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Here is why I think they will regress... They lost Damon Harrison which is a huge loss in the middle of their defense. (pun intended) They lost D'Brickashaw Ferguson who has been a mainstay for 10 years. They replaced him with an oft injured Ryan Clady. Lost Cromartie and Revis is another year older after looking old last year. Their schedule is much harder this year than last year. So in short, they are worse at o-line, d-line, and secondary. They improved at rb and lb.

Seconded. We have already seen the Fitz show.

I don't know about playing harder but the team always seemed prepared. That was my favorite thing about Marrone.

How so?

The difference was 2 games. I even pointed the 2 games with different opponents for you. If the Bills play Cleveland last year do you think they win? If the Jets played the Bengals do you think they win? Not meaningless but can't be viewed in a vacuum. W-L record between 2 teams has a lot of nuance to it beyond what the ending total is.

I couldn't disagree more with this statement... Let me back up my position.... The teams had similar schedules with 2 games different. The Bills played KC and Cincinnati who were 2 playoff teams that won a combined 23 games. The Jets played Oakland and Cleveland two teams that combined for 10 wins. That is a huge disparity in quality of competition. So yes the Jets finished with a better record with a much easier schedule. Add in that the Jets lost both head to head games and I have a tough time saying the Jets were definitively the best team.

I'm saying definitively yes he can do that. I won't say that he can do the yards and tds because we haven't seen it yet. Guess what though? Until last year we hadn't seen it from Fitz either. Again you are hung up on volume stats. Both of those franchise records speak to the league and its rules more so than Fitz and his talent. His franchise record yards was 15th in the league phrasing is important. You frame it as some amazing feat when it is simply average. Is he better than Geno at this stage? Absolutely. That in no way means that the Jets must sign him. Fitz is exactly who he showed as the Bills Qb. A guy that will play well in spurts, is easy to root for, and one of the last qbs you want trying to win you a game. So the question becomes is it better to go forward with Fitz and be an average team, or is it better to see once and for all what you have with Geno, or is it better to sink or swim with one of the young guys (likely Hackenburg). I think the Jets want Fitz back but can't afford his asking price and he doesn't want back for what they can afford. Hence the impasse. I agree wholeheartedly that Fitz makes the Jets better. I don't think he has them over a barrel as it seems you do. The Jets can move forward without him and I don't think it has a drastic effect on the win total. The Jets have one of the hardest schedules in the leagues and will be lucky to make 8-8 no matter who their qb is. I don't think you can claim that as fact.... I will agree with your second paragraph and stated as much earlier in the thread. Back to your first post, suppose it is fact, is 8-8 with Fitz at 12 million better than 3-13 with cap space and the ability to target a top qb in the draft? Certainly a debatable point. I just don't see Fitz being a 5 win difference maker in this league so I can't see your post as fact. I did a little more digging on his game logs.... Fitz passed for more than 300 yards once last year He had 3 or more tds in 3 games He had 3 or more ints in 2 games He had less than 50% completion in 3 games He had less than 60% completion in 7 games This screams caretaker more than quality starter. I don't see a 5 win difference between him and others that could be trotted out there. Add in the fact that Forte will help the ground and short passing game and the Jets could be fine without Fitz. He has nowhere else to go.

No as I stated Fitz certainly can walk away. He is playing a game of chicken with himself though. The Jets certainly can start Geno. They were ready to start him last year. Fitz wasn't brought in to be the starter last year. He did play well in spots but he put up volume stats not quality stats. He only completed 59.5 % of his passes (29th in the league) for 6.9 ypa (27th in the league) for a rating of 88 (24th in the league). Also people need to adjust their qb expectations with the volume stats. He did indeed pass for 3900 yards (15th in the league), his 31 tds only put him at 10th in the league, and he was 5th in the league for ints. So he is bottom half of the league in completion %, ypa, qb rating, and ints. Looking beyond the numbers is important for this conversation. 3900 yards and 31 tds sounds great until you put it in context of the rest of the league and rest of his stats. See above. Geno can do all of that with the exception of maybe the yards/tds. However extrapolating out his game that he came in as a sub from last year (freely admit not a guarantee) would put him at 4240 yards and 32 tds. I'll beat it to death but Fitz put up volume stats not quality stats.

