AFC East: Tom Donahoe
"If you keep doing the same thing the same way and keep getting the same results every time," general manager Buddy Nix said Wednesday afternoon, "sometimes you need to make a change."
The Bills held a news conference to address changes to their front office, announcing they've hired Chuck Cook director of college scouting and Tom Gibbons director of pro personnel. Last week, the Bills fired vice president of college scouting Tom Modrak and gave assistant general manager Doug Whaley director of player personnel duties.
Cook comes to the Bills from the Miami Dolphins, where he was a regional scout since general manager Jeff Ireland took over in 2008. Cook was the Kansas City Chiefs' college scouting director from 1997 through 2007.
Nix knew Cook's father, long-time New Orleans Saints scout Hamp Cook, and tried to recruit the lad at Auburn. Cook went on to star at Southern Miss instead.
Gibbons, a native of suburban Dunkirk, N.Y., spent the past seven seasons with the San Diego Chargers, where he worked with Nix. Prior to that, Gibbons was with the Bills for 12 years as an administrative assistant and a college and pro scout under former general manager John Butler.
Nix said the moves will complete any offseason reorganization of the scouting department. Regional scout Rashaan Curry and college scouting administrator Michael LaFlamme recently departed, but the rest of the department will remain in place.
Many wondered about the timing of Modrak's dismissal, a week after what was widely considered a successful draft.
When asked why a switch wasn't made when Nix became GM after the 2009 season, Nix replied "I didn't know what to change."
Nix declined to get into specifics about the organization's decision to fire Modrak.
Modrak had become a pariah among Bills fans because he was the only football executive left from the Tom Donahoe era and spanned Marv Levy's brief stint as GM and a few head coaches.
"Tom's a great guy, did a lot better job than he got credit for," Nix said. "He made the statement one time, 'I'm an easy target. I'm the only one left standing.' "
Parcells, Bledsoe and the Hall of Fame
Then again, Donahoe used to say a lot of things.
I was reminded of this when taking a glance at players who will make their first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2012.
Buffalo News reporter Mark Gaughan, who's on the Hall of Fame selection committee and last weekend was elected president of the Pro Football Writers Association, blogged the top newcomers to consider the next few years.
AP Photo/Ed ZurgaBill Parcells and his former quarterback Drew Bledsoe will be on the Hall of Fame ballot next year.Perhaps that development was fitting for Martin because his coach with the New England Patriots and New York Jets will be on the ballot again. They could get in together in 2012.
Bill Parcells has been a finalist twice, but not since 2002 because rules for coaches changed. They now must wait five years from their last game to be eligible for induction, and Parcells returned to the sidelines with the Dallas Cowboys in 2003.
Is Parcells a Hall of Famer? I know Miami Dolphins fans aren't too thrilled with him these days, but he did add to an already remarkable legacy -- two championships, different teams to the Super Bowl, a few organizational turnarounds -- by guiding the Dolphins from 1-15 to the AFC East title as their football operations boss.
Also on the ballot next year will be Bledsoe, running backs Corey Dillon and Tiki Barber, fullback Mike Alstott, guard Will Shields and coaches Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer.
Bledsoe had a fine career with the Patriots, Bills and Cowboys and ranks eighth all-time in passing yards. But he was a Pro Bowler only four times and never was first-team All-Pro. Bledsoe was helpful in getting the Patriots their first championship, so he does have a ring. But that was Tom Brady's team.
Dillon also was a four-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl with the Patriots. He ranks 17th in rushing yards and never led the league in a major rushing category.
Schottenheimer played for the Bills and Patriots before winning 61 percent of his regular-season games as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers. His 200 victories rank sixth all-time, but his 5-23 playoff record will hurt.
That group of first-time candidates -- plus the newcomers for 2013 -- bodes well for Reed. There won't be any new receivers for him to box out. He already has jockeyed ahead of contemporaries Cris Carter and Tim Brown by making the cut from 15 to 10 in the selection process the past two years. Carter and Brown haven't.
Gaughan highlighted first-year players for next few classes.
2013: Quarterback Vinny Testaverde, offensive linemen Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden, defensive tackle Warren Sapp, defensive end Michael Strahan.
2014: Running back Shaun Alexander, receiver Marvin Harrison, linebacker Derrick Brooks, safety Rodney Harrison and coaches Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Mike Holmgren -- if they don't return to sideline work.
