folz

I don't understand...isn't it Belichick (and/or Ernie, who is there because of Belichick) who sets these trends to develop mismatches or to skirt the rules? You can't be saying that if Belichick was gone, we would find out that it is actually Kraft or someone in administration who are creating these football trends, can you? And (not to you BillsVet, but to other posters) the idea that a GM is not getting players a coach wants, but just grabbing who he thinks is best, is ridiculous and I don't think any organization in the league works that way. In some places, the coach's voice may be stronger, in others the GM may have final say, but they all work together. It would be counter-productive to draft players that definitely do not fit a coaches scheme. So, when looking at Whaley, you cannot discount the coaching changes. The following weren't draft picks (it is hard to tell with draft picks) but would Whaley have brought in Harvin, IK, Salas, or maybe even Tyrod if Rex wasn't the coach? Those were players Rex worked with and wanted and Whaley got them. And even Shaq Lawson, Rex told him months before the draft that he was going to pick him. Whaley and the staff may have been totally on board because he was good value where he went, but he was a guy Rex wanted. And I hear posters use Percy Harvin as a knock on Whaley when he obviously brought him in because Rex wanted him. I'm not saying Whaley is the best GM ever, but the posters who claim that 3 coaching changes doesn't affect who the GM picks or how many of those picks are still on the roster are not being realistic. And two of those coaches were not the choice of said GM either.

Not to mention that, "The 2013 NFL Draft may be one of the worst of the modern era." I bet if you actually looked around the league, most teams would have very few players left (or who are productive for them) from that draft. http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2016/4/22/11419222/nfl-draft-2013-grades-first-round-revisited Too often fans (and the media as well) look at each move as if it is in a vacuum. You can't. Running a modern NFL team is very complicated. It is not just whether Mike was a good player or not, he was. But you have to weigh in the coaching change and what the new coaches think of him. What scheme are they going to run and does he fit it well. You have to weigh in the salaries of the other 52-53 guys on the team and against the cap. You have to think about whose contracts are coming up next year that you will have to pay for and where the drafts are strong or weak both this year and next, etc. etc. And to use the worst draft in the modern era to point out that the Bills suck is a bit disingenuous without mentioning that there are many other teams with few or no players left from that draft as well because it was historically bad. I liked MG a lot and would have liked to see him stay, but as has been repeated by so many other posters, this is not going to make or break either our season, nor the Patriot's. Tolbert and JWill can probably get us that same production and that doesn't preclude drafting a RB or bringing in another FA (which Whaley seems good at finding diamonds in the rough). Most teams do not keep 4 RBs and a FB or 3 RBs and 2 FBs. So, if we kept MG, do you cut JWill, a draft pick from just last year? That would be a waste. We got MG for nothing and ended up with a 5th round pick, while still having plenty of backs on the team and the draft still to come. No, the sky is not falling.

Thanks for posting. Honestly, he was the one free agent I really wanted this off-season. When I was watching the Green Bay/Dallas playoff game, he was all over the field, and I remember thinking, man I wish Buffalo could pick this kid up (knowing he was about to be a free agent and that we needed safety help). But, I instantly thought, eh it's never going to happen, either Green Bay won't let him go or he'll be too highly sought after for us to land him. So, I couldn't be happier Micah is a Bill and I think he is going to be major for this team.

Good signing. In the NFL, you have to have a plan B, plan C, etc. Let's say the Bills want to draft Trubisky at 10. They love him, they're all in. And then he goes off the board before 10. Now what? Do they reach for one of the guys they didn't love? probably not. Well, now we are going into next season with Taylor, Cardale, and what a 6th round rookie QB or a veteran who is worse than TJ (because we waited too long to find one)? Now let's say Tyrod (God forbid) misses 4 games. If Cardale truly isn't ready to start, well then the playoff drought continues. Do you remember 2013? We went into the season with EJ, Thad, and Tuel. Do we really want that again? TJ was probably one of the top FA QBs out there, albeit among a very weak group who were available. He's a little insurance. They can roll with the 3 QBs now on the roster if nothing better appears, but it doesn't preclude them from drafting a QB if they really believe one of them is worthy of a top 10 pick or top 45 pick. If they have someone in mind and we are unable to draft him, at least we have a backup with some experience, not a rookie and raw 1st year player. Nice move.

