JohnC

When you have a qb who can play well your chances of becoming an effective coach exponetially rises. The menu of plays you call increases and the execution of the plays improves. Hue Jackson as an OC in Cincinatti is a success; Hue Jackson as an OC in Buffalo would be a failure due to the caliber of its OL and qbing. Does Hue Jackson fall in the smart guy coach category? No. Does Rex Ryan fall in the smart guy coach category? No. Give either one of these pedestrian coachs a good qb to work with an their level of wisdom and IQ unsurprisingly leaps higher.

The question one has to ask is what do you do with the situation you are in. In the NFL of today successful teams are not built around their defense and the running game. Success is predicated on the caliber of your qb. You can have a flawed team from a defensive standpoint, OL standpoint and even an ineffective running game. As long as you have a very good qb (not necessarily elite---very few available) you can still compete. The Bills simply don't have the caliber of qb that will allow them to get over the playoff hump. EJ is what he is. He is a nothing more than a backup, and maybe something less. An inaccurate qb is a deficiency that can't be overcome. Is TT the answer? He has moments where he is impressive and then there are moments where you come to terms that at best he is a resourceful backup qb. I like Whaley. In general he has done a good job. But the foundation of the team he has built.is simply outdated. And his ability to evaluate qbs has to be questioned. The flaws in EJ's game were noted by many scouts and have been realized now that he is in the pro ranks. The bottom line is that until the qb position is settled the story line is going to be the same. Whaley was bold in his move up to draft Watkins---he is going to have to be as bold in pursuit of a qb. Until that is done nothing materially changes.

On Mondays his thread was the first thread I read. It was the starting point for commentary on the team. Get Well Bill!

As a HC Schwartz is questionable. But as a DC he did an excellent job. From a staffing standpoint this defense is similar to last year's defense. Without a doubt last year's defense consistently played at an elite level. The current defense, especially from a pass rushing standpoint, is stumped. Compare the Jets under Rex to its current HC? Which team is more mature and which team is more successful. There is no doubt in my mind that the HC sets the tone and creates the environment in which the team responds to. Without even discussing schemes and play calling the Bills lack discipline and intelligence. Compare how the Jets performed under Rex and how they are performing under Tod Bowles? Coaching matters!

Compare how the Jets played under mouthy Rex to how the Jets are performing under silent Todd Bowles. Whether we are missing our best players or not isn't the test of good coaching, it is how your players, including your subs, play. There is a lack of discipline and intelligence in their play. Brooks makes a routine tackle on a punt and then gets in the face of the person he tackled talking trash in front of the referee. This came after the HC for the past couple of weeks hasemphasized the necessity to keep one's composure and play with discipline. Maybe the HC needs to get better bracelets to remind his dopey players to maintain their discipline on routine plays? There were question marks regarding the offense entering the season. Everyone was aware of the problem area. However, this team is built around its defense. The preponderance of the cap is directed toward the defense. Considering its talent level it is underperforming. What happened to the once dominant pass rush? It has vanished! The HC's specialty is on the defensive side of the game. By any measurement Schwatrz got the defense to play at a much higher level with mostly the same players than this self-promoting braggert HC has.

It's my understanding that he was converted to TE (mostly blocking) in the pros. Check my wikepedia link in post #37. In college he played TE his first year of so but was converted to OT where he became an all-American. He was a blocking TE. He may have switched positions back and forth but he gained prominence for being a blocking TE for OJ and being part of the electirc co. OL. I'm not saying you are wrong because he did play both OT and TE for the Bills.

As others have noted his ball placement was impeccable. There was a number of plays where the receiver was well covered yet he put the ball where only the receiver had access to is. The drops certainly hurt him and the offense. Basically the passing game was for one reliable receiver. The rest of the receivers were nearly useles. I have seen Goff play a few times. He is the more dynamic and prolific passer. Connor Cook in my view is more pro ready and has a maturity to his game that makes him more guaranteed for success. Buffalo Barbarian needs to stop clamoring for him. He is not going to be available for us regardless what we are willing to give up. Houston is salivating at the thought of drafting him or Goff.

Whether you agree that the Bills should have drafted Spiller is not the issue. The Bills drafted a player in the first round with a particular set of skills.They then proceeded to utilize him so that his particular brand of skills are not emphasized and his limitations are accentuated. How smart was that? There are a number of reasons why the Bills have been out of the.playoffs for nearly a generation. How they handled Spiller is the embodiment of their collective stupidity! It's like using Tom Brady in a wishbone offense! As FireChan stated in post#23 Spiller will be more intelligently used and be a more productive player in New Orleans. It's not surprising that winning organizations function more smartly than losing organizations.

