Kelly the Dog Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 I just saw a locker clean-out interview with Jerry Hughes. I saw it on Twitter and can't get it right now but it's on bills.com I think and someone will link it I'm sure. It's possible I'm reading into this but Hughes sounded to me like the players didn't put the work in in training camp to learn the playbook. I don't think he was talking about anyone in particular but just that they should have had the defense down, they had time to get it down, even before the season, and they just didn't get it down. He was a very standup guy about it. I was watching a Sabres game this year against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They were coming off an season where they ended on a 12-0-1 win streak but didn't make the playoffs. This year everyone everywhere thought they were going to be one of the better teams in the league and they have been terrible. The announcers were interviewing a guy who was there at the beginning of the season and he said it was immediately clear to him that these guys weren't prepared. They came into the season positive they were going to be great but didn't put the work in, didn't work their ass off in training camp, and just assumed they would start winning because of the way they played together at the end of last year. I think that's very possible what happened to the Bills defense. They just assumed they would be great because they had been great in 2014 and now had Rex. And they knew they knew how to play defense. But they may not have put the hours and work in to learn the new defense the way they should have. So maybe it wasn't all Rex's scheme and the blame goes half on the players. That said, I still think that Rex had an absolutely horrible year with his game plans and strategy and trying to be too cute. So even if it was more the players fault than we thought it wasn't less his fault for not pressuring, pressing, and doing what he does best in 14 of the 16 games.
Codyny13 Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 I think both Rex and the players came into this season with their noses in the air. The NFL and all of us thought they would be great, and they probably got complacent. Here's to hopin this season was a big wake up and the kick in the ass they need. I do expect a big turn around next year.
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 This is disappointing. But I wonder if it is also the case that to learn this scheme, you really need to play it. Takes more than just studying the playbook.
YoloinOhio Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 (edited) I listened to Kyle Williams interview from Monday night and got same impression. There was also an article from Dareus a few weeks ago with same sentiments. Edited January 6, 2016 by YoloinOhio
The Poojer Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 i read on this very board that it is in fact Rex's fault. True story!
Saxum Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 Issue was partly due to offense in training camp. The Bills defense was penetrating the offense line so fast they were instructed to take plays off so offense could get up to speed BUT the defense at that time were trying to adapt to a new defense scheme which resulted in stunting their growth. The injuries to primary backup defense lineman, Kyle Williams and Aaron Williams contributed.
4merper4mer Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 i read on this very board that it is in fact Rex's fault. True story! One would think a defensive genius coach would notice that his team was not properly absorbing material and preparing. Ours did not. Cuz Rex Sux.
dave mcbride Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 I just saw a locker clean-out interview with Jerry Hughes. I saw it on Twitter and can't get it right now but it's on bills.com I think and someone will link it I'm sure. It's possible I'm reading into this but Hughes sounded to me like the players didn't put the work in in training camp to learn the playbook. I don't think he was talking about anyone in particular but just that they should have had the defense down, they had time to get it down, even before the season, and they just didn't get it down. He was a very standup guy about it. I was watching a Sabres game this year against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They were coming off an season where they ended on a 12-0-1 win streak but didn't make the playoffs. This year everyone everywhere thought they were going to be one of the better teams in the league and they have been terrible. The announcers were interviewing a guy who was there at the beginning of the season and he said it was immediately clear to him that these guys weren't prepared. They came into the season positive they were going to be great but didn't put the work in, didn't work their ass off in training camp, and just assumed they would start winning because of the way they played together at the end of last year. I think that's very possible what happened to the Bills defense. They just assumed they would be great because they had been great in 2014 and now had Rex. And they knew they knew how to play defense. But they may not have put the hours and work in to learn the new defense the way they should have. So maybe it wasn't all Rex's scheme and the blame goes half on the players. That said, I still think that Rex had an absolutely horrible year with his game plans and strategy and trying to be too cute. So even if it was more the players fault than we thought it wasn't less his fault for not pressuring, pressing, and doing what he does best in 14 of the 16 games. Good take. I buy it.
