Nihilarian

That bolded statement is very correct in my view, and for various reasons. And you are right as a lot of Bills fans were saying WTF on hiring a man whose team just went 4-12, and who had clearly lost his players in the process. In the last years of Ralph Wilson's life he stepped away from the team, and promoted the former team pseudo GM to the role of team president to oversee the entire team in every aspect. Recently "Leroi" let it slip that "Russ has a big part in scouting and the draft process. He is definitely involved." The people in the room advising the Pegula's to choose their own head coach were team president Russ Brandon, and GM Doug Whaley. I do believe that Brandon told the Pegula's that "they would know who to hire" after speaking with all the candidates. They both heard / read that the Pegula's intended to hire Bill Polian as a temporary NFL Czar / adviser, and I think both men felt threatened if a new football czar were to be hired. Whaley in losing his job, and Brandon not allowed to have his hands in the cookie jar of player acquisition. My belief is that Brandon has been a key figure in the scouting / drafting process in all probability since Marv Levy retired from the GM position in 2007. Now, learning that I'd think that both Brandon, Whaley wanted to keep the old status quo going like they had with Ralph Wilson. Thus wanting the new owners to accommodate their choices for hiring coaches, and obtaining players. Does any Buffalo Bills fan really want this new owner selecting his own choice for head coach or Brandon's choice again? Or being in the draft room, and directing the team to draft certain players like Ralph Wilson used to do? Or micromanage the head coaches like Wilson used to do? AFAIK this new owner is a passionate hockey fan, and a TV watching football fan. He really has no NFL acumen on who to hire or what players to obtain for the team. Like I said, I'm so hoping the new owners hire that NFL experienced, knowledgeable football czar or president of football operations after this season.

I'd be shocked if Rex Ryan isn't fired should the team lose even six more games. I have the (hopeful) suspicion that new ownership went along with the old regime under Ralph Wilson to keep his CEO, marking guy happy. Now that Brandon is CEO of both the Sabres, and Bills I don't think that Terry Pegula would have difficulty in hiring that football czar to help run his team. Pegula did give Brandon, Whaley another year to show they could improve the team, and as of right now that hasn't happened. I think that the new owners realize that getting the right people into the right positions in the structure of an organization is what being successful in business is all about.

So far the OP has a point. That article by Sullivan is lame.C'mon BB Mr Pegula has 3.8 Billion, and that equates to 3800 million. So 20 mill over four years is like pocket change to the man. Money won't be the reason if Rex Ryan is or isn't fired after this year. A desperate time? A winning record last year at 9-7 for the first time in a decade. The Buffalo Bills were on the upswing with one of the top defenses in the NFL from last year. #4 in total defense, and #1 in sacks, sack percentage. Suddenly this year looks to be a desperate time with still no franchise QB, offensive skill players made of glass and a mediocre defense. I wonder what thoughts went through Kim Pegula's mind when she heard the Bills new HC say he wanted to build a bully in Buffalo? Everything will depend on how much this new owner wants to win, and how fast he wants to get there IMO. New ownership needs to realize that now that the Bills fan base is no longer in death throes because the team was so close to leaving Buffalo with Bon Jovi or Trump. So, now the Buffalo Bills are going to need to produce on the field to sell tickets, or its 1984 all over again with a near empty stadium, and fans with bags on their heads. It must irk Terry Pegula that the NY Jets hired some senior NFL advisers who prompted that owner to hire a new GM-HC, and the Jets went from 4-12 last year to now 4-2 while winning with the #1 defense in the league, and with Fitz at QB. This new owner needs to stop listening to Ralph Wilson's advisers / cronies / henchmen because this is a different time, and needs a new beginning, If nothing else Terry Pegula must know its not all about just making money, and selling tickets. Like he said, if he wants to make money he would just drill another well. Its all about winning games and putting top quality talent on the field, and sidelines. This team needs to compete against the very best NFL head coach, and QB in the league. In order to do that they must find the proper man at the top, and its not an oil & gas man or a marketing guy at the top of the football operations chart! This franchise needs a Bill Polian type at the top of the flow chart. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81f1fd73/article/talent-evaluator-you-would-most-want-to-run-your-teams-draft The name I keep reading is Ted Thompson.

