Red

At this point, even a 5th rounder would seem fair for a player who was once leaning heavily towards never coming back.

We shall see, but he will not be cut and he will not be just let go. From the postings I have read and can understand, Schobel is waffling. He says that he is more 70/30 to playing right now. But he is not ready to decide. Despite our hardship of having actual team players worthy of Pro Bowl consideration, I strongly applaud the Bills for being bold in this matter. They are making a statement that the TEAM is moving forward. Schobel, I'm sure can call Nix and say that he wants to be a part of that and he would be welcomed back to the team. However, after reading his statements and the statements of the other Bills, it would seem that this is the Bills way of protecting the interest they have in Schobel should another team like the Texans come in and want him. They won't get him for nothing. Bill Kollar is the D Line coach in Houston, and he could put the push on for the Texans to trade maybe a player or a low round draft pick for him. From the Bills perspective, it sends the right message and is a win-win should Schobel not come back. Schobel may only play for 1 more season- as he indicates- and sitting for the whole year would most likely put a damper on that. If Houston wants him, they will have to pay the Bills something for him. It would seem like we may finally have a shrewd front office.

Again, why? Do you mean that a major musical event or concert could not work in Buffalo, in the summer, outdoors? You're telling me that a Bon Jovi, The Who, Metallica, Black Eyed Peas, Dave Matthews, and on and on and on would see not value in selling out perhaps a 60,000 seat stadium (since a portion would probably be blocked off) over a 15,000 seat HSBC arena? Move the Bills to their parent City. One of the problems with WNY is that it has too much sprawl. UB should not be in Amherst. UB should have one mega campus, on the waterfront (as was originally approved and planned, BTW). WNY needs to consolidate its benefits in order to maximize its return on its product. Building UB on the waterfront would immediately place thousands of college students with money to spend in the City. They have to eat, want to shop, and will need transportation to get there. Restaurants, retail shops, entertainment...all would blossom. Same thing with the Bills. One of the biggest complaints about going downtown is that there is nothing to do once you get there. Well, going to downtown to see a Bills game could not become a big event for the City. People will want to eat. I'd rather eat at Duff's or Pearl Street than sit in a freezing cold while my buddy burns my burger. Not to take away from tailgating, but you would now have a choice, and that may help to bring more families to football. Restaurants would offer pre- and post game specials. Transportation would be provided by the City at a reasonable price. People may want to then spend more of their money either in the City or at the Fieldhouse, keeping more money where it belongs: in Buffalo. How long do you want to sit and stare and the nothing that is South of Buffalo? How many decades do want it to continue? I can tell you now, nothing is coming in there anytime soon, bro. And the region can't keep playing the Democrat line and waiting for Government hand-outs, either. The City, and more importantly the region needs to start standing up for itself and acting in its own best interest. Keeping the BUFFALO Bills in Orchard Park accomplishes neither.

And the Bills couldn't attract and market major outdoor music concerts during the summer months?

I completely agree with this. The City has extra money now since Bass Pro played the typical immature high school beeyatch and teased Buffalo to death only to play hard to get and quasi-interested when push came to shove, that we could finally turn downtown into something great. Last time I checked, they are called the Buffalo Bills, and not the Orchard Park Bills. I love the idea of having the Bills right where those brown fields are directly South of downtown. There is enough space to bulldoze it all for parking, a practice house, and a stadium. I just love this idea! It couldn't cost that much to demolish that whole section. Get us a newer stadium, more centralized to business in WNY and Ontario, more accessible, and how about the flow of traffic and business into Buffalo before and after games? Traffic could be backed up, you're hungry, so why not go to a Buffalo pub or restaurant after a game instead of sitting in an Orchard Park parking lot freezing your rump off while waiting for your turn to get out of the lot? People could head out to the waterfront to eat, do something, shop...whatever. Keeping the money in Buffalo. Success begets success. Urban sprawl hardly is the answer to healing an area. Condensing services, entertainment, transportation, games, etc into one hub is exactly what WNY needs. Not 20 small districts all vying for the same buck. Bring the Bills to the Buffalo waterfront! Then we can try to figure out how to get UB there too, as an Amherst campus is just plain assinine.

I agree. Great points raised, there by the previous poster. Welcome to the business side of the NFL!

