Buffalo Bills Fire Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman

[stevewin]

 

@MatthewFairburn

Sammy Watkins explains what happened when Buffalo Bills players met with Pegulas http://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2016/09/sammy_watkins_explains_what_happened_when_buffalo_bills_players_met_with_pegulas.html

 

 

 

 

"You can't handle or determine (whether) he was bad or good"

We can't handle the truth?

[Prickly Pete]

I'll believe this stuff if I see marked difference in play. Until then, it mean's nothing, and just sounds like excuses.

 

And if I was the owner, I would have stepped in. I have no problem whatsoever with Pegula stepping in (if he actually did).

[Deranged Rhino]

It's easy to buy the Pegulas are meddlesome narrative because that's so easy to believe.

And yet, even when Terry comes out and openly says Rex has oversight over team and staff, it barely moves the meter. And I mean barely.

I don't know if I'm more disappointed in the "media" for being lazy, or disappointed in some Bills fans for accepting lazy journalism.

 

Not one "national" reporter reached out to the Pegulas for a comment on "the Pegulas fired Roman" story.

Not one.

And even Rappaport's story was incredulous given his leap of logic, as in: "Sources tell me Pegulas met with players behind closed doors, without Rex so I must assume he wasn't involved on the decision."

That's just plane irresponsible journalism.

 

And yet, it is adopted as being written-in-stone-cold-hard-fact.

 

Shameful.

 

jw

 

Thanks for all your work in general, but for this post especially.

[Nihilarian]

Did we watch the same game?

 

The defense couldn't get off the field on 3rd down. Pitch and catch for Fitzy. Almost 500 yards of total offense for the Jets. Solution? Fire the offensive coordinator.

 

Tire fire baby.

 

Yep. But it wasn't just the defense not stopping them. Once Hughes went out the pass rush went with him so it was difficult to get pressure on Fitz after that. More importantly, those defensive players get tired when the offense keeps giving the ball back after three downs and out. Then when the ToP is nearly 40 min to 20 min the players are probably exhausted by the second half and in particular those DB's who need to run all over.

 

We also know that both Gilmore and Darby are better than they looked on Thursday night. I'm not sticking up for Ryan because I still can't stand the guy. But when a run first offense can't run the ball in 2016 after being the leading rushing team in 2015 with the very same players there is something wrong. Rex is the HC so obviously, he wanted to make the change to a guy he thinks can improve things.

 

It's not like Jauron going from Turk Schonert to Alex Van Pelt and the blind leading the blind. Lynn was on a bunch of different teams short list as a possiable HCing candidate so let's see what he can do for the offense.

[Peter]

 

 

It's easy to buy the Pegulas are meddlesome narrative because that's so easy to believe.

And yet, even when Terry comes out and openly says Rex has oversight over team and staff, it barely moves the meter. And I mean barely.

I don't know if I'm more disappointed in the "media" for being lazy, or disappointed in some Bills fans for accepting lazy journalism.

 

Not one "national" reporter reached out to the Pegulas for a comment on "the Pegulas fired Roman" story.

Not one.

And even Rappaport's story was incredulous given his leap of logic, as in: "Sources tell me Pegulas met with players behind closed doors, without Rex so I must assume he wasn't involved on the decision."

That's just plane irresponsible journalism.

 

And yet, it is adopted as being written-in-stone-cold-hard-fact.

 

Shameful.

 

jw

I appreciate all of the work you do.

 

Although I agree with the above, I would not restrict it to national guys. How about some of the local guys? There are some local guys who have been just as irresponsible (or more so). Whether you think Rex is a good coach or not, this whole Rex is going to get fired if the Bills do not make the playoffs is total BS* - and obviously so to anyone who has any familiarity with the Pegulas. The sad thing is that Vic used to be great before he came back. Sadly, Vic has been wrong about a lot and seems to feel like he has to be more like some (not all) of the others at TBN for whom I have little respect (although I do respect Tim Graham and really liked Ty Dunne before he left). It also is quite embarrassing to listen to some of these local guys ask questions in the press conferences trying to push their narratives. It is not as bad as the end of year Sabres PC of a few years ago, but these PCs do not reflect well on some of these guys as journalists.

 

In any event, we are lucky to have some good local reporters such as yourself. Buffalo had a history of great journalists like Jim Kelley and Larry Felser and others. It is a shame sports journalism has become more and more like snarky sports radio.

 

Thanks again for putting in the work -- in other words, doing your job.

 

*In other words, there is no way that the Pegulas will fire Rex for missing the playoffs by itself (the false narrative that was and has been pushed). It would have to be something much more than merely not making the playoffs.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Peter

[Delete This Account]

your take on all of this organization pre game was so different than any opinions written. Was a fresh air to the whole situation. There wasn't much you opened up on and no insider info but your optimism of Rex was surprising.

 

i don't know if it was optimism as opposed to realism based on what philosophies the Bills are operating with under the Pegulas.

now, things might change based on results, and this is not a great start to Rex's second season. however, this win-or-else talk is just that: talk.

