JohnC

Actually I did for some games. When you see the same scenario playing out over and over there is no need to see the ending because you already know how it is going to play out. You have brought up this topic before but isn't it remarkable at the number of excuses that people can come up with for the mounting disappointing seasons . It never ends. The level of distortions and contortions made to rationalize ineptitude has deteriorated to the degree that it has become a syndrome. It's gotten to the point that if you point out the obvious defects within an organization more known for its futility than successes you become the object of scorn. It's so sad.

What's the reasonable explanation?

It was apparent to all that Mario wasn't always giving maximum effort. If that was the case then why didn't the HC with a surplus of bravado take him out and demonstrate to the resistant player and the rest of the team that a lack of effort was not gong to be tolerated? Good HCs lead by creating an environment where everyone is held accountable for their play and actions. From a variety of standpoints this team lacked discipline. It starts from the top and works its way down into the lineup. Coaching matters!

Don't subscribe to the weasel school of management where the successes are attributed to him and the failures are attributed to others. He was inextricably involved with the football operation and its decisions. I'm not saying that he was solely responsible for that team's demise but I am saying that he was an important factor in making football decisions for his team. Put aside the Jets' experience. Are you going to tell me that he did a good job for us in his first year with the team? How is it that under Schwartz the defense thrived and under Rex it took a precipitous decline? Are you suggesting that he wasn't a factor in the slippage? Compare what happened with the Jets? In Rex's last year the team went by the wayside. Under the new stolid coach the team makes a dramatic upturn. You don't think coaching wasn't a factor? When Rex went to the Bills he went to a team he was familiar with because it played in the same division where he coached for six years. He had a good knowledge of the makeup of our roster before he even arrived. He had an offseason and preseason to work with the team. Do you think that especially on defense he put his best players in position to succeed? I certainly don't . Don't fall into the excuse trap where failures are rationalized away. This season was a failure. Just because it is unreasonable to say that he was soley responsible for its underachievement it isn't unfair to say that he was primarily responsible for the team's lackluster performance. No more excuses!

Jauron was working with a limited roster so his approach (natural inclination) was to play not to lose. Rex took over a roster that was immensely better and had an ability to compete with any team. That is not to say that the team didn't have weaknesses, but all teams do. On defense he took away its strength and played to its weaknesses. He overthought the game. He diminished a strength and accentuated its weaknesses. A predictable folly. He basically was a dumb person who tried to show the world how smart he is. That is a very hazardous situation! Jauron may have been a bad coach but there is a dignity to the way he conducted himself. With Rex his boastfulness in the midst of his foibles is tough for me to take. I openly admit that I have a distaste for bullshiiiters. My views on Rex were well established before he joined the organization. Now that he has been with the team for a year they are even more hardened. The Bills were making the transition from the Wilson to the Pegula era. Because of the quirks of the schedule (NFCE and AFCS were weak) it worked in our favor. This was a playoff (wildcard) team. The caliber of coaching was the difference in not getting into the playoffs. It would have been a small milestone but a good milestone for this bedraggled franchise. Rex set this franchise back. He is not the solution---he is the problem.

Reality can punch some people in the face with brass knuckles. In their delusional minds they interpret it as a lovingly pinch by Sofia Vergara. Rex Ryan had a six year head coaching job in New York. Overall he had a losing record and left the team in shambles. Oddly, with great fanfare he gets hired by the new owners. The owners are getting what they bought and they are getting what they deserve. I have watched the Bills far longer than most. I can say without any equivocation that under Rex I have witnessed the dumbest coaching in the history of the organization. Hank Bullough is a coaching genius when compared to the loquacious Rex.

Are you suggesting that if you are critical of the HC you are less entitled to watch and are less of a fan? If you are saying that you are making a dumb comment.

Do you want to know what aren't qualitative/speculative points? That the defense under Rex took a precipitous decline!

Dareus was much more of a force in 2014 and Hughes was added to the roster in 2013 (?). The DL was on an upswing. It was getting better, especially with Dareus playing at a high level. The meaningful measuring/comparison point was 2014 to 2015. The difference is noticeable. What is surprising is that even Rex acknowledges that something was very much amiss. He believes the biggest issue was the lack of commitment to his principles.

In what way did he refute those assertions? If you arguing that Rex's defense was effective, especially compared to the prior year, which is the central point for many posters then we will never come to a reasonable understanding.

My point is simple and obvious: The same personnel under one coach were effective; the same personnel under another coach are demonstrably less effective.

