Momentoftrth
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Posts posted by Momentoftrth
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I find it interesting that the OP entirely discounts the 2 AFC Championship games that Rex was the HC of.......
I think you would find it hard to find a former teams fan of a HC.....there is a reason why they are the former HC or they wouldnt be available.
I also find it interesting how there are negative thoughts on the defense.....a defense that consistantly ranks inside the top ten EVERY year
There will be fans on this board that will look for any little reason to think negatively on a move by the bills......15 years of no playoffs will do that......but come on man
- One of the "big fish" HC candidates is now ours
- Greg Roman's offenses have been DEEP into the playoffs in his years there
We could have gone two other wasy
- Rolled the dice with a coordinator who has never been a HC before....that in itself carries its own dangers......the NFL is LITTERED with hot shot coordinators that failed when they got their chance to be a HC
- Hugh Jackson was rumored to be the guy if not Rex.....lets keep in mind that Hugh got ONE YEAR of being a HC before raiders fired him (I consider unjustly) Rex held onto his HC position for several years before finally being let go.
There is a REASON for that.....and it isnt because he runs loose training camps
Please don't be negative. It's a waste of time. Think positive and hope for the best. That's all we can do as fans. This post was about perspective. I wouldnt think I was capable of souring the Bills fan base on Rex, nor would I care to.
As for Roman. Are you at all concerned about how the 49ers offense performed this year? They were pretty healthy and they were very flat.
Also, as someone who watched every game Rex coached, please don't get to caught up on stats regarding yardage rankings on the defense. Do you know how many times the opposing offense started in our redzone because of the plethora of turn overs our offense provided?
Keep your eye on scoring defense. Our new HC just won assistant coach of the year for his work as defensive coordinator, and his defense was ranked 24th in yards...... BUT they were 5th in scoring defense with a patch work squad that was riddled with injuries.
That's why they won 11 games. It certainly wasn't because of their offense.
Hopefully Rex can learn from his previous coaching mistakes like Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick did and have a much better run his 2nd time around.
However, I think one thing that not many people mention is the coaching job that needed to be done to get the Jets to an 8-8 record the year before last, with Geno Smith as a rookie playing like...well, Geno only can. He should have warranted some coach of the year nominations. That team was a 4-12 or 5-11 team based on talent. They just were not very good, but somehow he got them to end up at 8-8. This year it pretty much all fell apart for him. Idzik did a horrendous job at providing talent for the most part and his secondary was a disaster, which is what he relies on to run his defense effectively..even with all that they still finished 5th ranked in the NFL...
Yes, he might have his faults, just as virtually all coaches do, but hopefully he took inventory of what he needs to do differently this time around. Let's also not forget that save the QB and maybe the 2 guards, this team is good enough to challenge New England for the AFC East, so its not like he's inheriting a bad team...he's inheriting a very talented young team that's getting one of their most dynamic defensive players back in Kiko Alonso and legitimately might have the best DLine AND the best LB Corp in the NFL next year...not to mention the secondary is very good and very underrated by most around the league...
Offensively if they can just put up 24-25 points a game, this team could basically be like Seattle, IMHO...suffocate teams with defense and put up enough points to win most games
You know what's interesting? Both Sanchez's rookie year and Genos the team won games. He made sure they were on a short leash. In Genos 2nd year they let him loose and he bombed, for Sanchez it was year 3. All of a sudden we became a passing team. Both times I think he let the OC air it out (which is what they all want to do) because they did well the year before. Huge mistake with those QB's.
Excellent and objective review. Our only hope is that Rex can learn from his mistakes as many coaches do their second time around. But I am not confident this will happen. As you mentioned, he didn't seem to change during his time in NY and he has a HUGE ego so why would he all of a sudden see the light? The Bills always hire coaches the wrong way. Instead of studying past performance and centering on that in light of the current situation when interviewing they always start interviewing until someone "impresses" them. Hiring based upon interview skills is a huge mistake. Con Artists and big ego types always talk a good game and impress. When they fail to deliver everyone is surprised. The Harbaugh hire in Baltimore is a good example. In the NFL you have to find the next innovator who can get ahead of the league for a few years until the rest catch up like Levy did with the K-gun. I am afraid our team will look exactly like the Jets and our team of last year. Great D good enough to win but not overcome a horrible offense.
