Quick Monday Thoughts

Here we go with the Sabres brainwashing campaign against making trades. We all know that the Toronto Maple Leafs were wheeling and dealing this weekend with acquiring Dion Phaneuf and Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Look, obviously we have no clue who got the better of the deals, and the Maple Leafs would have to go on a hell of a run to even make the playoffs.

But the Sabres and their watch dogs are already on the prowl with saying that the Leafs gave up a ton for Phaneuf and Giguere. Look, I know that Giguere has struggled, but he was pretty good two years ago. But the biggest key to the Giguere deal is that he's an upgrade over Vesa Toskala. As for Phaneuf, he's only one of the best offensive defenseman in the NHL.

This isn't the first or last time that Sabres apologists have said "it's the end of the world" when it comes to trading. I keep hearing Kathy Bates character in the "Water Boy," where she says that "Foosball is de Devil" to Adam Sandler. Which is how I would compare the Sabres reactions to NHL teams trading during the regular season. I'm still waiting for someone to send me a multi-player deal from the last five years where a team was burned by giving up prospects for a star player. Sorry, but the Eric Lindros trade doesn't count anymore.

I've said this before, the Sabres need to make a deal for a playmaking center or defensmen. I know that most Sabres apologists are saying, "Bro, the Sabres are fine, man. They can beat anyone in the east." That may be true now, but don't think for one second that the Penguins or Capitols won't try and get better at the deadline.

Yeah, I know, no one has won the Stanley Cup after making a huge trade deadline deal, but they haven't hurt either, folks-

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Look, I hate the NFL Draft. I think it's the most over hyped event in all of sports. I understand that the draft builds your team for the future, but having experts grade drafts even before a player walks out on the NFL field is a joke. I remember in 2002, when all the experts gave the Bills a A- for their draft. That was the draft where Mike Williams and Josh Reed were picked.

With that being said, I have to agree with the experts on their thoughts on Tim Tebow. I don't want to knock the guy before he ever puts on an NFL uniform, but I wouldn't want him starting on my team. There's just way too many red flags about him.

When you hear these words: Slow release, bad footwork, lack of arm strength, and a project. It just doesn't really enhance my confidence. Now it's possible for him to cure all of these bad mechanics over the next couple of years. However, what scares me the most is how he's been exclusively in the shotgun for all of his years in college. That's a big red flag for me. You have to learn to see the field under center and hearing how he fumbled a number of snaps at Senior Bowl practice last week isn't a good thing. He also didn't help his stock with his performance at the Senior Bowl on Saturday either.

Look, I get that Tebow is probably the greatest college football player of all time. But so was Ty Detmer and Charlie Ward. I know he's a leader and a blue-collar (hate that word) type player that would probably captivate Bills fans. But he's not the guy that the Bills should develop for the future. Now if Tebow falls to the 4th or 5th round, I'm down for drafting him as a wildcat quarterback, like the Dolphins did for Pat White.

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As far as my draft strategy for the Bills goes, I've always been a big fan of teams trading down. The Bills have a number of needs for their team and I think this is the time to try and stockpile picks. Heck, if Buddy Nix's resume is comprised of all these great draft picks he helped make in San Diego, then the team should give him as many picks as possible.

Fans have to realize that the Chargers were built not only through drafting, but for trading down. They traded the first overall pick in 2001 and 2004 to gain extra picks, which set the foundation for the team's competitiveness for years to come.

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I'm still not sure what the Bills should do with their first pick. Part of me wants them to draft an offensive tackle, but I don't think they will because they traded Jason Peters last year after refusing to pay him. So why would they draft and pay for a unproven LT, when they already had Peters.

You could always draft a quarterback in the first round, but history has proven that you can find a stellar quarterback in the later rounds (Hell, "Double G" was jumping up and down for the Bills to draft Drew Brees in the second round), the big question is do the Bills have the scouts who can find that diamond in the rough? Eh....

As of today, I'm going to go with drafting a linebacker. Even if the Bills go to a 3-4 defense, they need to address their linebacking core. In the last 10 years, The Bills have only drafted one linebacker within the first two rounds. The Bills need a linebacker who can go east to west and can be adequate in pass coverage. I've already stated that I'm not a big fan of Poz, whose shortcomings have outweighed his pros. But maybe if Poz gets a little help, I may change my tune on him. Either way, the Bills have a ton of holes on their roster.

Weekend thoughts

Admit it. Even if you're the biggest Sabres junkie and your refrigerator is loaded with Robie's Yancey's Fancy cheese, don't you want the hockey playoffs to just start tomorrow? And I don't exactly mean that as a good thing. It's just some of these Sabres games are just sooooooooooooo boring.

I wrote after their western road trip, that the Sabres played some of their most entertaining hockey of the season. I questioned if it was more of their play that dictated it or was it their opponents who brought out their skating. I think after watching the last two games, we know the answer. Can we please play Vancouver and San Jose again?

But look, two points are two points, and the Sabres are winning and have exceeded expectations. It's just now, I'm kind of over the regular season, especially when they play opponents within their division. The North East Division must be the dullest division in all of hockey. Seriously, if your biggest division game is playing at a 50/50 crowd against the crappy Leafs, then you know your rivals are just blah. No star powers on offense and just clutching and grabbing games.

Look, I'm just telling you how I feel about their games. I try to get into the 2-1 games and get excited when Robie is describing Steve Montadour clearing the puck. It's just...I need scoring!

But here's the bottom line: The Sabres are a gritty hockey team with superior goaltending and a not so exciting offense. I'm not stupid, and after all my gripes about how they play some of the dullest hockey this side of Lake Erie, I know that it's this style that will get them past round one or beyond in the playoffs. If they win with this style in the postseason, then I'm sure their playoff success will overcome the boredom that I have with them.

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Look, I have made no bones about my opinions on what athletes do off the field. I don't give a rats a$$!!! As long as you are playing well on Sunday or other game days, you can do whatever you want. It's your life, not mine. With that being said, what's the big problem with Patrick Kane sitting in a limo and posing for photos with his shirt off?

It's not like the dude was funneling beer and making a porno called Raising Kane or Limhoes with the girls. He was in a Limo, not on the streets, where it's illegal to have an open beverage container..just a limo. You know how many Labatt Blues have been brought into a limo in my lifetime? And to top it off, he had girls who were wearing flannels around him, not wet t-shirts. This sort of thing has happened before and will happen again.

Beating up a cab driver is bad, but to be in a limo with your shirt off and taking photos, I just don't get the uproar.

