Steve Billieve Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 But can't you flip that and suggest that Whaley hasn't hired the right coaches either? It hasn't seemed like Whaley was hiring the coaches. Either way how can we really know? If he was the driving force behind all the hires it certainly is hard to see how he would still have a job. Not sure that we can conclude he wasn't the driving force behind the HC hires, but that would be my guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baskingridgebillsfan Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 this is what happens when you change schemes every two years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark80 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 This is unfortunate, not ironic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeAndy Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 We can thank good ol' Rexy for that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 (edited) We can thank good ol' Rexy for that!again, it's really not Rex's fault that there was a CB drafted the year prior to him arriving who was the opposite of what fit his defensive system, and then got hurt in camp and wasn't even able to show if he could even help on ST.... A lot of other things were Rex's fault but can't really see this one. Edited March 15, 2017 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Ironic that a 4th round pick in 2014 was signed off our practice squad a year later and is now a #1 corner for a top 5 NFL team, while we are sitting here with a gigantic need at corner. Another example of our failures to develop talent, and nearly always expecting our draft picks from rounds 1-4 to be immediate starters. Ross Cockrell would be pretty nice to have right now........ Thank Rex Ryan. He made the call on Cockrell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Linen Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 yes, it is all he can play. He hasn't developed past that. Though not sure the Steelers have tried. Artie Burns on the other side has a much larger skill set. He got lit up by the Patriots in that playoff game. He's the exact corner their offense was meant to attack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Arnold Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 I loved Cockrell when he was at Duke. He was a stud and I thought Bills got a steal when they drafted him in the 4th round that year. He was definitely near the bottom of the depth chart when he was with the Bills but good for him for working hard and developing into the player many thought he could be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cereal Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Can someone explain to me: Aren't teams able to stash rookies on practice squad without other teams snatching them up? What's the rule on this? Why were they able to get him from the Bills? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Arnold Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Can someone explain to me: Aren't teams able to stash rookies on practice squad without other teams snatching them up? What's the rule on this? Why were they able to get him from the Bills? Thanks! You can't put a player on your practice squad without releasing him first. He's available for other teams to sign him after he's released, then a few days later if he's still unsigned the team can sign him to the practice squad. At that point any other team can sign him to a contract to release him from the practice squad unless the team is willing to promote him to the 53 man roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cereal Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 You can't put a player on your practice squad without releasing him first. He's available for other teams to sign him after he's released, then a few days later if he's still unsigned the team can sign him to the practice squad. At that point any other team can sign him to a contract to release him from the practice squad unless the team is willing to promote him to the 53 man roster. Yes, that all sounds right. But I thought a team's new draftees were protected or something. That's why, for example, Dez Lewis was safe on the practice squad for all that time. So am I just making this up? Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 He's not their #1 corner The reason he isn't here is because he was drafted for Schwartz's D, didn't show anything in camp, got hurt and didn't fit Rex's D at all. He never would have made it off ST. Pitt signed him off our PS. He's a zone corner and fit their D. He'd fit ours now, yes. I think he's ok, but he's constantly dogged by their fans. Hindsight is great though. This is what happens when you constantly change schemes and coaching staffs. Hopefully we can start some stability now. I don't disagree totally, but Rex was pretty forthright in admitting he tried to get too cute with Cockrell and sneak him through waivers...So I really don't believe he fell out of favor at all, or it was a scheme thing...It was more about trying to get an extra roster spot temporarily... “This was my fault, you know I thought we could sneak him through [waivers], and it wasn’t the—I never had as good a feel for him because he had been injured for so much of the training camp, and I thought, ‘Well he’s injured, he hasn’t played much, let’s try to sneak him though,’ and that was a mistake,” Ryan explained. “It was a mistake by me. It wasn’t a mistake by anybody else. It wasn’t by Whales (Doug Whaley) or anyone else. It was a mistake that I made, and obviously Pittsburgh had a good feel for them and he’s played well for them.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 (edited) I don't disagree totally, but Rex was pretty forthright in admitting he tried to get too cute with Cockrell and sneak him through waivers...So I really don't believe he fell out of favor at all, or it was a scheme thing...It was more about trying to get an extra roster spot temporarily... This was my fault, you know I thought we could sneak him through [waivers], and it wasnt theI never had as good a feel for him because he had been injured for so much of the training camp, and I thought, Well hes injured, he hasnt played much, lets try to sneak him though, and that was a mistake, Ryan explained. It was a mistake by me. It wasnt a mistake by anybody else. It wasnt by Whales (Doug Whaley) or anyone else. It was a mistake that I made, and obviously Pittsburgh had a good feel for them and hes played well for them. that is what he said before the Steelers game because he was trying to be complimentary toward Ross. And Rex was overly blaming himself for everything publically which just eventually starting sounding fake. It's no secret he's a zone corner only and he just didn't fit once Rex got there. Sure he could have gone out and shown he could play man in TC, but he didn't and then he was injured. I really think the blame game is used too much to try to explain things that happen because of football reasons. It isn't anyone's fault. The scheme changed unexpectedly and while some guys still could fit, others couldn't. It's convenient to blame Rex here but I would have blamed him more if he used a roster spot on a guy who couldn't man up. Edited March 15, 2017 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 He's not their #1 corner The reason he isn't here is because he was drafted for Schwartz's D, didn't show anything in camp, got hurt and didn't fit Rex's D at all. He never would have made it off ST. Pitt signed him off our PS. He's a zone corner and fit their D. He'd fit ours now, yes. I think he's ok, but he's constantly dogged by their fans. Hindsight is great though. This is what happens when you constantly change schemes and coaching staffs. Hopefully we can start some stability now. Thank you for that fact based review, rather than the frequently seen emotional rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan17 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 As if we havent poached players our selves. This one stinks, but kind of shows we have an eye at times, just need to retain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estelle Getty Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Why is that Ironic? That happens all the time in the NFL. Maybe you should have titled this the irony of arthur moats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Whether it was Whaley's or Rex's (whoever had control of the roster), it was a gigantic organizational failure. Which is ironic when we're desperate for a CB and WR and both Cockrell and Kamar Aiken are prized possessions right now. (1) Prized possessions is a bit of a stretch. (2) whether people choose to accept it, schemes dictate rosters. (3) The guys that are so good they're great in all systems are gone in the first round. After that you're weighing trade offs, just as in free agency and just as when you do roster cuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevewin Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 This is unfortunate, not ironic. It's like rain. On your wedding day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGBillsFan Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 this is what happens when you change schemes every two years Exactly....it is hard to build and develop a roster when you are changing coaches and schemes every few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webster Guy Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Uh well Pitt thinks he's still worth a 4th Steelers passing defense was poor last year, in fact their entire defense has struggled since Polamalu left. My buddy is a football guy and a die hard Steelers fan and he says they won't match anything but the most basic offer for Cockrell, who he said was picked on quite a bit as the weak link in the secondary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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