Nihilarian

Me, I tend to believe what the coaches say in the media most of the time. Except when it pertains to player injuries or the draft. Why would they all be lying? *Foolish me, I believed Rex Ryan last January 2015 when he said the bills would have the number one defense in the league and make the playoffs.

Yes, you're a legend in your own mind. Try and comprehend that Rex Ryan running that bad scheme from week two and on is what killed the 2015 defense and not the play or attitude of one single player. There is a huge difference between a one-gap pass rushing scheme and a two-gap run-stopping scheme and the 2015 Bills ran the latter most of the time. If Mario was really was not attempting to do his job each week I have no doubt that the coaches would have benched him. Not to mention that the coaches themselves stated in the media that they were content with Mario's play and didn't think he was dogging it. "Ryan. Defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman. Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar. Coaches have supported Williams all season long – possibly to a fault. Their message has never wavered. Dunbar, all smiles, praised the veteran on Thursday. Asked how one of this generation’s best pass rushers can last 54 snaps without one tackle, one hit, one sack, Dunbar reiterated they’re pleased with Williams’ play. “He’s doing a good job of coming off the edge and the quarterback’s getting rid of the ball,” Dunbar said. “It’s kind of hard because the defense we play is predicated on what they give us and who’s going to be the hot guy. Yeah, you wish you had more tackles, you wish you had more sacks. But I think he’s helping our defense based upon the things he’s doing.” Dunbar cited linebacker Manny Lawson’s hit on Dallas’ Kellen Moore – the team’s only registered QB hit in the game – as one such play. Williams covered tight end James Hanna out of the backfield, eliminating the hot read and Moore was walloped. The coach asserts Williams “has been around the quarterback” and didn’t hesitate on if Williams has been giving his all. “Yeah, I think so,” Dunbar said. “He’s out there doing the things we’ve asked him to do. … It’s a little bit different than what he’s done in the past, but I think it’s working for us.” http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/12/31/marios-swan-song-with-bills-is-near/ There it is in black and white and blue* that the Bills coaches themselves were content with Williams play last season and even stated that they were asking him to do something a little bit different from what he has done in the past. Meaning the difference in schemes. EDIT: The difference in those schemes is in the one-gap Mario would go all out to rush the passer on every pass play and in Schwartz's scheme he would take a wider stance outside the OT to get a faster route to the QB. In the two-gap scheme, Mario wasn't asked to rush the passer and instead he was to be strict and patient to hold his position to stop the run on either side of the tackle. This makes it look like he is just standing there doing nothing and yet he isn't. He needs to read the play to determine which way it is going and take it from there. The extra seconds needed to wait and read the offensive play slows down the pass rush making it easier for the opposing offensive line in pass protection. Which is a very far cry from pinning his ears back and rushing the QB in the one-gap! I get that Bills fans love to crap on players that leave the team and like I said Mario does deserve some criticism for his attitude. Just not the blame for the entire decline of last season's defense. That goes on Rex and his craptastic two-gap scheme... along with him forgetting to call a blitz now and then. This article was written after the week 4 NY Giants game and it goes into what was different between the defensive schemes from 2014 under Schwartz to the 2015 scheme under Ryan. http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/10/07/bills-d-line-experiencing-disconnect-with-scheme/