Peter Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 I just saw a locker clean-out interview with Jerry Hughes. I saw it on Twitter and can't get it right now but it's on bills.com I think and someone will link it I'm sure. It's possible I'm reading into this but Hughes sounded to me like the players didn't put the work in in training camp to learn the playbook. I don't think he was talking about anyone in particular but just that they should have had the defense down, they had time to get it down, even before the season, and they just didn't get it down. He was a very standup guy about it. I was watching a Sabres game this year against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They were coming off an season where they ended on a 12-0-1 win streak but didn't make the playoffs. This year everyone everywhere thought they were going to be one of the better teams in the league and they have been terrible. The announcers were interviewing a guy who was there at the beginning of the season and he said it was immediately clear to him that these guys weren't prepared. They came into the season positive they were going to be great but didn't put the work in, didn't work their ass off in training camp, and just assumed they would start winning because of the way they played together at the end of last year. I think that's very possible what happened to the Bills defense. They just assumed they would be great because they had been great in 2014 and now had Rex. And they knew they knew how to play defense. But they may not have put the hours and work in to learn the new defense the way they should have. So maybe it wasn't all Rex's scheme and the blame goes half on the players. That said, I still think that Rex had an absolutely horrible year with his game plans and strategy and trying to be too cute. So even if it was more the players fault than we thought it wasn't less his fault for not pressuring, pressing, and doing what he does best in 14 of the 16 games. I think you are on to something. It is disappointing that players (at least some) did not put in the work to learn the defense. It also did not help there many players who had gotten first team reps ended up getting injured forcing back ups to get starter minutes. I am confident that the defense will be just fine in 2016.
filthymcnasty08 Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 When the attitude is coupled with your HC trying hard to be your best frat bro, guessing things were warm and comfy for all! Would explain a lot of what we saw...penalties too.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 (edited) I just saw a locker clean-out interview with Jerry Hughes. I saw it on Twitter and can't get it right now but it's on bills.com I think and someone will link it I'm sure. It's possible I'm reading into this but Hughes sounded to me like the players didn't put the work in in training camp to learn the playbook. I don't think he was talking about anyone in particular but just that they should have had the defense down, they had time to get it down, even before the season, and they just didn't get it down. He was a very standup guy about it. (...) They just assumed they would be great because they had been great in 2014 and now had Rex. And they knew they knew how to play defense. But they may not have put the hours and work in to learn the new defense the way they should have. So maybe it wasn't all Rex's scheme and the blame goes half on the players. That said, I still think that Rex had an absolutely horrible year with his game plans and strategy and trying to be too cute. So even if it was more the players fault than we thought it wasn't less his fault for not pressuring, pressing, and doing what he does best in 14 of the 16 games. You could very well be right that the players didn't put the work in and get it down in training camp, but IMHO if that's true, that's really on the coaches too. They need to be the ones who set the standard for what the players will need to know to achieve in their D. They need to be running quizzes or something in their group meetings or doing step throughs and making sure everyone knows what's expected of them, and making adjustments/simplifications if it's too complicated and the players aren't getting it. I think Rex came in and bought into his own P.R., had his nose in the air "great D coach meets fantastic D players" and shared that over to the players who were all like "yeah, #4 D was disappointing, we're gonna be #1". The questionmarks were all on O and there was a lot of O scrutiny, not so much on the D. It's up to the coaches in that circ (IMO) to gently lead them down to eartth and say "we're going to be #1.....IF we put in the work now and get in the playbook. Otherwise we're going to stink up the joint and lay an egg, you guys want to eat d*ck or make the other guy eat it?" Edited January 6, 2016 by Hopeful
3rdand12 Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 Plenty of blame to go around. Some folks like to single out a particular feature or factor. Let us hope, upon internal review sessions, the Team finds it's errors , roots them out and then takes corrective action. When the attitude is coupled with your HC trying hard to be your best frat bro, guessing things were warm and comfy for all! Would explain a lot of what we saw...penalties too. sometimes the kids need tough love. very true.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 I think you are on to something. It is disappointing that players (at least some) did not put in the work to learn the defense. It also did not help there many players who had gotten first team reps ended up getting injured forcing back ups to get starter minutes. I am confident that the defense will be just fine in 2016. Thing is, the last two games with the most injuries and the most backups playing were two of our better games. Maybe that's consistent - maybe the backups (knowing they were backups and playing for their jobs) are the ones who really put in the effort.
