Dawgg

That's not the choice we were confronted with. Letting Nate go set the franchise back and forced the team to use a first-rounder on another cornerback. Imagine if the team re-signed Nate and instead used the #11 pick on Ryan Clady or Branden Albert? Would the overall team be better off? Absolutely. No doubt Nate himself hasn't improved the 49ers that much... but he's still an upper echelon corner. He had a so-so season last year, but in his first season on the 49ers, he was lights out. Those are the types of players you build around, you don't let them walk for nothing in return. It was clear that McCargo was a bust waiting to happen. There's no excuse for a pick like that and whoever was responsible for the pick should be fired. There's no "It's the thought that counts" in professional football. Marv let Nate Clements walk and gave Derrick Dockery a $60+ million deal. Think that money would have been better spent with Nate? I think so. I like the "moves" they've made (except signing Fitzpatrick -- he blows). But the team is still fundamentally flawed.

Good question. The Bills should have paid up for Nate Clements. If they offered him a long-term contract a year in advance, they could have had him locked up. Instead, they let him walk for nothing in return. People can trash Nate all they want, but he was and still is an upper echelon cornerback. Another example is Jason Peters. Bills fans love to talk about how much he sucked last year, but he is a top-flight tackle. The Bills need to pay him like one and will probably have to overpay slightly in order to keep him. Those are players you slightly overpay for. The Jabari Greers, Kelsays, Chambers, Denneys of the world are good, but far from upper echelon players... those guys you keep only if the price is right. If the price isn't right, you draft of sign their replacements. Time after time, we watch New England and Pittsburgh do this. They pay big money to keep those top-notch players and let the JAGs walk. Allowing Greer to move on and replacing him with a proven vet like Drayton Florence is a good move. Florence has a bigtime chip on his shoulder and the team is banking on Leodis taking the next step.

Agreed. The Bills placed a value on Greer and when the bidding went above that, they let him walk. He's simply not worth overbidding for.

That's certainly a problem with the coaching staff, namely Richard Jauron. But who identifies Melvin Fowler as a free agent signee? Who decides to draft McCargo? Who decides to reach on Whitner? Who decides to overpay Chris Kelsay and subsequently an aging Schobel? That's all the front office. It's written in their contract that they have final say over all personnel decisions. Does Dick have major input? Absolutely? But the buck stops at the front office and they are responsible for the lack of talent on this squad.

Right. Perhaps that's why Fred Jackson couldn't get on the field either when the Bills continued to trot out Anthony Thomas. Coaching decisions have nothing to do with playing time.

He wasn't better than McGee... he was certainly good though. McGee followed Moss all over the field and held him to a modest 53 yards and 5 catches. I watched the game and McGee was on Moss step for step. In the annual Monday Night Debacle in Buffalo, he covered Braylon Edwards the entire game and had 6 passes defended. Not a knock on Greer, he played great. But McGee was called upon more often for the tougher assignments and he played pretty well. I'm assuming the Bills let Greer walk because they plan to get something with McGee done during the season. We'll see how it plays out. If they simply let McGee walk, then I'll agree with you, but how can you come to that conclusion now? They are not "happy" with Youboty.. part of the reason they signed Florence is because they have little faith in Youboty's ability to stay healthy. You and me both

He's not our best cover man. The Bills drafted his replacement last year. That's what good teams do. Greer was not worth the $20M over 4 years the team was offering him. If it comes down to a choice of Greer vs. McGee, the front office made the right choice (for once). As for Florence, if he plays like he did in San Diego, he'll be just fine. Corners do have off-years... even the good ones.

This is absolutely true.

Hey, they are finally figuring it out.... though I must admit the Fitzpatrick signing was disappointing

Great signing. He had one bad season and the Bills managed to get him on the cheap! I think he can be an upgrade over Greer.

You're wrong.

Who knows... but it won't be the guy we drafted in the top-10 for that very purpose!

