Jon Gruden

As we reported Friday night, the Bills targeted Jon Gruden as their first choice to replace Dick Jauron.  He turned them down, and decided to remain with ESPN’s Monday Night Football.  Gruden signed a contract extension with ESPN this week.

Gruden’s rejection may be the first of many for the Bills.  There are a number of reasons why the big name coaches may not view Buffalo as their best step back into football. 

1.  The Bills need a front office overhaul.  2.  They are limited financially.  3.  They have a hard time attracting free agents to our small city.  4.  They have an owner who can be meddlesome.  5.  They have no quarterback.

All of those reasons are enough to make any candidate think about taking a job here.  Now some will consider it because they want to coach again, and there may not be many other openings.  But much like Gruden, those with TV jobs may decide to stay off the sidelines until the right job opens up.

Good for the Bills for going after the big names like Gruden and Shanahan.  Getting them to come here appears to be a much tougher job.

Obviously, the Bills QB situation will need to be addressed in the offseason.  If Trent Edwards doesn’t make major improvements in the second half, the Bills will almost certainly be looking for a new starter.

What do you think about Vick potentially coming to Buffalo?

But leave it to an opponent to put some perspective to what the numbers say and what our eyes have seen. Texans linebacker DeMeco Ryans was asked how the Texans defense (ranked 21st) was able to throttle the Bills offense.

“It was easy,” Ryans said. “They kind of had the same formations, they didn’t give us a lot of motions and things. So it was a simple offense to go against.”

Wow.  Makes you realize just what the rest of the NFL thinks about the Buffalo offense.  Of course, we know why.  The offensive line’s issues don’t allow any fancy formation or motions.  They can’t even block for basic plays.

Oh how I long for the days of Langston Walker.

AP Photo

Taking nothing away from a Bills defense that is playing well and taking the ball away….the midterm exam comes Sunday and it will tell us alot about the student.  Buffalo’s D has beaten the 31st and 32nd ranked NFL quarterbacks (Sanchez and Delhomme) the past two weeks, forcing 9 interceptions.  Those picks aren’t lucky.  They were earned.  But the QB’s throwing them also played a role in making them happen.

That won’t happen against the Texans.  Schaub leads the NFL in TD passes, ranks 4th in quarterback rating and has throw only 5 interceptions.  He has the league’s leading receiver in Andre Johnson, and the tight end leader in yards in Owen Daniels. 

So we’ll find out much more about the Buffalo defense based on how they do against Houston.  Plus, we’ll learn if the offense can produce enough points to win.  I don’t see the Texans scoring less than 21.  So can the Bills offense, if they don’t get handed the short fields from turnovers, maintain some drives and score some points?  I don’t think so.  I think the Bills are a below-average overall team, and I believe we’ll see that Sunday.

His return skills, while on hiatus this year, should have given him enough value to get at least a 5th round draft pick.  But maybe teams figured the Bills would have to let him go, and never offered that.  Remember, James Hardy is set to come off the PUP list and a roster spot will have to be open in the next few weeks. 

Now what do you do with an unhappy player who is made he wasn’t traded?  Do you cut him?  I think you have to.  When you do, he’ll be just another horrible Bills wasted draft pick.

Sabres fans do you like this trade?

So while the Western Michigan game is not a must win, it would be the kind of a win that will propel the team for the rest of the season.

Bulls fans, do you agree?

Thurman Thomas

All the talk of Brett Favre’s matchup with his old team the Packers made me think of a similar situation involving a famous Buffalo Bills.  Many people think that Favre’s motivation is to stick-it to the Packers, his old team that dumped him.  Favre didn’t like how GM Ted Thompson treated him and wouldn’t welcome him back after Favre’s waffling about retirement. The revenge that will motivate him Monday night is real, and Thurman knows that.

That’s why I believe it was the job of the Bills coaching staff to throw a pass to Owens, for no other reason than continuing his streak.  They tried on the second-to-last possession, but it was incomplete.  On the last possession, they did not, running once and completing a pass to Josh Reed.

The coaching staff has to understand Owens and what makes him tick.  They have to know that Owens would be in a much better mood, and have a much better attitude, had his personal accomplishment been achieved.  I don’t think its a stretch to say that at that point in the game, Owens cared much more about his streak than he did about the final score.  The game was over anyway. 

Throw him a quick hitch, or a swing pass, just to keep the streak alive.  A happy player is a better player.  Sure, its meaningless to the team and the game.  But you have to know that a happier Owens makes for a happier week in Orchard Park.  I’ve seen teams do this with other players, so someone is aware.  Dick Jauron and Trent Edwards both said they did not know about the streak, and no consideration was given to getting T.O. the ball.

Your players mental health is as important as their physical health.  Its a coaching staff’s job to know that.  Plus, you knew what you were getting when you signed Owens.  They should have made a better effort to keep him happy.