Tom Brady is so "on" this year the Patriots don't even try and run the ball some games. Buffalo preferred to mostly rush 3 or 4, and send the rest into a soft pass coverage by usually staying in nickle coverage, and by keeping the DB's 10 yards off the line. Brady ate this up and set a franchise record for most passes with 466 single player passing yards. The Patriots only ran the ball 15 times. When you see stats like these you figure the team is playing from behind. But in this case the Buffalo Bills numskull DC was simply giving way to much cushion at the line, and not blitzing properly. Against the NY Jets who have Revis Island, Antonio Cromartie at DB, and Brady threw it 54 times, and the Pats only rushed the ball 9 times all game wow, just wow! Watching a lot of the Patriots games this year the only teams that gave Brady trouble were the Cowboys, and Dolphins by blitzing a lot. They were so successful that at some point the Patriots were forced to run the ball to take the heat off Brady. Once the run game started working then Brady went back to pounding them thru the air. Brady will beat the blitz most of the time because he has seen everything there is, and has seen every defensive scheme there is. The one team that "might" give Brady trouble this year is when they go up to Denver. The Broncos currently lead the NFL in sacks, and sack percentage at 10.5 which is better then Buffalo last year at 8.8. They may manage to get to Brady enough that the Pats will be forced to stay with the run game, and if the Broncos can't score its still an easy win for the Patriots because the Broncos new HC is making Manning do loops thru hoops on offense. Oh. BTW the New England Patriots are currently #4 in sack percentage at 8.7, and are the #2 team in the NFL in sacks with 26 ! This year the Patriots offense looks unstoppable in every way as they are the #1 scoring offense, the #2 overall offense, the #2 passing offense, and as if that weren't enough they are the #1 team in the NFL in PPG scoring differential with 16.6. Then they are also #2 in the NFL in turnover differential @ +7. All that said the Buffalo Bills have the talent on defense to get to Brady should the defensive staff remove their craniums from their posteriors. Thus by stacking the line of scrimmage, and jamming / slightly holding the receivers. Then spread the D line like the wide nine, and get some heat on Brady from the side. Once in the backfield do the same jamming, holding on the RB's and allow Brady a nice hole to run up the middle. Once past the line have a LBer hit him like someone drove a Mack truck over him even if its a PF for 15. A few hard hits, and its Garoppolo time Seriously tho, I doubt any team can stop the Patriots this year if Brady stays healthy, undefeated by winning the SB, and GOAT title!

Cassel was the wrong fit for the current offense, and even had Whaley built the offensive line like he started out to do it simply wouldn't have helped with Cassel. The guy threw three picks for the Cowboys, and that was with Dallas rushing 41 times for 233 yards. Even behind a very solid Cowboys line when Cassel would throw deep it looked like a lame duck up there, and was picked off. Tyrod was Rex Ryan's find, and both he and EJ are still in the developmental process. Taking that into consideration Whaley really should have done a better job in building the line for that power run scheme Roman wants to run, and for pass protection.

Considering the team around him the last two years the kid looks like the real deal. I also like the Jack Del Rio hire as HC.