2015: Quarterback Kurt Warner, receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, tackles Orlando Pace and Walter Jones and linebacker Junior Seau.
Titans eyeballing former Bills head coaches
He might want to be on the lookout for a 615 area code on his caller ID.
The Tennessee Titans apparently are gathering former Buffalo Bills head coaches for a job fair.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter report the Titans plan to interview ex-Bills head coaches Mike Mularkey and Gregg Williams for their head vacancy.
The Titans have received permission from the Atlanta Falcons to interview Mularkey, their offensive coordinator. The Titans already have scheduled a Thursday interview with Williams, the New Orleans Saints' defensive coordinator.
Multiple sources also report the Titans plan to meet with New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, who served as Buffalo's interim head coach in 2009.
Jauron is the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator now, but why not interview him for a promotion, too?
Mularkey and Williams haven't been head coaches since they left the Bills.
They also are Buffalo's last two head coaches to post non-losing records.
Williams went 17-31 in three seasons. His best year was 8-8 in 2003. He was fired and replaced with Mularkey in 2004.
Mularkey then guided Buffalo to its only winning season in the past 11 years, a 9-7 record and one game out of the playoffs.
Mularkey went 5-11 in his second season and resigned in a bizarre sequence of events. The Bills fired president Tom Donahoe and brought in former coach Marv Levy as general manager. The Bills held a news conference to announce Mularkey would be retained as head coach, but later that day he announced his resignation.
The numbers suggest he does.
The numbers, however, also show Hall of Fame milestones are changing.
AP Photo/Beth A. KeiserDrew Bledsoe was the backup to Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXVI.All seven quarterbacks who've been eligible for the Hall and have thrown for 40,000 yards have gotten in. Two more are active and should enter on the first ballot: Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
Dan Marino, Warren Moon, Fran Tarkenton and Dan Fouts didn't win titles. Moon and Fouts never appeared in a Super Bowl.
So what about Bledsoe?
He threw for 44,611 yards and 251 touchdowns in 14 seasons with the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys. He reached two Super Bowls with the Patriots, losing as a starter and winning as Tom Brady's backup.
But everyone knows the NFL has evolved. Passing numbers are prolific compared to 10 years ago.
New York Jets and Patriots quarterback Vinny Testaverde is another example. He threw for even more yards than Bledsoe did. The Heisman Trophy winner rolled up 46,233 yards and 275 touchdowns, ranking among the top eight all-time in each category
DeLoureiro, who also writes for NFLStatAnalysis.net, noted the only two quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era to enter the Hall of Fame without 40,000 yards or multiple championships were Steve Young and Jim Kelly.
Both presented special cases. Young started only eight seasons and was a two-time league MVP. Kelly took the Bills to four straight Super Bowls.
Tom Donahoe, the former Bills general manager, use to refer to Bledsoe as a future Hall of Famer, a comment that always sounded ridiculous to me.
It still does.
A one-stop spot for a decade of Bills misery
If you're a Buffalo Bills fan who likes to wallow in your team's despair or just an NFL fan who can sympathize, have I found the place for you.
The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and Buffalo's NBC affiliate, WGRZ, have teamed up to launch "Decade of Disappointment," a sharp and clever site that takes a hard look at the Bills' inability to make the playoffs since 1999.
As noted on the AFC East blog Thursday, AccuScore computes the Bills' chances of making the playoffs this year at 2 percent. Looks like a completely blank stretch since Y2K.
Prominent on the "Decade of Disappointment" home page is Mount Crushmore, with the visages of owner Ralph Wilson, head coach Dick Jauron, former general manager Tom Donahoe and former tackle Mike Williams, the fourth overall draft pick in 2002.
But there are several other rocks to overturn. Drag your mouse across the faces of 17 other culprits to hear an analyst explain another problem.
The site features several videos, including one from NBC Sports analysts Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison, another from Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas and a roundtable with Democrat & Chronicle reporters Sal Maiorana and Leo Roth and the WGRZ staff.
Bills bust coming back after three-year layoff
The response from Buffalo Bills fans will be either laughter or a gag reflex when they learn Mike Williams is working on an NFL comeback.
Williams is one of the NFL's biggest draft busts of the past decade. The Bills used the fourth overall selection in 2002 to select the 6-foot-6, 370-pound Texas tackle.
