Thoughts about this season and next season

[jahnyc]

Some thoughts about this season to date and the upcoming offseason:

 

1. If there was a year to end the playoff drought, it was this year. Our schedule was one of the most favorable that I can remember.

 

2. I do not think this team is as talented as many believed going into the season (or even now). The right side of the o-line is very weak, our linebacking group needs to be upgraded and we need a strong number two wide receiver. We also lack depth at many positions (LB, DE, and o-line). We also will need to see about the health of A. Williams and Henderson for next season.

 

3. Our holes next year may be more significant, depending on whether we re-sign Glenn, Incognito and Bradham and potentially release M. Williams. Kind of interesting that we have this number of holes and limited cap space considering that we are not paying a starting QB $20 million plus per year.

 

4. I think it is odd that there has been no information about Whaley since his contract expires at the end of this season. I guess it is possible that an extension was agreed to and not disclosed and I know that Carucci has said that no changes are likely, but with the flirtation with Polian last year, I would not be surprised if Whaley is not back. I also do not think that Whaley will have another GM position waiting for him if he chooses not to return.

 

5. Darby and K. Williams were great picks last year, but a lot of the recent draft picks have been busts, including CK, Cockrell (although he is getting playing time with the Steelers), Richardson, Goodwin, and Duke Williams. Not sure if Miller and Henderson will pan out, but they both have been disappointing this year. P. Brown has regressed significantly this year, but that may be more scheme related. Woods has been a disappointment as a former second round pick.

 

6. Assessing the performance of the front office is nearly impossible. Were players drafted/signed because of Nix, Whaley or input from Ryan and his staff? Does Whaley have full control or did Ryan tell him which players to get? Was Nix responsible for trades, drafting and free agency, or did Whaley have significant input before becoming GM? Who was responsible for hiring Marrone? Ryan? It is all really murky.

 

7. I think that the coaching on offense has been way superior to the offensive coaching in the prior couple of years. Roman is a huge upgrade at OC.

 

8. I do not think the Bills miss Fred Jackson in terms of this play, but do they miss his leadership? The team seems to lack maturity and team leaders, and I did not feel this way last year or in prior years.

 

9. I think many of us assumed that the defensive talent was such that implementing Ryan's scheme would not be a particularly difficult exercise. This did not turn out to be the case, and I guess we are going to be changing the personnel on defense. I hope that this is not a two or three year process, because after all of the coaching changes and rebuilds, many of us were not expecting this amount of retooling now.

 

10. I wonder what was included in Ryan's contract about a change in GM and if he has any consent rights. I know that he went through a difficult with the Jets when they hired a new GM and he was a lame duck, so I would not be surprised if this was addressed in some manner in his contract with the Bills.

 

11. This has been another disappointing season of not making the playoffs, but watching with sadness what is going on with the fans of San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis, I am thankful for the Pegulas and that the Bills will be staying in Buffalo. Living in NYC, I am always surprised at the number of fans I meet at sports bars or see wearing Bills' gear on Sundays around the City.

[entropyrules]

jahnyc,

 

well put....the holes will be greater than ever...doubtful they can fill all the holes in one off-season ......not sure if fans would agree with the approach of simply writing off next year (the schedule is horrifically difficult), dumping salary and limiting spending huge on re-signs but if the Bills are looking at another 2-3 year re-build under Ryan going 5-11 or 6-10 next year may be the way to go....heck we may even be at 6-10 this year

[PearlHowardman]

Living in NYC, I am always surprised at the number of fans I meet at sports bars or see wearing Bills' gear on Sundays around the City.

I live in Syracuse, and did some business travel to NYC twice last season. When I told people down there that I was a Buffalo Bills fan I had a lot of positive feedback about the Buffalo Bills being the only NFL team from New York State. I was shocked at how much resentment there is in NYC for the Giants and Jets playing in New Jersey.

 

If the Buffalo Bills marketed the team as the "Buffalo, New York Bills" in the New York City area I have no doubt that they could be big down there.

 

Seriously!

