Orton's Arm

You know, I have a theory about why Bates has probably decided not to come. My theory/guess is this: Bates was made an offer, and felt torn about whether he should accept it. To help figure things out, he decided to find out a little more about what Bills fans were like. So he went online, found these discussion boards, saw himself referred to as "defensive master Bates," and decided that collecting a paycheck for playing golf seemed awfully nice right about now.

Personally, I wouldn't trade away my 3rd round picks to get one second round pick. This year is deep at OL, and I'd like to use both 3rd rounders on offensive linemen.

I don't know if you watched any Rams games this past year, but Fairchild was the coach on the sidelines who seemed to think he could win the game if he could just chew his gum with enough enthusiasm. He took over the offensive playcalling duties, and indeed the whole team, when health problems put Mike Martz in the hospital. The Rams had a slew of injuries, so they didn't win many games this past year. But it seemed like Fairchild's playcalling gave them a chance to win each week. He did a much better job of taking advantage of weapons like RB Steven Jackson than Mike Martz did, and was more run-oriented than Martz. I liked what I saw of Fairchild, and I'm happy he's the Bills' offensive coordinator.

It seemed to me when I read the article that those men were trying to steal something that belonged to Taylor, and he displayed a weapon to persuade them not to do so. Personally, I don't see why behavior like that should be illegal at all, as the man was just defending his own property.

I'd LOVE this scenario because then the Bills could take Cutler; using picks 2, 3, and 3 for the OL. This draft is DEEP on the OL, so there's no sense wasting picks in rounds 2 or 3 on anything else.

Had we given Rob Johnson some pass protection, maybe the sack and injury issues would have gone away.

I'm not writing JP off because of his rating. On the other hand, his rating has done nothing to dispel the questions about his accuracy that existed before the draft. Drafting Losman was a judgement call made by TD. In making this call, TD went against the majority. That worries me. The last time TD went against the majority on a QB issue, he was trading away a first round pick for Bledsoe when nobody else thought Bledsoe was worth that high a price. The time before that, it was when he was phasing Neil O'Donnell out of his plans to make room for the mobile Kordell Stewart. You say that Green Bay was also interested in Losman. But I'm pretty sure its general manager at the time was Mike Sherman; who was later relieved of GM duties.

I think you wrote Holcomb when you meant Losman. Anyway, my concern with Losman isn't his athletic ability, it's that he just isn't a good pocket passer. You say that he's more of a proven commodity than a guy like Rivers. I disagree. Rivers showed enough in college to be selected fourth overall, and to be part of the consensus big three. Losman was in the Rivers category in TD's mind, but not in the minds of most NFL experts. But, you say, Losman has proven more than Rivers since then, and you mention Losman taking the benching well as an example. But Rivers has been benched his whole career, and he hasn't turned into a cancer or anything either. What about what the players have proven on the field? It's not obvious to me that either Rivers or Losman has proven anything in the NFL. Unless you call Losman's career passer rating of 65 proof of something.

No wonder the Bills were 5-11.

This earns my post of the week award.

You make an eloquent case for Marv. But even a coach like Barry Switzer can win games when the talent's there. Sure, Marv was a steadying force in the locker room, and he probably helped keep the team focused. But other than the Marchibroda hire, none of his assistants did anything innovative on offense. Other than Wade Phillips (who failed as a head coach elsewhere before Marv brought him here) none of his defensive coordinators did anything. In other words, his track record of identifying coaching talent--brilliant X's and O's guys--is mixed at best. I didn't feel the Bills won all those games because they did the best job with Xs and Os. Clearly they didn't. They won because Polian selected the best athletes, and he kept those athletes together so they could develop continuity.

I thought you were joking until I read the article.

Unless you have one of the best defenses in history, like Baltimore in 2000, you're not going to win a Super Bowl without a good QB. It's true your plan could give the Bills a winning record even if Losman proved a flop. But it wouldn't get Ralph that Super Bowl ring. Since quarterbacks take a long time to develop, any rebuilding plan should begin by making sure your QB of the future is on the roster. OL take a little while to develop too, so I'd be in favor of a draft like this: 1. Cutler 2. OL 3. OL 3. OL 4 - 7 best player available Then you finish the rebuilding in 2007, and get Ralph that ring.

Not even the world's finest chef can prepare a meal without any ingredients. Expecting Wyche to work miracles with Losman isn't realistic.

