Bills vs Dolphins Recap

-Lets be honest, going into the 4th quarter, down by a touchdown, you had the same old feeling that the Bills were going to duplicate their disastrous 4th quarter collapses. But a funny thing happened today. The Bills showed a killer instinct. They not only over came the deficit, but they kicked the Dolphins a$$es. The Bills scored 24 unanswered fourth quarter points in a 31-14 win over the Dolphins-

-I've been saying for weeks now. Put Fred Jackson in the starting line-up! This had nothing to do with Marshawn Lynch's off the field problems, that a lot of Bills fans have chastised him about over the years. It's about Jackson being the better option. Jackson proved it today gaining 116 yards in total offense to go along with two touchdowns. The big key for Jackson was how many times he touched the ball, 21 times on the day. Jackson is the type of back that needs to get the ball as many times as he can to get a rhythm-

-You want to know why Ryan Fitzpatrick is in for Trent Edwards? Look no further than the game-clinching touchdown drive. If Edwards is under center, he's not going to audible into a 51-yard touchdown pass to Owens-

-I know some football fans have been drinking the Ricky Williams resurgence kool-aid. But how much can you really rely on a back that's 32-years old and hasn't been a featured back since 2003?-

-Here's what Perry Fewell is to me. Yes, I love his intensity and no I'm not counting on him being the coach in 2010. As of now, he's like the rebound girlfriend after a terrible break-up. Yes, he's way better than the girl who you didn't want to bring around your friends, but as of now, he's not exactly the one you want to bring home to mom-

-Now the only way I would entertain the thought of Fewell becoming the coach next year is pretty simple. Finish 4-1 or at least keep it competitive against the Colts and the Pats. Then, and this is a "BIG" then, take that 10 million dollars and 5% ownership you were planning on giving to Shanahan or Cowher (Which I think is a bit flawed) and spend it on the two best free agents in football. Of course, firing Guy and Modrak and hiring a competent new football department would have to happen as well-

-So this is what the hoopla about Terrell Owens has been about, almost 375 yards in his last three games. He's still good as gone next year-

-I know the big debate this week was whether Bills fans wanted the team to lose out so they would get a higher draft pick. Fans have to realize that just because your in the top five, doesn't mean your going to turn it around right away. Take a look at the last four drafts, not including 2009.

2008 NFL Draft
1 Miami Dolphins Jake Long † Offensive Tackle Michigan
2 St. Louis Rams Chris Long Defensive End Virginia
3 Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan Quarterback Boston College
4 Oakland Raiders Darren McFadden Running back Arkansas
5 Kansas City Chiefs Glenn Dorsey Defensive tackle LSU
6 New York Jets Vernon Gholston Linebacker Ohio State

2007 NFL Draft
1 Oakland Raiders JaMarcus Russell Quarterback LSU
2 Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson Wide Receiver Georgia Tech
3 Cleveland Browns Joe Thomas† Offensive Tackle Wisconsin
4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Gaines Adams Defensive End Clemson
5 Arizona Cardinals Levi Brown Offensive Tackle Penn State
6 Washington Redskins LaRon Landry Safety LSU

2006 NFL Draft
1 Houston Texans Mario Williams Defensive End North Carolina State
2 New Orleans Saints Reggie Bush Running back USC
3 Tennessee Titans Vince Young Quarterback Texas
4 New York Jets D'Brickashaw Ferguson Offensive Tackle Virginia
5 Green Bay Packers A. J. Hawk Linebacker Ohio State
6 San Francisco 49ers Vernon Davis Tight End Maryland

2005 NFL Draft
1 San Francisco 49ers Alex Smith Quarterback Utah
2 Miami Dolphins Ronnie Brown Running back Auburn
3 Cleveland Browns Braylon Edwards Wide Receiver Michigan
4 Chicago Bears Cedric Benson Running back Texas
5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Carnell Williams Running back Auburn
6 Tennessee Titans Adam Jones Cornerback West Virginia


Do you want to tell me what's so sexy about having a top six pick in the draft? On this list of 24 players, I'd say Vince Young (loosely), Ronnie Brown & Matt Ryan have been franchise changers for their teams. In other words, if you want to boo your team cause they stink, fine. But think twice if it's because you want that elusive top 5 pick-

-What a bunch of hacks on the WGR post game show. Your main topic was the Bills running up the score against the Dolphins in the final 1:30 of the game? Your topic should of been whether to keep Fewell or not. Now, did I think they rubbed it in the Dolphins face? No. Now if they were running a play action pass and going for the endzone like the Patriots did two years ago, then yes. But to run a simple running play for seven yards doesn't constitute running up the score. Even if it did, it shouldn't of been an hour long topic. I don't care if the Bills are 0-11 or 11-0, just dumb producing-

-From what Schopp and the Bulldog mention, sportsmanship and running up the score will be a topic in the upcoming days. Hmm..loved to have someone call into their show and ask the hosts if they thought the Sabres were running up the score against the Hurricanes on Saturday night. Doubt the hosts would touch that one-

-BTW, I went to the game today, as I'm still feasting in Buffalo, till Thursday. I saw the dude with the Pinto in the parking lot and had a shot out of a bowling ball. Lame to be honest. I even got yelled at because I didn't drop the bowling ball the right way. Sorry dude, with the two teeth and the zoobahs-

Weekend quick thoughts

Again sorry for the lack of posts. I'm still in Buffalo till Wednesday and getting to a computer is an issue.

-Nice victory for the Sabres today against the Flyers. I still don't know what we have with this team, but I'm leaning towards my preseason prediction that their somewhere between a 7th-9th seed-

-Here's a suggestion for Lindy Ruff and his players, how about trying to be physical with the other 29 NHL teams. It seems like every time the Sabres play the Flyers, they always match them in the hitting department. Why can't they try doing that with other teams? This specific Sabres team is built to fore check. Their 3rd and 4th lines are all blue-collar guys who for the most part can hit. We all know that the first two lines have gone games without having a legit impact on the scoring sheet. How about working around the talent that seem to show up every night-

-Look, I'm happy Tim Connolly had a 4-point game against the Flyers, but I'm getting a little tired of asking myself why we can't get that Tim Connolly every game, instead of once every five games-

-Does Thomas Vanek still play for the Sabres? Vanek is a minus 7 in his last five games. I just don't see the passion in his game that we saw the first 25 games of last season, when he was on pace to get 50-goals-

-Please keep Mike Martz away from my NFL franchise. I don't care how many points he scored in St. Louis almost 10 years ago. The guy was fired from his last three jobs and he has a knack for getting his quarterbacks killed. He's also the type of coach who would throw 50 times in a blizzard and not give the ball enough to his running backs. Sorry, that wouldn't work here.-

-When did NFL coaches become so greedy? I'm not talking about the 10 million plus that it will cost to bring in coaches like Cowher and Shanahan. Gone are the days of guys like Bill Parcells who would take the biggest pile of you know what and try to resurrect the franchise. I keep hearing pundits say that guys like Shanahan and Cowher want to go to franchises that have established quarterbacks. Last I checked, whenever a coach normally gets fired, the franchise isn't exactly going to be in good shape, hence the reason why the previous coach was fired. I guess coaches like these think they are too good to rebuild-

