Mudflap1
10-03-2005, 01:12 PM
I'm going to go unit-by-unit to see if we can constructively figure out what needs to be done to get this team going in the right direction. Obviously we're off to a bad start this year, and many people are calling for heads (including me). Let's just see and assess what we have here.
Tom Donahoe -- Honestly, I think he needs to go. He's had enough time. I have other threads that provide details. Should he go today versus right after the season? I don't know. Maybe it doesn't matter, maybe it does. I think by the time the season is over though, he should be gone. We need a guy with some leadership, somebody who manages the cap better, and someone who won't put his ego in the way of making the right decision for the team (ie hiring puppets so there is no power struggle).
Mike Mularkey -- He has until the end of the season to prove himself. Yes, he showed last year that he could rally the team to finish strong (albeit against weak competition), but so far this year he is in danger of losing this team. They looked like they didn't even want to be out there yesterday. Not only that, but there appears to be no sense of urgency. They need to get their ass in gear, and real fast. There are also touches of questionable to bad coaching all over the place, from preparation, to the Losman situation, to the way to the defense has played, to the lack of progress throughout the whole team, to bad game planning, bad playcalling, etc.
Tom Clements -- He has until the end of the season to also prove himself. Under my rules, the new GM would then assess the situation. They would be bi-partisan due to not hiring them under their regime. If they felt they were a good fit (based upon what happens the rest of this season), fine, if not, gone.
Jerry Gray -- The only one to show any sense of urgency prior to the Saints' game. I'm not totally sure what's happened to their defense, but he has done a solid job since he's been here, I think he should be considered to stay. He needs some help too along the defensive line. This unit is not as good as we thought it was.
J.P. Losman -- Frankly, he blows right now, big time. He's totally clueless, looks like he's digressing, and is showing no sign and no pulse like he's ready to handle this offense. However, this team made a commitment to him, and for better or for worse, I'm not sure if there is another alternative at this point than to play him this season. Holcomb is a solid veteran, but the whole Bills' team is struggling, even if Holcomb starts, is he really going to lead this team to a 9-3 record for the rest of the season to get them back into playoff contention? Probably not. Again, the whole team is having big problems. We might have no other choice than to play Losman for the immediate future and hope that he comes around with his learning curve such as Eli Manning and Carson Palmer have. However, if he plays this whole season and DOES NOT IMPROVE, get rid of him. This only comes into play though if he plays the WHOLE SEASON, that is very key. If he can't improve, then he doesn't have it and will never improve. With some of these young guys, they usually turn it around by about their 8th or 9th game if they are worth anything. If they don't, then they usually never get any better.
Offensive Line -- Terrible. Must be revamped. Teague is average at best. Mike Williams is a bust, and he's a coward to boot. He didn't even dress yesterday? Give me a break, he's got no balls. Gandy actually is okay, not great, but okay. Anderson is a waste. Villarial is overrated, average at best.
Wide Receivers -- Who knows? They aren't getting the ball. I'd like to think that we have an up and coming unit, but how can you tell when the quarterback is playing so badly that they don't even get a chance? With Parrish, this unit is probably one of the more solid parts of the team, but they aren't even ulilized.
Running Backs -- We're fine here.
Defensive Line -- We need a run-stuffing defensive tackle. Anderson and Edwards are average at best. Kelsay and Schobel are very inconsistent. It would be good if we had one more true pass-rushing threat.
Linebackers -- We're fine here. Crowell isn't great, but he's as good as it's going to get at that position for the rest of the year. Crowell gave up some big plays in the 2nd and 3rd game, but cleaned up his act yesterday. He wasn't the reason they lost.
Defensive Backs -- We're solid here, but without a pass rush, these guys are going to get picked apart. Vincent appears to be slow the last two weeks. Jabari Greer is definitely the liability of the group.
Special Teams -- Lindell has been solid so far, Moorman has been okay (he always seems to rack up his yards during touchbacks), and the return game has been fair (McGee's run was great yesterday, but how did he fall down? Geez).
Anyway, that's the way I see it. The general manager should be changed, giving a whole new identity to the franchise. He is 27-41 and just has not gotten the job done. Mularkey and Clements have the rest of the year to prove they should stay. Frankly, they should and probably will get fired too, especially with a non-interested third party general manager evaluating them. If we want to win now, we go for Holcomb, but I don't think this team as a whole is capable of winning now, so we might as well stick with Losman and make ourselves sick watching the games. If he plays the whole year and sucks, get rid of him and go for Rivers, Leinart, somebody that actually has some talent and character, not a Rob Johnson-Doug Flutie love child who sulks on the sidelines and shows no sense of urgency, leadership, poise, or moxie. Beyond that, there are some holes that need to be plugged, most notably offensive and defensive lines.