His ego and need to make brash statements are a weakness. But I guess that's better than a Trestman/ Mike Smith style coach who is afraid of his own shadow.
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But in NY, Rex either hired OCs with horrible judgement or horrible loyalty (which he failed to override/control), OR, Rex overrode his OC to keep Sanchez/Smith etc because of loyalty?
From what the team always said, Rex hired Sporano, and Marty Morhenwig. He and the team always said he picked his assistants.
Good luck with your Rookie HC. I am happy to have Rex and hope that in a new situation he will correct any issues he may have.
The one thing you failed to account for in the entire post is the GM of the Jets. You are on your 3rd GM in 3 years. Not sure if that is Rex's issue and its pretty easy to show that the Jets haven't drafted well or gotten good value out of Free Agency. Not sure if that is Rex's fault.
Why would I comment on the GM? Did you hire Idzik too? Again I never said anything was all Rex's fault. But this thread is all about him.
Now that I think about it I should join a Dolphins messgae board to see what they think of Tannenbaum.
OP, I come here daily but seldom log on/post. Had to today though to tell you thank you for your well-thought out / informative post. I'm sure by the nature of being a Jets fan you're going to get some a'hole responses, I don't have time to read the follow-on posts right now, but it is posts like this that keep the spirit alive and keep me coming back.
I appreciate the insight from you and here's hoping for two Bills well-earned victories over your boys this year!
Cheers brother!
Thanks!
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Not that I disagree with your overall post, but....
1) best run organizations in the NFL? Big market and exposure doesn't mean well run. You had Mangini and Herm before Rex. The GM position there has been garbage for a while. Groh is the only coach under Johnson (I didnt include Parcells because his last year was 99, and Woody bought the team in 99). 15 years 5 coaches, all losing records overall. The Bills have been hot garbage for about the same period, and nobody is calling us well run over that time. Infact the current FO is probably the most supported so far, and there are still people who think its a mess.
2) the Ravens thing. Bisciotti has said that he normally takes a back seat for those decisions. But got a personal recommendation from Hoodie himself, so stepped in and pushed the hire. Not sure if Rex was the front runner prior to that. May not have been, which would make your point valid.
3) I thought Bart Scott played a lot a pretty high level for a while. I don't know what the contract was, or his weekly production since I don't watch a ton of you guys, but every time I did Bart looked like a good player.
4) you did overachieve on D this year considering talent at corner in relation to the system. Which proves a prior point of yours. I took those comments as finger pointing at terrible offensive production rather than blind optimism of the how well they played.
5) your QB situation was much worse than ours. Geno has some better games than EJ, but EJ has yet to lay a single clunker that is anything similar to what Geno has done at times. Also Vick is garbage.
I hope you're wrong about personel usage and adjustments. It will absolutely be in the back of my head through the season.
I was not referring to the Jets as one of the best run organizations in sports. They aren't even the best run in NY. Not even in Florham Park. I think their High School soccer team is run much more soundly than the Jets. LOL
It was all about the Ravens.
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idzik could have signed him as a FA and kept all the picks. Revis wanted to go back to the Jets. Idzik blew him off.
Exactly. I had no issue with the trade because that exact pick yielded the DROY. But if you consider that we could have picked up Richardson with the pick from that trade, then resigned the player we traded away less than 365 days later. Every douche with a Revis jersey in his closet would have done a back flip. I don't think Revis would have been the difference in getting us to the playoffs, but he would have helped and it would have been a PR homerun. No matter what our final record would have been, if Idzik is aggressive with signing Revis he still has a job. Period.
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I agree. There are ways to counteract that loyalty. For example, it sounds like Roman will be running the entire offense. I wouldn't expect Rex to veto Roman based on "loyalty" to players.
