RuntheDamnBall

Who's saying anything about worshipping the guy? Can one not acknowledge he is the best we've got, he is the best we've had in years, and that he is at least functional enough to allow them to build and evaluate the team going forward? Does said acknowledgment immediate cast one as a fanboy? Give me a break. Worse players have QB'd playoff teams, and better ones have never won the big one. Save the histrionics for the next losing streak or unsatisfactory draft pick. Fitz is not the problem. I'd rather see this team build on what it has, than do what it's clear you'd like to see, i.e. the sacking of everyone who "sucks" and a very unlikely miracle turnaround in one season with a completely new front office, coach and QB that satisfies you.

Love it. Especially because it comes from a guy who produces. I guarantee you this is not just sour grapes. I hope Dareus destroys Brady the next chance he gets.

Right on! Signed, The city of Cleveland

This has not changed how much I want to see him drilled into the turf on Sunday, i.e. "repeatedly."

Did I say that? Because I think I said I was rooting for something to happen, not "solely because" I dislike a player. I like this Giants team because they beat the Patriots in their undefeated season, and because I live in NYC. When the Bills aren't on, I don't mind throwing my support behind them. But feel free to call me 12. It looks like we could share a reading class together.

Good possibility. I am still rooting for a Gillette Stadium sinkhole, and for the Giants to shut up Whitner.

Nice post, but your example here is one of apples where I'm talking about oranges. Of course signing one of the NFL's most prolific receivers, one with a penchant for drama and a Super Bowl appearance under his belt, jumped ticket sales in a year that looked otherwise bleak. You're welcome to be (legitimately) cynical about that one. I still see zero proof that drafting a guy like CJ Spiller causes a bigger spike in ticket sales than does drafting a guy like Dareus. As for WRs and CBs: Yep, that's what this team does. But unfortunately those have been the picks they "hit" on with greater reliability. Not re-signing those who achieve, and then forcing the influx of new talent at those positions should be considered an issue separate from draft strategy meant to improve the team.

Bill, I've always got one foot aboard your train and I'll never be mad at the idea of fortifying either of the lines, but I really do take issue with the idea that these small skill players sell tickets, and that that's the reason they are drafted. As we've seen towards the end of every season, there are empty seats at RWS, and the draft picks seem to have precious little impact there. Plus, those exciting skill players really only seem to come at the top of the draft once every four years or so. Even the Steelers and Patriots aren't going to commit to never drafting skill players in R1. Honestly, the only way I see draft picks impacting ticket sales at all is if we draft a bona fide franchise quarterback, because sink or swim, those guys generate interest. Short of that, ticket sales are really only going to be impacted by a team in the playoff race. The first few games when the weather is good will sell out, as will those against a truly interesting opponent. But I need to see some evidence on this case you're making before accepting it any longer. I will agree with you that I think Ralph, like Al Davis, favors certain kinds of offensive players and thinks they contribute disproportionately to a winning team, but if we somehow end up with Justin Blackmon at our current position, I for one won't be crying about it. If he thinks that they contribute to ticket sales, and this is the rationale for questionable draft picks, we're probably more f--ked than it appears on the surface. I don't think this is the case. That said, you will never find me disagreeing that a strong pass rush would mean the world to this team.

They're not in the playoffs, baby! Ergo, they should obviously be cut, and we should see if we can trade #10 to get whitner back, since he is obviously the final piece of the puzzle.

Funny how I didn't say he sucked, that he is average, that he's a good hitter but terrible playing a big receiver. Funny how every time the criteria are rendered invalid (Donte himself does not = his winning team), the goalposts are moved (well he makes more money - funny bc the bills gave him a market value offer that he turned down!). The smart person would be happy the bills are getting better value and performance at safety, but what do I know? As far as being a microcosm of buffalo, that's truly funny, thanks to Dr. Freud for the expert analysis there. I see the post was deleted, which might have something to do with the dearth of value in lieu of a potshot. If asking for the bills to do better than average with top picks, and to keep their successful players is some kind of big reveal, consider me guilty as charged. Whitner is an ok player put into a pressure situation that was unfair to him. That's fine and well acknowledged. OTOH the Bills made him richer than he deserved to be and the least he could do is keep his mouth shut instead of yammering about being wronged here. He had his chance and was even asked to stay. The bigger man relishes his new situation without blasting his old employer, and that's the crux of my issue with DW, not his draft position. So unless you're willing to acknowledge what I'm actualy saying instead of lumping me in with a group of posters, feel free to ignore and carry on with the meaninglessness.

