JohnC

I was never a fan of Incognito because I thought he was too volatile as a person. But in the Miami Bully saga he was unfairly maligned and cast as the primary instigator as a bully on that team. When the investigation was ongoing his teammates almost universally supported him and correctly characterized Martin not as a victim but as a troubled person. The cynical and unethical Roger Goodell had a public relations disaster associated with bullying. It was drawing a strong national reaction. He commissioned an investigation headed by Wells, also associated with the fraudulent inflategate saga. The investigation indicated that Incognito was the main antagonist in that case. This was another case where the NFL investigator was paid a handsome sum to come up with a report that corresponded with the league office's established narrative. The main problem was that the report was not accurate. The report for the most part left out the near unanimous comments supporting that Incognito did not do what he was accused of and it left out the part that the victim, Martin, was a troubled individual. Richie Incognito was suspended and basically blackballed by the league losing a year salary. He had to take a very under-valued contract with the Bills to get back into the game. Incognito owes no one a hometown discount. He, more than anyone else, knows that it is a business because he was an unfair casualty to this PR conscious business. Richie Incognito should do what is right for himself and his family. He certainly didn't have a stellar reputation to begin with but it was wrongly smeared to the point he was forced to sit out a year. Richie Incognito is our best offensive lineman by far. He not only is our best lineman but he is playing at a level that puts him near the top of the ranking for his position in the league. If he is smart he will take advantage of his situation and garner a contract that is worthy of his playing level. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2543506-richie-incognito-comments-on-tom-brady-roger-goodell-and-nfl-appeal-process

I assume you are referring to the contract flap with Wade Phillisp? If so the issue for Ralph wasn't over money. He felt that the HC was obligated to follow his dictates. Whether it was smart or not to fire Phillips is not the main issue in my original posting. Without a doubt he had the authority to hire or fire anyone he wanted to. But in this case he clearly had an obligation to pay off the contract with Wade after he fired him. Ralph was wrong from a legal and contractual standpoint. The arbitration result came back quickly and with no equivocations: He was obligated to pay the remaining part of the contract. It wasn't a question (in this matter) of being cheap---it was an issue of him being stubborn, Was Ralph a good owner? Look at his record and draw your own conclusions. My position on him as an owner is very firm.

Taylor was a physical specimen. He was a flying missile on the field. His approach (mentality) on the field is what the league is trying to curtail in its quest to make the game safer. Because of his innate aggressiveness he would have problems adjusting to this new era of eliminating head hunting type hits. I'm not comparing him to Brandon Weariweather (sic) because he is much better but his style of play would lend itself to making him a constant candidate to be fined for questionable hits. The tragedy of the Sean Taylor killer was that beyond being a supreme football talent he was emerging as a person. He was a talented player who was coming out of his tightly held shell and becoming much more open and receptive to outsiders.

You are correct on your comment that it was the meddling owner who determined who was going to start at qb in the playoff game. Doug Flutie stated on a radio interview (and many other times) that it was Ralph Wilson who made the qb call. He directed Phillips to start Johnson over Flutie. The irascible owner also directed Wade Phillips to fire the special teams coach, who was a long term friend and associate of Wade. Wade said no. The owner then fired Wilson and refused to pay off his contract. The owner's reasoning was that Wade was being insubordinate so that he wasn't obligated to fulfill the rest of the contract. The owner was told by his staff and others that he had to honor the contract and pay off the remaining portion of it. The owner stubbornly resisted. It went to an arbitration hearing and in a very quick decision the owner was compelled to honor the rest of Wade's contract. With respect to the special team's coach that Wilson wanted fired the coach was dreadful. He deserved to be fired. But when it came to not honoring a contract the owner had no legitimate reason not do so. Ralph Wilson as an owner was incompetent. Ralph Wilson as a person was both honorable and stubborn to a fault.

There was a scouting book on Manuel when he was drafted. The consensus of the scouts was that his mechanics were raw and he was only a first read qb. The scouting book on him was accurate. Is he salvageable as a prospect? I don't believe so. That doesn't mean he can't carve out a long and prosperous career as a backup. As you indicated you didn't want this discussion to be on Manuel. So let's not make it so. I brought up the scenario that if the Bills would have drafted either Carr or Bridgewater in the Watkins's draft year this franchise would be in a much better situation. I strongly believe that. You might not? The issue isn't having patience or not although a generation is a long time. The issue is that this franchise will not be successful until it has a legitimate starting qb. Manuel definitely is not the answer. Is Tyrod Taylor the answer? I actually like him a lot but I have major doubts about his durability. Until the qb position is stabilized the Bills will not be a serious team. It's as simple as that. As far as the HC I had little regard for him before he was hired, and my position on him has not changed; it is more confirmed.

