Brandon

I think Marv is DEFINITELY looking for another Thurman Thomas type player and its a big factor in why I think he'll take Lynch. Even if he waits until a little later in the draft, I think he'll lean more towards smaller RBs like Lorenzo Booker or Kenny Irons who are explosive open field runners.

While I agree that its possible to find quality RBs later on and am not entirely opposed to it, I think they'd be better served by balancing their draft with a RB in R1 and drafting heavily on defense thereafter. If Lynch is drafted at 12, I would not be shocked to see them devote the entire remainder of their draft to the defensive side. That still allows them to do a ton of building on the defensive side while also adding an elite prospect at RB in R1.

I feel pretty strongly that they're going to draft Lynch now. These signings are clearly aimed at improving their running game and to that end, I think they'll also go out and get an elite runner to compliment those signings.

I think the Bills are finished with major acquisitions in FA. As for the draft, I would take a different approach. 1) RB Marshawn Lynch, California 2) ILB David Harris, Michigan 3) CB Fred Bennett, South Carolina 3) OG Manuel Ramirez, Texas Tech (expected pick for trading McGahee) 4) RB Dwayne Wright, Fresno State Most will immediately notice that this draft lacks a DT. I think this is a very weak year at the position and do not advocate drafting a DT just for the sake of drafting a DT. Branch and Okoye are the only two I feel would make any real impact. Given that, I would direct this draft toward maximizing all aspects of the Bills own running game. To that end, I would draft Marshawn Lynch at 12 (assuming the character issues check out; I think they will) with Ramirez as a run blocking RG prospect. Wright gives them a quality #2. Ideally, I'd like to see them sign a FA #2 RB, however. Meanwhile, Harris gives them a quality MLB prospect, while Bennett competes with Youboty, Greer and Thomas (if re-signed) for the #2 CB spot.

I didn't need to see how he ran against the Bills in week 17. I remember how well he ran as a member of this team in 2002 and 2003. I've always thought the Bills made a mistake with that whole situation.

It probably isn't backloaded. Contrary to the popular interpretation, I think Marv actually meant that the Bills would no longer heavily backload contracts in his 'cash-to-the-cap' statements. At any rate, this is a very nice signing for the Bills.

The Giants would seem to be the most likely candidate, IMO. They have needs at LB and RB. The Bills might be able to work out a package deal that sends both of them to NY for an early draft pick.

Looks to me like they just signed this year's version of Mike Gandy/Tutan Reyes/Bennie Anderson.

I'd be more concerned with his career rushing average of 3.3 yards per carry than even his 500 yards for the season. He's likely going to be drafted quite a bit higher than he probably should just because of that 40 time. That time raises more questions than it answers, IMO, and I might even downgrade him because of it. It makes you wonder how such a talented player could be so unproductive, especially in college.

There's no reason not to re-sign him. He's a restricted free agent and as such should be relatively inexpensive. At worst, he'll fill one of the 5-8 RB spots the Bills will likely need in training camp and if he fails to make the team, it won't impact the cap situation.

The only true possession receiver on the roster is Josh Reed and to be honest, I would rather have Reed than Moulds at this point in their careers. He's quite a bit faster than Moulds, he's a better runner after the catch, he always seems to be open, and while his hands are at times questionable, Moulds dropped more than his fair share in '04 and '05 as well. Four or five years ago, I would've given Moulds the edge in all of those areas, but in 2007, its not much of a contest.

I wouldn't bring him back. He'll be 34 in July and has averaged only 10 yards per catch the last two seasons. Maybe the offenses he's played in haven't helped him, but at his age, its more likely that he has lost a step or three. I think he's done and probably should have retired a season ago.

Considering how utterly pathetic this offense has been for the last four seasons, very few of those starters should consider themselves safe. I'm not entirely convinced that the Bills should unload Willis McGahee and draft a RB in R1 to replace him, but I can't blame them for considering it. He may be 'average', but that's the problem. There are too many 'average' players in starting roles on this team. Average players are backups for half the league. Average players also tend to be system players and, in fact, I think this is their primary motivation for unloading him. I think they want a more explosive open field runner with the versatility to be a top recieving threat out of the backfield. They want a Thurman Thomas. They've got an Eddie George; a capable straight-ahead runner but one who is not versatile enough to allow them to run their offense to the extent they envision. There's also another point to consider, that being McGahee's contract status. He's almost certain to leave after the '07 season, so the Bills are going to be in the market for a starting RB anyway. If that's the case, and there's a RB available at 12 this year at they really like, I see no reason why they shouldn't give strong consideration to selecting him, all things considered.

