"The #1 thing you can look forward to with me is attitude"

[What a Tuel]

What I see is that so many Bills fans just didn't see what was happening on the field last season in terms of rushing the passer. There are a few distinct reasons as to why the 2015 Buffalos Bills finished 31st in sacks after being the number one sacking team in 2014. First off, in 2015 Rex Ryan called so few blitz plays than he has in past years.

 

Then, everyone needs to understand that Mario wasn't the biggest complainer about Ryan's defense last season as that honor goes to the best player on that line in DT Marcell Dareus. The sole reason he was complaining about how he was being utilized since training camp is because he was no longer being asked to just penetrate and rush the passer in a one-gap scheme. And instead was being asked to play in a two-gap scheme which is more weighted for the D-linemen to stopping the run rather than rush the passer.

 

After coming off an all-pro season and getting 10 sacks in that 2014 season I'm pretty sure the man didn't want to be counted on to control two gaps to stop the run while the linebackers behind him made the plays. Kyle Williams didn't openly B word to the media like Marcell / Maro did but he still made it known he wasn't entirely happy about the changes to the defense either.

 

What was the difference in sacks for the defensive line? In 2014 Mario, Hughes and Dareus accounted for 34.5 of the league leading 54 sacks. In 2015 those three had only 12 sacks all season and hence the reason they complained about Ryan's two-gap scheme!

 

http://www.sbnation.com/2015/10/21/9581575/mario-williams-marcell-dareus-rex-ryan-buffalo-bills-defense

 

This article was written by an ex-NFL player who viewed the game film of the Bengals game after reading about Mario complaining about how he was being used and he said Mario was right! Read it and some might have more understanding that even giving 110% effort on every play it wouldn't have made that much difference in the outcome of games. Why you ask? Because the 2015 defensive scheme under Ryan was more about the defensive line players stopping the run and allowing the linebackers to make the plays. Then when you consider the talent level of the D-line players vs the linebackers most people would say it was pretty darn stupid to run that scheme.

 

Except the rest of the D line (even backups) out performed him by a wide margin. Mario's effect may have been hindered by the way he was being used, but he neutralized himself to being mostly invisible, and a blank stat line the 2nd half of the season through his effort or lack thereof.

 

I realized not too long ago that Mario pulled a Clowney. Clowney during his last year in college knew that he wasn't going to stay and would be a high pick. So he mailed it in for the entire year. Mario knew that no matter what his contract wouldn't allow him to stay on the team barring a pay cut. So he protected himself and dogged it. What I don't think he accounted for is how much the "quitter" label would effect his pay check. I want all of the people defending him to think about this. In a year where Olivier Vernon got 15 million for potential Mario had to settle for 8. He even floated that the first person to offer him 10 would get him and he couldn't get that. So all of us on message boards can opine for the entire off season but the league has already spoken on this issue and it doesn't reflect favorably on Mario.

 

Great way of putting it.

Edited April 19, 2016 by What a Tuel

[Beef Jerky]

Except the rest of the D line (even backups) out performed him by a wide margin. Mario's effect may have been hindered by the way he was being used, but he neutralized himself to being mostly invisible, and a blank stat line the 2nd half of the season through his effort or lack thereof.

No wasn't hindered by the way he was used b.c before he was injured he was used that way in Wade Phillips defense and had 5+ sacks in the beginning of the season. He was used in a way where if everyone does their job the defense works, Mario decided to be a little girl and just gave up on even trying.

 

I know WAtt would never do that, he would try his hardest at whatever position he is put in on the field...

[Augie]

"Looking forward to" does not equal "getting". I mean I was looking forward to that last year, but.....

 

Of course, "attitude" can go both ways. I guess we did get plenty of attitude. I used to punish my boys for that type of attitude, but it's still attitude.

[eball]

The lengths to which some Bills fans will go to bash Rex and defend the gutless Mario Williams is really quite stunning. Mind boggling, actually. Isn't Buffalo a blue collar town that only asks its sports teams to give them 100%? Mario thumbed his nose at every fan, coach, and teammate last year. Fug him and I hope he rots in Miami.

[dayman]

Pretty sure sacks is what they are looking for

[K-9]

The lengths to which some Bills fans will go to bash Rex and defend the gutless Mario Williams is really quite stunning. Mind boggling, actually. Isn't Buffalo a blue collar town that only asks its sports teams to give them 100%? Mario thumbed his nose at every fan, coach, and teammate last year. Fug him and I hope he rots in Miami.

