BuffaloWings

It just seemed like Donahoe was trying to make a splash by hiring a coach that nobody expected him to hire. GW came out of nowhere when Lewis & Fox were available (even though Lewis didn't seem to want the job) and Mularkey came from (sort of) out of nowhere when Weis, Crennel, Smith, and many other good ones were available. Nice job, Tom. Nice job.

What everyone seems to be forgetting is that Houston has a solid, legitimate RB in Domanick Davis. Houston doesn't *need* a RB or QB - they need their line in gear and a coach that knows what he's doing as a HC.

I'd prefer this idea over Kelly being a coach on this team....and it's a lot more likely. He'd pretty much be doing what Mario Lemieux is doing with the Penguins, except for not playing. His presence with the ownership group would be a hell of a marketing move. I think this is *somewhat* likely, since Jim gives a lot to WNY and is still a fan of the franchise. However, isn't Ralph's daughter the "heir" to the team?

Details, details.... Sure, if Ralph had a ring, he'd probably be a finalist. But he's done more for the NFL over the past 40 years than Irvin did with one of his rings. I'd be ok with Aikman and Smith in there before Ralph, but not Irvin.

And yet....the convict Michael "Push-off" Irvin is a finalist.

Go back and watch what the Carolina Panthers offensive line did to the Giants today. They thoroughly dominated the Giants DL and never gave them a chance to control the line. The Panthers ran the ball better than any team I've seen all year. This is what winning teams do. The Panthers may not win the Superbowl this year, but the way they dominated the Giants today was textbook football.

What reasons would those be? That he ran the K-Gun? Jim Kelly was a great player and leader for the Bills, but I seriously have doubts about him being a coach. Maybe he could do it, but he has no experience doing so and there's no evidence that says he could be a good one. Bringing him back would simply be a PR move. Not to mention, I'd hate to see him not succeed. With no coaching experience, who's to say that the fans wouldn't turn on him if the offense isn't successful? There are plenty of qualified assistants out there right now that can install the K-Gun and work with the QB. Let's please put the "let's get Jim Kelly as a coach" to bed.

The other thing to consider is that maybe the multiple duties of being an OC and HC really hampered Mularkey and, thus, the offense suffered for it. I always believe that a team either underachieves or just doesn't do well when a head coach also has the role of GM. Just look at Seattle - Holmgren gave up the GM duties and now the team is floursihing. I honestly believe that's because he can just focus on coaching and game-planning and not worry about shopping for his groceries. Mularkey/Levy need to find an OC that can build and run an effective offense and a DC that can run an effective defense. Mularkey might just be a good coach, but he probably just had too much on his plate this year.

Guys like Wade Phillips, Norv Turner, Gregg Williams are excellent coordinators who just don't have it to be a head coach. This is why I'd prefer someone with *head coaching* experience and not be given 3-4 years to learn on the job. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if GW got a job somewhere else (we know now that likely won't happen for a few years) and was successful. He knows the Xs and Os well, but just made bad decisions in Buffalo. I'd be willing to see how he does with another HC chance - just not in Buffalo. Phillips was bad in Denver and probably lucky in Buffalo...he inherited Marv's team and had a good GM to go with it, but mishandled the QB controversy, let Bruce DeHaven be the scapegoat for the Music City Miracle , and hired someone wtih ZERO coaching experience to be ST coach. But as a coordinator, he was excellent in Denver, Buffalo, and now with San Diego.

I thought MM was done after the pathetic showing against NE, but they weren't as embarrassed (yeah, I know) against a better Denver team and they pulled out all the stops last week. I think a lot of the play calls were out of desperation for MM trying to keep his job. Maybe also he motivated the players to play for him - if that was the case, why the hell didn't he do that all year??? I think at this point, MM has learned his lesson. If the Bills whack the Jets tomorrow, he might save himself. Even so, it's a bad sign that it took him this long to figure out how to coach. I'd be up for TD getting the axe and maybe MM having one more season.

Mathias Kiwanuka - that guy's a stud DE. I wouldn't be upset if they replaced Kelsay with him, but he might be gone before the Bills get a chance to pick. Hutchinson or Jeff Backus would be excellent free agent pickups. One guy we might want to keep an eye on if he's still available on day 2 - QB Brad Smith from Missouri. If we're going to draft a QB on the second day, I'd look for that guy.

