SB Nation User Blog: keysh67

Orakpo is the real thing

keysh67 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:46:18 -0000

Orakpo is the real thing

I sure hope Perry finds a way to get Maybin more reps and more involved. I still think that Orakpo was the better choice but it's too late now... He sure is lighting it up in Washington!

Two possible father/son combos

keysh67 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:50:15 -0000

I was thinking about the debate I read yesterday of the possibility of Marty Schottenheimer coming in and hiring his son Brian to be the offensive coordinator. First let me say that I am a huge fan of Marty Schottenheimer and I like the idea of seeing him in Buffalo. I think the idea of him coaching 2 years and then easing in Brian as Head coach makes a lot of sense. If this means that he would be a HC/GM and then become GM while his son takes over at HC, I like the concept.

Another possible father son combo could be Mike Shannahan and his son Kyle. I really like Kyle Shannahan and believe him to be a much superior candidate than Brian Schottenheimer. So I could see Shannahan come in as HC/GM and coach for two years while grooming his son to take over in Y3 and then becoming our GM only.

I don't necessarily agree with a HC also being a GM but in both those cases I think it could work. My though is that there is too much work for one person to do both jobs but both those guys have enormous experience and could pull it off for the first two years. What we need most in Buffalo is an identity and both these guys are known for exactly that. Both guys are well known for their power running style. Who wouldn't love to see a Bills brand of Marty-ball? Shannahan would be perfect for our young O-Line, nobody does it better than him, getting fantastic zone-blocking schemes that basically can make any back into a 100+y back - just imagine what he could do with Lynch & Jackson? with Wood & Levitre? I can understand why he'd be interested in coming to talk to Ralph.

Poll

Which combo do you like?

The Schottenheimer combo

8 votes

The Shannahan combo

53 votes

None. I don't like these combos

22 votes

83 votes | Poll has closed

Two great candidates & the best way to turn things around

keysh67 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:48:10 -0000

I think we need a strong GM & President. Today's news is great because it indicates a willingness on Mr Wilson's part to rectify the ship. It's unbelievable to me how many people think by hiring a new coach things will change. I used to be one of the guys who thought bringing in a Cowher or Schottenheimer, a guy that would act as Head coach & GM would be a good thing but after many great discussions this off season I came to the conclusion that we need a great GM first and foremost.

Two great names out there are:

1) Rod Graves with the Cardinals. He is currently the GM only. We could offer him a promotion (Executive VP of operations & GM). He has been there since 1997 and in charge of personnel since 2002. He's drafted: Fitzgerald, Boldin, Dansby, Cromartie, Wilson, Rolle, Breaston, . He brought in Warner and was man enough to bench Leinart even though he was drafted to be the franchise QB. And more importantly, he brought in a great head coach in Ken Wisenhunt. The Arizona Cardinal's are a very relevant team because of Rod Graves.

2) Scot McCloughan with the 49ers, same deal, I would hire him and promote him to executive VP of operations & GM. In his two years as GM, he's hired a great Head Coach, drafted Willis, Staley, Smith, Davis, Lawson, Gore (4th round gem!!)

Once we have a great football guy in place he should be hiring the appropriate head coach.

The problem with hiring someone lower like a director of player personnel is the risk of them not working out. These two guys have proven their worth and could turn things around. Both have recently been involved with hiring great new coaches and both have a great record in recent drafts.

This is what I think Ralph Wilson should do.

Fire Jauron & cut TO - The smart move at this point

keysh67 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:25:55 -0000

We should have traded TO when we had the chance. Now at this point our season is completely over and everyone knows it. Unfortunately keeping Jauron until the end serves very little purpose.

At this point we need to evaluate some of our young talent. There are a list of guys that will be UFAs at the end of then season and we need to get the young guys behind them some significant playing time to see what we have. We need to give the next head coach some film to work with in order to make the right decisions

TO & Josh Reed: Steve Johnson & James Hardy both need to get the bulk of the work over those two. We need to know what we have with those two sophomores before any decisions can be made

Ryan Denney: Aaron Maybin needs to get significant reps from here on out. I also would like to see Ellis get some significant playing time over Schobel & Kelsay. Why risk you're two starters. Giving these two good valuable experience now in meaningless games should pay huge dividends down the road.

Keith Ellison: He's out and should stay that way. I'd like to see both Nic Harris & Ashley Palmer get more reps

Ashton Youboty: give Lankster some playing time.

