hondo in seattle

I currently pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu mostly to keep the family happy. I pay for NFL Sunday Ticket to make me happy. I'm vaguely aware I have ESPN tho' pretty much never watch it - so I can't speak to the quality of their broadcasts though obviously they're not offering anything I really want.

An elite talent doesn't necessarily produce elite stats. WR stats are a function of health, scheme, QB play, OL play, targets, other viable receiving options stretching the coverage, etc. Talking about a different position, OJ wouldn't be considered elite his first three years in the NFL by your standard. He had the talent, but worked for a coach who misused him. Then Lou Saban came to town and for the next 5 years OJ looked like one of the greatest players to play the game. A good gun is still a good gun when it's not being fired.

Here's a comparison: The Cavs broke the drought and so will the Bills. 2016 is the Year of Lake Erie, the year of Rust Belt Redemption.

Thurman may be invisible to PTR, but I bet he's not invisible to the players. And, as someone else referenced, Rex is the de facto DC. It's Thurman's job to run the practices per Rex's instructions and execute Rex's defensive plan. How much do we really want to see Thurman in the media when Rex is the man? I do think Rex is - as he's indicated - a leader who likes feedback and collaboration. I'm sure Thurman is very involved this year just like last year... but with Rob here, there's one more voice in the meetings now.

Every NFL club claims to have the best fans, but it's a hard thing to quantify. Attendance has a lot to do with ticket prices, the local economy, stadium size, market size, and of course W-L record of the team, as well as other factors besides fan loyalty. Ranking merchandise sales has similar problems. Here in Seattle, they like to brag about how loud their stadium gets. But I remind them that's all about acoustics. I've seen a couple articles where Bills tailgating was ranked #1 in the NFL which is cool. It would be good to add 'most local media coverage' to the proofs of the proposition: "The Bills have the best fans in the NFL." But Vic seems to be spitting out undocumented stuff again.

Rex says... "Everybody knows he’s a first-ballot Hall of Fame player, but it’s how he is with the other guys. He’s more like the pied piper, people follow him... When I had him with the Jets, he took that whole group and they’d follow him.” Last year, not enough guys were following the coaches - not whole-heartedly. There are other reasons to want to Ed Reed on your coaching staff, but in the Bills case he's a specific medicine for a specific disease.

Yep, I think Madden would get this team deep into the playoffs. How can maddenboy disagree? I think all your choices are also great - I think you have to say Lombardi was the best of all time and Hoodie is the best in the game today. . The problem with Hoodie is that his career has been tainted by cheating scandals. Madden is more likable than Belichick and - I'm guessing - a better Xs-and-Os guy than Lombardi (football is more complex now). Of coaches still coaching, I think Pete Carroll would be awesome on the Bills sideline. I know he wears on some people but I like his enthusiasm - as do his players - and he's really bright at defensive scheming and the in's and out's of preparing a team to win.

I'm not sure Reed will be a great NFL coach but I am confident it's great for us to have him as an assistant this year. Player's clearly didn't fully buy-into Rex's D last year. After the disappointing results, creating buy-in this year could be even more challenging. Reed, a HOF calibre player, understands - and believes in - Rex's defensive philosophy. He's going to sell it to the secondary. They're going to buy-in this year.

Does the Buffalo News really cover the Bills in more depth than any other paper covers its own home team??? "In case you haven't noticed, The Buffalo News, digitally and in print form, devotes a heaping amount of space to the Bills, easily more than any other media outlet in Western New York and any other newspaper in the country gives its NFL team. I challenge you to find another sports section with five stories from one day of minicamp."

I think Thurman is in the public eye as much as he wants to be. I think the media, and posters to this board, talk about Rob more often because he's more interesting. Rob's got a bigger personality, he's Rex's brother (with shades of nepotism creeping into the picture), he's got a poorly defined job, and he's new to Buffalo. Thurman has been very clear: he's got the same role this year that he had last year and I believe him. Rob's a special projects guy. And from the Ryan family perspective, this may make a lot of sense. Rob's probably hoping to be a DC somewhere else next year. So it would be disruptive to take DC responsibilities away from Thurman this year only to give them back last year. It's better to put Rob into a special projects role where he won't be missed if he gets a DC offer.

Forget Gugny, I can't wait to be the fan of a winning team!