It was a question that piqued my interest. I will be honest though I thought the number would have been higher. It was surprising how many SB winning coaches had long stretches of losing but nobody had 5 consecutive. It was also surprising: how few SB winning coaches there were. 50 Super Bowls won by 31 coaches longest gaps between SB victories was Bill B with 10 years 0 coaches were able to win with different teams Gibbs and Parcells are the only coaches to win SBs with different qbs (the most interesting stat to me)

Did some work for this.... Weeb Ewbanks had .500 or worse seasons 7 of 8 years (including 6 straight) before winning SB III Tom Landry had a .500 or worse record his first 5 years as a coach That is it for 5 years in a row. However a surprising amount of SB winning coaches had 3 straight losing seasons, 4 of 5 losing seasons, and none were able to recreate the magic and win a sb with a different team. I like that Rex has made us a story again and brought the Bills back to relevance. He has made being a Bills fan fun. He does have some warts as a coach. The Mario debacle falls on his shoulders for not benching him, the KC replay management was for lack of a better word pathetic, and the this is our super bowl before the 1st pats game were a bit much. I enjoy him as the coach and hope he does better but I don't put him in the same league as a Bill Belichick as a coach (very few that I do) but he is a better than average coach and one I believe the Bills can win with.

I've been fairly quiet on this topic but now is as good a time as any to jump in. Fitz needs the Jets. That's right HE needs the Jets. He had a career year playing in the Gailey system which he already knew and had some success with before. It has been mentioned but glossed over in this thread that Geno was the starter before IK broke his jaw. If Fitz wants to get a deal done it will be with the Jets. I will admit that his asking price of 12 million is very reasonable but he finds himself in a Tyrod situation where there just isn't that kind of money to give him. Voidable years don't really work from a Jets perspective unless they think Hack is ready next year. Geno is likely gone next year if he doesn't start this year and even if he starts and shows poorly. That would leave the Jets with Petty and Hackenberg which is a worse situation than this year imo. I would think the Jets offered him 3 and were hoping for 2 years out of him. So why do I think the Jets don't need Fitz as much as he needs them? Simple, no other team in the league wants him. For those of you railing on his record setting year, how did he not get interest from other teams? Most notably the Broncos who are going forward with Paxton Lynch , Sanchise, and Trevor Simeon. Fitz's success comes largely from the Gailey system. I will freely admit that He can certainly sit the year out or retire but I would be surprised if that is the route they go. I am thinking he is sitting out camp and will be signed by the Jets somewhere between game 1-3 of the preseason. The only way he signs elsewhere is if there is a major injury. If I am reading Sportrac correctly, a preseason injury in Indy, Det, NYG, Chi, and Carolina who all offer a competitive team and could fit his 12 million deal in, could be a landing spot.

You'll be alright. If you are set on a wr then obj, Antonio brown, and Julio will guarantee you a stud at the position no matter who goes before you.

I think you are right on Woods. I don't see any way that the Bills will pay him what he can fetch on the open market. He will be looking at least at a Sanu contract as you said and that is out of the Bills price range. I'm thinking the Bills will move on from Woods, Lawson, Carpenter/Gay, Felton. Then a restructure or release of Graham/KW. Draft will likely be OT/WR and Gilmore/TT get re-signed.

I'm looking for 4 uppers for the Jets opener. I don't want to use Ticketmaster as I don't like dealing with them or their fees. If anyone wants to PM me. Also on a side note... I will be staying at a friend's house in Depew. What are our transportation options? Is Uber available now? The most recent info I could find is a bill was sponsored for the legislator but nothing further. Is there a bus or mass transit option? Usually I drive in and out for the game but I will be getting together with some friends that I don't often see and don't want to worry about driving afterwards.

I see a difference in that list beyond the amount of coaches. Pats*, Steelers, Packers, and Panthers all have established qbs and veteran teams. Bills, Jags, Browns, Raiders all have young/unproven/no quarterback and young teams. Something else I found interesting when doing some research on this topic... 1. Although the league has certainly turned to offense it still helps to have a good/great defense. Of the top 10 defenses for ypg last year, 7 made the playoffs. Of the top 10 defenses for ppg, 9 made the playoffs. In fact 11 of the top 12 made the playoffs with the only outlier being the 10-6 Jets. 2. Only 3 of the top 10 passing teams made the playoffs. 5 of the top 10 rushing teams made the playoffs. Unsurprisingly 8 of the top 10 scoring teams were playoff teams.

My year's of Madden playing paid off! Motion with no movement from d usually equals zone, right side is the overload and allows Tyrod (or us) to watch the most receivers the easiest, as soon as the boundary cb shows his deep drop the comeback is an easy read.

Yes! I have opined regularly that those "backups" that beat the Bills that day were some of the stars of SB winning teams just a few years later. Here are some of mine: Ralph wasn't a great owner. He held the fans hostage for the 00's, sold games to a different city, and oversaw 60 years of futility with 1 good decade. Much of the failings of the Bills can be pointed at not investing in the "other side" of the team. Going cheap on facilities, coaches, and trainers/training. As I've seen here... Marv wasn't a great coach. He was a good coach who was given a great team. As others opined if Parcells, JJ, or Gibbs were the Bills coaches they have a SB. Aaron Rodgers wouldn't be Aaron Rodgers if the Bills had their pick and took him. The fact that he got to sit, learn, and adjust is what made him as good as he is.