The game is won in the trenches...I do believe that addage and think a team should always be looking to improve the OL and DL. However, we could do a lot worse than the line we had last year. Signing Groy back was huge. When Wood went down last year, I thought the Bills were in real trouble. But, Groy filled in admirably. So, not only is he very solid depth to the interior 3, he may also be Eric's eventual replacement. Miller is still growing, but has played solid enough. And if paired with a better RT might improve significantly. I'm not sure what Ducasse brings, but he has experience and familiarity at least. I think Richie has at least two more seasons in him, so next year is early enough to start looking for his eventual replacement. So, the interior is solid and does not need draft help. Cordy is a very good LT, maybe not top tier, but gets the job done. Mills was improving last year and on the O-line, continuity can not be dismissed. But, yes, upgrading Mills would improve the line significantly. If nothing else, though, we know we'll get at least what we got last year out of this group. The bigger question for this line really is Seantrel and Cyrus. Henderson will miss the first 4 due to suspension, but more importantly, what is his health situation. Is it under control and can he compete for the starting role once he's back? Or are we going to move on? What is up with Cyrus's hip? He seemed to be improving last year, but will the hip set him back again? Will he be ready for the season? Can he compete for the RT job? If the team feels good about Cyrus and Henderson, then the O-line is pretty solid and with good, experienced depth. So, I think you only go O-line in the draft if at some point a tackle is the highest player on your board by a good margin. Or maybe you pick up a Tackle prospect in the mid- to later-rounds, depending on value . If you do not expect one or both of those guys to be ready to go and compete for the starting job, then taking a tackle is a little more pressing a need and you might spend a day two or three pick on a guy, if he has value there, for at least depth, but with the hopes of unseating Mills eventually. So, I don't think you go into the draft ignoring O-line, but the key is to not be in a place that you have to pick a certain position of need. And the team seems to be in that place with the O-line. They just need to decide if the swing tackle/better RT is currently on the team or not. If not, you keep your eyes open, but you do not need to reach. RT is a need, but not a necessity this year, unless Seantrel and Cyrus were both out. And even then, you might still be able to find a decent swing tackle for depth in FA or after June cuts. Mills would still be starting then, but we wouldn't be in trouble, we just wouldn't be significantly improved from last season maybe. Also, not that we've had bad O-line coaches the past handful of years, but Juan Castillo is supposed to be very good. Maybe he can help to raise the play of some of the younger guys (Miller, Mills, Cyrus, Seantrel). Also, Dennison's (i.e. Kubiak's) system runs a zone blocking scheme which is supposed to be O-linemen friendly, so maybe that makes a difference too.

This team has had major injury problems since Donahoe let Mike Mularkey fire Rusty Jones back in 2004. Probably a bigger mistake than letting any player since then walk. I don't know exactly what all of these guys do, or if they were good at their jobs or not, but nutrition, strength and conditioning, and even issuing the right equipment (pads, shoes, helmets) can totally play into injury totals. Like I said, I can't make a judgement on these guys as to how they did their jobs, but I am all for changing an area of this team that has been woeful for quite some time now (too many injuries). If a better strength and conditioning coach can save even 1 starter from going down, that is a huge positive. And to the poster who included Scott Berchtold in the conversation, all you have to do is look at the Anthony Lynn and Doug Whaley pressers, or the way the media is treating the Bills since. I mean, he was the team's communications/PR guy...any person in any business with that role would and should be fired after those debacles. And especially when you have an owner and GM who neither like nor are good at public speaking, you need someone better in that role. It feels like a fresh wind is sweeping through One Bills Drive. I don't think you can discount these moves or the importance of some of these support staff roles...I think this can all help the team if the right people are hired to fill those roles. And I am looking forward to what McDermott (and Whaley) can do now that they seem to have more power than Whaley and the previous coaches ever had.

"Is this the Buffalo Bills Coaches reunion? Let's see, Mularkey, Lynn, Marrone, McDermott...wait, where's Rex?"