Bryan Scott & George Wilson: Should we keep Whitner? Maybe we could trade him in the off season? Give him playing time so that he can strut his stuff. Either way, it makes sense to give him some time at SS.

-----

Unfortunately, Jauron won't start these guys over the incumbents because he is still grasping at straws to try and pull out a few more wins, which is why we need to fire him now. Who cares who we promote to HC as long as we make it clear to them that these guys need playing time. As for TO, I doubt he will like losing his job so we should simply cut him and save the $$ and aggravation.

As a fan I am completely discouraged and devoid of all hope. I see no need to even watch anymore. It's worse than humiliating. At least if we fire Jauron & cut TO, it will provide hope. It will show us that Mr Wilson cares and intends on rectifying the situation. It also provides us a reason to watch the rest of the season because even if we know we won't win, at least we can watch out rookies develop.

So there you have it, another crazy idea from Keysh - blast away!

surprising coincidence?

keysh67 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:21:10 -0000

Is it just me or does anyone else find it strange that the week James Hardy is activated, TO goes out with a weird last minute injury? There is definitely smoke here...

Could be that Jauron wants to get Hardy in a game and has asked TO to lay low with this last minute weird injury. Really when you think of it, he'll get paid either way here and his job in Buffalo is done, he was the splash guy, the guy they brought in to appease the uproar and dissatisfied fans and to a certain extent it worked as planned. He's been horrible on the field but then again that was never the primary reason for bringing him in anyways.

Another possibility is TO wanting to take a step down to leave Hardy get his chance either because he's a great mentor that wants his prodigy to get a shot or maybe he realized that he can only hurt his reputation to play out the season. Let's face it his stats at the halfway point are horrible and unless a miracle happens at QB & Oline, they are not about to get better anytime soon. If he gets injured (real or not) and then the rookie steps in and does well, then when he gets better there's an excuse for sharing time with Hardy and it skews the fact a bit. If he stays in for a full season and has horrible stats, then his career is probably close to over, he can go watch Sunday games with Marvin Harrison.

It's probably nothing but it's funny how much of a coincidence it is that he gets hurt the same week Hardy is ready to come back...

Our best chance is keeping Jauron

keysh67 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:59:43 -0000

I was looking at the standings this morning and realized just how horribly pathetic the NFL is this year. There are so many bottom dwellers this year that it's not even funny. I was trying to see if we had a chance to be picking in the top 3-5 picks in next years draft. The main reason is because we need to get our franchise signal caller in the next draft, pure and simple.

And my favorite candidate right now as we speak is by far Jimmy Clausen. I've made and effort not to miss a game this year and he is really impressive. He is accurate and has a big arm to get the ball downfield. He also can throw darts into tight spots. In recent weeks he's shown how smart and patient he could be. The guy is a very gifted athlete than can also move around the pocket and beat you with his legs when required. IMO he is the complete package. He also has the most experience of the Juniors and can play well outdoors in the cold.

See analysis after the jump...

Unfortunately I doubt he will be there very long because I think he'll finish the season as the top rated QB (assuming he comes out early). There are a lot of bottom dwellers but not all of them would go QB in round 1 (at least I hope not). Here is the picture as of today:

CLE (1-7): Cleveland's problems are not predominantly at the QB position. They're running game really needs an injection and they need help on the Line and at TE. They also need a lot of help on the Defensive side. They have a LT and a center but the rest of their line is average. They're running game is horrible. Lewis averages a pedestrian 3.6y per carry and he gets the bulk of the work during games. Plus they spent a #1 on a QB in 2007, I can't see them using their #1 on a QB but it could happen. CLE is predominantly a power running team with a defensive minded coach, I see them drafting a RB in Round 1.

With their remaining schedule, I think they could pull off a few more wins such @KC and then OAK & Jax at home, which would give them a 4-12 season (and they own the tie breaker over us)

TEN (1-7): The best thing that could happen to us is Vince Young on more than one front. He has something to prove. He sure as hell doesn't want them drafting a QB so I can see him having a bit of success. I think they are going to run all over us in Week 10. I doubt we have a chance to stop Chris Johnson. I also see them winning at home against St-Louis. I think Bud Adams won't draft a QB in Rd1, he wants to give Vince a chance so regardless what happens from now until the end of the year, I doubt they will draft a QB. The other great think about Vince Young is if he does have success, I could see Bud Adams sending Jeff Fisher packing, which could be a great thing for us.

With their remaining schedule, I think they could pull off a few more wins such the Bills & Rams at home, which would bring them to 3-13 (the mirror opposite to last year). I see the new coach coming in having to work with Vince Young for the first year. They need another big run stuffing DT to replace Haynesworth but they need help in their secondary even worse.

