Buffalo Bills 2016

[That Aud Smell]

Honestly, if Rex had done some football things worth valuing (like, say, Harbaugh in Baltimore (he'd lost in the playoffs to the Patriots in 2014 when he said that, yes?), he'd probably get a pass (from me). 

[TrueBlueGED]

Why does it make it dumb? I'm not following your line of reasoning here.

Half the fan base already wants him fired because he's loud and/or fielded a poor defense and/or severely underdelivered in total. Now he's giving people, possibly a different group of people, a totally different reason to hate him.

 

BTW, to your Clinton thing...the Clintons are nowhere near as unpopular as Trump.

[qwksndmonster]

Those two together almost makes too much sense.

[wjag]

Half the fan base already wants him fired because he's loud and/or fielded a poor defense and/or severely underdelivered in total. Now he's giving people, possibly a different group of people, a totally different reason to hate him.

 

BTW, to your Clinton thing...the Clintons are nowhere near as unpopular as Trump.

 

 

Funny you should mention that.  On their web page right now...

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/first-read-how-new-york-could-change-delegate-math-n557571 

 

• Hillary Clinton: 32% positive, 56% negative (-24)
• Donald Trump: 24% positive, 65% negative (-41)

Sorry...  This belongs in the Politics thread...  I will cease and desist here..  Sorry folks..

Edited April 18, 2016 by wjag

[That Aud Smell]

And now the franchise releases statement to ESPN saying that Rex is appearing with Trump on his own - not as a representative of the Bills.

 

This is what I mean. Fook's sake, man. It's all about Rex, innit?

 

https://twitter.com/mikerodak/status/722153121078710272

Either that, or Rex is there with the owners' blessing, and they just don't want to cop to it.

 

Which I think would be worse.

[Eleven]

And now the franchise releases statement to ESPN saying that Rex is appearing with Trump on his own - not as a representative of the Bills.

 

This is what I mean. Fook's sake, man. It's all about Rex, innit?

 

https://twitter.com/mikerodak/status/722153121078710272

Either that, or Rex is there with the owners' blessing, and they just don't want to cop to it.

 

Which I think would be worse.

 

There's no way he'd be there as a representative of the Bills, regardless of anyone's politics.

[That Aud Smell]

There's no way he'd be there as a representative of the Bills, regardless of anyone's politics.

 

I think that must be right.

[pastajoe]

His bad decision making has now gone beyond the football field.

[WildCard]

I only very vaguely remember this, but I think I was just referring to total DVOA from Football Outsiders. I could be wrong thoug

No you're right, looking at it right now and they're really spot on with that. I'll be looking for when they release their 2016 edition

[That Aud Smell]

This sort of thing usually doesn't matter to me, but I can find no media report, mainstream or blogosphere, in which the writer indicates s/he asked Ryan about a reason for Watkins's absence from yesterday's voluntary workouts.

 

In those same reports, it's noted that Kyle Williams and Seantrel Henderson were likely absent because of offseason recoveries from injuries.

 

Very strange.

[TrueBlueGED]

I'm going to ponder something I would normally scoff at: Mario Williams as addition by subtraction. The thing that brings this to mind is the "All In" mantra coming from both coaches and players. I wonder how much of the defensive disappointment was Mario moping around and non-stop bitching about the scheme. As a team captain making $20 million, maybe he caused others, who on their own may have been more open to change, to follow his path. Then you have Rex firing the DL coach, and I think we're set up for some interesting "chemistry matters!" storylines.

 

Please, when considering the above, please allow me to ignore Rob Ryan's potentially significant role.

[That Aud Smell]

Please, when considering the above, please allow me to ignore Rob Ryan's potentially significant role.

 

Shoot. I'm at a point where I'm almost equally concerned with Rex Ryan's significant role.

[TrueBlueGED]

Shoot. I'm at a point where I'm almost equally concerned with Rex Ryan's significant role.

I'm assuming this is from a style and extra curricular perspective, because based purely on football, Rob is several orders of magnitude worse than Rex.

[That Aud Smell]

I'm assuming this is from a style and extra curricular perspective, because based purely on football, Rob is several orders of magnitude worse than Rex.

 

Yeah. As of training camp 2015, I was tentatively of the mind that Rex was, at bottom, a clown, a wind bag, an entertaining side show artist. I'd been growing less and less tentative about that view -- and then this stunt just about sealed it. If our man doesn't post 10 or 11 wins this season (maybe 9 in promising fashion (I'm such a wuss)), I'm going to be in arms-folded-across-my-chest mode waiting for him to be let go.

[nfreeman]

I think Aud and I (and I would guess many others) are feeling a growing concern that the game has passed Rex by, that the wheels are reasonably likely to come off this season and that it will be the last time anyone gives Rex a HC job.

[Eleven]

Yeah. As of training camp 2015, I was tentatively of the mind that Rex was, at bottom, a clown, a wind bag, an entertaining side show artist. I'd been growing less and less tentative about that view -- and then this stunt just about sealed it. If our man doesn't post 10 or 11 wins this season (maybe 9 in promising fashion (I'm such a wuss)), I'm going to be in arms-folded-across-my-chest mode waiting for him to be let go.

 

I agree with you.  When he got here, this team had the talent to win 10-11 games.  It didn't, and I realize that injuries to key people played a major role in that.  