-I know this is a crazy thought, but would you give up your next two draft classes to get the rights to Bill Belichick? I would. That thought got me thinking, maybe the Bills could go to a team like the Titans, and offer a couple of draft picks for the rights to Jeff Fisher. This use to be a common practice earlier this decade, when the Chiefs gave up a 1st rounder for Dick Vermeil and the Buccs gave up a couple of picks for Jon Gruden-

-So now Jim Kelly hates quarterbacks from California and thinks the Bills need to keep away from the West coast for their next signal caller. I'm sorry, but that's the stupidest point of view that I've ever heard. There's a ton of great quarterbacks in the NFL who are from California. So, your telling me if Trent Edwards and JP Losman came from Brady, Pennsylvania they would be a hall of famers? BTW, if Kelly thinks Tim Tebow would be a great fit in the NFL, he shouldn't be allowed to ever scout or make a pro personnel choice for the Bills. Mark my words, Tebow won't be a good NFL quarterback-

-As for his comments on wanting to be more directly involved with the Bills and help recruit coaches and players, I don't mind him telling players and coaches that Buffalo is a great city. I Hate to break the news to Buffalonians, but a lot of people outside of the city limits thinks our city may as well be the North Pole. If there is one thing you can say about Kelly, it's that he really loves the city of Buffalo. Maybe he can convince players that the city treats its football players like gods. However, that's all I want him to do. Take the players to Anchor Bar and Mintz night club, because if he starts getting involved with throwing in his two scents about specific players in FA and the draft, that's going to be a disaster! Pro personnel people need to start at the bottom in the NFL. Matt Millen proved that point-

-If there is one guy who shouldn't rear his head at the Law office of Celino & Barnes, it's Derek Roy. If you don't know, every time Derek Roy scores a goal, the Attorney's, who have more air-time than Mike Robitaille on Sabres games, will donate $1,000 to the Diabetes foundation. Right now, Roy has four goals on the season and is on pace to have his worse season since being a rookie-

Quick Random Bills Thoughts

-It's nice to hear Bill Cowher's name mentioned as a possible candidate at One Bills Drive. Unfortunately Cowher, like all the other big name coaches, is going to wait till the offseason. Here's what I do like about Cowher, no it's not his chin or the fact that he's a blue collar coach that Bills fans would embrace. He knows how to win without having a daddy war-bucks owner.

You never know if Ralph Wilson decides to spend 10 million on a coach, yet still have the "cash to the cap" philosophy. At least Cowher is use to working with an organization that doesn't throw that much money at the players. Remember all those Steelers that were lost to free agency; Kevin Greene, Greg Llyod, Rod Woodson, Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland, Carnell Lake & Plaxico Burress. You never heard Cowher complain about it, and yet was always able to find better players to replace them. Again, the big question is if it was Cowher or the Steelers organization responsible for the findings-

-Speaking of the high priced coaches, since all of the "Mount Rushmore of Billionaire Coaches" have decided to wait till the end of the season to gage the coaching vacancies in the NFL, I wonder what would of happened if say Jim Caldwell of the Colts decided to quit. You think Bill Cowher would pull the "he's still at CBS concentrating on those dumb ass buzzers they have for their pregame show?" Yeah, doubt that-

-What's up with Perry Fewell not tipping his hat to who the starting quarterback is for Sunday? Um, the Bills just had a quarterback have the best passing game in three years. Sorry, Perry, but you're not fooling anyone-

-Heard the other day that some talking heads said that the Bills would make fools of themselves if they couldn't get a high-priced coach come to Buffalo, since the team is offering 10 million dollars. Um, guys, the Bills are already a complete laughing stock-

-What's up with some fans being negative towards the Bills looking for an established coach, by implying that a head coach has never won a championship for two different teams? Yes, it's true and all, but haven't like only 20 NFL coaches won a Super Bowl? It's not like these coaches end up getting fired after winning a championship. Over the last 40 years, only Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Holmgren, Dick Vermeil & George Seifert have won a SB and then went on to coach a different team. For the record, three of the five ended up coaching their second team to a Super Bowl appearance. I'll take that, thank you very much-

-Just in case the Bills strike out with all the coaching Billionaires, keep an eye on Jeff Ireland from the Miami Dolphins. He's second in command to Bill Parcells and has been successful in Miami and Dallas in player personnel. I wouldn't mind seeing him come here and maybe bringing Jason Garrett in as head coach-

-BTW, who the hell is Herm Edwards to say "thanks, but no thanks," when asked what his reaction would be if the Bills asked him to coach the team. Take it from someone who lives in NYC, Edwards was an overhyped creation by the media because he had that classic "play to win the game" quote. He was just as bad as Dick Jauron when it came to game management. Don't even ask about his KC Chiefs days. He would be lucky if the Bills or any NFL team came knocking on his door-

-Do you remember the movie "Funny Farm" with Chevy Chase? Remember how the Farmers were trying to sell the house and bribed everyone in the town to act as if they were the nicest people in the world. The town put up Christmas lights and had Christmas carolers. I wonder if Russ Brandon is doing the same thing at One Bills Drive when trying to sell the team to Mike Shanahan. Maybe, Brandon will pay off T.O. so he can tell Shanahan that he's having the best time of his life in Buffalo.-

Vacation Time

Dear Readers,

I'm actually in Buffalo this week for Thanksgiving and my parents still live in the stone age of electronics :(

I'll try the best I can to post some random thoughts about the Bills/Sabres during the week.

Happy Holidays,
Joe From NYC

Report: Ralph to spend mega bucks on new coach

NFL Network reporter Jason LaCanfora shared what he was hearing about the Buffalo Bills' coaching search on "NFL Gameday Morning."

Bills owner Ralph Wilson is willing to spend upwards of $10 million to land the right person. Mike Shanahan is at the top of their list. They’re going to talk to him first. They also have an interest in Bill Cowher.


Mind of Joe
The way all the national pundits are crapping on any established coach wanting to go to Buffalo ( Herman Edwards said he wouldn't want to coach the Bills and Boomer Esiason asked why would Shanahan want to coach the Bills), Ralph may have to give his next coach stock options. It's good news that Wilson wants to pony up that kind of money. But if any fan thinks that Wilson is going to get Shanahan or Cowher to come to Buffalo before the season ends, they are sadly mistaken.

Coaches are creatures of over preparation. That's why coaches want mini-camps and don't want the preseason to get cut down. They want options. All these big name coaches are going to want to see how the field plays out for all the job openings.

My advice to Bills fans, root for the Cowboys and the Bears to win out.