[Greybeard]

I live in Syracuse, and did some business travel to NYC twice last season. When I told people down there that I was a Buffalo Bills fan I had a lot of positive feedback about the Buffalo Bills being the only NFL team from New York State. I was shocked at how much resentment there is in NYC for the Giants and Jets playing in New Jersey.

 

If the Buffalo Bills marketed the team as the "Buffalo, New York Bills" in the New York City area I have no doubt that they could be big down there.

 

Seriously!

 

Would anyone happen to know if the Jet and Giant players pay their state tax to NY or to NJ?

[stevestojan]

I can easily see us go a decade until we have a team that looked as good as this one (on paper) at the beginning of the season.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Per Carucci's column today, he stated, "DW has one year left on his contract" I was surprised to see that as all along heard this was the final year?? Wondering which is correct, or did Carucci mean one year left as in this year??

 

I've also wondered what impact Rex may have in hiring of a new GM as am certain he wouldn't want to go down same path as what happened with him in NY

[Webster Guy]

I'm not sure I agree that Roman is the right guy, but everyone deserves at least two seasons to get their system in place and rolling.

 

We had some nice surprises this year with Karlos, Darby etc., but the worst surprise was that Mario Williams is really off his game and we were counting on him to have another pro bowl season.

 

Rex or no Rex, it's the NFL and you win with getting pressure from only 4 guys, and Mario beat virtually nobody this year out there. You can't pin that on a scheme or a coach, because in the VAST majority of plays, Mario's job is to simply play DE, rush the passer/stop the run. The same as Pettine and Schwartz had him doing, only this year he's been neutralized consistently, sometimes by backups with no help.

 

We lost Wynn before the season began, and basically had only Jerry Hughes to get after the QB. He's done well, but he can't do it alone.

 

I guess my biggest frustration right now is with people calling for Rex to be fired. Our defense is struggling because our players aren't executing, it's not the system. Whaley is gonna need to deliver the perfect offseason with releasing certain players and signing/drafting new ones.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Next season will look promising if/when Ryan gets fired. He is one terrible NFL coach no matter what he says.

[Perry Turtle]

I'm not sure I agree that Roman is the right guy, but everyone deserves at least two seasons to get their system in place and rolling.

 

We had some nice surprises this year with Karlos, Darby etc., but the worst surprise was that Mario Williams is really off his game and we were counting on him to have another pro bowl season.

 

Rex or no Rex, it's the NFL and you win with getting pressure from only 4 guys, and Mario beat virtually nobody this year out there. You can't pin that on a scheme or a coach, because in the VAST majority of plays, Mario's job is to simply play DE, rush the passer/stop the run. The same as Pettine and Schwartz had him doing, only this year he's been neutralized consistently, sometimes by backups with no help.

 

We lost Wynn before the season began, and basically had only Jerry Hughes to get after the QB. He's done well, but he can't do it alone.

 

I guess my biggest frustration right now is with people calling for Rex to be fired. Our defense is struggling because our players aren't executing, it's not the system. Whaley is gonna need to deliver the perfect offseason with releasing certain players and signing/drafting new ones.

I disagree. Watching the series when Washington scored their 5th touchdown, I spotted three plays where Hughes lined up in three different positions.

 

On his sack, Hughes was lined up with his hand down in a wide-9 DE position, which means he was lined up outside the LT. This gave him space to show his explosive quickness and he use his speed to overpower the tackle to get the sack. This was his alignment in Schwartz's defense, when he registered 10 sacks and caused havoc the entire season.

 

Later in the drive on 3rd and 6, he was lined up at Left OLB. Why? Who knows. Duke Williams blitzed, Hughes dropped into coverage, and Cousins completed the pass to Hughes' side for the first down. Why would you drop your best pass rusher into coverage on a passing down while blitzing a mediocre safety? It's a decision of scheme over player strength.

 

On a first down later in the drive, Hughes was lined up with his hand on the ground, OVER THE GUARD. He's only giving up around 80 lbs in that matchup, so it makes sense, right?. It was a running play, Hughes got crushed, and the RB gained the edge and ran through a Preston Brown tackle for the first down. Brown also got a PF penalty. Again, line Hughes up wide and let him crash the LT to hold the edge, and that run gets turned inside.