You are probably right about Roman running the show on offense. I'm not a fan of the HC only focusing on one side of the ball. If the HC is watching one side of the ball and a coordinator watches the other who's keeping an eye on the big picture? Just sayin
I understand your frustration as a Jets fan. Much of what happened in NY was due to a meddling front office and not Rex's doing. I know you wanted your team to win the SB and I understand that, but he took a team with inferior talent to two straight AFC championship games. To me, that spells good coaching, period. After that, there were all sorts of moves made by the FO and Rex tried to be a team player and play with the hand he was dealt. It didn't work out, but he was not solely to blame. I for one welcome his confidence and infectious attitude. He is the first real football coach we have had in Buffalo in quite some time. Sorry he didn't get your team to the SB, but if he even gets ours to the playoffs, that will spell success in Buffalo for a franchise that hasn't been there in way too long. I believe he is perfectly capable of doing so. Is he perfect? Hell no. Find me a coach that is. He has his flaws, like any other man or coach, but there is enough ability there to satisfy me. Time will tell if he will be the guy to lead us to the playoffs, but I am confident at this point until he proves me wrong. Go Bills.
Well said, but disagree about the teams he inherited in 09 and 10'. Pretty solid talent less Smith, Scott, and Sanchez. If Kris Jenkins stayed healthy those years we may have took it all.
And I don't at all think Rex was soley to blame.
having to play a converted LB at corner and the rest backup quality at best will do that
True, but that was one year out of six. It also begs the question, why did we run the exact same scheme and plays in 2014 that we ran when we had Revis and Cromartie as book ends?
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wrt the loyalty piece and being a players coach I think one part of the hiring decision had to do with the Pegulas thinking it will help attract FAs here. That plus their history of paying for talent probably makes them optimistic that this can become a place FAs want to go... That plus continued strong drafts leads to winning which leads to easier FAs/extensions of good homegrown talent and so on. I think Hughes, for one, has money at the top of his list as a factor but having Rex here instead of Marrone is likely somewhere on the list of "pros" for Buffalo.
I want to steal Hughes soooooo bad. I was so hyped up on him coming out of college. And then he did nothing for like 3 years. And then finally he emerged, and I think he will get even better. He has a 15+ sack season in him with the right pieces in place. And the Mets have such a HUGE need at that position.
I think he will stay with Rex. Sadly.
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Never seen a Jets fan actually manipulate so many "Bills" fans before.
Ummmmmmm should I say thank you?
LOL
The owner and GMs from the Jets arent here.
Last year Idzik had over 13 draft picks... In a year where WRs were a plenty he picked 3 WRs that were a bust. What the Jest fan is doing is manipulating you. If you notices he has no real knowledge of his team which is a tell tale sign of a real Jets fan.I almost forgot also Rex couldn't pick his OC so not like he had a choice when his offense was struggling. Bad Owner and bad GMs combined to screw Rex.
I'd love to participate in a test of my Jets knowledge.
As for manipulation, I only commented on my options on what I saw for 6 years. I also wouldn't encourge anyone to be negative about their team when a new HC takes over. It's a waste of time. These are just things to keep in mind as you watch and make your own observations.
If Todd Bowles had been a HC before I would love to hear from fans of that team. Not because it helps or hurts anything, just because I love insight into my team. As a fan.
I wish as much good luck to Rex as any AFC East rival could.
If QB coaches could really make QBs better, and consistently better, they would be as important and as popular and as well paid as HC, and there are an upwards of none that are generally regarded as great.To the OP, good post but you kinda lost me at "savvy veteran" and 80% of games in six years had 12 men on field penalties (and on offense or ST that wouldnt be Rex's fault.
Wouldn't be Rex's fault??????????? Who's fault is it.... for six years? No OC lasted more than 2.
And yeah I pulled that 80% out of my ass, but seriously, it felt like 100%.
Also Vick is unquestionably a savvy veteran in the offensive system we were running in 2014. I didn't say elite, I said savvy.
Eric smith is here I believe, but as a coach.(I may be wrong. Don't have time to look it up) so doooooomed
Whoa . Really?
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Yeah, I'm with North Buffalo on this. I appreciate that our Jets visitor offered his personal POV and while I'm sure there are nuggets of truth and valuable insight in here, something doesn't quite add up. If Rex is so poor at accountability, how is it that his defense the past 6 years is 2nd best in the NFL? Why were his defenses at Baltimore so dominant?
Rex, despite his flaws, has in fact proven this ability to run a defense. The key questions now, I think, are: can Whaley find him sufficient offensive talent? Can Roman take that talent and put together a productive offense? If you believe the answer to these questions are affirmative, the Bills will be in the playoffs.
