BuffaloRebound

Agreed about Weis's opinion not really meaning that much about Quinn. Not only is he the coach but he's also a Notre Dame homer having gone there. Even if Quinn is a bust (which I don't think he'll be, but he also won't be a Pro Bowler), Weis's status as offensive guru is forever cemented with what he did with Brady and the Pats.

Even so, Russell is the perfect fit for the Raiders. Huge and intimidating dude, strong arm. It's like Davis concocted this guy in a lab and now the Raiders have the 1st pick and he very well could be the most talented player in the draft.

Russell seems like a perfect fit for the Raiders. He is a better version of Culpepper at his best and the thought of Russell chucking the ball downfield to Moss must have Davis salivating. I just can't see Brady Quinn as an Oakland Raider.

Do you really think the Bills have a shot at Briggs, Steinbach, or Thomas? At least Clements has history here and there is always the risk of going to a team whose defensive schemes won't play to his strengths. If Marv can land one of those guys then I won't be that upset if we lose Clements, but Clement is probably the only one we have a realistic shot of getting.

Do everything necessary to keep him. If he is hell-bent on leaving, which it doesn't sound like, so be it. Marv and Ralph were willing to pay him $7m this year off a sub-par year. The Bills are going to be at least $15m under the cap this year even if they go on a Redskins-like spending spree - use that as his signing bonus if you are strapped for cash. I think he'd stay if we give him something close to Bailey's deal. Realistically, the Bills shot at landing any big name free agents are slim. In the unlikely event that they can land a Lance Briggs, then maybe letting Clements go is understandable. But otherwise, you gotta keep your own young talent.

I don't think we go DT with the 12th pick without seeing what we got in McCargo. 12th is also high for a RT (especially with Pennington's progress) or OG. With Evans as our clear-cut #1 and due for a raise, I don't think we'll go WR with the 12th. That leaves CB and LB as the most likely with RB, OG, and DE as other possibilities. Unlike what some people believe, I really think Marv will make big moves to try and get this team over the hump, now that he has a year under his belt and knows what he's got. I would love to see Clements re-signed, Willis traded for a 2nd rounder, use our 1st on a RB, and draft an OG and LB in the 2nd round.

Marv has his QB and WR. Now he needs his RB. Comments by Wilson ('disappointment') and Marv('Willis needs to hit the holes harder') lead me to believe they don't think Willis is the answer at RB. If Peterson is gone, perhaps Lynch from Cal (don't know much about him) is the answer. The 10th pick in the 2nd round will probably be a nice spot to knab a stud LB prospect. I think they do everything possible to keep Clements, but let Fletcher walk if he is seeking more than 3 years say $15m.

Trade him for a 2nd rounder and package that with our 1st to move up and get Adrian Peterson.

Cue the clock-killing Bills defense.

Stopped them?? Have them pinned down inside the 2 and now we have the ball at our 4 yard line.

Fewell's comments are very interesting. You would hope the coaches and front office are on the same page. If that is the case, it looks like Clements is the #1 priority and although they'd like Fletcher back, perhaps he won't be as important next year as he was this year with a significant number of rookies playing. If Fletcher is all we lose, we get a stud LB in the 1st round, and sign some lower level FA's with Nate being our big ticket item this offseason, I'd be happy.

Baseball is more about plugging in individuals especially pitching, while football is the ultimate team sport. Please Marv and Ralph, capitalize on the momentum built at the end of the year and keep our best players here for a change. I can live with letting Fletcher go as the run defense was the main weakness on this team at the end of the year, but find a way to keep Clements (you already paid him $7m this year), re-sign Kelsay, Gandy, and extend Willis if reasonable money gets it done.

I like Leonard as well but wouldn't take him with the Bills 2nd rd pick unless this is a really thin draft. As far as 3rd down backs go, I really liked what I saw from Josh Reed in the few times he was given as the 3rd down back.

If the Bills let both Clements and Fletcher walk, I really don't see how they can expect fans to shell out money to see an 8th straight season of non-playoff football. Get creative with their contracts. Show the players and fans that you are committed to winning. How do you sell that the team improved last year and then let one of the best young CB's in the League and the heart and soul of your defense walk?

