Failed Expectations, Rex Ryan is not a leader of men

[JohnC]

The way I analyze this year is that Mario and Kyle are declining assets, Hughes and Dareus are underperforming since they received their big contracts, Bradham is overrated, Lawson is one dimensional, the entire offensive line is a mess, the entire WR core is overrated, our main RB asset is in decline, the secondary has played way better than expected but lack depth...oh yeah special teams is a complete disaster.

 

...and we still have a question mark about Taylor, when playing has been very good thus far IMO.

 

IMO this is not a playoff roster.

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

[Boatdrinks]

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.

Yes he has the ability to get it corrected. Have the penalty totals gone down since the bracelets? If so, perhaps they were effective. Sitting a guy would be extreme, but how do you know that he would not do that if it came to it? Did they not keep A Williams on the sideline for awhile after his meltdown? There s more than one way to skin a cat. I think the penalties have gone down since those two games though.

 

 

So what do you say about Belichick then? They have been in the same situation with penalties over the last couple of years as well.

 

I believe the Pats and Bills were the most penalized teams last year. Belichick must have failed his primary responsibilities as HC?

It was Seahawks and Pats 1-2 in penalties. Bills were top 5( or maybe it's bottom five depending how you look at it)

[Steve Billieve]

What Rex says doesn't matter... That is the problem most of you people have with this. Everyone that complains about Rex talks about the things he says like that affects any aspect of NFL football.

I didn't like Rex when he was on the Jets. It wasn't anything he did, or said, he was just on the Jets. I liked laughing at his enormous man boobs, and how angry he got when he was loosing, it was fun disliking Rex and I miss the good old days.

[hondo in seattle]

Many years ago - after much leadership training - I led 165 soldiers into combat during Desert Storm. I'm proud to say, we kicked a**.

 

After leaving the army, I became the leader of a multi-million dollar restaurant business with hundreds of employees. This team kicked butt too, in a completely different field of endeavor.

 

One of my bookcases is jammed with leadership and management books with dog-eared pages. I even give leadership classes from time to time.

 

While I won't profess to be an expert, I will claim to know a little something about the noble subject of leadership.

 

And I have no idea if Rex Ryan is a "leader of men." I only know what I read in the media - which isn't always credible. And it's just not enough to make a judgment.

 

I don't know what Rex says to his subordinate coaches when he talks to them one-on-one. I don't know what he says to his players. I don't know what he does on the practice field, in the meeting rooms, in his office, or on the sidelines.

 

In my classes, I sometimes use a list of 7 fundamental leadership principles. Back in the day, the army taught me 11 fundamental principles of leadership. I can't competently evaluate Rex's performance in any one of these.

 

I know the team is under-performing. Certainly Rex is failing somewhere. That I can see when the Bills take the field. I can see Mario dropping back into coverage. I can see opposing QBs stand unmolested in clean pockets. I can see TT and EJ getting sacked after an O Lineman got beat. Those events I can evaluate.

 

But are these failings because Rex doesn't hold people accountable or some other leadership shortcoming? I can't say. I think it's unwise and unfair to evaluate something we know so little about.

Edited November 2, 2015 by hondo in seattle

[PlayoffsPlease]

Many years ago - after much leadership training - I led 165 soldiers into combat during Desert Storm. I'm proud to say, we kicked a**.

 

After leaving the army, I became the leader of a multi-million dollar restaurant business with hundreds of employees. This team kicked butt too, in a completely different field of endeavor.

 

One of my bookcases is jammed with leadership and management books with dog-eared pages. I even give leadership classes from time to time.

 

While I won't profess to be an expert, I will claim to know a little something about the noble subject of leadership.

 

And I have no idea if Rex Ryan is a "leader of men." I only know what I read in the media - which isn't always credible. And it's just not enough to make a judgment.

 

I don't know what Rex says to his subordinate coaches when he talks to them one-on-one. I don't know what he says to his players. I don't know what he does on the practice field, in the meeting rooms, in his office, or on the sidelines.

 

In my classes, I sometimes use a list of 7 fundamental leadership principles. Back in the day, the army taught me 11 fundamental principles of leadership. I can't competently evaluate Rex's performance in any one of these.

