"Black Monday" Looms On The Horizon

[H2o]

This is the first Monday after the end of the regular season for those who don't know. I believe this will tell us a lot as to which direction we headed and where Pegs' mind is at regarding the team. Is Rex and his staff here for another year after empty promises and on-field debacle after on-field debacle? Does Pegs admit to a mistake by firing the man whom we hired just over 11 months ago? How does this all shake out in the end? Someone has to "pay the the Piper"after this year we have had in Buffalo.

 

Let's start by taking a look at Rex. Rex came into this season with high expectations heaped upon him due to the overall talent level of this roster and the achievements in 2014. A 9-7 record under the Doug Marrone regime with Kyle Orton at QB meant with Rex being the mighty defensive guru he is and bringing along a "loaded" staff should make us a shoe-in for the playoffs. Right? Wrong. This team has lacked discipline all year long, Rex has consistently been terrible with his challenges in games, and the once feared defense he took over looks like a broken shell of it's former self from a year ago. He has been ALL TALK and nothing backing it up on the field. His antics get him press coverage, but his coaching has him on the verge of getting fired after one season at the helm.

 

Next on the list is Greg Roman. Roman was coming on board to completely change up the Pop Warner offense installed by Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett had Kyle Orton and EJ to work with, Roman has Tyrod and EJ to work with. I'd say we got more out of Orton last year than anyone expected and I'd also say we've gotten more out of Tyrod this year than anyone expected. The key difference that this offense has had, minus games missed due to injuries here or there, is the stable at RB. Shady, Karlos Williams, and whoever else is >>>>> Fred Jackson, CJ Spiller, and whoever else. Shady has carried us at points over the last half of the season making yards when there is really nothing there. Roman, even with such a weapon on offense, still goes away from the ground game at times even when it is effective in games. His play calling is questionable at best. Rollouts on 4th down with the game on the line and your backup QB in there? Going away from a running game that's working at times only to watch the offense sputter? Not keeping your super-talented WR involved in the game plan when all he does is make big plays or seems to have the hot hand? There has really been no balance when the situation calls for it. The statistics will say we have had balance on offense if you look at the season as a whole, but that doesn't take into account in-game management where we were doing the opposite of what we should have at the time.

 

Dennis Thurman. What needs to be said? Inept play calling. Terrible game plans. An inability to utilize the talent we had on this defense. No discipline. No pass rush. Terrible getting off the field on 3rd down, no matter what the distance. The whole thing just stinks. A lot of this hinges on Rex as well because he and Thurman are hand-in-hand on that side of the ball. There is no excuse for the product on the field this year.

 

Next up, Danny Crossman. The ST unit has been solid in coverage. Outside of a kicker having an off year as well as whoever we have to return kicks and punts having butter hands the unit hasn't been bad. I can't really nail Crossman to a cross over the lack of execution and mishaps of the players he has to work with. We are almost a top 10 unit despite the player mistakes.

 

Finally on to Doug Whaley. I, myself, have been a Whaley supporter. Some people can't stand him. I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion and realize that people have their own reasoning for that opinion. The things I look at are the overall talent level of the team and if it seems to be headed in the right direction. How does he tend to work with the staff on hand? Apparently he hasn't gotten along with the last couple coaching staffs for various reasons. Could be because he was not the one who brought that staff in? Idk. No one can argue that the talent level of the team is not greater than it was before he took over. People question signings, $ amounts spent on certain players, and trades, but the team is CLEARLY better off than we were before. Does this save Whaley's job? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe it is like we have seen reported that he and his team are quality scouts, but he is not GM material? The thing he has not been able to fix and or scout for is the OL. Henderson, Kujo, Richardson, Miller, none of them seem to be long term solutions for any spot on along the OL. He also missed on the EJ pick. That was a bad draft overall to be dead set on a QB though and Nix was dead set on "leaving the team with a QB of the future" in hand.

 

I guess we will all find out soon enough. "Black Monday" is about a week and a half away. Personally, I hope we rid ourselves of Rex and Thurman. I wouldn't mind us keeping Roman, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if he were sent packing either because of the reasons noted above. Crossman will be a casualty if we bring in another head coach I believe, but keeping him around wouldn't be a bad decision if they did. Maybe GM isn't Whaley's gig, but I don't think he has been a failure at it. I believe if he is asked to take any kind of reduced role he will seek employment elsewhere. I pretty much think that is how things will play out with Whaley as well. Whatever the outcome may be, I hope they finally get it right this time. That douche nozzle Brandon needs to be left out of everything as well because he sure hasn't helped ANY situation outside of lining pockets.

 

 

 

 

[Pete]

Very good post. I like Whaley and would like to see him extended. You make a decent case for Crossman. Roman wasn't great, but I would retain him. But I am an actions, not talk guy. Let Rex go. I am not buying what he is selling. Take Thurman with you too Rex

[Nihilarian]

From what I've read Black Monday won't happen in Buffalo right away.

 

These new owners have been talking to an adviser, and he has advised them to hire someone above Whaley to make the football operations decisions. Meaning that Rex Ryan's, Doug Whaley's fate will be in his hands, whomever that might be. The last offseason it would have Bill Polian who backed out of the situation when Marrone walked away and Orton retired. Polian stating that it would be more than he cared to shoulder at this point in his life. Polian did say he would have replaced Whaley though.

[NOVABillsFan]

Whatever happens I hope they don't go rogue and fire everyone without giving it a lot of thought.

[MarkyMannn]

Let's start by taking a look at Rex. Rex came into this season with high expectations heaped upon him due to the overall talent level of this roster and the achievements in 2014.

