BILLS in Good Spot right now

[Mahdi]

Obviously a lot of folks are thinking that this whole thing is a disaster but I don't see it that way.

This team was never going to make the playoffs anyway - Offense was not ready to be dominant and the changes on defense were too much to bear.

And for those who said we should have left the defense as is, our defense last year was good statistically but in reality I remember all too often that defense getting burned when we really needed stops.

The reasons I think the Bills are in a good situation are the following:

1) We have an aggressive owner who saw first hand that this team needs change - he will be willing to go the extra mile to make things happen in the offseason

2) Rex is pissed and he is a good coach who knows exactly which ingredients he needs to build the defense HIS way, which has always been successful. He will bring in linemen that we need. Certain he will bring in some big NTs and 5-tech DEs to fit the defense, combined with Hughes, Brown, Lawson and Jarius Wynn in the front 7 and our talent in the secondary he will have the D ready for next season.

3) We have serious talent on offense and with another year playing together through mini camps and TC they should excel. I'm not Roman's biggest fan to be honest because I would rather have more traditional runs and more traditional throws. Everything is either shotgun with a sweep or shotgun deep ball. Where is the play-action bootleg? Basic crossing patterns, slants, skinny posts? Just seems a bit too gimmicky. Either way, another year in any system will get everyone playing better together.

4) The left side of our OL has been good lately and if we can add a solid RT the line will actually be top notch.

5) We should be able to free up some money and go after some FAs aggressively to fill spots where we need some leadership and talent.

6) We will draft in the 15th spot give or take a couple of spots. There is always good players in the middle of the draft where you can select from players that fit your scheme rather than having to select certain players because they are ranked as top 5 or top 10 musts or selecting too late and missing out on talent. JJ Watt is a good example, OBJ also, Marcus Peters etc. See 2014 draft picks 12-20 (http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014)

7) You do have some passionate football players in the locker room that want to win. Hughes was throwing furniture around on the sideline and Watkins is talking about getting rid of people who aren't doing their jobs. That's a good start IMO.

I believe this team needs to go through the drastic changes Rex is talking about before they can be good.

[Lucidvizion]

Rex is the reason this team sucks right now. The right move would be to kick him to the curb but that's never going to happen after a 5 year 27.5m dollar contract deal.

Jets fans are laughing right now.

[SpikedLemonade]

I don't trust Rex and would not be building a team based on his systems.

[Buffalogic]

Jets missing the playoffs along with us. And they have lost to us like what, 4 out of 5 times now?

[Mahdi]

I don't trust Rex and would not be building a team based on his systems.

You don't trust Rex why?

Because this year went badly on D? He obviously doesn't have the right players to fit his scheme so giving him another year to put it together seems logical. We don't have run stuffers which I think was actually his biggest mistake to be honest. He always ran his defenses with a big NT and for some reason he didn't see the need to get one this time around and it hurt us. He relied too much on the idea that we already had good enough linemen that could adapt. They couldn't.

[Joe Fo Sho]

You don't trust Rex why?

Because this year went badly on D? He obviously doesn't have the right players to fit his scheme so giving him another year to put it together seems logical. We don't have run stuffers which I think was actually his biggest mistake to be honest. He always ran his defenses with a big NT and for some reason he didn't see the need to get one this time around and it hurt us. He relied too much on the idea that we already had good enough linemen that could adapt. They couldn't.

Most people are upset that Rex didn't fit the scheme to the players, instead of the other way around. I would have thought that one of the supposed best defensive minds in football would be able to put together a top 10 defense from a team that had a top 5 defense last year.

I'm expecting Rex to be back and hopefully with a better scheme/better players to fit his scheme. I'm not going to get out my pitchfork just yet like most here are.

[Mahdi]

Most people are upset that Rex didn't fit the scheme to the players, instead of the other way around. I would have thought that one of the supposed best defensive minds in football would be able to put together a top 10 defense from a team that had a top 5 defense last year.

I'm expecting Rex to be back and hopefully with a better scheme/better players to fit his scheme. I'm not going to get out my pitchfork just yet like most here are.

I get that theory but from his point of view I see why he wouldn't do that.

