Is 2 Seasons Enough ?

[T master]

Well we are in the time of year for us football & more importantly Bills fans that is the most boring time of the year, until camp opens we will all be looking for things to talk about & this is something i have pondered .

 

Rex is in his second year & there has been talk of him being on the hot seat if he doesn't take the team to the play offs, but is 2 seasons enough time ? I don't think so !!

 

The Pegula's are very smart owners & i think they should & do know better that it takes more time than 2 seasons to completely turn a team into a Patriot like team. They are looking at all options for the stadium & i think they have done their due diligence as far as coaching teenier goes.

 

Plus there is a lot to be said about stability as far as a coach staffs are concerned but in todays world instant gratification when it come to fans as far as coaching change is paramount & all other common sense is secondary !

 

There has been some comparisons between the Bills previous coach Marrone & Rex as far as records & defense but that isn't really a fair comparison. Marrone if you take into consideration that the Pats game IF Brady (and others) would have played there is a really good chance that he would have a 8 & 8 record not a 9 & 7 .

 

In Rex first year he went a legit 8 & 8 & our conference record was much better even with a complete scheme change on both sides of the ball, factor in him trying to keep some familiarity as to not completely brake a dominant defense from the year before (which was probably a mistake looking back) Add in that our now new DB coach Ed Reed has said there was a huge lack of communication & effort on that squads part.

 

Throw in the mix one highly paid cry baby that has went to Miami & it spelled disaster for that D

squad . I for one will love to see the difference this year to last on D side of the ball, i think the change will be enormous & Rex along with Rob will redeem themselves !

 

I believe even if Rex doesn't go to the play offs this year that just 2 seasons is not enough for him he needs at the very least 3 & if nothing else the Bills haven't been in the media this much since the 90's !! I like the fact that most every time i surf the web sports sites you will see at least one article about our beloved Bills or our coach.

 

But i think the drought ends this year ! Go Rex - Go Bills !!!

Edited June 23, 2016 by T master

[jimmy10]

There was a thread on the Bills subreddit recently. The question was: "What unpopular opinion do you have about the Bills?" Mine was that Rex will be fine as our HC, and just needs time to implement his system and get everyone on the same page. And, if we don't make the playoffs this year, that's not necessarily a good enough reason to can him.

 

My post got upvoted more than any other, so maybe it's not really that unpopular an opinion.

 

But like you, I am hopeful for a postseason spot this year, rendering the question moot.

[PromoTheRobot]

This team is talented enough to make the playoffs. Let's hope Rex can coach 'em up real good.

[Kemp2Warlick]

[BuffaloHokie13]

I'd like to see him treated in a similar manner as Marvin Lewis.

[GunnerBill]

First of all Marrone went 9-7 not 8-8. Second of all the Patriots backups were a thousand times better than the Cowboys 3rd string Rex beat last year.

 

Thirdly whether Rex gets a third year depends on the product he puts on the field. Simple as that.

[Dorkington]

Hell, some 'experts' here were calling for him to be fired half way through last season.

[John from Riverside]

I think it is going to depend on how the season goes

 

There are things that are difficult for ANY head coach to overcome.....key injuries for example and that has to be taken into consideration

 

If we get to 10 wins I think he stays no matter what

 

if its less then that....but factors come into play (ugh) then he might get another year

 

if the team stays relatively healthy....and they dont get to 10 wins....I think Rex is gone.

[Jerry Jabber]

While there are reports that Terry and Kim Pegula gave Doug Whaley and Rex Ryan an ultimatum to reach the playoffs or they will both be fired, those seem to be far-fetched as well as media driven. Let’s take a quick look at last season. While the offense improved from 26th in 2014, to 13th in 2015, the defense went from 4th in 2014 to 14th in 2015. With Rex Ryan being labeled as a “defensive mastermind,” why did the Bills defense do worse in 2015 compared to 2014? First off, let’s state the obvious, not every Bills player bought into Rex’s philosophy, namely, DE Mario Williams, who was saving himself in 2015 for his next contract. Williams was upset that he had to drop into coverage (even though it was a small amount of times), so he basically gave up on the team and tried to influence others to do so as well. Next reason, injuries to probowl DT Kyle Williams and S Aaron Williams impacted a lot of what Rex Ryan was trying to do on defense. Another reason, the complexity of Ryan’s defense. With Jim Schwartz’s defense, all the defensive front seven had to do was pressure the QB and stay in their gaps. With Ryan’s defense, it involves a lot of checks and assignments and it took a long time for those on defense to grasp it, especially Preston Brown, which is why Ryan gave play calling duties to Manny Lawson as he was able to grasp it much quicker than Brown. Even with all of that, the defense kept the Bills in the game in 12 of the 16 games last season.