Great post ddaryl! Yes, most of the Whaley detractors are looking at his tenure in a vacuum. You cannot ignore the circumstances surrounding him and the organization when evaluating the job he has done. Most GMs come into a somewhat stable organization with full authority and can hand pick a coach who shares their vision on how they want to build the team. So, let's look at Whaley's circumstances. First, Whaley inherited the job and a coach (Marrone was Nix and Brandon's pick). The team's owner was dying basically leaving Brandon in charge. Also, money was probably tight due to how Ralph had handled the team and the pending sale of the team. It was not a stable situation and being that Whaley was promoted rather than brought in from outside, he may not have had full control. Ralph dies, new owners come in. New philosophy, new working relationship, and basically Whaley is on a prove it (i.e., not secure) job standing. Marrone quits. Russ and Pegulas choose Rex. New coach, new schemes, new philosophy...but again saddled with a coach he didn't choose. The coach and GM have to work together. They aren't all Whaley solo moves, he is trying to give the coach what he needs. If Rex isn't the coach would Whaley have brought in IK or Percy or Tyrod (though folks are mixed on whether that was good or bad) or players like that? And scheme changes mean letting some guys go and bringing in different types of players. Rex was obviously burnt out and does not do a good job. Fired, new coach, new scheme, etc. Of course, we can judge Whaley on the moves that the team has made and the talent level on the roster, but you cannot do so without also thinking about why he made certain moves at certain times. It seems that just this offseason Whaley truly became a senior GM. He finally seems to have a full GM's authority, the confidence of his owners, and he finally got to pick his own coach. And he seems to be attacking this offseason pretty hard. The franchise is finally stable. The team can actually attract some free agents now (with Shady, the rep of the new coach, and the Pegulas deep pockets). I think we should reserve judgement of Whaley for at least one more season to see how he does as his own man finally. Is he perfect or going to be perfect? Of course not, no GM is. And yes, he has made some bad moves. But I do agree that this team has more talent now than at any time since John Butler left and I really like how this offseason is shaping up. P.S. I didn't read the links of the GM rankings, but I guarantee a lot of that has to do with the Bills record and lack of playoffs. If the Bills were to have a winning season and make the playoffs next year (which I know many think they won't) I bet he would move up those rankings, though the moves he made, that are supposedly how they get the ranking, would still be the same. The good moves look better when you are winning and the bad moves aren't as glaring.

Honestly, this is like the 4th or 5th Pats got better, Bills still suck threads in the past week. I've always been more of a lurker than a poster (though I've been around here a long time) and I am definitely not a thread police, but seriously, why not just add this to one of those other 4 or 5 threads? Besides, you may not think the Bills have gotten any better, but you can't say they've stayed the same. We have an entirely new coaching staff and we have let guys go and signed quite a few new guys. You may not like the moves, but we are not the same. And finally, screw the Patriots...let's build a tougher, more disciplined and accountable team (as McDermott wants) and try and take it to the Pats next year.