Good stuff! Mario does deserve some criticism. But because it's far easier to crap on the guy that's gone from the team and blame him for the teams troubles! And then go on to defend the coach that ruined the best part of the team...it's the denial that some Bills fans seem to fondly embrace. Most Bills fans (like me) weren't just expecting another year with a top #4 defense in 2015 and #1 in sacks in the entire league. We were led to believe by Rex Ryan that the 2015 Buffalo Bills defense could be the best ever and the Bills would finally be in the playoffs! "Orchard Park, N.Y. — Rex Ryan loves to speak in extremes. His Buffalo Bills aren't going to finish near the top of the league in defense, they are going to be No. 1. They aren't going to compete for a playoff spot, they are going to make the playoffs." http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2015/01/rex_ryan_explains_firing_jim_schwartz_says_buffalo_bills_defense_will_rank_no_1.html Rex Ryan press conference from Jan 2015, http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2015/01/rex_ryan_press_conference_15_things_we_learned_from_buffalo_bills_new_coach.html The Bills are going to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. "I am not going to let our fans down. Get ready. We are going to the playoffs. We're going." The Bills finished with the fourth-best defense in the NFL, but "fourth in the league was probably a little disappointing. I know we'll lead the league in defense." Ryan even had the players all believing that they could be the best ever! http://nypost.com/2015/06/30/bills-catch-case-of-the-rex-ryan-boasts-best-defense-ever/ “We want to be the best in history — one of the greatest,” linebacker Nigel Bradham told the Toronto Sun. “That’s what we’re striving for … the greatest of all time, not just this year or last year.” Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said he wants the unit to be the “best ever.” “It’s so obtainable,” Dareus said. “All we have to do is continue to do what we want, and not what we can. If we do what we want, and do everything to head in that direction, why can’t we? Why can’t we?” Marcell Dareus was saying that back in June of 2015, that the Bills defense could be the best ever and Dareus was very excited to resign with Buffalo! Then once training camp started and Dareus saw the new scheme and he then realized just how he would be utilized in Ryan's defense... the verbal complaining started... and not by Mario! Something tells me that if the Bills had waited until after training camp started to sign Hughes and Dareus that they both might not have signed with Buffalo. Plus, I would think if Ryan continues to run that same scheme he ran last season that he is going to have some very disgruntled players again this year. Nobody here is giving Mario a pass on the season for his attitude during the 2015 season. Just attempting to show the angry fans that there were more reasons than just him and his attitude for the decline of the entire defense and in particular the entire defensive line. Can we all agree that Marcell Dareus was out there giving 110% every play, every game and yet his play fell far short of what he was able to accomplish the year previous as did everyone else's play on that D-line!

Winning cures everything and if the team can put some wins together while winning the first two the next won't hurt so badly. At 2-2 they can beat the Rams, Niners, and Phins to go 5-2. Then its the next three against NE, Seattle and Cincy that will cause grief. Now at 5-5 they could beat the Jags and lose to the Raiders @ Oakland 6-6. Lose to Pitt and beat Cleveland 7-7. With two division games to go against the Phins & Jets they end up 8-8.

What I see is that so many Bills fans just didn't see what was happening on the field last season in terms of rushing the passer. There are a few distinct reasons as to why the 2015 Buffalos Bills finished 31st in sacks after being the number one sacking team in 2014. First off, in 2015 Rex Ryan called so few blitz plays than he has in past years. Then, everyone needs to understand that Mario wasn't the biggest complainer about Ryan's defense last season as that honor goes to the best player on that line in DT Marcell Dareus. The sole reason he was complaining about how he was being utilized since training camp is because he was no longer being asked to just penetrate and rush the passer in a one-gap scheme. And instead was being asked to play in a two-gap scheme which is more weighted for the D-linemen to stopping the run rather than rush the passer. After coming off an all-pro season and getting 10 sacks in that 2014 season I'm pretty sure the man didn't want to be counted on to control two gaps to stop the run while the linebackers behind him made the plays. Kyle Williams didn't openly B word to the media like Marcell / Maro did but he still made it known he wasn't entirely happy about the changes to the defense either. What was the difference in sacks for the defensive line? In 2014 Mario, Hughes and Dareus accounted for 34.5 of the league leading 54 sacks. In 2015 those three had only 12 sacks all season and hence the reason they complained about Ryan's two-gap scheme! http://www.sbnation.com/2015/10/21/9581575/mario-williams-marcell-dareus-rex-ryan-buffalo-bills-defense This article was written by an ex-NFL player who viewed the game film of the Bengals game after reading about Mario complaining about how he was being used and he said Mario was right! Read it and some might have more understanding that even giving 110% effort on every play it wouldn't have made that much difference in the outcome of games. Why you ask? Because the 2015 defensive scheme under Ryan was more about the defensive line players stopping the run and allowing the linebackers to make the plays. Then when you consider the talent level of the D-line players vs the linebackers most people would say it was pretty darn stupid to run that scheme.

