Mikie2times

Also of note...... In 2003 when Gandy started over a dozen games at LG for Chicago his HC was none other then Dick Jauron.

I thought the same thing. It's not only that he's tackling high but he has ZERO form. The majority of the tackles were hand/grab tackles and he didn't appear to want to initiate contact with his body. Like you said NFL players will eat that technique up.

If Runyan is signed it probably means Jason Peters would be getting a shot at LT. If that's the case look for Mike Gandy to return to the LG spot he played in Chicago before he came here. Filling out the line would be Vill at RG, and Mawae at C. This line would certainly be a physical veteran group, and overall it would be a big improvement at a reasonable cost. My only concern would be the development of the left side and depth since several of these players would be in their mid 30's.

Thanks for the comments, this is overkill for some but I knew some of the junkies would appreciate it. Overall I’m very happy with the position Marv has put us in as we enter FA. First off when you look at each position we cut the market generally has an abundance players with similar value. For example if you want a decent back up/poor starter at WR ala Josh Reed the market is filled. Same with Starting C, and SS etc. What this also shows is what ways we could be leaning in the draft. Decent FA DT's are not as scarce as some are making it out to be, while TE, FS, and OG all are. That means Huff and Davis could very well supplant Ngata, and a day 1 OG seems like a high probablity choice.

A large part of our draft strategy in April will be decided by the players available in Free Agency. That is to say if the FA market is very deep at a need area and the draft is very thin at that position it would make sense to address the position threw FA. Most people have grasped this concept and talk about FA value at certain positions as common knowledge, I'm guilty of doing the same thing. In fact before I started this project I felt capable of rating the players, that is until I ran across enough Bob Smiths to know that Tennessee 6th WR is not somebody I know much about. The very best we can do is use the information available via the internet to "fill in the gaps" about players we might not be familiar with. What I have done is taken the rankings of this Scout FA Rankings and created a means of ranking the overall FA class position by position. It's not perfect, as the system relies on scouts ratings, but overall it captured my intended purpose, and that was to shed some light on our cuts and to see which areas should be addressed threw FA’s. For the results you can just scroll down, but without reading the Methodology the number won't be very insightful. Methodology- First off scout rates FA's from 1-5 stars with 5 being the best. For study I broke down these star ratings into 3 categories. Players 3 stars and up count as immediate starters, 2 star players are decent back ups/weak starters, and 1 star player are career back ups. I separated all the FA's into these groups by position and then removed all franchised players, and RFA's. I wanted this list to represent readily available players and it's unlikely we will go after 1 or more RFA's. The last thing I did was break each position down into two categories. The first category is amount of starters each team usually has at that position, the second was the amount of back ups each team has at that position. The reason I did that was to take into account the demand for more players at certain positions. For example if the market has 8 starting caliber WR's, and 5 starting caliber centers it doesn't mean it's deeper at WR since teams usually employ 2 or more starting receivers. The exact numbers I used for each position are based on the average number of players as starters and back ups at that position threw out the league. The final number ends up representing the number of teams that could fill the entire position with the caliber of FA listed. EX Position: QB Starting Caliber Players: 3 Decent Back Ups/Weak Starters: 8 Career Back Ups: 14 NFL Average Amount of Starters Per Team: 1 NFL Average Amount of Back Ups Per Team: 2 Divide 3 (Starting Caliber Players) by 1 (NFL Average Amount of Starters Per Team)= 3 (Teams that can get a starting caliber QB) Repeat the same process for the decent back Ups/Weak Starters and Career Back Ups category but divide it by the NFL Average Amount of Back Ups per Team. Results Number of teams that could fill each position with starting caliber players SS-7 RB-6 C-5 CB-3.6 DT-3.5 WR-3.2 OLB-3 QB-3 OT-2.5 FS-2 FB-2 DE-2 MLB-.67 TE-.67 OG-.67 Number of Teams that could fill each position with Decent Back Ups/Poor Starters MLB-12.6 OLB-8.5 FS-8 TE-8 DT-7.5 OT-7.5 RB-6 WR-6 FB-6 CB-5.6 SS-4.6 QB-4 DE-4 OG-4 C-3 Number of Teams that could fill each position with Career Backups TE-14 QB-14 RB-10 OLB-8 FS-8 FB-8 SS-8 C-7 DE-5.5 CB-4.8 DT-4.5 WR-4.4 OT-4 MLB-3.3 OG-2.5

On about 60% of the plays, for 20% of them he was triple teamed, leaving him isolated one on one only about 20% of the time. The guy he faced that day is arguably the best G prospect in the draft in David Joseph. I know people want to see Ngata eat OL and then feed them to our defense like a baby bird but he's human. He does what P. Williams can do, and I we found out last year a player like that does have some value.

or CB's from Northwestern State.