I'll tell you what. If Rex Ryan can't get those four pro bowlers to get sacks / pressure on the QB like Pettine, Schwartz did, then there is no way in hell I want him to win a power struggle in Buffalo. Its more then just the stats, and wins, its all about getting pressure on the opposing QB. This past game against a 1-5 Jags team the Bills had the lead with 5 min to go and couldn't stop Bortles. No pressure on the QB in crunch time against a bad team shows me this defense stinks. That final Jaguar drive started at the Jacksonville 16 yard line so special teams did their thing the right way. Granted it was a bad pass interference call, but then why let them get a 31 yard TD pass. The defense should have stopped them at the 16. IMO. The Bills ranked 29th in sack percentage, and 27th in sacks this year when the team has been #1 & #2 sack leader the last two years. Ryan, and his defense sucks at this point! I don't agree in throwing the entire regime in the garbage can at this time. What I would love to see is the Bills hire an NFL experienced president of football operations to make all the final decisions on the football side of things so this team will never again spend two first rounders on a WR. A football czar if you will. That president would also give Whaley the extra help needed to guide this team properly. Plus it would also move CEO Russ Brandon away from the football operations. And to those who claim he is no longer involved. Leroi let it slip recently that Brandon has been very active in the draft process, and I quote "Russ has a big part in scouting and the draft process. He is definitely involved." The new owner shouldn't be deciding on who to hire at the head coach position simply because he isn't qualified to do so. The NY Jets hired two senior advisers in Ron Wolf, Charley Casserly, and they helped the owner choose his new GM & HC. The Jets currently have the #1 defense in the NFL, and are 4-2. Plus, the Jets are winning with noodle arm Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB.

I agree with this when comparing the Bills to the Patriots. Whaley has had three off seasons now, and a bunch of players drafted / free agents seem to be so fragile. BTW Incognito was all Rex Ryan because the 2014 season saw the bills with the worst O line in the league, and Incognito was available the entire time. This scouting dept & Whaley seem to have difficulty in assessing offensive line talent. My biggest beef with Whaley in his building a competitive team is still the trade up for Watkins for two first round picks 2014-2015 while the team is still searching for the franchise QB. Not to even mention Watkins is about the highest priced fragile decoy I've ever seen.

Ok that bolded part is really bugging me in many ways. First, why doesn't anyone else care that a guy who watches football on his TV like the rest of suddenly has the astute football acumen to be able to determine what head coach is best for the team? Who put it in his ear that he should pick his own head coach or who advised him Ryan was best for the job? Is this another Dan Snyder all over again, and for how many years is this team going to suck before he hires a winning HC? Dunno why the rest of you let this pass? The team should have hired an experienced NFL football consultant / adviser like the NY Jets did! Or czar! Everyone says this team is loaded with talent... and yet its a Hodge podge mix of things that aren't exactly meshing well. Three fragile WR's out injured, a running QB that may never play a full 16 games due to his slight build. RB's injured, O linemen injured. An O line that isn't run blocking like expected. A defense that can't seem to find the handle on how to put pressure on or sack the QB like they did the last two years. This years team is a mess. 3-4, and at the bottom. Losing a game to a lousy 1-5 team was very upsetting to me too! I know we all hope the team can find a way to win more games, but its tough with near half the season gone. The next three games will be so telling for this year Miami, @ Jets @ NE.

Talent is cheaper then table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. (Stephen King) Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. (Michael Jordan)

It helps when you don't draft a QB that needs long term developmental process, and then give him to coaching idiots who don't have the first clue how to develop him for the NFL. Then throw said young QB into the fire directed by those idiots. Remember the three young QB's (Lewis, EJ, Tuel) on the roster with no veteran support, and no QB coach The sole person to help those young QB's had no previous NFL experience as a coordinator, or as a QB coach. It also helps to not use two first round draft picks on a WR who is fragile, and always injured from the rigors of the NFL. This years WR corps, #1 Watkins out, #2 Harvin out, #4 Goodwin on IR.

I'm rather hoping Rex Ryan watched this game, and has a better plan for the next game to actually get a sack on Brady that isn't a coverage sack. Both the Cowboys, and Dolphins were able to get pressure on Brady because they actually rushed him, and didn't opt for a soft coverage scheme. (Like Buffalo did) Plus because both their offenses were so putrid that neither were able to help their defense by keeping them off the field. What gets me is in some games this year opposing defenses have been so bad against Brady that the Patriots don't even try and run the ball anymore. (like Buffalo) Save maybe to run the clock at the end of the game. 59 passes against Buffalo vs 15 runs 50 passes against Indy vs 22 runs 54 passes against the Jets vs 9 runs - This was against Revis Island & Antonio Cromartie!! Brady proving he will be the GOAT! To the fans that continually say well the Patriots have a bunch of bums, rookies, and later round picks on their Offensive line so they must be bad. Phil Simms said in an interview with Bill Belichick that Bill said he has five players on his O line that all can play left tackle. So the talent is there despite how the players were obtained, and the primary concern of the coaches is to protect Tom above all else. When a player on their line goes down they have another behind them to step in and preform decently. When the pass game stops working the Patriots turn to the run game to open up the pass game again. Looks like the Patriots are winning back to back super bowls this year, and perhaps go undefeated in the process. Washington @ NY Giants Buffalo @ Denver Philadelphia @ Houston Tennessee @ NY Jets @ Miami