Look at scoring defense, that's the key stat. If you dominate 80% of the snaps, but give up a few key 1st downs and scores your impressive stats don't equal owns. Also look at the lack of defensive turnovers and scoring.
And agreed, this is just my options, I don't claim to be an expert. Just how one Jets fan saw things.
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Ryan's fortunes will depend on the QB situation. Just like it does for any HC.
With everything I wrote and everyone else commented on here.... This is a VERY true statement. It is the main factor for success.
But it's no the end all be all. Look at the Chargers and Falcons. They are sitting home watching the playoffs just like Jets and Bills fans.
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So, does he re-sign Jim Leonhard? After we dumped him, Rex had him with the Ravens, then brought him over to the Jets, and his #1 son brought him back to The Bills, and then again took him to that Brown place in Ohio.
I think Leonhard is way more of a Pettine guy. Worked with him on 4 different teams. Be suprprised if he doesn't stay with Cleveland.
I live around Jet fans and I can't find one of them that didn't want to Keep Rex . The 8-8 record in 2013 says all you need to know about his abilites, that was a gutted team set up to be a disaster, zero offensive weapons , and rookie qb and an aging defense .
There were fans that were loyal to the end with Rex... but you couldn't find ONE that wanted a change after 4 years with no playoff birth and a 4-12 season????
I live around Jet fans and I can't find one of them that didn't want to Keep Rex . The 8-8 record in 2013 says all you need to know about his abilites, that was a gutted team set up to be a disaster, zero offensive weapons , and rookie qb and an aging defense .
There were fans that were loyal to the end with Rex... but you couldn't find ONE that wanted a change after 4 years with no playoff birth and a 4-12 season????
Great post, thanks for sharing your observations.
I was not a fan of David Lee as QB coach here. He came in to "fix" Ryan Fitzpatrick. That certainly didn't happen....whether he tried too much to mess with his mechanics too close to the season and induced the "paralysis of analysis" or whether he gave the message to our WR "don't reach for the ball, it's the QB's job to put it right there" or all of the above, I don't know but Fitz regressed. That's my major concern with Rex is the assistants. I thought it was telling that Lee lauded Fitz as the hardest-working QB he'd worked with, who could tell him what the D was going to be on Friday. Not that Fitz wasn't hard working, but champions take it to another level. I bet Tom Brady can tell on Tuesday, if not Monday. Anyway we were glad to see his tail lights heading for the Jets.
And yeah, I didn't know about Bart Scott or Smith but it was clear that Rex stuck with Sanchez far too long. The tattoo was ridiculous.
I was not a fan of Pettine's D and was not happy to see Schwartz go either. That is a guy who deserves a job as DC.
Rex is here, it's a done deal. We shall see what we shall see.
One thing that confuses me a bit is the CEO thing. Exactly what was the power structure on the Jets? On the Bills, at least, it should not be Rex's power to put a dollar value on a guy. But certainly benching some guys whilst inexplicably playing others was a factor here with Marrone.
At least you guys dodged a bullet on that one.
The power structure was standard as far as I know. Woody pretty much stays out of things, but he says he's going to start to be more involved ... which is scary. When I say a HC has to be a CEO I mean when it comes to the depth chart and accountability. If you QB is missing meeting, the night before a blow out loss, and then flipping fans off afterwards usually the GM is not the one to hand out discipline.
But I am not implying that Rex made free agent moves or the final call on draft picks. But on defensive rookies I do believe he had huge influence.
Question: should the Jets sign Fitzpatrick now that we have Gailey? I didn't follow their time together in Buffalo that closely. If we bring in a rookie we will need a veteran stop gap, and Fitz kind of fits the bill. I'd he worth it?
The OP has some relevant comments, Rex has to learn from past mistakes if he is going to take us to the next level.
Thank God for second chances. Who would be coaching in next week's Super Bowl without them?
Great point! I wonder if Belichick and Carroll benefited from taking time away from being NFL HC's however. Rex isn't taking much time to reflect by jumping back in with no break.