I don't agree. Crabtree struck me as a Grade A D-bag for being an unproven having all of the ridiculous demands he had when he was holding out. I also never heard him come out publicly and explain himself and his positioning at the time. Spiller on the other hand has been completely positive thus far in his public dealings with anything Bills, and I think he is a much more positive character than Crabtree ever will be. Maybin, IMO, is also a Grade A D-bag- not solely for holding out but even now, in his more natural position of OLB, he still can't crack the lineup and is currently running on the 2nd team. Not to mention that stupid Mohawk from last year, and this remains to be a boner pick by Mauron. Ah...now if only we had drafted an Orakpo or an Oher instead of a Maybin...

Yes, but I would like to lose Chambers once and for all. And let's not forget that Flozell Adams and Marcus McNeill may still be in play.

This story broke over the weekend, and it was rumored that 4 teams were interested, as per his agent. The agent would not declare the teams, but we know 3 of them now- with the Bills being 1 of the 4. I'm happy the Bills appear to have their act together, and seem to be constantly scouring the waiver wire for good players. It is this way that they will get better. Bring in solid free agents, make trades to your advantage, and draft highly talented players. In time, my friends, all will be well in Bills land.

I think Washington is the perfect mirror franchise this year for the Bills. Living in DC, I get everything Redskins by default. For the past decade, these 2 franchises have been mirror images of the other- with the only difference being 1 team (the Bills) pinch pennies and seek to squeeze their budget, and the other team (the Redskins) overspend vast amounts of money on names and have no concept of how to build a team. The result: both teams have been similar to the other. The Bills had horrible, clueless drafts and GM's. So have the 'Skins. The coaches have been dismal at best for both clubs. Neither team could strike it big in the draft. Nor in free agency. This past offseason will be interesting. Both teams went out and got new GM's. I personally wanted Bruce Allen, but I am happy with Nix. Both teams obtained new coaches. Shanahan is the sizzle, I'm hoping that the comments made by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might indicate that Gailey is the steak. Both teams has respectable drafts. What will be interesting, is that Washington addressed both its LT position and QB position by trading for Donovan McNabb. They get instantly more credibility for those 2 moves. What have the Bills done in those same 2 weak spots? Nothing. Now, there is still time. IMO, signing Jeff Garcia as a stop-gap for the next 2 seasons would give us instant credibility and dramatically improve our QB position. Trading for a LT like McNeill in San Diego or Flozell Adams in Dallas would help to also strengthen our O-Line while allowing us to find the replacement. If the Bills do nothing for these 2 positions, it will be interesting to see the differences between the 2 clubs this season.

Man, now there was a running back!! I used to have a #33 Roger Craig poster when I was a teenager on my wall. When I think of Roger Craig, I think of that highlight reel run against the LA Rams, where his high-knee hurdler style of running made contact with the head of a would-be Rams tackler. Slowed down, the video showed the 1-2 punch of one of Craig's knees, then the other...knocking the defender to the turf and allowing Craig to continue on his path to the end zone. Craig is certainly in my top 5 all-time. But I don't think Spiller is as physical.

I think Chris Johnson. As much as I loved Eric Metcalf, I think Metcalf was a different player. Not so much a pure runner but more of an explosive gimmicky-type of player that could return kicks the distance, convert those 3rd downs, etc. Metcalf is the much better version of Roscoe Parrish, and Dave Meggett was the better version of Eric Metcalf. Slightly different type of players.

Great point. I remember reading Brian Billick's book last year. In it, there was a section where he discussed that every team in the NFL has a particular position, that based on its philosophy, is going to tend to be its weakest. I think what you mention here is of excellent merit- when the Bills were going to Super Bowls, the offensive line was a priority. Since those days (w/perhaps John Fina and Ruben Brown being the last good picks- w/the exception of E. Wood) the offensive line has been an afterthought. Other teams scrap heap players are brought in (Villarial, Teague, Simmons, Incognito, Meredith, Walker, Dockery, and possibly Hangartner), and everyone wonders why our QB's are constantly on their arse. The offensive line has been an afterthought. They just don't consider it one of the most important aspects of the team. Now, compare that to the strength of our secondary. Is it any coincidence, that Jauron was a defensive back when he played, his first coaching gig was w/Jacksonville in the secondary, and he is a defensive coordinator by trade AND the strongest position on the Bills team is the defensive secondary? How many high round draft picks this past decade went to the CB and Safety positions? Antoine Winfield, Nate Clements, McKelvin, Whitner, Ko Simpson, Bryd, McGee, Youboty. What is interesting is that even before Jauron, defensive coordinator Jerry Gray was a secondary specialist before becoming coordinator, too. Note how S Pierson Preleau followed him to Washington. So, the pattern of emphasizing the secondary has been in place for this past decade. What I cannot understand, is how after all of the turnover in the past 15 years of coaches, trainers, and GM's...how can the offensive line be considered such an afterthought given the Bills struggles at the position since pretty much 1999. What I think it may be, may have to do with a certain gentleman by the name of Jim Overdorf. Looking at salaries of players, and how to build and manage a team financially, the defensive secondary may have more instant bang for the buck with having high round rookies start. I don't agree with that strategy, as it all starts and finishes on the lines. And if the past 10 years have been an indicator, it should be clear to everyone involved in Bills land that placing the O-line on the backburner is a great way for your team to get, well...burnt.