Amazing, isn't it? Once the best player on our team and he reduced himself to a taller version of Billy Joe Hobert.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[3rdand12]

The lengths to which some Bills fans will go to bash Rex and defend the gutless Mario Williams is really quite stunning. Mind boggling, actually. Isn't Buffalo a blue collar town that only asks its sports teams to give them 100%? Mario thumbed his nose at every fan, coach, and teammate last year. Fug him and I hope he rots in Miami.

Attitude can have multiple meanings. not all of them are postive

[Beef Jerky]

Remember Mario Williams attitude around this time last year...

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/26/mario-williams-ecstatic-about-playing-for-rex-ryan/

 

 

Hmm... I see a pattern.

[Yard Monkey]

I realized not too long ago that Mario pulled a Clowney. Clowney during his last year in college knew that he wasn't going to stay and would be a high pick. So he mailed it in for the entire year. Mario knew that no matter what his contract wouldn't allow him to stay on the team barring a pay cut. So he protected himself and dogged it. What I don't think he accounted for is how much the "quitter" label would effect his pay check. I want all of the people defending him to think about this. In a year where Olivier Vernon got 15 million for potential Mario had to settle for 8. He even floated that the first person to offer him 10 would get him and he couldn't get that. So all of us on message boards can opine for the entire off season but the league has already spoken on this issue and it doesn't reflect favorably on Mario.

 

Failed to the tune of not having a top 10 defesne twice in the years he has been a HC including last year. Rex was always dogged for poor offensive performance. His defenses were rarely the issue.

 

Yup. As I posted above clearly the league thinks he quit. Rex certainly erred in not pulling him off of the field.

 

 

This thread is beyond my comprehension. I have seen nobody defend the job Rex did last year. EVERYONE was disappointed. To lay the poor defensive performance at his feet entirely and not account for injuries or your best player mailing it in is lazy at best. Rex has even come out and admitted that he screwed the pooch last year by not going with his system full bore at the beginning of last year. I have yet to see anyone completely exonerate Rex for the d failings last year.

Great post! Agree with all of your pound except for pulling/benching Mario. I think that was a great move. He is your highest paid player. Let him go out there and earn that money he is f'n making...,and when he didn't, all of his teammates, fans and 31 GMs in the league (apparently Miami GM wasn't paying attention) have a whole season of film to watch of him quitting. I also can almost assure it was an organizational decision going all the way to the top to let it play out that way...not just Rex. Everyone knew he quit.

 

If he was benched or cut, Mario could have just pointed to how he was f'd over and that he would have had double digit sacks and wouldn't let him play, but Rex and the new coaching staff had it out for him...etc. he probably would have had several teams line up that would have bought it and have him a bigger deal in that scenario.

[Augie]

Hopefully he gets injured, that is all this dirtbag deserves.

I'm not the malicious, hateful type. I don't want him to be injured, but I'd love to see Dolphins fans disappointed. I'd be OK if they saw the same player we got last year, but I doubt they're foolish enough to sign him, then waste him. We signed him, then hired Rex. That's different...... OK, make I'm a little hateful, but I don't want anyone to be hurt.

[Beef Jerky]

I'm not the malicious, hateful type. I don't want him to be injured, but I'd love to see Dolphins fans disappointed. I'd be OK if they saw the same player we got last year, but I doubt they're foolish enough to sign him, then waste him. We signed him, then hired Rex. That's different...... OK, make I'm a little hateful, but I don't want anyone to be hurt.

Not even Brady?

[Augie]

Not even Brady?

No, but that's as close as I might get. It will be much more decent and satisfying to see Brady wilt with time, succomb to the years, and embarrass himself before he goes away. In personal shame. Hopefully VERY soon.

[Dopey]

The lengths to which some Bills fans will go to bash Rex and defend the gutless Mario Williams is really quite stunning. Mind boggling, actually. Isn't Buffalo a blue collar town that only asks its sports teams to give them 100%? Mario thumbed his nose at every fan, coach, and teammate last year. Fug him and I hope he rots in Miami.