Bills lose to Jags Recap

The coaches and players my change, but the result remains the same. The constant for the Buffalo Bills over the last four years has been their inability to go for the kill. Too many times the Bills have had control of a football game, yet their inability to finish a team off when they are against the ropes, reared its ugly head today in Jacksonville. It may of been the Bills best all-around effort since week one against the Pats, but effort only gets you brownie points in the NFL. The team just doesn't have enough talent on the roster to overcome turnovers, costly penalties & poor game management-

-I've said all along that my biggest problem with T.O. has been his effort at certain points this season. I'm also not a big fan of him going on three day excursions to Dallas and LA, when he should be in the film room trying to get better. But, you can't knock his game over the last two weeks; 12 catches, 279 yards, and one touchdown. I know the talking heads at WGR and TBN feel that it's "imperative" for the Bills to get James Hardy on the field as soon as possible. I find it amusing how Jerry Sullivan spoke of how Hardy was a complete bust last year, but now is the time to see what they have with the former 2nd rounder. I've said it before, if the Bills really want to see James Hardy play, then demote Josh Reed. Reed is a FA after this year and has been a big disappointment. Seriously though, do you think James Hardy is going to learn anything with Ryan Fitzpatrick and that god awful line playing in front of him-

-To me, the talk of the Bills benching T.O. is all about selling newspapers and radio time. I was laughing earlier this week when Mike Schopp said that T.O. was underminding Trent Edwards for throwing a temper tantrum on the sideline and should be benched for it. Why was I laughing? Because so many media experts in March said that the Owens signing was great because he would go off and yell about how the Bills were playing. In there words, he would disrupt the status quo of the team not caring. Now, it's a sin to be emotional on the sidelines. So go figure-

-How about the kick ass suit Perry Fewell was wearing for pre-tape interviews for CBS? I'd take that suit over Dick Jauron's Clint Eastwood sunglasses. Besides the wardrobe, I thought Fewell got his guys ready to play today and it showed especially on the defensive front. Holding James Jones-Drew to 66 yards rushing is an accomplishment-

-Now is Fewell going to win 100 NFL games? No, but you want to know what got me thinking he can motivate in this league? Roscoe Parish made a stupid play fielding a punt inside the 5-yard line. So what does Fewell do? He takes him out for the next punt return to let him know he made a mistake. Of course, Parish still stunk on his final return, but it was still a good message from Fewell.

-So was I the only one who took notice of Fewell pumping his fist and giving high fives to the players? In other words, I didn't really miss seeing Skeletor on the sidelines-

-Last note on Jauron, if I have to hear another ESPN or Jauron crony speak on how Dick should be mentioned in the same breath as Mother Teresa, Gandhi & the Peace Core, I'm going to vomit. It was great to hear Steve Mariucci, who coached with Jauron, say that he's friends with him and that he never should of been fired mid-season. Way to warn us that you're biased towards Jauron, and then give a complete biased statement. Bottom line, Jauron was the boot-leg version of "Robin Hood" of NFL coaches. He stole from the rich (Wilson paying his salary) and didn't give any of it to to poor (Bills fans) -

-All isn't rosy on the Fewell front though. What the hell was with the play calling towards the end of the first half? Everyone knows the Bills should of took a timeout with 20 seconds left, which would of given the Bills two cracks at the endzone inside the 10-yard line. Hell, even The Sweet Home high school football coach would of called timeout. Even Dick Jauron would of..nah, he wouldn't of-

-The poor clock management didn't stop there, the call for Fitzpatrick to spike the ball at the Jacksonville 45-yard line with less than a minute left was ill-advised. Your offense isn't good enough to waste a down, especially when you still have amicable time to get into field goal range to tie the game-

-I've run out of reasons to think why the Bills are snake bitten by injuries. Is it because Rusty Jones was fired years ago? Is it because of light practices in training camp? Are the Bills players just too undersized? Are the players not drinking enough Gatorade? I just don't know, but whoever takes over as the new czar of the Bills football operations, has to look into it-

-We all remember the movie "Major League," with Charlie Sheen. I think Ryan Fitzpatrick is the football version of Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughan. He has a good arm, but he may need some eye glasses, because he's all over the place with his delivery of the football. Too many throws were behind or at the feet of his wide receivers today-

-At least the passing game did show some life today. The Bills finally got off the snide and had a quarterback throw for over 200 yards. Now, if the Bills can just get to the 300-yard passing mark, something that hasn't been obtained since 2006. Don't hold your breathe on that one-

-Even when the Bills don't get as many penalties as they have in the past, they still find ways to get penalties at the worse possible times. The two touchdowns called back on penalties ended up being the defining moment for the Bills today. Of course, the penalties were called on the 3rd string rookie tight end and the 4th string offensive tackle-

-Even though the Bills defense only gave up seven points in the 4th quarter, it was Deja vu all over again. The defense had another 4th quarter collapse, mainly because they were on the field for almost 25 minutes of the second half. You can tell on the last drive by Jacksonville, the defense was completely gassed. Also Jacksonville going 8 of 15 on 3rd down didn't help the defense's cause -

-BTW, was I the only person yelling at the TV Screen for about 10 seconds that Garrard was going to run a quarterback draw on the 2-point conversion? Obviously, Poz must of missed that, but what else is new?-

-If the media wants to run T.O. out of the starting line-up, how about making a run at Marshawn Lynch. He's not the same back the Bills saw as a rookie two years ago. He dances way too much and just doesn't seem to hit the hold as hard as he use too. On the other hand, Fred Jackson hits the hole hard and has great field vision to find the holes-

Buffalo Media Sports Blitz

With the Bills changing coaches mid-season and ESPN way too busy dissecting whether coach Belichick should of went for it on 4th down against the Colts. If you wanted to hear or read wall-to-wall coverage of the Bills, you would have to go the local route.

When you have breaking news like the firing of Jauron, your audience wants to be able to get as much information as quick as possible. For the most part, you'd have to give the local media good grades, but some of the publications still were lagging.

WGRZ
It was nice for a change to see the WGRZ.com finally exercise there online coverage that I thoroughly enjoyed last season. Within hours of the breaking news, the website had a video package up with interviews with Chris Kelsay and Marv Levy. They also had columns up by Stu Boyar and Ed Kilgore, to go along with an eight minute round table discussion about the firing. Kilgore was the first reporter to break the news that the Bills were interested in bringing in big names from his sources.

WIVB
The website was very disappointing in their coverage. First, the channel decided to dust off Rich Newberg to do a news story about the Bills potential candidates. Sorry, but Newberg shouldn't be doing any news stories about the Buffalo Bills, if anything, go find out why property taxes are so high and why businesses are leaving Buffalo. Secondly, the majority of his story consisted of talking to ESPN analysts by phone about the Bills candidates. Um, Rich, if I wanted to know what they thought, I would of just tuned into "NFL Live" on ESPN at 4pm to find out. Lastly, someone in the photo department at WIVB should be fired, the photos they used for the candidates looked like they were taken in circa 1995. Bill Cowher had a full set of hair in one of the photos for god sakes. I can't discredit all of WIVB, as they did turn around and break the news of the Bills talking to Jon Gruden

The Buffalo News
I was a little disappointed in The News to be honest. I understand that it's tough to update your website when the paper is your bread & butter, but to not even have a chat or an editorial column until the next day is a little too dated for my taste. Besides their regular story up on the firing, I would of like to have had the News at least have a reporter who didn't have to cover the Bills run a chat. Having the first Buffalo News reporter to chat with readers three days later was a mistake. In breaking news like this, they should of pushed up their Friday chats to Wednesday

WGR
The clear cut winners in my book. They were on the ball the entire day with their coverage. They had over seven hours worth of local programming starting at 2:30 when the news broke of the firing and concluded at 10pm. WGR was also able to get interviews with John Clayton, Tim Graham, Jim Kelly & Thurman Thomas during that time. Whether you like Schopp or the Bulldog, it's a moot point, because it's good to hear wall-to-wall coverage about the Bills.

