MRM33064

The general sentiment seems correct; that is, I don't think the team coverage is particularly insightful. On the other hand, the Bills aren't exactly the kind of organization where major decisions are made after careful deliberation and management consensus. It's not as though big decisions (like the timing of firing an OC, or the timing of the firing of a HC ... etc.) are being strategically thought through by a group of guys whose ears a beat writer might be able to bend now and then. To put it differently, how does a reporter get a scoop on what ultimately amounts to the changing whims of an unpredictable, quirky 90-year old man? I'll bet Russ can't even be exactly sure of what Uncle Ralph might decide next week, let alone expecting the media to have a heads-up on what's going down. I don't know - I'd like better information, but I can understand how it's not the easiest to get.

Spot on. Things can change dramatically when serious discussions start. However, the Clayton comments made me think there may be some kind of gnarly personal issue between Marty and Ralph - one that sounded like was "known" among insiders, even though Clayton seemed to deny that. My own memory wants to say that some kind of spat was talked about back at the time of the Chiefs/Bills AFC Championship game as well, but I can't remember the details ... possibly relating all the way back to Marty's stint in Buffalo.

Roscoe and Maybin were just spotted at Johnny Rockets ordering milkshakes.

Carl Mauck ... LOL ... that was quality. Always good for a red-faced sideline tirade after a "lookout" block. When Marty fired him in San Diego, he had to have done it by phone ... long distance no less.

Q: "Jim, if not a specific name, what kind of characteristics should a coach have?" A: Well, you have to be tough like BILL COWHER ... have the attitude like BILL COWHER ... sure, we'd love a guy like BILL COWHER .... there may be names out there that i don't know, but someone tough like BILL COWHER Jimbo is the best .... the Frank Reich name drop was hardly an accident either. Frank will be back in the Bills organization next year. The re-emergence of the dynasty team and their involvement has the simultaneous great feeling of a terrific homecoming with a little bit of pitiful Al Bundy-ishness sprinkled in ... of us (the fans), not the veterans. We're so desperate, anything that even reminds us of winning works. Brandon may ultimately be just Ralph's order-taker, but he can certainly be a savvy dude.

Some will say that with enough money any HC (and staff) will come ... but I don't think so. One interesting thing to watch on the Buddy Nix hiring is what affect, if any, will it have on attracting top front-office talent. The GM isn't just a draftnik, though that IS an extremely important element of the job. How does the HC candidate pool react to this? Haslett could care less - he might coach here if Pee Wee Herman were GM - but how does this influence others? What does the move say (or reiterate) about how the Bills do things? Perhaps Buddy is widely respected among insiders, I have no idea, but I wonder how many other NFL teams coveted him on their GM wish lists .......

I didn't like when Buddy described the process that occurred which resulted in his hiring - I think he said it all came together in 6-8 days - implying that the selection was made in typical Bills fashion (i.e. stumbling upon it, like they stumbled upon TO when their real free agent WR target became unavailable), but maybe we'll get lucky here. PS: I think Polian and his crew did just fine with the Colts. :-)

One might say that, though I'd suggest the fact that we've had Rob Johnson, Kelly Holcomb, J.P. Losman, Trent Edwards, and Ryan Fitzpatrick has had a lot more to do with our ineptitude than a spotty (or bad) offensive line. When Bledsoe was here - arguably our only real talented QB during that period - we at least sniffed offensive respectability. I don't buy the implication that if our line would've been better, that QB list would now look like an All-Pro list. ALL aspects are important, it's a team game, but give me a star QB first. I'll build around him. The problem is finding him - more than 25 teams in the NFL are also looking.

Spot on. There are plenty of examples of this every season. OF COURSE the offensive line is important, but the QB's raw ability and talent probably has more to do with how "good" the line is perceived to be than anything else.

Now THAT is an interesting point ... and I am no TO fan. Obviously, no receiver was going to flourish in this offense with our disastrous QB situation, but Evans' "nice guy" person (some might say "invisible" persona) deflects a lot.

The remaining tickets were actually purchased by the support group, Compassionate Friends of WNY Insomniacs, who also announced that this week's meeting will be broadcast live this Sunday at 1pm.

