After completely blowing it on Thursday night at home to division rival New York Jets to start the season off 0-2 and watching their division get eviscerated by Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Buffalo Bills made the only move that really made sense and fired … offensive coordinator Greg Roman?
What?
So the guy that coached his offence to nearly 400 total yards against one of the league’s better units got his pink slip because the defence could hold things together?
This is the sort of nonsense that happened when Rex Ryan was the head coach of the Jets and that teamed turned into an absolute circus towards the end of his tenure. Apparently things look like they’ll be the same in Buffalo, just a lot quicker.
Rex made the terrible move of hiring his twin brother Rob in the off-season and has now doubled down on that by shifting the blame for this awful start to Roman.
Firing a guy who doesn’t deserve it just two weeks into a season is a terrible way to look like a competent organization.
What needs to happen next is a full cleaning of house, with the overrated Ryans out the door and hopeful away from NFL sidelines. I’ve been saying for years that Rob Ryan is the most overrated defensive coordinator of all time, presiding over the historically bad Cowboys and Saints units of the past few years, but still getting new jobs because of his dad’s legacy.
Let’s end the charade and leave at least a little bit of mystique in the Ryan family name, before it’s tarnished beyond repair.
The lines are from Vegas and the home teams are in CAPs.
New York Jets (-1) over BUFFALO
Even thought the Jets won, man did Darrelle Revis get torched again. So, Revis Island seems like a pretty nice vacation destination these days, doesn’t it?
DETROIT -6 over Tennessee
Looks like the Lions don’t miss Calvin Johnson that much. The Titans may have done a good job stopping Adrian Peterson, but solid run defence isn’t what you need to beat a Detroit team that rarely concerns itself with establishing a rushing attack.
HOUSTON -2.5 over Kansas City
Last year, the Chiefs shutout the Texans 30-0 in an utter beat down. This is an improved Texans team and a banged-up Chiefs team now, though, so I don’t think we’ll get even close to the same result.
NEW ENGLAND -6.5 over Miami
Is the Dolphins defence that good, or did it just get pressure against a weak Seahawks line? It’s probably the latter while Bill Belichick proved he can win without his top QB, LT and receiving option against a Super Bowl contender.
CLEVELAND +7 over Baltimore
Is it wrong to think that RG3’s injury might help the Browns? Josh McCown might be the better option in Cleveland and while this is probably not a game they’ll win, the Browns could score in garbage time to cover.
Cincinnati +3.5 over PITTSBURGH
The hottest rivalry in football should be the best game of the week. Both of these teams are incredibly talented across the board and that means this one should easily be closer than a field goal, either way.
WASHINGTON -2.5 over Dallas
The numbers may actually back the Cowboys in this one, but with this line creeping under a field goal, we think that Washington can exploit Dallas’ porous pass defence and get its season on track.
New Orleans +4.5 over NEW YORK GIANTS
Wouldn’t it be weird if this somehow turned into a lockdown, defensive game? Both sides are going to put up big points and in that situation, we’ll take a few extra with this line.
San Francisco +13.5 over CAROLINA
We know that the Panthers are the much better team here and have had the extra few days to get over their loss to Denver, but this is a lot of points. The Niners could just have enough for a backdoor cover.
ARIZONA -6.5 over Tampa Bay
I really like the Bucs, but this is matchup that’s just not good for them. The Cards will be eager to shake off their loss to the Pats and could run over the visitors.
Seattle (NL) over LOS ANGELES
Russell Wilson may be hobbled by his sprained ankle, but when you consider how awful the Rams looked against San Fran last week and the Seahawks’ talent on defence, they might not need their star QB to do much.
DENVER -6 over Indianapolis
The Broncos have had 10 days to prepare after their tight win over the Panthers, which should be enough to make a plan to contain a Colts team that seems a bit overrated.
OAKLAND -5 over Atlanta
The Raiders were literally two yards away from losing in New Orleans, but their defence should fare much better at home. The Falcons are a very similar matchup, but the Saints are much more effective on offence.
Jacksonville +3 over SAN DIEGO
The Chargers crumbled after Keenan Allen crumpled to the field, crippling their offence. With the Jags riding high after a great game against the Packers, we’ll take the points on the road.
Green Bay -2.5 over MINNESOTA
Leave it to the Packers to spoil the Vikings party. While you can get away with a performance based on Shaun Hill and defence against Tennessee, the Packers are a whole different beast.
Philadelphia +3 over CHICAGO
Could Carson Wentz and the Eagles actually go 2-0? The rookie will face a stiffer test against Chicago, but even then, you couldn’t have been too impressed that the Bears folded last week.
Last week: 12-4
This season: 12-4