This thread is funny. Many Bills fans still crapping on Mario because some media types said he wasn't playing 100% and yet the coaches said they were fine with his play. I still can't get over how the Bills defensive coaches were happy that Mario dropped into coverage on a pass play against Dallas and because he did his job well it allowed a linebacker to get the sole hit on the QB for the entire game. Pure gold! The Bills player who was very vocal about his role in Ryan's defense during OTA's and training camp was Marcell Dareus and Mario didn't join in until after that first Patriot game. Rex Ryan has a lot to prove this season and the Bills best pass rusher is now on another team. We shall see.

A couple of things here. The 2016 Buffalo Bills really don't have much depth at WR. The Bills have Watkins and Woods at WR and the rest are pretty much scrubs that have yet to show they are anywhere near as good as even Chis Hogan. Stating that I'm not advocating drafting a WR with that 19th pick. Then, I don't see Josh Docton as a first pick at 19 and on some boards he is not even a first rounder much less the 19th pick. If you look at the draft history of the Buffalo Bills the last six years and that of the NY Jets with Ryan as head coach. Both teams have managed to find top DT's and pass rushers not so much, I really have no faith in this teams ability to find a top pass rushing LBer or DE in the draft. Although, the Bills definitely need some linebackers and D-line help. Looking at the current fan base and their lack of optimism over the upcoming season I think the Bills would be very wise to go offense with that first round pick and go QB. Paxton Lynch probably won't be there at 19 but Connor Cook probably will be. Hackenburg is a 2-3 round prospect and Jones is a 3-4 round prospect. Looking at the situation with Tyrod Taylor I don't think Whaley is sold on him developing into that elite franchise QB. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/cfb/55323/report-buf-continues-to-eye-qb-options?ls=roto:sta:topheadlines&rw=1 I would be fine with the Bills going LBer, DT, OT, QB with the 19th pick. Another potential problem this team is facing is at LT with Glenn and this year he is the highest paid LT in the league.

When you consider what Gailey has been able to do in the NFL with some stiffs at QB in terms of passing yardage. You would actually start to think this man really knows what he is doing. Then when you look at his win / loss record the reality sets in that he isn't even a very good offensive coordinator unless he has some star players that were already pretty good before he started coaching them. I can't think of one young QB or player that Chan Gailey coached up into a success story. The 2015 NY Jets by all rights should have beaten the Buffalo Bills in that season finale if Gailey sets up his offense to support the QB rather then force him to try and win it with his arm. Jets RB Chris Ivory had 6 rushing attempts for 81 yards with the longest run of 58 yards. With that run the Jets were averaging 7.2 yards per run and yet Gailey kept calling passing plays. I think the fact that Gailey's failure at building a top rushing offense with decent talent offsets his ability to set up a decent passing game. Sure, Gailey was good in Buffalo with Fitz at QB while utilizing a smoke and mirror passing attack. Meaning he ran five wide receivers sets with only one decent receiver and because Stevie Johnson had this knack for always getting open against most every defender. Then Gailey's passing offense worked well. Once opposing teams jammed Stevie at the line and double up on him that high-powered passing offense was basically useless. Same thing with using Spiller in his spread offense by running out of a passing formation. Once opposing teams stacked the box and didn't fall for the pseudo five WR set then Spiller went nowhere. The biggest reason I think Gailey is a bad HC / OC is that when his team gets down by even three points over the course of a quarter of football he panics and goes pass happy instead of attempting to run more in a balanced offense. Fitz never did get comfortable in the pocket against the Bills and never developed into a solid passing rhythm. Gailey never noticed and called 37 pass attempts vs 17 rush attempts. That loss was more on the Jets OC then anything else in my view. The Jets ended their last three drives with an interception each drive. I'm glad Chan Gailey is the NY Jets OC.

