hondo in seattle

I just don't think we know enough about what's going on to judge how the Bills are handling the Seantrel situation. At one point Herman, the agent, said, "nobody has called him" but then backtracked and said the medical staff has been monitoring Seantrel's progress and some players have reach out. Herman might not be the best source. DW seems to be in the loop and Rex only said he hasn't personally talked to Seantrel. None of us are entirely sure exactly what the CBA says about coaches talking to players this time of year or what the Bills own policy might be. And nobody on this board knows what's going on behind the scenes. I'm giving Rex a pass on this one. I'm just glad Seantrel's prognosis seems to be good.

You may be right, but as Wayne noted, some coaches may reinterpret the rule to mean 'no contact at all' until OTAs just to be safe. It seems like the Bills medical staff may have been keeping up with the situation. And they probably/possibly kept Whaley and Rex up-to-date. But it seems crappy that a CBA rule may have discouraged the coaches from being caring human beings. The agent says Seantrel lost 20 lbs. I wonder what he's up to now. Herman is optimistic. He recently spoke to a top specialist in the Crohn's disease field who said that Henderson is "good to go" and "this should not impact his career whatsoever."

This seems so odd that I suspect it's not true. It might be the agent misrepresented the situation. But you're right... he'll probably need time to get back into playing shape. This must be a traumatic ordeal for the young man.

I'm not sure why you make the assumption Dunne didn't reach out. In fact, he did: "Messages left for Henderson and Henderson’s agent, Alan Herman, were not initially returned though Herman called back later Monday..." http://bills.buffalonews.com/2016/05/30/seantrel-henderson-mia-bills-forge-ahead-without-right-tackle/

Shouldn't we be happy that a major media source is singing the praise of one of our own??? (However flawed the methodology may be).

OJ - for all his weaknesses as a human being - deserves to be in the HOF. Kalsu - for all his strengths as a human being - does not. The Hall of Fame is all about talent and production in the NFL, it's not about character. Though I think it's great the HOF has a section honoring veterans. I'd love to see a statue of Kalsu in front of the stadium. He's a Bill worth remembering.

Probably the best answer.

I got the impression from Collision Low Crossers that Rex isn't just a rah rah guy. I think he tries to develop relationships with his players that are founded on mutual trust and respect to bring out the best in them. Part of this is that he treats players like men and not children. I also think Rex is a big X and O guy who tries to out-scheme his opponents. Has his credibility with players suffered because of his struggles the past few years? I'm sure it has. But I think, from what I've read in the media, that Rex still commands respect from a lot of players. And having guys like Ed Reed in the locker room backing Rex up can only help in the credibility department. But the NFL is hyper-competitive and ever-evolving. Does Rex still have what it takes to run a superior defense? There's no doubting his commitment and I remain open-minded to the possibility that Rex can once again field a top 10 or top 5 defense. We'll see what he does this year.

Yep. Worrying about our #5 passing target on a run-first team seems a little silly.

I don't agree with the ad hominen attack (there's no reason to call fellow Bills fans fools). But you are right with Mario's choices. And this is why his fellow players complained about Mario - he made the worst possible choice. Rex talks in his MMQB article about other players who have played for him that did their non-glamorous assignments without complaint and it's a fair point. I do believe that the coaching staff should find ways to bring out the best in each player. Rex and Dennis failed with Mario last year and deserve some of the blame. But that doesn't excuse Mario. His behavior was immature and not good for the team. He needed to be cut.

Besides teaching them football, Buddy apparently taught his boys self-confidence. Man, those two talk big! I'm not predicting greatness and I'm not predicting failure. I will predict that it'll be interesting.

Look up the "Pygmalion Effect." When leaders believe in their people, they tend to perform better. And when people believe in themselves, they tend to perform better (sometimes called the "Galatea Effect."). These two generalities have been proven in numerous studies in a number of different environments. Let's add a third observation: when people believe in the plan, they perform better. I think these are the things Rex is looking for. I don't think Rex meant that he wants a culture where there's no constructive criticism. Having read Collision Low Crossers, I don't think he's that kind of guy. More than once in his career, General Patton said something to the effect, "If 10 men are thinking alike, 9 of them aren't thinking." If Rex is in fact looking for group-think and yes-men, you're right, he's not going to build a winning environment.