Williams was ripped for his lack of desire. He couldn't make it through four seasons, finishing his career with five starts in 2005. He had a back problem, but that wasn't considered the real reason he retired after the Bills cut him.
"I know people have questions about me," Williams told Dallas Morning News reporter Barry Horn. "I know they are not questions about my talent. They are questions about my heart."
Williams and quarterback J.P. Losman have been the poster children for the Bills' 21st century failings.
But looking back on the 2002 draft class, Williams was the top prospect at a position of need. The next five tackles off the board were Bryant McKinnie (seventh overall), Levi Jones (10th), Marc Colombo (29th), Mike Pearson (40th), Chester Pitts (50th) and Langston Walker (53rd).
Horn looks back at Williams' bright future when he left Texas and retraces all of the troubles with Buffalo.
But Williams is only 29 years old. There is time to salvage a more meaningful career. He has been living and working out with Derrick Dockery, the high-priced left guard Buffalo released in February.
"I have a new love for the game," Williams told Horn. "I know I have a lot more than people think or what they saw."
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
The top issues facing each team in the division:
Primary issue: The Bills had the weakest pass rush for an NFL team that wasn't an out-and-out doormat. They recorded 24 sacks all season. Only the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs had fewer.
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| Brendan Maloney/US Presswire | |
| If available, Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo would fit in nicely with the Bills. |
A significant problem was the loss of Pro Bowl defensive end Aaron Schobel for all but the first five games because of a foot injury. But he managed only one sack when he was available. The Bills haven't gotten anything out of John McCargo, a defensive tackle they traded up to draft 26th overall three years ago. He has started zero times and has notched 2.5 sacks.
The Bills lost defensive line coach Bill Kollar, who accepted a promotion to be Houston Texans' assistant head coach. Fired Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders has replaced him.
Solution: If Schobel recovers and Sanders can figure out a way to unlock the lackadaisical McCargo, then the Bills' defensive line might spring back nicely. The Bills hold the 11th overall draft choice, and top-rated pass rushers Brian Orakpo of Texas and Everette Brown of Florida State could be available.
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Secondary concern: The Bills need to build some goodwill between themselves and their fans. Given the dreadful economy and the team's recent past, even the most ardent Bills supporter has plenty of reasons not to buy tickets. The Bills haven't made the playoffs in nine years. Fans are down on management's decision to stick with head coach Dick Jauron.
Solution: As much as Bills fans despised former general manager Tom Donahoe, they have to admit he knew how to get them excited with high-profile offseason moves such as the Drew Bledsoe acquisition and the first-round Willis McGahee gamble. Would it kill the Bills to provide a little excitement this spring?
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| Mitchell Layton/Getty Images | |
| California center Alex Mack could help solidify the Dolphins' offensive line. |
Primary issue: Miami's interior offensive line was a major source of frustration throughout the season.
At first, the Dolphins weren't happy with the depth, routinely circulating street free agents through the roster. Rookie Donald Thomas won the starting right guard job but suffered a season-ending foot injury on opening day. Left guard Justin Smiley, their top offseason free-agent acquisition, played well but went down with a gruesome leg injury in Week 13. The front office has decided center Samson Satele isn't sturdy enough to handle 3-4 nose tackles.
The Dolphins went into 2008 excited about their running-back tandem of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, but their inability to run inside limited offensive options and forced the Dolphins to try the exotic Wildcat offense, which put two tackles on the same side of the line.
Right tackle Vernon Carey is a free agent. If the Dolphins re-sign him, there's talk of switching him to guard.
Solution: The Dolphins are searching for a center to anchor their offensive line. Free agency is an option, but drafting a center such as Alex Mack of California or Max Unger of Oregon creates a tantalizing proposition of a formidable line that can stay together for years. Satele could shift to guard and provide depth. Thomas will be back. No. 1 draft pick Jake Long went to the Pro Bowl.
Secondary concern: As ownership switched from Wayne Huizenga to Stephen Ross, football operations chief Bill Parcells renegotiated his four-year contract to include a permanent walkout clause with full pay. Parcells can leave whenever he desires for any reason he wants.
Solution: Leave him alone, Steve.
Primary issue: The three biggest concerns for the Patriots this offseason are Tom Brady's ACL, Tom Brady's MCL and Tom Brady's knee infections.