 

Also, let’s take a look at how the Bills could miss the playoffs in 2016. The most obvious way would be if Bills QB Tyrod Taylor gets injured and misses a lot of games. We saw how bad the Bills were last season when backup QB EJ Manuel had to come in for two games…they lost both games and Manuel was awful against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Another way would be key injuries on offense and defense as we’ve seen last year when players such as Sammy Watkins, LeSean McCoy, Charles Clay and Karlos Williams all went down at some point on offense, not to mention other players like Special Teams ace Marcus Easley and others that were placed on IR.

Next, let’s take a look at the Bills owners, Terry and Kim Pegula. Are they the type of people who make quick decisions on firing their employees? The answer is “no” they are not, as seen with the Buffalo Sabres as well as their other business ventures. The Pegula’s do not see this as “year 16” as the rest of Bills nation does, they see it as “year two” under Doug Whaley and Rex Ryan. The Pegula’s are not like other NFL owners such as Cleveland’s Jimmy Haslam and Washington’s Daniel Snyder who will fire GM’s and coaches after a season or two. The Pegula’s believe in continuity as building a successful business. So, all the talk in the media about an ultimatum is just that, “talk.” While the media and fans have no patience with the Bills on continually missing the playoffs, it’s the owners that do have patience to see their project come to fruition. Otherwise, don’t expect major changes if the Bills miss the playoffs for a 17th straight season.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Jerry Jabber

[4merper4mer]

It's not so much that 2 years is too long. I don't think it is and I think under normal circumstances two years is an unfair period under which to judge a coach.

 

With Rex though, he does it too himself. He came in and on day one mocked our #4 defensive ranking from the previous year and said we'd be #1. Bravado is one thing, but mocking a #4 ranking is something that puts pressure on him to get the job done. He did not. And that shouldn't be any surprise because his defense has not produced good results in over half of a decade. That is an eternity in a fast moving sports league like the NFL.

 

The way I look at it, and it is perhaps unfair, Rex is in year 7, not year 1. His complaint in NY was "not enough talent". The Bills do not have that problem. Now produce. If he doesn't it is because of lack of discipline, blah, blah, blah which does frustrate me but I think the root cause is the antiquated scheme.

 

I would not pin the decision to a specific record. i could envision a 6-10 season with weird circumstances where I think Rex should be back. I do agree that 10+ wins and he stays, even if they are all lucky wins. It is the 7-9 - 9-7 with wasted opportunities to do better that are holding us back that frustrate me and make me think he should go. You know, if we look like we looked in 2015 where the offense was viable and the defense that Rex broke cost us a season. That would make me think it is time.

Edited June 22, 2016 by 4merper4mer

[hondo in seattle]

2 years is not enough for any HC. To be fair to Rex and Roman, they need at least 3 years to build their coaching staffs and fully implement their programs. And Whaley needs at least three years to build a roster that fits their schemes.

 

Coaches often - though not always - get better when given a chance to build something.

 

Belichick coached the Browns for five years. I bet they wish they had given him more time.

 

Both the Jets and Pats fired Pete Carroll before he found success with the Seahawks.

 

Even Vince Lombardi didn't win a playoff game till his third year with the Packers.

 

Coaches know it takes time to build a winner which is why they don't want to coach for teams that pull the trigger too fast. Let's not be one of those teams.

[FireChan]

How does a team from 9-7 to 7-9 if they lose a game?

[C.Biscuit97]

I'd like to see him treated in a similar manner as Marvin Lewis.

Why? In the 5 years before Marvin Lewis, the Bengals won a total of 19 games. The Bills won 15 games in the 2 years before Rex. The defense went from leading the league in sacks to finishing 2nd last. In 6 seasons, he won double digit wins once. He is the midst of 5 seasons of non-winning records. If anything, his first 2 seasons look like the flukes of his coaching career.

 

Why would you give a below average coach a long leash? This was about as talented a roster as there was when Rex was hired. I really liked the hire at the time. But maybe, Rex is better at talking than coaching. I would fire him if we do not have a winning record. I think there are plenty of coaches who can do a lot more with our talent than he did last year. He is a more talkative Dick Jauron at this point and I'd argue Jauron got more out of his talent than Rex did last year.