Cheers OP. A culture change is needed in this fanbase as much as it is needed at One Bills Drive. No more fear of the Patriots. Who cares who they are signing? Let's focus on the Bills until we have to play them. Besides, there is only one way to beat the Patriots and that is to out tough and out compete them (hit them). That is everything that Coach McDermott is about. How many times have posters said they wish they had a whole team of Kyle Williamses? Well that's what coach wants too. "Kyle has our DNA" (as does Tolbert and Hyde, etc.). Stephone Gilmore does not have that DNA, so you know what? The Patriots can have him and good riddance. Just cause the Hoodie hired him doesn't mean he's going to start tackling and hitting hard. Great cover guy, but lacks toughness. Just because the Patriots bring someone in, doesn't mean they are the best in the league (remember how many people thought Scott Chandler was going to light it up playing with Brady and Gronk?). I'm glad Tyrod is back. Does he have his weaknesses? Sure, they have been pointed out ad nauseam. But, he's fun to watch (unlike the majority of our QBs over the last 20 years) and I don't think he has hit his ceiling. Every player will tell you they only get better being on the field, so, yes, he's been in the league 6 or 7 years, but he has only started 2. If the FO gets him some quality receivers, and he's not playing with a groin injury, I think he is going to have a big bounce back year in Dennison's system. Don't underestimate coaching. Our D-line, back in the 4-3, can be the cold front again (just swapping Shaq, and Zo if back, for Mario). Our O-line is good and if we are able to upgrade from Mills at RT, look out. (I can't imagine they are not going to try and address this as the interest in the RT from Baltimore showed.) A healthy Sammy will make a huge difference. The number one running offense may have gotten even better (swapping Tolbert and DiMarco for Felton). Shady and Gilislee are fun as hell to watch too. Sounds like they are trying to hang on to Zo...which would be great. Micah Hyde was a great signing. I didn't see a lot of Green Bay's games, but the few I saw, this kid was making plays consistently. And he's just coming into his own. We upgraded the kicking position. (Despite his missed extra points, he's a better FG kicker and will only take up 1 roster spot.) I really like the coaching hires from McDermott on down. A lot of experience in winning programs. A lot of teachers. Discipline, toughness, and accountability preached. There is a lot to like if you take an objective look (and don't constantly compare us to an historically good team who won 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls). Yes, we still need a couple of WRs, a couple of corners, a LB or two, a RT, and probably another safety, which is a lot, but free agency isn't over yet and the draft is strong in most of our areas of need with guys that could come in and compete right away. There is always significant turnover with a new coaching staff, ergo the number of positions still to fill. And what significant FA players have we lost? Robert Woods (would have been nice to keep, but too expensive), Stephone Gilmore (although I'm good with moving on from him), Zach Brown (who they could still resign--if they wanted him and he doesn't get a big offer elsewhere), Aaron Williams (whom I loved, but he only started 8 games over the last 32 and long term health is an issue), Goodwin (who never quite put it all together), Corey Graham (a very solid player, but not great), and Felton (who has already been replaced with equal or better quality). That's 7 guys (but only two or three that I would have liked to see come back). The rest of the FAs were either at the end of their careers (Bush, Harvin, Spikes) or are guys that you can replace with comparable talent for reasonable contracts (or with rookies). The 17 years of no playoffs has worn me out too guys, but if nothing else, this team will at least be fun to watch (which we haven't been able to say for most of the last 17 years). Shady, Tyrod, and TD Mike running wild. The long ball coming back with a healthy Sammy. Hard hitting, attacking, tackling defense. I'm not saying we have been hitting all homeruns, but I also don't see what has been so horrible about the way the team has handled this offseason thus far (outside of poor Doug's press conference). Sure there will probably be some growing pains with a first year coach, but it should at least be exciting football to watch. Call me Pollyanna, Kool-Aid drinker, Homer, or Chris Brown But, let's get out of this funk of...look who the Patriots signed, we're never going to win being in the same division, Whaley sucks, Tyrod sucks, the Pegulas suck. And let's start Billeving again! Who knows? The last 17 years has us expecting the same old mediocre (or worse), but what if, just what if, this was like 1986 instead, and the start of something good? It might not be and we might miss the playoffs again, but at least I'll be enjoying the ride. Ok, have at me (if you bothered to read this ridiculously long post).

7th post of this thread, astb41 nailed it. Does anyone really think that QB wasn't the very first issue they talked to McDermott about once his interview focused on the Bills team and players? If Coach had such a differing opinion on Tyrod from the FO, why would they hire him? They wouldn't. They would find a coach who shared their same vision. What could have happened in the 7 weeks since McDermott was hired to make them no longer agree? Just because they haven't announced anything to the public doesn't mean that they haven't already made their decision, nor does it mean that they are fighting over the decision. Pure speculation.

We were all told when they drafted Cardale that he was a project (still had a lot to learn). When they say that, it doesn't usually mean the kid will be ready to start in year 2. Plus, it will be a new offense for him this year. A project usually means a few years work. And we have all seen (at many positions over the last few seasons) what happens when you don't have a solid plan B. So, I have to think the interest in Siemian would be for the #2 job. I expect them to keep Tyrod. And when you have a running QB, you always have to worry about injury (even though Tyrod has been pretty durable). EJ will be gone. So, maybe the staff doesn't want to hang their hat on a very green, 2nd year player, in a new offense if Tyrod were to go down. Siemian knows the system, has some experience, possibly some upside, Dennison knows him (his strengths and weaknesses), and he won't command starter money by any means. So, he would make a perfect backup for 2017.

His analysis is indeed correct; the question is does Tyrod still have upside...can he still get better in the areas where his game is currently weak?

Kept it pretty close to the vest, but my take from the press conference, 1-on-1, and radio interview is... Tyrod stays Shady isn't going anywhere they're going to let Gilmore walk he'd like to have Aaron Williams back, but it's still iffy Kyle will be back!!!! Sammy's going to be fine Wants an attacking D (which suits our players) D-line = Shaq-Kyle-Marcel-Jerry in a base 4-3 (the cold front is back) All good news. I could be wrong, but that was how I interpreted his answers.

