JDG

Maybe he could fake injuries for the Bills too!

I believe that the name you are looking for is Scott Pioli. What intrigues me is a Potemkin house-cleaning, similar to what you describe. If Modrak becomes President in any case, and particularly if Donahoe stays on as President, could we ever really be sure that Donahoe isn't still calling the shots? JDG - Can't say that I would like that.....

This is only true if you presume that Ralph has already made his decision - which Mularkey may not presume. JDG

Dumber? I'm not at all convinced that Losman gives us a better chance to win *this* week than Holcomb does. And if Mularkey is worried about being fired at the end of the season if he doesn't get a win, then why would he be concerned about developing Losman for someone else's future? JDG

Or: 3. Mularkey has decided that Losman is a long ways off from being a competent NFL QB, has realized that a win over playoff-bound Cincy might save his job, and has decided that Holcomb gives him the best chance to win. JDG - And I honestly don't know which is true......

How many proven guys want another NFL GM job, period???? JDG

Bill Parcells refused to deny publicly that he had Giants players fake injuries in order to slow down the no-huddle. JDG

Amazing but true......

Scott, I hear what you are saying about how some of the criticism of Donahoe has gone over the top. I would perhaps add "Case III - Donahoe didn't even try and address the offensive line", when in fact Donahoe only used the highest Bills draft pick in decades on the O-line, and pursued numerous free agents on the O-line. Of course, many of those moves went bust on us, but you can't say that he didn't try. Indeed, if anything I'd argue that Donahoe may have tried a bit too hard to improve this franchise - he had assembled a team around Bledsoe - Henry - Moulds - Reed and Gregg Williams, decided it was a mediocrity, and so ripped it apart and used every resource he had left building our new core of Losman - McGahee - (Moulds?) - Evans - Parrish and Mularkey. Anyhow, given that you are one of the last Donahoe defenders left, as near as I can tell, I'm curious as to what your take on the situation is. If you were Bill Gates and were Owner of the Bills (i.e. not only could you afford to can Mularkey, you could also afford to wait out a decline in attendance next year by not giving the mob Donahoe's head on a pike like they want.... so long as you felt that either was the best course towards building a winner in Buffalo) - what would your offseason moves look like. Do you retain Donahoe and Mularkey for one more season? Do you only fire Mularkey? Do you simply reshuffle the deck by making Donahoe GM, and Modrak President (where presumably he will not be immune to input from Donahoe)? Do you bring in a new, untested GM? So, I'm curious if you're just being a contrarian (and like me, reacting against the excesses of fan critiques) or if you really would maintain the status quo? Thanks. JDG

I play in a kickball League.... seriously..... our team was elimianted two games shy of a berth in the World Championships..... ;-) JDG

Well, WVU - you wrote a lot, but I've rarely disagreed with a post more (I never saw the first version.) My response: Buffalo: Why does "TD" need to be "man enough" to go down with the ship? Does anyone expect him to just quit on his team and resign????? At this point, we can only hope that Wilson pulls the plug on the incompetent Mularkey. Miami - No question Saban has been impressive as of late, following up a disheartening loss to Cleveland with the huge upset of an exhausted Chargers team. New England - You've got to be kidding me. I'm not going to change my opinion of Belichick simply because he *only* managed to win the division in an injury-riddled year and after two straight Super Bowl wins - even if he does follow it up with a non-playoff year next year. New York - Word out of New York seems to be that Edwards' job is safe, and that Edwards will not resign. With the AFC East drawing two of the three toughest divisions in football this year, and with the NY Jets suffering an almost unbelievable number of injuries (they've gone to both their 5th-string QB at times and even started their 3rd-string RB this season, as well as losing several of their best offensive linemen) that is the right decision for one of the best coaches in the League - and perhaps the League's most underrated. Baltimore - Biggest question around, though leakers have suggested that Billick is safe. Cincinnati - You've got to be kidding me. "Many critics were questioning the coaching ability of Lewis" after just two years? Fools. I picked the Bengals for the AFC Championship game this year based on Lewis' recent performance. Cleveland - Its a little early to call Frye a "gem." Pittsburgh - Cowher should be "coach for life" in Pittsburgh based on his accomplisments. Houston: The whole world knows it: Capers is gone. Indianapolis: You've got to be kidding me: "Anything less than a Super Bowl victory this year will be a disappointment and may send the Colts front office looking for someone else to get the Colts over that last hurdle"? If Garo Ypremian blows the Super Bowl for the '72 Fins, should they have fired Shula??? Tony Dungy is only the second coach in NFL History, so far as I know, to clinch the #1 seed with an undefeated season - that is a huge accomplishment. And then you say "the loss to the Chargers left the Colts dazed and confused, the question is now, can they rebound?" Uh, it was a meaningless game..... I'm not too worried about it. Tennessee: Interesting to see if they give up on Fisher - but I think it would be a mistake. Jacksonville: I personally think that Jack Del Rio is full of nonsense antics on the sideline and in press conferences. Moreover, Jacksonville is a mediocre team that is kept above .500 due to the same pitiful schedule that had the Colts rolling to an undefeated meaningful season. The only serious Super Bowl run coming out of Jacksonville was when they hosted the game. Oakland: We agree: Norv is done. San Diego: We agree: Marty Schottenheimer will be back. Denver: I don't know about Denver going deep in the playoffs - they're going to likely face a good team like Cincinnati or San Diego in the 1st round, or maybe the 2nd. Kansas City: We agree: Maybe Vermeil comes back. Dallas: "There have been some rumblings that Jerry Jones isnt happy with missing the playoffs this year." Only in your dreams. Jones wants Parcells back. Philadelphia: Disagree about possible drastic changes after 2006, Andy Reid is one of the NFL's best and shouldn't be going anywhere. New York: We agree: "Playoffs are in this teams future, but I dont think Eli is quite ready to carry this team past the first round." Washington: The Skins could finish strong and not just grab a Wild Card, but still win the division with 2 division games remaining. Green Bay: I don't think that Sherman is nearly on the hot seat you imagine, but its possible. Chicago: "Grossman's return catapulted the Bears to a victory last week," - just plain wrong, that defense won the game with Orton on the field. Minnesota: "Even with Minnesota's recent winning streak Tice is on the cutting block. Between the ticket scalping incident, and all the off the field distraction's this year there isn't much that can save Tice's job" - just goes to show how fans completely overreact to the most recent events. Detroit: Mariucci is already fired. Atlanta: Hard to see Mora leaving so soon. New Orleans: A true mystery. The New Orleans/San Antonio/Los Angeles situation needs to be resolved first, hopefully. Tampa Bay: The Super Bowl win for one of the NFL's former basket-cases keeps Gruden around for a long time. Carolina: Hot seat for Fox?????? And how is the 2nd-best team in the NFC a "darkhorse"???? San Francisco: We agree: Nolan has looked lost this year. Seattle: Great year for Holmgren. St. Louis: Martz has left for medical reasons. Arizona: We agree - Green needs to show something, *anything* soon.

