ATBNG

You're a day older than I am - how 'bout that?

Wow - this is definitely in my top five. A song that has grown on me virtually every time I have heard it. Phenomenal song.

Before I go add your name to the "favorite poster" thread, let me first say thanks Coach. That's phenomenal to hear. I've heard nothing but good things, and you've upped my excitement. It's amazing enough that they reunited, never mind that they're apparently getting along and playing better than they ever had. They're not playing Boston proper due to some venue issues, so I booked a trip to Montreal back in June. Should be a heck of a weekend.

I didn’t call him a punk (that isn’t remotely true), but he’s very aggressive and intense on the field. So I understand he’s one of those “lightning rod” type players that few feel ambivalently about. If he was on the Bills, you guys would love him. I dare say he’d be the most popular guy on your team. He brings an awful lot of positives – leadership, intelligence, always around the ball and tremendous tackling skills. He’s probably the key reason why their secondary has held up so well despite the astounding depletion of healthy bodies at cornerback.

I loved Milloy when he was in New England, but he's not half the player that Rodney Harrison is. If either is overrated on the field, it is definitely Lawyer - probably because he is a charismatic, likable guy. I understand completely that Harrison is the type of guy that you love when he's on your team, and despise when he's playing for the opposition.

Wow Coach Tuesday - that post put a hop in my step. I've worked 110+ hours the last nine days, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and in that light is my first ever Pixies show on Saturday night after worshipping the band for 12 years. I hope they play it. For me, I'd go with "With or Without You."

One other weakness of the Hard Rock is that it does not have poker (at least as of last May – this may have changed). If you or any of your buddies want to play, you pretty much have to take a cab somewhere because it is so isolated. I loved staying there – all the comments about the pool were dead on – the scene there is staggering - and the food at the Hard Rock was surprisingly excellent. I also liked having rock music playing all the time, and the girls were phenomenal. I’ve never stayed at Mandalay, but all my impressions on a brief visit there for poker and the sports book were very positive. I did lose a hand of seven card stud with an aces-up full house (straight freakin’ flush), but I won’t hold that against Mandalay. I'm 32.

I wish I could take that bet on the first rounder. Instead I'll just say.....whatchootalkinabout Willis????

Henry might fetch a 4th round pick or so. Moulds and Bledsoe have no trade value whatsoever. Overpaid players have no trade value in the NFL. This is not to say that EM isn't an excellent player.

I actually think a lot of these middling teams (Buffalo, Houston, Kansas City, Tennessee - maybe even Cincy) would be contenders in the NFC. The disparity between the leagues with the AFC at an advantage has never been wider. This AFC playoff race is outstanding. Terrible loss for the Jags today with every other 6-3 team winning or already having won. If the Chargers hold on though, there will be some 7-3 team in 7th place (and out of the playoffs) in the AFC when we look at the standings tomorrow.

Anything above air conditioner pressure apparently is enough, Lori. I love having Mike Martz in the league so very much. Nice game today by the Bills, especially the specials.

How about starting by eliminating the personal fouls?

Hey DM – I appreciate the comments about not taking it personally- likewise from here. Get as riled up as you want – it won’t bother me. I think that in the post below you make an important distinction – “dead money on the cap” versus “the cap itself.” Even if they have no dead money on the cap, the salary cap remains very relevant if they are overpaying their players on the roster in terms of productivity. There has to be some reason why they’re not successful when they (essentially) spend to the limit of the cap. I agree that Donahoe’s dead money excuse is played – at this point, he has to look in the mirror and accept that the team has underperformed because of decisions he has made (and not blame it on the prior regime). The entire NFL has moved more towards the Philly/Tennessee/New England model of not overpaying one player, not mortgaging the future and building through middle class depth. I suspect if you polled the other 30 NFL GM’s, all 30 would say that Eric Moulds has had the better career when compared to David Givens. I also suspect that given the choice in 2004 between Moulds at 8 mill and Givens at .6 mill, all 30 would take Givens. Moulds is not ten times the player Givens is right now – they’re probably pretty close (their 2004 stats sure are). The overall point is that sure Moulds would be productive on the Pats, and perhaps more productive than Givens due to Moulds’ being more talented, but I don’t think that organization would devote 8 million dollars to one wide receiver, and Givens has a brighter future. Their entire receiving corps has a cap figure of less than 8 million and they’re still quite productive. This is Donahoe getting schooled as a GM both in terms of drafting players and assigning value to free agents. EM always has been and remains an outstanding player who has had a remarkable career given he’s played in a windy stadium with below average QB’s the entire time. I would never say a bad word about the guy – he’s one of my favorite NFL players going. Moulds is however a good example of what the root cause is with Buffalo when compared to Givens. On the one hand you have a great player on the downside of his career being paid for past performance, and in the other you have an improving player on the upside producing far more than he is paid. When in the end each team is allowed to spend 80.5 million total, the team with more Givens’s is winning, and this is no surprise whatsoever.

It doesn't have to be Plaxico (Chambers for a little less dough, Harrison for a little more dough), although I really don't see how you can say that he isn't going anywhere. It also is a very different thing for you now to say that Moulds will redo his contract. This is my point all along - this is a big distinction. As it stands now at 8 million on the cap, Moulds has no trade value despite being an excellent player. He might put all these prospective teams over the top but they can't afford to acquire him. Of course, Moulds might be better off refusing to redo his contract, getting cut, and then having the ability to choose between 31 teams.