 

jw

Thank you. It does seem like there are leaks from the organization that get picked up nationally (like this one) or locally (Vic Carucci's report of the "ultimatum", Whaley going "rogue" cutting Fred) and the Bills respond saying they are erroneous. Who at OBD is talking to the media that is spreading this stuff? It happened when Marrone was there as well (Jason LaCanfora and the "Saint Doug" story)

 

The more teams try to control the media, the more leaks that happen. and this isn't just the bills. it's every where, with sports teams across the gamut trying to bang home the company message with their own "journalists."

 

that said, i had the best access to folks under Dick Jauron's regime for some strange reason.

 

jw

[May Day 10]

If they battle back to 7 or 8 wins I can see them keep the staff intact for sure.

 

However, the current trajectory falls short of that. Those were 2 of their 'easier' games, and the Jets completely kicked their teeth in. If the team continues on this path, I wouldn't be surprised to hear some drama between players, players/coaches, Whaley and Ryans jockeying to avoid blame, etc. It started to percolate last season, and IMO the whole culture here with the Ryan Bros' style and the management structure is a perfect storm for that

[boyst]

 

i don't know if it was optimism as opposed to realism based on what philosophies the Bills are operating with under the Pegulas.

now, things might change based on results, and this is not a great start to Rex's second season. however, this win-or-else talk is just that: talk.

 

jw

 

 

The more teams try to control the media, the more leaks that happen. and this isn't just the bills. it's every where, with sports teams across the gamut trying to bang home the company message with their own "journalists."

 

that said, i had the best access to folks under Dick Jauron's regime for some strange reason.

 

jw

jauron was loved by players and the media. He must be that good of a guy. Seems to be

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

 

I mean, what happened to #OVERTHEMIDDLE!?!

 

TT happened.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

 

TT happened.

 

When in doubt - blame the QB. It's his fault mccoy has 117 yards rushing between 2 games. And we probably lead the league in negative rushes.

 

I'll say TT made mistakes, but we also had like 3 or 4 3rd and 9s... and a 3rd and 30.

 

We had no rhythm under Roman, i can only hope that its something we try to drive home under lynn. Try throwing 1 pass every 20 minutes and see how accurate it is.

Edited September 20, 2016 by dneveu

[Prickly Pete]

 

When in doubt - blame the QB. It's his fault mccoy has 117 yards rushing between 2 games. And we probably lead the league in negative rushes.

 

I'll say TT made mistakes, but we also had like 3 or 4 3rd and 9s... and a 3rd and 30.

 

We had no rhythm under Roman, i can only hope that its something we try to drive home under lynn. Try throwing 1 pass every 20 minutes and see how accurate it is.

 

Actually, defense's stack the line against Tyrod, because he isn't very good. So that is directly effecting the running game.

[Heitz]

 

We had no rhythm under Roman, i can only hope that its something we try to drive home under lynn.

 

A-freaking-men.

 

 

And wasn't TT one of the guys throwing #OVERTHEMIDDLE all summer? Now that's just mysteriously gone? Frustrating.

[dave mcbride]

It's easy to buy the Pegulas are meddlesome narrative because that's so easy to believe.

And yet, even when Terry comes out and openly says Rex has oversight over team and staff, it barely moves the meter. And I mean barely.

I don't know if I'm more disappointed in the "media" for being lazy, or disappointed in some Bills fans for accepting lazy journalism.

 

Not one "national" reporter reached out to the Pegulas for a comment on "the Pegulas fired Roman" story.

Not one.

And even Rappaport's story was incredulous given his leap of logic, as in: "Sources tell me Pegulas met with players behind closed doors, without Rex so I must assume he wasn't involved on the decision."

That's just plane irresponsible journalism.

 

And yet, it is adopted as being written-in-stone-cold-hard-fact.

 

Shameful.

 

jw

 

Good stuff, John, but I've gotta tell you -- the stuff that bothers me the most isn't this sort of thing, but the failure of reporters to do even modestly deep-dives on overall production stats over time and instead focus on the equivalent of anecdotes to assess the guy who was fired (i.e., 3-and-out percentage). I've mentioned this in other threads, but when Roman took over as OC in SF, there was a massive uptick in offensive productivity relative to the four years before he took over using Football Outsiders' DVOA stat. And when he took over the Bills offense in 2015, they went from 26th to 9th, and 9th was their highest ranking since 1999. I'm NOT saying he was perfect, but that's impressive. There's a narrative now out there that seems to be being pushed by the team that he was lousy, but what are the alternatives? Is a friend-of-Rex RB coach really the answer? Anyway, no reporter that I know is analyzing his actual record in full. Too bad Tyler Dunne left the News; he might have done it. It's allso worth noting that the Bills put up more yards and points against a basically elite Jets D since games 8 and 7 (respectively) last season, and I'm not counting the defensive TD.