Just for continued discussion, I looked up the stats for you guys. I won't comment on them other than to say, obviously, negative yardage is already subtracted from his overall stats, which were pretty damn good. All of LeSean McCoy's negative runs in 2016 Week 1 Baltimore: 1 for -6, 1 for -1 Week 2 NY Jets: 1 for -2, 1 for -3 Week 3 Arizona: 1 for -2, 1 for -3 Week 4 Patriots: 1 for -1, 1 for -4 Week 5 LA Rams: 1 for -2, 1 for -3 Week 6 SF 49ers: 1 for -2, 1 for -5, 1 for -5 Week 7 Dolphins: 1 for -2, 1 for -3 Week 9 Seattle: 1 for -2, 1 for -1 Week 10 Bengals: 1 for -1 Week 11 Jaguars: 1 for -1, 1 for -2, 1 for -1, 1 for -2, 1 for -2, 1 for -3 Week 12 Raiders: 1 for -2 Week 13 Steelers: 1 for -1 Week 14 Browns: No rushes for loss Week 15 Dolphins; 1 for -3, 1 for -2, 1 for -2, 1 for -1, 1 for -1, 1 for -2 Week 16 NY Jets: 1 for -2 So, in 2016, 33 of Shady's 234 rushes went for a loss. 3 of those were for minus 5 yards or more. 10 of them were for 3 yards or more. 23 of his rushes for loss were for minus 1 or 2 yards only.

Thanks for the info Blokestradamus. That definitely helps to build a better picture, and not in LeSean's favor because 37.1 looks pretty bad next to 60-80. But I still wonder how big of an impact it is. I'm not saying pass blocking isn't an extremely important part of playing the position...the Super Bowl alone pointed that out, as did having C.J. Spiller on our team, but did Shady's low score prove to be a big enough detriment to his team to warrant not including him on the list? If Ajayi had a clean week 17, then prorated out to Shady's 92 pass pro snaps (with McCoy's 13 QB pressures allowed), Jay would have 6 QB pressures (and/or hits) against him. So that equates to Shady giving up 1 more QB pressure than Ajayi every 2-1/4 games. Again, I'm not saying that is insignificant, but is that really enough to downgrade him from like 30th (slightly better stats than Ajayi at 31) to about 103 (if he was indeed one of the guys that just missed cracking the list)? Maybe, if they were all important plays that turned a game (e.g., the pressure causing an interception or keeping the team from scoring). How did those 7 more pressures across a 16-game season affect his team. Were any of those passes completed despite the pressure? How much did the pressure affect the play? It just seems like a fairly ambiguous statistic to use to downgrade him that much. If he had given up a handful of sacks, I could understand it a bit more. But, I don't know.

If I am remembering correctly, Shady did not seem to be giving enough effort in blitz pickup early last season and he got called out for it. But then from that moment on (still early in the season), he sold out. I can remember many solid pickups on his part after that. Maybe PFF is basing it on just those early games or worse yet, just remembering the talk about it early last season and assuming it continued. I mean Shady is no Fred Jackson when it comes to blocking (Fred bruised people bad), but I don't think Shady's blocking was a liability either (once he sold out), at least not enough to diminish what he did as a runner/receiver. For instance, PFF ranked Jay Ajayi as the 31st best player in the NFL: Player Total rush atts/rec targets Yards from scrimmage TDs 1st Downs AVGs. J. Ajayi 294 1,423 8 68 4.9 rush/5.6 rec L. McCoy 291 1,623 14 73 5.41 rush/7.1 rec So, in 3 less overall attempts than Ajayi, Shady had 200 yards more, 6 more TDs, 5 more 1st downs, and better averages. Yet, Ajayi is #31 and Shady isn't even on the list? Because of his blocking? Yeah right. I wonder how good Ajayi's blitz pickup is? I couldn't find any stats on that. He's a bigger back, so he's probably better...but how many times was he asked to do it? How did he fare? PFF notes that Shady had the lowest grade, but doesn't give any reference to what other RBs grades were. Shady apparently gave up 13 QB pressures over the course of the season, no sacks. Do 13 QB pressures (out of 92 blocks) really cancel out his stats? I also find it interesting that only 4 RBs made the top 101 at all (Elliot #22, Johnson #23, Bell #27, and Ajayi #31---that's it).