In hindsight would it have been wiser to trade down and select either Derek Carr or Terry Bridgewater? I also consider Watkins an elite talent. But without the qb position solidified his talents are gong to be underutilized. The Raiders selected Carr two years ago and then selected Cooper this year. They appear to have gotten the drafting sequence for positions right.

I appreciate your response. Weight is a tough life long problem for many people. For the holidays I'll be taking a long flight to visit family. The seats are intentionally made to be tight. It's uncomfortable for those who are heavy and for those who sit next to them. The problem is at epidemic levels. Some people find it amusing to ridicule people who have this problem. I'm not one of them. It's a tough issue from a physical and psychological standpoint to endure. I do however ridicule drunken fools who are grossly overweight and who take their shirts off on a cold day at the stadium. Exposing one's droopy man breasts in public should be considered a felony because it is an unnatural act and a crime against society.

The procedure is relatively new. Are there long term complications that have come up? I'm not making light of a serious issue. But for the people who consider undergoing the procedure wouldn't it be medically better to alter one's eating habits and eat more wisely? Again, I bring up this issue respectfully and seriously. There are people who struggle with weight issues all their lives and are very often not treated well because of their appearance.

It's called preparation and execution.

The Bills may not be a playoff team but they are better than being an expansion-like team as you describe it.

If you believe that a coach doesn't have the ability to correct or at a minimum reduce a persistent player discipline problem then you and I have a fundamental disagreement over one of the primary responsibilities that a HC has. What I know for sure is that handing out bracelets is not a solution to this type of nagging problem. How about taking the miscreant off the field and demonstrating to the problem player and his teammates that you are serious in getting this stupidity problem corrected? It's called holding players accountable! And it is not a new concept.

The Belichick situation has been unfairly characterized. When he started his tenure with the downtrodden Browns he was in the beginning of a major rebuilding process starting with the front office, scouting department, coaches and roster. After a year or two the franchise had a new owner who who wanted to make his own hires. The new owner fired BB and his staff and installed his own people. The owner exercised his prerogative in making those staff changes. Without a doubt he made a very foolish mistake that to this day has negatively affected this stupendously troubled franchise. If the new owner would have allowed BB a reasonable amount of time to right the ship the history of the franchise would have been much different. The Pegulas hired Rex Ryan. Why? He had a (4 or 5 year?) stint with the Jets. His record as a HC was established and by any reasonable evaluation his record was less than mediocre. What made him so appealing as a candidate? His lively personality? His big mouth? His colorful tattoos? It certainly wasn't his record as a HC with the Jets. You are inaccurately characterizing my position on RR. I have never said that he is the source of all that ails this franchise. What I am unequivocally saying is that from a coaching standpoint he is a mediocre presence. Whether the Bills have a franchise qb or a deficient roster in general is not the issue. You coach up the players you have and from that standpoint he is doing a poor job. The Bills are one of the most penalized teams in the league. Coaching matters. The players have demonstrated a lack of discipline and intelligence in the way they have played. Coaching matters. You can mock Tom Bowles all you want. The difference between him and Rex is that Bowles is much more mature and substantive than the more boisterous Rex and it is reflected in how his team performs compared to how Rex's team performs. Bruce Ariens is not the type of person who is going light up the room he enters while Rex will always garner the spotlight. Ariens is an immensely better coach than Rex. My point is simple: When you hire mediocrity you get mediocrity. For me it is evident by the way this team has played (short handed or not). The Pegulas made a mistake when they hired him. What is discouraging is that he is in the very beginning of his long term contract.