Is it just me, or did he seem at a loss for words more often than he used to be? I wish we went to, and won, as many Super Bowls as he predicted.

I saw him minutes after his retirement was announced by the Seahawks. He stormed out of the event we we were at. No one in his entourage was smiling. I couldn't help but wonder if there was a causal relationship between the announcement and his apparent mood. It might have been coincidence.

It's interesting to see Mike Mularkey dead last at #32. Things could be worse!

Middle of the pack... seems about right, though I hope he proves the doubters wrong this year.

Only 1 of the 11 receivers behind Watkins and Woods needs to emerge as a competent third option. I actually think, with this group, that the odds are pretty good. But only time will tell.

Sanjay is not a dynamic, compelling speaker. But the interview was interesting when Murph asked Sanjay about the WRs one by one. Speaking of the wideouts behind Watkins and Woods: "They're good, legitimate NFL receivers."

I'm not sure if I'm an OOO or a NNN. For 4 or 5 years in a row, I predicted 7-9 finishes until succumbing to the Kool-Aid last year and predicting 10-6. This year I'm waffling between 9-7 and 8-8. Though I don't typically predict a winning record, I confess that I have in different posts defended Russ, Marv, DW and Rex - as well as almost any QB to line up under center in a Bills uni. Truth be told, I may have even defended Dick Juaron once or twice. And, as painful as it is to admit, it's possible I embraced the hiring of St. Doug. Fandom, it seems, can wreak havoc on objective, analytical thinking.

John, this is a fair point. My guess is that Rex has spoken to Kromer and/or the medical staff about Henderson. But that's not what he was asked. He was asked if he had personally spoken to Henderson and he answered to the negative. It might be that Rex doesn't really want to address the issue and didn't volunteer what Kromer and/or the medical staff told him. Since we don't really know what's going on behind the scenes, I suspend judgment. I expect a coach to be honest. I don't expect him to be fully forthcoming and transparent. For the good of the team, there are things that ought not be shared with the media.

The Bleacher Report article on Doug's statement is linked on CNN's headline page. In the B/R article there's a poll and so far 76% of respondents agree with DW. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2642137-bills-gm-doug-whaley-comments-on-violence-in-football-injuries-and-more?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

How many players are under contract right now? Something like 90? There's a reason teams have coordinators, position coaches, and - sometimes - assistant position coaches. Because a Head Coach can't by himself keep track of - and give personal attention to - that many players. I don't think Rex is the best HC but I don't blame him for not keeping in touch with all his players during the off-season. Other people are paid to do that.

It's an odd thing for an NFL GM to say. But obviously the human body didn't evolve to withstand an activity as violent as football. We're not built for that kind of punishment, thus the injuries. It's hard to blame DW for pointing out the obvious. Are the critics suggesting Whaley should be less forthcoming with his honest opinions and less transparent?

Yep, his mediocrity with YPPT is a "death blow." Yet the Jets made it to the AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010. If not on the strength of Rex's defense, did the Jets pass their way to the AFC Championship games on the strength of Sanchez's arm? In those years, the Jets D was ranked #1 and #3 respectively in yards allowed - but only #8 and #14 in YPPT. So which stat more accurately predicts the success the Jets enjoyed those years. There are so many stats out there, if you want us to (1) believe YPPT better correlates to winning than the others, and (2) YPPT shows Rex will be a failure in Buffalo, I think you need to make a stronger argument. Personally, I'm a simple guy. As I see it, other teams try to gain yards on their way to scoring points. For a long while (Baltimore included), Rex was good at fielding defenses that made it difficult for other teams to gain those yards. So I'm cautiously optimistic about Rex's ability to run a good D in Buffalo.

Maybe so. But since the phone was destroyed, it's not incriminating at all. Thus, no lifetime ban. I think Brady is fighting as much to protect his legacy as to avoid the suspension.