The thing with Stephon is that he is a very good cover corner, but this past year, he did seem to shy away from tackles and not always give his full effort. Maybe some will put that on the coaches/scheme, a lot of players seemed unhappy with the system, etc. Some might put it on the fact that he was going to be a free agent and was avoiding injury. Whatever it was, a guy who doesn't seem to be giving full effort makes me nervous. What happens once he gets paid? Will he feel valued and ball out? Or will the lack of effort continue cause he got his? Again, he is a very good player, but not great or elite until he consistently gives it all he has. The Bills offered 10.5 million/yr at the start of the season, which would have put him at 8th highest paid corner with a guy like Byron Maxwell. Steph appears to want around 14 million/yr, which would be in the top 4 paid CBs with the likes of Josh Norman, Richard Sherman, Patrick Peterson, and Darelle Revis. These guys are all great cover corners (despite Revis' decline...he was paid for how he has played in the past, not this year), but they are all also physical players who always give effort. I just don't see Stephon in that class yet. I mean, is he worth 5 million/yr more than an Aqib Talib (who also made the pro bowl) or Robert Alford? Is he worth twice as much money as a Rodgers-Cromartie? For comparison, the other pro bowl CBs not named Peterson or Sherman were paid the following in 2016: Janoris Jenkins 12.5 million Aqib Talib 9.5 million Chris Harris 8.5 million Casey Hayward 5.1 million (rookie contract) Marcus Peters 2.4 million (rookie contract) Xavier Rhodes 1.9 million (rookie contract) I'm just not sure he is worth top 4 money and if his "Show me the Money" sneakers are any indication, I don't think he's going to settle for less. If that's the case I think you let him walk. I could see the Bills up their offer of 10.5 to maybe around 12 if the new staff really wants him. That would put him around 7th highest paid CB. There were only 9 corners in the league who even made 10+ million in 2016. 11-12 million/yr is not a slap in the face by any means. It seems to be right around where his value should be set. imo

And I remember a story from a few years back where some of the Bills went up to Toronto and got to join in in batting practice and everyone said Kyle was the best, simply crushed the ball over and over. Congrats Kyle! Well deserved! First ballot Wall of Famer!

I would have been good with McDermott getting another ST coordinator because Crossman has been a mixed bag. But, what a lot of people forget is that a lot of other things go into specials teams besides coaching. First, the HC has to devote enough attention and practice time for ST; second, the GM and HC have to bring in guys who can play ST and allow other guys to play on teams; third, injuries can be crushing to ST (when you're best ST players are injured or have to start and can no longer play on teams, it hurts); and finally, you have to have good kickers and returners. So, maybe these coaches feel it wasn't a problem with coaching but with a combination of the other factors instead. Of course, I can't say one way or the other about some of those factors, but Carpenter has been pretty bad over the last two seasons, we haven't had a legitimate kickoff returner for a while (though Tate was good at punt returning), Whaley and Rex did try to bring in some ace Special Teamers, but we have also had a lot of injuries over the past four years. So, I wasn't thrilled to hear he had been retained, but I'm wiling to give him another shot if the new coach believes in him.

This sums it up perfectly. That is why I think they'll let him walk. New coach is apparently all about effort.

It could also be that either McDermott or the Bills (or both) would like to have a former HC on staff (in McCoy or Norv) to help the new coach along.

I agree with you and yes we all want to know more of what is going on (whether it matters if we know or not) and I also agree about JW. But that is exactly why Terry talked to him and not some of the others, because JW is always professional. Many of these other reporters (on up to the national level) are just throwing chit out there without digging deeper. Or stoking fires. Or attacking because of some personal agenda. Well, it is a two-way street. If you're negative on the team all of the time, why would they want to answer your questions openly (why give them more ammo)? I'm not saying the media shouldn't be critical if warranted or just be a cheerleading mouthpiece for the team, but some of those reporters were ready to pounce on Whaley (in an antagonizing way---not just to get answers). And there was no way Whaley could answer what they were asking without throwing either Rex or his bosses under the bus. Most teams do not like to badmouth or accuse someone they just fired. It doesn't look good. And we all know why you don't speak out against your boss. As you pointed out, this of course does not go for everyone in the media. I was just trying to answer your original question of why some fans are angry with the media. I doubt they have too much influence in coaching circles, but it's just not good for the team going forward to be painted as a tire fire---when the reality is that the new owners probably made a mistake with the structure of the organization due to a coach who had been burned in a previous relationship with a GM and by not giving their GM full authority. But now they are trying to correct it. That would be an objective take rather than just saying everyone at OBD is incompetent.