ESPN
The funny thing about ESPN is that they really didn't give any sort of love to the Jauron firing until news broke the next day that the Bills were interested in Mike Shanhan. Before the news broke of Shanahan, the network was still in the depths of coverage of the Colts/Patriots game fiasco and whether Lebron James would make a good football player. I'm sure the relationship that Shanhan has with Adam Schefter was the reason why the coverage was finally turned up a notch.

Comments are Welcomed

Report: Gruden talked with the Bills

As the Buffalo Bills commence the search for the teams' next head coach, owner Ralph Willson apparently was trying to line up the team's next head coach even before the most recent head coach was fired.

According to WIVB-TV, the Bills "went after [Jon Gruden] hard." The efforts reportedly included a face-to-face meeting, but could not convince Gruden to leave his job as analyst on ESPN's Monday Night Football. (WIVB)


Mind of Joe
Like I've said before, I'm not a fan of Gruden. He had two good years in Oakland and one great year in Tampa. I think the biggest part of Gruden's aura is that he's a great quote and an intense guy. Yet, his teams in Tampa were offensively flawed throughout his six seasons there and his quarterbacks wanted to kill him.

It's no accident that both the Raiders and Buccanners suffered tremendously after he left, not because he was so good at calling plays, but because he signed too many over- the-hill players and did a poor job drafting. I never thought I say this, but I'm happy ESPN did such a good job in signing their on-air talent.

The strange part about the news was the timing of the meeting. Last I checked, Gruden signed his "exclusive" deal on Monday with ESPN, yet Jauron was fired on Tuesday. Hmm..One would think that Gruden may of went to ESPN and used the Bills as leverage to get a new deal with MNF. Not to mention, the timing would suggest that the Bills spoke to Gruden prior to the team firing Jauron. Or Gruden decided to talk to the Bills even after signing his extension with ESPN, which I'm sure wouldn't make the folks in Bristol, CT very happy.

If that's the case, how come no one at ESPN reported the news? Hell, if you have one of your own employees getting wooed by an NFL team, wouldn't you think Mortensen, Clayton or Hank Williams would know about it? Unless, they were ordered not to report it because of the contract with MNF.

Of course, I'm just being Oliver Stone with all this. The bottom line is that I'm glad Gruden is staying put.

Sabres fall 2-1 in OT against the B's

-Well, at least the Sabres kept it closer against the Bruins than last time around. Like I said in my preview of this weekend's games, the Sabres biggest problem so far this season and going forward is scoring. Effort is all fine and dandy, but if you don't have enough talent, your heart isn't going to do you any good for you.

-The Sabres have scored two or less goals in nine of their 19 games this season. That may not be as bad as the Bills having six straight games with 300 yards or less, but it's getting there-

-I know Lindy Ruff is all about his defenseman pinching in to get scoring chances. But Boston's 1st goal tonight was caused be Chris Butler attempting to pinch in and he was caught out of position which set-up a 2 on 1 break-

-Even though on paper, the Vanek and Connolly pairing should work, it just hasn't clicked. History shows that Vanek's best scoring opportunities come when Derek Roy is his centerman. I think it's time for Ruff to put the pair back together and just ride them out during their ups and downs. As for Connolly, the centerman only has one assist in his last four games and hasn't scored a goal in his last ten games. Like I said in the preseason, Connolly is not your answer as the team's playmaking center-

-What a dreadful 2nd period. Three shots on goal, to go along with absolutely no energy on either side of the ice. I had to pinch myself to stay awake during the 20 minutes of play-

-Look, I like Lindy Ruff (Not as much as Bucky Gleason), but he needs to catch some of the blame for his team's offensive woes. I know Ruff is all about his system, and it worked with players like Briere and Drury. But, it's not working now. I think Ruff really needs to adjust his scheme to the players he has on the team. Ruff has to realize that he's stuck with guys like Roy, Vanek & Pominville for the next 3-5 years. Now do I know what system that is? No. But that's what good coaches do, they adjust to the talent they have. I know the majority of fans have the mentality that if the players don't work in Ruff's system, then the players need to get out. But how many years can we keep on going with that mindset?-

-Maybe Ruff doesn't have to worry about changing his system, when he has someone like Ryan Miller in net. What can I say about Miller that you don't already know? If it wasn't for him, this team would be well below .500. I've been really impressed how much he has taken his game to another level for the Sabres this season. Even when the guy talks after games, you can tell how much he has grown over the years. I wish guys like Roy and Connolly could do the same-

-Is Harry Neale drinking too much Molson Canadian before he goes on the air? Ten playoff teams in each conference? Why don't we invite the AHL teams too while we are at it! I'm sure the Sabres would love that sort of playoff bracket so they can get some extra playoff money. As for Harry, please stick to your stats that the Sabres are 4-2-3 in games Lindy Ruff has a pinstripe suit on-

-Can the kid who started the "Fire Dick Jauron Billboard" please start his next project on eliminating the freaky Celino & Barnes ads that come up twice a period?-

Sabres thoughts going into the weekend

-It's all about getting some breathing room this weekend for the Sabres. Yes, it's early, but facing division rivals in Boston and Ottawa is a nice early season test for the team. The Sabres may have games in hand against both teams, but are only two points up on the Senators and three points up on Boston for the division lead. I'd hope that the Sabres still have that bad taste in their mouth from the drubbing they received from the Bruins two weeks ago. Lets not forget that the Senators owned the Sabres last year even though the team was dreadful-

-Going into this season my biggest worry about the Sabres was their offense. Being ranked 26th in the NHL in goals verifies my worry. I know some people may not be fans of plus/minus ratio, but it should be noted that five of the top six forwards on the team are on the minus side, with Vanek only a plus one. The Sabres first two lines has to get some offensive production. The team can't rely on Ryan Miller allowing two goals or less every single night-

-Can you imagine what the Sabres record would be if Miller played like he did last year. It's not a knock against Miller, who was good last year. But this year the Sabres offense looks light years away from what the were last year. Everyone is struggling offensively. Remember Thomas Vanek's hot start from last year? Vanek had 12 goals in 16 games, while this year he has six goals in 16 games. Jason Pominville has only one goal in his last 9 games. The Sabres better hope Miller doesn't go down with any type of injury because they will be in more trouble than they were last year-

-What's up with Bucky Gleason's man crush on Lindy Ruff? That's two pro articles about Ruff in a little under two weeks. What's he trying to do? Get his son a tryout with the team? I like Bucky's articles, but enough about how great Ruff is, it's kind of overkill if you ask me-

Comments are Welcomed

Don't count out Perry Fewell

Lost in all the coaching rumors is that the Bills have a new head coach. Perry Fewell put his stamp on the team Wednesday and Thursday making the players practice in full pads on back to back days. This is something that Dick Jauron had never done before.