He has spent his entire coaching career coaching a certain brand of defense, calling plays, making halftime adjustments and using personnel all based on that defense. He knows it like the back of his hand. It makes no sense for him to start employing a new defense that he doesn't subscribe to.

I would rather see a Rex D with the players that fit it.

[coastal]

16 years is "in a good spot"?

The parking lot is strong in this one.

[MillsapsBillsFan]

I get that theory but from his point of view I see why he wouldn't do that.

He has spent his entire coaching career coaching a certain brand of defense, calling plays, making halftime adjustments and using personnel all based on that defense. He knows it like the back of his hand. It makes no sense for him to start employing a new defense that he doesn't subscribe to.

I would rather see a Rex D with the players that fit it.
This kind of thinking is insane to me. How is it that everyone expects players to change how they play to fit a scheme, but coaches can run whatever scheme they want and shouldn't be expected to change anything based on their personnel? Rex is considered a defensive genius, yet he cant be bothered to make changes to put the players he has right now into a position to succeed? Okay and Good coaches find players to fit their scheme, Great coaches (Rex is supposed to be a genius) change their scheme to fit players. I understand that now he will change to what has made him barely successful in the past, but I don't think its a problem to complain when our defensive head coach took the pieces of a top 5 defense and made them a well below average defense
That's on the coach, not the players

[Mahdi]

16 years is "in a good spot"?

The parking lot is strong in this one.

Evaluating the current situation using the previous 15 seasons is an emotional outlook and provides no use.

This view is based strictly on what we have now and the ownership and management in place. Whaley has done enough to stay. Although this offseason is the biggest in his career because he will need to manage the roster based on who the coach wants to keep and clear out.

[trapezeus]

lost me when you said Rex is a good coach. a good coach figures out how to stop the penalty issue. A good coach can get to the two minute warning with 3 TO's more often than not. a good coach knows when to challenge a play. a good coach knows how to have his staff get a play in with more than 3 seconds on the play clock. a good coach knows to have batteries in the head set. a good coach knows how to take a talented roster on paper and make them relevant. A good coach gets something out of his players and not blame them. and a good coach has a must win game, and has his team show up and try to win.

[Mahdi]

lost me when you said Rex is a good coach. a good coach figures out how to stop the penalty issue. A good coach can get to the two minute warning with 3 TO's more often than not. a good coach knows when to challenge a play. a good coach knows how to have his staff get a play in with more than 3 seconds on the play clock. a good coach knows to have batteries in the head set. a good coach knows how to take a talented roster on paper and make them relevant. A good coach gets something out of his players and not blame them. and a good coach has a must win game, and has his team show up and try to win.

A lot of those things were out of his control and need overall cohesion to workout on game day.

Those things can be worked out for next season. Plus the challenge problem was not his fault because there should be someone in his ear telling him to challenge. That system failed and he changed it.

[trapezeus]

at this level, the coach needs to set up the command center and tell people what he wants. he wants a guy dedicated to replay and has the call down to him immediately. he has a battery guy. he has an OC who can get a play in quickly. he has a defense that buys into his system, or he adapts to the $250MM line he inherited. I liked the rex hire initially. I thought he was jobbed in NJ having only read the press. but he displayed complete cluelessness watching the game. Dick Jauron did more with less. that is a damning statement

[DesertFox24]

Look had we not had this dark cloud of the playoff draught hanging over the franchisees head this would not really be an issue. Normally it takes until the second season to see what changes the new coach will bring. Unforunately for Rex we did not have an established QB and a def not a fit for his system

[coastal]

Evaluating the current situation using the previous 15 seasons is an emotional outlook and provides no use.

This view is based strictly on what we have now and the ownership and management in place. Whaley has done enough to stay. Although this offseason is the biggest in his career because he will need to manage the roster based on who the coach wants to keep and clear out.douchebaggery this is...

[EDS]

Obviously a lot of folks are thinking that this whole thing is a disaster but I don't see it that way.

This team was never going to make the playoffs anyway - Offense was not ready to be dominant and the changes on defense were too much to bear.

And for those who said we should have left the defense as is, our defense last year was good statistically but in reality I remember all too often that defense getting burned when we really needed stops.