A fascinating question.....

Well, the NFL can't schedule Steelers/Colts for every Monday night. But you better believe that Brett Favre gooses the ratings a little bit for the Packers vs. a team with a comparable record. Because its true. And besides, given the Packers' record for the past 15 years, the Packers have been a reasonably safe bet for Monday Night football, because they are almost always respectable. JDG

I can guarantee you that the first 16 draft picks this year will *NOT* all help their teams right away - or indeed, ever. JDG

1) Except for the fact that what we have always known as "the Monday night games" will now be on Sunday Nights... 2) If Brett Favre doesn't come back, maybe not. But people tune in to watch Brett Favre. And also, given the absurd level of injuries the Packers have had, the expectation will certainly be for the Packers to be better. JDG

I think that our offensive line does better in run blocking than in pass-blocking. JDG

Completely disagree that Kilgore made a good case for Mularkey (sorry, but "Big Mike" is Williams, not Mularkey): 1) I don't know that Mularkey has the respect of the players, from Sam Adams to Eric Moulds to McGahee, I've seen a lot of mismanaged situations. 2) Mularkey *clearly* does not believe in a power running game. How many times this year have we seen a pass or a FB on the goal line? And how is it that McGahee has had 17 carries over the past two weeks combined??? 3) I also question Mularkey's offensive mind. Cowher and Whisenhunt seems to have picked up in Pittsburgh right where Mularkey left off. Instead, we seem to have gotten a lot of trick plays that never seem to work, and one of the most futile offenses in the country. JDG

Last year, a playoff berth was there for the taking. This year, the AFC East was there for the taking. I think our failures to snatch either opportunity speak volumes about how much of a mirage that 9-7 was. JDG

Because its shorter than writing out "J o h n D . G i o r g i s"? Because when you send a letter to someone, its proper to sign your name, even if your name is at the top of the stationary? Because when reading TBD, I ignore the left-hand column and just read through the posts anyways, and so a signature makes it a lot easier to see who is writing what? JDG - Because its tradition......

Having the Super Bowl win definitely gives you a lot of patience. Personally, I don't think that the Patriots fans have any right to whine about their team for approximately the next millenium. But you also have to add in the fact that the Packers' last losing season was 1991, and they have made the playoffs for the last four years in a row, and 10 of the last 12 years - winning 10 playoff games along the way, playing in 2 Super Bowls, and winning one. That, quite, simply is a great and glorious run that every Packers fan should look back upon with fondness. You would HOPE that Packers fans could be patient about a disappointing injury-riddled year after a run like that. JDG

Take a look at the Packers' IR list sometime.... and imagine what the Bills would look like playing with a similar level of the depth chart.

Branch wasn't Super Bowl MVP just because he got lucky in the big game..... he really is very, very, good. JDG

Actually, even by your standards, Cincinnati's drafts have been much more successful then ours. The Bills have drafted no player who is anywheres as good as Chad Johnson, let alone Carson Palmer. And Levi Jones might be getting into that category as well. The closest you could come would be Nate Clements. And the Bengals have certainly not drafted anyone near as much of a bust as Mike Williams. On the other hand, compare Buffalo's drafts wth Chicago's (another team that has been drafting near the top of the order as of late, but is having a good year.) JDG

Good grief! Did you figure all that out from an Internet mock draft? I've got two words for you: Levi Jones. You take who you like when your pick comes up - not who Mel Kiper likes.... JDG

You should change that "would" to "could." I can guarantee that not all of the players picked in the Top 10 will immediately impact their teams' performance on the field next year - or indeed, ever. JDG