2003Contenders

Anyone worrying about draft positioning is a loser -- considering the Bills' last 3 top 10 draft picks netted Rob Johnson, Mike Williams and Donte Whitner.

Also, the resurgence of Schobel and the emergence of Kelsay this year have a thing or two to do with Maybin's limited opportunities.

The funny thing is that I always got the impression that it was Fewell himself who banged the drum for drafting Maybin, as he repeatedly made comments prior to the draft that he felt it was Ok to invest a top 15 pick to draft a player who may be a situational player only. I got the impression that Modrak wanted a more all-around DE (like Ayers).

I think his criticism is twofold. The Bills missed the boat on this guy because either he was not very talented and, thus, should not have wasted valuable time and resources on him. Or, supposing he was talented enough to warrant a PS spot, the team did a horrible job of developing him during those two years. The first is an indictment of the scouting team, while the second is an indictment of the coaching ranks. Either way, it is a jab at TD and MM rather than Marv and DJ. The point is silly. While, the Bengals dd a great job with the fromer PS linemen he refers to, the Jasen Espostio story is the norm for all 32 teams in the NFL, including the Bengals, whom Tucker suggests wold have never made the "mistake" the Bills made with Esposito.

If this happens, then I will consider it good news for the Bills that they didn't overpay to land a head coach who by this very choice of jobs shows that he is incapable of making sound decisions.

Don't know about Schaub so much, but Cutler and Romo are coach killers. Cutler, in fact, would be 2-2 in the last two years, and ironically enough Shanahan was his victim last year.

Just a few thoughts... 1. There IS a connection between Weiss and the Bills. Remember, after the 2003 season when Gregg was not retained (not fired, as his contract had run out), Weiss was one of the candidates that had interviewed for the head coaching gig in Buffalo. The word at the time was that if the Patriots had lost the AFC Championship game to the Colts, then Weiss would have been Buffalo's head coach. However, the victory coupled with an extra bye week of waiting and the Super Bowl, led the front office to decide that it was better to act quickly on Mularkey than to wait 2 more weeks for Weiss. 2. The NFL and College football are two completely different animals. The successful coaches in college (Pete Carrol, Steve Spurrier to name just two) are successful because of their ability to recruit. Their teams have the best players year after year. Weiss was not a great recruiter at Notre Dame -- and the scholastic requirements to even get into Notre Dame probably disqualified some of the more physically talented players that would have been able to get into places like Miami, Alabama, Florida, and USC. Weiss is, however, a good film study guy and a good professional coach. Honestly, I want to see more out of Fewell before I even think about who the next HC should be. I will say that this last game was probably the best coached game I have witnessed for a Bills coach in years. Was it just a day where everything fell into place -- or does Fewell really have the right feel and instincts for the game? We have 5 more games to see. If what we saw against Miami is a harbinger for things to come, I think it would be a disservice to both Fewell and the team not to seriously consider him for the head coaching job.

Since the Bills have traded away their 3rd round pick every other year since 2005, I guess they figured they would just waste it when they selected Ellis with it last year.

Like him or not, Martz does have a solid track record for bringing along QBs: Trent Green and Kurt Warner both cut their teeth playing for him. Marc Bulger, Jon Kitna and Shaun Hill were even viable starting QBs under his tutelage. Maybe he seems something in Trent that is salvagable. After all, Trent's problem is a mental one, rather than a physical one. I think he would also provide a decent evaluation of Brohm. And let's not forget that he is already very familiar with Fitzpatrick, whom he drafted and groomed back in St. Louis. Clearly a second tier choice, but I would rather have Martz than Haslett. Actually, if Fewell excels (and he IS starting to grow on me), I could live with him as HC and Martz as OC. If Martz is interested, maybe his buddy Mooch over at the NFL Network is also game.

The Wood injury overrides any positives, I am afraid.

Actually as much of a failure as Millen was as a GM (and the Fords' puzzling refusal to fire him until he totally destroyed their franchise), he was an OUTSTANDING TV analyst prior to that. In fact, he was so good that many thought he couldn't miss as a GM. Just goes to show...

That's possible. The team may have looked ahead to next year's draft, figured that they were drafting too late to get a genuine blue chipper and thought Brohm was as good or better than anyone they could pick up in the middle rounds. Still, I doubt they are viewing him as "the answer". My guess is that they feel that Fitzpatrick serves the role of veteran backup. Brohm is a developmental backup. And Edwards is the odd man out. I have a feeling that they look toward free agency (or possibly a trade -- McNabb?) for a genuine starting caliber NFL QB in the off-season.

