Prickly Pete

Haha! Nope.

True. It would look bad to prospective coaches. Ugh, I guess they just have to let Ruinous Ryan run the the team into the ground.

I know you aren't happy about it either. What if they lose out? I can't see them firing Ryan, but if they think Ryan was a mistake, they can find ways to work around him. And the kicker comment makes me hope they get to work on the Special Teams which, had they just been good (instead of horrid), might have turned a couple of games around.

Ouch, forgot about that. Gotta get a kicker.

I don't expect it to happen. But people telling me that I should accept what is likely to happen, and just move on, a day after they get pushed out of contention, without giving an opinion on what I think should happen, is out of line. I don't mind if people disagree, but there is no rush to "move on" just yet. The ownership does have some options in how to direct the team, and a new DC doesn't seem outrageous to me, if they have lost regard for Rex Ryan.

I'm not even that confident that Karlos Williams will be around. They might need another big RB. Boobie needs to go.

We had 2 of those guys all season...if Safety was so essential to the Ryan Scheme, I would think they should have upgraded. I hear people talking about getting a Nose Tackle, linebackers, and safeties that are more suitable for Ryan's Scheme. I'm hearing that Dareus, and Mario Williams are miscast in Ryan's Scheme. I don't think just adding a safety will suddenly make the Ryan Scheme work. I want them to go back to a scheme like the previous 2 seasons, and find a 3-down linebacker. Another safety would be nice too, but to me, the linebackers are the weakest link in the defense.

Why didn't they sign a Safety in the last off-season? I'm too pissed off about the way the players already on the roster were misused, to accept that the defense needs to be revamped. Get a new DC that can build on what's already here, and make Ryan concentrate on the overall game management. It's going to take 3 years before they will be ready to compete in the playoffs if they revamp the defense.

I can't. No way I want an emphasis placed on the Safety position, for the first round. And I thought Ryan's scheme placed priority on cornerbacks (like Revis and Cromartie)? Apparently, Ryan's scheme places importance on all the positions we are weakest at (linebacker and safety). I should have known. This team is likely going to end up in with a top 15 pick, methinks.

Some people are anxious to use the first pick on a Safety?

What a load of crap. The Bills have sucked, and not just against the Patriots. They should have at least backed into a Wild Card game. The Jets and Dolphins have. During this stretch of mediocrity (at best), I bet most of their wins have been against teams in the bottom 3rd of the league, and that they had few wins against winning teams. I haven't bothered to look up the stats (it's too painful), but just from memory, I confident about it. They have sucked, and would have sucked in any division. Sure, they might have backed into the playoffs once or twice in the past 15 years, but they wouldn't have had any sustained success.

If the Bills lose out, does anyone think they would fire Ryan? It might be my only hope.

Probably not, but I sure as !@#$ can complain about it all I !@#$ing want. So now, with all the holes on the O-line, the crap linebackers, iffy Safeties, and sub-par receivers, we should select a nose tackle. I don't like the way things are going.

I'm holding out, hoping that the owner will neuter Ryan, and bring in a new DC who can use what's here already.

And if they do go 3-4 they are going to need to have a different set of backups. It's easy to say "get a legit Nose Tackle", but then you have to consider that your whole defense is going to depend on that one guy staying healthy. A switch to 3-4 is going to take at least 2 seasons to build good depth.

Anything that takes more power and decisions away from Rex Ryan, I'm all for.

Kelly the Dog? GreggyT (Deranged Rhino)?...I bickered with a few people here early in the season about this. I have to believe that penalties have cost them at least a couple games this season. Rex Ryan creates a loose atmosphere wherever he goes, and should not be a head coach. They need to bring in some assistants that are detail oriented ball busters to make up for the laxity of Rex Ryan, because they aren't going to fire Ryan.

I have always preferred the 3-4, but it will take a couple drafts and off-seasons to rebuild the defense. I don't know what Ryan's contract is like, but if possible, I would like them to bring in a new DC, take some power away from Ryan, and see if the new guy can build upon what is here, then eventually take over for Ryan after a couple seasons. I want Ryan in a role more like Marv Levy, providing "inspiration", and game management (only because he can't be fired). Foremost to me (more than the scheme), is getting Ryan out of the way, while keeping some kind of continuity. The less power Ryan has, the better. I think he is a clown.

I think the reason they have been treading water is because they while they patch up one area, another hole pops up somewhere else. Changing schemes is a big part of that. The Steelers for example, have stayed pretty good, because they have keep the same 3-4 Defensive scheme, and draft accordingly. I think those guys are old too, but Ryan shouldn't have been hired if he wasn't going to get the most out of the guys that were in place. Now they have to revamp, and are going to try to make the linebackers the playmakers for the defense...they are the worst unit on the defense, so Ryan is starting from scratch. Treading water..

Great, tear apart what has been a good defense, to let Ryan implement his scheme. If the players here weren't good for his scheme, he shouldn't have been hired. I don't see this team making much progress for at least a few seasons if Ryan is the coach. And even then, there is no guarantee. Treading water.

The OP isn't all wrong. The Bills defense had a hard time coping with the pace of Kelly's offense. That is by design. If the Eagles were able to string about 5 or 6 plays together, the defense struggled.

Time to dedicate resources to the linebacker positions.

Ryan isn't going to be fired, but Whaley might not make it. I think Whaley is good, Rex is bad. Continuity is very important, so they need to work around that. How about a new Defensive Coordinator, who is given lots of power? Groom him to take over while Ryan's contract runs on for a few years. Essentially, undermine Ryan, and just let him be the "player's coach". Ryan can do the interviews, handle the general duties of a head coach, and eat the chicken wings, and handle the parachuting, while the new up-and-comer molds the defense. I think Marv Levy let his coordinators have pretty free reign. It would free up Rex to study up on game management decisions, so he could improve that weak aspect of his game.

Time to move on.

I thought he was an improvement over Marrone, but I didn't like the hire.