Hughes, Dareus and Mario had exceptional years in 2014. In 2015 their respective performances took a precipitous drop. Our LBing corp played solidly in 2014. That same unit was ineffective the next year. Whaley spent most of his resources upgrading the offense. He hardly tampered with the defense with the exception of adding Darby who played very well at corner. He had to be as surprised as anyone with the steep decline of the defense. Now the defense has to be reworked with the departure of Mario and the adjustment to Rex's scheme which his defense struggled with. What a freaking mess!!!

The appropriate response to the quicker throws is to play tighter coverage (as many are saying). Teams adjust to what you do well. It's like a chess match. Whatever a team does well is going to be countered by the other coaches. That is what coaches are paid to do. It's as if Rex was surprised and befuddled because the opposition coaches countered what they had a history of doing. Rex was a HC with the Jets for six years. So obviously he was familiar with the roster of the Bills, a divisional opponent, when he joined the Bills. He had an offseason and a preseason to assess his roster and get to know the players. He certainly had a notion what each player on the defense was capable of from a physical and mental standpoint. Yet it seems that he was surprised by how the defense responded to what he wanted to do. As you and others have said Rex did a poor job on the defensive side of the ball. There is no other way to judge his performance. You don't have to be a brilliant strategist to play tighter coverage if the qb is going to quickly get rid of the ball. How about exercising some common sense? If Rex didn't do a good job coming up with a good game plan for each particular game then how does one expect him to make smart game day adjustments as the game unfolds? How is it ever smart to take what your best players do exceptionally well (Mario and Dareus) and put them in a position where they can't thrive? The mistake Rex made is that he focused more on what he wanted to do instead of focusing on what his players do well. Coaching matters! The Rex that the Bills hired is the Rex that they got. That is what is so infuriating.

I am much more optimistic about Miller's prospects than Kujo and Henderson's prospects. There is no doubt that Miller struggled in his rookie year. But he is much more athletic and mobile than Kujo is. Although he lost playing time because of injuries he did he get a lot of playing time. There is more to worry about with the RT position than with the RG position, especially with Urbik as a backup.

Roger gets the last laugh. He collected his gargantuan bonus and salary for a job not well done. What makes it even more enjoyable to him is that Kraft was on the compensation committee that came up with that outstanding remuneration. He can tolerate the humiliation that still allows him to be paid so well. Life is beautfiful---although at times it can be a tad bit awkward.

I'm rooting for the Patriots to win the SB. I want to see Goodell hand the trophy to Kraft and Brady. That would be poetic justice for a dishonest and imperious commissioner who lacks good judgment. It would be even more satisfying if the appeals court ruled against the league for their ridiculous appeal. I'm hoping that would happen on the Friday before the SB so that it would be a prominent topic of conversation leading into the game and during the game.

In the Detroit game Lehner really played strong. He didn't frantically flop around. His movements were efficient and controlled even when there was a lot of activity around him. I had my doubts about Murray's deal for the goalie. I thought he gave up too much for a player that the Senators wanted to move anyway due to an excess in goalies. But in this particular game you get a better understanding why Murray believes that he will be a very good number# 1 goalie for us. My original thinking on this deal was to keep your high picks and build the roster before addressing the goalie position. I thought that Johnson was a solid enough stopper for us at the rebuilding stage they were in. What I like about the GM is that he is not afraid to make moves. You can see the pieces being added. Although the Sabres are not garnering a lot of points it is evident to me that even when they lose they are rarely outclassed. You couldn't say that last year. The Sabres should be at least 20 points better this year from last year and next year they should be a team on the doorstep of the playoffs.

The odds are great that he will not come close to finishing a season without being hurt. Few people are arguing that he isn't a unique talent because he is. Even though he probably could become available at a reasonable cap price I would rather acquire a lesser receiving talent who is more durable to bolster the receiving corps. The argument I am using against signing Harvin is the same argument I am using against Goodwin. He also is a unique talent because of his blazing speed. But he has also demonstrated an inability to stay on the field. He's a football player who can't take a hit without having to be helped off the field. The problem with signing a Harvin is that you are losing a spot prior to the season when you can dedicate it to someone else who may be able to help. When you consider his and Goodwin's durability record in their respective careers it is obvious to me that no matter how cheaply they can be attained for it still isn't worth it because odds are that the injury scenario will play out as it usually does.

Complaining about everything? I'm complaining about the caliber of coaching from a coach who had an overall losing record. I strenuously disagree with you and others who promote the notion that he is a defensive guru. He ceirtainly didn't demonstrate it last season. Rex has been a HC for seven years. It is an all encompassing job. His specialty is on the defensive side of the ball but as the HC he also is responsible for the whole team. You are correct that his false bravado irritates me very much. When his rambling mouth matches his performances I will be a little more tolerant of his huckster act, although I will never find that obnoxious type of behavior very appealing.