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-Well I got good news and bad news for the Bills coaching staff. The good news: the Bills are bringing back Bruce DeHaven to coach their special teams. DeHaven was the man during the early 90's helping the Bills become number one in kick/punt coverage in the NFL for a number of years. For whatever reason, the Bills have always been big on finding established special teams coaches.

However, I should warn you, DeHaven's later years in Buffalo weren't anything to write home about, and I'm not talking about "The Music City Miracle." When Steve Tasker was converted to the Bills legit third wide receiver, the Bills special teams started declining. They ranked in the bottom third of the league in punt and kickoff coverage from 1996-1999, and then bottomed out in DeHaven's last year. Look, I'm not trying to stir s#$t up, DeHaven is good addition, but I'd rather see the Bills get an established defensive coordinator than bringing in another special team's ace. Which leads me to the Bad News.

Mark Gaughan said in his chat on Friday that he thinks the Bills may promote Bob Sanders as the Defensive Coordinator. Look, I've heard all the stories about how Sanders is a good coach, but there's no way in hell anyone deserves to get promoted from the Bills defensive coaching staff. I get that he helped Kyle Williams become a pro bowl alternate, but that still doesn't overshadow the Bills giving up over 500 yards rushing against the Jets in two games.

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So I was listening to WGR's round table on Thursday with both the morning and afternoon hosts. It was an OK listen, even though all the topics that were brought up have been heard countless times on their respective shows within the last week or so. But the biggest bombshell at the round table came from Paul Hamilton, who said that one of the reasons why Gregg "Double G" Williams was hired was because he allowed Tom Donahoe to sit in the coaches box and sometimes tell him what plays to run.

Um, where the hell was this breaking news from say..um..SEVEN YEARS AGO!? I mean what's next? Are we going to hear that JP Losman couldn't remember the plays because he had A.D.D.? Maybe we will hear that Ralph Wilson's wife has been running the team since marriage? Or maybe the Bills had signed a deal in 2003 with Rogers Communication to move the team to Toronto by 2012?

You always hear media members unload stories on former players and coaches after their time in Buffalo has come to an end. When this happens, it just gets me more frustrated than anything, because it should have been mentioned then, not seven years later?!

Great Hockey Debates

Shootout or not to shootout
What the hell is with all this talk about the NHL shootouts being a joke? Look, I'm not a traditionalist. I'm all for making a professional sports league as beneficial and entertaining as possible. Hence the reason, I'm for having a shootout. Can you imagine if the Sabres vs Devils game didn't have a shootout? It would be the dullest game since..well..the last Sabres vs Devils game.

If the entertainment factor doesn't comply, well, who the hell wants to see ties? Ties are for little league, bush league or the league that you take the losing team to get ice cream. This is the problem with the NHL, they have too many old-schoolers who cry when the league needs to make changes for the betterment of the league.

Sorry, but having 2-1 hockey games from the late 90's isn't something I want to see. As far as I'm concerned, old-schoolers are marks and would watch hockey on hot coals with bean stocks as sticks. Your old-school ways haven't worked in the states, so you may as well just shut it.

NHL Players in the Olympics
I'm going to sound very wishy washy and maybe a lot bit of a hypocrite after what I said about wanting the most entertainment for pro sports. But the NHL doesn't belong in the Olympics. Look, do I think the games would be as fast with amateurs playing? No. Would the games be as entertaining? No. But here's the bottom line: The NHL came to the Olympics with the idea that the league would make leaps into the American culture as a sport, and it just hasn't happened. I already wrote about people thinking Ryan Miller would become a household name if the USA brought home gold. Sorry, but Mike Richter and Mike Dunham didn't become household names when the team brought home silver in 2002. Hell, I couldn't even tell you who played well on that team.

The Olympic audience is more into following ice skating and young cute guys/girls with their underdog stories. Ryan Miller may be good looking, but he's not an underdog. I think if Olympic hockey went back to the old ways of showing kids who've never been heard of and can showcase a story of youth prevailing, it would be something that the American public can get behind. Plus, who the hell wants to see a break in the NHL season (Besides Thomas Vanek)?

The Olympic Games are built around the competition among the best amateur athletes in the world. Take 1980, yes, I get that USA was going through a cold war with USSR. But if Team USA was led by professionals, would it have been as nice of a memory for fans who speak so highly of a bunch of teenagers playing a game they loved?

To fight or not to fight
FIGHT!!! I don't know much about women, but if there's one thing that is universal about the ladies of the world, it's they are a sucker for the bad ass guy. That same logic goes for the typical sports fan. Hockey Fights are awesome. I've seen it first hand at arenas when the crowd rise to their feet and start yelling and hollering.

Why the NHL is trying to get rid of it? I have no clue. It's the one thing that the other 3 major sports don't have. The NHL should try and be different from those sports. If you don't believe me, go to YouTube and type in Flyers vs Sabres+ fights, and enjoy. I'll never forget the Senators vs Sabres game, where Drury got knocked out by Chris Neal and Ruff told his team go out their and fight. Revenge is bitter sweet and so is fighting.

This is what you call blasting Buffalo?

Look, I'm not a Gregg Williams fan. I didn't like him in Buffalo and I felt throughout his career that his defenses were only as good as the players he had. With that being said, what's with the whole he crapped on Buffalo rhetoric? Anyways, here are his comments:

"You know I've been able to pick and choose now where I want to go to and I really, really, really wanted to draft Drew Brees when I was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills and thank goodness that didn't happen otherwise I would still be stuck up there in cold Buffalo. (laughing) Now I'm here and I do have a chance to go with him here into this game.''

WOW! BURN! So he said Buffalo is cold. My goodness, burn him at the stakes. It's not like he said that Ralph Wilson should return his yellow blazer to the HOF and that he hated Mighty Taco. He said Buffalo is cold, something that was written on all of my friend's statuses on Facebook. Something that was said collectively by everyone living in Buffalo today. Something that was said by your favorite meteorologist. It's not a big deal. If he said he hated living in Buffalo and couldn't stand the people, then I would have a problem.

Trust me, Gregg "Double G" would get on his hands and knees to come back to Buffalo as a head coach, because no one wants to give him a head coaching job anywhere. He was average in Washington and was a disaster in Jacksonville. If it wasn't for Brett Favre milking injuries and throwing an ill-advised pass, Double G would be sitting at home with his blow horn.

