dulles

I like that mix. Hopefully they can come up with something that makes sense to the average fan!

I think he could develop into one of those dependable guys who get you 10 wins a year and occasionally exceed along with the team for a 12 win season - like Dalton. I like that he got a lot more aggressive with targeting Watkins. That is what big time QB's do. They don't JUST share the ball, they also get it to their star. It was especially noteworthy since Watkins was essentially our only target against the Jets. I don't know why they signed Salas for next year...he must have put a hit out on someone Rex hates! Back to TT...IF...IF Rex gets the defense in good shape, TT doesn't have to throw 5000 yards, nor should he run for 500. I think the pass-pro will get better and he'll get more comfortable with the receivers. A whole offseason of being the Number 1 is good for a guy like TT and his receivers.

F5!

I think he had a stroke a while back. When he does prepared stuff off the teleprompter, he always looks better. When he adlibs, it doesn't work as well. I looked all over the internet, but I couldn't find anything conclusive re: an illness.

As I recall, he didn't really play football either.

This is not a big surprise...part of the reason he wanted out of Houston was defensive scheme. It wasn't all money. They too had gone to a 3-4. He was vocal about dropping into coverage in that scheme too.

+1 It's not like Seattle was out there setting new records for defensive futility while implementing this tackling technique. Their D was taking over the League. This is effective and safe - something every team should implement, at every level of football.

That is exactly why this makes me incredibly nervous. This off season will truly expose the Pegs for who they are. We will either have reason to rejoice or reason to mourn! These owners aren't going anywhere for a LONG time!

How on earth did you end up rooting for the Bills? How about NHL...Bruins or Sabres? I had a few that are a little skewed by when I emerged as a sports fan. As a kid, I remember watching the Bulls lose to the Bad Boys of Detroit. I immediately became a fan. I know. I know...MJ, Pippen, etc. It all screams bandwagon, but I can honestly say I was rooting before they peaked. It is similar to how I became a Bills fan...I remember them losing to the Browns in the playoffs vividly. A couple others are an oddity of how I root for sports. I always root for a second team in each sport, usually in the opposite conference. So, I claim a few Penguins championships, Blue Jays, etc. I can truly claim to have been a legit fan of Syracuse since my childhood (I can remember the Keith Smart jumper), so the 'Melo Basketball Championship counts 100%.

Here's the story on EJ. Last week, he had two special situation plays. The first was a designed run out of the shotgun. No decision, just get the first down. Success. The second was a read option. EJ managed to misread the the lineman AND run in the opposite direction of the blocking. Drive Killer. Analysis: We don't need to see EJ. We need to see TT in a pass happy offense. See what he looks like if we really open things up.

The Pegula's are incredible wealthy. This is not even equal to a car accident for most people. This is Rex's remain salary $22.5 (original deal was 27.5 for 5 years). Divide that by the Pegula's $3.8bn and you get 0.59%. Yes, a lot of money, but a small drop in the bucket for the Pegs. If they want to make this change, they will. I'm not saying that they ARE, but I am saying money isn't really a problem.

Good for your son...working through the trouble and going after something he enjoys. He'll be much more mature than his peers. Edit: Not good that he has Crohn's (obviously). Evidently, today the gap between my brain and the keyboard is larger than normal! BTW, I was curious to see if there were any organization advocating for those suffering from Crohn's and driving research. I found this site: http://www.ccfa.org/. I'm sure Chandler#81 has access to more resources, but I thought others might be looking for a little more information on what Crohn's is like.

That's a nice observation about the previous DCs and their immediate success, but both of them inherited a D with obvious weaknesses. Pettine started with a terrible crew and essentially could do no wrong, no matter how bad he tried. Schwartz started with some nice pieces, including a much improved Dareus as well as a healthy Mario & company. Schwartz also started with a plan to stop the run, something Pettine had overlooked in his haste to the QB. We were due to come back to earth and a change in scheme is what sped that along. Give it another year for Rex to get his people in place, then we can call for his head. Don't forget Reed and Suggs.

Don't worry, we'll win some meaningless games at the end to mess up the draft position. Actually, I want the Bills to win week 17, mostly because one of my sons is going to his first game that day, but other than that, Go Bills - the worser the better!

I agree with the continuity sentiment as well. I'm not sure they will go for WR that early. We actually have very good talent at the skill positions. The cupboard hasn't been this well stocked since the early 90's. I think they will focus on the line. When Taylor has time and the running game is going, we are hard to stop. Our offense hasn't lacked explosiveness - it's not a butter knife at a gun fight (like much of the last two decades). It's a real weapon, but we've just fired blanks too often (penalties, gambling on the long throw on third down, etc.). I say we follow the Dallas blueprint from a couple years ago - draft OL early and often. As I was writing that last sentence, I realized that was what Tannebaum did with the NYJ before/during his time with Rex. Their line had a lot of 1st round picks. They also could control a game with the run. This keeps Rex's D fresh. Speaking of D...We need more/better LBs. As much as I would like Wilkerson, I'm afraid he'll be out of reach financially. Additionally, the last place you need disruptive talent in Rex's D is the line. They need to be Stalwart Rocks that are immovable, but the LBs and Ss need to be dynamic. The line is a Stop-the-Run-First unit. That's why Rex has all those fancy blitz packages on third and long...his lineman aren't required to be world-beaters in the pass rush. I think the Rex hire was the reason why the Pegulas needed a "football czar" and the reason why they couldn't get the czar into the building. Polian likely predicted that this transition would be difficult. Better to come in after the evidence is in plain view for everyone, then Polian doesn't have egg on his face. I'd predict they give Whaley a few more years on the contract and a couple more years to prove his worth. Then we'll either have a bona fide GM in Whaley or we'll bring in the Czar who will bring in a GM who will bring in a Coach who will bring in a DC (and it will probably mean we change schemes again)...

