transient

Revisionist history. IIRC, Ralph tried to pin Butler down on a contract extension, and Butler kept putting him off until Ralph forced the issue, and it became clear that Butler had already planned to leave. Also, when he left the Bills were in such cap hell that the first order of business was to purge the team of overpaid players on the downside of their careers resulting in a ton of dead cap space. Whether he stayed or not, the next 3-4 years would have looked the same until they got their financial house in order.

Sorry, that was Dr Emmet (Doc) Brown. Levi Brown is the football team from a city on Lake Erie that from 11/2/08-12/6/09 went a combined 2-19 before going on a 4 game winning streak to end the season, with those two wins courtesy of another football team from a city on Lake Erie.

I don't buy your draft approach. When it comes to QB, I think you have to put your head on the chopping block and get the guy you want. If they don't think Clausen is that guy, then fill another need. If you're record is improving, and you identify "that guy" next year, acquire the pick to get him. The only way to guarantee it otherwise is to finish dead last, which, in a league with Oakland and Detroit, isn't as easy as it sounds. I realize acquiring picks is expensive, but if they would have done that the year Rivers, Manning, and Big Ben were drafted instead of hoping and praying that one fell to them, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Two of the three have rings already... three of four if you count JP's junior varsity championship ring. Big Ben should have been ours if the front office would have moved up, what, three spots? Instead they traded away our first the following year to get JP cuz they got scooped. Think Houston would have taken our first the next year to drop three spots so we could move up and get Roethlisberger?! I want our FO to start operating from a position of control instead of panic, and also to stop drafting projects in a failed attempt at making themselves look smarter than everyone else. Not taking impact players doesnt' fit that approach.

Uhh, a year in a system will do nothing positive for your development if the systems sucks, we've proven that for the last decade. And with three interior lineman and two turnstiles any QB is going to get hurt. I agree with previous posters in this thread that this will take a few years. If the QB of the future is not available now, I would rather Gailey evaluate the players we have and how they work in HIS system instead of basing his evaluation on their performance in a terrible offense, rather than wasting picks to bring in players they're not completely sold on. I would rather they have the right pieces in place when the right QB is available, rather than a bunch of spare parts. Baltimore, Atlanta, and the Jets have proven you can win with a rookie when the right pieces are in place, whereas the Bills have derailed several QB careers in the last 10 year when the pieces weren't.

There once was a QB of Domer In pictures he looked like a gomer He swore he's the man But got punched by a fan After losing to UCONN in double OT at home (err).

no that was Clarence the congressman, and his son Clarence (Clancy) the actor/voice in the Shawshank Redemption. I believe Levi Brown was actually a woman who masqueraded as a man while serving in the British Royal Navy from 1804-1816.

That was the journalistic equivalent of an angry poster. Kelly, himself, recognizes his role when he says he's not a talent evaluator. What I think he can do, from the years spent on the field/sidelines with other greats and not so greats, is to be able to look at a player and know what he's made of. Will this guy run through a wall for you. Is he about self, or will he put it all on the line for a teammate. I would trust him on that.

Nix has stated that he knows football players. If this is true and Harris can play, they'll find a role for him.

I'd seen it touched on in a couple of posts, but to distill it down to the bare bones, at this point in time I'd rather see them bring in a blocking LT than a blocking TE... just sayin'.

It depends on the Eagles current direction. If they are planning on starting Kolb, a trade to continue starting is incentive for McNabb. He may not want to stay longterm, unfortunately, and I wouldn't make the deal w/o an extension. As for the Eagles, trade one of your QBs before you lose an asset for nothing. If Kolb is their future, trading McNabb is their play. Personally I'd make an offer for McNabb of a third, and make an offer for Kolb of a 2nd and see which one they took (if any), as they are apparently soliciting offers for both per the initial link. I don't know if Kolb will be successful, but there are no QBs in the draft with potential AND film on them in the pros.

But what about his NAME? I recognize his name, and it's NOT currently on the Bill's roster, so he MUST be better, right?

Not to mention that a city/population with a self esteem problem shouldn't promote a nickname that means beneath.