I heard an interview with Mike Westoff here in NYC and he talked about a convo he had with Rex about a week ago. He said Rex is very aware this could be it for him if it doesn't work out, and also that he is really focused on learning from past mistakes. So that's a big positive
I think the OP tries hard, but I'm of a different belief. I think Rex has already changed from his early days. In his initial press conference for the Bills he was vastly more controlled than when he started with the Jets. No stuff like I'm not here to kiss Belichick's rings. Paradoxically or not, his teams performed better early on in his stay with the Jets. My feeling on that is he had better GM and players earlier.
You don't think guaranteeing the playoffs was a bit over the top?
Thanks to you Jets fans for taking the time to give a thoughtful take on Rex. Consider yourself fortunate that us Bills fans don't have to give you our lowdown on St.Doug Marrone. I think Manish Mehta saved you guys a lot of pain.
Agreed
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So in other words, doomed?
;)he doesn't have mediocre defensive players like Bart Scott or Eric Smith (who I actually know;good guy) here.
The Jets defenses in 09' and 10' were pretty stacked with talent. I was disappointed to see the defense that he inherited get worse year after year, especially with all of the draft picks that had Rex's finger prints.
I don't know much about your GM, but the hope is that he will be far better than the idiots we had during Rex's time.
Not about to read all that from a Jets fan... I have so many of you living around me I get enough puke talk as it is.
Jets fans are the least informed and the least likely to spark a interesting football conversation with.
It's odd to join a conversation, that you refuse to participate in, based on a post you refuse to read, while calling others least informed.
I look forward to the spirited debates that you and I will enjoy on this board. In case it's not obvious that's sarcasm.
Jets had horrible GMs and have horrible ownership. If Whaley can keep producing then Rex will be here for a long time.
Agreed and agreed. I hate Woody Johnson, but he's all we got.
Thanks for the great post. You make some great points about Rex. Let's hope he does not bring that baggage with him. As a Bills fan I sure not want a repeat performance here.
Thanks
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Like one of the other posters said, optimism is in my DNA as a Bills fan, but so is a sort of masochistic skepticism. They balance each other. At some point we should have a thread to discuss what keeps Bills fans loyal despite so many years of disappointments. For me, it's like the Bills are MY team, for better or worse, and I'll continue following them no matter what. I'm from Buffalo (Williamsville, actually), and I'm proud that we have a major league team. I like thinking about their strong suits--the linebackers, D-line, etc.--and speculating what can be done with the weak parts. But reading about yet another--another!!--coach who reportedly wants to change an already excellent defense, who sticks stubbornly to mediocrities, doesn't adjust and so on... Yes, my optimism dwindles. Doesn't yours?
I hear you on that. I was really struggling staying positive this year as a fan. I truthfully felt if we didn't clean house ... coach, GM, scouting department.... I was going to have to stop watching.... after 30 years as a fan. Woody Johnson is known for his "half measures". Demote the GM (Bradway) hire new coach and promote GM from within (Tannenabum). Fire coach, hire new coach but keep GM and offensive coordinator. Fire GM and OC, but keep HC.
Sometimes you need to hit the reset button to change the losing culture.
Once Rex and Idzik were gone I wanted Todd Bowles (wanted him since the end of 2013). I know him very well because we both went to the same high school. I also wanted Tom Gamble as GM. But I decided who ever was hired I would sign on 100% and stay positive. So the journey begins. At least I got my coach!
I guess it's called guarded optimism
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Thanks for the insight. All I can really say in reaction to what you've described is that one would hope (i) Rex has learned from his mistakes (as many coaches often do - Carroll is a great example); and (ii) having the support but also the accountability of a better GM and ownership structure will help rectify Rex's shortcomings as a CEO. There is no question in my mind that Rex was saddled with two inept GMs (Tannenbaum and then Idzik), along with an owner who is overly responsive to the media and whims of the fanbase. You attribute the Geno Smith situation this year to Rex - but I've heard, and I do believe, that Rex wasn't given full control of his personnel by the front office - I believe he was forced to start Geno for as long as he did. So while your comments ought to give everyone something to think about, I do hope that the situation here s different enough that Rex will be more successful.
You make a good point about the conspiracy theory regarding Geno and who was making the call on starting him. I discussed this a lot on the Jets forum with fans who were defending Rex and blaming everything on Idzik.