How on earth can you say that? The cap is always relevant in the NFL. You might argue that people overrate it, but you're going way too far. To say that no one understands it is inaccurate - no one is buying it because it is a ludicrous position to take. The Pats have David Givens at a cap figure of 600,000 per year. The Bills have Eric Moulds at 8 million. Their production at their position is around the same in 2004. That gives New England 7 million+ extra to spend at other positions. Do you honestly think that this is not one of the relevant reasons why New England is successful and the Bills' aren't?

They will not get a first round pick for Eric Moulds at an 8 million dollar cap figure. He is a great player but he is at least slightly overpaid at 8 million. Let’s say you’re a GM and you have 8 million available ICE. Which option would you choose? 1. Trade first round pick for Moulds 2. Sign Burress at around 5 and make your draft pick, paying around 3. This isn’t even remotely close….

What it does is make you admirable, and it will be all the sweeter knowing you were there in the bad times when the Bills finally win a championship.

He makes too much money to get anything in a trade. The entire Patriots receiving corps (top five guys) has a cap figure that is about 2 million less than Moulds (6.4 mill vs. 8.5).

I’m astonished by everyone thinking that there is a trade market for Moulds and Henry. Trades of actual players are pretty rare in today’s NFL with so many teams difficult facing cap decisions every offseason and lots of guys becoming available – the vaunted “proven NFL free agents” that those who (mistakenly IMO) defend the JP trade always cite as being around. Buffalo would be lucky to find a team that could fit Moulds under the cap – never mind give Buffalo a pick on top of it. This is not to say that he isn’t a highly skilled player, but that that is the reality in today’s NFL. Think about it another way – if you have 6 million available, why would you trade something of value for Moulds rather than just make Marvin Harrison or Plaxico Burress an offer?? This is why the Bledsoe trade was so bad – no one else apparently wanted the guy, and what was New England going to do if everyone just held out? Keep him as a backup?? Somehow TD gave up the upper hand in that one. Another example that the guy falls short when measured against his peers.

I like the Bills +1.5 - naturally to win the game outright by a somewhat healthy margin (14-21 points). Bulger in a windy stadium = ka-ching! Buffalo is one of the best plays on the board this week.

Now there I must disagree – Dillon’s only real problem was attitude. You can’t be serious when you claim they both had problems with blocking? Dillon is at worst above average. He’s good at blitz pickups, good at chucking and running, and very physical in that aspect of the game. Despite his malcontent status, Dillon is an excellent fundamental player. Henry is probably the worst tailback I have ever seen in terms of pass protection. Dillon also has accomplished much more in his career over a longer span of time than Henry. He’s proving that he would be effective as soon as he got into the right situation. These two guys are not remotely in the same league when it comes to talent.

That’s actually not a bad one Yoooo. Good catch. The only problem is that Belichick/Pioli can judge talent and figure out who will fit in with their team a lot better than Donahoe. Also, as noted above, this was a trade for pick 64 specifically and not a generic second rounder. Running backs sometimes have big years the year after they are lightly used (Dillon and Smith for the Pats, Stephen Davis on the Panthers), but there are so many fundamental issues with Henry (blocking, fumbles, pass receiving, attitude, blocking, blocking) that I don’t see anyone giving them more than a fourth rounder for him.

In order to get a high pick for Henry, you'd have to find a GM that was willing to ignore the fact that the guy got benched for a 2nd year NFL player who essentially didn't play his first year and instead concentrate on hoping that the player will revert to form and achieve past statistics from the first half of his career. You know what that means.... Tom Donahoe's Seceretary: Hello? Tom Donahoe: Get me Tom Donahoe on the phone! Stat!

That Pats’ team was kind of fun. They didn’t have anyone who could run the ball. Down 20-0 to Minnesota, Parcells made the decision to go to a 90/10 pass run ratio. That was the first team in NFL history to have five guys with over 50 catches (Timpson, Brisby, Thompson, Coates, Turner). I would guess that that seven game win streak at the end of the season would constitute the most pass attempts ever for a QB in a seven game stretch in NFL history. Unfortunately, this might be the year that a 10-6 team does not make the playoffs in the AFC. Even with seven in a row, the 6 AFC losses combined with the losses to the Ravens and Jaguars might have already sealed it for 2004.

I pretty sure we basically agree with all you have said regarding JP – my point is that Donahoe is trying to save his job. Of course JP was thrown to the wolves. The biggest thing is perception. Donahoe is going to have ended up trading (around) the 10th, 43rd, and 144th picks for the 22nd pick in the draft – Losman, and on paper that is a fleecing that is embarrassingly one-sided in favor of the Cowboys. If Losman plays, and plays inconsistently like most rookie QBs play, the hue and cry for Donahoe to take a walk may start this season and he might be gone this offseason. If JP sits and remains mostly an unknown quantity going into next year, Donahoe can still spin Losman as a future QB star and keep his job until 2005 because there will be no evidence that he isn’t. Donahoe’s entire last offseason seems to me like a man who was trying to buy one extra year at his job while mortgaging the future. How are they ever going to compete with New England, where Belichick has no year to year pressure and can continue to get great value in the draft by not panicking? That Baltimore trade is a good example - they ended up giving up Wilfork and Wilson to get Kyle Boller. TD needs to go. Buffalo needs to win more than it needs spin.