Schobel was a favorite target of mine, but not this year. The guy was a gritty competitor all season ... and probably the only Buffalo Bill that Tom Brady isn't eager to see twice a year. I do think he ought retire ... from the Bills ... and allow himself a shot at a title somewhere else. Poz has officially taken over as the guy we can usually count on to underacheive.

Well, I'd be more inclined to assume Perry was calling well-matched defenses (and they simply weren't being executed properly), if I hadn't seen the end of the Dallas MNF game, the end of last week's Patriots game, etc., or any other situation that dictates a fairly obvious tactical, situational-based adjustment. Our talent is horrid, no question. The team is heinous; it's not Perry's fault ... but I don't think he's helping. I suppose we'll see how other GMs feel about his head-coaching acumen at year end. He seems like a nice enough guy, I hope he gets a dozen offers ... just not for head coach in Buffalo.

We're completely devoid of talent ... and Perry's tactical decisions usually live up to that standard.

LOL. Brohm to .......... ANYONE! QUICK! BEFORE I GET KILLED!

The play before the FG attempt .... a quick sideline pass. The one thing - other than the Hail Mary - that couldn't be allowed, and we concede it to them. How many times will Perry Fewell be outsmarted in key situations before he learns ... end of Dallas MNF game, last week's game with Welker's 7 yarder ... he has absolutely no tactical sensibility at all.

Agreed ... and give him a variety of passes to try. Not sure giving him experience in the Wildcat is going to teach us much.

Coy Wire .... bigger than Maybin?

I'm hoping his health problems aren't more serious that are being reported. It seems to me that this is the most likely, albeit regrettable, explanation.

That was more of an even-value exchange than we'd like to admit ... Shanahan helps goose up buzz for himself, the Bills get to use the (illusory) prospect of trying to bring in a big name (in this case, Shanahan) to excuse more inaction. On top of that, Brandon makes the Bills appear to be relevant again for a week, maybe even able to sell a few more tickets on false hope - in lieu of a complete fan revolt. It was a small win/win - just not for Bills fans.

* Whoever is in charge of clock management on the sideline once again left for a hotdog and/or a bathroom break with under 2 minutes left in the first half. The Pats* (who were going to get possession again at the beginning of the 3rd quarter) score, and turn the ball back over to the Bills with the interesting combination of having time outs yet virtually no time left to do anything. 56 yard FG attempt ensues, with expected result. * Perry - the tactical genius behind the brainless defensive scheme at the end of the infamous Dallas MNF game - again allows several DBs to play well off the line, evidently not quite understanding that a successful 6 yard pass to Welker (or to anyone) ENDS THE GAME just as quickly as a bomb to Moss would. Perry looks at his "3rd and long" chart there and sends out some kind of base defense like it's the middle of the 2nd quarter - oblivious to the situation - just like he did at the end of the Dallas game. Evil Hoodie watches, quitely giggling to himself as Brady hits a quick pass to bury the Bills, again. <sigh>

Exactly right. Not entirely different from the total lack of situational awareness the "D" showed at the end of that tragic Dallas MNF game. Complete disregard for the specific tactics needed for that spot. The time management debacle at the end of the 1st half is discussed in another thread.

I couldn't believe what I was watching when that happened .... and then I remembered who I was watching. If we use our timeouts there, we either stop them from scoring entirely, or they score a TD/FG and return the ball to us with 1:25 to use. Instead - we basically engineer the absolute worst result. They take multiple plays and score a TD, running the clock down - knowing that they will again get the ball back to start the 3rd quarter. Horrid, and another example of something that keeps us in the "L" column that has nothing at all to do with the talent on the field. Unless, of course, we assume we had a defensive player captain on the field with brains enough to call the timeout himself.

Personally, for whatever reason, I think Edwards lost whatever mojo he might've had when he got his bell rung in Arizona and was then joined to the hip to Dick Jauron, Buffalo's Caspar Milquetoast. Who knows what might've been had that not happened, I'll go for that, but to say "many playoff teams" have less talented QBs than Edwards .... wow, I'm not sure his own family would go that far.

This is spot on, and several statistics bear this out. Generally, in the NFL winning teams win by having a great passing offense. It is somewhat counterintuitive (mostly because it goes against "old school" notions of football), but great offenses tend to yield better results than great defenses, and great offenses tend to be great passing teams. The thing we're lacking most? Sadly, a great passing offense ... and our results over the last 10+ years are consistent with what the data would predict. :-(