I'm not sure about BR, but Thomas is definitely an interesting, if raw prospect.

So... Whitner won 2nd prize in a beauty contest? Does he get to collect ten dollars? George Wilson and Jairus Byrd were both more deserving of the Pro Bowl, but they played in front of one linebacker instead of the four that Donte got to sit behind. Pro Bowls and team wins did not make Donte a better player. His SF stint has revealed his positives and his negatives, and the sum of those is a slightly above average player who almost cost his team the game in the playoffs.

Nice.

I'm kind of surprised that Lee Evans merits almost as much disdain as Whitner. I am not saying the guy has still got it, but there is such an attitude of "good riddance" accompanying the departure of a good, nice career Bill who had to suffer through some of the worst offensive ineptitude this league has ever seen over a career stretch. I may be turning in my opinion that Evans has enough left in the tank to merit something more than a late 4th (it's looking like a better idea all the time even if the ends don't justify the means), but I wasn't ecstatic to see him go as some are, especially given what we had left on the shelf for receivers.

Would this be the same Pro Bowl that Ruben Brown got sent to for so many years?

Me neither. I am concerned but hopeful that he can learn with a full offseason to review tape and install a system with minicamps, etc.

For a coach, I want to know if they are taking the team in the right direction and are adaptable. Gailey hasn't shown that outright, but he sure has displayed these with a lot more reliability than Greggo. Williams failed in part because he was such a my-way-or-the-highway guy. Gailey is failing in part because he doesn't have all the tools he needs. Williams failed with (and alienated) some certifiable stars, while Gailey has few to none and his team does back him up. Winning will cure all ills, but few teams win without good coaching. Hopefully this team gets a good shot of talent this winter and Gailey can take them for a big leap forward. You have basically made my point for me, though. Just because a guy is in the playoffs it does not immediately make him desirable. GW is a decent D-coordinator being given good tools. Donte is an average safety with excellent talent in front of him. Both of these examples show you that a talented cast can let you do what you do best and mask some of your deficiencies. They don't show you that either of these guys are game-changers, despite Donte's big hits yesterday.

Because wins and losses are really the only way to evaluate a team. Because a guy who comes in and completely scraps a not-just-functional-but-elite defense is really a smart head coach. If you'd like to have Whitner back, I disagree, but I understand. If you'd like to have Gregg Williams back, you're insane. He was a terrible head coach who believed he was great. It doesn't get much worse. Gailey I at least believe sees this as a long-term project and hasn't been making promises he cannot keep.

Gregggg Williams was in the playoffs. Guess we shouldn't have fired him!

I was surprised to see Gore was a R3 pick. He's been so highly touted for so long that I thought otherwise.

Crabtree and Welker aren't WRs?

I think head-to-head, even though this would count as a down year for the AFCE, our division would probably go 11-5 against theirs in 16 games. Just my opinion, but Seattle and St. Louis were bad teams outright this year, and the Cardinals probably rate about equal with us, with some exciting play peppered in with some giant failures. If Alex Smith were placed in our division, there is no guarantee he would be 2nd best. He falls, for me, in the category that Fitz is in, of QBs who play sometimes brilliantly, and sometimes dreadfully. You can win with them if the other pieces are there and your competition isn't too stiff. Despite the fact that we beat them, there is no team in the NFCW division that is of the class of NE.

Shows me we could win with fitz, especially if we played in a dreadful division.

I didn't hate him but when he took the opportunity to talk trash about the bills right before his playoff appearance, he cemented his status as a numbskull in my opinion and in many others'. He is making himself a topic of conversation among Bills fans by acting like an idiot instead of moving on. Could we do better? Sure, but let's not act like he is some kind of classy figure moving on in his new playoff life while bills fans remain bitter. Donte always talked without backing it up and this week was no different. You don't see better safeties like Polamalu opening their mouths even half as much. A real man would acknowledge the bills gave him the opportunity of a lifetime, that it didn't work out, and that he is in a good situation now.

That's RIGHT! FREE FREQUENCIES FOR ALL! I WANT MY OWN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL COMMAND CENTER.