That opening game on the road in Baltimore doesn't look like a gimmie to me simply because the Ravens finished 2015 @ 5-11. If anything the Ravens will be contending for a playoff spot and the Bungals will be fighting with Cleveland for the bottom of the AFC North. Then, should the Bills lose the home opener to the NY Jets things could go downhill really fast! Some of those games that look like easy wins won't be so easy with new and improved coaching staffs. The Bills did well in sweeping the NY Jets and Dolphins last year and I don't see that happening again this year. I also don't see the Bills beating the Patriots with Ryan as HC. JMO

It's not like the Rams had a dominant defense last year (23rd) or a top offensive line (ranked 27th) so mortgaging their future like that on a "maybe" QB that will need a few years to develop looks more than idiotic to me. Andrew Luck was a can't miss type of player and neither Wentz or Goff fit that bill IMO, as both aren't even ranked as the number one pick in any rankings I've seen . At 7-9 last year the Rams were more than just a QB away from being a top team and on that note I think they fire HC Jeff Fisher and GM very soon. And yeah, the Titans could really inject a boatload of talent in their team the next two years. Provided of course they can properly evaluate that talent.

I agree with this. That many picks for a guy that may or may not become elite is just crazy stupid. Andrew Luck would deserve that many picks, but not Wentz or Goff. Just my opinion.

I couldn't believe the hire of a head coach that just finished a six-year run with the Jets team in a downward spiral getting progressively worse and ending at 4-12. The main excuse was the GM screwed him by not getting the players needed for his defense and wanted him fired. I suppose that also happened for the 2011 season, the 2012 season, the 2013 season? I was laughing at Rex Ryan on the sidelines of the NY Jets games during that 2014 season mostly because he looked so lost as the Bills beat the Jets 42-23 in a Jets 6 turnover debacle with Geno throwing 3 INT's and Vick throwing one pick. That game was laughable as the Bills dominated the hapless Jets. Then for the next game Rex Ryan boasted in the NY media that his Jets would play 1000% better in the second game against Buffalo. Only the second loss was worse for the Jets going 38-3 with the Bills getting 7 sacks on Jets QB's. What complete domination by Buffalo! Was anyone in the Bills FO watching these games? Anyway, the only thing that makes sense to me in the hire of Ryan is that someone in the Bills FO saw that ex-Bills DC Mike Pettine was groomed as a DC under Rex Ryan in NY and the Bills defense were somewhat successful running Ryan's blitz-heavy scheme with Pettine in Buffalo in 2013. This way the defensive players on the roster would still be max utilized the same way Pettine used them. Now only better because the master of the "overload Blitz" would be running the show...right? The problems arose for the Bills defense in 2015 when Rex decided that because Pettine's defense in Buffalo was so bad against the run (28th) that he would stop calling all the blitzing and run mostly a two gap scheme to help stop the run. What happened then was the Bills did get better at stopping the run! But that two-gap scheme came at the expense of almost no pressure on opposing QB's and very few sacks. If not for Gilmore and Darby playing so well almost all season the defense would have been so much worse. So now that the team is 100% behind Ryan for another year the team now will change the defensive personnel to run his 3-4 scheme. Seems to me that the Bills spent the better part of their draft picks under Jauron to find players for his Tampa two and then had a failed attempt to switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 in 2010 under new DC George Edwards. Then a year later the team went back to the 4-3 and when that still didn't work the team promoted Dave Wannstedt to DC but the defense was still in the bottom third of the league. All that switching schemes did was waste time and energy in finding players to fit those schemes and then when the Bills finally find a top defensive coordinator to make that 4-3 scheme work into a top #4 defense. They decide to crap can the entire thing and let the guy leave. Now, that is some backward progress again. Yes, it's only been one year. But after watching this team fall on its face the last 15 years it doesn't take a great deal of football knowledge to see ineptitude starting again. Specifically in another supposed guru who specializes in one area of the team who fails in his particular job. Dick Jauron, a supposed defensive guru with his Tampa Two in that he never did find the linebackers needed to run that scheme successfully over his four years and the best to ever did in Buffalo was his defense finishing 14th and best win season was 7-9. Chan Gailey, a supposed QB guru who couldn't see the difference between Fitz, Trent Edwards, Brian Brohm and ended up with a journeyman QB in Fitz who stated that nobody had ever worked with him on his mechanics in his last year in Buffalo. So much for being a QB guru and the best he did in Buffalo was 6-10. Doug Marrone an ex-NFL O-lineman, an ex-NFL O-line coach and a supposed offensive line guru fielded about the very worst offensive line the team has seen in its entire history at being 32nd most of the 2014 season. If not for Jim Schwartz as the Bills DC and the defensive being a top #4 unit that year the team would have ended the season much worse then 9-7. Now, Rex Ryan who was supposed to field a defense for the ages in being the next 85 Bears or 2000 Ravens defense and not only did the defense go from #4 to #19th in total defense. The sack master himself set a franchise worst sack record with just 21 sacks for the entire season with the Buffalo Bills going from best in the NFL to second to last in one year.

