BillsVet

Buffalo has, IIRC, the largest coaching staff in the NFL. Not including the HC, his staff and special teams, I count 18 coaches of which 9 are offensive. An OC, OL coach, WR coach, QB coach, RB coach (also Asst HC) Offensive Ass't, Sr. Offensive Ass't, TE, and Ass't QB coach. If the Bills can't figure out how to get the plays in, perhaps too many cooks is confusing the rest of the kitchen. As for the offensive game-plan, Roman isn't acting independently here. He's fulfilling the HC's vision of playing it safe with short passes and plenty of runs. It's what the HC dictates and, if this were 1975, it might work. When has Rex ever been the type of innovative offensive coach who spreads the field and throws 30 passes a game?

I see where this is going. How many playoff appearances does Fitz have by the way?

The propaganda arm of the franchise speaks. Ergo, it must be true. We're one game into the 2016 NFL season and CK wasn't selected to start. If he continues playing this well, perhaps he's not a bust. It's still not good when a 2nd round pick doesn't become a starter until another player is injured. I also noticed Sunday that they had another player positioned on the left side of the line to help. So I'd hold the horses on declaring he's improved his game significantly. Not being an outright starter seem to bear that out, especially when the RT is a guy they signed off the street last year.

4 years backing up a solid starting QB in Baltimore. 1 season as a starter. Another off-season in the same system. Still can't see the field, read defenses, or make basic throws. That seems to be a common theme over the past 10 years. The NFL doesn't give QB's 4-5 years to hopefully develop and the rules certainly favor them getting up to speed faster, particularly PI calls and roughing penalties. Meanwhile, other QB's are demonstrating early they can play in the league. On a weekend Buffalo's QB was missing sideline and checkdown throws, Jimmy Garoppolo, Carson Wentz (albeit vs. Cleveland), Derek Carr, Blake Bortles, Trevor Siemian, Jameis Winston, and Marcus Mariota were showing with less than 3 years starting experience how someone can excel without lengthy experience.

I'm thinking a lot of posters here don't remember the DJ years all that well. The realistic, i.e. "negative" types are otherwise known as "haters." But the people who use those terms are noticeably absent today after yesterday's game.

Great having you here Bill. Not sure what's happened to Woods, who despite poor QB play in 2013-14 looked like he'd be a good #2 WR. I'm also amazed they haven't figured out that targeting Clay more than 3 times a game. Whaley owns this roster and has been given more than previous GM's to make them good. Rex shares some of the blame, but hasn't got the time in Buffalo like the GM does.

BTW, what did Jim Monos order for lunch today?

To quote Dick Jauron: "It's hard to win in the NFL." While DJ and RR will never be confused, the teams they put on the field are eerily similar in terms of end result. Safe offensive scheme and a defense that tries to keep it close to eek on wins here and there. It's just that this year's team is a lot more expensive doing what DJ did back in the RW penny-pinching years.

Amazing how Smithers is always in the picture. For a guy TPegs said doesn't have anything to do with personnel, it was strange hearing the team prez was calling potential UDFA's after the draft. The front office, in its current configuration, is Brandon's. And those people have proven they aren't competent. He sure would. But Whaley's ego got in the way and wouldn't permit any competition to Manuel. This, after people were saying late in 2013 that Manuel couldn't play. https://twitter.com/jasoncolebr/status/503281788920553472 Didn't "Dealer" Doug cite this as something TT needed to improve on? Yet they just gave him a new contract? And people wonder why this franchise can't make the playoffs in a generation.

Rex being faux-humble in the post-game PC citing the Ravens defense comes off as real weak. Their defense wasn't special, but Buffalo's offense was unimaginative and TT, as he did so often last year, wilted when they needed him in the 4th quarter.

Greg Roman doesn't have the element of surprise anymore like he and Tyrod had in 2015. And you can be sure opposing defensive coordinators will use this game to make it more difficult for the Bills the rest of the way.

So these experts don't trust Rex to get a team into the post-season? I guess if you throw the last 5 seasons of Rex's coaching career out the window then they're wrong.

Or, they're looking for a possible solution at center and want a backup plan. That's how I see them extending a player at a position they just restructured the starter. People will say Wood played well last year...and he was indeed better. But he's a 7 year vet with a few major injuries and a UFA in 2018 playing on a decent sized contract.

Berchtold's day just got a whole lot better. So much for that non-ultimatum.

It is absurd that (EDIT: when) debating a football team's success there is no middle ground. Only "love" or "hate." I don't hate Doug Whaley, only that criticism of the GM makes one a "hater." For some reason, he is rarely, if ever open to criticism when the team for which he is charged with improving hasn't done that, or it is blamed on someone else or uncontrollable situation. I'd like for someone to explain to me what Doug Whaley's plan is to get this team into the playoffs. He's gone from banking on Manuel in 2013-14 (including the Watkins trade), to spending big in 2015 on free agents, to this year when they went all defense in the draft. During this time, he was not the driving force behind acquiring Taylor, who Rex badly wanted when HC with NYJ. (EDIT: He's all over the map) The Browns made significant changes this year, hiring analytics guru Paul DePodesta and new HC Hue Jackson. No one knows if those changes will succeed, but they've charted a new course. Their owner clearly saw front office dysfunction and did something quite radical. The Bills meanwhile, continue to employ many of the same people who were there when RW owned the team, including Whaley. These management types have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can't get it done and this off-season may well be their most embarrassing one yet. I know TPegs want to show loyalty, but in the process (as with the Sabres) he's relying on inadequate management. Now it's time to cue the usual suspects who defend the indefensible.

Where did anyone say or demand he's a top QB in the NFL? Talk about a straw man argument. The Bills will go as far as TT will take them and there's no getting around that fact. He's gotta step it up this season for Buffalo to go anywhere, and it'll be harder because opponents have a year of film on his strengths and weaknesses. Plus, the schedule most likely won't be as easy as last year's.

At least they finally got Aaron Williams in the concussion protocol. So things are looking up I guess.

No. Please pick up your pom-poms at the door and cheer everything the Bills do. Not doing so means you're a "hater." There's no middle ground in this debate.

He needs to be scouting for the Calgary Stampeders next year. This is outstanding insight.

Does this pre-season game factor into analytics to determining whether the Bills are still one of the best NFL teams going into the regular season?

I'm not surprised you're of the school that when a team plays well in the preseason, that's something to beat your chest about. When they don't, well, it's nothing because both teams are running vanilla schemes. At least that's what seems to be mentioned every preseason when things aren't looking good. If preseason game results are now a barometer for regular season success, why weren't they even going back a few years ago? I remember hearing that the results didn't matter in the preseason when the team didn't look good. Which one is it?

Pre-season grades are now indicative of success? We're really reaching now. The early nineties Bills were typically 0-4 each pre-season, yet would win 10 or more games. What does that mean?

The front office isn't accountable because it changes every few years, hence the new group gets another 2-3 years. Wash, rinse, repeat. Been like that particularly since 2006 when Marv and DJ came aboard. Then Brandon and DJ. Then Nix/Gailey. Then Whaley/Marrone/Rex. Personnel leadership has been changed out, new players, same result. One wonders who is hiring the GM's and why they're not held accountable.

If they're going to win enough to make the playoffs, it rides on the offense scoring enough points and that defense being, dare I say it..."bend but don't break."

We can judge drafts before the pre-season is over? It used to be the evaluation took at least 2 seasons.