 

So three plays, two of which it could be argued that Hughes was not put in position to succeed. The same thing can be said for Mario. These guys have the speed and strength to rush the passer and hold the edge when they are aligned outside the tackles. That gives them one or two free steps to explode into the backfield. They offer diminishing returns when you align them directly over the tackle (or the freakin' guard). They are basically useless when you drop them into coverage.

 

This is what Mario is complaining about, and it's what we should be complaining about too. At the very least, on passing downs, both Mario and Hughes should be lined up outside the tackles. Instead, Rex has them dropping into coverage and is blitzing Duke Williams? It's idiotic. It's a total lack of situational awareness, and it's the main reason for the poor play of the defense this season.

[BringBackOrton]

 

Would anyone happen to know if the Jet and Giant players pay their state tax to NY or to NJ?

NJ. Income tax is paid specific to state in which you are employed.

[jahnyc]

I also was surprised that Carucci stated that Whaley has one year left on his contract. If the Pegulas want Whaley out, it will not matter, but all other reports had indicated that this was the last year of his contract.

[Max997]

Next year will be a lot like this year...and so will the year after that

 

The only thing this regime has accomplished is ruining a really good defense

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

I disagree. Watching the series when Washington scored their 5th touchdown, I spotted three plays where Hughes lined up in three different positions.

 

On his sack, Hughes was lined up with his hand down in a wide-9 DE position, which means he was lined up outside the LT. This gave him space to show his explosive quickness and he use his speed to overpower the tackle to get the sack. This was his alignment in Schwartz's defense, when he registered 10 sacks and caused havoc the entire season.

 

Later in the drive on 3rd and 6, he was lined up at Left OLB. Why? Who knows. Duke Williams blitzed, Hughes dropped into coverage, and Cousins completed the pass to Hughes' side for the first down. Why would you drop your best pass rusher into coverage on a passing down while blitzing a mediocre safety? It's a decision of scheme over player strength.

 

On a first down later in the drive, Hughes was lined up with his hand on the ground, OVER THE GUARD. He's only giving up around 80 lbs in that matchup, so it makes sense, right?. It was a running play, Hughes got crushed, and the RB gained the edge and ran through a Preston Brown tackle for the first down. Brown also got a PF penalty. Again, line Hughes up wide and let him crash the LT to hold the edge, and that run gets turned inside.

 

So three plays, two of which it could be argued that Hughes was not put in position to succeed. The same thing can be said for Mario. These guys have the speed and strength to rush the passer and hold the edge when they are aligned outside the tackles. That gives them one or two free steps to explode into the backfield. They offer diminishing returns when you align them directly over the tackle (or the freakin' guard). They are basically useless when you drop them into coverage.

 

This is what Mario is complaining about, and it's what we should be complaining about too. At the very least, on passing downs, both Mario and Hughes should be lined up outside the tackles. Instead, Rex has them dropping into coverage and is blitzing Duke Williams? It's idiotic. It's a total lack of situational awareness, and it's the main reason for the poor play of the defense this season.

 

THANK YOU. YES YES AND MORE YES!!! good observation. I've seen this all season and it is driving me f'kin nuts. Rex destroyed this defense with his idiotic system. He's about as genius as Wyle E Coyote. I can't stand REX. This season would have so much promise with a decent coach and good dc.... I am so pissed off at Rex's bull ****. I wish he would get canned. There is no way he will ever get this defense to work with his crap calls.

[ganesh]

P. Brown has regressed significantly this year, but that may be more scheme related. Woods has been a disappointment as a former second round pick.

 

No scheme change makes a difference in tackling. Classically evident...He couldn't tackle.

Woods has been very disappointing. I almost feel he is taking of plays knowing that he is just a decoy. And now suddenly he is not a decoy anymore, he cannot step up and be that guy. Our hopes of him becoming our own Hines Ward has been dashed.