There are players who endorse penis extender products. Some work and some don't. Who gives a dam!

You may be mixing him up with Paul seymour who played OT and TE during the OJ era. Lou Saban converted the all-american tackle to a blocking TE to bolster the line for OJ. He also was decent at catching the short and intermediate passes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Company_(football)

Gotham Bill, As an Alabama fan could you do me a favor? Could you encourage Nick Saban to lighten up and work on his dour personality. Did he go to the Doug Marrone school of charm? Also could you tell Nick Saban that those cupcakes he puts on his schedule hurt his team's ranking more than helps its ranking. Didn't I warn you about encouraging Tyrod Taylor to run more? You know that I am not the type to say I told you so; however, I told you so. I always look forward to your take on the games on Monday. It stimulates the best responses from an unruly cast of characters. I'm not into your music (Geez Bill you can do better--- the tie dye look has been outdated for more than a generation now!) but I'm willing to tolerate snippets of their lyrics in order to find out what you are thoughts are on the games. Take care. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

While there are people who driven to diminish his character and intelligence he is going to be considered as arguably the best qb in the history of the game. A sixth round draft choice with unparalleled drive and work ethic he has led his team to numerous championships. Just because TB is reluctant to reveal himself and publicly express his thoughts and opinions don't mistake that for a lack of intelligence. Tom Brady is in a very public profession but prefers privacy. Saying that he lacks a moral compass is nonsense. He is rich beyond imagination yet he is very involved with charitable and community endeavors. He is a high character person who has become the best in his profession not because of his natural talents but because of his work ethic and passion for the game. You don't become a success by diminishing the extraordinary accomplishment of others. These types of jealous revealing topics make my stomach turn. What's next? If the Bills don't make the playoffs its Marrone's fault?

WEO, Tell the truth and do it now! Are you a moderator? If you are I will with indignation protest! For your edification you don't need to encourage people to demonstrate their craziness----it naturally flows without and outside inducements. An authentic moderator would know that. It is in the handbook that moderators are expected to be well versed in.

How come other teams weren't interested in him when he left the Bills? If he was such a productive player in Tampa why were they willing to give him away for almnost nothing? Mike williams has some physical abilities but he was a marginal player who isn't worth the bother to put up with. This is a case where a HC deciding to get rid of a nuisance and non-productive player isn't a demonstration of bad judgment but a demonstration of good judgment.

As you indicated when Rex signed on he was given the authority to go directly to the owner if he felt the need to. I very confident that he didn't do so in this case because this wasn't a transaction that would compel him to go to the owner. As you noted this was a consensus decision in that Whaley didn't surprise the coaches with a "fait accompli" so there is no point in any further discussion. That is not Whaley's management approach. I like Whaley a lot. He is the antithesis of Tom Donohoe who had a very authoritarian management style. Whaley is the type of executive who believes in a decision-making process that is very inclusive yet understands that he is the boss and has the ultimate say. As I stated in a couple of prior posts I'm sure that he consulted with Roman and Rex to get a feel where EJ was as a player and was he ready to move up the ranks prior to the trade. Don't take this personally but when we agree I get very queasy. The odds take a dramatic downturn on being right.

I'm sure Whaley discussed with the coaches how they felt about EJ and if he was progressing and ready to move up the ranks. If Roman would have told Whaley that EJ wasn't prepared to step up into the immediate backup role Whaley would not have made the deal. Whaley is the boss and has the final say on personnel. But Whaley is the type of GM who solicits input and seriously considers the input. He has a collaborative style in contrast to Tom Donahoe, the unappealing authoritarian.

While you are assigning blame why don't you blame Marrone for climate change issues. Mike Williams has stumbled because he has tripped over his own dumb feet. In any field of endeavor an undisciplined goofball with marginal talent is not destined to be a success. His chances for success are similar to Da'rick' Rodger's chances for success. Save your money and don't bother betting on it.

The coaches are going to go along because they have no other choice. This was a Whaley decision, simple as that. I'm sure Whaley talked to Roman and Rex about what he was going to do or prior to what he was thinking about. Both coaches have been around long enough to know how the system works.

