MRM33064

I'd love a SuperBowl win so much that I'd be willing to ... I don't know ... how about give up making the playoffs again for ten straight years!!!! Wait a second .... that reminds me ....

It was quite a symbolic image on TV ..... Jauron, standing there in his stoic, emotionless haze of mediocrity with Jim Kelly looking over his shoulder. The present contrasted against the past. In the background, we see a Hall of Famer whose spirit says "WIN IT!" In the foreground, we see a man whose spirit says "DON'T LOSE IT." I can't help but think that Jauron's relentless drive for mediocrity is contributing a lot to this collapse. Everything about him exudes "average" or "unremarkable." It's not about yelling and screaming on the sidelines, but it is about cultivating a culture that replaces "let's take what they give us" with "let's take what we want." Talent and execution ultimately rule the day, but if you were an NFL veteran looking to play for a coach that gave you the best chance to win a SuperBowl before you retire .... where would Dick Jauron be on your list?

"First, the best part about Jauron's contract is it's not guaranteed." ---------------------------- Is that true?! That would be very unconventional for a head coach, but a highly significant point if true. Player contracts typically provide a "must make the team" escape clause, but head coach contracts are usually guaranteed to term ... except for certain "for cause" termination rights that are rarely used because doing so is a practice highly frowned upon by the league and the player's union. Al Davis is trying to scoot his obligations to Lane Kiffen, and Ralphy once tried to stiff Wade (and lost, I believe), but usually coaches get paid out their entire term. If Dicky can be let go with no financial consequences, that puts several options on the table.

ZONAB makes a very good point - "open" from the press box doesn't necessarily translate down to the field. Evans did appear open on the TV coverage feed a few times, but it's unclear to us whether the throwing lanes, etc. were available to take advantage of those situations. We can't see what Trent sees, which is what Jauron was trying to say post-game. (Did I just defend Jauron? Yikes.) However, the basic point is that when the QB is delivering the ball - particularly against a "Tampa Two" or similar coverage - the receiver will rarely appear "open." In fact, if the receiver appears "open" when before the ball is delivered, there's a good chance that the throw will be late. The throw, as our beloved Pillsbury doughboy Jaworski accurately pointed out, must be delivered before the receiver breaks into the "open" area of the field. Thus, the QB must trust his arm, his instinct, and his receivers to be in the right place. At this point, Trent is overthinking everything and trusting nothing, and against zone coverage that is a recipe for a disaster. No confidence + 7-8 men in coverage = trip to pick city.

Trent was terrible, but let's go back in time for a minute to the punt where Roscoe let it dribble back to our 1. 1. 1-10-BUF 1 (4:52) 23-M.Lynch left guard to BUF 5 for 4 yards (22-B.McDonald; 26-S.Jones). 2. 2-6-BUF 5 (4:15) 23-M.Lynch left guard to BUF 10 for 5 yards (94-L.Williams). 3. 3-1 .... BUF shows shotgun, no backs, a collective <gasp> from the crowd and 73,000 cries of "why?", after 2 successful runs deep in our own territory. But WAIT ..... Timeout #1 by BUF at 03:28 ..... Let's think this over. 4. BUF comes out in shotgun again, no backs. (?!?!?!) 5. 3-1-BUF 10 (3:28) (Shotgun) 5-T.Edwards pass short middle intended for 84-R.Royal INTERCEPTED by 22-B.McDonald [99-C.Williams] at BUF 15. 22-B.McDonald to BUF 12 for 3 yards (13-St.Johnson). Bad pass by Trent. Very bad pass .... but HORRIBLE decision making by our "braintrust." Puzzling.

Uncle Ralph doesn't believe in paying market prices for coaches. He has dipped into his pocket for players (including about a half a bazillion gillion on an offensive guard (?!)), but never for coaches. Given that Jauron has been extended <shudder>, do we think Ralphy will pay for TWO head coaching salaries? As painful as it sounds, methinks Dick is our boy for awhile.

