A week ago, I did a commentary saying that firing the head coach would not make that much of a difference for the Buffalo Bills; it would not make things much better this season.

But yesterday’s terrible loss to Cleveland makes it an even tougher call.

This has not changed-firing Dick Jauron will not turn this team around and spark a magical run to a playoff spot. Their problems—offensive ineptitude..lack of depth..a quarterback in crisis..are way too serious to envision that.The best reason to change coaches at this point would be to send a signal to the fans–the loyal Bills fans, who filled the stadium again yesterday..and the hundreds of thousands of others who listened to and watched the game. They’re looking for a sign …they’re looking for an acknowledgement from Bills management that games like yesterday’s..like the Miami game a week ago..are not acceptable. They’re looking for hope.

Would changing coaches provide that hope? Temporarily, yeah. But the Bills problems are deep-seated and serious. It’s going to take a major overhaul to get the team straightened out and in contention again. It’ll take a lot more than a “feel-good” firing designed to appease the fans.

Rather than offering up the coach to mollify the fans, I’d love to see the Bills take a serious look at where they are in the football department..and where they’re headed. I’d like to see real change..not knee-jerk reaction. And I’d like to see that thorough assessment of their football team begin now..not in January.

What do you think?

I read this AP story on the Bills tonight thinking about the team’s usual Wednesday media day. 

Here’s the link:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/bills-in-upbeat-mood-despite-dreadful-start-336632.html

The headline reads “Bills in Upbeat Mood Despite Dreadful Start.”  The first line:  “For a team that’s supposed to be in a state of crisis…”

It got me thinking.  Who says they’re supposed to be in a state of crisis?  The media?  Talk show hosts and callers?  Bloggers?

It was interesting to talk with Bills coaches and players this week.  As far as they’re concerned,  there’s no state of “crisis.”  There is urgency.  Defensive End Chris Kelsay called Sunday’s game against Cleveland a “must win” game.  It’s not often you’ll hear a player say that about the fifth game of the season.

But we in the media sometimes overreact to an overwhelming defeat, like the one the Bills suffered last Sunday in Miami.  No question, the Bills shortcomings on the offensive line and at linebacker have been exposed.  They’ve got holes to plug, problems to solve.

But this season is not over.  In fact, there’s a long way to go.

One of the Bills coaches spoke to me today about how much season there is left to play.  Four games down, 12 to play.  That’s 3/4 of the season.  Things change, sometimes very quickly, in the NFL. 

It’s way to early to check out on this season.  I can’t fathom why anyone would root for a Bills loss at this juncture, like I hear some “fans” talk about this week.  There are 12-games left to play–that’s most of a full season. 

Think about where the Bills should be in a month–Posluszny and Whitner should be back on defense.  The young offensive line will have four more games under its’ belt.  Who knows where their opponents will be?

It’s good that the Bills approach this week’s game with a sense of urgency.  I think it’s also good  that they don’t really acknowledge that they’re a team in “crisis.”

Your thoughts and opinions are always welcome.

A lot of things went wrong with the Bills in their 27-7 loss to the Saints Sunday.  And there’s more than enough blame to go around.

But at the risk of espousing an unpopular view. I’d like to address Dick Jauron’s  infamous decision to punt on 4th and one in the fourth quarter.  Jauron has been roundly criticized in the last 18 hours for not going for it from his own 28-yard line.  I’ll admit that punting the ball is a very conservative move.  But it is not a boneheaded, indefensible, unfathomable move.  

Down by 10 in the fourth quarter, the Bills were faced with fourth down and a full yard at their own 28-yard line.  Think about this–if they fail to convert (and they had failed on their preceding nine third down conversion attempts) the Saints get the ball at the Buffalo 28.  They are essentially already in makeable field goal range, with the wind at their backs.  If the Bills fail to convert on fourth and one, you are essentially conceding three points.

That’s what I believe Jauron meant when he said afterwards that “we’re not just going to give them the game.”  If the Bills fail on the fourth down attempt, the game is virtually  over. 

Jauron’s defense had just surrendered a 34-yard touchdown run to the Saints, but they had forced the New Orleans off the field 3-and-out on the prior two possessions.  The game was still in play, and Jauron’s logic is sound–don’t lose it here. 

Was it conservative?  Absolutely.  Did it work?  Nope.  But at the time (without benefit of hindsight) I believe it was the correct strategy–you don’t want your opponent to start a drive at your 28-yard line.  In order to win the game, first you must not lose it.

There’s plenty of opportunities to criticize the Bills coaching moves as a result of the Saints game.   There’s the botched clock management late in the first half, the inability to get substitutes on the field in a timely fashion, the inability to deal with the Saints pressure defensive packages, the failure to get TO and Lee Evans into the offensive mix.  You can fault the coaching staff for assembling a roster without adequate depth on the offensive line and  at other spots.

But the fourth and one call was the right one to make.  Jauron’s decision to punt  was ultra-conservative–but sound.   I’m sure many disagree.