Thank you. No, neither are or were dumpster fire bumbling idiots and I don't believe anyone called them that. But, both have made their share of mistakes across the board and the biggest for both is the not being able to find that franchise QB. BTW, Ryan Fitzpatrick was already on the team in 2009 and interim HC Perry Fewel benched Edwards and started Fitz. To show how lame Gailey was he stated that Edwards, Brian Brohm and Fitz were all about equal in ability and then chose Edwards as his starting QB in 2010...for two games and then outright cut him! Fitz spent the remainder of 2010 running for his life because of the crapfest of an O line that Nix didn't fix. The Bills opened that season with 8 straight losses. Anyway, looking back to Jauron's tenure as HC the team was a consistent 7-9 for three years straight and that was with JP Losman and Trent Edwards at QB. The problem those years wasn't the lack of talent as most would have you believe. It was the devastating rash of injuries every season and a lack of quality depth. That lack of quality depth problem hasn't changed one iota over the last six years. The late owner was the one who hired a retired head scout at the age of 70 in Buddy Nix to be his GM and probably because he felt comfortable with him from being with the Bills previously as a regional scout under the late GM John Butler from 1993-2000. Ralph Wilson had a thing about loyalty and usually promoted people from within the org on many, many occasions. Marv Levy was a retired Bills HC and really not qualified to be a GM either. Buddy Nix was hired as a "national scout" in Jan 2009 by the Bills and promoted to GM in Dec 2009. If you look back to 2010 offseason someone in the Bills FO let it be known that the Bills would pay a top HC upwards of 10 mill per to be the new Bills HC. Something I believe to be just a ruse to perhaps pick the brain of a top HC and see what plan they might have in hiring a coaching staff. After hearing about that 10 mill per both Mike Shanahan and Bill Cowher interviewed for the job. Chan Gailey being hired was the result of Cowher naming him as his OC in his plan. One of the things that sold the late owner on Gailey was that he stated he didn't need superstar players to win games. But yes, the bills were getting pretty desperate to find a head coach at least somewhat competent at that time. Once most NFL coaches got wind of what Dick Jauron went through with in being the HC of the Buffalo Bills while working for the late owner. Like being on the phone for hours on a daily basis during the season. Then, nobody worth a darn wanted to work for a micromanaging owner like that unless they had complete autonomy and were left alone to do their job. Hence, nobody wanted the Bills HCing job and the Bills then had to resort to hire a man who was fired from his last NFL job two years previous as an offensive coordinator in Gailey. Along the way in his three years as GM Buddy Nix made a ton of mistakes over his time and the results prove it out. Players aside (2010 4-12), (2011 6-10), (2012 6-10). Final record 16-32 =.333 Doug Whaley has done a better job just with the more wins. But this current roster still has a lot of holes and still lacks a lot of quality depth in many areas. Now changing the defensive scheme will require different players being needed to run the 3-4. It's like 2010 all over again with the defense. This hurts the entire structure of the draft so now the team must spend some picks to make the changing scheme work. If anything Doug Whaley gets a pass in my view because of the Rex Ryan hire and the changing of the defensive scheme. He was learning as he goes and this HC hire just threw a monkey wrench into the works. From what I've read here and learned, Ryan wasn't the GM's choice for head coach. If that is truly the case then he shouldn't be held accountable if Ryan fails. Still, there is this looming question at QB and clearly Whaley isn't quite sold on Taylor as being that franchise guy just yet. How many years do these men get to find that most important position on the team in that franchise QB?