Now I remember why I haven't been posting much, people are so quick to criticize and they usual do it by completely exaggerating posters intentions. Your post is a perfect example of that. One poster mentions we should take a look at Scheffler who is a small school LATE round prospect. I mention we should take a look at Jennings as a small school LATE round prospect. So from that your response is Perhaps completely avoiding small school prospects would be a great draft strategy, after all we’ve hit on a ton of late round gems from big schools the last few years. Maybe the biggest mistake of all was wasting that 4th rounder on Terrance MaGee.

I really like Tony Scheffler, plus it's not everyday somebody recommends we draft a player from Kalamazoo, so I'll take it. Another guy from WMU to watch out for is WR Greg Jennings. Over the last three seasons Jennings has been the most productive DI receiver in the nation despite constant double teams the past two years. Over the last three years he’s AVERAGED 76 catches for 1134 yards and 13 TD’s. He’s undersized and I understand that we don’t need another small receiver, but if he drops to the 4th or 5th round he would have a lot of value.

Was waiting for that

Like I said it's not just the Bills, it is the whole league I miss. As for your point about knowing who will be good I disagree that it's much different today. In general we already know a large amount of the contenders next year, and a large amount of the teams that have no chance. You have more exceptions to the rule now then in the 90's but that's just because the product is watered down. Players in it for $ are less likely to reach their true potential. It's also difficult for teammates to play together for a long time leading to what Greggo would call a "lack of execution". IMO when lack of execution and effort leads to parity that's not a good thing, and that seems to be the NFL of today and the future.

I'm sure all of us miss the 90's. It was a great time, and despite the SB losses the 90's left us with an incredible amount of fond memories. My problem is even outside the Bills the rest of the league doesn't have as many intriguing players and the games aren't as enjoyable to watch. FA has left the league overflowing with players who all feel like they’re "owed" something, and you never feel like the players are fighting for the fans, only for the $. The 90's had the me guys but when you think of the elite players you would be hard pressed to find many egocentrics. Rice was the man back then; today you have Owens and Moss. LT and Peyton are two examples of grounded character guys at RB and QB, from the 90's take your pick from Elway, Farve, Marino, Kelly, Aikman, Young, Bettis, Faulk, Barry, Emmit and a whole lot more. The icing on the cake was one of the most gifted high character stars the NFL has ever had in Reggie White. I'm sure a portion of my discontent is from the mass saturation of the NFL. Back then all we really had was Primetime, and Inside the NFL, and that was just enough of a fix to get you by until the next Sunday. Now with the Internet, ESPN, and NFL network it's easy to OD if you’re a fan. With the new CBA approaching and the NFL media machine expanding so rapidly it's hard to imagine what the league will be like further down the road. I imagine something like 52 Allen Iversons B word slapping the the HC if they aren't getting the ball enough.

Perhaps the officer asked for ID, ran it and found the probation. Considering his previous offense was having a loaded gun in his vehicle the officer probably attempted to do a pat down, or search the vehicle. If he wasn't cooperating it's resisting a police officer and at that point reasonable force is permitted. As to why the cop would ID Johnson for double parking who knows. He might have been under the influence, or he might have been mouthing off. Perhaps the cop was profiling or he could have just been a racist. Whatever it is Johnson would have been much better off just listening.

Yawn… Past being a 2nd round pick has Roscoe proven he belongs in this league as a 3rd WR? That’s what I said. I never demoted him or said he wasn't in the mix. If he wants a job he can win instead of getting the 3rd slot handed to him.

Show me a muscular and fast back up RT on the market and I'll be sure to add him to the next off-season plan.

