Jets, at the least the price for him would have gone up due to the competition. And he may have instead signed with another team.

I agree, I'm almost positive what you are saying is correct. NO still is on the hook for the difference.

I doubt any of the prior head coaches will take a coordinators job till all head coaching jobs are gone. They likely are hoping to land one of them instead.

Well more than likely, this will mean waiting a couple weeks until all the head coach spots are filled. No one like a Capers, Hasslett, Fassell, etc would be willing to take a coordinators job until they are certain they are not in line for any head coach positions.

But how much of that was due to TD basically taking him to the woodshed every time he did or said anything that TD didn't like. After awhile you figure out what to say and do to keep TD happy. I think it' more than a coincidence that many people this season were saying that MM was begining to sound like GW. Maybe that was cause the same guy was moving their strings. And if they tried to break free, they'd get wacked upside the head qucikly. Td developed robots!

The one thing that I worry a bit about Marv is he was always a "player coach" Will he be too easy in contract talks and before you know it we're in salary cap hell due to overpaying?? I think that was Butler's fault too. He liked all the players too much. Why keep Mularky? Well he did win 9 games last year. Everyone expected more this season, and felt the one off-season thing we needed to do was improve the O-line, but in reality, the line got worse. On the defensive side, we aged very quickly. Are either of those things the coaches fault? On the surface you'd look to the GM to take care of that, although we'll never know if either TD or MM wanted to make changes, but either convinced the other changes weren't needed. Even this year when all was said and done, the players did still seem to like him with a couple of exceptions. As was said, sometimes it's just not your year. That doesn't explain a drop from 9 to 5 wins, but when coupled with the talent getting worse not better, four less wins isn't so shocking. I'd like to see MM coach with decent talent. I'm not totally convinced that will happen, getting better talent, but that's not MM's job to get the talent. But I'm willing to give him another year to find out.

What you say when not employed by the team doesn't mean a whole lot. Remember TD the year prior to working for the Bill's. On ESPN he stated, Flutue would be the starter over Johnson.. And once he was hired, he did the opposite. Based on what's now been seen of Holcomb, it also isn't a stretch to decide that while Holcomb may be a little better, he's not the answer. So it's not such an easy thing to decide. Plus Losman will have another year under his belt too by next summer as opposed to where he was in October.