I have no idea if Ted Thompson would even consider an upwards move away from Green Bay, or if the Pegula's would even consider him. I'm rather hoping that the new owners go the way the NY Jets did last year, and hire a few senior advisers / consultants. The Jets hired ex Packer GM Ron Wolf who went into the pro football HoF just like Bill Polian. Plus they also hired ex Redskin, Texans GM Charley Casserly, and those men advised Woody Johnson who to hire as the NY Jets new GM & HC. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-consultants-casserly-wolf-long-experience-article-1.2064641 Last year the Jets were 4-12 under Ryan, and already are at 4-2 under new HC Todd Bowles & new GM Mike Maccagnan Then Bill Belichick basically runs the entire Patriots org on the football operations side of the team. He has the last word on the roster, the draft, coaches. afaik.

My take on the fire Whaley brigade is a bit more then just Cassel. Who BTW threw three picks on the Cowboys behind one of the leagues best O lines, and with a strong run game. Cassel's arm is shot for the deep ball, and when he threw it deep it was a lame duck in the air. We all saw what happens when you have a QB that can't throw deep, as they just stack the box move the defense up to shut down the short passes. Whaley actually made the right choice with EJ over Cassel IMO simply because EJ is still young, and developing. EJ didn't do anything against the Jags that Geno Smith didn't do in almost every game last year, and the Jets are keeping him. EJ has the arm, and physical tools. He just needs to work more on the mental aspect of the game, and get more playing experience. Some guys just take longer to develop. Back to Whaley. It might just be that a lot of fans think the offensive line could be a lot better, as so should the run game. Three off seasons now, and the team still hasn't built a decent line. The WR corps all seem to be made of glass, Harvin out, Sammy out, Goodwin on IR. Spent 6 million on a RB and half his blockers stink. Two first round picks on a fragile WR when the team still didn't have that known franchise QB. Dumping Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson. Bringing in WR Mike Williams, and a 4th rounder for Bryce Brown who is now a Seahawk. Doug Whaley has his warts for sure, and isn't perfect. Yet he was a rookie GM when he took the job, and you gotta expect a learning curve. JMO

To the Patriots its all about being a consummate professional, and being the very best at your job you can be. Bill Belichick doesn't tolerate players that make mistakes or that are late to practice. Fumblers get benched, as do players that drop a bunch of passes. Miss a team practice or meeting, and you lose your job, period! This head coach, and schemes have been the same for the past 15 years, and in that time its now easy to build continuity in every aspect. Wanna know why Brady is one of the least hit QB's in the league? Phil Simms said on the Inside the NFL show that in an interview with Belichick, Bill said that he has five guys on the roster that can play LT. Simms went on to elaborate that the Patriots want to make certain that Tom Brady is protected the best they can. So it doesn't matter what round a player is drafted in or how well he played in college as its what they do on the practice field in New England is what matters. Look at the Bengals this year against Buffalo they had only 3 penalties for 20 yards, and were very well disciplined. They also executed their game plan pretty flawlessly. Conversely the Bills look to be a long work in progress with this current coaching staff.