Cassel is Cassel whose limitations are well known by everyone, including himself. The one thing Cassel is is a supportive teammate who was not reluctant to help the qbs he was competing against. He is the type of guy everyone can root for. I doubt that he is going to be a dynamo for the Cowgirls but I very much want to see him do well for team he is with.

I get the sense from listening to Whaley on the radio for the past couple of years that he is a very modern manager who not only believes in gathering input from a variety of sources but encourages it. His perspective is different from the coaching staff in that he more than they have to factor in cap implications when discussing player issues. It's obvious that I am making a conjecture but if Whaley was considering of making a decision to trade Cassel he would have been having an extended discussion with the coaches whether EJ was ready to move up the ranks.. Making a reasonable assumption isn't necessarily self-evident but it does fall along that loose line.

Many analysts are coming to the same conclusion of Bills' fans that the team needs OL help. The link is a SI mock draft predicting that they would take Jack Conklin, a tackle from Michigan State. I would be pleased with that pick. The most talked about qb on this board is Goff, who is projected to be the first qb taken. http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/10/13/2016-nfl-mock-draft-robert-nkemdiche-lions

You bring up an excellent point in comparing the lack of rotation this year to last year. In Schwartz's DL rotation there was no recognizable loss of effectiveness when the backups (more accurate description is rotational players) played. In the Tennessee game played in warm weather and with an imbalanced amount of time for the defense to be on the field the starters played quite a bit. Players were rotated in but nothing like the rotation that Schwartz had. In the Titan game the defense in general played well. Considering how long they were on the field due to a lack of offensive productivity it showed a lot of character and heart. Without a doubt the defense is the mainstay of this team.

The reason why Karlos Wilson has been so successful (as you noted) is that he quickly hits the hole or decisively adjusts to another seam around the blockers. Boobie Dixon simply can't run behind this line or any line because he is too slow and sluggish as a runner. I'm not even sure if McCoy is the type of runner best suited for our OL. He is too much of a dancer to work in unison with this line. Ivory from the Jets seems to be the type of hard charging down hill runner that would do better in the run game with this line. Again, as you noted because the RT is being overwhelmed too many plays are being blown up. Even when a lineman is playing to a draw with the defensive player he is going against there should still be some positive gain. A two to three yard gain on first down isn't necessarily a negative play. But because the RT is allowing his man to crash behind the line of scrimmage the play is not allowed to develop to any salvageable extent. What Tom Brady demonstrates better than any qb is that by quickly releasing the ball you help the OL. It's not only about getting the ball out early but getting the ball out to the right receiver with your first read. On top of that there isn't a qb who can go through his progressions as fast as he can. He is brilliant at what he does. For me he is a joy to watch. There is a lot of stress on Patriot receivers because they can't improvise on their routes. They have to be precise or you are not going to be in sync with Brady. Chad Johnson was a dismal failure because he had no route discipline. On the Pats he was useless. My point in referencing Brady in this discussion is that as TT becomes more nuanced and natural in his movements in the pocket (including moving pocket) it will have a very positive affect on the the struggling OL. Although TT is inexperienced as a starter it is acknowledged by his teammates and coaches that he is a student of the game and understands the game. That is why I believe the more he plays the better he will get.

On the third and long, whether by design or not, the field was wide open for him. I'm not against him running. But I want him to be more cautious when he takes off. He can go down sooner or run out of bounds more. He's playing on a bad ankle and it is apparent that after some jaw jarring hits he struggles to get up. I would rather see him go down early and not get the first down than take the hit that gets him battered and bruised. Russell Wilson is as good as any mobile qb who is good at avoiding the clean hits. That doesn't mean that he is able to avoid every hard tackle but he is more prudent in deciding when to run and when to hit the deck or run out of bounds. Doug Flutie moved around a lot and ran a lot but he rarely took direct hits. They should be models for him in how to more safely run. TT is more lean than thick. He is a tough player but he is not built to sustain a lot hits. I would rather error on the side of caution. . ^^^^^^That's what I'm talking about!

Don''t be defensive over your man crush. What is remarkable about Dick Lebeau is not only that he looks fantastic but he can still handle such a physically and mentally exhausting job. His world is more than football. He is a renaisance man who wherever he goes he is beloved and respected.Simply a cool dude! http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/5/dick-lebeau-too-busy-with-titans-defense-for-sight/?page=all There are people who stifle dialogue and there are people who promote dialogue. You fall in the latter category. If you continue to encourage TT to run I will blame you for his physical demise! Being cautious is better than being reckless. We can't afford the loss.