Dr. K

This

Thank god somebody is saying this. People are discounting the first rate job Schwartz did with the defense, which vastly imporved the run defense (the Bills were one of the worst in the league against the run under Pettine) without giving up pressure on the quarterback. Pettine was running Ryan's defense with all the exotic blitzes. I am not confident that the defense will be as good this year.

Jane studies apes, not monkeys.

I agree he will be in the HoF and deserves it, but this will cast a shadow over his career. Not so much the deflation thing as his lying about it or leaving the guys he had doing the dirty work for him to hang out to dry. It's not likely they came up with this "let's deflate the balls for Tom" idea ll by themselves. Their careers in the NFL are likely over.

I'm paranoid about something happening to McCoy for the Bills. The guy's got some miles on him.

I just have the feeling that there is enough potential in the players already on the team to make a decent to much better than decent O-line with the proper coaching, schemes, and play calling. Remember, essentially these same guys performed much better two and three years ago than then did last year, and they have drafted four o-linemen in the last two drafts in addition to picking up some free agents. I think it's too soon to conclude that all of these guys just can't play.

Always liked Carrington. Glad to have him back on the team.

+1

I agree with this. I do not like the team adding increasing numbers of players with character issues--severe ones. You can dismiss or mock this concern, but these are some bad actors.

I remember when I was fourteen or fifteen riding my bike to the motor inn on Mile Strip Road between McKinley Parkway and South Park (this was long before the Ralph was constructed) to watch the Bills practice in training camp on a football field behind the motel. Maybe a dozen fans, a few coaches, and the players. The players lived in the motel and walked out to the field passing among the fans. I remember Harry Jacobs wore a golf hat when he came out for stretching before practice. Everything was a lot simpler then. It seems like a million years ago. It WAS a million years ago.

This is what I really wanted to have happen--keep Schwartz as HC, and find a good OC to go with him. Don't change the defense up yet again. And I've never been as impressed with Rex as most of the fans here seem to be. I don't get the "allure" of his personality.

I see more splash than substance. I would have preferred they keep Kiko and Spiller, spend the cap room on the o-line and a first rate tight end, and locking in the defensive stars like Dareus, keeping Searcy. I'm okay with both QB acquisitions. The Harvin move is more flash even though he has not performed well recently and has been a problem child on other teams. The Bills, with the exception of running back, were lucky on injuries last season. A few key injuries--such as at linebacker--and this defense is not going to look so strong. It seems like an off season of pursuing headlines that do not necessarily translate into a better team on the field. So they start out free agency needing a tight end and OL help, and they end up letting their best tight end go with no replacement and still no help on the O line. Got it.

I'm of the opinion that this defense will not rank as high under Rex as it did under Schwartz.

I have pretty much hated all the moves the Bills have made since Marone left. I had not much use for Maron, but I hated the Rex hire. Hate this trade. Right now I am in "show me" mode. I have been a ver patient fan but I have no belief in this team right now.

This is my opinion as well.

I wish.

Much as I hate it, the Pats will win going away. The Seahawks used up all their luck getting into this game. They will get basted by the Pats, who will be looking to show that they don't need to cheat to win. The Pats will win by three touchdowns.

Yep. That's the earmark of Bills fans. Dump the only runner on the team who can break a run for more than ten yards. Dump the runner who AVERAGED six yards per carry a couple of years ago, the last time they had an OC who did not have his head up his fundament, because "we're not running that system." Yep. Who needs those 75-yard runs? Let's play someone who consistently will get us three yards per carry between the tackles, because that's really gonna make this offense hum.

Yes it will. Much as it makes me sick to say it, Patriots win going away.

The Patriots will win this easily. The only reason Seattle is in the Super Bowl is because or a complete collapse by the Packers, plus more lucky breaks in the last five minutes of the game than you are going to see in the next decade. The onside kick? That two-point conversion? The Pats defensive backs are better than the Packers'. Richard Sherman is crippled. Russell Wilson does not have another sack of horseshoes in his locker.

This.

This is complete BS. If they didn't hire Rex as HC, they would not have had to change defensive systems. It was a choice.

Who said anything about keeping Hackett? You set up a straw man and then knock him down. Don't put words in my mouth. We'll see what happens. I believe that Rex's coming here is not going to improve the defense, and I'm not convinced of his virtues as a head coach instead of a DC. The loss of continuity is undeniable, as is the change of the defensive system and calls. Mario is not a good fit for Rex's system, and Hughes is not a good fit for linebacker. Anyway, I've said what I think. If you look at my posts over the years, you'll see I am not generally negative. I'll be happy to be proven wrong, but I want to go on record as thinking this was not the best decision.

Can't you read? I'm saying they should have made Schwartz the HC and brought in a new OC. Then at least you have some continuity, and you're not blowing up the defensive system yet again for the sixth time in the last eight years. You're depending on Rex's new OC to fix the offense. Well, you could have had a new OC anyway, without screwing up the defense, and keeping some continuity on a team that has been dragged in a different direction every other year for a decade or more. You have not made a rational argument. "Rex will change that identity" is your argument. Rex's teams had no identity on offense--they were a complete joke, getting worse every season. Welcome to your new head coach.

Posted in another thread: All this jazz about Rex's great defensive mind is completely beside the point. The Bills ALREADY HAD a top five defense without Rex's great defensive mind. Do you really expect, with another freakin' change of system for next season, that the defense is going to be better than it was in 2014? So what is Rex bringing to the defense that the defense NEEDED? Even if you don't care about the prospect of players having to change roles to responsibilities they are not suited for. I will be flabbergasted if they play better defense in 2015 than they played in 2014. So what is Rex Ryan bringing to this team that IMPROVES their situation for 2015? Well, apparently he's bringing Roman as the new OC, a guy who has shepherded the decline of Colin Kaepernick over the last three seasons and whom they can't wait to be rid of in San Francisco. Even if you like Roman, the Bills could have had him ANYWAY--or any number of other OCs who I think would do a better job with the Bills personnel and as mentors for Manuel, while keeping Schwartz as HC. They have thrown away any chance for continuity on either side of the ball by throwing away Schwartz, and any improvement they have at OC they could have had anyway without hiring Rex. All this optimism that Rex's presence immediately makes this team more competitive is moonshine. The guy is 26-38 over the last four seasons as a head coach. I expect Whaley will give him a good roster to manage, with upgrades on the o-line, for instance. But Whaley would have done the same for anyone--Schwartz with Bevell, for instance, as OC. I do not see any convincing way that hiring Rex is going to improve this team for 2015 over what we saw in 2014. Except all of you who are so excited that the national press is paying more attention to the Bills. Enjoy Rex's press conferences, brothers and sisters. Wrong coach for this team at this time. A step backwards.