2003Contenders

If you're right that there are 7 blue chippers in this draft, then I say our odds are pretty good to land one of them at 8, since one of the teams picking 1-7 is likely to do something really unorthodox (i.e. stupid). If all else fails, it wouldn't be the end of the world (to me) if we took Cutler. I saw on the NFL Network the other night where Mayock had him ranked AHEAD of Leinart.

Mike Martz is still lingering out there.

Recall that the 82 Dolphins went back and forth between the supremely talented but inexperienced David Woodley and the weak-armed but very cerebral Don Strock. Word was that the players had little faith in Woodley -- and that they didn't especially like his personality. Meanwhile, Strock was a locker room favorite and the chosen starter by his teammates. Their #1 defense was good enough to get them to the Super Bowl, despite the shortcomings of both QBs. Of course, they lost to the Redskins. I bring this up because I see some of the similarities between those two guys and the two we have on hand. How did the Dolphins' situation resolve itself? Well, the front office must have felt that a NONE OF THE ABOVE answer was in order. With their very next draft pick they selected a guy named Dan Marino. Woodley faded into oblivion, Strock became one of the all time great clipboard QBs, and the rest -- as they say -- is history.

Actually a change in scenario COULD do Ramsey some good. He's always been treated as something of a red-headed stepchild in Washington. His first coach, Spurrier, was so disenchated with the team's decision to draft him, that he tried to trade him BEFORE he even showed up for training camp. Truthfully, he was never a good fit for "the ball coach's" Fun N Gun offense, and Spurrier preferred our own Shane Matthews for that cap-gun attack. When Joe Gibbs came in, the first thing he did was sign Mark Brunell to a ridiculous contract -- and annoint him the starter. Brunell stunk it up so bad, that Gibbs was forced to indert Ramey for the final few games of the season. Ramsey proved to be an improvement -- and was named the starter going into 2005. That lasted all of two quarters. After getting knocked out of the season opener against the Bears, Brunell came in -- and never relinquished the starting job. The injury gave Gibbs the excuse he needed to make the inevitable switch back to his chosen QB. Considering the success the Skins had this year, I can't say that anyone can blame Gibbs for going that direction. The bottom line is that Ramsey simply was not HIS guy, as he inherited him from a coach that really didn't want him either. I fail to see the comparison to JP -- other than they went to the same school. In fact, JP's first season there he backed Ramsey up. Think of Ramsey as a younger version of Bledsoe: great arm but little mobility. I think in the right system with a quality OL, he could be a quality NFL starter. Based on what I just said, Ramsey and Buffalo may not be a match made in heaven. Still, if he comes cheap he could provide a reasonable alternative to Holcomb and/or JP if neither QB proves to be up to the challenge.

Nah, I think Pittsburgh still would have found a way to beat the Bengals even with Palmer in there.

I live in the DC area and am pretty much forced to keep up with the latest Redskins' goings on. This is the first I have heard of any such trade. Everyone knows that Ramsey is the odd man out in Washington, who is facing some serious cap problems this year. I suspect if any team is interested in acquiring him, all they need to do is wait until the Redskins cut him. The Redskins' front office has a pattern of ineptitude when it comes to dealing with the players that they plan on cutting. Last year they made it no secret that they were prepared to move on without Rod Gardner. They were lucky to get a 6th round pick for him from Carolina as a result. They've telegraphed the same message regarding both Ramsey and Lavar Arrington this year. Look for them to get a mid-round pick at best for Arrington now.

Great work! Still, in the final analysis, any head coach is only as good as his supporting cast. That includes assistant coaches, the front office, and the players. Jauron had some issues with all three of these phases during his time in Chicago -- some of it out of his control and some of it not. He can start things off right by binging in some high quality coordinators.

And in the What-Have-You-Done-for-Me-Lately world of the NFL, Sherman's Packers will have a top 5 draft pick in April.

I vote for the third category but add the caveat that I think Soprano believed his "source". Perhaps it was that the joke was on him in the sense that his "source" probably buffaloed him.

Like I said, maybe GW learned from his first time out -- and he is clearly saying the right things here. However, it is very diffcult for a control freak to change the way he does things.