So true. I just can't get past all the gushing over two guys that haven't gotten this team to the playoffs for the last six years. One was never a past GM and made countless mistakes all over the roster, and the other was a rookie GM who has made his own share of mistakes. To remind Bills fans of what a top GM can do for a team an example Bills fans might know in Bill Polian. The man had three different franchises in the playoffs in three years or less and one was built from the ground up expansion team. Six years and it took a new head coach to find a decent young QB who may turn the corner into a top player...or not. Both men throwing money all over except at the right position. At least now Doug Whaley is getting a better understanding that building a decent offensive line will give his QB a chance to be successful. But, it was a tough learning curve.

How about they choose him and then keep both QB's. Paxton Lynch is a bit of a project and he should sit, watch and learn for a season. Meanwhile, the Bills will roll with Tyrod and watch to see if he develops into earning that 18 mill per his agent wants to get for him. Now that's a win-win! Should Taylor fall on his face then they have a very solid backup plan in Lynch! However, should Taylor develop into that elite QB the Bills now have trade bait that can get them extra picks or if EJ still hasn't developed then you have a solid young backup QB.

I agree with this and makes more sense that many realize. A lot of people think that a RT isn't that important or worthy of a first round pick but if you can find the talent that can eventually compete at LT then you have to draft him. If this team didn't want to pay Andy Levitre I think it's even more so in giving Glenn 13 mill + per going forward and this year they would have been screwed if they let Glenn leave because they have no adequate replacement or even solid depth at LT. Plus, a top RT might just help that second-year OG develop into a better player. Anyway, it looks as though the Bills FO might just have a different take on building a better line after watching first hand the impact that an all-pro OG can make for the team. OTOH, It wouldn't shock me to see the Bills draft QB Paxton Lynch only from looking at last years games in which Taylor was asked to pass more than the team ran the ball and he fell on his face. Lynch will need time to develop so it will be Taylor's year to make or break him and again taking money I don't see him being worth 18 mill per like Brocky got from the Texans unless he develops into that elite QB. JMO

Both Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus were drafted to play DT in a 4-3 scheme and they both excel at doing so. Hence, the reason both have made the pro bowl playing in a 4-3. OTOH, the 3-4 is a different animal and requires different players whose abilities excel playing in that scheme. Sure, both players can play in that 3-4 scheme but it will be changing up what they do best. Like I said, everything will depend on if Ryan runs that constant two-gap or changes it up now and again to a one-gap scheme in Buffalo in 2016. You need the bigger sized players to properly run that two-gap scheme IMO. Plus, those first two years with the Jets Ryan blitzed around 50-55% of the QB dropbacks and the following years that dropped to 35% to 30%. Should Ryan start running a one-gap scheme in Buffalo this year or even variations of a one-gap in which Dareus can fill one side of the A and the LBer fill the other. I'm pretty sure that Dareus won't complain very much at all and the sack total should far exceed that measly 21 sack total of 2015. Then, should he start calling more blitzes than the 10% or so he called in most games last year the sack total and QB pressures should go up even more this year! What bothered me quite a bit all last year was watching the almost complete reversal in schemes for Buffalo in what Ryan ran with the NY Jets in all his years there. He ran what some refer to as a constant "overload blitz" which meant he usually always sent more pass rushers at the QB then the offense had in blocking. In his own words "I'll bring everyone known to man at you" and then when he came to Buffalo, he did everything but that last year.