It was funny reading on twitter how Donte Whitner was sore yesterday after practice. Good! It's about time these players lose the routine of "Club Dick" that they were accustomed to.

How great was it to actually have a head coach talk to the media who finally has some emotion. For three years it seemed like Bills fans were listening to a eulogy when Dick Jauron spoke. At least Fewell has a good catch phrase, "Play like hell and win."

What was Jauron's catch phrase? "He's smart and I have to look at the film" or my personal favorite, "I take full responsibility."

Here's the deal with Fewell, he's on a seven week interview with the Bills. I'm not going to lie, a part of me wants Fewell not to do well with the Bills. We all know Mr. Wilson is about rewarding mediocrity (Ask, Dick Jauron). If Fewell goes 5-2 down the stretch and the Bills show some sort of offensive life, you can't put it past Wilson to remove the term interim from Fewell's title. The Bills could then take the approach that the reason why the team was so bad was because of Jauron and keep all of the pieces in place in the front office.

Remember what happened last year when the 49ers fired Mike Nolan. Mike Singletary came in as the interim head coach and showed a ton of fire and the team finished the season strong. The 49ers rewarded Singletary with a new extension.

The big problem for Fewell is that if the Bills go out and find a new football personnel guy (which Ralph Wilson says they are doing), the new hire is going to want to bring in his own coach. Fewell's only hope is for the Bills to keep Modrak/Guy/Brandon as the main guys, which would make Bills fans want to jump off the Peace Bridge.

I wish Fewell the best, but not in Buffalo.

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Bills sign quarterback Brian Brohm

You want to talk about your Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx, how about the jinx of having a player segment on Bills.com. First, the star of "68 seconds with Langston Walker" gets cut. Now, the star of "Hanging with Hamdan" gets shown the door.

More importantly the Bills have a new quarterback. The Bills have reached a two-year agreement with Green Bay Packers practice squad quarterback Brian Brohm.

Brohm, a product of Louisville, was a second-round draft choice of the Packers in 2008. Brohm was drafted as a safety net for the unproven Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, of course proved himself and Brohm ended up heading to the practice squad.

Coming out of college, Brohm strengths were considered to be accuracy and outstanding decision making. Brohm also scored a 32 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test (Great, another smart Bills player). He played in 44 games and had 33 starts. He went 24-9 as a starter. He passed for 71 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

The signing also puts the final nail in the coffin for Trent Edwards. If Fitzpatrick struggles (which he will), the Bills will more than likely give Brohm a shot at the starting job.

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Don't call Ralph Wilson cheap

Ralph Wilson conducted his first interview by phone with the AP and is prepared to to revamp his entire football operation after the season and warned that no position is safe. When asked about spending money, Wilson said he's open for anything to get the Bills back on track.

“It’s not about money, it’s about winning,” Wilson said by phone from his home in suburban Detroit. “If it was about money, we wouldn’t have brought in and paid for somebody we know was a great player.”

Wilson was referring to the signing of receiver Terrell Owens(notes) to a one-year $6.5 million contract in March after he was cut by Dallas.

“Anybody that says I’m cheap is looking down the wrong side of the street,” Wilson said. (Quotes From AP)

Mind of Joe

Look, I'm happy it would seem on the surface that Wilson is finally going to open up his treasure chest and bring in a real football guy. But for him to say that he's not cheap because he signed Terrell Owens is a little flawed. Sure he spent 6.5 million dollars, but you decided to jettison Jason Peters because you didn't want to pay him. You refused to pay for the offensive line. You didn't see fit to sign a legit linebacker so Bills fans could see an end to the Keith Ellison era. Lastly, you've been extremely cheap for the last ten years when it comes to paying your coaches.

That's the problem with Mr. Wilson, he thinks he spends a ton of money on this team when in actuality he really doesn't do enough. He better realize that to get a high priced coach it's going to cost him a lot more than the 6.5 million dollars he paid Terrell Owens. Help us all, if Wilson thinks paying guys like Jim Haslett and Jim Fassel 4 million dollars a year is a way to break the mold of paying for coaches.

Again, I'm still a little apprehensive that this "wish list" may be a smoke screen to calm Bills fans down for demanding a high priced coach. Just because the Bills decide to talk to guys like Shanahan and Cowher, doesn't mean they will act on hiring them.

-When asked about the prospect of interviewing Mike Shanahan, Wilson discounted the reports saying, "I don't know anything about him." He did add that the team would release a statement today regarding all the speculation-

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Let the bidding war begin

Adam Schefter first reported that the Bills contacted Mike Shanahan, now Vic Carucci is reporting that Shanahan has emerged as the Bills’ “No. 1 candidate” to become their full-time coach after the season.

Carucci says a meeting between Shanahan, Ralph Wilson and Russ Brandon, who is overseeing the hiring process, likely will take place next week.

There’s also strong speculation that the Redskins are pursuing Shanahan to replace Jim Zorn as their coach after the season. However, according to the source close to the Bills, Shanahan is intrigued by the “low-maintenance” situation he would have in Buffalo as opposed to Washington.

Carucci says former Steelers coach Bill Cowher also is high on the Bills’ list of candidates, but at the moment, they are focused on Shanahan.

Sources have told Carucci that the Bills are willing to offer whatever salary is necessary to land a high-end candidate such as Shanahan and would give him total control of the football operation, something Wilson has generally been opposed to doing in the past. Adding to the job’s attractiveness, according to the source, is the fact the team is in solid financial shape and not burdened by any dead salary-cap money.

“This is his (Wilson’s) last coach and (he) is going to do everything it takes to get it right,” the source said of the 91-year-old owner. (From NFL.com)

Mind of Joe
Wow! Unlimited salary? Bill Cowher? Have the Bills become the Dallas Cowboys? I don't know where to begin. If this is all true, and that's a big If, it's about time Wilson has woken up and smelled the "real" NFL. I'm more excited at the prospect that the Bills are going to do whatever it takes to finally bring in a real football guy.

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but if the Bills decide to go the route of Shanahan, they will have to match what the Redskins would offer him and then some. I know that the "low-maintenance" quote will make some Bills fans happy, but the NFL is a business. If the Redskins were to offer Shanahan 8 million dollars and the Bills offered only 6, I'm sure Shanahan would go to the Nation's Capitol.

Even before reading the blog from Carucci, I was going to write that it wouldn't shock me if Shanahan was trying to use the Bills as leverage to get more money from the Redskins, who he has been connected with for some time. Maybe it's the other way around now?

I think another big part of the equation is how much will Ralph Wilson open up his wallet for players. While in Denver, Shanahan spent a ton of money and gave out big one year deals to guys like Simeon Rice.

I just don't picture Shanahan being forced to start Bryan Scott at linebacker and some practice squad kid at starting left tackle. We all know the Redskins will pay for players and if the Bills don't follow in those footsteps, It would be hard to see Shanahan in Buffalo. Now if full control of football operation means a blank check for Shanahan or whoever is put in charge of the Bills, it's fine with me.