I think that is an unfair assessment, as Danny Boy is a rich boy trying to play fantasy football with real money and real people's lives. With all of the money he's spent -- and the SERIOUS cap problems that lie on the horizon -- aside from this season, the Redskins have actually been WORSE in this millenium than our beloved Bills. It sounds like the decision to bring in DJ was really Marv's. It remains to be seen whether or not this was the RIGHT choice or not, but at least I am glad that Ralph is leaving it up to his chosen GM to makes these decisions himself, rather than imposing his own point of view. One thing that Danny Boy never has understood is that, more than any other sport, the best teams in the NFL are the teams with the best whole, rather than just a sum of their parts. Even though we may not see DJ as the best possible candidate, maybe he fits best into the framework of what Marv is trying to put together. I'm willing to give the golden boys the benefit of the doubt... for now.

Welcome, Portisizzle. I too live in Redskins country and am very impressed by the job that GW has done as your DC. However with that said, there is a difference between being a fine coordinator and a great head coach. Much of that comes down to personality and the ability to delegate, which I've always felt were the reasons why GW was a failure as the Bills' head coach. That doesn't mean that he can't be another Belichick and learn from his first go-round. However, even in Washington, he plays the bad cop to Joe Gibbs' good cop, which has always been a pattern for Gibbs. In that way, Gibbs has always managed to somewhat distance himself from the dirty work, while allowing his assistants to handle that for him. Meanwhile, Gibbs himself is so strong at the PR game, that he normally deflects criticism well. (Think about the Arrington dealings early this season -- as well as the Portis situation in preseason.) This showcases Gibbs' delegation skills, but it doesn't always set his assistants up to succeed. For example, as successful as Gibbs has been, he never really had any proteges follow in his footsteps.

Why so sure that JP won't get a chance to start? The Bears drafted both McCown and Grossman during Jauron's days there -- and both were given playing time. In fact, McCown started early before the Bears realized he couldn't play.

I have three schools fo thought... 1. As we've mentioned, this is the most important decision that Marv and Ralph will make. Thus, there is nothing wrong with being VERY thorough here and interviewing every logical candidate. 2. Maybe the golden boys are stalling a bit on purpose. There is only one other vacancy out there -- and maybe they want the Raiders to fill that first. Then there will be no other competetion and the Bills will hold all of the cards. Of course, the flaw to this line of thinking is that Sherman, for example, does have some leverage in the sense that he can just sit on his rear-end this year and still collect the $3.25 M that Green Bay owes him. 3. Maybe there is still someone coaching in the playoffs that they are waiting on. Whisenhunt? Grimm? Kubiak? (I know he's supposedly on his way to Houston, but...) After all, Mularkey's delayed decision cost them the opportunity to interview prospective coaches during that allowable first week of the playoffs. Like everbody else, I'm sitting on pins and needles here -- and am very anxious. Still, if taking a few extra days means uncovering a better candidate, then I am all for it. Let's just hope that after all of this deliberation, we don't wind up with someone as lightweight as Jauron.

If it is Sherman that comes in, I would have no problem with his former OC, Tom Rossley. Despite all these notions that the Packers' offense was as good as it was ONLY because of Farve, look at how effectively the Packers RAN the ball. Over the years, Ahman Green has put up some obscene numbers. And even in this miserable 2005 season where the Packers OL was depeleted -- and they were down to their 4th or 5th RB, a guy named Sam Gado scored 6 TDs (more than Willis) in just 8 starts.

It's not that the site is unreliable -- it's that by their very nature they report information that come from OTHER sources already in print. In this case, they are quoting Leo's article from this morning, which was mostly speculation.

Not to say there is anything in Leo's article that is really news -- but I'm not nearly as put off by the article as many of you are. Maybe, just maybe RW and Marv themselves haven't reached a decision yet about who they will hire. And even if they do already know which coach they will hire, it is prudent for them to at least keep that information to themselves until they have concluded all of the interviews so as not to present the subsequent interviews, including the mandated minority one, as a charade. Right? Leo, who has covered the Bills for many years now, is pretty much just making an educated guess that he thinks that they'll ultimately lean toward Jauron because his salary demands are likley less than Sherman's, he has a prior "relationship" with Marv, and is less likely than Sherman to demand full control of the team. While this conjecture is not really any more insightful than anything we write on here, at least I think he carries more weight than the guys at ESPN. And the truth is, until it leaks out that a decision has been made, what's he supposed to do?

Wouldn't that be funny if RW called a PC tomorrow -- and named Lofton the new HC?

By NFL Insiders I guess he's talking about Mort and Clayton...