I'd feel confident in our chances if we traded for LT Marcus McNeil. (And signing Jeff Garcia as insurance would make me even happier )

Oh, I don't know... Marv always had good quotes...like: "When it's too tough for them, it's just right for us!" or "You over-officious jerk!" or on the Aaron Schobel front "if you're thinking about retirement, you're already retired"

I'd be happy if they signed Jeff Garcia for 2 seasons and traded for a LT like Marcus McNeil. Then, I don't care what the win-loss record would be, I would feel 100% confident that they were on the right track and would be entertaining to watch.

I hear ya, Thoner. It's even worse in hockey, where trades are practically an every week event. I have concluded that when I do buy a Bills jersey, it will probably be a collector item Bruce Smith official Super Bowl 25 jersey, have him autograph it, and frame it for a wall in my home. With free agency, injuries, trades, etc...it is pretty difficult to spend hundreds of dollars on a jersey for a player that may or may not be with your team in another season.

No. He was a career back-up in KC. The only reason he got to play in Washington was because everybody else was so bad. He used his experience to his advantage. But he is not an answer.

I have always loved Jeff Garcia. With the sole exception of his 1 year in Cleveland, he has always been stellar. I don't know why San Fran ever gave up on him. He throws bullet passes that are accurate, his feet and scrambling keep him alive and plays for a lot longer, he is smart, quick, decisive....clearly better than anything we currently have. While in Tampa it was the same deal. In Philly, the same. He is a proven leader. Again, with the exception of Cleveland he is tough and dependable. I really believe that he has gotten a raw deal for most of his career considering his abilities. In my mind, if the Bills traded for a starting LT and signed Garcia to either be #2 or lead the offense for 1-2 seasons, I would think them much improved.

For his draft pick, Ellis has been horrific. McCargo was a tremendous reach at the time, because he played on a defensive line that had other all-stars on it. McCargo was good by association. Sad, but true. And to think that boner Donahoe traded up into the 1st round to take him.

Jimmy's Old Town Tavern 697 Spring Street Herndon, VA 20170-5125 (703) 435-5467 I met Scott Norwood once down here in VA- he lives here now- and he gave me the card to go there, told me about Bills and Sabres games there, etc. It's atmosphere is as if a Buffalo bar was transplanted- Wizard of Oz-ish- into Herndon. Cool place. Nice Fish Fry. Molson and Labatt.

That's pretty cool, man. He looks like he's in pretty good shape. I saw London Fletcher down here at Wegmans in Ashburn, VA about a month a go. I'm always a bit tentative about approaching them for things like that. We didn't have our camera with us, but even if we did I'd feel funny. Gotta get over that.

That was awesome! I was at that game, and I can remember never sitting for the whole 51-3 drubbing. That was their year. Looking back, we should have been running on the Giants in Super Bowl 25 (can we get rid of the roman numerals, already?) when they were in that 2 down lineman, 7 defensive back defense. To put it all on Norwood is a mistake. There was some lousy tackling by the Bills in that game.

Howdy, neighbor! Northern VA (where my wife and I live) is sports-minded. Being so close to DC, the Caps, 'Skins, and Nat's are big here. Nothing beats the 'ol Pizza Junction pizza in NT- I think they are now called 'The Good Guys' and moved to the corner of Ruie and Nash(?). Man, each slice weighs like 5 lbs! Have you ever gone to Jimmy's in Herndon?

Nice to meet you. My wife and I were both born and raised in Buffalo area and now live in Northern VA! We like going to Jimmy's Old Town Tavern in Herndon, VA for fish fry's. I still buy my Molson Canadian's at Wegmans here in Ashburn, VA, and DirecTV has me locked down for the Bills and Sabres. But you are so right....pizza is not the same.