Roscoe was open numerous times in the second half the season for big gains and Trent never looked his way. For some reason, Edwards started to develop a case of Losmanitis -- focusing in on the #1 receiver, having happy feet and poor vision. I think he'll get over it... he just needs to keep playing.

The Bills had their chance at Cutler a few years ago. They chose Donte Whitner instead.

Agreed. The Bills made a mistake in re-signing Kelsay to a monster contract. They exacerbated that mistake by then extending Schobel when he still had 3 years remaining on his deal. Bad football decision. Worse economic decision. And a true reflection on just how inept Marv Levy was as a GM.

I hate the 49ers!

True that!

It feels weird to compliment the front office this time of year doesn't it? I'm still a bit nervous about how they'll use the draft picks. But for a change, showing some restraint was the right course of action.

And you were probably one of the jackoffs that was celebrating when the Bills made a "splash" by brining in Langston Walker, huh? Or Derrick Dockery? How about when the Bills opened the vault for Chris Kelsay? Or when they made a splash in the draft and traded up for John McCargo. I bet you felt reaaaal good about your team then didn't ya? There's nothing wrong with standing pat on the first day.

Unless they have a clear plan for replenishing the DE position, they should probably stay put. Cutting one of them also telegraphs to the league that they will be picking a DE first in the draft. If they acquire enough DE talent, it wouldn't surprise me to see them cut Kelsay during training camp.... though I suspect Kelsay has compromising photos of Russ Brandon and thus will remain on the roster this year.

Not Jumping the Gun in Free Agency First and foremost, I like the fact that the "inner ciricle" has decided to take its time. We've become all too accustomed to the 12:01AM signing at the start of the free agency period and it hasn't done the team any favors over the past few years. Why bid against yourself? This is why the Bills to overpay for talent like Dockery. There is something to be said about taking your time, allowing the market to develop and seeing where things go. It seems like Brandon has decided to employ that strategy this time around. Waiting will allow the Bills to find some bargains and maybe even take a few calculated risks. Letting Greer Walk They placed a value on Greer at 4 yrs $20M so that he has an option to stick around in Buffalo... but it seems like the front office has made a conscious decision to let Greer walk, unless, for some unforeseen reason, he garners no interest on the open market. While Greer vastly outplayed his status as an undrafted free agent, he simply doesn't have the coverage skills of Terrance McGee. Most posters seem to have an inflated perception of his skills... thankfully, the front office recognizes that McGee is more valuable to this team. He hustles on every play, he's a sure tackler, and his abilities on Special Teams speaks for themselves. Has he been beat? Every corner has! But this team needs more Terrance McGees, not fewer of them. Cutting Dockery The guy simply underperformed. The Bills wasted $20+ million on him, but it's better to admit a mistake and move on than to continue with a failed experiment. Making an offer to Jason Peters If they wanted to move on from Jason Peters, last year was the year... they could have drafted Ryan Clady for added leverage and sent Peters out of town. But this team can't afford to F**k around with the LT position now, particularly with a young QB. Pay the guy and move on.

I'm not advocating that he start. Just using the contrast to show that Sullivan does serve a useful, legitimate purpose in the news organization. With respect to your second point, newspapers are a dying franchise. I think SJ realizes the need to drive traffic to their website and generate ad revenue in order to remain viable. Allowing his columnists to interact with readers and giving them some leeway helps in that regard.

Sully is a bad writer because he portrays the Bills in a negative light.

Wilson is harsh in his "chat sessions." Would he dare put in print? Absolutely not. Sullivan is willing to put it in print, which is a refreshing departure from the rhetoric spewed out of OBD. Oh please... you're on a Bills' message board approaching 4300 posts. You take it seriously enough. The fact that you are willing to accept the mismanagement of the franchise is your prerogative. I certainly take no enjoyment in it. Sounds like you and Ralph Wilson are on the same page.

Succinctly said.