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I think you're take on Rex is mostly right. But you didn't mention that despite all those early draft picks, the Jets D was not loaded with talent in Rex's later years. It's hard for me to imagine a guy as bright as Rex, who watches film as much as he does, not being able to adjust to new wrinkles in offensive schemes. How much have offenses evolved in the past 10/20 years? Rex can't study tape and see how the great D's are adapting? His DC and position coaches can't figure it out either? I'm not looking for Rex/Thurman to have the best D in the league. But I am hoping for our D to at least be in the #5 to #10 tier. I'm hoping for the same from Roman and the O.

I like the B/R. I don't like Dunne going to work for the B/R. In the early days, B/R was an amateurish organization that would let literally anyone publish on their site. They've vastly improved their editorial standards since then. Hiring Dunne is another step in the right direction for them.

I don't think any one of us has enough evidence yet to be convinced that either party is telling the truth. I'm keeping an open mind.

Gilmore supposedly prepared to play out the final year of his contract. Sounds like a negotiating ploy. At least he's not sitting out. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000676230/article/bills-cb-stephon-gilmore-will-play-out-contract-in-2016 https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/756532395285831680

Yeah, more than wrist grabbing is being alleged (from Commonsense's link): Just for every women out there getting abused it’s time to put a stop to it. This has been happening to me for months and it finally got out of control to where I was picked up and thrown across the room by my arms. Thrown into walls. Being choked to where I have to gasp for breath. Bruised everywhere, mentally and physically abused. It’s not okay. So I want each and everyone one of you girls to step away now from domestic violence. You’re worth so much more. I got told it was called “tough love” I’m sorry if you love someone you don’t touch your loved ones.

Each back surgery is different. I had back surgery (TLIF - transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion) a few years ago. My back felt great the moment I woke up from the anesthesia. But the doctor wanted me to take it easy for 4 months. After that he told me I could play rollerball if I wanted.

Great to see him own up to the bullying issue. Very articulate guy and seems to have grown a lot. Loved the end of the interview when he stood up for his coach. I rooted for Richie last season because he wore a Bills uni. I'll feel better rooting for him in '17.

I love Fred. He's one of my favorite players of all time. His combination of talent and character was unique. I even think he might have made the HOF if he had played for the Bills in the early 90s instead of Thurman. And yet I'm still not sure I want Fred back. I watched him last year with the Hawks and he's clearly not the player he used to be. Why get rid of a talented young guy to make room for an aging Fred? In any case, like others I don't Fred will answer the phone if DW calls.

This is like arguing with people to change their minds on the eve of an election. It's too late. Minds are already made up. We've all got our own views of Rex and at this point no additional rhetoric is going to change any thing. This season will decide who's right and who's wrong. Until then, all arguments are just hot air.

If not for the looming suspensions and suspicions about Shady's injury (is it an ankle? a lingering hammy?), I'd be extremely confident in our stable of backs. Even as it is, I'm not desperate for the bills to sign another back. We have good depth. It'll be an interesting battle for roster spots.

It seems like there's been a lot of chatter about our rookies. Shaq and his injury... Ragland and his potential to be a thumper... Cardale and his raw long-term potential... Jonathon Williams, his underrated potential and DUI... Listenbee and his speed... Seymour, his eyesight and ability to surprise... Oddly A. Washington doesn't seem to get talked - or written - about as much as his 2016 rookie classmates. Yet he's a projected starter. I suppose given his history with women of a certain profession, it's good he's staying out of the limelight.

While his concerns for his health are poignant, this was the excerpt from his article I enjoyed the most: What I will probably miss more than anything else is God’s play: Power. It’s a gap-scheme play in which I immediately place myself in position with the guard next to me. I hit the end-man on the line of scrimmage (either a defensive end or a linebacker) on my third step. And it’s at that moment that my guard and I both know that it’s over. We take the defensive lineman off his feet, drive him off of the ball and create a cavern of a running lane. It is a magical, perfect experience that exemplifies what teamwork — not to mention kicking ass — is all about. You gotta love warriors. Good article - nice explanation of his love of football and exit from it.

I certainly don't consider Rex one of the NFL's elite coaches. But after reading Collision Low Crossers, it's clear Rex is a bright guy who thinks a lot about what he does. And he's got other bright guys on his coaching staff. While we can argue about Rex's record as a defensive guru, Rex has never before sunk a defense before like he did this one. Needless to say, that caused a lot of reflection. And what we've been hearing from both coaches and players is that there's already visible changes this year.