I agree with the rejection of a short-term mentality. Even when your owner is 87 years old, there's no way you can patch together a team that will get you a Super Bowl ring. So you have to do things right. You are correct to say there are no bona fide answers at QB in free agency. Nor do I expect there to be any next year, or the year after that. On this thread, I hear things like, "If Losman doesn't do anything in 2007, you'll know you have a QB problem." Fine. But at the end of the 2007 if the Bills realize they have a QB problem, Ralph Wilson will likely die of old age before it can be solved. Presumably, the Bills would respond by taking a QB in the 2008 draft; two years later than when I want them to take Cutler. If the Bills did draft a QB in 2008, it would likely be 2009 or 2010 before he could do anything. To be honest, I have serious doubts about whether Losman should have been drafted in the first place. Prior to Losman, the best QB TD drafted while a general manager was Kordell Stewart. Then there's Tom Modrak. He could really have raped Mike Ditka by trading away the Donovan McNabb pick. Nothing against McNabb, but was he really worth the fifth overall pick that Ditka would have given up, plus picks in rounds 3 - 7 in that year's draft, plus a first round pick the next year (2nd overall), plus maybe an extra pick or two? I don't think so. In other words, Losman was chosen by men who place too high a premium on mobility, and not enough on accuracy. TD said that according to most, there was a big three at QB in the year he took Losman. But the way he saw things, there was a big four. Losman has done little on the field to show doubts about his accuracy were misplaced. At this point, we're basically betting the next few years of this franchise on TD's ability to evaluate QB talent. That is hardly a reassuring thought.

Hey Jerry, maybe to take your mind off being fired, you can get a ride on your favorite among Santa's reindeer--Blitzen!

Is it possible for the Bills to discuss a defensive coordinator candidate without his name being linked to genitals in some way? First Bret Maxie, and now this!

Ralph Wilson is a very old man. If JP isn't the answer--which right now looks to be the case--it's time to start looking for the next guy. You can't afford to spend the next three years or so developing JP and not having a backup plan. Maybe that plan should involve drafting Cutler.

When Losman is on the field, you typically see eight or nine men in the box. Whatever the running game can do to take the pressure off Losman's passing game, is already being done. It's about time Losman's passing attack started putting some fear in defenses, and started forcing some of those men out of the box.

I like the Fairchild hire. I thought he did a good job of going to a more run-oriented offense once he started calling the Rams' plays. You could see the Rams were having more success with that than they would have had under Martz's pass-happy style.

I think the Bills should draft the following: 1. Cutler, QB (IF he is the real deal people say) 2. L OT 3. R OT 3. OG 4 - 7 best player available, based on intelligence, character, toughness, and athletic ability The plan would be to have every one of these draft picks spend his rookie year on the bench. In 2006, Losman would line up behind Preston, with Geisinger as a starting guard. Those three players would basically be on a one-year job interview. Under this plan, the Bills would be lucky to win 3 games in 2006. But 2007 is where things get interesting. Either Losman proved himself in 2006, or he didn't. Let's assume he didn't. Now you've got a real QB on the roster in the form of Cutler, and he's had a year on the bench to learn the playbook and adjust to the NFL. You've got most or all of an offensive line, and that's without drafting any OL in 2007. That will free the Bills to go hog wild on defense in the 2007 draft. When the 2007 Bills took the field, they'd have a real team.

A post that manages to be pro-JP without trashing Holcomb. That's a rare thing on these boards. Keep up the good work!

That was just one pick!!!! The Steelers used FOUR first-day picks on their OL, plus they signed another guy who was also a first-day pick. Any player you draft, at any position, can turn out to be a bust. There's no way of getting aroud that. But that hardly excuses TD's failure to spend high picks on the OL.

Careful about what you say about Holcomb! Seriously though, you do make strong points in your post. If it was up to me, I'd use the draft to build the offensive line, with the goal of building continuity by having players spend their whole careers in Buffalo. As you point out, the Bills have an extra first-day pick, so I could envision taking Cutler, followed by three OL (2nd, 3rd, 3rd). The goal would be to have a 2007 OL consisting of Preston, Geisinger, and the three 2006 draft picks. But if in 2006 Geisinger shows he can't cut the mustard, then you could go back and draft another OG in the 2007 draft.

An excellent point. But I still think that if Cutler is the real deal, the Bills should pull the trigger. The Bills can go with OL picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, leaving the DL be until next year.