Last Guy on the Bench

I get the reluctance to force Shaq into the lineup, and agree he'll need to rotate in slowly. Who knows how good he is or isn't? But anyone who thinks Dareus doesn't dramatically improve this defense is crazy. Sure, he might need a couple of games to shake off the rust, but he creates problems for the offensive line that no one else does/can. Unless he is out of shape, he starts. Period. Maybe not the first game back, but I'd be shocked if he isn't the starter and getting the bulk of the snaps in the rotation by his second week back. Whenever that is.

I'm as happy as anyone that we are on a hot streak. And I was never convinced that we were that bad even during the first two games. And I've always liked and continue to like Ryan. And I'm a Tyrod fan. Point being, I'm generally not a glass half-empty kind of guy. But I am seriously anxious about if/when our thinness at receiver is going to upend us. Sammy out for a while, maybe the year. Woods and Clay are both hurt, though hopefully not seriously. That's the top 3 right there. What's left? Goodwin is a very limited player with almost no ability to attack the ball strongly. Powell can't get separation consistently. Hunter? I don't know - how many journeymen can we turn into all-pros? Hopefully one more. My biggest hope for an effective weapon to emerge is the continued development of O'Leary. Otherwise, it's hard to see Taylor having anyone much to throw to against a competent defense, especially if Woods and Clay continue to be banged up. We might start seeing nine in the box. Even Shady won't be able to do much about that. Do we look for a trade? Do we just pray and wait? With everyone healthy, including Sammy, we have some weapons, but right now we might have the least frightening receiving group in the league.

Totally agree. Definitely one of my absolute favorite post-Super Bowl Bills. Letting him get away felt terrible to me at the time and continued to all through his excellent years with the Vikes, though I was glad to see him doing well. Watching him tackle (at all of 5'9") was pure football pleasure. He took everybody down cold, no matter how big they were. No clinging/dragging/hoping from that little dude. He was a baller. If he had ball skills, he would have been a Hall of Famer, IMO.

Champs on St. Laurent up on the Plateau - cool neighborhood and lively place with all the games on. There are usually at least a few Bills fans around - or were when I lived there from 2001-2010. It was my Sunday church.

I'm not sure what you mean. The topic of the thread is whether or not Rex should have voiced his opinion and whether or not that will have a negative effect on the team. I'm just saying that I'm fine with his voicing his opinion, despite the fact it is contrary to mine, and I am not worried at all about its effect on the team. Furthermore, I'm adding in my overall opinion about the kind of person and coach Rex is (a good one on both counts in my eyes), which people seem to do all the time - positively and negatively - in practically every thread on this board. I like Rex and think he is a pretty good coach, though not perfect. If that makes me an apologist, OK then. And I think Rex in fact does want people to support him and like him, so I'm going to have to disagree with you about that. Also, in another comment you complained that people are critiquing Rex while supporting Kap and that that is agenda-based hypocrisy. I'm agreeing with you and using myself as a counterexample. My "agenda" is squarely in the pro-Kap, pro BLM, anti-Trump corner. But I also support Rex's right to express his political views. And more than just a right, I think it is actually healthy that he is doing so. So if I critique him I'm a hypocrite, and if I support him I'm an apologist? How does that work?

True - this is a very fraught political environment. And a judicious coach would certainly not advertise his political preferences right now. But Rex is not especially judicious (understatement) and I kind of like that about him. He shoots from the hip/heart/testicles and that's OK. Many people say that Trump also shoots that way, but unlike Trump, Rex actually has some humility and power of self reflection. He'll admit when he is wrong, or is ignorant about something. He'll admit that Belichick (God rot his soul) is probably the best coach in history. You'll never hear things like that coming out of Trump's mouth. So I can take Rex's bombast and half-formed opinions, because they feel authentic and they feel like they are coming from a living, breathing, evolving human being. I like him and I think the team will continue to like and respect him even if they are troubled by his support of Trump. 17-2, baby - to steal from The Senator.

I'm going to weigh in on the side of let the man speak his mind, and let players react and speak theirs. Compartmentalizing deeper issues (politics, spirit, morals, life, etc.) from work is what has made so many amoral organizations in the first place, and it has done great damage to this planet, albeit producing lots of cool stuff along the way. I love Rex. But it doesn't surprise me that he is attracted to some aspects of Trump's personality. And for the record, I doubt too many people on this board are more radical or liberal than I am, and I think Trump is a complete travesty in every conceivable way. But I still support Rex's right to express himself however he wants, and different players' right to react, and Kap's right to take a knee (which I admire - unlike Rex's stance). We need to stop being so scared and buttoned-down and corporate about everything and re-learn how to live in human communities where different people have different values and make different sense of the world. I'm glad Rex is our coach, though I couldn't disagree with him more about his choice of candidate.