Those games were painful to watch.

I live in Seattle so I never saw much of the Jills anyway. I'm pretty much in agreement with the sentiment that cheerleaders at NFL games are mostly relics of a bygone era. Then again, cheerleaders do some nice community outreach stuff. When I was stationed in Korea, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders once showed up in a helicopter (that I had arranged) to entertain us soldiers out in the field. That was pretty cool and good for morale. It was especially cool when one of the soldiers in my platoon shockingly recognized one of the girls as an old high school friend.

I'm reasonably optimistic about the Bills D this year. I think to a greater extent than last season, Rex has both the coaches and players he wants. And I think Rex has learned from last season's mistakes and will make productive adjustments. And the chances are we'll be healthier this year than last (cross my fingers!). I'm feeling pretty good about the D. But I won't go as far as NFL.com writer Elliot Harrison... Buffalo Bills: Rex Ryan's team ends Seattle's run as the NFL's stingiest scoring defense. Rex Ryan says the Bills won the offseason. I was under the impression that everyone gets a participation trophy (usually wood with a gold-colored foil plate that says "participant") for the offseason. I am OK with saying Buffalo won the draft, however. The Bills picked up two pass rushers and an inside linebacker in Reggie Ragland who is capable of starting Week 1. Throw in an under-the-radar corner in sixth-round pick Kevon Seymour -- as well as the departure of the disgruntled Mario Williams -- and voila: You have a retooled defense. The Seahawks have led the league in points allowed four consecutive years, a record in the modern era. It has to end some time. That Tom Brady will be suspended for the Week 4 trip to New England certainly helps the cause. The theme of the article is bold predictions for each team. Elliott went big with Buffalo. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000675407/article/nfl-bold-predictions-going-out-on-a-limb-with-each-afc-team

Agreed.

I guess it's reassuring that at least one other team rated highly the same players we rated highly. At this point, I don't really care. We have who we have, I just hope they perform.

Stat geeks are good at analyzing past performance but I wonder how good they are at projecting future performance. How does PFF know how Rex will evolve his defense? How Roman will evolve his offense? How injured players like Woods will rebound this year? Or how young players like Miller might progress this year? I'm not convinced that PFF's acumen with statistics necessarily makes them good prognosticators.

Good stuff. Bucky lists non-entity Dri Archer's refusal to report as one of the things that leads him to conclude the Bills won't make the playoffs. "In this offseason alone, Stephon Gilmore threatened to hold out unless he was given a new contract, Dri Archer refused to report for offseason activities after the Bills plucked him off waivers and Henderson’s agent complained about the Bills’ failure to reach out to the tackle while he recovered from a serious illness. Don’t count me among the doubters. I fully expect the Bills to miss the playoff yet again." Bucky, of course, is the same guy who wanted us to cut McCoy after the barroom incident but before the Bills, police, or anyone else actually investigated what really happened. If Bucky controlled the roster, Gillislee would be our starting RB right now.

I do think off-the-field behavior should matter. From a business perspective, the knuckleheads doing drugs and beating their wives unarguably damage the image of the NFL. The leaders of the NFL have an obligation to protect that image. And, in fact, arrests of NFL players has declined since the NFL starting getting tough with off the field behavior. From a societal perspective, these young men are role models whether they wish to be or not. Kids look up to them. I'd like the children of America to have good role models. Asking NFL players to all be choir boys is too much. But it is reasonable to ask them not to break the law, at a minimum. I read about him. His sister supports him. It seems like everyone who knows him, backs him. But what a huge PR challenge!

The contract isn't great but the Bills did what they had to do. We didn't have a franchise QB at the time (and, arguably, still don't). We didn't even have an established starter. With no franchise QBs on the market, DW did the next best thing and got us a franchise RB. We needed someone to build an offense around.

I think Clayton is an intelligent guy, actually, but there's no defending him here. Suggesting TT will be a Bronco next year is just plain dumb. Keeping track of 32 teams is difficult. So many of the national media guys resort to studying the perennial powerhouses in some detail while just keeping up with the rest in a cursory way. They're rarely insightful when it comes to the Bills.

I've never done that. And I truly mean: Never. I'm not much of a drinker and when I do drink, I have a plan that keeps me from getting behind a wheel. It's not that hard.

A one year trend isn't a trend.