And yet -- and yet... That mighty Titan offense WITH CJ running wild all day had only scored 17 points heading into the 4th quarter. The chief problem remains on the offensive side of the ball, where the Bills can't score more than 17 points AND directly give up 14 points to the opponent.

Am I the only one that thinks that this may actually be a good idea THIS week, as the Bills take on the Chris Johnson and need the extra speed to keep him from getting outside?

I am guessing he meant "...hopefully allow me to get back to where I was last season (BEFORE the concussion sustained in the Arizona game)."

I hear what you are saying, and I would response with two observations. 1. I do believe that Maybin was always viewed as a long range pick, rather than an immediate impact pick. That range got even longer when he made the decision to hold out. 2. We don't know for sure who actually made the ultimate decision to select him. Based on some of the quotes heading up to the draft I have a feeling that Jauron or possibly Fewell campaigned for him.

I'm waiting for people to freak out when one of the following happens: 1. The Bills place Hardy on IR. OR 2. They release Steve Johnson to make room for Hardy.

Can we go with none of the above? 1. If the OL was in good shape, I would go with Bledsoe. In its current state, however, Bledose would have no chance behind it. 2. For all you Flutie fanatics, go back and watch game film from that 1999 season. The Bills won a lot of games 13-10 back then because the defense was so good and he would make that one big play to help get the "W". I suppose he would have the best chance for survival behind our existing OL. 3. Edwards already has suffered 2 major concussions. Even if you think that he may eventually develop into a credible NFL starter, you also have to realize that he may be one more hard hit away from retirement. 4. Fitz is a decent backup, plain and simple. BTW, Losman proved last year that he wasn't even capable of playing that role.

Every year it is a crap shoot in the draft. The Bills managed to land 3 immediate starters in Wood, Levitre and Byrd -- one of which should be in serious contention for ROY. They also added what appears to be pretty good depth in Nelson and Lankster. So what if Maybin isn't producing just yet? I think I am OK having a first round prospect with a potentially high ceiling take the time he needs to develop, especially considering the early success we have with the other guys. The bigger story (for those whose glass isn't half empty) isn't the failure thus far of Maybin -- but, rather, the surprising success of Kelsay, who has managed to keep Maybin on the bench. Also, remember that Orakpo was NEVER going to be a possibility, since (rightly or wrongly) the Bills have a vendetta against drafting University of Texas players.

When TD drafted Parrish, he believed he was getting what it looks like Percy Harvin will be. He isn't, so it is time to move on. I, too, suspect that Parrish will be released next week when the Bills have to make room for Hardy.

I have to wonder how differently fates would have turned if the Bills had elected to keep Greer, thereby passing on McKelvin and instead drafted an OT. Ryan Clady, for example, was taken one pick later.

If he was going to go "in-house", I think he would have done that already.

Here are some quick observations... 1. The Carolina front four is pretty good. It is hard to beat up on Meredith too much for getting schooled by a stud like Peppers. If Scott returns to be the starting RT, these two games of experience will have done Meredith some good, and I believe he can serve as a decent swing man going forward. 2. I too try to focus on Bell in these games, and it is clear that he is inexperienced but it is also clear that he has some talent too. In all honesty, he probably should be a backup at this stage of his development, but we all know why he's been thrown into the fire. I see it as sink or swim for him. If he shows marked improvement during the course of the season to the point where he looks like a serviceable starting LT, then we can cross that need off our list. Otherwise, I would hope that the front office would make a sound investment in an upgrade at the position. 3. This was not a good game for Hangartner. I wonder if the whole retruning home thing had an impact. I like him, and hope that this was just an aberration. 4. Of all the OL, the one who had the worst day was probably Levitre. Let's hope the kid learns from this. 5. I though Wood had the best game of the starters. The thing that may help is that Fitz seems to be more decisive and quicker in getting the ball out of his hand. I kept wondering how many sacks Edwards would have taken Sunday if he had been behind center.

Not to put a damper on this, but the thing that bothered me is that Delhomme still seemed to have all day in the pocket to throw the ball. If the front seven can't apply more pressure than that against Schaub this week, he will pick them apart. With the way the DBs have been playing, just a bit more pressure up front could lead to game changing plays.

I don't know that I would call him the coach of the week, but it is hard to criticize any of his gameday decisions yesterday -- so at least that is a step in the right direction.