2 years is not enough for any HC. To be fair to Rex and Roman, they need at least 3 years to build their coaching staffs and fully implement their programs. And Whaley needs at least three years to build a roster that fits their schemes.

 

Coaches often - though not always - get better when given a chance to build something.

 

Belichick coached the Browns for five years. I bet they wish they had given him more time.

 

Both the Jets and Pats fired Pete Carroll before he found success with the Seahawks.

 

Even Vince Lombardi didn't win a playoff game till his third year with the Packers.

 

Coaches know it takes time to build a winner which is why they don't want to coach for teams that pull the trigger too fast. Let's not be one of those teams.

You know there are like a million examples of retrend coaches who did terrible at their next job. I mean just look at Rex's dad. good coach with the Eagles, he went 12-20 with the Cardinals.

 

And if I hear about schemes, I'm going to flip out. He needed players to fit the scheme of the #4 defense in the NFL??? Holy crap, that would be the absolute worse reason to keep. Good coaches adjust. Bad coaches complain about not having players for their systems.

[Captain_Quint]

6-10 or worse I think he's gone.

 

7-9 50/50.

 

8-8 or 9-7 he gets another year probably.

 

And obviously 10-6 or better he definitely comes back.

This seems like a pretty fair and balanced response. What happened to the real ScottLaw???

[C.Biscuit97]

6-10 or worse I think he's gone.

 

7-9 50/50.

 

8-8 or 9-7 he gets another year probably.

 

And obviously 10-6 or better he definitely comes back.

Rex = loud mouth Dick Jauron

[BillnutinHouston]

The Pegulas don't have a track record of pulling the plug quickly, however with the Bills they have Greg "Nittany" Roman waiting in the wings, who would likely get away if he wasn't promoted post-Rex. So, past actions may not be the best predictor of what they'll do with Rex.

[GunnerBill]

6-10 or worse I think he's gone.

 

7-9 50/50.

 

8-8 or 9-7 he gets another year probably.

 

And obviously 10-6 or better he definitely comes back.

I'd put 8-8 in with 7-9 as a 50/50. But 9-7 he gets another year, 10 wins or more and the playoffs he stays and starts to build some credit which might mean he could surivive a losing season in 2017 if they took a small step back for instance.

[hondo in seattle]

Why? In the 5 years before Marvin Lewis, the Bengals won a total of 19 games. The Bills won 15 games in the 2 years before Rex. The defense went from leading the league in sacks to finishing 2nd last. In 6 seasons, he won double digit wins once. He is the midst of 5 seasons of non-winning records. If anything, his first 2 seasons look like the flukes of his coaching career.

 

Why would you give a below average coach a long leash? This was about as talented a roster as there was when Rex was hired. I really liked the hire at the time. But maybe, Rex is better at talking than coaching. I would fire him if we do not have a winning record. I think there are plenty of coaches who can do a lot more with our talent than he did last year. He is a more talkative Dick Jauron at this point and I'd argue Jauron got more out of his talent than Rex did last year.

You know there are like a million examples of retrend coaches who did terrible at their next job. I mean just look at Rex's dad. good coach with the Eagles, he went 12-20 with the Cardinals.

 

And if I hear about schemes, I'm going to flip out. He needed players to fit the scheme of the #4 defense in the NFL??? Holy crap, that would be the absolute worse reason to keep. Good coaches adjust. Bad coaches complain about not having players for their systems.

 

These are all good points C.Biscuit.

 

But the Pegualas made Rex their first HC hire - only to fire him after his second season?

 

I don't think that makes the Pegulas attractive owners for future coaches. HCs, OCs, and DCs want time to build their squads and implement their schemes. Furthermore, Head Coaches are continually refining their coaching staffs. Maybe some of the guys they wanted weren't available their first year. But they'll have trouble hiring anybody their second or third years if the Pegulas become known for short leashes.

 

I'm with ScottLaw: unless the Bills collapse, Rex gets another year. I think the Pegulas need to send the message: we believe in giving coaches a fair chance to succeed.

 

First impressions are lasting impressions and the NFL coaching community needs to like what they see of Terry and Kim right now.

[4merper4mer]

How does a team from 9-7 to 7-9 if they lose a game?

 

 

In a real sense, they can't. But when tie breakers are taken into account it can amount to that happening.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Noooo!!!!!! We want more loudmouthed mediocrity! We can never have enough.

 

As long as he's around the bills will be in the news no matter what the record says!