hondo in seattle

I'm sure Rex was disappointed with both sides of the ball so far this season. He couldn't fire himself - and wouldn't because he's confident/arrogant enough to believe he can fix the defensive problems himself. He couldn't fire Thurman because Thurman's a DC in name only. He could fire Roman. Especially when - I'm guessing - he's reached a point where he's more confident in A-Lynn than G-Ro.

He's had success as a RB coach. From the BN: Everywhere Lynn has coached running backs, his teams have had success on the ground. Consider this: He’s either coached a 1,000-yard rusher or a team that combined to rush for over 2,000 yards in 12 of the last 13 seasons. That includes work with running backs like Fred Taylor, Julius Jones, Jamal Lewis, Shonn Greene, and, last season, LeSean McCoy. Additionally, in the last three seasons, Lynn’s teams have finished sixth, third and first in total rushing yards. http://bills.buffalonews.com/2016/09/16/five-things-know-new-bills-offensive-coordinator-anthony-lynn/ Apparently was well respected by Jets players: Assistant coaches on the staff of recently terminated head coaches are rarely in the running for a head coaching position but given Lynn's success and longevity (he has been coaching in the league since 2000), it all makes him an intriguing candidate for the Jets. He's well respected in the locker room among the players and the rest of the staff, with one team source saying that “Lynn carries himself like a future head coach.” http://www.metro.us/new-york/anthony-lynn-to-get-in-house-interview-for-jets-head-coach-job/zsJnlD---eShMArRsu3q32/

Starting off 0-2 makes the playoffs unlikely - again. But Roman had enough flaws as an OC that I'm not convinced Lynn won't be an upgrade. Obviously Rex thinks he will be. We'll see. Exactly right. When Lynn was interviewing for HC positions, Ryan had this to say: "Being a former player, he's got Super Bowl rings as a player... He's smart. He's been with me now for seven years. So he's a great football coach. And the other thing is, he's got the respect of all the players. I've seen him work with veteran players, young players. It makes no difference." "He had [LaDainian Tomlinson] at the end of his career, and L.T. was pass blocking better than he ever had and took a lesser role -- and here's a first-ballot Hall of Fame back. So this guy can coach them all. He can coach the special players, the guys that are hanging on type players, developing players, he can coach them all and he's great for our team. But if he gets that opportunity to become a head coach, that would be awesome." http://sfo.247sports.com/Bolt/San-Francisco-49ers-coach-candidate-profile-Anthony-Lynn-42574208

I'm surprised nobody's started an A-Lynn thread so I will. G-Ro is history. I'm interested in the future and A-Lynn is the future. Some of the players seem to have confidence in him. I don't know if anyone outside of OBD knows much about his offensive philosophy but SB Nation pretends to: Lynn is likely committed to showing Ryan that Ryan might still be Jets coach, that Ryan might not be 8-10 now in Buffalo if he’d given Lynn this shot much earlier. Lynn’s philosophy – a run-centric offense that plays physical in style and piercing in the passing game – is as Ryan-hat-hanging as it gets. Here are some things that will happen with this Buffalo offense under Lynn’s direction: There will be an emphasis on remaining on schedule in drives. That means more offensive play calls complementing each other. More emphasis on reaching third-and-short situations. There will be a patience and insistence on running the football. He will not abandon the running game just because a play or two loses a yard or only gains a yard. The pounding will be constant. The offensive players will respond to him. Lynn will be clear, precise and demanding. Not only does he speak their language, but he also stirs their passion. Expect a bolder, more confident Buffalo offense. http://www.sbnation.com/2016/9/16/12948416/rex-ryan-bills-hot-seat-fired-greg-roman-anthony-lynn-offensive-coordinator

True. We've had some reasonably good OCs and DCs but never both at the same time.

I'm sorry but this is a bad post to start a bad thread.

If players were truly complaining, we have to assume that G-Ro was making more dramatic changes than other teams. Players wouldn't complain if G-Ro was making typical week-to-week adjustments. I'm guessing Rex heard complaints from players, had concerns with his own observations, and came to the conclusion Lynn would do a better job.

