Dawgg

At 35 last year, Milloy played at a comparable level to a 23-year old Whitner. And that's pretty pathetic given that Whitner is 12 years younger and a top 10 draft selection. You obviously have no defense for Whitner's sub-par play... and while you feel my crusade is getting old, I find that Whitner's incessant empty talk is getting old. All I need to know about your rational thought is that you thought McCargo was a good draft choice.

That's great that he showed up to play against the Bengals. On Monday Night against the Cowboys, he stood around and watched as an onsides kick dribbled right by him. He got steamrolled by Sammy Morris in the game against New England. He got owned by Anthony Fasano in the game against Miami. Against Denver, he whiffed on an INT. Time after time, when the competition gets fierce, Whitner comes up small. Fans gush about his play against the Bengals, and they get a hard-on after he commits a penalty against the Raiders, tackling a guy in the end zone . More power to them. I'm more interested in seeing how he plays against good competition. Thus far, the verdict isn't good. Whitner is a phony. He talks a good game, but his play hardly follows suit. Let's hope he becomes the NFL's best free safety... but something tells me he'll lead the team in media soundbytes, but not much else... the true ballers on this defense are Terrance McGee, Marcus Stroud, and Leodis McKelvin.

What you drinking?

Whitner is closer to 24 than 23. He's not a top 10 player at his position. He's a pretty good talker. His play leaves a lot to be desired. It was clear he was a reach at #8 overall and it's even clearer now. Maybe if he was able to distinguish himself at any one position, he wouldn't be moved around so much. He was clearly drafted to fill a void at SS after Milloy's release... and by moving him to FS, the team is essentially admitting that he does not fill that void. This is the same front office, the same scouting staff and the same coaching staff that identified him as a strong safety. That's a crock. If he's a run stuffing tackle, this team can make plenty of use for him.

Isn't that the truth...

Well... given his 2 year tenure, he wasn't given the opportunity to seize the title form some of the dismal GMs... but he sure gave them a run for their money in his two years at the helm. He was plain awful.

Marv: Best coach in Bills history. Worst GM in Buffalo Bills history.

Geez... it just suddenly hit me.

The front office chose Donte Whitner over a number of all-pro caliber players, including Cutler. Won't bother listing them, as it's fairly depressing.

FFS is that you?

Marv: worst GM in Bills history.

Most Bills fans will freely rip any player, until he wears the sacred red white and blue. Objectivity is not going to be found on a fan message board.

By "letting go" I meant let them walk in their free agent year when their contracts expire. But yes, I agree. Unfortunately here in reality, a team's resources are finite. With that in mind, you don't overpay for mediocre players. By their very definition, mediocre players can be replaced with similar/cheaper/better alternatives. (See: Patriots, New England).

If all things are equal, yes. But would you rather overpay for Clements or Dockery? If it's between those 2, I'd take Clements every day (and twice on Sunday). Bottom line: you overpay for upper echelon players, irrespective of position. You let mediocre players (like Kelsay) walk.

I think the Bills are going to overpay. They will sign Peters to a deal that's commensurate with the top 2 or 3 offensive tackles taken in the draft. Now if, ultimately, the team decides that Peters demands are too high, I believe they will dangle him in a trade and select someone like Andre Smith in the first round. Given their need to address the defense in R1, I think they will ultimately overpay to get this deal done and include language in the contract that essentially forces Peters to participate in offseason conditioning programs (via incentives).

It's certainly unusual, but some big-time clients do it that way to kind of get the best out of both agents. Ultimately he is doling out 3% to these guys. Splitting them evenly and giving each 1.5% will still net both agents a solid pay day... if I remember correctly, Moulds had a similar arrangement with two different agents.

They are both his agents. Nothing has changed from last year.

I have no doubt he's a very reliable receiver, but he tends to catch with his chest a lot.

By that scale, is Keith Ellison is one of the hardest hitters in the game.

Here's the thing timmo... I agree with most of what you say. I just think that the fact that the Bills have done nothing to address the depth at tackle should not be underestimated. Let's suppose the Bills signed a starting caliber free agent or drafted a promising young tackle... then suddenly Peters is hanging out to dry. Now, Peters' camp knows that the Bills really have no other credible option at LT so they are trying to stick it to them. You're right -- business is business. Well-run businesses formulate contingency plans. The Bills have not done so with Peters, which is why he has added leverage in this situation.

Pro Bowls, whether they're justified or not, give him significant negotiating leverage. If the Bills were smart, they would have covered their bases by acquiring other quality tackles either via the draft or via free agency. Because the Bills are not smart, they are now left with a few options, none of which are all that great for the team.

What's even more amazing is your adulation for the Bills' front office despite a 10 year playoff draught and 3 straight 7-9 seasons. The Bills have screwed themselves over at this point. As I said earlier, they are stuck with very few alternatives. Not matter what they do, the outcome isn't all that great. While you hold Marv's Russ' in your hand.

Noting against McKelvin. I love the Leodis pick. That said, the Bills can't have it both ways. Like you said, they should have addressed the situation earlier. Hindsight is not 20/20 in this case. It was very easy to see this coming. He skipped all OTAs and was not returning phone calls from the team, giving them an early indication that he was unhappy with his deal. If they wanted to draft McKelvin, fine... they should have found a starting caliber tackle in the 2nd or 3rd rounds... but they didn't. They continued along the same course with Kirk Chambers. That, in my opinion, gives Peters leverage.

No disagreements there, but the Bills should have done that last year itself and drafted Clady if they planned to let Peters twist in the wind. Instead, they didn't address the Tackle position and are now caught between a rock and a hard place. If they spend a high draft pick this year on a tackle, then you lose out on a defensive playmaker. If they pay Peters, they will have to overpay. If they do nothing, Peters will sit out once again and will put in a subpar effort. Kirk Chambers gives them no leverage whatsoever.

Doesn't matter. Peters has all the leverage here because the Bills don't have a credible replacement on the roster. You said it not me.