Nihilarian

I agree and on Buddy Nix who handed down his foolish legacy about line players to Doug Whaley. Some of those players were already on the roster when Whaley took over. I can recall Nix telling us how good he thought Colin Brown would be in replacing Levitre. I've watched Urbik play over the years and have seen he is an adequate pass blocker at times and not a very good run blocker at times. That last part might be another big reason as to why he was in Marrone's doghouse. I think a lot of his troubles have come from playing injured so often and with nobody behind him they wouldn't sit him. He did a decent job pass blocking this season off the bench. Pears at RG was a joke but Marrone really didn't have a better option at RG. Urbik on the bench for Richardson those first six games of 2014 made no sense to me either. But then the team started Colin Brown at LG in 2013 for six games before releasing him outright and then slid the backup center in Legurski to LG.

Yet this fits the narrative of Buddy Nix's thinking that any OT can play OG. That OG's are a dime a dozen. All you need are big bodies for the offensive line and the bigger the better. I can recall reading an article that stated Marrone wanted better players for line and the FO was upset that Kounadjio didn't a longer look at tackle. That CBS article about a shouting match between Whaley & Marrone? Then looking at Chris Williams, Doug Legurski, Sam Young, Colin Brown in replacing a decent starting LG in Andy Levitre with utter garbage leaves me thinking it wasn't just all Marrone.

I agree with that second sentence and yet it shows this team's inability to find a decent starting OG in the draft. Richie Incognito was a godsend at LG and only Rex Ryan saw that and vouched for him. I think Urbik was decent this year in coming off the bench and was clearly better in pass blocking. I just don't think he is able to hold up well over the course of a season any more. RT & RG are still weak spots.

This was a good way to kill any credibility from a journalist. Whoever he got the inside info from doesn't know whats going on either. Interesting stuff that tends to linger now that the season is over.

Russell Wilson 5'11'' 203 lbs vs Tyrod Taylor 6'0'' 221lbs. He isn't that small. He just isn't Cam Newton 6'6'' 260 lbs and runs as fast as Tyrod. If the Bills finish building a proper offensive line I'd actually love to see Tyrod running the ball more often in designed sets. Think of his speed and what made him so successful at times is because team either had to spy him which took away a defensive player or they ignored him and were burnt by his running. Spread the offense like Gailey used to do and then run the read-option with Taylor-McCoy. Just not all the time. The Bills did a good job of mixing things up with Tyrod running it this past year.

Tom Coughlin is a great coach but is NOT a GM, a scout or top NFL talent evaluator. The man ran a tough, well-disciplined team and managed to beat the Patriots in the SB not once but twice. If I thought it would do any good I'd start a thread to fire Ryan and hire Coughlin. Alas, the vampire still has his fangs in the owner.

Good stuff! Fans also need to consider that Roman didn't have an already established franchise QB to lead the offense. He was developing a very raw QB who was in his first year of starting. This is basically the exact same way the Baltimore Ravens with Cam Cameron as OC developed Joe Flacco. (This year was exactly how EJ should have been developed from the get go...effing maroon with no QB coach that first year. Along with Hacker as OC predictably running right up the gut most of the time.) The run game was fun to watch last year with McCoy and hopefully it will be again this year.

The fact that the Bills haven't made the playoffs with all this outrageous spending and nobody cares. Like 100 million for a DE when the team also needed upgrades at other positions. Three draft picks for a WR when they could have stood at the same spot and still gotten that elite WR. Enormous high dollar contracts for an RB when they are supposedly easy to find. Big money in free agency for a TE! Big money for a pass rushing DT & DE only to see them used in gap control and dropping into pass coverage. The thing that really bothers me though is nobody else notices that this GM, scouting Dept, FO can't seem to find any of these elite players in the draft!! A perfect example is that "IF" the team had not drafted Sammy Watkins they would have used that #1 pick on TE Eric Ebron and not on Odell Beckham Jr. I mean WTF! Why do Bills fans cherish this GM like he is gold when in fact he is quietly killing this franchise. Doug Whaley had a great deal of influence over the new owners to hire Rex Ryan. But then, it was Ryan who finally found the team a decent QB to develop, and an actual high-quality OG that Whaley couldn't find. Who thinks Glenn is going to get 13 mill per from the Bills or Incognito will see anything close to 8 mill per. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see both walk to a different team because of the stigma Buddy Nix left the team. Like OG's are a dime a dozen or that any OT can play OG well. Just find the huge bodies to fill a spot.