The reasons I think the Bills are in a good situation are the following:

1) We have an aggressive owner who saw first hand that this team needs change - he will be willing to go the extra mile to make things happen in the offseason

2) Rex is pissed and he is a good coach who knows exactly which ingredients he needs to build the defense HIS way, which has always been successful. He will bring in linemen that we need. Certain he will bring in some big NTs and 5-tech DEs to fit the defense, combined with Hughes, Brown, Lawson and Jarius Wynn in the front 7 and our talent in the secondary he will have the D ready for next season.

3) We have serious talent on offense and with another year playing together through mini camps and TC they should excel. I'm not Roman's biggest fan to be honest because I would rather have more traditional runs and more traditional throws. Everything is either shotgun with a sweep or shotgun deep ball. Where is the play-action bootleg? Basic crossing patterns, slants, skinny posts? Just seems a bit too gimmicky. Either way, another year in any system will get everyone playing better together.

4) The left side of our OL has been good lately and if we can add a solid RT the line will actually be top notch.

5) We should be able to free up some money and go after some FAs aggressively to fill spots where we need some leadership and talent.

6) We will draft in the 15th spot give or take a couple of spots. There is always good players in the middle of the draft where you can select from players that fit your scheme rather than having to select certain players because they are ranked as top 5 or top 10 musts or selecting too late and missing out on talent. JJ Watt is a good example, OBJ also, Marcus Peters etc. See 2014 draft picks 12-20 (http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014)

7) You do have some passionate football players in the locker room that want to win. Hughes was throwing furniture around on the sideline and Watkins is talking about getting rid of people who aren't doing their jobs. That's a good start IMO.

I believe this team needs to go through the drastic changes Rex is talking about before they can be good.

For posterity. I am not sure I would identify Hughes as someone whose behavior is anything more than deplorable.

[swiper]

You don't trust Rex why?

.

Because he's a horrible F***ing coach. OPEN YOUR EYES.

[swiper]

douchebaggery this is...

coastal said in another post, IIRC, it starts with Russ Brandon and the "culture" or lack thereof that he has instilled at OBD. He's got to go. Then Whaley, who cant draft offense to save his life. Then Ryan and his crew. The original poster post this looking at a team that Doug Marrone took to 9-7, got better with the addition of McCoy, Incognito and Darby (and you can add Taylor if you choose) and went backwards???

All at the same time seeing what Todd Bowles had done walking in with no head coaching experience with a cast-off QB and Gailey. It's just laughable.

[trapezeus]

that 3 year window coaches get typically is when they get a bad team with no direction. He was given a top 5 defense, resigned those players, and then said after the fact that they don't fit his system. I sense the bills will stick with ryan, but its ridiculous. he was asked to turn a poorly run offense last year and pair it with his strength. and he couldn't hold up his end of the deal. it's grounds for dismissal. either they stick with ryan for $25MM, or they run out $250MM in contracts. it's absurd.

and I realize it doesn't matter to debate this. the issue is that the team allows these tire fires repeatedly and then asks the same person to head up a committee to find a replacement. Where is russ, right now? that's not much of a leader...just like the football team. talkers when nothing matters, disappears when they need to answer the bell.

[swiper]

that 3 year window coaches get typically is when they get a bad team with no direction. He was given a top 5 defense, resigned those players, and then said after the fact that they don't fit his system. I sense the bills will stick with ryan, but its ridiculous. he was asked to turn a poorly run offense last year and pair it with his strength. and he couldn't hold up his end of the deal. it's grounds for dismissal. either they stick with ryan for $25MM, or they run out $250MM in contracts. it's absurd.

and I realize it doesn't matter to debate this. the issue is that the team allows these tire fires repeatedly and then asks the same person to head up a committee to find a replacement. Where is russ, right now? that's not much of a leader...just like the football team. talkers when nothing matters, disappears when they need to answer the bell.

Good post.

[gebobs]

A lot of those things were out of his control and need overall cohesion to workout on game day.

Those things can be worked out for next season. Plus the challenge problem was not his fault because there should be someone in his ear telling him to challenge. That system failed and he changed it.

And just who is supposed to be in charge of that? Whaley or Brandon?

[Mr. Pink]

You don't trust Rex why?

