TPS

who would you have selected instead?Btw, for one, it's hard to call Richardson a reach in R5; two, whaley's trade down in R2 from 41 to 44 got the bills that R5 pick.

This is silly. Who are you comparing Woods to? All R2 picks in their 2nd year? Calling Henderson a turnstile without any data? Is that how you grade a 7th rounder? Dixon was brought in mainly for STs, and was their 3rd back. He had the highest yards per carry on the Bills. Who are you comparing him to? Richardson, any other 5th round picks start some games? Kujo, yes, expected more. However, most scouting reports said he was raw. It's too early to judge Whaley on this pick. You really have not made much of a case against Whaley. So Marrone's decision to bench Urbik and move Pears pushed them down from 22 to 32....

That was the best part.

Maybe it was this....?

You reminded me of a thought I had the other day regarding something either Marrone or Hackett stated, since they don't run the read-option with Orton, there was no fear of the QB keeping, so the D could attack any run play. If you look at the 4 games with EJ, in 3/4 games the Bills averaged > 4 ypc; with Orton, they only 3/12 games had more than 4ypc. 75% vs 25% is significant. Maybe there is something with that?

I hope Sully gets a twitter earful for his laziness!

I think the issue with Mike W had more to do with Orton not being comfortable with him rather than Marrone, because that's about when he got into the "doug house." Also, Richardson did play a few games but was pulled for Urbik due to poor play. However, it will take time until we know if he and Ck are busts or not. I do agree with you, it's kind of silly to say Whaley and his guys can find D players but not O players.

That's the bright side, there's no doubt they will put administrators in place that they trust--out with the old guard! And I don't mean the Whaley side of the operation.

I like your take, and it is hopeful. What i don't like is, and I posted in another thread, if it's true the HC will report to Pegulas, then Polian/Marrone comments help undermine Whaley's influence.

The more I think about this, the more worrisome it is, at least until this cluster!@#$ gets resolved...ugh! Polian tells Pegulas to make sure the HC gets what he needs, implying Whaley didn't do that. Pegulas say HC will report to them. Polian/Marrone have succeeded in undermining Whaley's position. Not good.

Yes, no more years of no chance at a HC because they wouldn't spend the money.

This is why I think they are going on the interviews, so when they think they have their man, they are going to "show him the money!" Because that was his reputation that got him the first HC job, he doesn't need to prove it for more than 1 year. What he needs to prove is that he's toned down his emotions, which a poster above has stated.

To me, the he said, she said argument comes down to the Oline and the run game. 2013 starting lineup: Glenn+Brown/Legursky+Woods+Urbik+Pears 2014 lineup: Glenn+Williams/Richardson/Urbik+Woods+Pears+Henderson Based on personnel, can anyone say there is a material difference? There is an experience gap at most, which could be material. Running game comparisons: Year 2013 Team 4.2ypc FJ 4.3 CJ 4.6 Summers 3.8 Choice 3.6 Year 2014 Team 3.7ypc FJ 3.7 CJ 3.8 Summers 2.8 Boobie/Brown 3.8/3.5 [Disclaimer: It would be more telling to analyze the changes wrt to running left, middle, right if someone has the time.] It's straight-forward to explain any improvement in the passing game to a more experienced QB, but how do you explain the significant drop off in the running game? This isn't marginally different, it's HUGE!

Obviously to show them the money!

Rashomon... Marrone thought he could mold Colin Brown, that he was good enough to start for the team, and when he stunk the joint up, Whaley had to find the best he could after the season started. I'll give you Williams. Urbik on a line that has talent around him is decent, but they could upgrade, obviously... Again, with Kuoandjio they got exactly how he was described, "raw tools and high ceiling are far more appealing...at this point in his development." Marrone had good things to say about him in the season-ending PC, so I;m leery. He could turn into a good RT needed for their power running game. It's premature to judge Ck and Whaley for the pick this point. Again, you blame Whaley, and I think it's Marrone. In the second half you essentially had 4 of the same players from the previous year, yet they were worse. Lastly, Marrone has stated that the plan was to build the D first, and he also wanted to help his friend on STs. Again, I think we'll get an answer to which view is correct as we see what kind of line play we get this year from most likely 4/5 of the same starters (Pears is definitely gone). So far, I think you can only blame/credit him on the Watkins trade. I wasn't arguing that he should be president, I want to make sure we don't do anything that would jeopardize the staff he's put into place. He's not perfect, but I think his positives moves on his brief resume so far significantly outweigh the negatives.

Is Whaley responsible for the regression of the offense this year even with an average veteran that he did bring in? They originally brought Kolb in as the vet to mentor EJ, but we know how that ended. What other options were there? How many other teams are struggling to find a QB to lead them? The EJ experiment isn't done yet either. Regarding the Oline, I blame Marrone, and i think we'll see that next year when they bring in a good OC and Oline coach. I think you've given up on CK too early. He was a raw talent, not ready for prime time. Let's see what he can do this year. In fact, I'm thinking we might see an Oline made up of Henderson, Glenn, Woods, Urbik, and CK next year, with 3 veterans manning the interior. Glenn might just be the all-pro guard we've been waiting for. All speculation at this point. Whaley and his staff are doing excellent imho.

Thanks. I like them both, but it seems a little premature for Reich to get a HC position after only one year as an OC. Re Whaley, Bills are lucky they got him. He's got a great group under him, and he/they is really building a solid roster.

Educated guess or some insight from your time spent with him? I was wondering what kind of relationship he had with Schwartz?

Btw, the trend in news has been pretty consistent--something big every 2 days. Monday--Orton Retires. Wednesday--Marrone gone. Friday--Whaley leads search. Sunday...? Or is it a day of rest, and the next event goes back to Monday?

This is good to hear. I was worried that the Pegula's would do something stupid to reduce Whaley's influence. I think Whaley has created one of the strongest pro/college scouting departments the Bills have seen since the days of John Butler, and that is the long-term foundation for this football team.

that's the way I look at it too, taking the worst team in the league to the playoffs in his 3rd year. He's certainly intense and emotional, but he's clearly a sharp guy that players like to play for. Contrary to "losing the team" in Detroit, most of the players defended him and wanted him back.

might be a little tough trying to give that many QBs enough playing time to adequately assess them...

Here's an old one about his use of stats, and a good read. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/sports/football/23titans.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0

Here's an interesting piece written in his second year in Detroit. You could substitute "Jim Kelly" in his quip... http://archive.detroitnews.com/article/20101120/OPINION03/11200393

Under the Schwartz as coach thread I linked to an article about his oc in Detroit, the current oc for Dallas. He made a good choice there.