I'd rather the current regime figure out what we actually have on the roster than have them bring in a stop gap. There is no one on the market that is a long term solution. As soon as a recognizable name pops up voices chime in about potential, whether past or unrealized. We already have that on the roster. If there is no one in the draft this year that the FO deems the next franchise QB, fill the other holes and wait 'til next year, and make due with what we have. Gailey built a serviceable offense around Tyler Thigpen, Kordell Stewart, and Jay Fiedler, among others. Would anyone in their right mind be clamoring for any of these names to be the future of this franchise? We're not going to the Superbowl in the foreseeable future, so take the time to build it right this time.

I'd be interested in knowing exactly what failing a physical entails. If it means that there is some degree of impairment remaining, or that a procedure ultimately didn't result in optimal recovery that's one thing, as that is equivalent to damaged goods. If it means that a medical staff was unable to guarantee that a player was not at increased risk for re-injury despite optimal healing, that is entirely another, and is more in line with an owner not wanting to spend the money without some type of warranty. I've always found the "failed a physical" a bit vague... as in the case of Indy and McCargo which I think was more likely buyer's remorse (though IIRC he had a hairline fracture in a vertebrae... which without herniation or other complication is likely to heal without incident, and is more akin to cosmetic damage).

Nothing like a political rant from an educated man.

That couldn't be because they haven't been faced with that situation yet, now could it? For that matter, there aren't too many players on the present rendition of this team that could even create this scenario. If Whaley stays true to his Pittsburgh roots, it is more likely that we have the pieces in place AHEAD OF TIME in order to let big contract players walk when they're up for a big new contract instead of resigning them... you know, instead of letting them walk/shipping them out AND THEN trying to come up with a contingency play, say moving another player out of position (to left tackle) for a week before ultimately cutting him on the eve of the season... I mean, hypothetically speaking, of course.

We just let go a handful of ST players. What's the harm in tendering a cheap player with starting experience to play ST?

The point is, they were involved in the 2003 draft, just like every other team. Players can be had, and teams that are well run prove that all of the time. If they wanted Rivers, or Manning, or Roethlisberger bad enough, and they BELIEVED that they would be the franchise, they could have put a deal together to acquire the pick. We missed out on Big Ben by what, 1 or 2 picks. What would it have taken to get him? Evaluation of talent is one thing, having the courage of conviction to get the targeted player is what has been lacking in this organization. I hope that has changed. Again, I'm not saying THE Qb is in this draft, but THE somebody is, whether NT, LT, or whatever. I want this FO to shape this team instead of fate.

People tend to see things as mutually exclusive, black or white, this or that. Both the QB and the lines need upgrading. Doing either/or would most likely help this team. What I want to see is a commitment to doing it right. IF Nix and Gailey think either Bradford or Clausen is the answer (or whomever, for that matter), then I want them to do what it takes to get him. If not, then I want them to do what it takes to fix the lines. I'm tired of grabbing the also rans and expecting miracles. For example, the belief is that we wanted Big Ben, and instead of doing what it took to get him, we rolled the dice that he would fall to us, he went to Pittsburgh, and we reached for JP. This is the S*&T I'm sick of. Identify who you want and get him. Stop shopping in the clearance section. If they are wrong in their assessment, at least they had the stones to go with it, and can say they did what it took to try to make it happen. Am I saying that that player is available? No, but my opinion isn't the one that matters.

If you consider that he blew out his knee in game 2 last year, it works out to just under 13 starts per season. Hardly a backup.

Except the tunes make driving the jalopy more enjoyable... unless you like watching someone run down the sideline without being thrown the ball, this would not be particularly enjoyable.

I see all these "bring in this QB" threads. Personally, I hope Buddy and Chan take this approach: if they see THE FUTURE in one of the current draft choices, then make the deal to get him. If not, no stop gaps. Fix the other holes, especially the lines, and install the new offense and see what you have with what's on the roster now with a system that works (assuming Gailey's system works). If what's on the roster fails in this system, identify the future in next year's draft and make the deal. Stop patching holes with gum. We've been tearing through "franchise" quarterbacks at an alarming clip, and each one has shown flashes early only to regress with time... that screams of poor coaching or of the league catching up to them, which is also poor coaching. Gailey has done more in the past with less than what's on the roster presently (including a weepy Kordell).

Gotta agree. Both Wilfork and Hampton look like thick dudes with some extra poundage. Cody just looks like extra poundage. If you "melt" the flab off of him as someone suggested, he doesn't look like he's got the bulk under it, at least not based on that photo.

If Incognito was back, would you see him?

There are none. Why do people stick sharp objects in their eyes instead of averting their gaze?