Oh, BTW, do you honestly think this guy was sitting in the draft room and jumping up and down about drafting Drew Brees? How many mistakes did he make while being the Bills head coach? Remember punting on 4th and 2 from the Patriots 28-yard line? Um, yeah...Of course, he knew Brees was going to be this good. No wonder he was such a good interview, because he obviously has a gift for lying and exagerrating.

Thursday Thoughts

-USA, USA, USA...MVP, MVP, MVP...Any chant will justify how well Ryan Miller has played this season. Just when I was thinking maybe Miller was slowing down, he puts in an outstanding effort against the Devils. He kept the Sabres in the game and when he had to come up big in the shootout, he stoned walled the Devils. It's good to see him hopefully snap out of his shootout funk. Can you imagine where the Sabres would be without the guy?

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Now that Tim Connolly's point streak has come to an end, it's going to be interesting to see what happens next. We all know Connolly is as streaky as they come. History shows whenever he unloads on one of his point streaks, he always seems to crash down to earth afterwards. I'm curious to see how much of this point streak onslaught was a result of Connolly being upset that he wasn't on Team USA. Motivation seems to be the key to Connolly's game because when he believes in his shot and ability, he's the Sabres best offensive player. I can only hope he keeps some of it up because the Sabres need all the scoring they can get.

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Just when I put up the post that it wouldn't shock me if the Bills didn't name a replacement for John Guy, Buddy Nix seemed to second the notion in TBN today.

"I think we're in good shape right now," Nix said. "There is a chance that later on we might hire somebody, but we got some very qualified guys in there who have been doing it with John, and they know how. We'll continue like we're going."

Ugh!! So much for Ralph Wilson using that 10 million dollars he was going to spend on Cowher. Like I said before, the Bills will always look for ways to save money. How does that soundbite from November sound when Ralph Wilson said, "money is no object for me, and if you think I'm cheap, you're looking down the wrong street."

Well, I can tell you that it's not Wall Street you're looking on. Yeah, nothing like selling hope and when you get to the register to checkout, you run back and sneak out the back door.

Sorry, but I don't want Guy's understudies doing his job. Why? Because they LEARNED from John Guy. It also looks like Tom Modrak is staying put, which shouldn't shock anyone because he's the one that hired Buddy Nix in the first place. What exactly does Tom Modrak put on his resume? "Um, well...I orchestrated the drafting of Mike Williams, Josh Reed and JP Losman, but somehow was able to kiss Mr. Wilson's ass and make him think that it was all on Tom Donahoe. Then I drafted such greats as John McCargo, JP Losman and Aaron Maybin. Yeah...um..I guess I work hard." Only at One Bills Drive.

Of course, if the Bills sign Mike Vick, everyone will forget about the team's inability to fix their front office problems.

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-We all know that at this time of year, Bills fans start flashbacking to the Super Bowl years. Yes, it's an ugly pill to swallow. I had a bit of a flashback myself yesterday, when former Cowboys safety, Darren Woodson spoke about his experiences from his super bowl week.

“As much as everyone talked about how much experience the Bills had back then, they partied harder than any other team. That’s all we heard about the entire week in L.A., the (Cowboys) first Super Bowl.

“They (Bills players) were out Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Couple guys got into altercations in the clubs, older, veteran guys with the Bills.

“Experience doesn’t mean that much, it’s all about leadership. There’s a reason they (Bills) lost four Super Bowls. They partied harder than any other team.”

Ah yes, the stories that we have all heard, from Darryl Talley fighting with Magic Johnson's bodyguard to Jim Kelly judging bikini contests.

I still think that the Bills should have won Super Bowl XXV, but were severely outcoached by Bill Parcells and were too young and immature for that stage. I could give you a laundry list of what went wrong in that Super Bowl, even before I get to Norwood's miss.

As for the other three Super Bowls, the Bills could have stayed at a Nun's convent and watched "Field of Dreams" and they still would have lost to the superior Redskins and Cowboys teams. Those teams were loaded and were psychically and mentally sharper than the Bills.

Wednesday Thoughts

It's nothing like pillaging through the coaching staffs of the Kansas City Chiefs and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. What doesn't say winning tradition like being the Georgia Bulldogs b#tch and winning six games in the last two years. Yup, that's Chan Gailey's new coaching staff. The Bills announced the hiring of five new coaches, four of them having ties to the great Kansas City Chiefs team of 2008, that happen to go 2-14.

Yeah, so much for the Bills scaling the NFL world, looking for the best guy for the job. But should it really surprise us that their assistant coaching search resembles their quest for a GM and coach? Actually, I shouldn't include the GM search because all the Bills did was look down the hallway, instead of going outside of Buffalo.

I mean we all knew that Ralph Wilson talks about how envious he was of the late Lamar Hunt, but I didn't know he felt the same way about the coaching staff there. I'm also wondering how you can name your kid, Giff Smith.

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-Look, I'm not asking for the Bills to go out and sign Jim Fassel or Jim Hasslett as your coordinators (Even though that would be fine in my book), but if you are going to promote assistant coaches, why not go to teams that have had success and promote their quarterbacks coach to OC or their D-line coach to defensive coordinator. To bring in the winning tradition of the Kansas City Chiefs horrific teams isn't exactly installing confidence in me.

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Buffalo Sports Daily is reporting that it looks as if the Bills are going to be scrapping the 4-3 defense for a 3-4. I've made my thoughts clear on the move, people are acting as if the 3-4 represents this new wave defense that's never been seen before. Sorry, but when you read reports that the Bills personnel is least suited to run a 3-4 defense in the NFL, it kind of tells me that maybe they should stay put and just get a better scheme and find a legit linebacker or two.

In order to run a 3-4, you need to have a lot of depth at linebacker. Um, yeah....Keith Ellison, Chris Draft and John DiGiorgio aren't reminding me of the Steelers linebacking core. Not only do you have issues with your linebackers, but you would play your defensive tackles (who I think are the strongest part of your front seven) out of position. Allen Wilson said that Marcus Stroud was laughing his ass off when asked if he thought he could play nose tackle.

If the transition takes place, it will remind me of what happen in 2001 for the Bills. Greg Williams inherited a 3-4 defense that had finished 4th in the NFL, but was hell bent on inserting his 4-3 defense. The Bills cut a number of players like Sam Rogers, John Holecek and Henry Jones because they couldn't fit in the 4-3. The Bills defense tanked the first two years under Williams, until they were able to sign Spikes, Milloy and Adams to turn the defense around. You see, it's about finding players, not formations.

