BillsObserver

I agree 100%. I'm so tired of the Bills drafting quarterbacks and wide receivers in the early rounds. They need to start building those lines and their linebacker group where they are extremely thin at. And we wonder why teams like the Steelers and Giants consistently win. It'd be another waste of an early round pick if we selected a quarterback, unless we were extremely lucky and picked a Big Ben type quarterback, or Matt Ryan. Those guys don't come around too often. It's too much of a gamble. I know Trent hasn't produced great numbers but let's reference the quarterback in Tennessee. Kerry Collins is being called a game manager down there. His numbers aren't ridiculously good either. Trent, at his best, has been a game manager. I'm not sure if he'll ever put up huge numbers but that doesn't mean he won't be a successful quarterback. Believe it or not, after checking out NFL.com's statistics, Trent is ahead of Collins in many categories. Trent is young enough for me to believe he could still grow as a quarterback. And of course I know Tennessee has a much stronger supporting cast around Collins and a much better coach, but that's not the point. Point is, if we surround Trent with a good supporting cast, he could have similar success if not more. Tennessee has proved (and the Giants in some ways too) that you don't need Tom Brady or Peyton Manning to win games.

I'd love if Mangini came here as our new defensive coordinator. He's still really young, he's beaten the Patriots and he was the scapegoat in New York. Brett Favre was a disaster and someone had to take the fall. But let's be honest with ourselves, what's the likelihood he comes here as our defensive coordinator? I think he's going to get interviewed by a few teams for their head coach job and Dick Jauron is probably happy with the progress that the defense made this year despite no pass rush. Besides that, Dick is a loyal man to his assistant coaches.

Can't cut Schobel yet. Let's not assume the worst with him, we haven't heard if he needs surgery or not. Melvin Fowler's contract may be up but if it isn't, that would save us $3.3 million. JP Losman's contract is over which will save us $3 million. I don't think his replacement will cost that much. Robert Royal makes $2.3 million. Time for him to go. Chris Kelsay makes $5 million. BYE Mr. Kelsay. We could bring in a good replacement for that kind of money. And you can't cut everyone, so I'll leave it at that. That clears up $13 million. You could do something daring like trade Roscoe Parrish but you'd have to bring in another receiver to replace him. The team has so much to do this off-season, so by doing that they'd be creating another problem.

What a waste. Spencer Johnson makes a lot of money for a back-up. Wish we had him at this deal for a few more years!

I still can't believe Roscoe made 4.2 million according to that list. And to think Fred Jackson, a guy who contributed so much more than Roscoe, made $376,000. Almost 10 times less than our punt returner/gimmick receiver. Chris Kelsay at 5 million and some of those offensive lineman numbers make me wonder who the hell is running this team and handing out these deals...

These contract numbers deserves its own thread. Roscoe got 4 million?!? WTF

But his players love him.

Thanks for posting the link Lori. I enjoy Tim's work.

Hmm.. So Tim does have a little hope...

NICE.

He had a chance to walk away clean but decided to yell at the cops again. Idiot.

Slaton carried the ball 268 times compared to Johnson's 251 carries. Not much of a difference, right? The fact that LenDale White had 200 carries speaks to the type of offense they run. Ahman Green had 74 carries as Slaton's back-up. Clearly he's got a lot of talent and I'm not disputing the fact he shouldn't be considered for rookie of the year but all things equal, Slatons numbers are almost identical. I can't argue that he could have had HUGE numbers if White didn't get that many carries but that's how it worked out.

Matt Forte as well, but he had more carries than either rookie. Slaton is 6th, Forte is 7th and Johnson is 8th in rushing. Comparatively speaking, Matt Ryan is #11 in passing categories. But the quarterback position is more challenging than the running back position. It seems like you can plug any running back in and they can get the job done. Can't say that for the quarterback position.

1) No. Both of his injuries had nothing to do with his size. 2) Considering how prominent the 3-4 defense is around the league, we'd better figure it out soon. That's on Trents shoulders. 3) Anything's possible. It all depends on who is available at the time we draft in the first few rounds. Center is a definite need, but so is tight end, defensive end, free safety and linebacker. 4) No, we already did that last off-season. Giving up on James Hardy this early would be silly. We could pick someone up but it won't be an early round pick or a blockbuster free agent, I'm guessing. 5) I personally like the kid and think he could be a steal but there are some questions you have to answer before you can answer that. Will Trent distribute the ball enough to Steve to give him a chance of being a #2 receiver? Trent has his favorites and it wasn't until late in the season that Johnson got some looks. Will the coaching staff give him an honest chance of being a #2 receiver? Remember, James Hardy will always get first dibs until they absolutely give up on him. I haven't seen a lot of Steve, but the few games that I have seen him play in, he's done pretty well for himself. He could turn out to be another find, much like Greer and Jackson have become.

I agree but let's be realistic here, the Bills don't do that. We get the Strouds/Dockerys of the NFL. I can't remember the last time we got an impact player like Haynesworth. I agree with what you have to say though. I'm fairly certain Tennessee's entire defense isn't comprised of pro bowl talent, but rather a few great players who make the rest around them better. Like I said though, I have a hard time believing we'll be going for an impact player.

Classic.. And the sad thing is neither made it past the final round of cuts. If I remember correctly, Teyo was one of the first guys to get cut.

I agree 100%. It's fairly obvious, wouldn't you agree? That being said, will the front office recognize these needs? I just read an article on Buffalobills.com talking about their restricted free agents and here's a quote: "Keith Ellison stands out as the most prominent of Buffalo’s restricted players. Starting all 16 games at outside linebacker in place of the I-R’d Angelo Crowell, Ellison finished tied for third on the team in solo tackles with 50 and fifth in total tackles with 82 in 2008." Chris Brown wrote this and I won't put words in his mouth, but just because he was 3rd on the team in solo tackles and 5th in total tackles, doesn't mean he's any good nor should he be a priority to re-sign.