[NoSaint]

 

Good stuff, John, but I've gotta tell you -- the stuff that bothers me the most isn't this sort of thing, but the failure of reporters to do even modestly deep-dives on overall production stats over time and instead focus on the equivalent of anecdotes to assess the guy who was fired (i.e., 3-and-out percentage). I've mentioned this in other threads, but when Roman took over as OC in SF, there was a massive uptick in offensive productivity relative to the four years before he took over using Football Outsiders' DVOA stat. And when he took over the Bills offense in 2015, they went from 26th to 9th, and 9th was their highest ranking since 1999. I'm NOT saying he was perfect, but that's impressive. There's a narrative now out there that seems to be being pushed by the team that he was lousy, but what are the alternatives? Is a friend-of-Rex RB coach really the answer? Anyway, no reporter that I know is analyzing his actual record in full. Too bad Tyler Dunne left the News; he might have done it. It's allso worth noting that the Bills put up more yards and points against a basically elite Jets D since games 8 and 7 (respectively) last season, and I'm not counting the defensive TD.

yea, i think this is a spot where there are two sides of the coin..... he was a good enough OC to be among the highest paid, came with a bit of track record, and did accomplish a bump --- but there were issues and questions too.

[Coach Tuesday]

 

Good stuff, John, but I've gotta tell you -- the stuff that bothers me the most isn't this sort of thing, but the failure of reporters to do even modestly deep-dives on overall production stats over time and instead focus on the equivalent of anecdotes to assess the guy who was fired (i.e., 3-and-out percentage). I've mentioned this in other threads, but when Roman took over as OC in SF, there was a massive uptick in offensive productivity relative to the four years before he took over using Football Outsiders' DVOA stat. And when he took over the Bills offense in 2015, they went from 26th to 9th, and 9th was their highest ranking since 1999. I'm NOT saying he was perfect, but that's impressive. There's a narrative now out there that seems to be being pushed by the team that he was lousy, but what are the alternatives? Is a friend-of-Rex RB coach really the answer? Anyway, no reporter that I know is analyzing his actual record in full. Too bad Tyler Dunne left the News; he might have done it. It's allso worth noting that the Bills put up more yards and points against a basically elite Jets D since games 8 and 7 (respectively) last season, and I'm not counting the defensive TD.

 

Agreed but it won't matter in a few weeks. Wait until Lynn's offense faceplants - which I suspect it will. You think it's ugly around OBD now, it's going to get much, much worse when everyone realizes (because it becomes obvious) that the problem was not Greg Roman. The product in the field will soon reveal all. Rex went "all in" with his guy, again, and his owners gave him the support and rope to do it. That's why Rex will be on the Fox Pregame Show in 2017, which I've been saying for awhile now.

[dave mcbride]

yea, i think this is a spot where there are two sides of the coin..... he was a good enough OC to be among the highest paid, came with a bit of track record, and did accomplish a bump --- but there were issues and questions too.

I agree he wasn't perfect and that the Bills offense had some notable flaws. But they have a limited QB and they did in fact get a lot better. More importantly, who are they replacing him with? I sure hope I'm wrong, but I have grave, grave doubts about Lynn. I fear that we might see Tyrod devolve from a Kaep-type player (in the Roman years in SF) to a Geno Smith-type player because of the apparent new emphasis on simplicity. The next three defenses the Bills face - AZ, NE, and LA - are all good and have DCs who know how to exploit simplistic offensive schemes that basically rely on stars to make plays.

[The Big Cat]

 

i don't know if it was optimism as opposed to realism based on what philosophies the Bills are operating with under the Pegulas.

now, things might change based on results, and this is not a great start to Rex's second season. however, this win-or-else talk is just that: talk.

 

jw

 

The more teams try to control the media, the more leaks that happen. and this isn't just the bills. it's every where, with sports teams across the gamut trying to bang home the company message with their own "journalists."

 

that said, i had the best access to folks under Dick Jauron's regime for some strange reason.

 

jw

 

that was 100% jauron's rep here in chicago too!

[GG]

I agree he wasn't perfect and that the Bills offense had some notable flaws. But they have a limited QB and they did in fact get a lot better. More importantly, who are they replacing him with? I sure hope I'm wrong, but I have grave, grave doubts about Lynn. I fear that we might see Tyrod devolve from a Kaep-type player (in the Roman years in SF) to a Geno Smith-type player because of the apparent new emphasis on simplicity. The next three defenses the Bills face - AZ, NE, and LA - are all good and have DCs who know how to exploit simplistic offensive schemes that basically rely on stars to make plays.

 

But it was also clear that Roman's complex offense wasn't getting it done. Not saying that Lynn's will definitely work, but they needed to change the things that weren't working (or at least on a path to improving)

[4merper4mer]

 

 

that said, i had the best access to folks under Dick Jauron's regime for some strange reason.

 

jw

 

 

Maybe the "strange" reason was that Jauron was a gentleman and a professional.

[The Big Cat]

 

 

Maybe the "strange" reason was that Jauron was a gentleman and a professional.

 

...and the best coach we've had since Wade.