Let's start with maybe the most interesting rumor of all: according to a report by Tim Graham of ESPN, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson is willing to spend upwards of $10 million for the right head coach, but the question remains, will that be enough? NFL Network reporter Jason La Canfora has his doubts:

It's very difficult to win in Buffalo, with the Patriots in the division and the New York Jets just building a billion-dollar facility, also the Dolphins, who are No. 2 in player spending this year alone. For a small-market team in an old stadium like the Bills, it's tough to compete -- no matter who the coach is -- and these big-name coaches know it.

Now, onto my worst nightmare... Today, at 12:09 p.m., Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Bills may have interest in embattled Notre Dame head coach, Charlie Weis:

Schefter:  Bills eyeing Weis

Our motto here at Rumor Central is "news before it's news", and this one is quite a bit ahead of the curve. NFL Insider Adam Schefter writes in his Week 11 notes that if Charlie Weis is fired from his current head coaching gig at Notre Dame, the Buffalo Bills may be interested in hiring him as their next head coach.

Schefter notes two points that make Weis a strong candidate: he interviewed for the position with the Bills earlier this decade -- when they ended up hiring Mike Mularkey -- and as a former member of Bill Belichick's staff, he might have a clue as to how to beat the Patriots. We'll keep you posted.

 Much more after the jump, including Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden, Mike Shanahan, and yes, even Dick Jauron!

Continue reading this post »

Dick Jauron was the first head coach fired in the 2009 NFL season, which quite expectedly, set of a firestorm of speculation.  Here's this afternoon's round up:

Father-son coaching duo in BUF?

With Dick Jauron out as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, we'll continue to get tips left and right as to who will be his eventual replacement. For now, it's Perry Fewell with the headset, as the former defensive coordinator was named interim coach on Tuesday.

But might the Bills take a look to their rich AFL history to select the next head man? Several pundits -- including AFC East blogger Tim Graham -- have suggested that the team may go with Marty Schottenheimer, who was dumped by the Chargers after leading them to a 14-2 record in the 2007 season, and who played for the Bills in the 1960's.

An interesting angle to the Schottenheimer hire would be that it would open the door for him to hire his son, Brian Schottenheimer, as offensive coordinator. Brian was considered a leading candidate to take over as head coach of the New York Jets following the ouster of Eric Mangini, but the team eventually hired Rex Ryan, which did not sit well with Schottenheimer at the time. Going further with this hypothetical, we could foresee the Schottenheimers setting up a progression plan in Buffalo, where Marty would coach for a set period, then the team could have an easy transition to Brian.

Personally, I'm a huge Schottenheimer fan and would love to see Marty Ball in Buffalo, but i'm not so sure I like the idea of bringing in Brain Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator as well.  Would it definitely have to be a packaged deal?

Haslett the Bills' top choice?

With Dick Jauron's firing on Tuesday, the speculation began as to whom the Buffalo Bills would hire to replace him. As ESPN.com's Tim Graham noted in his rundown of potential replacements, the Bills don't exactly have a strong track record of luring high-priced, strong-willed outsiders to the organization. "[Team owner Ralph] Wilson's modus operandi has been to pursue coaches who don't command a high salary and don't expect organizational control." We'd have thought the Terrell Owens signing was perhaps a harbinger of a change in philosophy, but aside from the increased media attention on the team, Owens has been somewhat of a bust.

According to Graham, that leaves less-prominent former head coaches that have flown somewhat under the radar as the leaders, as well as up-and-coming assistants. But the leader so far might be Jim Haslett:

Haslett a sharp contrast from Jauron

"Many observers see the former New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams head coach as the perfect choice. Teams often like to go with a coach that has a different personality from the one they just fired. Haslett would be that. He's fiery. He also has a history with Buffalo. He played linebacker for the Bills from 1979 through 1985 and got his start in coaching as an assistant for the University of Buffalo."

And then there are these interesting tweets from a certain hall of fame running back that seem to confirm Brian's speculation:

I just got word today on what is happening at one bills drive. Will tell u guys at noon!!!!!! WOW is the word!!!!!!

Nobody is safe at One Bills Drive, they r cleaning house and bringing in a Football guy to run the ship. Jimbo say Ralph wil spend money!!!!

When I say clean house, I mean clean the effing house out!!!!!!

Everybody players included!!!!!!!!!

That's all I have for now, but I will continue to keep u guys informed

Stay tuned Bills fan, it's going to be a wild off-season!

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

Browse more photos »

jri111: Marshawn Lynch has missed the first three games of the 2009 season thanks to a suspension handed down by Commissioner Roger Goodell this past off-season.  The suspension is now over, and Lynch returns just in time to help the struggling Buffalo Bills (1-2) this Sunday against their hated division rivals, the Miami Dolphins.  Although Lynch may now be eligible, his old position hasn't just been sitting around waiting for his return.  In 2008, Lynch led the team in carries (250), yards (1,036) and touchdowns (8), serving as the team's primary back.  In contrast, Lynch's backup, Fred Jackson, had all of 130 carries in 2008.  But this is 2009, and Freddie Jackson has been one of Buffalo's top playmakers in the first three games of this young season.  Jackson is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (291), is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and leads the team in receptions (15).  As Buffalo's primary back, Jackson has forced defenses to account for him.  It is clear that Buffalo's success this season will have a lot to do with Jackson's ability to play at a consistently high level.  With Jackson's success, what does that mean for Lynch when he returns to the playing field on Sunday?  Will he now play second fiddle to his former backup?

poz: It is necessary to start by acknowledging how difficult it is to send a player who has played as well as Fred Jackson to the bench after such a stellar three weeks of action. Nonetheless, for all the stats you pointed out on Jackson's behalf, its just as difficult to keep a guy like Marshawn Lynch off the field after his two-year performance. Never playing a full 16-game slate, Lynch has still produced at least 1,036 yards in each of the two seasons of his young career, given the team 16 scores, and has only fumbled the rock twice and lost one in each of his two first years. By contrast, Jackson has already fumbled twice and lost a fumble in just three games! Let's also remember that Jackson, for all his numbers, has yet to score a ground touchdown in three games. This is not to put down Jackson; I have a signed picture of him in my house. Rather it's a reminder of how important Marshawn is to this team - he can also break out the big one on a far more frequent basis than Fred, and given our Jekyll and Hyde passing attack, that is crucial. In my opinion, Marshawn should get fewer carries this week, but by the Browns game, it's time for an even 50/50 split. From there, you have to remember one more essential stat to this discussion: Marshawn is only 23 and while Fred's lack of wear and tear makes him a young and fresh 28, he will nonetheless be 30 in two years. Do you risk isolating Lynch by not giving him more carries than Fred?

Continue reading this post »

From Aaron Maybin's twitter page:

Good afternoon tweets. Unfortunately, because of the ignorance and stupidity of some people on twitter, I have decided not to sign on again until my contract is signed. Im tired of having to defend myself and my love for this game and the Bills franchise every day, to those who know nothing about the business. Thank u 2 all of my real Bills fans. U are the reason I work as hard as i do & u will see A.M. very soon!