 

But now, the team does not have that talent.  And that's largely on Rex, not Doug, this time.  

 

I see at 6-10 season ahead.  And I do hope he is fired afterward.

I think Aud and I (and I would guess many others) are feeling a growing concern that the game has passed Rex by, that the wheels are reasonably likely to come off this season and that it will be the last time anyone gives Rex a HC job.

 

Count me in.

[nfreeman]

I should also say that I find Rex quite endearing, that I'd be happy to see him succeed and that I think it's not at all unlikely that he gets this team back into the playoffs (in large part because I think TT can take a big step next season).  But the storm clouds are unmistakable.

[Eleven]

I should also say that I find Rex quite endearing, that I'd be happy to see him succeed and that I think it's not at all unlikely that he gets this team back into the playoffs (in large part because I think TT can take a big step next season).  But the storm clouds are unmistakable.

 

Did you look at the schedule?  They're screwed.  

[TrueBlueGED]

I think Aud and I (and I would guess many others) are feeling a growing concern that the game has passed Rex by, that the wheels are reasonably likely to come off this season and that it will be the last time anyone gives Rex a HC job.

 

And you could all be right. But my point is simply that Rob Ryan never had wheels in the first place.

 

 

I agree with you.  When he got here, this team had the talent to win 10-11 games.  It didn't, and I realize that injuries to key people played a major role in that.  

 

But now, the team does not have that talent.  And that's largely on Rex, not Doug, this time.  

 

I see at 6-10 season ahead.  And I do hope he is fired afterward.

 

Count me in.

 

It's Rex's fault we had no cap space to work with? 

[Eleven]

And you could all be right. But my point is simply that Rob Ryan never had wheels in the first place.

 

 

 

It's Rex's fault we had no cap space to work with? 

 

I'll give on the cap space, but I think with a different coach, Mario might have worked something out.  Maybe some other players, too.

[nfreeman]

And you could all be right. But my point is simply that Rob Ryan never had wheels in the first place.

 

 

It's Rex's fault we had no cap space to work with? 

 

No disagreement on Rob -- I wasn't commenting on him.  I will say that bringing him on looks to me like another debacle predictor.

 

Good call on the cap space -- that is DW's baby.  Bottom line is that the Bills have a mediocre team and aren't spending any money on the QB position -- and they're still capped out.  That is poor GMing.

[TrueBlueGED]

I'll give on the cap space, but I think with a different coach, Mario might have worked something out.  Maybe some other players, too.

 

Maybe we would have restructured Mario instead of cutting him, but then we might not have enough space for the Glenn contract. But who else did we really lose? Bradham? He's the walking definition of a replaceable player.

 

 

No disagreement on Rob -- I wasn't commenting on him.  I will say that bringing him on looks to me like another debacle predictor.

 

 

I hear that. Especially since Rex was the coach I wanted from the start, his decision to bring Rob in has left me nearly despondent. Hence my all-in pep talk post to get me thinking positive!

[That Aud Smell]

Did you look at the schedule?  They're screwed.  

 

I do wonder: Are there analytic types who can articulate how accurate these off-season difficulty of schedule projections are? The Bills' schedule sure looks like a murderer's row right now. But how often does a schedule that looks brutal in May or June end up looking fairly manageable come November?

 

Anyway. I don't think Rex gets this squad into the playoffs. I think this is a 6 or 7 win team. And I agree that Rex is likely done with the HC gigs after this one.

 

Finally, I wonder and worry about the Pegulas' judgment in hiring Rex. Were they bamboozled by all the Rex talk? (And gosh, that guy can talk.) Or was it more eyes-wide-open, and they elected to make a big splash and take the risks that came with this carnival barker?

[TrueBlueGED]

I do wonder: Are there analytic types who can articulate how accurate these off-season difficulty of schedule projections are? The Bills' schedule sure looks like a murderer's row right now. But how often does a schedule that looks brutal in May or June end up looking fairly manageable come November?

 

Anyway. I don't think Rex gets this squad into the playoffs. I think this is a 6 or 7 win team. And I agree that Rex is likely done with the HC gigs after this one.

 

Finally, I wonder and worry about the Pegulas' judgment in hiring Rex. Were they bamboozled by all the Rex talk? (And gosh, that guy can talk.) Or was it more eyes-wide-open, and they elected to make a big splash and take the risks that came with this carnival barker?

*raises hand*

Predicted strength of schedule and actual strength of schedule have, at best, a minimal correlation. I think last year around this time in the Bills thread I linked an article or two with the research on it.

 

As to the hiring of Rex, do you really hate him so much where you can't get to a place where there were valid football reasons to hire him?

Edited April 19, 2016 by TrueBlueGED

[That Aud Smell]

*raises hand*

Predicted strength of schedule and actual strength of schedule have, at best, a minimal correlation. I think last year around this time in the Bills thread I linked an article or two with the research on it.

 

Good man. So there is hope.

As to the hiring of Rex, do you really hate him so much where you can't get to a place where there were valid football reasons to hire him?

 

I don't even hate him. I just think he's an attention-craving bloviator. I don't think that's all he is. But I can't get past that part of who he is.

 

Were there valid football reasons to hire him? I suspect there were. I guess? I dunno. I'd need to be reminded.