Now again, this is still in the developing stages and I wouldn't put it past the Bills to just make up a great wish list to appease the fans, only to wake up on Christmas Day with a lump of coal and Jim Haslett in our stockings. Like I said, it's a good start, but now the Bills have to bring their game and checkbook to the table.

Man, it's going to be a fun offseason for a change.

PS- Did I mention that Bill Cowher is on the list?

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Sabres vs Panthers Recap

With the way the Sabres offense played tonight you would of thought Dick Jauron took a one day coaching job with the team. What a boring game. All kidding aside, the Sabres played a sloppy game and were dragged down by an awful power play, in a 6-2 loss to the Panthers.

-Tonight's performance against the Panthers was an exact copy of last year's games against poor teams. The Sabres were going against the "Trap" and tried too many times to carry the puck in, instead of dumping it in.

-This was the first game this season that the Sabres defensemen didn't show up. The defensemen were awful on both sides of the ice. On the offensive zone, the d-men either couldn't get the puck on net or they couldn't keep the puck in the offensive zone. I saw way too many pucks that jumped over the defensemen's sticks at the blue-line. As far as defensive zone goes, the Sabres had a hard time in gaining puck possession and were beaten off the puck to many times by the Panthers-

-I know most media members were touting the power play going into tonight's game, but being ranked 19th in the NHL isn't exactly getting me excited and tonight proved it. The Sabres had a devil of a time getting the power play set-up, and when they did, they would over pass the puck. The Sabres have to stop trying to get those cute highlight reel goals. The team's offensive style is about puck control and getting shots on net-

-Boneheaded play by Pat Kaleta towards the end of the hockey game. Kaleta didn't even look for the puck and just decided to take out the body. Even if the Panthers didn't score, the game was pretty much over at that point because the power play would of ended with 17 seconds left in the game-

-Way too many turnovers by the Sabres tonight. The biggest example was when the Sabres pulled Ryan Miller and turned the puck over about a second later and Florida scored on the empty net. Just not smart with the puck-

-You want to talk about the housing market being bad, how about going to Population Pominville. The 5-million dollar man only has one goal in his last nine games-

-I have to agree with Ryan Miller's comments after the game, the Florida Panthers are one of the most boring teams in all of hockey. If the NHL wants to really get fans to watch their product, contract the Panthers style of play-

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Bills want to talk to other candidates..but not good ones

Well, after reading that the Bills were interested in talking to Mike Shanahan, I was at a pretty good place with the coaching search. Then I saw the rest of the Bills apparent wish list.

Adam Schefter is also reporting that the Bills will investigate options expected to include Florida Tuskers coach Jim Haslett and New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, both of whom has ties to the Bills.

You have to be kidding me? Kevin Gilbride?! Don't the Bills remember how badly he ran the offense in 2003? Hell, the Bills set records for offensive futility with Gilbride running the offense. There is a reason why the only time Gilbride was successful in his 17 plus years of coaching was when Tom Coughlin was his boss. He was a failure in San Diego as a head coach. A failure as an O.C. for the Bills, Oilers, and Steelers. It's one thing to hire a retread, it's another to hire a retreaded offensive coordinator.

I've already made my feelings clear on Haslett. He's nothing more than Dick Jauron with a personality. One season in the playoffs and 14 games under .500. I don't care how many tackles he made for the Bills in the 80's. Hiring him would be a mistake.

Another candidate on the Bills radar is Marc Trestman, coach of the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes, who posted a CFL-best 15-3 regular season record and has his team one win from the Grey Cup final.

Seriously? Who the hell is this guy? Is this the best way the Bills can market to Canada? By hiring a coach from Montreal? Oh, that will put some butts in the seats. I just googled his bio and I understand he had some success as a coordinator for the 49ers (96-97) and the Raiders (2002). But that success happened a long time ago.

Someone may want to go over the wish list one more time with Ralph Wilson. The cynic in me does think that maybe the Bills are just floating Shanahan's name around, so they can tell the fans that at least they tried to get a high priced coach. Seriously, why would you have Shanahan at the top of your list and then your next candidate is Kevin Gilbride? Weird.

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Report: Bills to talk with Mike Shanahan

One day after firing Dick Jauron, the Buffalo Bills have wasted no time identifying a potential replacement. Adam Schefter is reporting that Buffalo has contacted and is in the process of arranging a meeting with former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, according to two NFL sources. Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Broncos, is said to be willing to listen to the Bills. He has said in the past that he is determined to return to the NFL next season.

Wow! Maybe Ed Kilgore and Thurman Thomas were right about Ralph Wilson spending money on a coach. I've made my stance on Shanahan clear, he's a great offensive mind, but since John Elway left, Shanahan has only won one playoff game and his defenses have been average to poor.

Of course, the thought of Shanahan roaming the sidelines rather than Dick Jauron puts a smile on my face.

In a perfect world, I would love Shanahan as the coach, but wouldn't mind seeing the Bills bring in a strong personnel man. Shanahan may know running backs and quarterbacks, but when it comes to drafting other needs, history shows he isn't exactly a draft guru. Again, this is a good start in the search process for the Bills next head coach.

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Jim Haslett as your 2010 Bills head coach?

Jim Haslett

Resume: Haslett has a 47-61 record in seven seasons as the head coach for New Orleans and St. Louis. He guided the Saints to one division title and brought the franchise their first playoff victory in 2000. Haslett also played linebacker for the Bills from 1979-1985 and won defensive rookie of the year.

Mind of Joe

My heart almost sank when hearing John Clayton on the radio yesterday say that Haslett would be a good fit in Buffalo. Haslett is exactly like Dick Jauron, except he has a mouth. He had one good year in New Orleans and the rest of his years the team was hovering around the .500 mark. Haslett even hired Turk Schonert as his QB coach for god sakes. Sound familiar? I know some old school Bills fans would love the move because Haslett was a good player for the Bills in the 80's, but that doesn't mean he'd make a good coach. I'd rather see Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas coaching the team than this retread failure of a coach. Lets not forget that Haslett is currently coaching in the fledgling UFL, which means no one wants him.

Mind of Ralph

Usually whenever a coach gets fired the owner normally likes to bring in a coach who is that exact opposite of the predecessor. Ralph may see Haslett as that guy. He'd also come very cheap and wouldn't demand any sort of power besides his own office and assistant. I'm sure Ralph could market Haslett as being a coach with a new attitude and a forgotten son coming home to Buffalo (cue up Haslett playing footage as a method to sell tickets on TV). The only thing going against Haslett is that the Bills didn't bother interviewing him in 2006 when he was out of work. Even still, a Haslett hiring would represent the status quo at One Bills Drive.

Percentage that Haslett is the Bills coach in 2010: 30%

Marty Schottenheimer as your 2010 Bills head coach?

Marty Schottenheimer

Resume: Schottenheimer has a 200-126-1 record in 16 seasons as the head coach for Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, and San Diego. He has guided his teams to the playoffs 13 times and has won eight division titles. Schottenheimer also played four years as a Buffalo Bill and was on the team that won its first AFL Title in 1965.