Both Goodwin and Harvin have proved not to be durable enough to stay on the field. I would rather use their cap money for another receiver. Both players are capable of making electrifying plays but too often the voltage is cut off because they are nursing injuries. I stand with you on saying to Harvin and also include Goodwin in the column.

Why wouldn't Manuel be a good option as a backup qb when this team has so many needs? I understand your position on the importance of drafting qbs. It makes a lot of sense. But it is safe to assume that Goff will be gone early in the draft (Cleveland) and the other qbs, some good prospects, won't be able to offer much immediate help. I'm confident that Whaley and Rex are not in the rebuild mode. There is ownership pressure (rightly so) to get things done sooner rather than later. And considering that our cap situation is tight there is some expectation that our top three draft selections will be getting playing time right away. On a couple of occasions last year I listened to Whaley on WGR. He made it abundantly clear that his first immediate goal is to make it into the playoffs. He stated that he needed to break the barrier of not being playoff participants. Not making the playoffs this past season when he expected to certainly will motivate him to do what he has to to get over the non-playoff hump. That is why I believe that in this draft he will be using his early picks to select players who can fill immediate needs.

He is incapable of holding back from his blustering comments even when his performances consistently don't come close to matching his bravado. That's who he is. He is known more for his antics than he is for his coaching excellence. He enjoys needling the opposition by sending out former players for the coin toss. It's not a big deal other than these juvenile acts reflect his immaturity. It's not surprising that his teams are not noted for their collective maturity and intelligence. Rex Ryan is not a novice head coach. He has been a HC for seven consecutive years. His overall mediocre record speaks for itself. The RR that we hired is the authentic RR. That is what bothers me very much.

One area I am not backtracking from is that Rex Ryan did a poor job of coaching (most specifically the defense) this year. The defense took a dramatic step back with a roster that was similar to the prior year. That can't be disputed. Another area I am not backtracking from is that this team, one of the most penalized teams in the league, lacked discipline. That can't be disputed. If you don't believe that coaching is a factor then our views on that issue can never be reconciled. Good coaching is not about adhering to one's preferential scheme. It is about taking the roster you have (not the roster you wish you had) and putting those players in a position to succeed. If you believe that Rex did that well this year then you and I have a different evaluation standard that will never be reconciled. Rex Ryan is not a novice coach who is in the process of learning a new role. He is a seven year veteran head coach who coached as if he was a recently elevated assistant coordinator who was in over his head. It may be surprising to you (not to me) that the team that he got fired from took a major step forward under a new HC. It may be surprising to you (not to me) that the team he went to took a step back. In my view his coaching was the difference between the Bills making the playoffs (wildcard) and not. You are trying to portray the critics as people who want to see Rex fail in order to prove their point. Not only isn't your distorted characterization not true but it is a foolish way to frame this discussion. Most of the critics simply don't believe that Rex Ryan is anything more than a mediocre coach. How he performed this year demonstrated that assessment. One way of avoiding success is using a less rigorous standard in judging success. I'm not taking that easy road because it leads you to a road to nowhere good. While you bestow your good wishes on what you hope he does better in the future I'm going to be more hardnosed and evaluate him on what he actually does. Rex is very adept at talking big; he is more likely to perform small. You may be impressed with his bullshiiit but I am not. No more excuses. .

Rex is fired. Rob Ryan is hired as new HC. Rex Ryan is hired as the new DC. Pegula asks his aid why no one is in the stands on opening day. Aid tells Pegula that the fans prefer being in the parking lot getting drunk and having sex to actually watching the games. PTR starts another thread blaming the fans for the Bills inability to make the playoffs. Duck Dynasty does a remote shooting in the parking lot on game day because they like the red neck atmosphere.

The comparison between Marrone and Rex's first year is not a good comparison. Marrone took over a team that was a border-line expansion team that was rebuilding. Rex took over a team that was much more advanced and had a fuller roster. Marrone's team in his second year improved from his first year. Rex took over a defense that for the previous two years was good. It took a precipitous fall under him. The offense although still not a finished product under Rex was upgraded from the prior year. Whaley spent a lot of cap money adding McCoy, Clay, Incongnito (bargain $$$) and the organization was surprised with the unexpected level of play from TT. My point is that in Marrone's last year he outperformed Rex who had a better roster. Or to put it simply DM did more with less compared to the loquacious RR. Put aside the defensive scheme issue that is often a subject of discussion. It is apparent to me and most people that this Rex coached team was not a disciplined team, as exhibited by the number of penalties, it was not a mature team and a composed team. Those are hallmarks of a Rex coached team. Rex is coming back for the sake of continuity. But it won't be long before the issue of coaching is another issue that will have to be addressed by the owners. That is an obvious set back for a franchise that was steadily moving forward.