 

Besides posters on this board, who said the "overall talent level" was so great? Isn't that something we manufactured and believed ourselves? How many pro-bowlers did we have? Just wondering..............

[H2o]

Besides posters on this board, who said the "overall talent level" was so great? Isn't that something we manufactured and believed ourselves? How many pro-bowlers did we have? Just wondering..............

The posters, the media saw how talented we were, and the level of performance last year was fairly indicative. Then you add Clay, McCoy, and Darby, but get worse results? No, that doesn't fall on the staff we brought in at all.

[apuszczalowski]

I think that the entire coaching staff, even though it was only their first year has been a complete failure and it would not look as bad as people think if the front office were to admit their mistake and cut them loose before any more damage is done. This isn't because their W/L record, or not making the playoffs cause everyone should have expected some growing pains, but instead all we saw were questionable moves and play calling, in disciplined players (which is on the coaching staff), players under performing and vocally displaying their displeasure with the coaching staff way of running things. This team did not need wholesale changes to improve on last season, a few tweaks and moves, while leaving the defence to continue to do what it was going and they would be better. Instead they decided to try and fix something that wasn't broken and may now take years to fix it the way they want it which the end result will probably be just as good as it was when they took it over which seems like change for the sake of change. They can bite the bullet now, admit the mistake, and clean house giving them a chance to salvage what they have, or give them another year or 2 allowing them to dismantle things and leave a bigger mess for the next guy to clean up still making them look just as foolish as if they cut bait now but not wasting more years.

 

As for Whaley, I don't think the guy is anything special,or better then average. He isn't bad, but he's also not amazing, he is replaceable. But if it's between him and the coaching staff,I'd take him anyway over Rex. My big concern with Whaley comes from the fact that this is now the second coaching staff he's had that there are reports of a disconnect between him and them, where it appears he wants the coaches to fit there systems around the guys he gets for them,instead of him obtaining guys that fit their system. The GM is like the manager of the restaurant, make sure everything is running smoothly and obtain what the chefs (coaches) need to make their food the best they know how. The manager shouldn't be buying ingredients and telling the chef how to make the food using what they think they need. They need to get the ingredients the chef tells them they need to make it properly.

 

I think the hiring of Rex was an error on the owners and front office who fell for his talk and the media attention he would bring to the team. They liked the attention they would get from him being here and fell for the idea that he was much sought after by others when now it appears Buffalo was the only one who wanted him. Other teams interviewed him, but it appears no one had him as their top pick. The Bills were in a situation that was a little different where they didn't need a full rebuild and at the HC position they just needed some who would come in and let the current defensive staff continue to run things while taking control of the offence themselves.

[Buffalo_Lobsters]

H2o you made some great points. I was excited when Rex was hired and then Roman but the product on the field has not matched the Hype. I expected an attacking Defense that would confuse opposing offenses but instead the D has look confused. The lack of a pass rush is frustrating after 2 seasons with 50+ sacks.

I won't be sad if they clean house on "Black Friday". I just hope they do it right.

[jjmac]

From what I've read Black Monday won't happen in Buffalo right away.

 

These new owners have been talking to an adviser, and he has advised them to hire someone above Whaley to make the football operations decisions. Meaning that Rex Ryan's, Doug Whaley's fate will be in his hands, whomever that might be. The last offseason it would have Bill Polian who backed out of the situation when Marrone walked away and Orton retired. Polian stating that it would be more than he cared to shoulder at this point in his life. Polian did say he would have replaced Whaley though.

 

Where have you seen this?

Edited December 23, 2015 by jjmac

[jahnyc]

I agree that our talent level was not as good as many believed. Plus many of our starters going into this year were free agent acquisitions, not draft picks (McCoy, Taylor, M. Williams, Graham, Clay, Felton, Harvin and Incognito), so I do not think we can say that this team was built through the draft.

[truth on hold]

If anything I think Pegs takes this the other way and doubles down on the ryan-family by allowing Rex to hire his brother rob. If there's a guy whos in trouble now to take the blame, its Thurman.

[Maddog69]

I may be in the minority, but I think when you consider everything, Roman has done a decent job this year.

With the exception of 1 or two boneheaded play calls each week, I've been OK with Roman and I think going into year two of the offense with Taylor at QB, we should see improvement.

Factors to consider:

1.) teaching a new offensive system to the whole team

2.) having a 3 way QB competition and some internal friction amongst the coaches and GM as to who should start and who should be #2. (Thus not having a clear #1 heading into the offseason and not being able to focus on building an offense around him

3.) questionable offensive line heading into the season. Wood and Glenn were the only guys you could count on being decent. Everyone else was a question mark.

4.) Tyrod's inexperience was a factor once he became the starter

5.) Key injuries to the skill players on Offense. Losing our top 3 RBs and starting guys literally off the street. Loosing Harvin, Goodwin and Sammy for games early.

 

The offense overcame a lot of challenges and performed as well as anyone could have reasonably expected and I think next year can be even better.

 

Unless they do a complete house cleaning and get rid of everybody, I would not want to see Roman get fired.

If anything I think Pegs takes this the other way and doubles down on the ryan-family by allowing Rex to hire his brother rob. If there's a guy whos in trouble now to take the blame, its Thurman.

ZERO chance Rex backstabs his friend Thurman. They've been together for something like 15 years. ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Discussion about who to retain from the coaching staff if Rex gets fired (please!!!) is pretty much a non starter as a new coach will want to by-and-large bring in his own people. I like Whaley and hope he's retained unless a true genius emerges for consideration (see final sentence of post). The Pegulas have a lot of money. How about making an offer to Belichik that he cannot refuse. And tell him to bring the "Buffalo Boy" with him.