Pardon, my interruption into said silliness. Everything is going to depend on whether Ryan runs his two-gap scheme like he did basically all last year in Buffalo or switches it up to a one-gap scheme like Pettine ran in 2013 which is what Wade Phillips runs with Denver. There was a real reason as to why the 2015 Buffalo Bills were so bad in sacks, hits, hurries on opposing QB's and a real reason as to why Dareus was complaining about how he was being utilized in Ryan's scheme since training camp of that year. All three of the remaining Bills starters for the D-line don't fit in a 3-4 scheme particularly well and it will be taking away from what made two of those three pro bowlers. Dareus is about the perfect size and weight to play NT in Ryan's 3-4 scheme but alas if he wasn't happy playing DT in a two-gap scheme last year I highly doubt he will be any happier this year playing the zero technique while guarding the A gaps so the LBers behind him can make the plays. Kyle Williams is both undersized in height and weight for what you would want at DE in a 3-4 two-gap scheme in controlling the point of attack so the LBers behind him can make the plays and Jerry Hughes doesn't fit at DE at all so he will be moved to OLBer which carries much more responsibility in pass coverage. The current Buffalo Bills roster is very much lacking in the type of star linebackers you would need to run a successful 3-4 two-gap or even a 3-4 one-gap scheme unless Doug Whaley is able to pull a few rabbits out of his hat in the upcoming draft. I can see why Rex Ryan ran that zone blitz of his so infrequently last season due to the lack of those star linebackers. Anyway, when I think back to the 2015 season I still get a kick out of the 2015 Bills coaches stating that they were happy dropping Mario Williams into pass coverage against Dallas as he was successful in disrupting the pass play so LBer Manny Lawson could get the singular hit of the QB for the entire game. Good thing it was Kellen Moore back there making his first NFL start vs the injured starting QB in Tony Romo. This upcoming season opposing QB's must be trembling in their proverbial cleats worrying about a single hit. In all sincerity, there really isn't much to be hopeful about the defense for the 2016 Buffalo Bills due to the current players on the roster, the salary cap limitations in bringing in top free agents and knowing the Bills will be very lucky indeed if they can find all the players needed to have that 3-4 defense play in a top form. OTOH, we all still have Sammy, Tyrod, Clay and Shady to get excited about for the upcoming season and hopefully Rex and his fully pregnant brother will keep their noses out of the offense.

The 2013 New Orleans Saints had the #4 defense in points against, #4 in yards against and then two short years later had the worst pass defense the NFL has ever seen. In 2014 when the defense went from 4th to 28th points & 31st yards the HC Sean Payton demanded that Ryan simplify his overly complex defensive scheme and brought in a senior defensive assistant in Dennis Allen to shadow Ryan. From what I can see it was a confluence of injuries, not so good players and the head coach sticking his nose into the defensive side of things. Not to mention that Rob Ryan has never been that great a DC. I suppose when a team pays their QB as much as Drew Brees is being paid it makes things difficult in acquiring other top players. For Buffalo in given this years limited ability to bring in top free agents to bolster the defense, I just don't see it being a top ten unit no matter how well Darby and Gilmore play. And as for the bolded, I don't think they do fit the system for the defensive line. None of the three starters left on that line are the right fit players for a 3-4 scheme, and this team needs much better linebackers.

Amen. Out of the 19 first downs by the NY Giants in that game the Bills defense gave them 7 first downs. 17 penalties in all for 135 yards against the Bills in that game which borders on outright crazytown for lack of team discipline. I still have difficulty in understanding how Ryan kept his job or why some keep defending the guy.