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What's up with the Bills and the local media's relationship? First, you get the Bills hiring Chan Gailey, which no one saw in the press coming until the day before he was hired. Then you get the John Guy firing announced before midnight. Then it takes you almost five days for the Bills to confirm the hiring of their offensive coordinator. It seems like the Bills are doing their best Oakland Raiders version of dealing with the press core by not announcing anything. It's not only a disservice to the press, but to Bills fans who want to know what the hell is going on with their team.

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John Clayton said on ESPN.com that it wouldn't shock him if the Bills decided to give Trent Edwards another crack at the starting job. Um, NO! Sorry, but when you teammates lose confidence in you and you can't complete a pass of more than two yards, then you're not a starter in this league. If you want to look for a reason why the Bills would give Edwards another chance, it starts with Ralph Wilson. Wilson, who by all accounts was behind the drafting of Edwards, is probably hell bent on proving that his archaic football mind is superior. Bottom Line: Edwards needs to get lost.

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I can already hear the Sabres apologists say that if the team loses tonight against the Devils they are going to blame it on the jet leg. Sorry, but everyone has to fly in the NHL and if you're on a four game losing streak, you need to put the frequent flyer miles behind you and put your best effort forward. It's not like the Sabres are going to need their legs in this one, they are playing the Devils and their boring a## offensive style.

What I Learned from the Sabres road trip

1)I learned that I'm still a little bit puzzled about this team. Here I am, thinking that this team was going to play 2-1 games that we've seen over the whole season, yet during the trip the team played some pretty entertaining hockey. The big question is whether the Sabres brought out their own offensive skills or was it the style of play from the opposition that made them do it. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy as hell that they didn't lure me to sleep during their late night games, but the fact is the team lost four straight to end the trip and was only able to get six of a possible 14 points.

2) I learned that you can look at this road trip as being either a glass half-full or half empty, and I wouldn't really argue with you. On the half-full part, the Sabres showed that they could skate with some of the best NHL teams in the West. It wasn't as if the Sabres were blown off the ice. On the other hand, you saw the Sabres put in a pretty good effort and still lose against some of the best of the west.

I'll have to go with the half empty rhetoric by a sip. Look, the Sabres played well on the trip and the fact that I'm looking at perspective Stanley Cup match-ups is a good thing. But there's no way they can beat a team like the Sharks or Canucks in a best of seven series. I think they have a better shot against someone like Chicago, because their goaltending is very suspect. But against those teams, with that scoring offense and all-world goaltending, you're going to have to show me more (or make a trade).

3) I learned that if the Western Conference teams played in the larger markets in the Eastern Conference, the NHL would be a hell of a lot more popular. Those teams play a fun, wide open style that reminds me of what the NHL looked like after the lockout. You think the NHL wouldn't mind it if the Sharks played in NYC. With that being said, I'm so looking forward to being bored to tears when the Sabres play the Devils on Wednesday.

4) I learned that Ryan Miller hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire as of late. Over the last week, Miller's GAA is 2.57, with a save percentage of less than .900. I don't know if it has a lot to do with the Olympics being on his mind or he's getting tired, but his play of late has been a little reminiscent of last year. Now, I'm not going to sit here and bag on the Sabres MVP. I think his play has to do with his defense (Steve Montadour) and forwards trying too hard to keep up with the Western teams by forgetting to play two-way hockey. I guess if you want more offense you're going to have to lose some of your defense. The biggest thing I wanted to learn was how the Sabres played if Miller had an off night, well, he had a couple of those and they lost. But at least they were entertaining.

5) I learned that although he hasn't exactly been my favorite Sabre, Tim Connolly is playing his best hockey since the Senators playoff series from 2006. Everything the guy is doing from skating and passing to actually believing in his shot has been exceptional. Connolly has always been a riddle wrapped in a enigma. On certain nights the guy looks like he should be the poster boy for the Sabres and on other nights I would love to jettison him to Parts Unknown with Miro Satan, Max and Mike Wilson. I've said it once and I'll say it again, if the Sabres decide not to make a deal for a play-making center, they are going to need Connolly to play like this every night in the playoffs.

6)I learned that for all you hockey apologists who love to crap on the NFL for its officiating (Mike Schopp), Kerry Fraser proves that your league has some referee issues. But at least he's retiring.

6B) I learned that Ice Girls from LI are AWESOME?!

6C) I don't care if the Canucks and Sharks broadcasts offered naked pictures of the Ice Girls and 3D vision of the game, it's a complete joke that this organization has to save money by not having their broadcasters...well, broadcast.

The interesting thing moving forward will be how the team plays against the mediocre Eastern conference. At the end of the season we may look back at this trip as being a time when the Sabres found a bit of their offense and brought it back to Buffalo to cure their scoring ineptness against the Eastern teams. However, the trip could be a time when we say that the Sabres stay at home defense was exploited. Either way, I learned that Western Conference hockey is a lot of fun.

Buffalo Bills thoughts

-Who the hell is Curtis Modkins? Well, by reports, he's your next offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills. Yes, his resume is simply unremarkable, but I'm not going to kill the hiring. Mainly because the coordinator is going to be getting on the job training with Gailey calling the plays. However, I'm still not a big fan of Gailey being the boss-

-What the hell is taking the Bills so long to find assistant coaches? Look, I know that the Bills just hired their coach five days ago, but it's not like they are fighting against other teams for assistants. There has only been two other job openings this offseason, both of them filled weeks ago, so it shouldn't be an issue. They are also playing with fire by not having their coaching staff in place for the Senior Bowl. Hell, even Tom Cable is going to cover the bowl and he may be canned by halftime of the game. If Buddy Nix's forte is all about drafting, shouldn't you want a coaching staff in place to view prospects? If this is a sign at how slow this new regime is at filling spots, then look for them to hire John Guy's replacement by July. As usual, the Bills are behind the 8 ball-

-I've been big on trying to find a defensive coordinator whose either been a former head coach or an established coordinator. However, with NFL coaches not losing as many jobs this season than years past, means that you can't promote fired coaches as your coordinators. With that being said, I'm not exactly thrilled with what's out there. What? You're going to bring in Jim Bates? Sorry, but his last three coaching stops in Green Bay, Denver and Tampa Bay were disastrous. Jim Mora, Jr.? Eh, don't really think his defenses cut it in San Fran or Seattle as a coordinator. Gunther Cunnigham? Sorry, but I don't want a coordinator near my team that Trent Edwards scored four touchdowns against.