The real problem with Trent is that he's being "groomed" by Sir Dick Jauron, the King of Mediocrity and his staff of mediocre assistants (with the possible exclusion of Bobby April). In a matter of weeks, Trent went from a quick-read, instinct-driven quarterback to a completely puzzled rookie who stands in the pocket, undoubtedly hearing the ghastly voice of Jauron from practice echoing in his head ... "take what they give you, Trent .... don't make mistakes, Trent .... check it down, Trent ..." Instead of pulling the trigger he stops, tries to steer a pass or dump it off, reverting to the fearful, "conservative" nature he's being taught by his mentors. It's true that Trent needs to execute much better, but it's equally true that we need to completely change this kid's mentality from "take what they give you" to "go take what you want."

Surprising that he quit or was fired? Absolutely not. Surprising that he quit after he participated in a vote-of-confidence press conference with Ralph and Hall-Of-Famer Marv Levy? AFTER he agreed to fire all of his friends? AFTER he got on the podium? Yes. Surprising. The timing is not only horrible for Ralph, Marv and the team, but it looks bad for MM. MM could've saved some face and took the Wade ("I won't fire my friends") route. But no. He agreed to coach. He agreed to make the moves. Now, it's "oops, nevermind guys, I changed my mind." Come on. Unless he had some sudden, tragic family or personal news, there's no excuse for this timing. Unprofessional at best, spineless at worst. Buffalo isn't exactly a hardball town. If he can't take a dig from Jerry Sullivan or Leo Roth, good luck trying to work in NY, California, or down here in Miami.

LOL MDH. Shaud Williams was quoted after the press conference asking: "Mr. Wilson, will the team still plan on running the shotgun-draw on third-and-long?"

Unreal. The whole thing makes me ill. What a horrible display. Again, unless something sudden and new happened between last week and this week, this kind of thing is completely inexcusable. Ralph and Marv have been around the league a long time, and have made a lot of friends. By the way, that's Marv "HALL OF FAME" Levy. I can't believe that a lot of NFL insiders are happy to see MM behave like a little punk and try to make Ralph and Marv look like bumbling idiots. Awful.

Unless MM got some kind of completely sudden, drastic family or health news between last week and this week, he's embarrassed Ralph, Marv, and the entire organization with this bizarre conduct. I'm pleased that he's no longer our coach, but what an awful thing to do. To be part of a huge news conference, agree to things, and one week later throw everyone under the bus ... and make them hold an embarrssing news conference like this. Terrible. Don't think that other NFL owners aren't watching. Unless there's something we don't know here that's really bad and sudden, MM screwed up and showed some real lack of character ... which is really surprising. I thought he was a lousy gameday coach, but he sure seemed like a stand-up guy.

There is a whole other argument underlying this, which is, if Marv does his job and brings us a decent OL and DL, the new coach - whoever it is - will start looking a heck of a lot smarter. Sure, Belichick is (now) fairly recognized as a terrific coach. But on the other end of the spectrum, do any oldtime hockey fans here think that Glen Sather was the key to the Oilers in the 80s? Maybe it was Gretzky, Messier, Fuhr, Anderson, Kurri, etc.?

I don't want to overstate it ... I don't think it's fair to call Ralph "cheap." I think he's only cheap vis-a-vis coach salaries - not on anything else. Ralph has demonstrated his willingness to pay top dollar for players, and has lost (via opportunity cost) countless millions by staying loyal to the people of Buffalo and passing up chances to move the team. Ralph just has a "thing" about paying management. He doesn't consider management "talent" worthy of top dollar. To some extent, it's like Denver with RBs. Denver will pay top dollar for its coaches, but believes that RBs are just not worth paying top dollar for. Different teams have different quirks.

Tennesseeboy .... excellent point. I'm a Bills fan living down in Dolphins country, and the Dolphins have completely screwed up the market for assistant coach salaries. I thought Saban's salary itself was absurd, though perhaps he's proving me wrong. I'm extremely nervous that if the team doesn't sign Haslett (who is not my #1 choice either), we're going to get another training-wheels level HC. Haslett might not insist on breaking-the-bank because of his ties to Ralphie and the area, and his lackluster record last year.

