jad1

What about fruit cup? Will we still get fruit cup?!?!?!?

He could demand it, but who would pay it? The Bills are one of the few teams who have a need for a LT, and the cap space to sign one (at Sheldon's current salary).

I thought those things shrunk when you took steriods.

'Single white stojan'

Despite 'not having an offensive line for like 10 years,' the Bills have posted several 1,000 yard rushers and set the franchise passing record during the last 10 years. So, once again, you exagerate the poor performance of the team. And I'm not a proponent of the 10 year rebuilding plan, because it doesn't exist. The line has had posted good seasons over the last 10 years, and the Bills have had winning records during many seasons over the last 10 years. The Bills have had 1 rebuilding plan over the last 10 years, which started in 2001. I am a proponent of that plan, because I see it working.

Man, you're nothing but a spinner. So you don't want to count the Bills 9-7 record last year as a winning record, instead you want to count Donahoe's total record to label him loser. At the same time, you discount any starter he drafted during that time who is no longer on the team. So you want to count his four year record when discussing wins and losses, but you want to discount it when discussing his drafting ability. Way to frame the argument.

Donahoe has picked up several offensive linemen in the draft. Not all have worked out, but that's the nature of the draft. And let's not forget that he also had to rebuild other areas of the team. It's not like the only area of need over the last 4 years has been offensive line.

Actually no. Evolutionary changes are specific adaptations to local environment. There are grasses that grow in the north that do not grow in the south, does that make them an overall superior species? No, they just adapted to their environment. Race in humans is also an example of adaptation. If you lived in hotter climates, you evolved a darker complexion. If you lived in a colder climate, you have a fairer complexion. How does that make a race superior?

At the beginning of last season, the WR, RB, and both S positions were not right. As those four positions solidified, the team improved. Hopefully, if they avoid injuries during preseason, these players will pick up where they left off last year. Best case scenario is that only 3 starters will change this year, QB, LT, and DT. Other players might step up and steal positions in training camp, but thats a good thing. If the Shelton trade happens, this could be the case going into training camp.

SoCal only raises a legimate question if you believe the premise that a team that replaces 51 of 53 players in a 4 year time frame should be perrenial playoff contenders. Sorry, I don't buy that premise. Now you could argue that TD should have overpaid for aging, mediocre players like Holecek, Jones, and Wiley, but I wouldn't, doing that would have prolonged the inevitable. And you could argue that he should have gamed the salary cap to gain another 8-8 season out of Butler's old group of players, but that would have risked the aquisition of Spikes, Fletcher, and Milloy. Teams don't miracleously go from 4-12 to the playoffs in one season without years of losing seasons and high draft picks behind them. The Chargers are perfect example of this, as are the Rams, Ravens, and even the Patriots to some extent. To his credit, Donahoe's massive player turnover did not result in the Bills turning into the Cards, or the Bengals, or even the Chargers. Despite only one season of picking in the top 10, the Bills have had 2 losing seasons, a .500 season and a winning season. That's actually pretty good if you're not deluding yourself into thinking the team was going to going to compete in the playoffs every season while they were in the middle of a massive turnover of players. Donahoe has made mistakes, but player aquisition isn't one of them. He's built the #1 defensive unit and the #1 special teams unit from scratch in 4 years, thanks to his player aquisition skills. Maybe if we stop bitching that TD built an excellent group of LBs through FA instead of the draft, we can talk about the real mistakes Donahoe has made over the last 4 years.

I'm no scientist, but aren't homo sapiens all part of the same species? Race and species aren't the same thing, right?

So last year the Bills had a win record? Do you speak gooder english?

9-7 is a winning record, right? Or do I have their 2004 record wrong?

When you replace 51 of 53 players, you can only replace apprx. 28 players through the draft after 4 years. So you have to sign FAs. But I think you knew that. Now Donahoe can either sign crappy FAs, who can be beaten out by 3rd and 4th round draft choices, or he can sign the best players available. Good thing he signed the best players available, or you'd really have a problem with him. And I don't want to sound harsh, but if you don't include special teams after watching the Bills last season, you don't know football.

So the fact that Donahoe drafted a RB who started 2 years and made the Pro Bowl doesn't speak to his drafting skills? Again, over 1 quarter of his draft picks have started. That's extremely solid. More of his post second round talent would start if it weren't for his excellent FA signings. I credit Donahoe for managing the cap in order to sign Milloy, Adams, Fletcher, Posey, and Spikes, who are keeping the later round picks on the bench. And finally, you completely ignore the special teams, which are built on late round picks. This is a huge mistake in your analysis considering Donahoe has built the best kick teams in the league, and they were a major contributor to the Bills winning record.