While I feel your pain, Its not just about the GM this year! So many factors are involved but the buck stops at the GM for the talent on the field, and stops at the coaches at what they do with that talent. So, who hired this HC? The people in the room were the CEO, the GM, and the new owners Terry & Kim Pegula, and the owners made the hire. We recently found out from Leroi that the CEO Russ Brandon has been involved in the draft process, and probably persuaded the new owners that they would know who they wanted as their HC after they spoke with the prospects for the HCing job. More then firing the GM this franchise needs that football czar that Pegula first wanted to hire in Bill Polian, and when Polian backed out they didn't pursue anyone else for that czar job. Even the NFL wanted the new owners to hire an NFL experienced knowledgeable adviser for the team. The 4-12 Jets from last year are now 4-2, and their owner Woody Johnson hired two long time experienced NFL men to hire their new GM, HC for them. Woody chose Ron Wolf & Charley Casserly. You can read about it here, http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-consultants-casserly-wolf-long-experience-article-1.2064641

Nice to know the world Champion Patriots from last year, are 7-0 now

I like Derek Carr, and watched in disbelief as he beat the Bills in Oakland last year. Against that Schwartz defense on 3rd and 22 Carr hits Holmes for a 51 yard pass This year he is looking really good with WR Amari Cooper, and the Raiders are 3-3 which is as many wins as they had all last year. Their defense still stinks even with Mack. Hope they beat the Jests this week.

This! My eyes tell me the line is not that good, and like others have mentioned having a LG next to him that is grading as one of the top LG's in the league is certainly helping him this year. Contrary to what PFF says about one player...the entire line is suffering for various reasons. Against the crappy Jags the line looked better then it has all season, but how many times will they play a bad 1-5 team (that beat them) The rushing stats tend to say more about the running QB then they do what the RB's are able to do in any given game. FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS has the Bills 30th in run blocking, 28th in pass blocking. NFL.com has them the 6th worst line with 20 sacks, 37 QB hits.

Washington YES So much of this season still depends on injuries, and how the field plays out. The Cardinals have Carson Palmer but he is long in the tooth. The Jets have Fitz, and are not sure about Geno. This new regime didn't draft him, and prefers Fitz over him atm. Denver has Manning who looks to be on his last legs, and it wouldn't be a shock to see them try for a top rookie. Chicago may finally be fed up with Jay Cutler. The NO Saints might be looking for something different too. As many as TEN teams might be looking for a fresh face at QB or to upgrade depending on how they finish the season. CBS Sports Rob Rang has Jared Goff going to Houston @ #6 - Rob Rang- http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock-draft Connor Cook going to Cleveland @ #8 Duane Brugler has Paxton Lynch going to Chicago @ #4 Connor Cook going to Houston @#6 Jared Goff going to Cleveland @#8 Both have Buffalo taking an OT in the first. Rang, Taylor Decker OT Ohio St @ #18. Brugler has Buffalo taking OT Jack Conklin MSU @#18 Other sites, http://walterfootball.com/draft2016.php http://www.drafttek.com/2016-NFL-Mock-Draft-Round1b.asp Man, my head will explode if this team picks defense next year with that #1 pick

The entire team looked to be rolling over for other teams under Philbin, and not playing well in any aspect. If this coaching change hasn't had any effect then its kinda funny how his team put up 38 points on Tennessee in a 38-10 whipping. Then put up 44 points on Houston beating them 44 to 26! In their first four games the most points they scored in a game was 20 points. Gonna be interesting on how well the Dolphins play this week against the 6-0 Patriots @ New England. Could be a shocker! I know I'm hoping Suh and Wake get to Brady a lot in this game. The Jets sacked him 3x, and got some hits on him. The Cowboys sacked Brady 5x, and really started to get so many hits that Belichick went to just running the ball for a bit. I'm a hopin!!