+1 Thurman is with Rex because Thurman will never be a head coach...He's the career assistant. Pettine was in Buf and now in Cle because he's a lead dog. He's not going to be a coordinator under a defense-minded head coach again. He'll go be the DC for some OC who gets hired as a Head Coach - some guy like Bevell, Gase, or Reich.

Ok, step back from the ledge buddy... Defense first: Rex will have a hand in reforming this D in the 3-4 he prefers. Remember, Whaley is a 3-4 guy too - that's what Pittsburgh always ran. He can scout LB's with the best of them. Possible Losses: Mario is restructured or released. Kyle is restructured or retires. A. Williams will not come back this year due to the risk...Possibly retires. McKelvin may be brought back at a favorable $$ amount. He's not as bad as you think. You can't have Revis/Sherman-level talent at every spot!!! Bradham in FA??? Needs - HUGE NT, even if KW comes back. Move Kyle and Marcel to the DE spots. They both have the quickness to play outside the guard. That also gives you flexibility with Marcel - move him to any of the three spots. This will be a veteran free agency signing. It doesn't require a flashy guy, just a mountain of a guy to hold up 2+ blockers on every play. LB to replace Bradham if he walks, plus one more to replace Mario as we go to 3-4 (will Powell work when he recovers???) We made the right move on Alonso btw...did you see him over-pursue on the TD run by Gillislie? That is why Rex was glad to move him! SAFETY - Rambo is a good 3rd safety for Rex, but is not AWilliams or even Searcy (that FA loss has hurt us all year). Corners are looking good, even without McKelvin back. We could have used Gay's roster position for rotational DL help yesterday. Kelly ran us ragged with the speed offense in the second half. Our line was obviously winded at times. Offense Oline is still WAY better than last year, but we need to upgrade the right side and retain Cogs on a 2 year deal. Losses: Urbik? Incognito? Needs: We need to spend another high draft pick on OL help, preferably at RT. I think Wood has improved this year. I like how Roman gets him out in space so that he doesn't get overpowered by 350 lb. NTs. He's athletic and Roman is using him better - kinda like Gailey...and to me, that's a good indication of the quality of Roman in the run/screen game. I could see us drafting a 5 or 6 round Center/Guard combo to compete with Urbik. We may need to get another RB because Los seems injury prone, but Gillislee [sp!] has shown a spark. I like the kid...I wonder how he does in pass protection??? Boobie should probably hit the road...too many boneheaded penalties. He's like Hughes, minus the talent and upside! A veteran receiver (like you said above) on a friendly contract would be nice to provide a little leadership to the immature receiving corps, but I'm not sure that will happen. Woods will have to be that guy (scary!). TE - they will bring in another guy to push Gragg and O'leary again. I'm hoping we don't clog the roster with another Mulligan, but that's always a possibility. Special Teams Carp's days may be done...why not try some other guys through the end of this season? Money is one reason... It drives me nuts that we waste a roster spot on Gay. It is even worse when I see Dustin Hopkins kicking for Washington! I'd love to get a kicker who can do both or a punter that can handle kickoffs too. Sanborn, Schmidt, and Easly stick around for another tour of duty. I agree completely. As surprised and pleased as I have been with TT this year, I am ecstatic about what he will bring next year. This guy is a film-room warrior, which is one of the keys to greatness in the NFL. He will have a highly profitable offseason looking at some important trends...like gambling on 30 yard passes on 3rd and 4! There are flaws, but they are easily corrected. He and his coaches will get it done this offseason. I think that you have actually seen some evaluation and adaptation during the season. Yesterday, I was so sure Rex was going to challenge that "fumble" on the sideline. I was glad to see him get on the headset and talk to his people. He didn't blow it. That shows that they made adjustments and the adjustments paid off. It is common for coaches to respond to adversity better in their second stint. I'm confident that Rex will go home in the offseason and make some changes. There is no way you bring Hue and Roman together. That is like bringing Schwartz and Rex together. They are from fundamentally contradictory systems.

Carr and Bridgewater end up falling on whoever picked Manuel. Since EJ was in the fold, it would be "bad form" to bring in another young gun. My hunch has always been it was Nix's call.

I have consistently thought that Polian was taking his time so he could get into the HOF. After that was done, the Pegulas had already made progress and wanted to play out a year. I wouldn't be surprised by Polian being linked to Buffalo in the offseason.

It is a flaw in Tyrod's decision making. He often kills drives by gambling on a shot downfield instead of taking the shorter throw. On that occasion, I think he threw it to avoid the sack. IIRC, He got smacked as he was pulling the trigger. IMO, the O-lline cost us more than TT or Roman, although Roman seems to regress badly during the fourth quarter.

Spikes can play LB on 1st down, NT on second down, and gripe about being a 3 down LB on third!!! One of my all-time favorite comics! Nice work.

My favorite part was when he picked up his phone and started yelling "DoHitSen!!!!" What? "DoHiSen!!! DOHISEN!!!!! <SCREAMING> DOHISEN!!!! It was epic. It was bordering on Jim Mora or Dennis Green. Beautiful insanity.

Did he say that right after he opened up his mouth about his former team/coach? Is that what you say when you are standing behind your big brother because you opened up your mouth a little too much and now the other guy is coming after you? I don't like how the Bills talk smack and rile up the opponent. Let sleeping dogs lie.

What the NFL really needs to do is invest in time travel. Once they get the wrinkles ironed out...the video review can take place in the future, the report can be sent back to the present and all the mistakes can be fixed by a panel of talk radio hosts and callers from the following week.

I say Peyton leaves NO to coach Luck in Indy.