Why do we all assume this is a scapegoating knee jerk reaction? It could be that Rex had a dawning realization that Anthony Lynn would make a better OC than G-Ro. Maybe the SB Nation headline is right: "Rex Ryan's fate is now in the hands of the offensive coordinator he should have hired years ago" http://www.sbnation.com/2016/9/16/12948416/rex-ryan-bills-hot-seat-fired-greg-roman-anthony-lynn-offensive-coordinator

This is why I'm not ready to die yet. Every new day brings something unexpected to make life interesting.

If the O and D coordinated their efforts better, we'd be 1-1. If our O produced against the Ravens liked they did against the Jets, we'd have won that game. That said, both our O and D are giving fans serious reasons to worry. I had previous predicted 9-7. Now maybe 7-9.

Gilmore had a bad night. And Rex seems incapable of adjusting his D for such an eventuality. It seems like he has so much confidence in Gilmore and Darby that he has no contingency plan to give them help if needed.

Did Tyrod's agent blame this loss on Rex and the defense? http://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2016/04/tyrod_taylors_agent_rips_rex_ryan_buffalo_bills_defense_in_contract_dispute.html

Our O Line disappointed us in Baltimore and now Cordy will sit for the Jets. Not happy.

I get this is all said in jest - and some of the posts are truly funny - but on some level this offends my sense of Bills loyalty and fandom.

I agree.

That's my fear. When Sammy says 95%, he really means 65% and he in fact has a serious injury that he'll try to play through.

I confess, I did too. Gailey looks like an offensive genius - he got production out of Fitz, CJ and Stevie that no one else could get.

Son of Reggie Rucker, Browns WR in the 1970s?

Being fair to Tyrod, I thought the whole offense stunk. The performance by the OL was pathetic. They were't opening holes for the backs and weren't protecting Tyrod. Taylor checked down often due to pressure, and often got happy feet. Watching on TV, I can't tell if the WRs were getting open. But I could see they were often bunched together bringing several defenders into the same area and making yards-after-catch (if complete) impossible. Really makes me wonder about the play design and play calling. Tyrod sent out that "We're ready" message a couple days ago. It didn't look like anyone on the offense was ready. Some members of the Rex Sux crowd have said they want GRo to be the coach, thinking he'd hire a good DC. I wonder if that's still the dream after Sunday's abysmal showing.

Bobby April III quoted in the linked article: "Now Reggie's a special player, but so is Zach. He's got all the qualities that we're looking for. Backing up Reggie, he was always a play away. For him, he was ready to go. Maybe on the outside looking in, it was like, 'Oh no, we lost Reggie.' But Zach's a f------ good player, man. He's a good player."

"Sixteen years of no playoffs and an offseason that has brought more negative than positive developments has created an atmosphere ruled by cynicism and pessimism.: ~ Vic Carucci. Vic says there were more negative than positive developments this offseason. Certainly Vic and his fellow BN staff writers have written more negative articles than positive ones. But the injuries to the rooks not withstanding, I'm not unhappy with this offseason. Last season our stars were horribly banged up but our best players are comparatively healthy right now. We're also hearing stories about the defense being much better understood this year and better communication among the players. And we picked up some nice vets to fill out our roster. Certainly, we would have been better if Shaq and Reggie hadn't gotten hurt, but I feel better about this roster than the bandaged roster we fielded last year. And when Vic talks about a atmosphere ruled by cynicism and pessimism, I assume he means the atmosphere at the Buffalo News. When I listen to interviews with the players and coaches, I note only optimism and confidence. I'm not predicting playoffs, but I am just as hopeful as I was on opening day of the 1986 season. Vic is a hit-or-miss writer and this is one of his misses.

It's so easy to have low expectations after 16 years of disappointment. But if Shady was playing on some other team that lead the NFL in rushing and had Roman for a coordinator, I'd expect Shady to have a big year.

Linebackers. They're really important in Rex's D and it may not be our best unit.

Bills 21 Ravens 17

Richie is a little more humble in his ambitions: "playoffs or bust."