The notion that Rex Ryan was going to be a be a long-term hire who was going to stabilize this franchise is an absurdity. He left the Jets in a shambles. He had a losing record. The HC who departed Buffalo outperformed him when they went head to head. Of course he is not totally at fault for the Jets chaotic situation but he certainly was very involved with the team and the decisions that were made. The team dramatically regressed under his tenure. And you argue about long-term stability! That's not what his record portends! I agree with you that the Pegulas' were looking for a high profile name when they hired the bombastic Rex. That's one of my main source of criticisms. They hired someone who was exceptional at promoting himself while in reality they were hiring someone who didn't have an impressive record. Rex's HCing record speaks for itself! It wasn't a record that should have made him an appealing candidate; it was a record that should have disqualified him. Bruce Ariens was not a high profile coach when he was hired by the Cardinals. He has done an exceptional job with them. From a personality standpoint he is nondescript; from a coaching standpoint he is much more substantive than the huckster the Bills recently hired. The new HC in Atlanta is not a high profile personality like our bombastic coach. But without a doubt his team is better coached. The new HC for the Jets, Tom Bowles, is doing much better than the coach he replaced. Not only do the Jets have a better record than with Rex but his team is playing with more discipline and intelligence. The Buffalo Bills are one of the most penalized teams in the league. No one is discounting that the team is battered by injuries. But that isn't the main problem. This team is playing with a lack of discipline and intelligence. If you don't think that coaching matters as to how the team is playing (regardless of the record) then we have a fundamental difference that can't be reconciled. When you have to resort to having your players wear bracelets to play with poise then it has reached an embarrassing level of incompetence. You bring up the point that it is still very early in his tenure. That is what I find to be very troubling. If you want to make a case for your position do not ever mention Rex Ryan to Bill Belichick in the same sentence when making any comparisons to individuals or situations. You sabotage your arguments when you stretch yourself to such a grand level.

Maybe their real intention is to bump up the thread? LOL It's like going to the same restaurant over and over and always complaining about the food and the service. When asked why they don't go to another restaurant their response is: The reason I go to this restaurant is so that I can complain about the food and the service. That's why I go there! Even an owner who is more familiar with hockey can recognize that his heavily penalized and underachieving team is not well coached. The coaching hire was their hire. They have no one else to blame.

Bill, The people who failed the Pegulas with the hire of Rex are the same people who hired him: Themselves! You don't need a formal committee of outside consultants for advice. They had access to a lot of NFL people who were willing to give them good advice. The Rex hire made no sense. You don't have to be a NFL insider to know that Rex was fired from the Jets and that his record was less than mediocre. He left a team that was in shambles. The team he was coaching was spiraling down----far from moving in an upward trajectory. The dour HC that departed the scene outperformed the loquacious HC who was entering the scene. How much sense does that make? The Pegulas allowed themselves to be impressed in an interview setting. Instead of doing their own due diligence based on a candidate's record they fell for the glib salesmanship of a mediocre HC. They paid $1.B for a franchise and they hired a self-promoting huckster to lead their team. To make things even worse they gave Rex a rich long term deal and included authority to circumvent the GM to bring whatever issues he had directly to the owners. In other words the owners empowered the undisciplined HC and undercut the authority of their own GM. You get what you get---you get what you deserve. When you hire mediocrity don't be surprised when you get mediocrity.

Organizational disorder is being recognized by people who follow the league. The hiring of Rex didn't help stabilize the situation, it created more tension within the ranks. Teams that underachieve receive more scrutiny and problems that were considered manageable become magnified. http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/10/28/nfl-dysfunctional-teams-colts-49ers-texans-cowboys-bills Just an observation: I have a question for those who are bothered by this topic and the ensuing discussion? Why bother to comment? Just ignore the topic and find another thread to complain about.

There is nothing mystifying about our team and its prospects. Until there is good qb play the team will continue to be mired in its generational malaise. Are there deficiencies on the roster? Absolutely. All teams have deficiencies within their rosters. There is no perfect team in the league, including the Pats. When the regular season is over most of the teams that have a quality starter will be participating in the playoffs. Teams that have qbs who are in the last quarter of the rankings usually don't qualify for the playoffs. You can have a competitive team if you have an exceptional defense and running game. But if you don't have a good (not elite) qb you won't be able to compensate for lacking a competent starting qb. To add insult to our troubled qb situation this offseason the new owners hired a mediocre HC and gave him a five year contract. Don't let anyone tell you that coaching isn't a factor in the undisciplined and unintelligent play of the team! When it gets to the point that the HC has his team wearing bracelets reminding them to control themselves then you know that the team has serious issues relating to the coaching staff and players. This franchise has historically stumbled not because of bad luck but because of the inept way it has been managed.

WEO, Can the band be adjusted or safely removed? Isn't there a band procedure that is permanent? What are the risks associated with the procedure?