It really made no sense to fire the HC for the GM's inability to build a line that could protect the QB. What is incredible to me is that Irsay gave the GM an extension too.

It's gonna be tough for me to get revved up about 2016 as it stands with the status quo in the FO and HC. For some reason, I see the team making many changes to the defensive front seven to appease Rex Ryan only to see the team doing the same things that screwed them this year. I'm talking about the mistakes in players out of position and not set when the play starts, late defensive calls coming in along with lots of penalties when things don't go right. The Bills were particularly bad on defense this year with a supposed defensive genius running things. Then it's also tough to get excited about the draft when you know the team will be drafting mostly defensive players to fit Ryan's 3-4. This FO, scouting dept, GM failed to find top pass rushers in the draft so they paid 100 million to a DE they will now cut. They failed to find an elite RB in the draft so they paid 40 mill to an older RB. They failed to find an elite TE in the draft so they overpaid for a TE in free agency. The team needed to spend three draft picks, and two first rounders for an elite WR when they really didn't need to. Then the TE they had targeted with that first pick turned out to be below average. What I find most ironical about the whole situation is that after drafting that WR they went on to say they still needed that "big" WR red zone target. I did happen to enjoy the Bills successfully running the ball more than they threw it this year and it was great watching Tyrod Taylor develop in Greg Roman's run first offense. Now I gotta wonder if the team will sign Cordy Glenn, Richie Incognito or let them walk because they want to get the money they are worth that the Bills refuse to pay. I honestly hope Rex Ryan morphs into Tom Coughlin clone and runs a tightly disciplined team this year and builds his top defense.

If I'm not mistaken Charley Casserly said that both Lynn and Hue Jackson will get a lot of interviews and will probably be hired.

I think so too. Also, I'll bet that HC Mike McCoy wants to hire Whisenhunt back as OC and Frank was in his way. "Also gone are offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, tight ends coach Pete Metzelaars, wide receivers coach Fred Graves, defensive line coach Don Johnson and assistant offensive line coach Andrew Dees." http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/04/chargers-fire-six-assistant-coaches/ Who they should be firing is the strength and conditioning coaches because that team was so riddled with injuries to the offense all year. I also thought Joe D was a good coach so how is it his fault that that line was injured so often. Plus with that suspension, he didn't really get a chance to do his thing this year.

Its great he wants to stay in Buffalo and Whaley says it's a priority to sign him. But will the Bills pony up the enough money to keep him? There is that old stigma from Buddy Nix that OG's are a dime a dozen and that any OT can play OG.

On the contrary, it was Whaley, Brandon who flew to NY to talk with Pettine and actually hired him. Then given that I also think it was the same two that hired Schwartz. Then they failed this last year when they told the Pegula's to "not let him leave the room" in referring to Rex Ryan. Marrone gets credit for being an offensive line guru who fielded the very worst line in the league for most of 2014 along with hiring a moron as his OC.

Not really surprising to me when you consider how many O-linemen the team went through this year not to mention their WR corps was literally down to Gates the TE as the only viable receiver. If anything, the Chargers might change coordinators on the defensive side. Then the offensive side of the team was #4 in passing yards and #2 in passing attempts but 22nd in rushing attempts, and 31st in rushing yards. Because of the injuries to that offensive line this year, the Chargers never did have a decent run game. Then it was a miracle in how well Phillip Rivers played despite the loss of every decent WR on the team.

Then you have a GM who thinks he is a god because he built that 2011 49er playoff team so he took all the credit for himself in what Harbaugh did for that team. He thinks he can find a new HC as good anywhere and have already forgotten what it was like with Mike Singletary, Mike Nolan, Dennis Erickson as head coaches from 2003 to 2010. ,Actually, I think it's because they have no clue!

Marrone will get HCing offers and if he should take Nate Hackett with him as OC he will fail again. Besides, I think it wasn't his choice to hire either Mike Pettine or Jim Schwartz as DC's as it was more Whaley- Brandon.