I'd be inclined to flip this and say that he had one BAD year. 2001: As you stated, this was by all accounts a very good draft. TD moved up and down the board -- and wound up converting our original first rounder into Clements, Henry and Brandon Spoon. 2002: While I agree that this draft was TD's worst, primarily because of Mike Williams' being a bust, I think in hindsight that there was some wheat amongst the chaff. Recall that we were desperate for a QB in that draft -- and TD wound up trading for Drew without parting with a single pick in that draft. I know I know... he did trade away 2003's #1 pick, which could lead to another discussion regarding the value of trading Drew for the 2003 #1 (which I personally STILL feel was a good move). I still feel that Josh Reed holds some value, so I am unwilling to call him a bust, especially considering how much better he looked last year. The Denney pick wasn't a good one, but I think it was more TD trying to stick it to the Steelers, who were all set to take him. The Wire pick (Why is he still even on the team?) wasn't a very good one either. 2003: TD deserves high marks here for McGahee and McGee alone. Remember that we wound up with Willis BECAUSE of TD's decision to trade away Peerless, which was a great move. You said it yourself: four starters in McGahee, Crowell, Kelsay, and McGee. Granted, Kelsay hasn't lived up to expectations. But I'd have to definitely give this draft a passing grade. 2004: Evans has already proven his worth. If JP ever comes around, then this could prove to be a VERY GOOD draft. Tim Anderson showed me some real progress as the season wore on. Finally, remember the number of promising UDFA's that TD brought in that year (including Peters, Baker, and Greer) too. 2005: It is simply too early to tell. If Roscoe is the next Santana Moss we may be thanking TD for his farewell draft. It's too bad that Everette got hurt so early on, as we never really got a chance to see if he could be the answer to our non-pass-catching TE problem we've dealt with for so many years now. Let's hope he's ready to go by training camp. For all of our cries for OL help, what if Duke Preston turns out to be a reliable interior lineman? Or Geisinger? While it's true that this draft didn't help us right away, there are very few players taken in ANY NFL draft that make an immediate contribution. Considering that we had no #1 pick, that is even moreso the case. In that way, the final grade for the 2005 draft, much like the 2004 draft, rests on whether or not Losman is able to get the job done.

Isn't funny how no one wants to talk about all the MISTAKES that the Pats made in the game that were far more important to its outcome than the "shoddy officiating"? -- 2 very bad INTs by Brady, one of which was at least a 10 point swing in the game. -- Unforced fumbles by such reliables as Kevin Faulk and Troy Brown. If the Pats want to talk about the game they lost to the Broncos this is where they need to start. Oh, and their record this year was 10-6. Had they not been the division winners of our crappy division, they wouldn't have even MADE it to the playoffs, as I'm sure any Chiefs fan will tell you. The Pats and their fans have come to expect hand-outs so much that it is almost shocking when a call doesn't go their way for a change. Give them a year of mediocrity -- and let's see if the Pats and their fans are so arrogant.

Your point is well taken. As, there are 7 current head coaches in the NFL or at a top college program that came from the Belichick tree, while Marv has none. I think some of this has to do with a variation in coaching styles -- and what the head coach himself brings to the table. Marv wasn't really a footbal guy perse. He was no great innovator or strategist. Rather, he was a master delegator -- and a guy intelligent and congenial enough to deal with a vast array of personalities. As such, Marv was always content to fill his staff with coaches who were ALREADY highly qualified -- and he placed the faith in them to do their jobs. He has/had the unique ability to talk to a room full of people -- and wind up with each person feeling that he was talking directly to them. A great communicator. Conversely, you have guys like Belichick, and Walsh that are football guys through and through. These guys have larger than life egos and surround themselves with young, bright assistants that marvel at what they can learn from the "master". These coaches also tend to be quite regimented in how they go about their business, which makes for a sound learning environment for up and comers.

For whatever reason, with the recent exception of guys like Roy Williams and Sean Taylor, the top Safeties usually do not go high in the draft. Since it isn't such a premium position, we can probably find a quality player at that position -- maybe even one that can start right away -- in the 2nd or even 3rd round.

Sounds like an echo of Marv's words at his introductory PC.

According to Leo Roth's article this morning, the Bills may be considering Art Shell. If that is the case, I hope they give him a fair shot and don't just bring him in as the "token" minority interview. I've never understood why Shell never got another shot at a HC gig after a pretty good run in Oakland (er, LA). And I think he'd actually be a pretty good choice for us -- definitely the kind of tough coach (and former player) that the players would respect.