What makes their accomplishments even more stunning is that they have accomplished most of their achievements in a cap system that promotes parity. Their owner went out and signed Belichick as the HC. He had to give up a first round pick for signing him away from the Jets. It was well worth the expenditure. He is going down as the best HC in the history of the game as Brady is going down as the best qb in the history of the game. (As you noted.) Do you think that a Bob Kraft would bring in an out of touch Marv Levy to run his football operation? Do you think that Bob Kraft would bring in a buffoon like Rex Ryan to be his HC? What sets the Patriots apart is not the money they throw around to acquire talent because that is not how they operate. They are very prudent/cold blooded with the way they handle contracts. Their roster is constantly being turned over and yet they still win. They have a system, believe in it, and adhere to it. While losers are busy making excuses for themselves and making excuses for why the Pats win they simply don't care. They just continue to add to their already crowded trophy case.

I'm very against having an overseer such as Polian watching over the operation and consulting with the owners. The best approach is having a GM who is empowered and then holding him accountable. Where bringing in outside consultants would have been appropriate would have been during the search for a HC. This approach would have been even more useful because the owners were new to the pro game. Getting outside feedback and expanding the circle of serious candidates and focusing on the unique skills associated with that challenging position. While a glib and engaging Rex could have seduced the new owners in an interview he wouldn't have impressed some experienced pro consultants who were aware of the shambles the Jets were in when he was fired. If it is true that Brandon told the Pegulas that they would recognize who would be the right candidate after they interviewed the prospects, then he gave them horrible advice. Bruce Ariens is an immensely better HC than Rex is. Odds are in an interview Rex would outshine the more substantive but less ebullient personality.

What his schedule is or how time consuming and rigorous it is means little. It's the end result that matters. He can have a stoic Bud Grant style or a loud and bombastic sideline demeanor if he wants to. That isn't what is at the heart of the mounting complaints against him. The team he coaches is one of the most penalized teams in the league. You don't think that coaching matters? His team has a pattern of incurring crushing personal fouls at the most inopportune time. You don't think that coaching is a factor for the its lack of discipline and intelligence. The Jets are a better team now without RR than they were with him. There is no doubt that additions to the roster are a factor but not the primary factor. They are a better coached team under the more substantive and mature HC, Todd Bowles, than they were under the more colorful personality of Rex. Rex Ryan's tenure has hardly begun. For me his clown act is already tiresome.

I respectfully disagree. That type of holding usually does get called.

There is no doubt that that non-call on holding against Hughes and the phantom PI call affected the game for us. What's disturbing is that the officiating in general (for all teams) is so arbitrary and capricious. I hate it when marginal holding calls are flagged away from the play when they have no bearing on the play. The pick play is randomly called. It has gotten to the point where the games are very difficult to watch because of the excessive number of penalties and reviews that affect the continuity of the game. What is the solution? When the league office instructs the officials to concentrate on a particular infraction they go overboard to the point that it becomes nonsensical. How do you tell officials to use good judgment, especially situational judgment, when the officials on the field lack good judgment in general? The problems with the officiating seem to get worse. Maybe the review system is making the officials become lazy? I wish I had some constructive recommendations to make the officiating get better but I don't. I haven't heard any good suggestions that would help make the officiating less exasperating.

Do reporters exaggerate and distort comments by the HC? Of course they do. That's what they do. The HCs at the podium and in interviews know how the press work. There shouldn't be any surprise about that. The real issue isn't about his bombast and his quotable comments---it's how his team plays. They are one of the most penalized teams in the league. His team has a tendency to commit crushing personal fouls and play with an excessive amount of stupidity. You don't think that the coach influences his team with his own lack of discipline and maturity on the sidelines? Compare how the Jets played for RR and how they are doing now under Todd Bowles? Todd Bowles is less of a colorful personality and quotable HC who prepares his team much better than their former HC who was fired. There is a difference between style and substance. In the end substance will always prevail over a clown act.

If only this year's draft class would have been in place in EJ's draft year----wishful thinking. There are a number of qbs (Cook and Goof) who play in a pro style of game that better prepares them for the next level. The one qb that intrigues me as to how he will be rated when his college career is over is Hackenberg. While playing for O'Brien in his rookie year I thought he was going to be an elite prospect. Over the past two seasons playing behind a lackluster OL and in a scheme that doesn't suit him he has regressed. When you watch him now he makes some exceptional passes that make you believe that he will be a good pro. But too often he plays like he is shell shocked because of the constant pressure. Without a doubt the departure of O'Brien to the pros had a major effect on his game and development. Coaching does matter!