My question is this.... What high quality head coach would stand up in front of the media and say that starting Geno was an "organizational decision" the way Rex did??? Can you imagine Payton, McCarthy, Harbaugh, or any leader of a team passing the buck with that line? OR if he did accept that environment where he had no control of his depth chart thats even worse IMHO. As soon as someone cuts your balls off as a head coach you walk.
The reason I think he did have final control of the depth chart is because Woody fired him. Our owner LOVED Rex, no way he fires him knowing Idzik not only gave him a crappy roster, but also wouldn't let him start who he wanted. It wouldn't make sense.
I was really excited about Rex till I read this...haha. Still excited, but I really hope he learns from his mistakes. As a Bills fan, I respect you (and saying that to a Jets fan means A LOT). Thanks for the input and good luck this season...just not against us lol.
Thanks!
Hey, thanks for letting the air out of our football guys.
He's better than what we had...by a lot. And, just maybe, he's got the ability to self-scout and improve. As he himself has said, this may be his last go round as head coach. So I think he's aware of his opportunity. Only time will tell.
I do believe we now have an owner who won't be afraid to pull the plug if things head south, whatever the cost. But I am strongly optimistic, it's in my DNA as a Bills fan.
Was Marone unpopular before he walked? I thought most fans were happy with the direction the team was going in, and as I mentioned he made a very tough and smart decision with Orton & Manuel.
I'm also curious if Buffalo fans are seriously thrilled about how he didn't even land a coordinator job after quitting, or is it a non-story
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Great post. A lot of clowns have come here and simply said "Rex sucks", without backing up their opinions. You obviously have the goods. I am a big supporter of the Rex hire, but your post gives me pause. Let's hope he learns from his experience in NY.
Thanks. I think the absolute best spot for Rex was Atlanta. But, I give your owner credit. He brought Rex in and never let him leave. I am interested in seeing Rex's defense with elite LB's. If you resign Hughes it could be crazy.
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I think it boils down to what you consider Coples to be. He is listed as an OLB, but he is a DE. With Richardson, Coples, Wilkerson, Harrison as our main starters and Douzable& Ellis rotating in, I think they were the best group in the league. The stats in 2014 don't exactly support that but remember, we had ZERO talent in our secondary, even though our last 2 #1 overall picks were defensive backs.I didn't notice the Jets depth but I would find it hard to believe. The Bills ran eight deep on the DL. There was a drop off to a small degree but most of the time the second FOUR were very good. And the Bills also had four standouts, three Pro Bowlers and a guy with 10 sacks who was the 14th rated DE in the league and about to be paid 12m a year, while I see the Jets having three standouts.
Your defense was much more complete, therefore your d-line looked better.
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There's a significant contingency of Bills fans that think you can only have 1 potentially good QB on your roster at a time.
Funny that happens in Jetville as well. LOL we actually have fans who still want Geno to be the unchallenged starter in camp this year. I don't get it
really, jests helmet.
That lovely Kelly green!!!
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Amen brother. I signed up a couple of weeks ago for essentially the same reason you did, and I haven't been around much to send the message. But you've hit the nail on the head.
Thanks. I know it may come across like a fan of a rival team trying to be negative about the Bills new coach. I am not a Rex fan but I like him, because he is genuine. I'd like to see him progress even though I also want the Jets to beat the bills... Obviously.
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I'm new here, and I'm a Jets fan. I wanted to join this board because I interact with a lot of fans from other AFC East teams on Jetsnation.com and now that Rex is in Buffalo I thought it would be interesting to see how his 2nd shot at running the show goes.
So here's my take on Rex, after 6 years of watching just about everything he did from his 1st "take a swipe at one of ours we will take a swipe at 2 of yours" press conference until his last day... a few short weeks ago. Jets fans were very split over Rex. Some diehard types signed on with Rex and never gave up on him. Others supported him when they were winning and started jumping ship somewhere around midway through the 2012 season. These days just about the whole fan base is focused on moving forward.