Perhaps some have the idea that "trash talking" is all about swearing or belittling someone else. Trash talk can also be subdued and just referencing something like what Ryan said below which is really bravado, brash talk. “I relish any challenge and this is a big challenge,” Ryan said in a Wednesday press conference. “It is a personal challenge.” Or “I mean I’ll take the victory, but shoot he’s going to get what I’ve got and he knows it,” Ryan said. http://espn.go.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/20868/rex-ryan-bills-players-heat-up-patriots-week-with-trash-talk Try clicking the link, and actually reading the article. and this one, http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/2015/09/rex_ryan_buffalo_bills_new_eng.html http://nesn.com/2015/09/bills-sounding-like-rex-ryan-team-already-talking-smack-about-patriots/ I'll try and simplify this. When an opposing NFL spouts off about anything in even a semblance of derogatory light multiple times, all that bluster, brash talk does is give the opponent bulletin board material. Then the players get involved in all this bravado by spouting off at the mouth instead of letting their play do their talking. The mere fact that anyone is saying anything at all gets hyped up in the media, and again gives the opponent the motivation to do that much better. In every aspect of society people do better when given a strong motivational reason. Bill Belichick's response to hearing all the hype, trash talk was on a conference call. "I’m sure it will be loud there. It’s loud everywhere. It’s a lot louder when you’re not doing well. If you’re moving the ball and getting first downs and gaining yards that tends to quiet it, and when you’re ahead that quiets it, too. It will be as loud as we allow it to be." http://espn.go.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/20868/rex-ryan-bills-players-heat-up-patriots-week-with-trash-talk The man downplays things and reprimands his players when they open their mouths about anything. The only player that is allowed to talk is Tom Brady, about all he said was "we'll be there". He down plays his own team while saying what a great team Buffalo is, and has been. Bottom line to what the OP is saying is that Rex needs to shut his mouth and instead spend that time watching film or game planning. Bill Belichick talks to to media because he has to as its part of his job so he says about the most minimal things he can say. OTOH Rex Ryan loves the spotlight, and panders to it. (To pander is to appease or gratify, and often in a negative, self-serving way.) If you don't get it, I get it that you just don't get it.

When I bought this years direct TV package they gave me showtime, and 60 minutes has a sports show they do. (Kinda like HBO's sports.) They did an in depth interview with Kim & Terry Pegula. This is a different article, but a really great story on our new owners nonetheless. http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/2015/08/23/kim-pegula-making-difference-adopted-hometown/32166573 As far as a football czar goes I've read here that some other posters like the idea that the Green Bay Packers GM Ted Thompson would make a great team president of football operations. Who was about the only man on the planet who saw the talent in Aaron Rodgers, and wanted him as his starter even when the team still had Brett Favre at QB. http://www.packers.com/team/staff/ted-thompson/7d1caee3-e8f2-4e20-b304-98064f608dbb I now happen to like this idea very much also.

Lets look at that shall we. 2004 24th run blocking, 20th pass blocking- Bledsoe starting 2005 14th run blocking, 27th pass blocking- Losman 8 split time with Kelly Holcomb 8 games 2006 26th run blocking, 29th pass blocking- 23rd in pts scored, 30th in yards- Losman starter 2007 24th run blocking, 13th pass blocking- 30th in pts scored, 30th in yards- Losman 7 split time with Edwards 9 games 2008 14th run blocking, 25th pass blocking- 23rd in pts scored, 25th yards- Edwards 14, Losman 2 2009 12th run blocking, 32nd pass blocking 28th in pts scored, 30th in yards Edwards split with Fitz 8 games 2010 20th run blocking, 17th pass blocking 28th in pts scored, 25th in yards Fitz starting, Edwards 2 games played before release Neither Edwards or Losman finished a season better then 7-9, and it looks to me like neither one had a good O line at any point.

It wasn't Marrone that I wanted gone from Buffalo rather it was his choice for the offensive coordinator position, and since one went with the other I'm glad they are both gone. It was that St Doug gave free reign to his coordinators while helping his good friend Danny Crossman with special teams. Jim Schwartz thrived on his own, and Hackett drowned. One other thing, his offensive line stunk with the players he was given to the tune of the worst ranked line for most of 2014 and yet they still didn't have nearly as many penalties each game. This is the third year with a bad offensive line, and young QB's trying to develop and compete. Rex Ryan wanted Richie Incognito so the left side improved, and that right side still is not nearly as good as it should be. That line was last in the league last year in run blocking and are still 30th in run blocking this year, and 28th in pass blocking, 20th in sacks. Frankly, I miss Jim Schwartz more then anyone else from last years coaching staff.