Mind of Joe

You want to talk about being a retread coach, Marty is the epitome of that. I don't know what to make of Schottenheimer, he's won in the majority of places he has coached (besides Washington, but no one wins there lately). But his playoff record and the way his team's have chocked isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. Besides his teams in San Diego, the majority of his teams have been boring to watch. But he's a rebuilder and Bills fans would relate to his intense personality. The big issue I would have is giving him complete control because he has never been in charge of a football organization.

Mind of Ralph

This is a coach who will cost half of what a Bill Cowher would demand. Ralph could easily sell Marty to the fans because of his playoff experience. We all know Bills fans love the idea of a player coming home to Buffalo (See, Lindy Ruff). As much as a choke artist Schottenheimer is, I'm sure Wilson would take his year in and year out playoff appearances. But the problem with Marty is whether he wants to get back into coaching, especially to Buffalo. Wilson would also have to consider how things worked out in San Diego, where Marty butted heads with AJ Smith and ownership. Like I've said, Ralph likes dealing with nice guys. I do think Wilson would give Marty a chance more than the others because he does come a little cheaper and being a former Bill doesn't hurt.

Percentage that Schottenheimer is the Bills head coach in 2010: 24%

Tony Dungy as your 2010 Bills head coach?

Tony Dungy

Resume: Dungy has a 139-79 record in 13 seasons as the head coach of Tampa Bay and Indianapolis. He's made the playoffs in 11 seasons and has has six division titles under his belt. He's also the architect of the "Cover 2" defense and helped turn around one of the worst franchises in NFL history (Tampa Bay). Dungy's crowing achievement came in 2006, when he led the Colts to the World Championship.

Mind of Joe

You thought Dick Jauron was a player's coach? Dungy makes Jauron look like General Patton. Everyone loves Dungy. Yes, there are similarities between he and Jauron with their low key approach and players respecting them. But that's where the similarities end. Dungy has won everywhere. But pessimists may think Dungy has been lucky because he has had such amazing players. You look at the players Dungy has coached; Warren Sapp, John Lynch, Derek Brooks, Payton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Dwight Freeney. The majority of them are going to the HOF. But I can't ignore what he did in Tampa. He turned a franchise around that made the Bills of today look like the Yankees. If he can do it in Tampa, why couldn't he do it in Buffalo? As for his time with Colts, making the playoffs year in and year out is good enough for me.

Mind of Ralph

Ralph loves to deal with nice football guys. That's why it took him so long to fire Jauron. Wilson isn't exactly enamored in the hard nose ways of a head coach or a GM (Just ask Bill Polian). Dungy would be an ideal personality that Wilson could deal with. Also, whose to say Dungy would want complete control. He has worked with strong GM's in Tampa and Indy. I also can't see Dungy wanting as much money as the other named coaches because he just doesn't seem the type to want to be paid that amount of money. But the big problem is that Dungy is in his first year of retirement. I think Dungy is at least another 1-2 years away from going back to coaching.

Percentage that Dungy is the Bills head coach in 2010: 10%

Jon Gruden as your 2010 Bills head coach?

Jon Gruden

Resume: Gruden has a 95-77 record in eleven seasons as the head coach for Oakland and Tampa Bay. He won a Super Bowl in 2002 and has guided his teams to the division title five times. Gruden is known as an offensive genius, who made Rich Gannon look like a hall of famer in his years in Oakland.

Mind of Joe

Not a fan of this one either. Sure, he would fit the Bills fan's love for a loud mouth, no non-sense coach. But how can you give him credit for winning a championship in Tampa Bay? Gruden, had an all-world defense waiting for him that was created by Tony Dungy. His offenses in Tampa were average at best, with the majority of his quarterbacks (See Chris Simms & Jeff Garcia) wanting to do bodily harm to him. If you ask me, his colorful "Chucky" personality is what made him a household name. Lets not forget Gruden hasn't won a playoff game since Super Bowl XXXVII. He kind of sounds like a poor man's version of Mike Shanahan, except he has the Napoleon complex.

Mind of Ralph

That Napoleon complex, along with money would keep Ralph from giving Gruden a chance in Buffalo. I read an interview where Ralph's wife told Marv Levy (when he was hired as GM) to just keep Ralph in the know. Do you picture Gruden taking 3 to 4 phone calls a day about what direction the team is going? I don't think so. I'm sure Ralph would call his old friend, Al Davis, and ask him about Gruden. Gruden and Al butted heads a lot at the conclusion of his tenure in Oakland, so I doubt he'd give him a good reference. I don't think Wilson wants another Tom Donahoe on his hands. Not to mention, Gruden signed an extension to stay with Monday Night Football for 2010.

Percentage that Gruden is the Bills head coach in 2010: O%

Mike Holmgren as your 2010 Bills head coach?

Mike Holmgren
Resume: Holmgren has a record of 157-100 with Green Bay and Seattle. He has coached in three Super Bowls (winning SB XXXI) and has guided his teams to the playoffs twelve times, and has won eight division titles. He is noted for his role in molding quarterbacks such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre and Matt Hasselbeck.

Mind of Joe:
I like Holmgren the most of the Mount Rushmore of coaching Millionaires. He has a great track record of taking two losing franchises and turning them around to being Super Bowl contenders. His Quarterback's resume is quite impressive. He's use to coaching in a small market and bad weather cities like Buffalo. I really can't think of a knock against the guy besides coaching in a weak NFC West division.

Mind of Ralph
Holmgren told Peter King that he wants to coach in the northeast in 2010. I do wonder what sort of role Holmgren would want. Remember, he was a GM his first part of his tenure in Seattle, then was forced to give up those duties in 2002. Maybe Holmgren would take a head coaching job and let the Bills hire a pro personnel man. Again, the 800lb gorilla in the room is money. Holmgren is going to want a lot of it. But of the 7-10 million dollar coaches, I see Holmgren being the more servicable than the other two coaches, because of where he has coach and not being the main guy in each spot.

Percentage that Holmgren is the Bills head coach in 2010: 20%

Mike Shanahan as your 2010 Bills head coach?

Mike Shanahan
Resume: Shanahan's coaching record is 138-90 in 16 seasons as a head coach. He has two Super Bowl titles, three division titles, and 7 playoff appearances. During his NFL career, Shanahan has been a part of teams that have played in 10 Conference Championship Games, in addition to his six Super Bowl appearances, five with Denver and Super Bowl XXIX with San Francisco.

Mind of Joe

If there is anyone on the Mount Rushmore of 10 million dollar coaches that I think is completely overrated, it's Shanahan. Yes, Shanahan knows offense but he doesn't know anything about defense. From 2004-2008 Shanahan's defense was ranked 15th, 14th, 19th, and 29th. Shanahan may have the most experience in running a franchise, but If you think the Bills had issues with drafting players, check out Shanahan's dubious 1st round choices while in Denver. People forget that Shanahan missed the playoffs three years in a row before being fired in Denver. Not to mention, Shanahan has only won one playoff game since John Elway retired way back in 1999.

Mind of Ralph

I go back to a comment Ralph made after last season. He spoke about how dull and boring the offense was and how he wanted to see change. If he wants a solution to that problem, Shanahan is his problem solver. But just like Bill Cowher, Shanahan is going to cost a ton of money and will want complete control. I would think he'd like Shanahan over Cowher because of his offensive ability, but again money talks and Ralph won't walk.

