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Yeah, this is very discouraging.

Interesting to read Tyler contradicting Vic. This is funny.

This is a little harsh on baseball but dead-on when it comes to football. It's hard to quantify individual performance when football is such a team sport. Especially when you're a lineman, the play of the guy next to you effects your decision-making and performance. And good coaches make average players look good while bad coaches often make good players look bad. There are probably things football can learn from Moneyball but it can never import the whole package. But that's probably not DePodesta's intent. Curiously, his title is "Chief Strategy Officer." I guess that implies others will be making the more tactical decisions.

I'm more in this camp. Well said, 26CB

I never believed the ultimatum story in the first place for the same reasons. And now Whaley's being extended? As todd says, it doesn't add up. Vic, like a lot of guys in the media, relies on unreliable sources in order to have something to write about. NFL reporting is going the way of the National Enquirer.

Lots of cool, smart guys fail. This is an interesting experiment.

Why do we trust the media? To give one of the more recent examples of media fallibility, PFT recently reported "Chuck Pagano undoubtedly will be fired" if Indy fails to make the playoffs. If fact, his contract was extended. (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/12/20/whats-next-for-chuck-pagano/) This is the trend in the media covering the NFL. Reporters run wild with speculation and unsubstantiated reports from poorly placed sources. DW is going to be fired, EJ's going to be cut, the Pegulas issue an ultimatum.... why do we listen to this crap?

I'm okay with EJ as a backup. But if there was an opportunity to sign a veteran - a former starter - I'd be in for that. It would be good to have a wily old vet in the QB room and on the sideline, mentoring TT.

I don't believe the conversation happened as portrayed. I know a lot of wealthy business leaders/owners and they rarely talk to their employees like this. It's just not healthy and it's completely unnecessary. If the key people in your company aren't already committed/motivated, why would you employ them in the first place? If people don't perform, you fire them. There's just no need to threaten them ahead of time.

O better than expected. TT a positive surprise. D worse than expected. Rex a negative surprise.

I agree! I'm wishing him well where ever he plays next year.

While I think Rex screwed up this year, he does have a tremendous record building strong defenses. He's had an entire year to reassess the roster and his strategy. Even without Mario, I think the D gets better next season.

I think you're right... and right.

Mostly agree.

I'm bugged that Rex wasn't a good enough leader to get the most out of Mario. But I'm also bugged by Mario's crappy attitude. Men should be men, not puppets. A man acts with integrity and takes care of his business regardless of what's going on around him. A puppet lets other people pull the strings and determine his mood, attitude, effort, and everything else. Mario doesn't like the new scheme so he's become a different person & player. He gives less effort and has become a worse teammate. That's being a puppet - he's letting the coaches determine his attitude instead of owning it. A man would have motored on, despite disagreement over his new role.

No coaches - or players - would want to work for an organization that blows things up every year. I haven't been happy with Rex's coaching this year. And I'm still on the fence with DW. Yet, if I owned the Bills - for the sake of stability - I wouldn't change the HC or GM either. I do hope we see some upgrades in the coaching staff and roster, though.

Actually, I don't mind most of the article. I don't necessarily agree with his recommendations but I'm okay with differing opinions. There's really only remark that's bothersome: 'the Pegulas are in over their heads' as owners of a NFL franchise. I think he's wrong. I think he fails to back the statement up. I think it's absurd even to suggest it after one season of ownership. And I think it's an unnecessarily offensive statement.

Thanks Gary. When you don't have a franchise QB, you need a franchise RB. DW made the deal he had to make at that time.

Most owners come into the NFL without any NFL experience. And then they hire football people to run their football business. The Pegulas have hired/retained this triumvirate: * Russ Brandon. He's doing well managing the business side. * Doug Whaley. Some knowledgeable football people believe he's off to a credible start as a GM. Peter King - among others - praised his promotion. * Rex Ryan. The Bills weren't the only team interested in making him a HC. This season aside, he has a very strong record running defenses. We can argue about Rex and DW. But the decision to retain their services is not in the Matt Millen category. They're reasonable decisions even if some of us can imagine better options. The Pegulas are in the first season of NFL ownership and their team will finish somewhere in the middle of the pack of the highly competitive NFL. There's no need for panic. Saying the Pegulas are "in over their heads" smacks of Jerry Sullivan.

Huh?

Is Bill politicking for a job as the Pegulas' consultant?

Yeah, I get it. And I don't disagree with the move. The team was moving in the wrong direction, Chips was failing as a GM, he was arrogant, etc. But still I love the contrast. We're sometimes slow to fire coaches with losing records. The Eagles just fired a coach with a winning record. You don't see that a lot.

This is an awesome find. Thanks! I've always wondered how tackling was taught in the NFL these days. Like most of us who played organized ball, I was taught to tackle with my shoulder and wrap the guy up. Not very different than what the Seahawks teach (Seto: "We are a shoulder tackling team"). Yet you see a lot of sloppy tackling in the NFL. It's puzzling. Even given that the CBA doesn't allow a lot of full contract drills, you would think the basics of tackling would be instilled at an early age. In any case, the Seahawks find a way to teach good fundamental tackling. Why can't the Bills? Vince Lombardi: "Some people try to find things that don't exist but football is only two things: blocking and tackling."

Chip is an unique case but it's still interesting to me that a guy who goes 26-21 gets fired. In Buffalo, we'd canonize him.

DW was in a tough position this past offseason. He thought, as we all did, that he had a playoff caliber defense. But he didn't have a playoff caliber offense. So with no franchise QBs available, he went after a RB you could build an offense around. At the time, it looked like a smart move. Many thought a Shady led offense would be potent enough to lead the Bills into the playoffs, considering our D was going to hold opponents to under 20 per game. If Rex hadn't mucked up the defense, the plan would have worked. Our rushing attack delivered this year because DW gave Roman a nice stable of backs to work with. I don't think the money tied up in Shady, KW and MG is outrageous for three good halfbacks.