So what should the Bills do then? They should look at the top defenses in the NFL and promote their linebacker or secondary coaches to coordinator. I've been a big fan of the Jets defense. I love how they just blitz the crap out of the opponent and live be that philosophy. Sorry, but I'm over the whole "bend but don't break defense" of the Bills. If I'm the Bills, I look at the Jets defensive coaching staff and see who they could steal from there.

Dennis Thurman, whose the secondary coach for the Jets and spent six seasons with the same job in Baltimore, is someone I'd like for the Bills to interview. During his Ravens tenure, the team led the NFL with 126 interceptions and 18 interception returns for touchdowns while he was coaching, among others, Ed Reed (34 INTs, 2002-07), Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle and Deion Sanders. Um, yeah...I think he deserves a promotion-

-I know the big question for the offseason is going to be what the Bills should do for a quarterback. I'm not a big fan of drafting young quarterbacks early in the draft because of it being such a big of a roll of the dice. However, I wouldn't make a huge stink if the Bills decided to go that route, mainly because it has been done before with other teams. However, before all you Bills apologists have Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez dancing in your heads (or in Details magazine), realize that those quarterbacks were successful because they were surrounded by all-world offensive lines and great defenses. Sorry, but the Bills don't have either of those traits. I'm a bigger fan of trading or drafting a QB in the later rounds-

Buffalo Media Sports Blitz

Buffalo Sports casts are downright pathetic
I've been in quite a few of the Buffalo News chats where reporters have taken issue with fans calling out the media for not asking tough questions. I do feel that the reporters at the News do a decent job in asking tough questions and write columns that aren't kissing any of the sports teams' asses. However, I understand where a lot of the criticism comes from.

While I was home for Christmas, I made it a nightly occurrence to watch the local sportscast. Alan Pergament stole a little bit of my thunder in an article yesterday in the paper, but the local TV sportscasts are a complete disaster.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that you only have about 3-4 minutes to do sports and the downsizing of sportscasts in the country is very alarming, but you can make the most of your time.

For instance, Channel 4 and 7 both have half-hour shows on Sunday night dedicated to the Buffalo sports scene. If you're hoping to tune in to hear some hard hitting opinions of the Bills or Sabres organization, you may as well goto a bar or read my blog. Not only did any of these anchors have an opinion about the Chan Gailey or Buddy Nix hiring, but they talked local sports for about 10 minutes and then went on to talk about the the remaining NFL playoffs.

Um, sorry, but I don't give a rats ass what John Murphy or Jeff Russo think about the Jets chances in the playoffs. I'd rather hear their thoughts about Chan Gailey, the Bills needs for the offseason, and the embarrassment of no one wanting the Bills job. If they're running out of material to talk about then bring in another media member or a player onto the show.

Now if or when they decide to make an opinion about the Bills, you can only take it with a grain of salt because of the station's ties with the Bills. To me, John Murphy doing play-by-play and Channel 7 being the "official station of the Bills" is nothing more than a conflict of interest.

As for Channel 2, I have to agree with Pergament on his claims that Ed Kilgore should have aired his opinion of the Bills coaching news on TV. But honestly, what the hell was Ed going to say? His opinion about the Bills over the years have been more optimistic than people who think both political parties will agree on a health care plan. Sorry, but optimism went out the door with this franchise around 2006, yet it seems like being the Bills' patsy is still in style.

Bottom line is this, it's 2010 and journalism has changed. Yes, it's about being unbiased and stating the facts, but in a sports town that has no regional sports channel and ESPN thinking Buffalo is in Canada, the public wants to hear your takes.

What radio needs
You want to know what the greatest sports radio show in Buffalo was? No, it wasn't the actor's draft. It was WNSA's Sharp Shooters with Howard Simon, Jim Kelley and Mike Robiatille. What made the show so great was that you had the hot stove views from Kelley and the player's perspective from Mike Robiatille.

I just think that some of the former athletes who come on the radio really don't have much to say. I'm sorry, but when Thurman Thomas or Jim Kelly go on WGR, they just spue out optimism and I can't take them seriously because of their ties with the Bills. Hell, I'm still waiting for Thurman Thomas to tell me what gift Bills' fans were suppose to get under their Christmas tree regarding the coaching search. Even Ruben Brown on Riter Radio, who seems like a great guy, but after listening, I feel like I haven't learned anything.

Now look, I'm very critical of ex-athletes on the radio or television, because they have those jobs because of what they did while playing, not for what they did in radio and TV. I think Thurman, Ruben and Jim are funny, but they just don't offer that much in astute observations. I'd love to have WGR mix Thurman with Jerry Sullivan and try and get the chemistry that Kelley and Robie had years ago.

WECK isn't whacked
I don't know what it is about The Buffalo News, but whenever their reporters get on the radio, it's always a must hear. I've already talked at lengths that Jerry Sullivan on WGR is my favorite radio show (Unless he's talking about his strange love for Meryl Streep). But now WGR's rival, 1220 WECK, is tapping into the resources of TBN.

First you get Bucky Gleason, who I know isn't a big fan of many, but he's probably the most knowledgeable person on the news staff of both football and hockey (Sorry, Harrington). He's normally on Riter Radio on Wednesdays, with the time ranging from 15 minutes to an hour. It's a fun hour with Bucky being pretty candid about the state of affair in Buffalo Sports.

On Saturdays, The Sports Insiders with Joe Major (WECK Sports Reporter), Rodney McKissic and Allen Wilson (Both from TBN) airs for two hours in the morning. Last weekend, the guys were talking candidly about how the Bills made a mockery of the Rooney rule by interviewing John Guy for the GM job and then canning him only three weeks later. No smoke or whistles with these guys, they just bring it when it comes to football talk. If I have any suggestions, it's that they need to lose Ace of Base and Quad City DJ's as their music bed. Other than the music mishap, the station is definitely worth a listen.

Mike Schopp vs the NFL
Look, I'll be the first to say that the Vikings and Saints game had some questionable calls, but it sure didn't ruin the ending of a climatic championship game. But Mike Schopp sure thinks so. Schopp felt that the OT was a complete joke because of the officiating. I can only assume it was the pass interference call. Seriously though, even if that call wasn't made, the Saints offense would have moved down the field and scored. On his show today, he and the Bulldog went crazy about the booth reviews in OT and the yellow first down line on TV pissing them off.