I believe that the Bills are looking for a more dangerous open field runner and reciever out of the backfield than McGahee. They might take Marshawn Lynch at 12, but I think they're more likely to pick someone such as Lorenzo Booker or Antonio Pittman in the 2nd or 3rd round.

I think this is generally what the Bills have in mind. They're probably planning on drafting a RB on the first day, anyway, so if they can pay for the pick used by trading McGahee, so much the better. In that sense, it becomes something of a player-for-player trade. Of course, finding someone who will give up a 2nd for McGahee may be a problem.

Myself, I believe that the Bills should be content with an offense that has ranked no better than 24th in total yards the last four seasons, including finishing 29th the last two years. They've also finished 20th or worse in rushing in three of those four seasons. That's a playoff caliber offense for sure. No need to upgrade those average starters.

If the Giants offered a 2nd or better, I'd make the trade. They're going to draft a RB in R2 or 3 and that rookie RB is likely to see significant playing time even if McGahee is on the team. In that sense, trading McGahee doesn't open up much of a hole at the position. It would, however, pay for the day 1 pick they'll likely use at the position anyway. My plan at RB if McGahee were traded would be to draft a RB in R2, re-sign Anthony Thomas, and add an inexpensive FA such as Musa Smith to a one or two year contract. Smith gives them another talented prospect to compete against the rookie, while Anthony Thomas gives them a marginal starter in a worst case scenario. At the very least, I think they could match the 1500 yards the Bills rushing attack managed last year.

I'm pretty sure that player workouts don't begin until tomorrow.

Bears 31 Colts 17

While I don't think the Patriots are going to fall off a cliff anytime in the next couple of years, championship level teams tend to be a more fragile thing than you realize. Look to the last great team in the NFL as an example: the Dallas Cowboys. I'm sure they felt much the same as you do after their Super Bowl victory in 1995. They'd won 60 regular season games in 5 years and 3 Super Bowls. Aikman and Irvin were both 29 and coming off great seasons. Emmitt Smith had an MVP type year and he was just 26. With these HOF players still in the prime, Cowboy fans reasoned, there was absolutely no reason to believe that more championships wouldn't follow. Over the next 5 years, the Dallas Cowboys won just more one playoff game with Aikman and Smith (Irvin retired due to injury in 1999), a 40-15 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in 1996. They lost three more by a combined score of 73-34. Another similar example? None other than the Buffalo Bills. They finished the 1993 season 12-4, with their 4th straight Super Bowl appearance. Kelly, Reed and Thomas were a little older compared to the three in Dallas, but they were still highly productive and had won 70 regular season games in 6 years. Like their counterparts in Dallas, the Bills would win only one more playoff game with these players, a 37-22 victory in the 1995 playoffs against Miami. The point is, most teams, even the truly great ones, can't maintain an elite level of play for more than about 5 or 6 years. Age and injuries, division foes and competing conference teams all start to catch up. It doesn't take much at all for a 'great' team to decend back into the pack of 'good' teams. The Pats have now lost three straight to the Colts, struggled a bit in an improving division (including a 21-0 beating from the last place Dolphins), and now have to contend with rising teams such as the Chargers and Bengals in the overall AFC picture, along with the usual standbys such as Denver, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The Patriots may be able to overcome all of that to win another championship, but then again, maybe not. Its going to get more difficult with every season that passes.

With McGahee under contract for one more year and considering that Anthony Thomas would be a budget re-signing, I'd rather draft a player with a differing skill set than those two. I think they should draft a third down, all purpose RB who can make a defender miss a tackle and who is a credible receiving threat out of the backfield. Darius Walker of Notre Dame or Lorenzo Booker of Florida State would make nice additions to the Bills backfield and be better compliments to what they already have.

He just got destroyed two plays in a row. Brian Leonard ran over him on that 4th down play. Then Josh Beekman just about killed him on the TD play. Ouch.

I guess they shouldn't allow Thurman Thomas into the Hall of Fame, either. Look at how bad he was in the next three Super Bowls. He had a total of 60 rushing yards on 37 carries in those three games. Even a Super Bowl (or two or three) does not define a player's career. Thomas and Reed were both among the best that ever played their positions and both deserve to be in the HOF.

5'11 160. Probably CB or WR. Then again, I can't run worth a damn anymore, so maybe K or P.

I guess the league should have awarded the Bills a win since Flutie threw for 360 yards that day. I do not care about the statistics of a playoff game. All the stats in the world don't help if you can't hold onto the ball. The Bills lost both games because of mistakes and turnovers by both QBs, as well as other players. 0-2 is all that will be remembered and is all that matters.