Elaborate.

I hate the idea of using potential free agents/college players for filling in the blanks because we really have no clue what the team is thinking, what they are willing to spend and who is willing to come here. Instead of doing that, because it usually never works out, let's strictly talk positions. DE TE C LB QB (Back-up but not another Hamdan) Do we all agree that those are the 5 most critical positions? You can debate all day which is more important but there is no argument that we definitely need a legitimate center, tight end, and an effective defensive end opposite of Aaron Schobel would be nice. Keith Ellison has to go or has to be a back-up, because the loss of Angelo Crowell was noticeable. Mitchell and Poz weren't exactly world beaters either. I have no idea if the kid we drafted (Bowen) will make a difference but I'm not sure banking on a guy who will essentially be a rookie again, coming off a major injury is a good idea. Besides all that, we need some depth back there. We definitely need a veteran quarterback behind Trent Edwards. He hasn't had that since he's arrived. JP and Trent hardly communicated on the sidelines. Again, I won't think of any names to fill the void, but I'd like the guy to have plenty of experience and be willing to work with Trent. There are some questions that will affect some of the decisions the team has to make. Will Chris Kelsay remain on the team? If so, can a defensive captain be a back-up? How likely is it that the Bills even recognize Kelsay as a problem? Will they use the Aaron Schobel injury as an excuse for Kelsay? I think the guy is not performing up to his contract, not even close to it. If he was making a little above the minimum and was a back-up, I'd have no problems with the guy. But the truth is, he's paid like a valuable starter and he's not that. Neither is Ryan Denney. If/when Jabari Greer leaves (if you read the article with his comments about the situation, it sure seems he's going to make the best business decision for him and his family which would indicate he'll take the most money offered elsewhere) and Terrence McGee's contract running out next year, do we have to bring in an experienced cornerback? Lord knows we've drafted enough of them. We can't keep adding really young cornerbacks without a veteran presence. Or do we just have to count on Ashton Youboty staying healthy? How will Jason Peters figure into this off-season? If he doesn't get his contract, it's very likely he'll hold out again. Does the team want that distraction again? Did Kirk Chambers play at the end of the season mean anything in this? And if we do re-sign him (Peters), it's undoubtedly going to be one of the largest LT deals in the league which will affect our cap space. I'm not objecting to the idea, I'm just wondering if it will affect any of our other plans if we do extend his contract. People have really blasted Donte Whitner for not making enough plays but it's not like he's in jeopardy of losing his job. But what about the Free Safety position? Is the trio of Ko Simpson/George Wilson/Jon Corto going to cut it? Maybe that's a priority that I've left off. I've intentionally not mentioned the WR and DT position. The reason being, we drafted 2 receivers this past year and picked up 2 DT's as well. When you do that, you have to give it some time to either pan out or fail. OF COURSE it would be nice to pick up a really solid #2 wide receiver but with all of our other needs, we have to hope that James Hardy or Steve Johnson can fill that void. Or maybe with a tight end, our wide receiver group suddenly isn't so bad. And I don't think the trio of Stroud, Williams and Spencer Johnson is a problem. McCargo's out of here so they will have to replace him but you can use a low round pick for that. Let's refrain from the "We could use a real COACH" argument because the team is stuck with what they've got. We can only hope they improve the team around him.

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe I missed a thread or an article with it, but when did Ralph say this recently?

Say what you want about Trent Edwards, but how many times did Robert Royal drop an important pass or fumble when we were driving down the field? Relying on a consistent tight end would help Trent Edwards considerably, especially the way he utilizes his underneath guys. People have been clamoring for a defensive end, a center, and a linebacker in the draft/free agency but maybe prioritizing the need for a tight end is as important (aside from a good defensive end). You could point the finger at the offensive coordinator for not drawing up enough plays or Trent Edwards for not consistently throwing to his tight ends, but can you really fault him for not having trust in any of them? Especially Robert Royal.

You'd have to watch the season all over to determine how many penalties occurred during clutch moments but the data indeed proves they are one of the least penalized teams in the league. People seem to be confusing the Duke Preston fiasco in the New England game as a penalty. There was no penalty. It was just a shoving match that he wasn't smart enough to get out of. As far as other clutch moments, the team simply hasn't gotten the job done. Thinking back on the most critical plays of the season, like the kick in Cleveland or JP's fumble against the Jets late in the game, there were no penalties, just poorly executed plays.

Incorrect. Statistically speaking, on offense we are the 3rd LEAST penalized team in the league. Only New England and Atlanta are ahead of us. We committed 71 penalties on offense. On defense, we are 2nd in the league with the least amount of penalties committed. We stand at 72 on that side of the ball, and only Indianapolis has fewer penalties committed with 68. To answer your question, compared to others we are near the top in this category.

I have to be honest. There are some really well thought out threads started by good posters.. and then there are threads started by Chuckknox. So, you want some of the players on this team to risk suspension with helmet-to-helmet penalties? And cheap shots are a good thing? I'm sorry but one of the few good things about Dick Jauron is his team does not commit many dumb penalties.

It's a shame because he's only 25 and could really contribute to this team but the reality is if he hasn't learned by now, and wasn't smart enough to realize that the most recent suspension would cost him a season's worth of pay, I have my doubts that he'll ever learn from his mistakes. But people can change, and that's what's 2nd, scratch that, 3rd chances are all about. Or .. wait, are we on 4?