This isn't the first time Schopp's hatred and criticism of a great NFL game has happened. He did the same thing in the Packers vs Cardinals wild card game, when it was argued that the Cardinals committed a facemask penalty on the Aaron Rodgers fumble return for the game winning touchdown (NFL came out and said they made the right call). Of course, Schopp couldn't let the facemask call slide and just chastised the entire NFL for it. Schopp either kills the NFL for boring games or he picks on them for having great games.

This is nothing more that WGR's hell bent attitude of crapping all over the NFL and making the NHL (whose officiating is an even bigger joke) into the kings of the world. I don't hear the hosts bitch about the annoyance of goal reviews in hockey, when they show whether a player had a kicking motion or not. I'm also still waiting on the NHL to tell me what happen to calling obstruction penalties.

Sorry, but how can 53 million people who watch the NFL in this country be completely wrong?

Friday Thoughts

-Thank goodness that the Sabres don't have to worry about being in shootouts during the playoffs. Their recent shootout predicament reminds me of two years ago, when the team couldn't get the two points to save their lives in the extra, extra session. Luckily, they've been really good in regulation this season. On the shooters front, they always seem to deek out the goaltender rather easily, but for whatever reason they seem to panic when it comes to lifting the puck up to score. Then of course, there's the headcase, Thomas Vanek, who can deek the crap out of a goalie and has a shot that could take out an airplane. But for some reason when Vanek starts in on goal, he starts to flash back to a troubled childhood or being rejected by his first crush (That's a joke). As for Ryan Miller, we all know he's big on having a Feng Shui approach when it comes to goaltending, but something just doesn't click with him during a shootout (Or maybe he just can't defend the backhand). Maybe he needs to go sit on the bench alone for five minutes before shootouts like he does before a game-

-I wrote a lengthy article about wanting the Sabres to make a deal at the deadline. While I would love to get a playmaking center, I think we can come to an agreement that it's probably not going to happen. Especially considering that this organization has to save money by stealing the TV feed from the home team on the current road trip. But if there's one thing that wouldn't cost the Sabres a lot of money or players, it would be to find someone with Stanley Cup winning experience. I still think there are times when the Sabres lack focus and come out of the gates rather slowly. I know that Mike Grier and Craig Rivet have been the guys to supply the leadership, but I still think that someone coming in and showing off their rings would be something that the players could learn from. Of course, I'd still take that playmaking center, but I can compromise-

-OK, I'm sounding a little negative towards the Sabres. I just always want them to thrive for perfection, call me Lindy Ruff if you will. But I'll say this, there isn't that much to bitch about the team. Everyone is playing above their standards (Besides Roy and Vanek). Drew Stafford and Clarke MacArthur are playing exceptional. You have to think that Stafford's effective play has something to do with Ruff benching him three weeks ago. If that's the case, I'm looking forward to seeing what Tim Kennedy does when he gets back on the ice-

-I know everyone is touting Henrik Tallinder as the most improved player on the Sabres, but there still remains the question of how much does his play have to do with teaming up with Tyler Myers. Which is the reason why I'm going give the award to Jochen Hecht. Hecht has been outstanding this year. He's done all the little intangibles that has made a lot of Sabres fans enjoy his play-

-Sorry, but I don't share the festive approach of "Well it's so much fun to hear the other announcers call the Sabres game." UH, NO!? It's completely bootleg that the Sabres have to do this in order to save money. There are fans out there who listen to the Sabres games just so they can hear RJ's voice or see the Robistrator. This isn't the 70's or the AHL, it's a team from one of the four major sports. It's just a slap in the face to fans that we have to watch announcers who give the insight of "Tyler Myers being really tall" to play-by-play announcers talking to their color man during a power play. Lets not forget the intermission reports, where the interviewer is stuttering all over himself. Enough! Give me back my Cellino and Barnes commercials?!-

-Dan Reeves coming to the Bills? Are the Bills trying to run a southern retirement community? The interesting thing about Reeves is that every place he's been at, he's always had a great start with the team, only to have things completely fall apart at end of his regime. I wouldn't mind him coming in as a consultant. However, we are talking about the Bills. They don't pay jack for coaches and I'm sure the feeling on hiring consultants is the same. Plus, it hasn't been reported if Ralph Wilson knows Dan Reeves (Sigh).

-Enough about fans wanting the Bills to change to a 3-4 defense. Fans are acting as if the 3-4 represents switching over to an HD television. Teams have won the Super Bowl while playing a 4-3. Heck, three of the four teams remaining in the playoffs play in a 4-3 (The Jets run both). All I'm saying is that it doesn't matter if you're in a 3-4, 4-3, 3-10 or 46 defense, you need to have good players. Trust me, if Keith Ellison and Bryan Scott are your starting linebackers next year, it's not going to matter if you're playing with 15 guys on the field, the defense will still stink-

-It wouldn't shock me if the Bills decided to just not hire anyone to replace John Guy. Remember, this is the same franchise who decided to neuter the position of GM by having Russ Brandon run the whole show as VP and GM. While we are at it, did anyone replace Buddy Nix as the southeast region college scout? Knowing the Bills, they will probably follow the Russ Brandon tradition of promoting the food and beverage manager to the job-

-BTW, I'm sure Ralph Wilson already terms the Gailey hiring as a success. Heck, he's already saved money on Gailey deciding to call the plays and not hire an established offensive coordinator -

Wilson vs Davis

If you think for one second that the Raiders will be taking the high road when it comes to Buddy Nix calling out their franchise, you're sadly mistaken. This is the same organization that had it's owner conduct a press conference/seminar on how Lane Kiffin screwed over the Raiders. Remember the projector?

The team also banned Rich Gannon from their building after he called out the franchise this year on radio. Don't be surprised if the insults consist of the following:

1) So our quarterback sucks, at least J. Russell can throw the ball further than Captain Check Down.

2) The Raider fan with the spikes would kick Elvis' ass?!

3) Hey, we keep our convicts in the stands, not on the field..unlike you guys (Lynch anyone?)

4)Pssh, you guys are just wannabes...we were threatening to move our team 30 years ago..and we did?!

5) At least our coaches beat up each other, your former coaches couldn't beat out throwing a challenge flag on the field.

6) Just check the trophy case.

7) Just check out our uniforms, Silver and Black and the pirate with the patch eye...not blue colored shoulders and a Buffalo, which for whatever reason all of your sports teams have to have as a logo?!

8) We decided to let Langston Walker leave us, just to goto your team and contaminate your offensive line...now who looks dumb?!

