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He'd be 71 next season. And his win/loss percentage is only marginally above .500. So, why?

Weird career thus far. Had that really good year in 2013 but hasn't been that electric before or since.

I'd like to know, too. Maybe Rex is a simpleton and his plan to field a better D next year is to simply allow some guys to heal. But while it's debatable if Rex is a good HC/DC, I'm pretty sure he's not a simpleton. I think he'll do what coaches do: examine what went right and what went wrong. Then he'll try to reinforce what went right and correct what went wrong. Will he be successful? I'm not sure. I'm certainly not confident. But I don't think it's unreasonable to give a HC three years to make things right.

Sherman is bright and talented, but a real a-hole sometimes.

Good post.

I'm not excited with my vote (kind of like most presidential elections) but I voted to retain Rex. I haven't quite given up on Rex yet, though I'm very close. More importantly, I don't want Buffalo to be viewed as a coaching carousel. I remember when Al Davis had trouble hiring coaches partly because he meddled and partly because he didn't typically allow his coaches much time to build something good. It takes a while for a Head Coach to establish his philosophy, rebuild a culture, implement his system, get the assistant coaches he wants, and get the players from the GM he needs for his scheme. Given all that, what coach wants to work for an owner who fires a .500 coach after two years? Most teams give a coach at least three years to build a winner. If I was a Head Coach, I'd want to know I was getting at least three years. We need Buffalo to be viewed as a place where the Head Coach gets all the resources he needs (including time) to be successful. With that reputation, we'll attract the very best coaches.

It does mean something. The goal of an offense is to score, preferably touchdowns. Sometimes I feel like ALynn is making lemonade with lemons, but he's having some success. Clearly, TT's accuracy problems lead to too many 3 and outs. The Bills average somewhere around 31 yards per drive - about average in the NFL. The Bills O is feast or famine: TD or quick punt. The O could be better. But it's hardly a horror show, even with TT at the reins.

I'm with you, brother! I once read a book by a Vietnam vet and POW. He said that while the pessimists didn't do well in prison, the optimists were the worst. They kept seeing signs that their release was imminent, only to have their hopes dashed. Too many instances of this and their spirits were crushed and they ended up dying. I think something similar is happening here. I'm going to guess you're a realist and didn't have high hopes for this season to begin with. The pessimists already determined Rex sucks and will never get us to the playoffs. So they're pissing and moaning. And the optimists thought we had a real chance to make the playoffs this year, and now they feel disappointed and betrayed. So they're pissing and moaning.

The Pegulas talk to a lot of people. They talk to the players. They talk to the personnel guys. They talk to the coaches. They undoubtedly talk to football people outside the organization. And they talk to fans though we probably have the least influence. We don't know if there's a consensus growing among these different official & unofficial advisory groups that Rex needs to go. We do know that the Pegulas appreciate the importance of continuity. While I wouldn't be shocked if Rex was fired, right now I'm not convinced either.

What chance did 538 give us when we were losing to Houston 35-3?

I think Rex's track record says Rex is an average defensive coach. When he has above average talent, he produces above average results. When he has below average talent, he produces below average results.

Besides the talent issue, QBs tend to perform better when they're comfortable with their receivers. Tyrod never had a chance to get comfortable this season with WR spots being revolving doors. That said, I also believe that we're starting to get a sense of Tyrod's ceiling and it's just not high enough.

None of us know what Russ actually does in his job - whether he's actually accomplishing the goals/priorities that the Pegulas have assigned to him. Yet we're arrogant enough to deem a fellow human being "useless." I'm a dissatisfied Bills fan, too. But when we become classless, judgmental people, we've taken our disgruntled fandom too far.

La Confora reminds me of Edgar Cayce and other charlatans with 'secret' knowledge. They're wrong most of the time and make their careers by broadcasting the few times they were accidentally right.

Arguably the four most important people in the Bills organization - outside the owners - are the President, GM, HC and QB. And we want to get rid of all of them. Ah, the blessed life of a Bills fan.

Rueben Brown's resume ought to get him considered for the Hall of Fame. And, yet, I always thought he was overrated. Too many flags and just not as dominant as his resume suggests. Good post. Valid points.

I'm not sure any of 'em truly deserve it. I voted for Freddy and Eric Moulds. I think both could have been Pro Bowl (more often), maybe even HOF type, players if (1) they stayed healthy, (2) played on playoff teams with national attention, and (3) had supporting casts that helped them produce better numbers. Maybe I should have also voted for Kyle Williams and Aaron Schoebel for similar reasons. Kyle and Fred both played with a lot of heart - and talent - on bad teams. They deserved better.

Speaking of old-timers, remember when some people inexplicably wanted Brian Brohm to start at QB? His brother, Jeff Brohm, just became the Head Coach of my alma mater, Purdue. Brian will the "Co-Offensive Coordinator." and QB Coach.

I'm too lazy to look up the exact number, but our all time win record is something like .470. It may not be the lowest, but it's clearly below the average of .500. I guess that's we're so thankful for the Levy-Kelly years. Take those out, and we probably drop to .450.

It's clear that much/most of the fan base has lost faith in Rex and Russ Brandon. DW doesn't enjoy a ton of support either. Terry and Kim like to talk to people. I wonder what they're hearing. 1. Have the players lost faith in the coaches? In the FO? 2. Has the FO lost faith in the coaches? 3. Have the coaches lost faith in the FO? 4. While the Pegulas do not have a football czar, I'm pretty sure they talk to football people outside OBD from time to time. I wonder what kind of confidence those folks are expressing in the Bills leadership team? I know the owners have talked about continuity. But if there's a consensus among these varying constituencies that Rex and/or Russ and/or Doug need to go, they need to go. When most/all of your unofficial and official advisers recommend the same things, it's wise to heed their counsel.

Thurman is payed to execute Rex's scheme, run practices the way Rex wants, and call plays the way Rex wants. I can't say he's actually good at any of that. But if he's doing a poor job of play-calling: (1) Rex should have trained him better on what he wants, and (2) Rex can always call the plays himself. There's simply no question that Rex deserves all the blame for this D. How badly Thurman is failing at his job? It's hard to know without being an insider. He might be doing exactly what Rex is asking him to do.

I can't ever root against the Bills.

Well said.

Rex is the de jure Head Coach, the de facto Defensive Coordinator, and the Chief Architect of this defense. He deserves all the blame he gets. It's hard to quantify how much blame Thurman does because he's paid to execute someone else's ideas.

Fred Jackson, Eric Molds, Shady McCoy, Kyle Williams are top-of-mind for me. I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention Takeo Spikes, Aaron Shoebel and Mario's two good years. Sammy might have more potential than Moulds but hasn't done enough yet for me to put him on my list.