Because this year went badly on D? He obviously doesn't have the right players to fit his scheme so giving him another year to put it together seems logical. We don't have run stuffers which I think was actually his biggest mistake to be honest. He always ran his defenses with a big NT and for some reason he didn't see the need to get one this time around and it hurt us. He relied too much on the idea that we already had good enough linemen that could adapt. They couldn't.

Because he took Eric Mangini's team in NY and ran them into the ground.

He's already done the same thing here, just at a much quicker rate.

[stuckincincy]

They are in a good spot for a proctological exam.

[justasportsfan]

2) Rex is pissed and he is a good coach who knows exactly which ingredients he needs to build the defense HIS way, which has always been successful.

Lack of discipline is his best ingredient right now. He will always be licking Bellicheats rings.

[coastal]

They are in ideal position to extend the streak out to a cool two decades and then start another "rebuild".

[Cleve]

I see no evidence that Rex Ryan is a good coach - a few months after departure the Jets are vastly improved in his absence. And the Bills, particularly the defense, have taken a nose-dive - even with a somewhat better QB than the last couple years.

[Mahdi]

This kind of thinking is insane to me. How is it that everyone expects players to change how they play to fit a scheme, but coaches can run whatever scheme they want and shouldn't be expected to change anything based on their personnel? Rex is considered a defensive genius, yet he cant be bothered to make changes to put the players he has right now into a position to succeed? Okay and Good coaches find players to fit their scheme, Great coaches (Rex is supposed to be a genius) change their scheme to fit players. I understand that now he will change to what has made him barely successful in the past, but I don't think its a problem to complain when our defensive head coach took the pieces of a top 5 defense and made them a well below average defense
That's on the coach, not the players

You are calling it a top 5 defense but in reality that defense was soft and vulnerable.

For one, it depended on having top players in key positions for it to be successful. Second, even at its pinnacle it was a defense that could get dictated to in crunch time.

I totally understand Rex not wanting to run that defense because it is simplistic and required top players at all times.

In Rex's scheme (its real version not the one he couldn't run this year) the success of the system is based on unpredictability, play call, having different players apply pressure to the pocket and being multiple. That way, if you lose a top edge rusher due to injury or contract you can still run your system since it doesn't rely on having Hughes and Williams on the edge at all times.

If you want a successful franchise, you get a coach with a system like Rex's or Lebeau's, and then you select players every year that fit it and you plug in. This way, you can always be a good D without having to depend on particular players.

Imagine what Schwartz's D would have looked like if he had had the injuries the Bills had this year. Would have been 10x worse than what we're seeing now.

[Mahdi]

I see no evidence that Rex Ryan is a good coach - a few months after departure the Jets are vastly improved in his absence. And the Bills, particularly the defense, have taken a nose-dive - even with a somewhat better QB than the last couple years.

No correlation between the 2.

Rex left behind some very good players and the system although different is still a 3-4 base so Wilkerson, Richardson, Harrison occupy relatively the same roles.

Plus they added Cromartie and Revis which helps a bit. Not to mention the best DL in the draft.

[trapezeus]

last year's d also was stuck on the field and made stops until they ran out of gas.

most teams rely on "top players in keyposition"

[Mahdi]

last year's d also was stuck on the field and made stops until they ran out of gas.

most teams rely on "top players in keyposition"


Yes but Rex's system can get pressure on you in various ways whereas last year's D would need stars at DE to work.

The problem this year is that Rex had star players who weren't fits for his style of D. He could have done better with lesser players if they at least were fits for the scheme.

[Mr. Pink]

Yes but Rex's system can get pressure on you in various ways whereas last year's D would need stars at DE to work.

The problem this year is that Rex had star players who weren't fits for his style of D. He could have done better with lesser players if they at least were fits for the scheme.

Yet Ryan is stuck with Jerry Hughes for whatever the rest of his tenure is here...so he's gonna have to figure out how to make it work with him. And with the amount of money tied into Hughes and Dareus finding guys that fit his scheme upfront is going to be next to impossible.

[CommissarSpartacus]

Evaluating the current situation using the previous 15 seasons is an emotional outlook and provides no use.


“Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.” ― Edmund Burke

[swiper]

Yes but Rex's system can get pressure on you in various ways whereas last year's D would need stars at DE to work.

The problem this year is that Rex had star players who weren't fits for his style of D. He could have done better with lesser players if they at least were fits for the scheme.