Percentage that Shanahan is the Bills head coach in 2010: 15%

Bill Cowher as your 2010 Bills head coach?

Bill Cowher
Resume: Cowher sports a record of 149-90-1 with a Super Bowl ring in 2006. In Cowher’s 15 seasons, the Steelers captured eight division titles, earned ten postseason playoff berths, played in 21 playoff games, advanced to six AFC Championship games and made two Super Bowl appearances. He is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least seven division titles.

Mind of Joe
We all know Cowher's no non-sense attitude would fit like a glove with the fans of Buffalo. I think fans would give up their first born for a crack at Cowher. However, the cynic in me, thinks Cowher may be a byproduct of coaching at a top tier organization like the Steelers. Look at how the Steelers have performed since Cowher left coaching. Two years, Two division titles, and one Super Bowl win. Now, would I take Cowher? Of course, but I'm not holding a candle to him like a lot of other Bills fans are.

Mind of Ralph
Like I said earlier, I don't see Ralph Wilson ponying up 7-10 million dollars for a head coach. It would be a great if he could get convinced other wise. But do you honestly think Russ Brandon is going to tell his boss to demote him? We all know Cowher would want full power and a lot of money. There are also rumors that Cowher would only want to coach close to his home in North Carolina. Besides location issues, I just don't see Ralph giving up his kid's trust fund to hire the "Chin."

Percentage that Cowher is the Bills head coach in 2010: 10%

Who will coach the Bills in 2010?

I'm having a very difficult time writing this blog entry. Part of me wants to play fantasy football owner and say hire a 10 million dollar coach, while the other part of me knows that Ralph Wilson more then likely won't pay for it. The Bills are such a disaster right now that I don't know where to begin.

So I'm just going to rattle off a bunch of names and give my opinion and what Wilson's thought process would be going Forward. Stay Tune.

It's official: Perry Fewell is in

The Buffalo Bills have official named Perry Fewell as interim head coach for the Buffalo Bills. Here is Wilson's statement on the matters.

“Perry Fewell will be our Interim Head Coach. Perry has done a great job with our defense and has demonstrated excellent leadership skills as Defensive Coordinator. Our players and staff have a lot of confidence in him and that is important as we look forward to these next seven games."

I know most fans aren't going to be excited about the move, but what did you expect? When was the last time a team fired a coach in mid-season and brought in a coach from the outside? The good thing about the move is the Bills can at least gage the temperature of other coaches who are out of work and get a jump start on the coaching carousel.

I'll say this, I'm happy the Bills picked Fewell over Bobby April. The NFL is a young man's sport and Fewell fits that bill. As for fans clamoring for Bobby April, I could never get behind a guy who has only been a special teams coach for over 20 years.

Now Look, are any of these two going to be on the sidelines next year? No. Does it really mater who the head coach is the reminder of this season? No. I'm just saying that I'd take Fewell over April.

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The Ball is in Ralph's court

Ralph Wilson is like a recovering alcoholic. He finally realized that he has a huge problem, something he should of realized last year. Wilson has taken the first step in recovering the Buffalo Bills from oblivion, but the real work is just getting started.

Jauron is gone and all of the Bills fans are rejoicing. But before you break out the champagne, lets remember how you felt when the Bills fired Wade Phillips, then it was Greg Williams, then it was Mike Mularkey. While the coaches have changed, the feeling remains the same. Thank god it happened!

But that's the problem, for every Wade Phillips who gets fired, we get a Dick Jauron type coming in. This is where Wilson has to put his money where his mouth is. Ralph always talks about how he wants the city of Buffalo to win a championship. Well, Wilson needs to stop looking at his payroll like it's the 70's and invest in the coaching staff and a real NFL GM.

The NFL is a coaches and general manager's league. There is a reason why guys like Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh are successful in Baltimore and Pittsburgh. It's because they have competent football men running the team that can draft pro bowlers and find linebackers on the street to start.

Either Russ Brandon or Wilson's wife need to lock Ralph in a room and hammer it into his head that hiring coaches for just over a million dollars isn't going to work. Hell, if Wilson is so cheap then cut Lee Evans and Aaron Schobel and use the money to hire a Bill Cowher or Mike Holmgren type. You want to sell the team to the Toronto area? Bring in a coach with Super Bowl hype. It didn't work with Owens.

The worst thing Wilson can do now is to stop here. He has to continue with the house cleaning. That was the biggest mistake he made when he fired Tom Donahoe. For whatever reason, Wilson decided to let Donahoe's flunkies keep running the team. He needs to fire John Guy and Tom Modrak. He needs to have Russ Brandon hire a real GM who can help him in pro personnel choices.

I'm sick and tired of the dismissing the notion that the Bills won't go after high priced coaches. For god sakes, the team got 78 million dollars to move Bills games to Toronto!? That's a dam drop in the bucket for a 5-6 million dollar coach.

We all know that Wilson is up there in age, so why not spend all the money he has made over the 50 years he has ran the team and just go all out, Flordia Marlins circa 1997, and try and buy a championship. Any objections?

Bottom line, Wilson has to change his hiring ways. Mark my words, if he doesn't, we will be having the exact same discussion 2-3 years from now.

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Did the players finish off Jauron?

Well, I wrote at about 2:10PM today, that with the Bills demoting Edwards and firing Schonert, that things seem to happen in 3's and maybe a Jauron firing was coming around the corner. Didn't think it would be 20 minutes later.

I swear, I was as giddy as a 15-year old girl seeing the Twighlight Movies when I heard the news. So why now? I wrote earlier that the choice to bench Edwards had more to do with Jauron not trying to lose the lockeroom than the play of Edwards.

Then I heard Aaron Schobel's comments on Monday, that he didn't know what direction this team was going in and implied that it wasn't the player's faults for it.

That's why Wilson, in my opinion, decided to fire Jauron now. Jauron had lost his players. From Terrell Owens and Josh Reed going off about Edwards to a 3.3 million dollar player (Roscoe) sitting on the bench. That's a lot of discontent in the lockeroom if you ask me.

The biggest reason (besides the money) why Jauron was kept after last year was because his players loved him. Hell, Wilson said it in his statement to TBN that it was a hard decision because he had so much respect for him.

Everyone stood up for Jauron when the media and fans wanted him out. We all heard the quotes on how Jauron was a stand-up guy and how the players wanted to bring him home to meet mom & dad.

But how much can you love a guy that coaches not to win. A coach, that you can name at least 20-25 game situations that he cost the team a win. Every single offensive player on the Bills team is having their worst career year ever! You can't tell me Marshawn Lynch and Lee Evans are happy about their stats. Loving your coach is one thing, losing is another thing, but messing with a player's stats is the last straw.

The veteran players on the team seemed to grow annoyed as the season went on and I think Wilson and Brandon knew that. Of course, losing to an old AFL rival could of been the last straw as well.

So Bills fans, start playing the Hallelujah song, Jauron is finally gone. Hopefully the worst is over for this franchise.

Comments are welcomed