9) At least our owner has inducted multiple players into the HOF..your owner had to get Chris Berman to induct him.

10) Raiders Motto: Just win, Baby.....Bills Motto: Just..um..Chan-tasic?

Now I'm not going to sit here and just insult the Bills..cue up the Bills insults of the Raiders?!

1)NFL Films describes the Raiders as Autumn's wind. Pssh..More like passing wind.

2)At least our owner doesn't need a walker to get around.

3) It's your city's fault that Marshawn Lynch is a jackass!?

4) You guys were dumb enough to take back Langston Walker??

5) Real quick, what's the Oakland Raiders official football movie? The whole Nine yards, because the team couldn't figure out how to get a first down to save their life.

6)51-3

7) At least OJ Simpson was funny in The Naked Gun, Howie Long didn't say one dam thing in John Travolta's, Broken Arrow movie.

8) Art Shell couldn't hold a candle to Dick Jauron..cause his fat hands couldn't hold it up that long.

Ladies and gentleman, I'll be here all week.

Who wouldn't mind seeing Al Davis and Ralph Wilson conduct their version of Grumpier old Men III.

Random Thoughts

--I feel like I've gone through a war with this so-called Bills clean sweep effort. I had high expectations. The scene from the first Terminator movie, when Arnold came blazing through the cop station and was just blowing up everyone he saw. That's what I wanted the scene to look like at One Bills Drive. Instead we get Kindergarten Cop coming in.

I just wanted out with the old and in with the new. Every franchise has done it. Before Bill Parcells took over the Dolphins, the team bottomed out and just blew up the whole thing. I wanted that for the Bills. I wanted the PR people at One Bills Drive to take out the media guide and just rip page after page out of the Bio's section of the Bills. Instead of blowing everything up, we get world peace or the Governator coming in--

--When the news first broke about the whole Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan "flirting," I had written that it wouldn't shock me if it was nothing more than the Bills just trying to appease the fans into thinking the team was in store for some serious changes. It was something that I wanted the franchise to do for the last decade, stop hiring cheap coaches!

At one point though, I changed my thought process that maybe this team was really trying to go after a big hire and it wasn't just window dressing. Then the Marty Schottenheimer news broke that he wanted the coaching job, but Wilson didn't want him here. In my view, the two biggest reasons had to with money and power.

I don't care how many playoff games Marty chocked away. The guy has 200 wins! I repeat, 200 wins!! Why wouldn't Ralph want to bring in Marty? Status quo my friends, status quo.

That would mean the Bills would have to pay him a ton of money. It's safe to say that to this day, Ralph Wilson is still paying his coaches peanuts. Of course Marty is known to have a strong opinion and his run-ins with Dan Snyder and AJ Smith were probably a little too much for Ralph to stomach. Again, it's up for debate if the majority of the talks with Cowher Power and Shanahan were just window dressing. But the Schottenheimer and Billick interest proves it in my book--

--Do you really want to know why the Bills couldn't attract anyone to take this job in the NFL? It's not because the team doesn't have a quarterback, offensive lineman, 2nd receiver option, the cold weather and the lack of media exposure. Hell, the Detroit Lions went 0-16 in 2008 and were able to get an established young coordinator to take the job. The same goes for the Rams, who were in worse shape than the Bills. It's all about whose signing the checks. No one wanted to work for a team that trades away their best offensive lineman. No one wants to work for a marketing guy who should be thankful he has a job. No one wants to have a 91-year old owner breathing down their neck. Most importantly, no one wants to work with a stupid ass cash to the cap philosophy --

--Let me give you my definition of a good retreaded head coach. It's someone whose been fired from a head coaching job who had moderate success before getting fired, and then was able to turn around a defense or offense as a good coordinator. Bill Belichick was canned after being in Cleveland and was able to develop solid defenses with the Patriots and Jets before going to run the Patriots. Norv Turner was fired twice as a head coach, but was able to be an effective offensive coordinator afterwards.

What makes a bad retread is someone who stunk as a coordinator after being fired. Jim Fassel was a decent head coach, but after getting fired he stunk up the farm as the offensive coordinator in Baltimore. Hence the reason he can't find a head coaching job. That same philosophy goes for Dennis Green, Jim Haslett and Mike Martz. All had coordinating jobs after being fired as head coach, all were failures at their second gigs (I'm not counting the UFL). Sorry, but you should know from my writings where I think Chan Gailey fits in--

--I swear, If I have to hear another media member talk about how Jerry Jones regrets firing Chan Gailey, I'm going to vomit. The reason Jones said that was simply so he could defend himself for keeping Wade Phillips. That's it, plain and simple. He didn't have an epiphany and is just using that firing regret to keep his Dallas critics at bay--

--I know there's a lot of talk about bringing in Mike Vick to Buffalo. In case you are new to my blog, I've written on that subject many times in the past. I hate the idea. Mike Vick is one of the most over hyped players in NFL history. He can't pass from the pocket, he's getting up there in age, and he's admitted that he doesn't watch that much film. Sorry, but that doesn't qualify you as being the quarterback of my team. Look, I get the argument that he would be the perfect stop gap quarterback, but when did the Bills become the home of jettisoned football players? T.O. anyone? But then again, signing Vick will of course do the same thing that the T.O. signing did for the Bills. Raise the morale amongst a desperate fan base and get some ESPN exposure--

--Look, I'm as happy as anyone that John Guy was fired, however I didn't appreciate getting awaken at midnight with the team texting me about the firing. Now if I'm not happy, I'm sure the media wasn't either. What a complete joke to announce the firing when the local news had already aired their sports cast and the newspaper had already printed their articles. Trust me when I say this, it wasn't by accident the timing of the news. Their intentions were also the same when they announced the Nix hiring on New Years Eve. They did it because they dislike the local media and think that the firing won't get as much coverage because it broke at midnight. I also think the timing had a lot to do with the fact they made a mockery of the Rooney rule by interviewing him as the GM, and thought that canning him close to midnight would make it less of a PR Blunder--

--How about some hockey talk?! Yes, I know, I haven't written anything about the Sabres lately because of Chan Gailey ruining my life. But I was actually really impressed with their 5-4 loss against the Ducks. If it was two years ago and the team was down 4-0 in a game, the team would have completely folded. Instead, they came roaring back in the 2nd period and almost pulled out the comeback. The good thing about the Sabres over the last month is that they are winning games in different ways. It's very important for me to see this team being able to match goal for goal with the opposition. Anything can happen during a NHL game and I want to see the Sabres adjust to a team who can actually figure out their goaltending--