Excellent point! Bills fans just don't want to acknowledge the logic in that statement. For Buffalo in not having a 2015 first round pick created a big hole with not having a highly skilled player like another Gilmore! The Bills still have questions at many positions on the roster and one of them is still at QB.

Shhhh, don't pee in the kool-aid! Nobody here wants to read the truth. All they want is unicorns and rainbows only to wonder what went wrong again this year in December.

In that first sentence, you just answered your own question. I'm criticising Whaley for the lack of critical thinking in what he does because the team didn't already have an established franchise QB and until you have that known quantity at QB all other positions simply aren't that important to warrant three draft picks for one player. Then, why does it escape every other bills fan posting here that Whaley went all out to get a WR and then he was still asking his second year QB to play behind one of the very worst offensive lines in the league? We all now see what a top OG in Incognito can do for the two players on either side of him and yet the Bills had complete garbage Erik Pears at RG that season. Henderson stunk at RT, Pears stunk at RG, Woods and Glenn's play both suffered due to Chis Williams lasting only three games at LG before Cyril Richardson got the nod in four starts (who really stunk) and soon to be replaced by Urbik who couldn't run block to save his life. Sure, Whaley went out and got a stud WR in a draft loaded with stud WR's and used three draft picks to do so. The 2014 Buffalo Bills first round pick and the 2015 Buffalo Bills first round pick and a 2015 fourth round pick all to the Cleveland Browns for the rights to draft Sammy Watkins # 4 overall. Watkins has shown he has immense talent, no question about it! And until the team makes it a priority to get him 10 to 15 targets a game we might never see his true potential in a season while he is in Buffalo. I would expect if the Bills did get him that many targets we all might see a DeAndre Hopkins type season From Sammy.

While I understand the idea of taking a gamble on a once in a decade type player and the GM wanted to reach for a player with Watkins talent. Outside of Bills fans, most of the NFL world thinks that Beckham is the best WR in that years draft and he was the #5 WR in yards last year. Allen Robinson was #6, Mike Evans was #11, Jarvis Landry was #13, Brandin Cooks was #14 and Watkins came in at #22. I just happen to think that the 2014 NFL draft was probably the best Wide Receiver draft in the entire history of the NFL. Just look at the WR talent in that draft. Mike Evans- Sammy Watkins- Odell Beckham Jr. Brandon Cooks, Allen Robenson, Jarvis Landry, John Brown, Kelvin Benjamin and with like another six players who could end up being very good. Like Bill from NYC stated that It's like Whaley gets a pass for not thinking of drafting Odell Beckham Jr rather than TE Eric Ebron. Why didn't this scouting staff / GM recognize all that WR talent? They could have stood pat and taken Beckham, and still gotten Robinson or Landry in the second round. Anyway, I wasn't a fan of the trade then and I'm still not a fan when the team still doesn't know if they have that franchise QB to throw to him. That QB position is the only position on the team I think is worth trading away three draft picks for and especially when the team has other areas of need. Think of those areas of need, like that godawful 2014 O-line with Pears at RG What he said.

Really good, well thought out post. Although, I have other thoughts on this. I think there is more to it when a team makes a jump in spending three draft picks on a WR (two firsts) when they didn't already have an established franchise QB to throw to him! That 2014 team had holes all over the roster in different areas. Specifically, that team lacked other receivers to keep opposing teams from doubling up on that one star. Like in only having one other decent WR, no real top TE. Then had serious holes in the offensive line at LG, RG, RT and questions at linebacker. This last area left me asking what QB is going to be standing up long enough to throw to that super star WR. The 2014 Buffalo Bills fielded the very worst offensive line for most of that season and only moved to 30th near the end. So, when I saw the team use three draft picks and two firsts on a WR when the team has all those other needs, I can't help but ask where is the critical thinking in building a "complete" playoff team? That might have been a great move to sell tickets, but not to fill out the roster properly IMO. Then, not having that 2015 first round pick left another hole on the team unfilled. The current 2016 roster still has many questions at different positions and still looks to have several holes. Not to mention that the most important position on the team is still under question.