3rdand12 Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 You could very well be right that the players didn't put the work in and get it down in training camp, but IMHO if that's true, that's really on the coaches too. They need to be the ones who set the standard for what the players will need to know to achieve in their D. They need to be running quizzes or something in their group meetings or doing step throughs and making sure everyone knows what's expected of them, and making adjustments/simplifications if it's too complicated and the players aren't getting it. I think Rex came in and bought into his own P.R., had his nose in the air "great D coach meets fantastic D players" and shared that over to the players who were all like "yeah, #4 D was disappointing, we're gonna be #1". The questionmarks were all on O and there was a lot of O scrutiny, not so much on the D. It's up to the coaches in that circ (IMO) to gently lead them down to eartth and say "we're going to be #1.....IF we put in the work now and get in the playbook. Otherwise we're going to stink up the joint and lay an egg, you guys want to eat d*ck or make the other guy eat it?" you covered it nicely : )
QB Bills Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 As a coach, if his tactics weren't getting through, you'd think he would do something about it. This just sounds like an excuse to me. Every single player (except maybe gilmore) regressed on the defense. I don't think that's a coincidence and/or that each one of them didn't learn the playbook. Rex lost his balls around the same time he stopped being fat. Not that one has to do with the other. Just an observation. He only seemed to game plan for division games this year.
MDH Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 You could very well be right that the players didn't put the work in and get it down in training camp, but IMHO if that's true, that's really on the coaches too. They need to be the ones who set the standard for what the players will need to know to achieve in their D. They need to be running quizzes or something in their group meetings or doing step throughs and making sure everyone knows what's expected of them, and making adjustments/simplifications if it's too complicated and the players aren't getting it. I think Rex came in and bought into his own P.R., had his nose in the air "great D coach meets fantastic D players" and shared that over to the players who were all like "yeah, #4 D was disappointing, we're gonna be #1". The questionmarks were all on O and there was a lot of O scrutiny, not so much on the D. It's up to the coaches in that circ (IMO) to gently lead them down to eartth and say "we're going to be #1.....IF we put in the work now and get in the playbook. Otherwise we're going to stink up the joint and lay an egg, you guys want to eat d*ck or make the other guy eat it?" Yep, agree completely.
Kelly the Dog Posted January 6, 2016 Author Posted January 6, 2016 As a coach, if his tactics weren't getting through, you'd think he would do something about it. This just sounds like an excuse to me. Every single player (except maybe gilmore) regressed on the defense. I don't think that's a coincidence and/or that each one of them didn't learn the playbook. Rex lost his balls around the same time he stopped being fat. Not that one has to do with the other. Just an observation. He only seemed to game plan for division games this year.The problem as I saw it was the play came in from the sidelines, the players communicated with each other and just weren't sure of what they were doing or didn't have the microsecond to get ready to go and confident in their assignment when the ball was snapped. You could see this over and over and over. So if they did put the study time and playbook time in, they could have been more prepared and been ready when the ball was snapped, as well as confident in their assignment. The defense is super complex, which is a big part of the problem. People also worried Rex would suffer from nepotism and bring too many Jets in but he didn't and it probably hurt us that he didn't because no one knew the defense. I don't think IK counts.
Saint Doug Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 (edited) If this was true, one would expect the defense to improve as the season progressed. It didn't. There were much bigger problems than neglecting to study the playbook in June. What more likely happened was they didn't study the playbook in June. During training camp, they became confused, but chalked it up to learning a new system. By October, they were still confused and soon thereafter the players began to just give up and go through the motions. Now, they're sitting at home wondering what went wrong. Edited January 6, 2016 by Saint Doug
Kelly the Dog Posted January 6, 2016 Author Posted January 6, 2016 If this was true, one would expect the defense to improve as the season progressed. It didn't. There were much bigger problems than neglecting to study the playbook in June. There were better the last few games. By then half the defense was injured though.
The Big Cat Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 If this was true, one would expect the defense to improve as the season progressed. It didn't. There were much bigger problems than neglecting to study the playbook in June. This is categorically false. Not only did the defense stabilize AND improved, it did so in spite of devastating personnel losses.
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