Mad at Mario? He deserves the criticism. What I don't get is how it seems you're not more upset with Rex? Did you really see us being so bad on defense? And I mean all around. Not just Mario. I would be more upset with someone who had both the blueprint and the talent to come in and ride the wave created by Swartz. Nope, he totally misused the talent he inherited. Mario included. How can you be more mad about Mario? He's gone and the guy who neutered one of the best dlines in the NFL last yr.is still here. The sad part is the offense was good enough to help the Swartz led d to the playoffs. I have high hopes for the offense, but I'm not sure what to expect from the d. I don't think anyone does. It wasn't supposed to be like that and for that reason I'm more pissed at Rex.

[Nihilarian]

Mad at Mario? He deserves the criticism. What I don't get is how it seems you're not more upset with Rex? Did you really see us being so bad on defense? And I mean all around. Not just Mario. I would be more upset with someone who had both the blueprint and the talent to come in and ride the wave created by Schwartz. Nope, he totally misused the talent he inherited. Mario included. How can you be more mad about Mario? He's gone and the guy who neutered one of the best dlines in the NFL last yr.is still here. The sad part is the offense was good enough to help the Schwartz led d to the playoffs. I have high hopes for the offense, but I'm not sure what to expect from the d. I don't think anyone does. It wasn't supposed to be like that and for that reason I'm more pissed at Rex.

Good stuff! Mario does deserve some criticism. But because it's far easier to crap on the guy that's gone from the team and blame him for the teams troubles! And then go on to defend the coach that ruined the best part of the team...it's the denial that some Bills fans seem to fondly embrace.

 

 

Most Bills fans (like me) weren't just expecting another year with a top #4 defense in 2015 and #1 in sacks in the entire league. We were led to believe by Rex Ryan that the 2015 Buffalo Bills defense could be the best ever and the Bills would finally be in the playoffs!

 

"Orchard Park, N.Y. — Rex Ryan loves to speak in extremes. His Buffalo Bills aren't going to finish near the top of the league in defense, they are going to be No. 1. They aren't going to compete for a playoff spot, they are going to make the playoffs."

 

http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2015/01/rex_ryan_explains_firing_jim_schwartz_says_buffalo_bills_defense_will_rank_no_1.html

 

Rex Ryan press conference from Jan 2015, http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2015/01/rex_ryan_press_conference_15_things_we_learned_from_buffalo_bills_new_coach.html

• The Bills are going to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. "I am not going to let our fans down. Get ready. We are going to the playoffs. We're going."
• The Bills finished with the fourth-best defense in the NFL, but "fourth in the league was probably a little disappointing. I know we'll lead the league in defense."

 

Ryan even had the players all believing that they could be the best ever! http://nypost.com/2015/06/30/bills-catch-case-of-the-rex-ryan-boasts-best-defense-ever/

 

“We want to be the best in history — one of the greatest,” linebacker Nigel Bradham told the Toronto Sun. “That’s what we’re striving for … the greatest of all time, not just this year or last year.”

Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said he wants the unit to be the “best ever.”

“It’s so obtainable,” Dareus said. “All we have to do is continue to do what we want, and not what we can. If we do what we want, and do everything to head in that direction, why can’t we? Why can’t we?”

Marcell Dareus was saying that back in June of 2015, that the Bills defense could be the best ever and Dareus was very excited to resign with Buffalo!

 

Then once training camp started and Dareus saw the new scheme and he then realized just how he would be utilized in Ryan's defense... the verbal complaining started... and not by Mario! Something tells me that if the Bills had waited until after training camp started to sign Hughes and Dareus that they both might not have signed with Buffalo. Plus, I would think if Ryan continues to run that same scheme he ran last season that he is going to have some very disgruntled players again this year.

 

 

Nobody here is giving Mario a pass on the season for his attitude during the 2015 season. Just attempting to show the angry fans that there were more reasons than just him and his attitude for the decline of the entire defense and in particular the entire defensive line. Can we all agree that Marcell Dareus was out there giving 110% every play, every game and yet his play fell far short of what he was able to accomplish the year previous as did everyone else's play on that D-line!

[Beef Jerky]

Good stuff! Mario does deserve some criticism. But because it's far easier to crap on the guy that's gone from the team and blame him for the teams troubles! And then go on to defend the coach that ruined the best part of the team...it's the denial that some Bills fans seem to fondly embrace.

 

 

Most Bills fans (like me) weren't just expecting another year with a top #4 defense in 2015 and #1 in sacks in the entire league. We were led to believe by Rex Ryan that the 2015 Buffalo Bills defense could be the best ever and the Bills would finally be in the playoffs!

