hondo in seattle

I actually didn't know how Rex has struggled with scoring stats. His record is indeed spotty... 2005 #10 2006 #1 2007 #22 2008 #3 2009 #1 2010 #6 2011 #20 2012 #20 2013 #19 2014 #24 2015 #15 Rex once with the Ravens ('06) and once with the Jets ('09) built the stingiest defense in the NFL. But the recent track record is admittedly dismaying. Let's hope Rex can recapture his old magic but I'm feeling less optimistic now than I was earlier today before looking at these numbers. (Thanks, Mister Defense).

Sadly true. Yikes, you released the Williams triplets?!?!?! Good point.

I don't mind people bashing Rex for his performance last year. But let's get the facts right when we do criticize him. Here are Rex's defensive rankings as a DC and HC. 2005 #5 2006 #1 2007 #6 2008 #2 2009 #1 2010 #3 2011 #5 2012 #8 2013 #8 2014 #6 2015 #19 I don't see a pattern of regression. I see a guy who - until last season - consistently placed his D in the top ten every year. And as KoolAid observes, Rex doesn't draft players. Yes, he has some input. But he doesn't hire or manage the scouts, doesn't set up the personnel evaluation system, and ultimately doesn't make the pick. And we do know that Rex was not happy with the drafts in New York. Under the circumstances, I don't think we can hold him accountable for draft picks. FWIW, in Rex's four years as the DC of the Ravens, his D never finished worse than 6th and only one year (2006) did they draft a defensive player first. They drafted Mark Clayton in the 1st rd in 2005, Ben Grubbs (G) in 2007 and Flacco in 2008. Rex did fine with later picks.

Harvin beat out Woods for #2 which might say good things about Percy or bad things about Woods. Harvin might not be the most refined route runner in the world but he does have a unique skill set. At 5'11" 184 lbs, we all know how fragile he's been in his career. He's only 27 (good) but has already missed 39 games due to injuries (bad). Worth signing to a new contract? At the right price, I think so. Based on the quotes we've read in the media, it sounds like DW wants him to stay and he wants to stay.

This is a football forum. Intellectual humor is not allowed. Kind of funny, though.

DA reportedly has concerns about the case... "While McCoy and his associates were initially cited as the instigators, further investigation led the DA's office to have concerns about the actions of the officers in question. Gonzalez indicated the DA has questioned why a 911 call was not placed on the night in question and whether the officers were intoxicated at the time of the incident." http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2617731-lesean-mccoy-arrest-warrant-to-be-delayed-by-district-attorney

Whether the off-duty cops at the scene assessed it as aggravated assault or not is irrelevant. Maybe they didn't have a good view of the beat down. Maybe they were too drunk to assess the situation clearly. It doesn't really matter how they - correctly or incorrectly - evaluated the situation. What matters is what actually happened. The police and DA are apparently trying to determine that from witness statements and video. Imagine two cops at a play. One of the actors shoots another. The cops think it's all part of the play. They don't think a crime was committed. But it turns out one actor really did shoot the other. An incorrect real-time assessment by law enforcement doesn't preclude a fair application of the law later on.

Regarding Mario, if he stays with the Bills, I'd expect him to play in '16 like he did in '15. He clearly doesn't like the scheme and coaching staff. Which makes him a negative locker room presence. I say let him go. Regarding Cordy, while he's not the best LT in the league, he's the best tackle LT we have and not easily replaced. We can't let the line go backwards. I say sign him to a 4/5 year contract. Expecting a bounce-back year seems like blindfolded Bills fan optimism. Something I'm guilty of myself every off-season. I'm trying hard to be see things clearly this year without my normal red, white and royal blue lenses. If you can find good reasons to believe in a bounce-back year for Mario, please share them.

I'm not sure Rex is a ground and pound guy. I don't think he's such a micromanager that he wouldn't let Roman open up an aerial attack. I think he's been a pound & ground guy in the past out of necessity. Look at his QBs over the years. I think Yolo nails it. And I think you gotta put some of this on DW, too. Whaley couldn't find a premiere QB to build the offense around. So he did the next best thing, he got us a premiere back in Shady. And Roman built the offense around Shady.