I am not a Rex Ryan fan, I should be very transparent about that. I'm not a Rex basher, but from the day he was signed I asked the question "why did one of the best run organizations in pro sports pass him over for the HC position and go with some unknown special teams coach?" I'm referring to The Ravens choosing Harbaugh over Rex in 2008. This could have caused a mutiny because Rex was so beloved by those players. But Ozzy Newsome felt that a guy, who was with that team for almost a decade at that point, was missing something important. I wondered what that was back in January of 2009.
I attended my first Rex Ryan practice in August of 09'. I was truly stunned at the pace and overall atmosphere. It was so casual. Rex walked around socializing with players and coaches, the drills that were being run were sloppy with zero intensity.... I was not panicked, but it seemed like something was missing.
I liked that Rex decided to trust his gut and start Sanchez as a rookie. He was asked about the rocky road that may lie ahead by having a rookie starter and Rex gave the best answer I ever heard. He said "with Mark we aren't waiting on a mistake, we are waiting on a play". That quote is Rex Ryan. I was impressed with that approach and it really shows the good Rex brings to the table. He got a lot out of Mark those first two years because he has an optimistic outlook that really motivates everyone around him. I would say he's special in that way.
So that's the positive about Rex. He believes, he motivates, and it's not an act. Trust me, this guy is the real deal, what you see is what you get.
Now on to the bad Rex. The reason I feel he failed with my Jets is because of one main thing... he is a good department manager.... or in the NFL a coordinator. He does not have the qualities one would want to see in a CEO. A CEO, a high level executive who leads a billion dollar business, has no room in their life for loyalty. A CEO has to be cold, calculated, and always focused on the bottom line.
For example, when John Harbaugh was told what happened in the elevator with Ray Rice he was the only one in the room with all of the top Ravens brass who said.... without hesitation, he needs to be cut. It's well known that Harbaugh and Rice had a very close relationship as player and coach. But the CEO mindset made it clear to Harbaugh that behavior like that couldn't be tolerated and I'm sure he was also worried about the backlash from the media. The owner of the Ravens and their legendary GM are pretty high level executives and even they admitted that Harbaugh was the only one who made that call from day 1.
Rex does not favor competition, because of his loyalty. Over and over I would see him crown a guy a starter (at any position) and then just let the guy struggle... not just for weeks or months but for multiple seasons. My top 3 examples are Sanchez ( I won't say much about him, he was a disaster from early 2011 to the end of 2012, it's well documented) Eric Smith (safety) and the one and only Bart Scott.
If you don't really follow the Jets you may not even know who Smith is. He was out starter for 3 years under Rex, and he was horrendous. He was a big hitter....and that was it. He missed tackles all over the field (week in and week out) and he couldnt cover the slowest tight end in the NFL. But he was a Rex guy, and he started like 40 plus games under Rex.
Scott was the #1 guy Rex targeted when he left the Ravens. Rex and our GM were actually parked in front of Bart's house in Maryland on the night free agency started in 2009. The clock struck midnight and they rang his bell. That's how much Rex needed him. He was pure, hot garbage. He was given a ridiculous contract and never came near beating out David Harris for the starting ILB spot. Not only did he miss tackles in the most glorious fashion each week but he also drew the most idiotic penalties that cost us games.
But, he was a big talker and Rex truly loved this guy. So he drained our salary cap and was a waste of space on our team for 4 years. This is how loyalty can hinder you as a CEO.
What I saw with Rex as our coach (even in 2009 & 2010 when we had success) was a few definitive characteristics.
Inexplicable presnap penalties and general confusion. The 12 men on the field thing happened at least 80% of the games Rex coached over his 6 years.
We saw the defense give up huge plays at key moments routinely, even when they would dominate 80% of the snaps. Giving up long drives before half time was common.
Offensively, turn overs... That's it, turn overs and horrible red zone effeciency. Remember we had 3 different OC's, 2 different highly drafted QB's and 2 different GM's. And the offense always seemed to have the same issues.
Stubborn play calling and overall defensive system. Rex doesn't contour anything to the talent on the team. I also never saw any halftime adjustments. If we started out struggling running the ball. In the 2nd half, we ran the ball more. If we were getting beat with long passes because of aggressive blitzing, in the second half we kept bring 6 and 7 guys on the pass rush.