 

"Orchard Park, N.Y. Rex Ryan [/size]loves to speak in extremes. His [/size]Buffalo Bills aren't going to finish near the top of the league in defense, they are going to be No. 1. They aren't going to compete for a playoff spot, they are going to make the playoffs."[/size]

 

http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2015/01/rex_ryan_explains_firing_jim_schwartz_says_buffalo_bills_defense_will_rank_no_1.html

 

Rex Ryan press conference from Jan 2015, http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2015/01/rex_ryan_press_conference_15_things_we_learned_from_buffalo_bills_new_coach.html

 

• The Bills are going to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. "I am not going to let our fans down. Get ready. We are going to the playoffs. We're going."
• The Bills finished with the fourth-best defense in the NFL, but "fourth in the league was probably a little disappointing. I know we'll lead the league in defense."

Ryan even had the players all believing that they could be the best ever! http://nypost.com/2015/06/30/bills-catch-case-of-the-rex-ryan-boasts-best-defense-ever/

 

We want to be the best in history one of the greatest, linebacker Nigel Bradham told the Toronto Sun. Thats what were striving for the greatest of all time, not just this year or last year.

Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said he wants the unit to be the best ever.

Its so obtainable, Dareus said. All we have to do is continue to do what we want, and not what we can. If we do what we want, and do everything to head in that direction, why cant we? Why cant we?

Marcell Dareus was saying that back in June of 2015, that the Bills defense could be the best ever and Dareus was very excited to resign with Buffalo!

 

Then once training camp started and Dareus saw the new scheme and he then realized just how he would be utilized in Ryan's defense... the verbal complaining started... and not by Mario! Something tells me that if the Bills had waited until after training camp started to sign Hughes and Dareus that they both might not have signed with Buffalo. Plus, I would think if Ryan continues to run that same scheme he ran last season that he is going to have some very disgruntled players again this year.

 

 

Nobody here is giving Mario a pass on the season for his attitude during the 2015 season. Just attempting to show the angry fans that there were more reasons than just him and his attitude for the decline of the entire defense and in particular the entire defensive line. Can we all agree that Marcell Dareus was out there giving 110% every play, every game and yet his play fell far short of what he was able to accomplish the year previous as did everyone else's play on that D-line!

He fell short b.c the guy next to him gave up which hurts the whole line, then Kyle going down made it worse. I hope you understand you need all 4 guys playing not 3.

 

You typed all that up yet I destroyed your little conclusion in two simple sentences.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Beef Jerky

[atlbillsfan1975]

 

 

I am also not a Rex blind loyalist. I am someone who will not give Mario a pass for how he played. The two do not coincide except for Mario to give an excuse why he didn't give max effort. He didn't like what his boss was asking him to do so he did a bad job at it. If any of us do that there are consequences. To stick up for Mario is mind boggling to me, much less given the fact he did it to the team you support! Mario was getting rewarded with huge sums of money, the least he could of done was give it his best effort.

Edited April 20, 2016 by atlbillsfan1975

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

I would love a double digit sack guy this year. They aren't easy to find.

 

But hopefully, the Ryans have something up their sleeves.

Nothing is up the Ryan's sleeves, it is up their asses.

[FireChan]

Can we talk about how RR walked into 2015 thinking that this team had the same level commitment to him that certain Jets players did? That, combined with the "we're gonna be historic" talk, might have been more egregious.

 

As if players like Mario didn't remember the last two years destroying the Jets and watching them implode. Now he's supposed to listen to this joker who's spouting the same nonsense he did when they were 2-7?

 

No excuses for quitting. Zero. But I don't make it the on-off switch some of y'all do. A man is pushed by more and more adversity and some falter. It is what is.

 

Equating it to the NBA, handling moody talent is a part of the job. It doesn't excuse players who quit to get you fired, but things have to be bad to get to that point.

[8-8 Forever?]

Mario will have the best attitude ever, as long as the Dolphins play him exactly how he thinks he should be used.

#notaprofessional

yep. he needs an old school , high school defense to be successful. I hope the fins run one, as most OCs will tear it up.

[4merper4mer]

yep. he needs an old school , high school defense to be successful. I hope the fins run one, as most OCs will tear it up.

 

2014 proves that false.

 

2015 shows what a String Theory defense will do for a team. It Rex it.