As a Laker fan I despise Dan Gilbert. He cost the Lakers Chris Paul and penned a letter rebuking super teams. Then he built one himself. For that reason I was rooting for the Warriors. I am glad the fans got one and glad Lebron was able to deliver for them. I think he had to leave when he did. It allowed the Cavs to gather assets, it allowed the fans to respect him more as they didn't know what they had until he was gone, and it allowed him to learn how to win one. I hate Dan GIlbert. I just wanted to say that one more time

I'm kind of on the opposite side of OP although maybe the same side. I love the Bills. I especially love that I get 16 days a year to hang out with my friends who I don't get to see as often as I used to and drink some beers with them. The Bills have been so bad for so long I can't talk trash about them. Not only that but people have given up talking trash to me. That is the most depressing part. However Rex is fun. I don't know if he will lead the Bills anywhere but I certainly have fun seeing his quotes and antics. He has made the Bills nationally relevant which hasn't happened in a long time. All week long during the season I'm pretty sure the Bills will lose that week. However I am still excited to have a game on, to watch them, and again see some old friends. When I wake up on Sunday I am convinced they will win if just a few things go their way. I would imagine that I fall on the o3 side much more than the n3 side but that has more to do with not being able to muster the anger that some of you have. The Bills are entertainment pure and simple. Winning would be awesome but a loss is just another in a long string of them. I can actually point to a specific game. The Falcons game in Toronto. When Stevie and the Chandler coughed up the ball and lost that game I was MAD. To the point that my wife gave me a time limit to complain about it . It was then that I realized I may be a bit to invested in what is meant to be entertainment. My daughter being born the next year also put the importance of the NFL in perspective. I used to live and die with the Bills but those days are gone for a multitude of reasons I rambled on about above. I haven't stopped caring about the Bills. I have stopped caring about the results to a degree. If they win Monday is a little better. If they lose Monday is Monday and nothing changes.

Blatt was hired before LeBron re-signed. I am trying very hard not to over react to the first 2 games. I overreacted to game 1 of Spurs OKC and thought OKC would get run off the court. That said the Cavs don't match up well with the dubs at all. I will be very interested to see what happens tonight as it is the series. If the dubs win it is likely a sweep. If it is a cavs win all is not lost. yet.

I haven't seen this. What i have seen is people bashing Mario for openly quitting on the team last year. I get it. He red shirted last year. He knew he was leaving and protected himself. It doesn't make him the worst player but it does make him a pretty bad team mate. It also gives him some not so pleasant labels such as selfish, quitter, etc... As I have stated elsewhere, his contract tells you what the league thinks of him. Getting 8 million is a pittance for him and if he had bucked up and played hard last year he would have seen much more. He isn't the worst player in team history and I would challenge you to find multiple posts that have stated that. He quit and is reviled. Same as Marrone, same as Peters, same as Mularkey. I'm still excited for Shaq. Even if he misses a few games I am excited to see what he does for the team over the next 4 years. The next 4 years that will cost the Bills less than just one more season of Mario would have cost. If Mario stays then Cordy and Richie are gone and the o line is in shambles. There was no easy way to keep Mario. It just sucks that he performed as he did on the way out the door. Part of me can't blame the guy but he showed some ugly sides of himself with his action (or inaction) last year.

One team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, flagged Shaq for a medical recheck. Every other team in the league cleared him. I put it more at 25.7592385832959235029358/ 74.24076141670408 (yes the math checks out) That said if the foot heals correctly there is no reason to expect another injury.

Because you get your rocks off on calling other posters out... In 2012 Rex Ryan had the 8th ranked defense based on ypg (the stat you chose) In 2014 Rex Ryan had the 6th ranked defense based on ypg So twice in the last 4 years RR has not finished with a top 10 defense. As a HC not simply a DC like Pettine was. Pettine went #27 and #23 as a HC. In fact the 2 years that Rex didn't finish in the top 10 for ypg are the only 2 years in his HC career that he didn't finish top 10. Pettine finished with the number 10 defense once and for that you want to trumpet his abilities? As to those who stated that Pettine didn't care about stopping the run, you appear to be correct. The Bills with their "top 10 defense" had the 28th ranked rush defense. Surely you remember all of the conversions on 3rd and long against that defense as well. Facts are fun.... Belicheck first year in NE 5-11 second year 11-5 and SB champ. Pete Carroll first two years in Sea 7-9 both years third year 11-5 in playoffs Tony Dungy first year 6-10 in TB next year 10-6 in playoffs Three SB winning coaches who took a year or two to get it right and that is without looking to hard. You don't have to expect success but to say it can't happen because it didn't last year is flat out wrong. Here's more without looking to hard Mike Zimmer first year in Minn 7-9 second year 11-5 and division champ Mike McCarthy 8-8 to 13-3 Ron Rivera 6-10, 7-9 to 12-4 I think I've made my point...

His agent is denying the rumors. Not sure what is true but I will miss him.