The Bills draft an LBer with the #1 pick and Ryan goes about retooling the defense in free agency to fit his scheme! The FO while still thinking the O line is not that important doesn't re-sign either Glenn or Incognito to the money they want so they both walk. Henderson moves to LT, and Kounandjio starts at RT. Both Mario & Kyle are gone from the D-line while Rex tries to get Whaley to trade Dareus because he is unhappy in Ryan's scheme. Oh, and the Bills lose Greg Roman to be the new head coach of the Browns because they love stealing the Bills coordinators and nobody else will take that job.

pure speculation...because I think Schwartz is holding out for a HCing job. Marrone is probably going to get some HCing offers as will Bengals OC Hue Jackson. The Dolphins are giving Mike Shanahan a second interview. I'd have to say that Shanny's prediction about Kirk Cousins being able to develop into a top QB has a lot to do with that. Then the Saints have said they want a #2 pick for Sean Payton

I hear ya BB and can't help but think that everyone was playing hard for a job next year or for more money because the season ended after the Redskin game. So while everyone feels good about beating a bad Dallas team and an almost Jets playoff team all it really did was cost the team a better draft position. My letdown was a defense ranked #4 overall and the number ONE team in the NFL in sacks in 2014. Then went to 31st in sacks this year because of an HC noted for blitzing like crazy and then didn't blitz much at all this year. Knowing those stats and the Bills having a quarter billion into the D-line alone was so disturbing to me. For most of the season, the entire defense was an undisciplined mess. Special teams coverage units stunk. The only bright spots were that young QB Tyrod Taylor playing in Greg Roman's run first offense and Richie Incognito showing just how good a team can be with a top OG starting all year. Man 0 Man, I just hope other teams don't steal the OC or the LG for next year!

an update http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/03/black-monday-whos-safe-who-isnt-whos-already-out/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

The Jets had a pretty solid team this year and the one big flaw was their QB who played well until he played against Buffalo. I dunno know it's not my job to find the Jets their starting QB for next year. If Geno Smith still stinks there are UFA Sam Bradford, Kirk Cousins, Drew Stanton or the draft? One position is usually easier to fill than retooling a defense. Wondering if the team will resign that LT who should have been a pro bowl starter, or their LT. So many questions yet to be answered in Buffalo. I know I'd be feeling a whole lot better about next years team if the Bills had finished 10-5 this year and won the last 6 out of their last 7 games like the Jets did... save that last one.

Jason Garrett-Dallas-4-12 Jim Tomsula- San Fran-5-11 FIRED Mike Pettine- Cleveland-3-13 FIRED Tom Coughlin- NYG- 6-10 will be allowed to step down Mike McCoy San Diego- 4-12 Chuck Pagano Indy- 8-8 Chip Kelly- Philly-7-9 FIRED Ken Whisenhunt-Tenn-3-13 FIRED Joe Philbin-Miami-6-10 FIRED Sean Payton-NO- 7-9 to be traded? Jim Caldwell- Detroit-7-9 Rex Ryan-Buffalo-8-8 Jeff Fisher- St Louis-7-9 Gus Bradley-Jac-5-11 John Harbaugh-Balt-5-11 Lovie Smith- TB-6-10 John Fox-Chicago 6-10 Five gone so far, and I doubt any of the interim HC's stay

What is it with Bills fans that think that because the team has three good linemen and one of those so good he made the other two finally look above average that it makes that unit a cohesive functional unit ? Because it doesn't and never will. In order to have a solid offensive line, the Bills need five good players. The Bills need a starting Right Tackle and Kouandjio should be gone because he stinks. Henderson kept as a backup in hopes he develops into something better. The Bills need a better starter at Right Guard and keep Miller as the backup. Miller is a good run blocker and not so good pass blocker as he still needs some development. The Bills also need to make it a top priority to resign Richie Incognito who was so good this year that he elevated the play of Eric Wood and Cordy Glenn on both sides of him. Then he played like a bull almost all 16 games. The Bills also need to resign Cordy Glenn to keep the integrity of the left side of that line to where it was most of this year. JMHO

I for one just don't get how Bills fans are already excited for next year because their team managed to beat a Clownboys team with QB Kellen Moore making his first NFL start. Then beating the Jets with Ryan Fitzpasspick at QB to finish the season 8-8. I can see Miami hiring a better HC for next year. The Jets obtaining a better starting QB for next year. The Bills just might not have two pushovers in the division next year and lord know Ryan isn't beating his idol. Then, who knows if the team can keep the penalties down and the game management working correctly. The special teams doing a good job and the defense actually attempting to rush the passer. Things will never change until this team hires an actual football guy at the top. Not a hater, just a realist, and plenty frustrated that the wheels keep spinning like a 600 HP car on a rainy day.