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| Greg M. Cooper/US PRESSWIRE | |
| The Patriots have $29 million in salary-cap dollars tied up between Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. |
Much of the Patriots' offseason -- and beyond -- hinges on Mr. Everything's status for 2009 because roughly $29 million in salary-cap dollars are tied up between him and his insurance policy, Matt Cassel.
That massive allocation will affect how flexible the Patriots can be when it comes to signing free agents or hammering out extensions to players they want to keep around.
Solution: The Patriots must clear Cassel's one-year, $14.65 million guaranteed contract off the books by trading him, but they might not be able to do so. They need to make sure Brady is healthy enough first, and they might not know for months.
Secondary concern: Brain drain hasn't been a problem for the Patriots yet, but recurring defections could catch up to them eventually. Vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli is the Kansas City Chiefs' general manager. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is the Denver Broncos' head coach. Other respected assistants have shuffled about.
Solution: Head coach Bill Belichick has to maintain his remarkable knack for finding and nurturing football minds who always seem to thrive in the Patriots' already-established culture.
New York Jets
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| Rich Kane/US PRESSWIRE | |
| Kellen Clemens, right, will be one candidate to replace Brett Favre as the Jets' quarterback. |
Management insists it's focusing on the three candidates already on the Jets' roster. But Kellen Clemens has made only eight starts, most of them frightful. Brett Ratliff and Erik Ainge have combined for zero NFL game snaps.
The Jets are downplaying their interest in locating another candidate through free agency or the draft, but banging those drums so soon would be demoralizing to the three hopefuls and possibly short-circuit a budding competition.
Solution: Rookie head coach Rex Ryan is a defensive mastermind, which means this mostly will be Brian Schottenheimer's problem to solve. Ryan said he wants to run an all-weather offense, which emphasizes the run. That should help alleviate pressure on a young quarterback.
Secondary concern: Despite star cornerback Darrelle Revis and impressive safety Kerry Rhodes, the Jets were miserable in defending the pass last season. They ranked 29th in pass defense, allowing 234.5 yards a game. Opponents completed 64.3 percent of their passes and threw for 23 touchdowns.
Solution: The Jets desperately need an effective cornerback to start opposite Revis. Getting sixth-overall draft pick Vernon Gholston playing like the pass rusher they thought he was at Ohio State wouldn't hurt either.
Better to love Losman or not love at all?
It's common for the backup quarterback to be among a city's most popular athletes.
Not so in Buffalo. Not nearly.
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| Losman |
In fact, if you were to take an informal poll along Delaware Avenue you'd probably find more support for third-string quarterback Gibran Hamdan than you would J.P. Losman.
Western New Yorkers spit Losman's name more than they say it, but he'll probably be running the Bills' offense in Toronto on Sunday, when they play the Miami Dolphins in a crucial AFC East game.
Usual starter Trent Edwards suffered a groin injury in Sunday's 10-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Losman entered in the second half and finished the game. Edwards didn't practice Wednesday and is considered day-to-day at best.
Bills followers generally view Losman as just another quarterback who had his chance but couldn't get it done. He's a holdover from the Tom Donahoe era and free agent after the season. Fans already have bid good riddance.
Losman began 2007 as Buffalo's starter, but lost his job after suffering a knee injury in Week 3. When Edwards got hurt later in the year and missed some games, he got to keep the job when healthy.
A reporter on Wednesday asked Losman if winning games for Buffalo down the homestretch would be a poetic finish.
"You could write all of these stories up, and that's a great word you used," Losman said. "I'm not going to repeat it, but it's a great word to use, I guess. If that does happen, it would be weird. The ball bounces funny in this game. It could come back that way, it could not. We'll find out."
Losman hasn't gotten many first-team reps, but he has this going for him: His career record against the Dolphins is 4-1, and he was won three straight against them, including November 2007 and both games in 2006.
He has completed 49 of 86 passes for 664 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions for a 99.2 passer rating.
"They're a completely different team than those teams," Losman said. "We're a completely different team. So I don't really think that way, who you've had success on and who you haven't. I know who I haven't had success on, and that's pretty much all I think about."
ABOUT THIS BLOG
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the NFL and NBA for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. He's a Temple graduate and Hyattsville, Md. native who lives in Miami.