Getting Moulds to restructure is possible. He signed a deal last year that paid him 5.15 million this past season, and I don't think Moulds or the Bills thought his current contract would play out past this year. If we offer him about 7 million I see enough benefits on both sides to justify the move if he still wants to be with Buffalo. Eventually Moulds will need to be replaced, and if he refuses to restructure then he will force the Bills hand this year. I just think 07 would be a much better year to deal with this. By then we should have a little more stability at QB, improved line, and most important a better FA class. So the reason I have Buffalo going after three WR's is to bring in the additional talent that will be needed for Moulds departure. Past Evans we don't have a single receiver on this team that has proven he belongs in this league. We also are starting to have the makings of one of the smaller WR cores. Bigger options improve red zone efficiency, and red zone efficiency is an area we really need a lot of work on. Each of my additions is 6'0 or taller, and each of them are physical players. Finneran is a poor mans Ed MaCafrey and would be the jump ball target we don't have. Avant just does the little things that make players great. He will drop because of speed concerns but he would be a great addition to the mix. Smith is more of an intangibles pick because I love his attitude, and a great football player with a great attitude would be a no brainier that late in the draft, even if he is a project. Talent is supposed to bring out the best in players so may the best player emerge from this group. If we had Finneran, Avant, and Parrish battling for our 3, 4, and 5 spots we should at least get a legit 3rd WR, and have an outside chance at a 2nd WR. As for Aiken I love our ST, and if we can have him as our designated Tasker then I would be all for it. I would have no problem releasing Damion Shelton, as he seems to be slowing down, and FB's are a dime a dozen. He still packs a load but cutting him would save nearly 800K which would allow us to keep Aiken and make the rest the moves more feasible.

He's a back up RT, we need one of those you know.

That would be news to me, anybody else hear this?

Some responses to the comments...... -The Howard addition isn't so we can move Schobel over, it's so he can play opposite Schobel. LE isn't Howard’s natural side but he has started several games at that spot so it's not like he's incapable of being effective on that side. - Huff isn't a glaring need but my approach on this draft is changing. Ngata is the obvious choice and I have nothing against that, but this team is not one or two guys away. If the so called elite players (Williams, D'Brick etc.) in this draft are all gone by our spot and the Cutler hype continues then we might be able to trade down and draft best player available. If we do this the OL and DL MUST be addressed after round 1 and FA. - Smith is a WR prospect, props to STL Bills as he did a good job explaining the reasons Smith would be an intriguing day 2 pick. - Watson is not a favorite of mine by any means; in fact I've been trashing his lazy arse for a few months now. But as his stock keeps plummeting his value increases. Shaun Rogers comes to mind as a great DT that saw his stock slip in a similar fashion, and while I don’t think Watson is the talent Rodgers is he is without question a 1st round talent. Hopefully 4 or 5 months of pundits calling him lazy will motivate this guy because if he is motivated he's practically unblockable. - As for the cost and age of the players I signed I don’t see this as spending an astronomical amount. We might not be able to fit all these guys under but many are in the waning stages of their careers so they should come at a decent price. The age doesn’t bother me because I see many of the vets that made up the TD nucleus departing within the next couple years. We have young talent, but in the areas I’m plugging in vets at we aren’t as strong, and the presence of these guys will allow us to get better now while we buy ourselves some time to find younger alternatives.