--I was a little sad to see Michael Peca retire yesterday. To be honest with you, I didn't even know if he was still playing or not. I find it sad because Peca was seriously jammed by the Sabres ten years ago because of his contract. It didn't make any sense for the Sabres not to resign him. They had some high priced players on their team from Hasek to Satan to Gilmour. Why couldn't you just spread the wealth to a fan favorite who gave his all while playing for you. What saddens me the most is what happened to him after leaving Buffalo. He was playing well in LI and blew out his ACL after Darcy Tucker took him out in the playoffs. He just was never the same afterwards, and became a journeyman. It's also strange how ten years later the guy the Sabres got in return for Peca, Tim Connolly is still playing with the team at a pretty decent level (there, I said it). Peca was the epitome of what Buffalo fans love, a hard blue-collar worker, who could hit, fight and score--

--So I went to the Sabres/Islanders game last weekend in LI and sat 5th row from the ice, sick seats right? The one thing I can say about the arena is that the concourses are about the length of my living room (which isn't saying much). The arena is a complete dump. However, my tune changed when I sat down and saw the most stunning skaters roaming the ice. The New York Islanders Ice Girls!? I'm sorry, but I'm not a traditionalist and I would take everything back that I ever said about Larry Quinn if he decided to institute the "Sabretts" into the line-up. Catchy name, right?--

In case you were wondering what a sexy voice sounded like

So I was listening to Brad Riter's radio show, and while I like Brad's show a lot, his views on the Bills were completely opposite of mine.

So I decided to pick up the phone and call his show and air out my opinions. The good thing about Riter's show is that he's not a talk show host who cuts you off at the first moment of disagreement (Mike Schopp?).

Anyways, If you want to hear what a stuttering prick sounds like (Not talking about Brad), click on the link here and download segment two...and of course download the rest of his show too.

PS-The best part is when Brad reads the email that I sent him.

What have we learned about the Bills front office?

How about this for a conspiracy theory? I'm starting to think that Russ Brandon, Tom Modrak and John Guy somehow devised a plan to get Tom Donahoe fired. Think about. They were all brought in by Donahoe and maybe they made Ralph Wilson believe that the were the brains behind the Bills organization. Maybe they told Wilson that Donahoe was the soul reason the team stunk for five years and that if they gave this trio the keys to kingdom they would crown a new champion. Maybe they orchestrated a coup against Donahoe and that's why they still have jobs with the Bills. Add Buddy Nix to the trio and you have the folks who are running the day-to-day operations of the Bills.

With that being said, what have we learned about this group?

Russ Brandon

Don't give me the theory that just because Brandon wasn't at the introduction of Chan Gailey's press conference that he's not running the show. This is the same organization that doesn't even have press conferences when they fire or give extensions to their coaches. They are so disorganized that they probably forgot to have the company car pick them up. I don't know what to make of Brandon, is he Wilson's puppet or is he just undermining the success of the Bills by making sure he's always in power?

Trust me when I say this, but Russ Brandon is still running the Bills the same way he did the last two seasons. Just because he was promoted to president doesn't mean he's sitting in the back room and figuring out ways to market the team. He's going to have his stamp of approval (or whatever it was the last two years) on this team and do it in the silent partner way. He's taking a page out of the Larry Quinn handbook by staying out of the public eye because the fans don't respect you. By not being at press conferences, he's making the fans and some flunkies in the media think that his hands are clean when it comes to whose being hired.

He played the whole hiring of Nix smoothly. He understands that the fan base was desperate to have a new face for the football operation. He needed Marv Levy again, someone who would be the figure head to show that he's just the innocent marketing guy. Which leads me to the figure head.

Buddy Nix

Look, I wasn't feeling this hire at all, mainly because the Bills needed to throw John Guy and Tom Modrak on their asses. But my worries were multiplied when I read that Nix wanted Marty Schottenheimer as the next coach, only to get rebuffed by Ralph Wilson. Oh no, just another "yes man" for the Bills organization. Yeah, I know, he breeds football and was a scout for the Bills during the 90's. But who doesn't breed football when they work in the NFL?

I also wasn't exactly enamored in the way he ran the press conference yesterday. First, the Bills shouldn't be calling out any other franchise because their record and history speaks for itself. Sorry, but as bad as the Raiders have been, at least the have Super Bowl Trophies and made it to the playoffs the last decade.

Nix also sounded delusional by saying that 80% of what was reported about the Bills coaching front was false. Give me a break, all the assistants who said no to the Bills were reported by established reporters.

Now look, I'll be the first to admit that I shouldn't be bashing someone that has been on the job for only 3 weeks, but he hasn't exactly built my confidence up since he took the job. Bringing in Chan Gailey isn't going to have me looking at the calender and counting down the days till September. Sorry, but the guy has been fired from three of his last four jobs?! It's also unfair to Nix that he's surrounded by the same flunkies who built this team into a national laughing stock, which leads me to my next duo.

John Guy and Tom Modrak

Whether you like or dislike the Nix or Gailey hiring , one thing for sure is they are dealing with half a deck of cards. That deck consists of Guy and Modrak. Why are on earth are these two guys still employed by the Bills is beyond me. As much as I hate the Gailey hiring, it's completely unfair for him to have the same people who drafted Trent Edwards, Mike Williams, Donte Whitner and James Hardy as his talent evaluators. I've said it countless times, but all this so called front office movement was geared towards taking the pressure off firing Guy and Modrak. Thurman Thomas being a scout will be the coup de grace for the fan base to forget about these guys calling the shots.

Here's the bottom line about all these guys I've listed: They are nothing more than Ralph Wilson's cronies. Yes men. Guys who will tell Wilson everything he wanted to hear, and are in debt to him for letting them keep their jobs beyond the time they should have been fired.

You think Chan Gailey is going to bang on Ralph Wilson's door asking for a legit starting LT or a new linebackers? Please...Gailey hasn't been on the head coaching radar for years. He's happy as hell to be the head coach for a team. That same rhetoric goes for Guy/Modrak/Brandon.

There's no clear cut power structure as to who is running the Buffalo Bills. You always heard the cliche of "too many cooks in the kitchen." That saying goes for what the Bills front office has become, except these cooks would mess up a cup of coffee. But hey, as long as the main chef (Wilson) can tell his cooks what to put on the menu, he's going to be satisfied with the team. We just have to eat the chicken s#$t and pretend it's chicken salad.