Mark Long Beach

It's just our first preseason game. More precisely: If he can't do it against their 2nd team offense in their first (disorganized) action, then he never will.

Well, lets see... Off the top of my head: Steve Johnson 3 rounds later than 4th.

I don't often agree with you Dawgg, but I think you summed this one up perfectly.

Also likely is that Baltimore & Arizona weren't really looking for a WR until they've gone to camp and played their first preseason game and found that they don't have enough. Suddenly they need one and are willing to give up a draft pick for a 30yo WR that had 40 catches last year...

Straight up hilarious! Well done.

Yep, that's why I think that this WASN'T a financial decision. I'm interpreting that they feel that Lee is a good player but not a perfect fit for what they're tying to do and they've got a logjam of (potential) players at the WR position. They got something for Lee when they likely couldn't next year. I think that it's faith that at least one of our young guys can step up to be opposite Stevie J. We really haven't been getting great production out of Lee...

Agreed. Although I'm an U of Illinois graduate so I still pay attention to the players there. I never got the vibe that he was a Nix kind of guy.

Interesting reaction KFBD. I'm curious if you'll still think this way in a couple days after the shock wears off. I like Lee and will miss him, but this has more hallmarks of a football move than a non-football move. Lee's salary is chickenfeed right now. I read that we should have already paid $1.5 mil roster bonus for this year. link: http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2011/3/29/2077578/lee-evans-dwan-edwards-roster-bonuses With his relatively low salary for a starting WR not the primary driver it looks more like a move to give more spots & playing time to the younger players. Lee hasn't meshed well with Fitz nor with Gailey's offense. The last two years he's averaged 550yards and under 5 TDs per season. Pretty crummy overall stats. He's not valueless by any stretch, but he hasn't been good either. We gain a roster spot and we gain playing time for a WR that should fit better with our O. That's what we gained. We also got value for a 30 year old speed WR who will lose a step in a year or two. Next year he might have NO value...

Definitely an upgrade for our division. Hangartner is an great BACKUP, and he'd be a decent to good starter in a (different) division where there are a lot of 4-3s and/or weaker DTs.

Oh yes, it's EARLY. But a lot of people expected him to be a first year starter. It's difficult in general for a rookie to start, but the big worries about him before the draft look like valid concerns. This post is just an update for those who were interested in ILBs before the draft. IMO, he's closer to a Maybin type draft pick, where exceptional athleticism overshadows weaker skills & production. But at only a 3rd rounder that's closer to where these types of gambles should be taken and not at the top of the 1st.

Nix is trying to remove the stink of losing. He's removed almost all of our players from the previous regimes save a few talented guys and some standup guys. I think Lee was a standup guy, but his production has been poor lately. We may have some young talent so he's gambling that one of them can step up.

Hoped for a 4th. Dreamed for a 3rd. I like Lee, a good guy and a decent player. But frankly we've not been all that successful with him and he doesn't fit well with our QB or our system. He's only got 2 years of solid production left which isn't in our window. We have a lot of young guys who look like they might step up. (fingers crossed) We'd lose one or two of them if we kept Lee. I think that it hurts us this year but is better for us overall. How much it hurts this year I don't know. Maybe not all that much.

A lot of people wanted us to draft the ILB from Illinois in the second round. He ended up going in the 3rd to the Saints 4 picks after we picked up ILB Kelvin Shepard. Apparently is struggling at camp and definitely won't be a starter (from nfl nation blog- Camp Confidential Saints): Obviously it's early, but there were a couple reports on him that I read that he was a great athlete and a real boom or bust kind of guy. I figured he wasn't on our list (and apparently wasn't since we passed him in the second & third round and picked a different ILB). But he was "ranked" by a lot of draft journals as "better" than KS. It seems our draft philosophy is to draft the "athletes only" type in the late rounds and pick high productivity guys early.

Awesome! Thank you. As someone said before: You da beard!

unless injury occurs.

I got that impression as well. "Prelim...in-arily That's a hard word for someone from south Georgia to say" Cracked me up.

It's still pre-season, we're tied for first place! That's how things are right now. I don't mind being in first place.

Nice! Thanks!

Agreed. Except I think the downgrade is more than slight for RB. The running game is what gave them a chance to win games, Henne can't. I think the biggest weakness (other than maybe QB) is the lame-duck head coach. If things start off poorly for them it's likely to doom them to firing the coach midseason and drop them off a cliff. They're OL is as shaky as ours, their QB is significantly worse and their HC is walking dead. I think they'll be lucky to hit 6 wins.

It may hurt us this year, but may help us more next year and the years afterwards. Evaluating decisions like this is what a GM is paid to do. I like Lee Evans. But he's older and in a position where we may have very good young depth. I don't know if we do because I haven't really seen much of them. What I've seen I like. The coaches & GM have a better idea. I would have squawked loudly about trading LE before this year. Right now? Less so. He's only got a couple good years left (& only 2 on his contract) and he doesn't fit our QB's style well. If Fitz fails then we have to find a new QB... We'd be wasting his talents while we break in a rookie. I'd not be too happy for less than a 3rd rounder though.

Hmmm... That's actually not my experience. I find that the the optimists either remain optimistic by finding the bright side of things (moral victories, young player development, etc) or becoming apathetic and quiet. It's the pessimists that take the wailing and crying to a whole new level, blaming the weather, Ralph, the moon and/or Santa Claus.

Agreed, but I'd be just a little more specific in that I really hope White EARNS the roster spot over Torbor.

naw, that would involve paying attention or research.

I hope he makes it. But we cut future pro-bowler Jason Peters his first year, and put him on the practice squad.

On paper they look worse. On paper, we look a little better. Games ain't played on paper. But if I had to predict, I'd say they'll be at the bottom of the afc east.