Actually, I don't think Ralph is "cheap." But for Ralph's loyalty and patience, my old hometown of Buffalo wouldn't have an NFL team right now. I just think Ralph has an aversion to paying big coaching salaries. I don't think TD was an idiot (though he WAS undoubtedly a jerk), and I think the Williams hiring was a complete shocker - I don't think he was considered on the same level as Fox at the time, notwithstanding that they were both DCs I believe.

BuffOrange ... I'll see if I can find the data. It's widely known in the league that Ralph will pay for players, but will not pay a premium for coaches. Ask Wade how much Ralph likes to pay out on contracts. MM wasn't retained (only to later quit) because he was a great coach - Ralph didn't want to pay the remaining contract years.

Guys ..... I'm no big TD fan, but you're going to start to hear TD leak (what I believe to be) the truth. The truth is, TheMouthThatRoared (Williams) wasn't hired because of his great interview skills. Mularkey wasn't hired for his potential. Do you seriously think TD would pick these guys over Marvin Lewis, John Fox, Charlie Weis? Seriously? Ralph doesn't pay coaches. TD's hands were tied on payroll. Ralph DOES pay for players, but not for coaches.

On second thought, our last USC prospect that cost us a #1 draft pick ... good old Rob Johnson ... didn't quite work to plan ....

Didn't I hear him mention, by name no less, (undeclared) college football player Reggie Bush? Good grief - I think maybe the first thing our beloved Marv should do is read the rules for GMs. PS: I love Marv to death, but I think that was a little boo-boo. LOL.

..... so now it's time for some payback .... OJ, go make Bills Nation happy and get us REGGIE BUSH! Marv's first official act as GM was probably to get a tampering fine for mentioning Reggie Bush's name during his conference. LOL.

.... that TD passed on John Fox, Marvin Lewis, Charlie Weis, etc. because the MouthThatRoared (Williams) "interviewed well"? Or that Mularkey was such a great up-and-comer? Come on gang. The one thing we Bills fans know about our lovable Ralphie is that he doesn't like to pay coaches. He'll pay for players. He's been a saint to the WNY community, truly. But ... he won't pay a premium for coaches. MM is still the coach now for one reason: too much time left on his contract. The 87-year old is set in his ways, and he's old-school about coaches - and he doesn't like to pay for nothing. Ask Wade Phillips how much Ralphie likes to pay on contracts when the coach isn't coaching anymore. I'm no Donahoe lover, but methinks that after a little time passes we'll start hearing the truth about why TD passed on all those other guys. I think there's a 75/25 chance that the whole "he interviewed well" stuff was just TD being a company man, struggling to come up with some explanation of why the Bills passed on the obvious choices.

Fellas, one problem here: Even if any of these big names were willing to accept a coordinator position when about 9 HC vacancies are available, Ralphie would have to be willing to pay him. Ralphie has a funny thing about paying coaches - you think he'd be so googly eyed over Mularkey if there were only 1 year left on his contract?

CrazyDingo, I claimed to be good, but not THAT good. Even I wouldn't want that job. I'm playing a Bills game right now in fact ... it's 4th and 1 ... what do you think? The double-reverse-pass (with Shelton running the post)? I need to make these simulations as genuine as possible.

.... let me tell you that I've won the big games with the Bills, I've signed the top free agents, I've won championships - year after year! I've also consistently stayed within the cap. I fill the stadium every year, keep concession sales churning, and fans happy. I've demonstrated my skills year in and year out. Both my GM and gameday coaching skills are top notch. PS2 Madden football counts, right?

Nick Saban quality for Mike Mularkey money. I'm no Donahoe man, but one thing I wonder is what financial restraints Ralphie imposed on the coaching decisions. Ralph is widely known for being willing to pay players, but not coaches. I mean, come on, does anyone seriously believe that the decision now to keep or fire Mularkey is based on the quality of Mularkey's coaching or decision making? This year, both were horrendous. If they guy had 1 year left on his deal, he'd be out the door in a flash. This is a finanical decision, not a football one. I just wonder if TD's hands were tied on coaches, and he was just playing "company man" by saying TheMouthThatRoared (Williams) was "better in the interview", etc., when really Ralphie wouldn't pony up for Marvin Lewis or John Fox, etc.