Great read! Thanks. Sports encourages a kind of dumb black and white thinking (I know I fall prey to it when I get cranked up about the Bills - i.e., every goddamn week). But when you cool your jets and actually reflect on the complexity of the people and the communities that make up the game - minus all the dipschmidt hot takes - it's much more interesting. BB is a remarkable guy with an insane passion for the game. He has his weaknesses as both a person and a coach. But who doesn't? Very interesting to read this and see behind the scenes a little bit.

You're defeating your own argument. Of course the game would have been different in a lot of ways if Brady had played. Anyone who doesn't think so should be banned from watching football for life. But you seem to be arguing that the Bills would score the same 16 points if Brady played and would therefore lose. Absurd. In a different game, with a different score, rhythm, game plan, etc. the Bills might have scored 3 points, or 30. No way to know. I don't think anyone is arguing that the Bills would definitely beat a Brady-led Pats team. Based on history, it would be pretty hard to make much of a case for that. But there was a lot to like in the way the Bills played yesterday, regardless of the exact outcome. There are at least some things to hint at the possibility that the Bills might be developing into a decent, feisty team. No way to know that either. But let us enjoy the signs while they last. No need to speculate about Brady. We'll see him in a month and find out a little more about both teams then.

I'm with you. We just have to accept that these penalties are part of Hughes' makeup. The reason we have to accept it is that he is a GREAT player. The best on the team, IMO, though a healthy Sammy or a weed-free Marcell could give him a run for his money.

True, but wasn't there a holding call against the Cards on that play anyway? Would have been an automatic first down (though 10 yards farther back than the reception). That may be why he didn't bother challenging it.

I don't see any way that Pegs forces his second year coach to do this after only two games. He might express disgruntlement, but I just can't see something that heavy handed. Plus Rex is notoriously loyal - I think he'd be kicking and screaming if this weren't his move. In my opinion, this is 100% Rex's move, good or bad. And Rex has never been knee-jerk about getting rid of people. So that makes me think there must have been disagreements of philosophy, play calling, time management, etc. And something last night (besides getting their ass kicked) pushed Rex too far. So he pulled the trigger, with the support of a pissed off owner. I don't know whether it's a good decision or not, but I hated the play calling this year (and many times last year), and the lateness of getting in plays was so consistent as to be laughable. Anyway, at least we have some drama to obsesses about, since we're not getting much joy out of the actual football games.

Yes. I don't understand how people can throw out everything we've seen from him for ONE game. Ludicrous. People who are commenting on things they saw last year that are continuing? Well, OK. Makes sense. But people who say he plays nervous, or only checks down - idiotic. Those are two things he absolutely did not do last year. He did look skittish this game, and it startled me and worried me a little. But it's not a trend yet, by any means. Quite the opposite. He has plenty of flaws as a QB that he needs to work on. No need to make up new ones based on one game.

I could live with that.

Wow. I'm not sure why - I don't usually react that strongly to injuries on other teams - but this one really hits me in the gut. I was enjoying TB's development and the evolution of the Vikings, and can really feel for him and the fanbase. Totally sucks. What a letdown for them. I always have a soft spot for the Vikes, ever since the days of Tarkenton and the Purple People Eaters.

If it's an option bonus, then that's right. Option bonuses, like signing bonuses, are amortized. Roster bonuses are not.

Maybe I'm a sucker, but I read this and I get extremely stoked. I don't care. If I'm disappointed later then so be it. Plus, I really like these guys as humans. It's not that I'm a fan of bluster in general. But their bluster is so authentic - it's just who they are. It doesn't seem insecure and fearful to me, as bluster often does. Those guys just have the life force gushing through them and it spills out of their mouths in hilarious, often a-grammatical, ways. I love them, and I'm glad they are coaching this team. Whether they turn out to be good coaches with these players in this time and this place remains to be seen. But I'm going to enjoy the ride. And I wish them well in their lives, whatever happens with the team. Between the Ryans and Tyrod Taylor, I'm finding this a very easy team to root for right now, which has not always been the case (though I always root for the team anyway because I have the incurable Buffalo Bills sickness. Chronic.).

I meant individual team drafts, of which there are currently 32 per year.

Was it on Howard Simon? Which hour? Thanks! Found it. For those interested it's Hour 4 of the Howard Simon show May 4th starting about 21:15 into the hour.

Somebody must have mentioned to him that a seven point drop in his rookie year, attributable to him, would probably make Ragland the greatest LB of all time. Here's hoping.

He's changed it since to say "in a major way" vs. the 7 points prediction, which was absurd (though it would be awesome).

I don't know. You're right you can't take this stuff straight at face value. But what do you base the Prescott theory on? They spent a lot of time on Jones pre-draft. And it's not like the source is saying that Jones was a steal or that they had him with a 2nd round grade. All of these things sound very plausible to me.

Sorry if already posted. I searched but didn't find it. http://www.scout.com/nfl/bills/story/1666353-bills-had-19-players-with-1st-round-grades

Wow. He's like a little piranha. Hope Rex can find ways to use him. Certainly should be a special teams maniac anyway. I'll be pulling for him to make the team. He's fun to watch.

Fair point.