OAK (2-6): The Raiders are a mess. I think that as much as I hate the Bills right now its still doesn't compare to the Raiders. If I were a Raiders fan I would have given up already. Any intelligent person would agree that the Raiders should be looking at QB in round 1 next year. Russel is a horrible QB and doesn't deserve to start. The funny thing is I think that Al Davis still likes him so it's anybodies guess at this point.

With their remaining schedule, I think they could pull off a few more wins such the KC & Was at home, which would bring them to 4-12. I see them going with Carlos Dunlap (DE) but they remain a serious risk at QB IMO.

WAS (2-5): Sadly, it's hard to see where they might win another game. It's too bad because I think Campbell is better than his record. I think he's not in the right system. What Snider has done to his coach is despicable and he deserves to lose out on the season. Unfortunately, they will be looking for a QB, I am almost certain of it. The good news is Jason Campbell is probably going to be available on the FA market if he gets cut.

With their remaining schedule and the turmoil in coaching staff and the loss of Cooley, I think they Lose out. They could be picking first overall in the draft at 2-14

RAMS (1-7): Steve Spagnuolo definitely has his work cut out for him. They have not looked good at all this year. They really need help on Defense and I highly doubt that Spag would use the first round selection on anything other than a defensive player. In 3 of their past 4 games, Jackson was the leading rusher of the game and Donnie Avery was the leading receiver. They currently rank 13 in Rushing offense and 24th in passing. They Rank 28th against the run and 25th against the pass. I see them going DT in Round 1.

With their remaining schedule I think they could win at least 1 or two more, games like SEA at home and possibly SF if they are playing the 2nd stringers (assuming they clinch their spot). I project them finishing with a 2-14 record.

SEA (2-5): They need a running game. I also think they are feeling the departure of Holmgrem.

I see them winning 2-3 more games (TB & TEN at home for sure and maybe in St-Louis). I think they finish at 4-12

BUCs have a real chance of going winless and KC will be lucky to finish with better than a 3-13 record. Both teams are set at QB at least for next year that is. I really can't see them taking a QB in round 1.

So this brings me to my title. I gave up on the season after week 3, actually I gave up on this season last December when Mr.Wilson chose to keep Jauron but that's another story... At this point it is crystal clear that we need major changes around here starting with all the management and coaches. We also clearly need to draft a QB in Round 1. It is beyond repair. I would feel more than comfortable with Edwards as our backup or even have him start the year if the rookie is unable to win the start at first. But there is no doubt in my mind that we need to spend our 1st rounder on a QB this year. I know that we need a LT as well but our deficientcies are mainly at the QB level not Oline. Insert any of the top 4-8 QBs in this league (with a real coordinator and offensive system) and we would be top 10 in many categories.

BILLS (3-5): Looking ahead, I cannot see how we can win another game this year. Honestly, we really should be 1-7 because the Jets and Carolina games were totally given to us but that's besides the point. Chris Johnson, MJD, Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams, Thomas Jones, Arrowhead Stadium, Brady, Micheal Turner and then Peyton Manning. The only games that we remotely have a chance ion are the KC and maybe if Indy are resting their starters. Still at this point the season is a useless loss and our only hope is to lose out and finish 3-13, which would put us within striking distance of Jimmy Clausen. The best way to ensure our continued success is to keep Jauron until the end otherwise we might spark something and we could find ourselves winning a few more games, which would be disastrous because it would bring other potential teams into play.

Mock Draft

#1 TB (0-16) Gerald McCoy (DT)

#2 Was (2-14) Russel Okung (OT)

#3 StL (2-14) Ndamukong Suh (DT)

#4 Buf (3-13) Jimmy Clausen (QB)

#5 KC (3-13) Carlos Dunlap (DE)

#6 Ten (3-13) Taylor Mays (S)

#7 Cle (4-12) **

#8 Oak (4-12) **

Both Cleveland & Oakland could be in the QB market.

This post is about next year and I would prefer not arguing with the cool aid drinkers about the virtues of not giving up on the season. Let's face it, we suck and most of us knew we would last year when Jauron was retained. There really are no good option in FA to find a definite starter. We could maybe find a caretaker or someone else's reject but all in all, our only real hope for next year is to lose out and be in a position to draft the top rated QB.

Our team is really well managed - proof is in the pudding

keysh67 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:51:42 -0000

Last night I posted something that got pulled this morning because I used a bad word. So I am re-phrasing it because the points that I was making deserve to be published and discussed.