Turner will cost a 1st round pick as I'm sure the Chargers will tender him an offer that will require 1st round compensation.

I am not for throwing huge money McGahee's way, but I think he is worth keeping. More than anything, this organization needs continuity, and McGahee will most likely be better than anyone the Bills can get in free agency or the draft short of burning a 1st round pick on a RB. I am tired of the cycle of downgrading by losing solid players and replacing them with unknown quantities and seeing the Bills get off to insurmountable 2-5 starts every year. If they are going to let quality starters walk, they better have equal replacements or else the Bills will be constantly taking steps backward, which is what we have witnessed for 7 years.

McGahee is one of the top backs in the League when he wants to be. He comes out of the game way too much and only runs his hardest when motivated or challenged. He is not worth top 10 money. 5 years, $20m, with incentives.

It would be nice to have bigger DT's, but bigger or sturdier LB's are also needed. Our best hitter among the back 7 is Clements. Spikes can knock a guy down when he's going for the ball, but if a runner is coming head-on, Clements is our only back 7 player who can knock a guy backwards. I don't know if that means Clements is the toughest CB in the league, or our LB's are some of the weakest.

Evans deserved to be on the Pro Bowl roster. If they gave the nod to Johnson because he has more receptions, most of which are the Carr dump-down variety when teams are basically giving them those catches, it is a joke. Not saying Johnson isn't a good player, but Evans has meant way more to his team and is having a better year.

If Evans doesn't get in, it is a travesty. The numbers he put up with the Bills inept passing game the first half of the season make them all the more impressive. Think of the numbers he would have put up in Indy. He changes the game like few others can. He should be 3rd behind Chad Johnson and Marvin Harrison.

Personally, I think Clements would be an idiot for leaving now if the difference in money is not ridiculous. This team is young and on its way to better days. If the difference is a $18m bonus with the 'Skins or a $13-14m bonus with the Bills, maybe the Bills have a chance at keeping him. He got paid $7m this year as the franchise player and perhaps Marv earned some goodwill by agreeing not to franchise him next year. I don't think the Bills should just let him walk without a serious offer. I'm not saying Marv and Ralph should or would offer him an $18m bonus, but perhaps a $12m bonus offer at least makes it harder for Clements to leave. That being said, Fletcher is the heart and soul of the defense, and I'd rather lose Clements than him.

Where Ralph has an excellent point is the absurdity in giving the players a piece of the luxury box revenue by raising the salary cap which applies to all teams when the big market teams are making the lion's share of that revenue and not sharing it with the smaller market teams. If luxury box revenues are not shared, it should not be included in the players piece of the pie. Ralph should have used the Players Union to push for luxury box revenue sharing. Instead the NFL just gave the players a piece of that pie and totally screwed over the small market teams.

Bonus sizes will most likely grow a lot this year as it seems that the salary cap number keeps growing as the players get a bigger share of the revenues. That means that the cash Ralph needs for salaries/bonuses is growing at a faster pace than the money he is getting from revenue sharing. Add in the increasing discrepancies in luxury box money and other local marketing revenue deals and it becomes more of a challenge/risk to compete with large market teams. The presence of the salary cap however makes it more of a cash managment/risk problem. No team will ever lose money in the NFL, it's just easier for big-market teams to pay $20m+ signing bonuses and to absorb the risk of that guy being a dud. A team like the Bills may have to compensate against paying a $20m bonus by being under the cap unless Ralph is willing to take on some debt. Instead of low interest loans for a stadium, perhaps small market teams could request low interest loans from the NFL for signing bonuses.

It seems like only a couple years ago, the salary cap was in the $60 million range. The increases are becoming out of control. Guys like Schobel are getting absolutly screwed because they signed deals 2 years ago and the cap has gone up 30% since then. Keeping Clements, Kelsay, or Fletcher is going to be very difficult because there is so much cap space available to the 32 teams. It has gotten to the point where a billion dollar owner is a necessity in order to keep up.

The guy has been playing well lately. But no one is the least bit concerned that he'll shift back to neutral once he gets the big payday? He has shown signs that he could be that type of player.