John Wooden is one of the greatest coaches of all time in any sport. We should remember, though, that it took him something like 16 years before he won his first NCAA championship. Then he made it a habit of winning championships. It can take a while before a coach hits his peak and gets his program where he really wants it. Vince Lombardi may be the best NFL coach of all time. He deserves to have his name on the Lombardi trophy. But I have to go with John Madden. Vince was more about good leadership and execution than he was about X's and O's. I suspect Madden has a better grasp of the complexities of the modern game than Lombardi would have if still alive. And Madden was no slouch as a coach: 763 win percentage over a 10 year HC career - higher than Lombardi or Belichick. Only Guy Chamberlain from the 1920s won a higher percentage of games as a NFL head coach.

Chilly, great post! I love when posters support their arguments with actual facts!

I've advocated for undocumented aliens and rational immigration reform. But I've never illegally crossed any borders myself.

He's got some skills. He certainly has commitment. He's got good coaches. Let's hope that all adds up to a great year. "A long-ball guy. I can’t throw across the middle..." Clearly he's utterly unaware of what we're writing about him.

Now that you've made fun of fat people, are there any other groups you want to malign? I just don't get why some people need to make personal attacks.

Let's for the sake of argument assume that Rex is an intelligent man. As such, I'm sure he observed problems with his D last year and identified some changes he needed to make. So... * with DW's cooperation, he made some modifications to the defensive roster; * he made some changes to the coaching staff; * he's making some schematic changes; * he's probably making some other changes to how he approaches the season. I don't think Rex is an idiot and I don't think any of these changes are whimsical. Whether he's assessed the actual ailments and the right cures remains to be seen but I doubt if there's anything haphazard about what Rex is doing. I suspect Ed Reed was brought in for more than his positional expertise. My guess is that Rex hopes Reed helps with earning credibility for the whole defensive coaching staff, gaining player buy-in, improving player communication and effort, etc.

I've always wondered about this. Players often say they practice hard with Rex but still have fun. Even if Rex is a "Player's Coach," what about the coordinators and positions coaches? If they're disciplinarians, it doesn't matter much if Rex is a little lax.

I'm not sure what people expected. So Lee didn't mention Fitz. Why would he? It was a short interview and what interesting story could he tell about a QB that didn't improve much under his tutelage? Do any QB coaches actually improve the play of every QB they coach? And I can't blame for Lee being positive. He is a Bills employee after all. And I would guess it's more fun as a QB coach to work with three moldable guys rather than working with some crusty old vets set in their ways. Lee did caveat his enthusiasm more than once, commenting the QBs are still in shorts.

His inability to track the ball early in his career was really frustrating. How many long plays and TDs did he give up despite having near-perfect position? Eventually, though, he became a solid CB. I think some fans probably under-appreciated him the past few years because they couldn't forget some of his mistakes but I was sad to see him go. He'd be an awesome backup to Gilmore and Darby.

After 16 years of not making the playoffs, I have little trouble not getting excited during the off-season. I'm glad to hear good things about TT but I hear/read good things virtually every off-season. So this year I'm letting go of all my hopes and fears. Though I do think it would be reasonable to expect Tyrod to take a step forward this year: 2nd year as a starter; first year going into training camp as a starter; 2nd year in a new system; 2nd year with a new OC... You would expect the learning curve to keep trending upwards.

All three of these guys were injured for part of the 2015 season so maybe it's a fair ranking given concerns of fragility. If Sammy fully heals before the season and stays healthy, and.... If Shady stays healthy this year, and... If TT takes a step forward in his second year as a starter, and stays healthy, and... If the offensive line can open holes for Shady and protect TT. Our triplets will have a very productive year.

The standing Buffalo looks like lunch! It's just grazing in the pasture waiting for someone to slaughter it and turn it into bison burgers. I'm 57 and prefer the charging logo. The charging Buffalo looks like it wants to fight.

I'm in the Will-the-Real-Rex-Ryan-Please-Stand-Up club. Is Rex the buffoon he sometimes appears to be? Or a defensive mastermind who just had a bad year? And my uncertainty doesn't stop there. TT showed promise last year. Will take a step this year and become a franchise QB who can win a game with his arm? Or will be just the latest QB to tease us only to leave us disappointed? Neither 10-6 nor 6-10 would surprise me. I'm neither hopeful nor prematurely dejected. Only curious.

It's great if your backup gets you to .500. But each year in the NFL, starting QBs win 256 games and lose 256 games. I'm not sure it's realistic to expect your backup to keep pace with that. More or less by definition, .500 is what an average starter goes.