 

I know the team is under-performing. Certainly Rex is failing somewhere. That I can see when the Bills take the field. I can see Mario dropping back into coverage. I can see opposing QBs stand unmolested in clean pockets. I can see TT and EJ getting sacked after an O Lineman got beat. Those events I can evaluate.

 

But are these failings because Rex doesn't hold people accountable or some other leadership shortcoming? I can't say. I think it's unwise and unfair to evaluate something we know so little about.

 

This is a results business. Rex is failing to meet expectations. Whaley is failing to meet expectations. At some point it doesn't matter why they are failing, They either get it change the results, or the team needs to move on from them.

[Boatdrinks]

 

This is a results business. Rex is failing to meet expectations. Whaley is failing to meet expectations. At some point it doesn't matter why they are failing, They either get it change the results, or the team needs to move on from them.

100% correct . What some don't realize is when exactly it becomes " some point". I don't know exactly , but I'm pretty sure it's not 3-4 in season one. It's probably not even in season one at all, or even two, barring disaster. A five year deal likely means Rex gets : years. It's pretty standard in the business . There's lots left to play out in this one.

[iinii]

I think TP felt he had to make big splash. We just made a big splash.

and it is circling.......

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Everything is results at some point. I'm assuming most people mean the old Bill Parcells...."you are what your record says you are!" However, not examining how the results were achieved leads to poor decision making. Among the questions that needs to be answered is 7 games a big enough sample size? As Hondo said above, people on this board don't have the information to answer the other questions.

 

I would caution against falling back on the old media nonsense about it being 100% results oriented.

Edited November 2, 2015 by The Thurmanator

[Nihilarian]

The way I analyze this year is that Mario and Kyle are declining assets, Hughes and Dareus are underperforming since they received their big contracts, Bradham is overrated, Lawson is one dimensional, the entire offensive line is a mess, the entire WR core is overrated, our main RB asset is in decline, the secondary has played way better than expected but lack depth...oh yeah special teams is a complete disaster.

 

...and we still have a question mark about Taylor, when playing has been very good thus far IMO.

 

IMO this is not a playoff roster.

A defense doesn't go from being #1 in the NFL to 29th in the NFL with almost the very same players unless there is a real coaching problem. Just the same way most Bills fans knew that there was a problem with the coaching when DC George Edwards failed for two years, and Dave Wannstedt also failed with so much talent on the defensive side of the ball. Its not just one or two of those D linemen failing, as its with all four.

 

The Buffalo Bills had 9 of 11 starters either first or second round draft picks, and other guys like DT Kyle Williams were already established as a top player at his position. The front office also realized that there was a coaching problem, and a big reason as to why after Gailey was fired and Marrone was hired that Whaley & Brandon sought out and brought in Ryan's ex DC Mike Pettine to utilize those horses up front on defense. To utilize all the early draft picks used on the defensive side.

 

Here we are in 2015 a year after Jim Schwartz had built one of the best defenses in the NFL, #4 overall and the #1 sacking, QB pressuring team in the NFL. Its my belief that Brandon & Whaley already had their eye on Rex Ryan as the new HC because he above all the other candidates would also be able to utilize all those top players on defense like Pettine did, or so they thought.

 

 

Many people think that this years team was built to win now, and before the season started many people thought this years team would be in the playoffs, including me. Injuries, poor coaching, wrong decisions / acquisitions by the GM is what derailed this team this year. That looks to be a running the theme for the last 15 years.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Injuries, poor coaching, wrong decisions / acquisitions by the GM is what derailed this team this year. That looks to be a running the theme for the last 15 years.

 

The two bolded points go hand in hand. Every team has injuries. Just take a look at the weekly injury report put out by the NFL. The GM has to build a complete roster that can compensate and compete on the field with the given eventuality that injures will without a doubt happen. Next man up.

 

I'd put some blame on the players here. Maybe the new coaches aren't using them to the best of their abilities, but when it gets right down to it, they simply aren't playing well regardless. Scheme can't cover up players making mistakes and lack of execution.