FA: DE Darren Howard, LT Kevin Shaffer, C Mike Flanagan, RB Jonathan Wells, WR Brian Finneran, OT Stocker McDougal Cap Casualty Pick Ups: DT LaRoi Glover, DT Ted Washington Franchise: CB Nate Clements Tender: WR Mario Haggan, LB Josh Stamer, CB Jabari Greer, RB Shaud Williams Resign: OT Jason Peters (New Deal), DT Ron Edwards, LS Mike Schneck, DE Ryan Denney Release: DT Sam Adams, OG Bennie Anderson, OLB Jeff Posey, OT Mike Williams, TE Mark Cambell Draft 1. FS Michael Huff 2. OG David Joseph 2. DT Gabe Watson 3. TE Dominique Byrd 4. WR Jason Avant 4. OLB Terna Nande 5. QB Bruce Gradkowski 6. OG Matt Lentz 7. WR Brad Smith Offense QB- Losman- Holcomb-Gradkowski R RB- MaGahee-Wells FA-Williams FB- Shelton-Burns TE- Byrd R-Everette-Euhus WR- Moulds-Evans-Finneran FA-Avant R- Parish-Smith R LT- Shaffer FA-Gandy LG-Joseph R-Gandy-Gesinger C- Flanagan FA-Preston-Lentz R RG-Villerial-Preston-Lentz R RT- Peters-McDougal FA Defense LE- Schobel- Howard- Denney DT-Glover CC- Ron Edwards DT-Washington FA- Watson R RE-Howard-Kelsey- Denney OLB- Spikes-Haggans-Nande MLB- Fletcher-Ezekiel OLB- Crowell-Stamer CB- Clements-King-Greer CB-MaGee-Vincent FS- Huff R-Vincent-Baker SS-Milloy-Wire Training Camp Battles 1st QB- Losman-Holcomb-Gradkowski 3rd WR/4th WR/5th WR- Finneran, Avant, Parrish 1st TE- Byrd-Everett Comments- Bills are awarded 4th round compensation or the loss of JJ and PW. We also trade our 1st and 3rd round pick to Arizona for its 1st and 2nd round pick. Cardinals select Jay Cutler. Moulds is resigned to a 7 million dollar deal.

I guessed Moorman’s 40 almost to the tenth of a second, so if that's disrespecting his wheels I apologize.

I saw the race, I still don't know what to make of it. As I anticipated Moormans track experience proved beneficial as he beat everybody off the line. As the Race ended he did exactly what I expected him do, beat the slower competitors who's combine times were around 4.5, and lose to the competitors who had combine times 4.4 and lower. That said I don't know how anybody can really guess Moorman's 40 based on what we saw today. It was clear that any player below a 4.5 appears very similar in this type of race. Luckily I did find this Moorman Interview which he says the following. Question: Brian, You've got some serious wheels. What is your 40 time? Brian Moorman: it's been a long time since I have timed it, but in college, when I was in track shape, I ran a 4.4. You can probably add a little time now since I am a couple years removed, but I stay in shape So we now know he ran a track timed 4.4 in college. Since then he probably added at least a half tenth of a second to that number if not more. That 4.4 track converted to the slower surface in Indianapolis would probably add at least another half tenth of a second if not more. So in the same arena that the rest of the NFL is timed on he probably would run a 4.5 and absolutely nothing more then a 4.45. To see how much of a difference that can make read this 40 Times He has great speed, but is not among the elite of the NFL.

Ben Johnson’s time that I gave was not measured in meters, it was measured in yards. I indicated this in the last thread but you ignored it just like every other point I made. If you actually need the link here it is Johnson runs a 4.38 in his record run The whole comment regarding the 4.7 was to say Moorman probably would run about a 4.5 at the combine, which would actually be a 4.7 if the timing of these 40's were more legitimate. What more evidence do you need then the world record steroid induced 100 meters ran by Johnson.? If that trial only covered the first 40 yards in 4.38 am I supposed to believe that Moorman can run even faster? If you put Moorman behind hurricane Katrina on a track then maybe he does run that fast, but that's not how football is played, and since you compared him to some of the fastest players in the NFL I choose to base my 4.5 estimate on the same stage the rest of the NFL players run on, the combine. Like I said in the last post Nate Clements and Terrance MaGee ran in the same range at the combine as Bob Sanders, and both are a little slower then Mathis. Determining what Moormans exact 40 is would be impossible, but if he can compete with Sanders and Mathis then odds are he does run in the range of a 4.3, thus being among the fastest players in the league. If he can't compete with these two in such favorable conditions (Track Surface, Track Start) then he obviously isn't among the fastest in the league. It's such a simple solution to this debate that I would just rather wait until the race is over to finish it up. EDIT: I just noticed BM will also be competing in the obstacle course, I imagine he will do very well in that competition.

Ahhhh.... Ya it's alright, Toledo is way more of a dump then I thought but Sylvania is clean/safe.

What's up man, I see your from Sylvania, just moved there a couple months ago.