Last week TO said in his interview how he'd like to finish his career in Buffalo because he loves the way Jauron is easy on them and that the practices are easy and then the fact that Jauron give veterans like him days off, like the two past Fridays. Lovely, just lovely. Is it just me that thinks that TO & Fitz needed as many reps to get in synch as possible? Is that not coaching brilliance at its best? your backup QB is in the game and he has not thrown to your two star receivers much so far this year because he gets most of his reps with the 2nd stringers, so why not give your star receiver some time off? It will be way more entertaining to see them learn on the fly, right?

Sidenote: TO is as worthless as it comes. When he did an out and Fitz thought he would be doing a go route, an error totally not related to giving TO some well deserved time off (??), TO saw the interception and turned and walked away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The camera angle showed his lower body pointed at the interception and then quickly turning and walking away. The interceptor actually ran right through the spot freshly vacated by our super hero (the great Terrel Owens). I can deal with a lot of crappy plays but I cannot deal with such a heartless and cowardly act. We should have traded him when we could but now it's time to bench him.

Back to our well managed football team. Our defense once again played an awesome game for us yesterday, they really did. We were down 17-10, absolutely no reason to panic. So we run the ball 3 consecutive times to setup a beautiful Pop Warner"ish" trick punt play, which backfires in our face and we give them back the ball with great field position.

I hate the way I feel about this team right now. I feel like the owner really doesn't care about me, his loyal fan. He seems way more concerned with keeping costs down and hiring guys that he can control. Well Mr. Wilson, I sincerely think that you are our main problem. I mean no disrespect when I say this. I am a loyal fan and I would like to continue to be a loyal fan but I need much more than what you've been giving us the past 5-7 years. You are going to have to trust someone and you are going to have to let go and let them do their job. Any self-respecting GM worth a dime will not accept a position where his authority will constantly be scrutinized by a 90 year old owner. The Bills over their lifetime have not accomplished enough for you to think that you are able to manage them. They had a lucky run during the Polian years but other than that, this team has been less than pedestrian. My grandfather is 89 and my grandmother is 91, god bless both their soles, they are great but they certainly are well beyond the age of being swift enough to run a successful business. Your business is now worth almost $1B and it's due in large part to loyal fans like me. Please take a step back from all of this and realize that we need some serious changes around here, much more than just a new coach or QB, we need to completely reset the structure and mindset. We need another Polian in here. Mr. Wilson, I beg of you to acknowledge that this is beyond repair and requires drastic measures. You need to step down and actually trust your ability to find a great football mind that can shape the next 10-15 years of Buffalo Football. A man that has accomplished as much as you have, a man that has been in the business for so long, a man that knows and is respected by so many people in the business - please use all that knowledge, power & respect to find the right guy to steer this ship back onto a course that will bring prosperity back to Buffalo Nation.

Jauron has changed T.O.

keysh67 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:30:37 -0000

WOW, anybody who thought they had seen it all must be really surprised by T.O.'s transformation. I am amazes at the way T.O. is now admitting his shortcomings and how he defends his teammates in such trying times. And he always comes back to the same lyrics, we practice hard, we play hard we just need to execute better, yadiyadiyada.

Unbelievable, he now sounds like Jauron. This week was the icing on the cake when he said that he'd love to return to Buffalo because Jauron doesn't work his veterans too hard and it's great on his body... Jauron has not only humbled hiim, he's turned T.O. into a wuss!!! He's sucked the competitive edge out of him!

Now the three guys giving interviews all sound the same (Jauron, Edwards & TO)

Simply unbelievable!

Philosophical discussion on mindset - what type of fan are you?

keysh67 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:29:39 -0000

Let me start by saying that I am a huge Buffalo Bills fan and I want them to win more than anything. Leading up to the draft we as avid fans like to discuss the potential players and their value to our team, we discuss available free agents and which ones that could have an impact on our beloved team. We talk and discuss for basically what amounts to 8 months of jibberrish because we have nothing else better to do while awaiting out favorite team to take the field in the first meaningful game of their new season. At which point all we really have is positive hope on the up-coming season.

What I wanted to discuss today is the make-up of that hope. What I mean by that is I'd like to discover what makes Rumblers tick, what most of you want out of this team. In recent weeks I've been dumbfounded by the reactions to certain discussions and I figured it was high time to investigate what makes Rumblers tick, find out if we are all over the map or if we are united in our quest to conquer the NFL

Have you ever stopped and wondered what type of fan you are?