Terrell Owens “ran the plays that were called.”  It resulted in the end of his 185 game consecutive catch streak, the third-longest in NFL history behind Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison.  While Owens downplayed the streak, he did mention it later on his Twitter account.  I believe it meant a lot to him, and contributed to his surly attitude during the postgame news conference.

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.

After receiving a few calls and e-mails Sunday, I thought I’d explain the similar situation this Sunday:  Why there is only one NFL game on Channel 4 Sunday.

While it is listed as a CBS doubleheader weekend, those rules are overriden by the fact that the Bills are on FOX at 4pm.  Because we are not allowed to show a game opposite a home Bills game, we can only bring you the 1pm Titans at Jets game.  This doesn’t happen very often because the Bills rarely have 4pm home games, and its even more rare that that game is against an NFC opponent, putting it on FOX.

I hope everyone understands that these decisions are not made here in Buffalo, but are made by the network according to the NFL rules.

Antwon Burton

A Western New Yorker is getting his big chance in the NFL.  Antwon Burton from Cheektowaga has just signed with the Carolina Panthers.  The Cleveland Hill and ECC product has bounced around the league for a few years, but this is his big shot. The Panthers defensive tackle spot has been plagued by injuries.  So Burton should see more playing time than he has in Denver, Kansas City or Cincinnati.  The Panthers have lost two starters at the position.

Burton, a former undrafted free agent from Temple, has played 7 NFL career games.

It’s a tough blow for the Bills, losing defensive captain Paul Posluszny for several weeks.  He broke a bone in his forearm Monday night, and after surgery Tuesday, Pos will probably miss six weeks of action.  The Bills may have to wait until after the bye week to get him back.

We worried about the team’s lack of depth at LB at cutdown time.  And it only took one week for that lack of depth to become a serious issue.

Head Coach Dick Jauron and Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell are solidly behind backup Marcus Buggs as the starter at middle linebacker–they made that clear on Wednesday.  Fewell says of Buggs–”He can run the defense.  He takes command of the huddle.  He’s a smart player.  he can come in and be a presence in the defensive front.”

I can’t disagree with that.  But I’m just not sure Buggs is the best option the Bills have to man the “mic” linebacker spot.  What about moving Keith Ellison over to middle, and playing Nic Harris at Ellison’s spot?  Fewell told us today that’s one of the options the Bills have.  What about shifting Kawika Mitchell to MLB, and playing Harris in his spot?  Again, I’d go for either one of those  options ahead of playing Buggs.

How thin do the Bills want to be at linebacker, anyway?   How much closer can they cut it?   With Posluszny on the shelf, they’re down to two rookies (Ashlee Palmer and Nic Harris) and one second year man (Jon Corto) as the backups.  It seems awfully early in the season to have the numbers so depleted at the LB spot.

Any thoughts on solving the Bills LB dilemma?  Any ideas on potential free agents who might help?

Now that we’ve learned that Paul Posluszny will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken arm, what will the Bills do for a middle linebacker?  The listed backup is Marcus Buggs, but he has very little experience and not much size.  In fact, none of the backup linebackers have much experience.  Nic Harris and Ashlee Palmer are rookies, and Jon Corto is strictly a special teamer.

Here’s one idea.  Move Kawika Mitchell to the middle LB spot, a position he played earlier in his career. Move Harris (the impressive rookie) into the starting lineup.  He’s a weakside backer, so that may also involve Keith Ellison moving to Mitchell’s strongside spot.  But it gets an athletic player on the field.

Or, the Bills could sign someone.  I know the name Derrick Brooks is on the minds of fans. He has played in the Tampa 2 system.  But I fear that the reason he hasn’t signed is because he’s lost a few steps.  That could be a concern, although his smarts and knowledge might help him get through.  Or, the Bills could sign a veteran middle LB like Zach Thomas. 

More likely, the Bills will bring someone like Pat Thomas back and try to muddle through.  Also, remember Bryan Scott has played some linebacker.  You could do that and put rookie Jairus Byrd on the field.  He played some in passing downs on Monday.

What would you do?

Yes, the Bills offense exceeded our expectations.  Yes, the young lineman are to be praised for their effort.  Yes, Alex Van Pelt called a solid game his first time out.

No, I’m not ready to buy into the no-huddle attack.  Here’s why.  Look at the disparity in plays:  New England 77, Buffalo 48.  Look at the disparity in time of possession:  New England 37:08, Buffalo 22:52. 

Do you think a tired Bills defense started to wear down, and do you think that had something to do with Tom Brady going 12/14 and throwing two touchdowns in the final two minutes?  The Bills can’t survive if they put their defense in such a hole.  The offense only scored two touchdowns and a field goal (Schobel’s INT was the other TD).  If they’re going to run a no-huddle, and create such a gap in possession time, they the offense better outscore teams and put 28 on the board.  That’s how the Jim Kelly no-huddle did it in the ’90’s. 

So let’s not go too crazy about the offense. Yes, there were positive signs.  No, I’m not ready to believe this style of attack can help the Bills win.