Where do dream this garbage up? None of it is true.

[Beerfish]

Hootchie mama, well some people still fall for the Rex charm,/bluster I guess.

The defense this year is worse in pretty well every category.

Total defense from 4th to 21st
Pts/game from 4th to 17th
Pass defense from 3rd to 23rd
Run defense from 11th to 15th
Sacks from 1st to 30th
Turnovers from 30 total to 20 total

He took a really good, really aggressive, sack producing, turnover producing D into a lower echelon one. A defense that a good coach realizes needs a few tweaks rather than an overhaul that is constantly putting players out of their ideal situation. It is pretty well documented that Rex has zero clue about the o-side of the ball and is a poor game manager to go along with a team that he fosters a totally undisciplined attitude.

As was predicted by some he will stick around next year, the gm and an assistant or two will get it in the neck and not much will change.

[Night Train]

The problem is the direct access to Pegula for both Ryan and Whaley. That doesn't work and creates an internal struggle for authority.

If they bring in a Czar, they should dismiss both of them and re-establish the proper chain of command to restore harmony. Coach reports to the GM. That's how it should work.

I don't care how much Pegula has to eat on the Rex deal, nor should it affect who is a cap cut. Those are separate issues.

It's getting this mess repaired and moving in the right direction for 2016. The D stinks. Fix it.

[cookie G]

Yes but Rex's system can get pressure on you in various ways whereas last year's D would need stars at DE to work.

The problem this year is that Rex had star players who weren't fits for his style of D. He could have done better with lesser players if they at least were fits for the scheme.

You do understand that Rex's defenses have finished around 20th in points surrendured in his last 4 seasons with the Jets, right?

That's 4 straight years;
That's while he was using the top draft choices to get "his" guys (Kyle Wilson, Wilkerson, Coples, Millner, Richardson and Calvin Pryor were all no. 1 picks under his reign);
A defense that got worse as more of "his" guys were brought in.
A defense that now moved up to 8th in points allowed in one year without him;

I just want to me sure I understand you...

You want to dump the defense that was 4th in the league in points given up, spend a few years and a bunch of money;

to convert it to a defense that ranks in the bottom third?

THAT'S the plan?

I LOVE THIS PLAN!!

[Cleve]

Lack of discipline is his best ingredient right now. He will always be licking Bellicheats rings.

Belichick should tell Ryan - "Kneel and kiss my rings! Kneel, Son of the Jets! Kneel before Zo....err... Belichick!" :)

[kelly2reed4six]

Obviously a lot of folks are thinking that this whole thing is a disaster but I don't see it that way.

This team was never going to make the playoffs anyway - Offense was not ready to be dominant and the changes on defense were too much to bear.

And for those who said we should have left the defense as is, our defense last year was good statistically but in reality I remember all too often that defense getting burned when we really needed stops.

The reasons I think the Bills are in a good situation are the following:

1) We have an aggressive owner who saw first hand that this team needs change - he will be willing to go the extra mile to make things happen in the offseason

2) Rex is pissed and he is a good coach who knows exactly which ingredients he needs to build the defense HIS way, which has always been successful. He will bring in linemen that we need. Certain he will bring in some big NTs and 5-tech DEs to fit the defense, combined with Hughes, Brown, Lawson and Jarius Wynn in the front 7 and our talent in the secondary he will have the D ready for next season.

3) We have serious talent on offense and with another year playing together through mini camps and TC they should excel. I'm not Roman's biggest fan to be honest because I would rather have more traditional runs and more traditional throws. Everything is either shotgun with a sweep or shotgun deep ball. Where is the play-action bootleg? Basic crossing patterns, slants, skinny posts? Just seems a bit too gimmicky. Either way, another year in any system will get everyone playing better together.

4) The left side of our OL has been good lately and if we can add a solid RT the line will actually be top notch.

5) We should be able to free up some money and go after some FAs aggressively to fill spots where we need some leadership and talent.

6) We will draft in the 15th spot give or take a couple of spots. There is always good players in the middle of the draft where you can select from players that fit your scheme rather than having to select certain players because they are ranked as top 5 or top 10 musts or selecting too late and missing out on talent. JJ Watt is a good example, OBJ also, Marcus Peters etc. See 2014 draft picks 12-20 (http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014)

7) You do have some passionate football players in the locker room that want to win. Hughes was throwing furniture around on the sideline and Watkins is talking about getting rid of people who aren't doing their jobs. That's a good start IMO.