Delusional praising of players. Just look at some of the post game pressers in 2014 alone. We'd lose by 20+ points and he would talk about how Richardson played just as hard in the 1st quarter as he did in the 4th. He may have registerd 2 tackles, zero sacks, zero passes batted down, and we gave up 100+ yards on the ground... But Rex wants to praise our defenses effort.
Finally was the lack of accountability. You may have followed Geno Smiths nightmare season in 2014. You all had an underachiever of your own in Buffalo. But your situation was handled properly. When the season was still up for grabs you benched your #1 draft pick from the previous year. He wasn't getting it done so you went with the vet. Rex's approach with a young QB is what I call the "ride it to the wheels come off" method. He drove Geno into the ground, while letting a savvy seasoned vet sit on the bench and watch. He waited until 1-7 to pull the guy with the 2nd worst QBR in the league. He also did nothing when Geno flipped off the fans in our stadium after being heckled for a horrendous loss, and did nothing when he skipped a team meeting the night before a game.
When the Seahwaks signed Mat Flynn as a free agent years back they gave him pretty decent money. I think he was getting 8 to 10 million that first year. They also drafted a 3rd rounder who was undersized and getting paid about $450,000. The underdog won the completion fair and square, and they are about to win their 2nd championship in 2 years ...and Flynn is a distance memory.
Rex would have NEVER started Wilson. Even if Flynn went out and threw 20 INt's. That's a fact.
Obviously as a a Jets fan I don't want to see the Bills or any other AFC team have success. But I honestly don't wish your team negativity with Rex. I hope he does hit the reset button and learn from the past. But keep in mind some of my observations after 6 years with him. If you see this same stuff happening it may be a red flag. So far I like the energy he's brought to Buffalo but I am pretty shocked with some of the offensive coaches he has brought with him from my Jets. Guys who have terrible track records. It feels like vintage Rex, but let's see the results before judging his decisions.
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Any team in the same boat as the Jets and Bills... Teams that haven't had a franchise guy in many years... Should be trying to get this guy into their training camp.
No stone unturned... That's how you find a Russell Wilson, Tony Romo, and dare I say.. Tom Brady. Manziel might be a bust, but right now he is an unknown with some unique physical skills. I hope the Jets have at least 4 legitimate contenders in camp this year.
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The only difference is......
Well.....the the bills have dat D line
You don't think our D-line is just as good? I don't know who we keep in 2015, but in 2014 I think the Jets had an equally effective line as the Bills and we had WAY more depth.
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I think Watkins will prove to be just as productive as Beckhamand much more durable. He has the exact frame you want in a #1 wideout. I'm not saying Beckham isn't awesome, just saying if I had the choice for the Jets to have taken either one I still take Watkins. I also like Benjamin over OBJ.I am so sick of NFL analysts grilling Whaley on the Sammy trade. Yeah Beckham had a phenomenal year with NYG but look who he had throwing him the ball! Eli got the ball to his playmaker. Orton and EJ could not do that regularly enough! I would love to see if Eli was throwing the ball to Sammy. I don't think that there would be any debate then!
If we got a gunslinger like Cutler, he would make a star out of Sammy and Woods. Yeah he would have some bad interceptions, but I think our defense would be able to recover. Get Sammy someone who can get him the ball so we can stop listening to idiots criticize the trade.
That's why I am not interested in Cooper with our #6 overall pick this year. He will be a game changer but a top 10 drafted WR has to be built like Julio Jones in my opinion. I need the complete package if I'm drafting that high.
Watkins is the complete package.
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Damn, they could have had Marrone and Hackett, and instead they have Bowles and Chan and April and Johnson. I actually think the Jets hires have been really good. Marrone had to open his mouth and be himself. Damn.
I'm really excited about this particular hire, essentially my Jets and the bills swapped DL coaches.... and both of them are pretty darn good.
Rex Ryan from a Jets fan POV
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
With no signs of a QB in place, in a passing league, guaranteeing the playoffs is just hot air. I'm not saying the Bills won't make it... I'm just saying what do you gain? Especially if you come up short. The media, who is his best friend during the offseason, won't hesitate to expose yet another Ryan Guarantee that didn't pan out. It doesn't help the team won games. It's hot air. It can't help, but it can hurt if you fail.