Are you a sadist / masochist?

Are you a fan that gets his rocks off being a bottom feeder, a team that is constantly ridiculed in the press. Don't laugh because I am certain that some people like the pity attention that losing teams get.

Are you a week to week fan?

Simply a football fan that has adopted the Bills as your team and there's nothing wrong with this type of fan by the way. A fan that enjoys watching football each week, preferably a good game. Someone who doesn't really give a dam about the business side of the game, someone who simply wants to watch a good game from week to week. This type of fan is not really concerned with the bigger picture of the season and future season, this fan simply wants to see the best possible players from week to week to be able to see a reasonably good game. This type of fan is probably going to be a Bills fans again the following year but could also decide to change teams.

Are you a righteous fan?

Let's face it, there are a lot of problems in the NFL today, a lot of misconducts from superstar players that think they are above reproach and I certainly will not condone their actions. Every team in the NFL would prefer only having high character players but should it be at the expense of fielding a competitive team? The choice between good & evil is not always that easy, some guys are obvious but most people have had errors in their past and teams have to make a tough decision when a superstar has had a few bumps in the road. The righteous fan is the one who will prefer to have a high character team period regardless of anything else. The righteous fan is quite content to watch his team win or lose as long as he can be proud of their effort & character on and off the field. Character is more important than winning for the Righteous fan.

The eternal optimist?

I refer to these guys as the cool aid drinkers. The eternal optimist is a great fan because no matter what the team does, he find something positive to grab on to. This is a very loyal fan. This fan does not normally like to criticize his team instead choosing to find positive developments each week to focus on. The optimist doesn't look that far into the future because he believes that things can work themselves out over time. This fan is generally a happy one regardless of what happens on the field week to week.

The eternal Pessimist?

This is the type of guy that always finds something to be critical about. This fan is never happy regardless what happens on the field, obviously after a blow out win he'd be positive but he is happiest when there are problems to discuss, when things aren't perfect, which gives him the platform to spread his wings and criticize. This fans tend to be quite loyal they just choose to express themselves through a critical eye.

The GM in training?

My favorite fan of all, the fans that think they know better than management. This fan is quite passionate about his team and is highly critical of personnel decisions and moves. This fan is highly critical of the coaching staff and front office. The GM in training is highly opinionated and normally views things at the macro level, choosing to view the season as a whole and look 2-3 years down the road. This type of fan is normally more concerned with the ability to go all the way than the winning of any individual game, building a team that could win the superbowl is more important than winning from week to week.

There you have it. Now I'm interested in knowing where most Rumblers fit in this list.

Poll

What profile best describes you?

sadist / Masochist fan

2 votes

Week to week fan

0 votes

Righteous fan

4 votes

Eternal Optimist

39 votes

Ethernal Pessimist

3 votes

GM in training

33 votes

81 votes | Poll has closed

When is too much praise, too much?

keysh67 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:58:12 -0000

I was listening to the Jauron press conference from yesterday and could not help but think that he's actually too much of a nice guy. I mean he always praises his team both offense and defense even when they fail miserably, he always find something positive to say. Don't get me wrong I think being positive is great but I also think that he over does it and it's probably detrimental to him.

I definitely understand why the players love him so much because no matter what happens not only does he stand up for them he goes out of his way to praise them. Like the way he praised Byrd yesterday. The kid is a rookie and needs to continue to develop (a lot) and he has the potential of being a real super star. I fear that all this praise might go to his head and actually be detrimental in his development. And then again with McGee, Jauron bent over backwards to make sure everyone understood just how special McGee is. It's too much. I listen to him and I really don't feel that anything is broken but yet we've barely won the last two weeks.

Praise is fine but in moderation. What Jauron lacks is the ability to convey his dissatisfaction but in a positive way, he needs to show the players of this team that he is not content with the way we are playing and that he expects better, that he expects improvement in certain areas. If I'm a player the message that I get from my head coach is continue to work hard because that's all that matters and he is quite content with the way things are.

He made a comment: "Anyway you get 20pts, anyway that you can get a win is fine". I understand the statement but not week in and week out. If your only chance of winning is to hope you find someway to win, then you have a problem.

I strongly believe that Jauron would be doing himself, the team and the rest of us a big favor if he could just learn to be able to convey some level of dissatisfaction when things are not perfect (which they rarely are in the Bills case). I'm not suggesting to completely change his DNA but simply to make a few adjustments to it. Tell them when things are not right and minimize the un-needed praising because it probably does more harm than not.