I believe this team needs to go through the drastic changes Rex is talking about before they can be good.




Bro, just shut up. Stop being a homer and posting worthless crap like this.

[BertSquirtgum]

Obviously a lot of folks are thinking that this whole thing is a disaster but I don't see it that way.

This team was never going to make the playoffs anyway - Offense was not ready to be dominant and the changes on defense were too much to bear.

And for those who said we should have left the defense as is, our defense last year was good statistically but in reality I remember all too often that defense getting burned when we really needed stops.

The reasons I think the Bills are in a good situation are the following:

1) We have an aggressive owner who saw first hand that this team needs change - he will be willing to go the extra mile to make things happen in the offseason

2) Rex is pissed and he is a good coach who knows exactly which ingredients he needs to build the defense HIS way, which has always been successful. He will bring in linemen that we need. Certain he will bring in some big NTs and 5-tech DEs to fit the defense, combined with Hughes, Brown, Lawson and Jarius Wynn in the front 7 and our talent in the secondary he will have the D ready for next season.

3) We have serious talent on offense and with another year playing together through mini camps and TC they should excel. I'm not Roman's biggest fan to be honest because I would rather have more traditional runs and more traditional throws. Everything is either shotgun with a sweep or shotgun deep ball. Where is the play-action bootleg? Basic crossing patterns, slants, skinny posts? Just seems a bit too gimmicky. Either way, another year in any system will get everyone playing better together.

4) The left side of our OL has been good lately and if we can add a solid RT the line will actually be top notch.

5) We should be able to free up some money and go after some FAs aggressively to fill spots where we need some leadership and talent.

6) We will draft in the 15th spot give or take a couple of spots. There is always good players in the middle of the draft where you can select from players that fit your scheme rather than having to select certain players because they are ranked as top 5 or top 10 musts or selecting too late and missing out on talent. JJ Watt is a good example, OBJ also, Marcus Peters etc. See 2014 draft picks 12-20 (http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014)

7) You do have some passionate football players in the locker room that want to win. Hughes was throwing furniture around on the sideline and Watkins is talking about getting rid of people who aren't doing their jobs. That's a good start IMO.

I believe this team needs to go through the drastic changes Rex is talking about before they can be good.

**** off *******

[kelly2reed4six]

I am so GD sick of people making excuse threads like this! 16 FREAKING years! 16 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This team is a joke! It is an absolute joke and nothing more! I became an avid fan in 1999....unfortunately. I'm sick and tired of it. All I've seen are the BS excuses for years just like this one. WIN, WIN WIN. Zero excuses. Just win. How hard is that! EVERY OTHER DAMN TEAM HAS DONE IT AT LEAST ONE TIME IN THE LAST 16 YEARS!!!!!!!!!

16 YEARS = ZERO EXCUSES. STOP SUCKING

[YardRat]

The defense last year was dominant. Rex ****ed it up, and ****ed it up good.

The front office/owners spent a boatload of money on offensive toys that haven't lived up to their contracts. Clay is either injured, or disappears for long stretches. Harvin was a waste of time, save one game. Felton is...well...a fullback that for the most part has been invisible. Shady is always dinged, and an immature crybaby that we had to shell out big bucks (read:shove the money wubby in the spoiled little brat's mouth to shut him up). The QB is a running back.

The roster shuffling has been maddening, including cutting the only locker room leader this team apparently had.

Being saddled with a dog**** head coach and his clueless assistants, burdened with a ****-ton of cap dollars, missing the playoffs, drafting once again in the middle, having a front office/coaching staff that allegedly doesn't see eye-to-eye and a roster of players that have been pissing and moaning off and on virtually all season is NOT a good position to be in. Unless, of course, the big picture is to make money while tanking and winning isn't a goal.

[Mace]

I can appreciate trying to find a bright side, I tried to find one when we hired him. But there's just no sign of good coaching here, from his square pegs failsauce D, to Roman's rushing O full of passing weapons, to Big Daddy Wildcat QB coach Lee's bizarre Manuel use, to obvious repetitive predictable silent snap count, to being incapable of hurry up, to dropping Dareus & Kyle in coverage, to his increasingly gibberish meandering statements at press conferences, not to mentioned the lack of discipline and leadership.