During the same press conference that Rex announced the hiring of his brother, he also said this: “Because we’ve got to be like this [Fingers interlocked]. For us to be at our best, we have to be like this. I think some of the moves I’ve made will allow me to bring it even closer." Any chance this comment has something to do with Donnie Hendersen? Maybe going a little rogue as a coach and not wholeheartedly supporting the Rex program? http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/ryan-reasserts-control-of-bills-20160123

Do you really need to call a fellow Bills fan a "FOOL" because he has a different opinion than you? I personally consider the Bills Nation a band of brothers held together by bonds of friendship forged by years of shared hopes and disappointments. A differing opinion doesn't matter much among friends, especially since none of us are decision makers at OBD anyway.

Franchises win Super Bowls without football czar advisers. So please provide a compelling reason why the Bills should try to win a SB with a different formula? In military organizations, there's a concept called "unity of command." You want a clear chain of command. There can be no confusion about who's in charge. If you bring in a czar, it might muddy the waters. Who's in charge? The Pegulas? The Czar? Russ Brandon? DW? Rex? Right now, things are clean. Russ runs the business. DW handles personnel. And Rex coaches. If the Pegulas don't trust these guys to do their jobs, they shouldn't retain them. Incidentally, in 1980 Operation Eagle Claw to rescue the hostages in Iran failed partly because of 'unity of command' issues. Good folks died, no one was rescued, and America was humiliated partially because it wasn't clear who was in charge. Effing with unity of command is a recipe for disaster.

Steve O is a fan who appreciates the trenches! Fina is probably underrated. A good/great player largely forgotten now. Ruben Brown has a resume like a Hall of Famer - 9 Pro Bowl selections, 4 time All Pro. He was good, just not that good.

Gotta love the Buffalo homerism but 'best restaurants ever'??? I think you might change your opinion if you spend time exploring the restaurant scenes in San Fran, LA, Chicago or NYC. JB is from the NY Metro area; he has access to better ethnic restaurants there than he can find in Buffalo. I would recommend Buffalo landmarks instead like wings at the Anchor Bar or Duffs. For things to do, my recommendations would follow a similar line of thought with places that are uniquely Buffalo: Niagara Falls for natural beauty. The Pierce Arrow museum if you like historic cars. The Frank Lloyd Wright Darwin Martin House if you're into architecture. (The Ellicott Square Bldg is also good for architecture fans). The Wilcox House (where Teddy Roosevelt was sworn in as POTUS) if you like presidential history. The Albright-Know Art Gallery if you're into modern art. There's a pretty good gift shop at the Ralph for all your Bills gear. If you're into upscale restaurants, Buffalo's selection isn't great but prices are often cheaper than you'd find in bigger cities.

It's not necessarily a valid comparison for a few reasons. * Maybe the talent we had was better suited for a Schwartz 4-3 Wide 9 scheme than for a Rex scheme. * Rex's D had more injuries. * Maybe it takes Rex longer to install his more complicated defense but once it gets going, it outperforms Schwartz's defense. Rex failed last year. But history says Rex is the better defensive guru nonetheless.

I posted this on the Carucci/Rex thread but it fits here too... Clearly Rex effed up last year. But before we go too far down the Schwartz-is-a-genius-and-Rex-is-a-buffoon road with Vic, let's think about a few facts... One year doesn't define a coach. In 2006, when Schwartz was the DC of Tennesee, his defense was ranked #32. The same year, Rex's Baltimore D was ranked #1. I guess in that season, Rex was the genius and Schwartz the buffoon. So why did we hire Schwartz in 2014? Both Rex and Schwartz had the opportunity to run defenses as both HC and DC. Rex has the far better record. Schwartz's best year was his last year with the Bills. Rex's worst year was last year with the Bills. In 8 years with Tenn, 5 years with the Lions, and one year here, Schwartz's defenses earned an average rank of #18. About every other season, he finishes in the bottom half of the league. In 4 years as DC of Baltimore, 6 years with the Jests and 1 with us, Rex's defenses averaged #6. Almost every season, he's in the top 10. When both were HC/DC in the NFL at the same time, Rex led the better defense 8 of 10 seasons. It'll be interesting to see if Schwartz can recapture his Buffalo magic in Philly. His overall resume suggests maybe not.