Another misleading thread. One could argue that plenty of post 2nd rounders would be starting for the Bills if Donahoe didn't sign strong FA talent. Crowell would be starting instead of Spikes, Wire instead of Milloy, Haggin instead of Fletcher, Stamer instead of Posey, Edwards instead of Adams. Point is, they don't have to start these guys because Donahoe has done an excellent job in aquiring talent in the draft and FA. And again, we're completely ignoring special teams here, which is a mistake, considering Donahoe has built the best ST unit in the league, largely through the draft. You'll find several post 2nd rounders starting on special teams. By the way, Jennings and McGee both started for the Bills last season, and both were taken after the 2nd round.

Actually, you need to include Henry and Reed, as they both were starters during the past four years, who were replaced by better players. And I believe Wire was also a starter during that time period. It's impossible to completely rebuild a team through only the draft in 4 years. That's 28 picks, before compensation picks and trades. My guess is that Donahoe has had around 35 picks during the last 4 years, one quarter of whom have started games for the team. And the numbers go up substantially if you consider special teams starters. Donahoe has done a good job with the draft.

After two years in the NFL, Marvin Lewis has a losing record, with way more talent than he would have had replacing Phillips. So it's hard to keep holding this one over Donahoe's head. He could have hired Fox, but the NFL rule prohibiting teams from interviewing SB team assistants before the SB hurt the hiring process. Both guys had good records and potential, Donahoe went with the guy who interviewed better. It was a mistake, but it's difficult to attibute it to ego or insecurity. Crennel and Weis were cooridinators on a 5-11 team when the Bills hired Williams, so it's not surprising they didn't get an interview.

Considering that he replaced 51 of 53 starters during that time, filling half of the staring roster with draft picks over four years isn't that bad. If you stretch it and say that picks in the first 3 rounds should be starters, the goal four years ago would have been to pull 12 starters. 10 or 11 is right on target, when you accept the realities of the draft.

I agree. Let's not go too overboard throwing dirt on this guy's grave. The Bills were 9-7 with him this year, capable of beating 75% of the teams in the league. Bledsoe has severe limitations though, and good coaches and good teams can expoit those limitations. It's no coincidence that the Pats, Steelers, and Ravens all returned Bledsoe turnovers for TDs this season. Donahoe and Mularkey could have kept him and skated by winning 8 or 9 games a season, while stomaching massacres at the hands of the better teams in the league until Drew retired. Credit them for wanting more. The Cowboys will probably realize the same thing when Drew faces the Eagle and Redskin defenses four times next year.

No line is going to be able to protect their QB 100% of the time, so to me it's more of a question of what will happen when the protection breaks down. Guys who can sidestep the rush buy an extra second or two. Last year, too many times, Bledsoe coughed up the ball when the blocking broke down, making a bad situation worse. If that continues to happen to him in Dallas, Parcells will self-combust on the sideline.

By prototypical, I'm guessing that you and Jaws mean a pocket QB. And if that's the case, there are several successful pocket QBs in the league right now, including Brady, Manning, Roethlisberger, and Green. A guy's ability to sidestep the rush in the pocket does make him a scrambling or rollout QB. Bledsoe was a pocket QB with increasingly slow feet and progressively bad decision making. There's nothing prototypical about that.

Funny how Donahoe's "ego" has turned into a blame-all for some people. Many claimed it was his "ego" that made him trade for Bledsoe. Then it was his "ego" that made him resign Bledsoe last year. Now it's Donahoe's ego that cut Bledsoe. Instead of just recognizing Donahoe as a GM who is genuinely trying to improve his team, some people insist on personalizing his decisions. It seems to be an inane exercise.

So he should have fired them after they improved from 3-13 to 8-8, or during the 6-10 season, after they started 2-0? I was miffed that he didn't let those two go during last season, but I don't hold it against the guy's character. And if he were a trigger happy GM, where would Mularkey and his staff be after starting 3-6 this season?

Yep. They have to move the safety out of the box. Evans has been improving every week, so they'll try to get the ball to him down the field. The Bills couldn't run against the Bengals when they had the safeties up, but at the same time, Mularkey wasn't trying to strectch the field with a 2 TD lead. The STs and D will also have to help out with field position and turnovers. This will be a Mularkey-style chip-away game.