It alarms me more that he'll get to mold the team as he wants than it saddens me how he already wrecked the one he began with in week one.

A submissive GM and roster overhaul will only make it worse, but may as well hurry up and get it out of the way. I sure don't expect it to work though, the game is already over Ryan's head and moving farther away every week.

[Turf]

I can't wait to play draft for 3 lousy months of football. No thanks.

[GingerP]

Yay!!! Lets stay the course with Rex Kotite!

[Mace]

Yay!!! Lets stay the course with Rex Kotite!

Accurate, made me laugh. :beers:

[justasportsfan]

This is stupid. If we knew Rex was just going to tear apart what Whaley put together, we shouldn't have hired him. He's going to ruin a team by playing GM. He is NOT a GM. He's a defensive coordinator. Nothing more.

[Novacane]

Russ has a least one sucker on the hook!

[Bill Cody]

if our D played as well as last year we'd be in the playoffs this year. Period end of story. Instead it took 3 giant steps backward. That's on Rex. And if Peg signed on to a full rebuild of that D shame on him. The Rex apologists make me puke.

[Mike]

You are calling it a top 5 defense but in reality that defense was soft and vulnerable.

For one, it depended on having top players in key positions for it to be successful. Second, even at its pinnacle it was a defense that could get dictated to in crunch time.

I totally understand Rex not wanting to run that defense because it is simplistic and required top players at all times.

In Rex's scheme (its real version not the one he couldn't run this year) the success of the system is based on unpredictability, play call, having different players apply pressure to the pocket and being multiple. That way, if you lose a top edge rusher due to injury or contract you can still run your system since it doesn't rely on having Hughes and Williams on the edge at all times.

If you want a successful franchise, you get a coach with a system like Rex's or Lebeau's, and then you select players every year that fit it and you plug in. This way, you can always be a good D without having to depend on particular players.

Imagine what Schwartz's D would have looked like if he had had the injuries the Bills had this year. Would have been 10x worse than what we're seeing now.

Some of the BEST Defenses of All Time have/had Simple SCHEMES

That Vaunted Seattle Defense is basically a Cover 3. A Great Defense can just line up and beat you up all game long. Its this simple!

Event Rex Ryan's Elite Defense in Baltimore had Great Players. There is No Such thing as Great Defense without Great Players.

[MillsapsBillsFan]

You are calling it a top 5 defense but in reality that defense was soft and vulnerable.

For one, it depended on having top players in key positions for it to be successful. Second, even at its pinnacle it was a defense that could get dictated to in crunch time.

I totally understand Rex not wanting to run that defense because it is simplistic and required top players at all times.

In Rex's scheme (its real version not the one he couldn't run this year) the success of the system is based on unpredictability, play call, having different players apply pressure to the pocket and being multiple. That way, if you lose a top edge rusher due to injury or contract you can still run your system since it doesn't rely on having Hughes and Williams on the edge at all times.

If you want a successful franchise, you get a coach with a system like Rex's or Lebeau's, and then you select players every year that fit it and you plug in. This way, you can always be a good D without having to depend on particular players.

Imagine what Schwartz's D would have looked like if he had had the injuries the Bills had this year. Would have been 10x worse than what we're seeing now.

Ill sure as hell take last years "soft and vulnerable" defense over this years "soft and ****ty" defense. I called them a top 5 defense because they WERE that, cant take it away from them. Rex did run his system this year, he had multiple pressures he dropped lineman into coverage, he left the DB's on an island. That is Rex's scheme and if that "unpredictability" didn't even phase a rookie QB in Mariotta, what makes you think it would work long term. You're right that we should draft players that fit and plug them in (like every team should) but that's near impossible when you change schemes every year. The fact that you thought last years team couldn't get stops in crunch time compared to this years team is 100% wrong. Last year you could trust the D to make a key stop, this year in key situations its like they weren't even out there. The plain fact of the matter is that Rex took a strength of this team, The D-Line (or even the defense as a whole) and made them ineffective and weak, good coaches don't let that happen