The D looked WAY better when Pat Williams was stuffing the run and Takeo Spikes was chasing down QBs and RBs. Gray's schemes were solid, but because he had good players playing like men, the D looked (and was) phenomenal. This is among the multiple reasons TD is under fire - but they're #1 in my book. Letting Williams and Antoine Winfield go were both idiotic moves, but I guess the bottom line ($$$$) is more important. At least the cap is under control...

For God's sake, it was 4th and 8 and it was still early in the game (the Bills were still leading 7-0 at the time, too). I'm not high on Mularkey these days, either, but we can't jump on him for a conservative call at the beginning of the 2nd quarter in a game they were leading at the time. Sheesh.

I lost Byron Leftwich a few weeks back and missed picking up Garrard. I'm in a 12-team league and the best choices I have to start my 2nd QB (Peyton Manning is my first one) are Kelly Holcomb, David Carr, or Ryan Fitzpatrick. Which one should I go with?

I watch this team (far too much, mind you) and wonder how their WRs are so damn wide open on every passing play. Uncanny. Something tells me the Patriots just know something every week. I also find it funny how every "expert" has been saying that they're getting back to the same team that's been winning year after year - easy to do that when you play the Jets & Bills in back-to-back weeks.

I actually thought Fassel would have been the guy to replace GW. I still really think he'd fit in well in Western NY - a stand-up guy, blue-collar, and won't take any crap from anyone. I heard that he "didn't interview well", which tells me Donahoe didn't want him, anyway. I'd be willing to give him a shot, even though he lost his team during the '03 season. At this point, I'd rather take an experienced guy instead of someone who's getting his first shot.

No way....besides, what does a better draft pick buy us? Bush? Leinart? Young (who may not even turn pro)? Remember the last top 5 pick we got....Mike Williams. How's that working out? I'd rather see this team win a game and at least make me feel good about something. A win Saturday night would make the Broncos sweat a bit for the AFC West division...at least make someone else feel a little nervous about their team. The Bills don't need a high draft pick - it would be just another guy who wants a ton of money and *may* be a decent player in the league. They need the front office to make the right decisions.

After reading that article, yes.

Wayne Huizenga owned both the Marlins and the Dolphins for a period of time.

I also think that this loss, while as sickening as it gets, might just be the best thing that happens to these guys. It exposed that we need a line badly, it shows the young players that they need to finish what they started, and it shows the coaches they need to do a better job of calling the plays. The second half also showed how important the loss of Spikes & Pat Williams are. No pressure on the QB and they couldn't stop the Fins from running. I would actually like to see the Bills sign Nate Clements, but not for a penny more than he's making right now.

That wasn't the problem, really...the calls seemed correct - the players just couldn't execute. This was a perfect example of why they need a real OL - run down the clock with a lead in the 4th quarter. I don't fire Mularkey - I fire Donahoe for trying to get cheap linemen. I'm surprised he hasn't said how linemen are a dime a dozen....

I think today's pathetic choke might just be the last straw. The play-calling was questionable at best and the defense couldn't hold down one of the worst teams in the league with their second-string QB. Perhaps Mularkey called those plays because he had no faith in the line to block. This was a perfect time to run McGahee and kill the clock and they couldn't perform. So much for a bargain-basement OL.

I understand your point, but that's still ridiculous. They'd be way better off showing the Bills in this area, despite their record. I think I'm writing to channel 6....

Foster is now probable. I'm thinking of starting him over one of my Seattle WRs.

Let's also remember that John Fox interviewed the day after he lost the Superbowl to the Ravens. He also was unprepared and probably worn out from prepping for the Superbowl, so he didn't interview well. It's easy to say now that TD made the wrong choice, but at the time Gregg Williams probably blew away every other candidate simply because he was prepared. That said, I've been less than impressed with Donahoe's personnel decisions. He's taken the approach of trying to get bargain basement players and build a team from the scrap heap. Bad idea, as we can see from the performances of the OL and DL. The one thing he should have done in the offseason was pay Pat Williams, which he didn't. I'm willing to give TD & Mularkey another year, but right now, I'm not impressed one bit.