The Rex versus Schwartz records I posted earlier were based on total yards allowed.

Kevin Kiley, the sports talk radio host who called the hiring of a female coach "absurd," is out of a job. He cited his "principles" as leading to his resignation. He told radio fans, "You shouldn't accept censorship ever." Apparently we should accept misogyny. We should accept sexism and idiocy. We should accept a man who denigrates a woman he doesn't even know. But we shouldn't accept the outcry of rightly offended people who drove him out of his job? http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/02/kevin_kiley_sports_talk_radio_host.html

Clearly Rex effed up last year. But before we go too far down the Schwartz-is-a-genius-and-Rex-is-a-buffoon road with Vic, let's think about a few facts... One year doesn't define a coach. In 2006, when Schwartz was the DC of Tennesee, his defense was ranked #32. The same year, Rex's Baltimore D was ranked #1. I guess in that season, Rex was the genius and Schwartz the buffoon. So why did we hire Schwartz in 2014? Both Rex and Schwartz had the opportunity to run defenses as both HC and DC. Rex has the far better record. Schwartz's best year was his last year with the Bills. Rex's worst year was last year with the Bills. In 8 years with Tenn, 5 years with the Lions, and one year here, Schwartz's defenses earned an average rank of #18. About every other season, he finishes in the bottom half of the league. In 4 years as DC of Baltimore, 6 years with the Jests and 1 with us, Rex's defenses averaged #6. Almost every season, he's in the top 10. When both were HC/DC in the NFL at the same time, Rex led the better defense 8 of 10 seasons.

In retrospect, we all understand that Rex should have swallowed his ego and let Roman run the offense and Schwartz run defense. But as soon as Rex was hired, many knew Schwartz would be gone, despite what someone from OBD may have been tweeting to the BN. It was hard to imagine two men with such differing defensive philosophies working together. Vic did write a good article but he's guilty of a little sensationalizing too. His main source for the different defensive philosophies is a disgruntled ex defensive assistant who was fired. And I thought this line was a little funny: "Finally, on Jan. 13, 2015, Ryan and Schwartz had their first conversation." Rex was only hired on Jan 12. Vic is implying Rex ignored Schwartz too long after he was hired. Not true.

It's crap journalism with unneeded ad hominem attacks... and yet he makes some good points.

A company I was once interviewing with made me take the Wonderlic which I thought was really odd. They seemed excited that I scored a 43, but then didn't offer me the job. Maybe I forgot to wear deodorant that day??? And maybe in the end they decided Wonderlic scores weren't actually a good predictor of success. You'd think somebody could invent a test that measures - at least crudely - football IQ.

Mel is nearly perfect in his current role. He can say a lot of intelligent things about an awful lot of players. He has a good memory with a basic understanding of what actual scouts are looking for. In other words, Mel is like Matt Millen and would perform about as well if ever given the chance to be a GM.

Butch was a star in his time. Underrated now because he's been largely forgotten, but not underrated in the 60s. I was just a kid back then,learning to play football on the neighborhood streets. My little friends and I would say we were Butch Byrd after picking off a pass. I do agree with Beebe a little. Wasn't a great route runner. Dropped too many balls. Wouldn't be remembered hardly at all if he hadn't played on great teams.

The guy was raised in Boston, went to college in Boston, makes his living in Boston, and has many friends & family in Boston. I agree with MGK, you can't blame the guy for having some love for Boston. But he was good (i.e. Pro Bowl) Bill and still loves the team. That makes him a good guy in my book.