Believe it or not, this team isn't that far off, but with the current hiearchy in place, we'll never get there.
Jon
Tom Donahoe -- Honestly, I think he needs to go. He's had enough time. I have other threads that provide details. Should he go today versus right after the season? I don't know. Maybe it doesn't matter, maybe it does. I think by the time the season is over though, he should be gone. We need a guy with some leadership, somebody who manages the cap better, and someone who won't put his ego in the way of making the right decision for the team (ie hiring puppets so there is no power struggle).
Mike Mularkey -- He has until the end of the season to prove himself. Yes, he showed last year that he could rally the team to finish strong (albeit against weak competition), but so far this year he is in danger of losing this team. They looked like they didn't even want to be out there yesterday. Not only that, but there appears to be no sense of urgency. They need to get their ass in gear, and real fast. There are also touches of questionable to bad coaching all over the place, from preparation, to the Losman situation, to the way to the defense has played, to the lack of progress throughout the whole team, to bad game planning, bad playcalling, etc.
Tom Clements -- He has until the end of the season to also prove himself. Under my rules, the new GM would then assess the situation. They would be bi-partisan due to not hiring them under their regime. If they felt they were a good fit (based upon what happens the rest of this season), fine, if not, gone.
Jerry Gray -- The only one to show any sense of urgency prior to the Saints' game. I'm not totally sure what's happened to their defense, but he has done a solid job since he's been here, I think he should be considered to stay. He needs some help too along the defensive line. This unit is not as good as we thought it was.
J.P. Losman -- Frankly, he blows right now, big time. He's totally clueless, looks like he's digressing, and is showing no sign and no pulse like he's ready to handle this offense. However, this team made a commitment to him, and for better or for worse, I'm not sure if there is another alternative at this point than to play him this season. Holcomb is a solid veteran, but the whole Bills' team is struggling, even if Holcomb starts, is he really going to lead this team to a 9-3 record for the rest of the season to get them back into playoff contention? Probably not. Again, the whole team is having big problems. We might have no other choice than to play Losman for the immediate future and hope that he comes around with his learning curve such as Eli Manning and Carson Palmer have. However, if he plays this whole season and DOES NOT IMPROVE, get rid of him. This only comes into play though if he plays the WHOLE SEASON, that is very key. If he can't improve, then he doesn't have it and will never improve. With some of these young guys, they usually turn it around by about their 8th or 9th game if they are worth anything. If they don't, then they usually never get any better.
Offensive Line -- Terrible. Must be revamped. Teague is average at best. Mike Williams is a bust, and he's a coward to boot. He didn't even dress yesterday? Give me a break, he's got no balls. Gandy actually is okay, not great, but okay. Anderson is a waste. Villarial is overrated, average at best.
Wide Receivers -- Who knows? They aren't getting the ball. I'd like to think that we have an up and coming unit, but how can you tell when the quarterback is playing so badly that they don't even get a chance? With Parrish, this unit is probably one of the more solid parts of the team, but they aren't even ulilized.
Running Backs -- We're fine here.
Defensive Line -- We need a run-stuffing defensive tackle. Anderson and Edwards are average at best. Kelsay and Schobel are very inconsistent. It would be good if we had one more true pass-rushing threat.
Linebackers -- We're fine here. Crowell isn't great, but he's as good as it's going to get at that position for the rest of the year. Crowell gave up some big plays in the 2nd and 3rd game, but cleaned up his act yesterday. He wasn't the reason they lost.
Defensive Backs -- We're solid here, but without a pass rush, these guys are going to get picked apart. Vincent appears to be slow the last two weeks. Jabari Greer is definitely the liability of the group.
Special Teams -- Lindell has been solid so far, Moorman has been okay (he always seems to rack up his yards during touchbacks), and the return game has been fair (McGee's run was great yesterday, but how did he fall down? Geez).
Anyway, that's the way I see it. The general manager should be changed, giving a whole new identity to the franchise. He is 27-41 and just has not gotten the job done. Mularkey and Clements have the rest of the year to prove they should stay. Frankly, they should and probably will get fired too, especially with a non-interested third party general manager evaluating them. If we want to win now, we go for Holcomb, but I don't think this team as a whole is capable of winning now, so we might as well stick with Losman and make ourselves sick watching the games. If he plays the whole year and sucks, get rid of him and go for Rivers, Leinart, somebody that actually has some talent and character, not a Rob Johnson-Doug Flutie love child who sulks on the sidelines and shows no sense of urgency, leadership, poise, or moxie. Beyond that, there are some holes that need to be plugged, most notably offensive and defensive lines.
Believe it or not, this team isn't that far off, but with the current hiearchy in place, we'll never get there.
Jon