On Monday, for the first time in years, the Bills closed an entire practice to the media.

No explanation was given. One joker wondered if the coaches had taken the first-team offense

on a field trip to the end zone.

I had one possible reason for the sudden secrecy: the coaches have come to their senses and

realized that the no-huddle offense isn't working, and they need to practice huddling before

the opener in New England in two weeks.

The idea of a no-huddle was intriguing, if a trifle out of character for a Dick Jauron

team. It showed the coaches were thinking, at least. Presumably, it would play to Trent

Edwards' strength as a quick decision-maker. It could wear out opposing defenses and help out

a young offensive line. I even thought Edwards could call the plays.

But after four preseason games, it's time to reconsider. The first-team offense hasn't

scored a touchdown. Edwards seems utterly lost. Scrapping the huddle and operating at a

quicker pace was supposed to help Edwards find himself, but it seems to have done the

opposite.

The offense hit a new low in Saturday's 17-0 loss in Pittsburgh. James Farrior, who picked

off an Edwards pass and returned it for a touchdown, said afterward that perhaps the Bills

should try huddling. Yes, the league is laughing at them.

The no-huddle is a particularly bad fit for this team. It's incompatible with the offensive

talent, and with the coach's defensive philosophy. Jauron favors a conservative defense,

predicated on preventing big plays and forcing teams to execute time-consuming drives.

It's a classic "bend-but-don't-break" scheme. But it's their own offense that is

threatening to break them. Thanks to the Bills' feeble no-huddle, the defense was on the field

for 41 minutes in Pittsburgh. Still, they remain committed to running the no-huddle,

exclusively.

"We're still working it," offensive coordinator Turk Schonert said after Monday's practice.

"We're still using it, and we're going to use it."

Schonert said there were no second thoughts. He said the Pittsburgh debacle was due to poor

execution and tired legs from a tough practice week.

"I don't care about Pittsburgh," Schonert said. "That's a preseason game. We didn't prepare

for [that] game. We had a great week of practice. That's our main concern. We're heading in

the right direction. We got our minds on New England. That's where we're heading."

Schonert called the no-huddle a work in progress. From what I can tell, they're not sure

how fast to run it. Jauron says they're not hurrying and time of possession isn't an issue

with him. But Edwards says one of the main objectives of the no-huddle is to attack and catch

the defense at a disadvantage.

Well, it's up to Jauron to get things straight in time for the Patriots. Preseason is a

time for evaluation. A head coach is supposed to have a competitive vision, a grasp of his

team's talent and how best to employ it.

But Jauron appears frozen and incapable of adjustment, the way he often does on game days.

He can't acknowledge that the no-huddle isn't working, and that he's boxing his team in by

showing a lack of flexibility.

I'm not suggesting they trash the idea entirely. The no-huddle can be a useful part of

their offense, something to employ on a regular basis, a way to keep teams guessing and mix

things up offensively. Making it the sole offense strikes me as a transparent attempt by the

coaches to appear bold and inventive.

Maybe they've been fooling us all along. On Sept. 14, they might spend half the night

huddling. Schonert said their minds are on New England. So they might have closed practice to

begin tweaking the offense for the Patriots.

Jauron and his guys could have something interesting in store for Bill Belichick. Maybe,

for once, something smart.