Dr. K

i.e.: Rex Ryan's mini-me.

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.

This is the way I see it to. Terrible choice that cause unnecessary turmoil and potentially serious problems.

They HAD Bradham and Kiko in Rex's defense, which was Pettine's defense, and Bradham looked so bad in it he could not get off the bench. People were calling him a bust. They also had one of the worst run defenses in the league. Generally I agree with you, Kelly, but I'm terribly skeptical about this move, more every day.

Who cares! Buffalo fans have such a pathetic self-image that they are impressed if Sports Illustrated sends a reporter. It's laughable. So Rex commands media attention. It has nothing to do with his ability as a head coach, which I for one am totally not convinced of.

If they're lucky.

No. I like Whaley and I think in general he has done a good job. But Rex is the wrong HC hire. Maybe the Pegulas were leaning on him to make the sexy hire of the Big Name, like they did with LaFontaine for the Sabres. I'm saying Rex is not taking this team to the playoffs. He has a terrible record developing an offensive system and a QB. The Bills DID NOT NEED the things Ryan is bringing. He was the wrong hire for this team at this time. Of course I could be wrong, and I'll be pulling for them, but I have NO faith in Ryan. None.

Exactly. It made no sense, and once they hired Ryan this outcome was inevitable. So now they blow it all up AGAIN, Rex fires a prerfectly good, successful defensive staff, brings in his own toadies and spends all his time obsessed with the defense. Sixth defensive coordinator change in eight years. Idiocy. The last time this happened was when the Bills hired Greggo from Tennessee. Bills had the number two defense in the league, and Tennessee had number one. So he throws the Bills defense into the dumpster, gets rid of Ted Washington, installs a new system and the Bills go 3-13. I'm not saying Ryan will go 3-13, but this constant churning of coaches and system is moronic. I fail to see what Ryan is bringing to the table that the Bills would not have gotten better by keeping Schwartz and hiring an offensive minded head coach, or making Scwartz the HC and getting a fresh, innovative offensive coordinator.

Whaley is going to go down with idiot Rex as coach. Gone in three years.

I freakin' hate this. This is one one of the reasons why hiring Ryan was a bad idea. The Bills need help on offense and the first thing that happens is they lose the DC who brought them the best defense in the last decade. For what? A "Big Name" coach who hasn't won in four years. Until I see otherwise, hiring Ryan was a terrible decision. I hate this musical chairs administration. No continuity. It makes me sick. The Pegulas dazzled by Ryan's fame and the spotlight it brings. Idiocy.

The more I read and think about this, the more I feel that this is the WRONG choice. It is going to mess up the defense. Say goodbye to Schwartz and watch the Bills switch defensive schemes again. Or if Schwartz stays, you'll have a tug of war between him and Ryan over what to play. This isn't a step forward, it's a setback. Meanwhile, Ryan has shown absolutely NO ABILITY to create a successful offensive identity. He, and Roman his choice for OC have been mediocre to bad at developing quarterbacks and are all about run first. Forget about Manuel being schooled to play his best. I hope to be proven wrong about this, but the orgasms people are having about hiring Rex, and the talk about this giving the Bills "credibility" are in my opinion unwarranted. He's not a bad coach, but he's not the right one for this team at this time.

The more I think about this, the less I like it. I expect Schwartz to be dumped, which I consider a mistake, and if not, it's a prescription for conflict to have two defensive minded coaches, with different systems, running the same defense. I fell like the Pegulas went for the "big name" regardless of what made the most sense for the team.

And who's going to run the football? Freddie was great but he's certainly done as a feature back. You want to see a heavy diet of Boobie Dixon and Bryce Brown, you got it. Doesn't sound like it's going to have defenses quaking in their boots.

This

Yes, you will, won't you.

All you Latin students get a free pass.

I don't think either Polian or Marone is, in the end, going to come out looking that great from this. Let's not assume that the problems here are all on the part of the Bills organization. The tale will be told in the team's record in the next season or two (and in Marone's record wherever he ends up). I think Marone has real ability as a coach, but I also think this season has revealed some character issues with him.

This sounds plausible to me. But Marone may be wrong about him.

And the plural of Pegula is Pegulas. No freakin' apostrophe in a simple plural. The plural of dog is dogs, not dog's. The plural of football is footballs, not football's. I swear, illiteracy is growing like a zombie epidemic.

I'm glad they are showing this trust in Whaley. I will be very interested to see who he comes up with. I hope that whoever it is, Schwartz is still with the team--the continuity will make a difference, and the team can go forward kicking the dust of Doug Marone off their cleats.

+1

+1000 Plus, the nostalgia brigade makes me nauseous. Please, don't hire Polian, don't hire Frank Reich.

The big problem right now is the sense of chaos in the Bills' management. Keeping Schwartz, either by making him the head coach or by having whoever the new coach is keep him on as DC, it seems to me is vital to having any chance at stability and maintaining player morale. I do not want to see yet another defensive coach take over and install a new scheme. But I have to say that Marone's bailing has left the team is a bad spot. All the people here who are leaping with joy are ignoring the huge uncertainties this leaves, the disruption of routines, the questions about the future it naturally raises. It's a mess.

Please, not Frank Reich.

I'd take a half dozen other QBs before Sanchez. Foles, Hoyer, Glennon, Bradford. Maybe it's just because I saw Sanchez play a lot in the AFC East and I think he stinks. Clearly you see him differently. I will be very surprised and disappointed if the Bills seek him out.