Dibs

But that is all just your normal attrition & trying to fill sub standard slots with better players. Even the best team has adequate players as starters in some positions. As I said in my last post, this is semantics. Rebuild implies start from scratch. We are well past that point & it could well(depending on JPL?) be only next year that the pieces fall into place.

I think this perhaps comes down to semantics. Re-building to me is when the roster is cleaned out & one starts from scratch. This happened with us a few years back. The problem we had is that the depth behind our starters was very bad. I do not consider replacing a bunch of backups as cleaning house. Keeping rookies implies two things... 1. The team had shiit backups 2. The players drafted were perhaps very good. As I said in my earlier post..."We needed DTs, OLmen, our Safteys were old, WR depth(& general depth throughout) & our QB/RB/WR trio to develop. " That means that we were fine at CB, LB, DE, QB, RB, #1WR. We obtained most of those from earlier re-building. Yes, I agree this is a rebuild year....in the context that we have already had several of them & now hopefully are starting to see some of the benefits...JPL as example. This is not however a start from scratch re-build year. I believe we will be competitive this year & our week 1 performance backs that thought. If we were in a start from scratch re-build, expect 3-13.

Me too.

This concept has been continually put forward & it makes no logical sense. WM has 1 chance for a mega-deal. He gets no second chance. He is out of contract at the end of next season(2007). He has only this year & next year to prove he is an elite back so he can get the mega-deal. If he does things like..... Reduce his output yards....ypa....TDs... Display obvious lack of effort because the season is lost.... Flub a 4th & 1 attempt which gets shown on the national highlight shows.... He will not be perceived as an elite back & will not get the mega-deal. As I said, he gets one chance. His next contract will be his big money contract. It makes sense to slacken off after he has that contract.....not before. By the time he gets to the end of that contract, he will be close to retirement age. It is right now that he will be wanting to show his stuff....not after he gets the $$$$

It is not a rebuilding year. It is a continuation of the building that has been happening. We have potential young stars at QB, WR, RB. These three positions are usually the cornerstone of both rebuilding & most superbowl offenses. We are not rebuilding them. We have the same....LT, RG, RT, FB....LE, RE, OLBx2, ILB, CBx2, STers & up until just recently FS. We needed DTs, OLmen, our Safteys were old, WR depth(& general depth throughout) & our QB/RB/WR trio to develop. As I said, we are continuing the building process not rebuilding from scratch. If the young potential talent on the roster does not pan out, we will have to rebuild...until they don't, we are continuing the rebuild from a few years back. Does Ko Simpson look GOOD? Did TV get injured waaaaay too easily....again? Why does the TV issue mean we are rebuilding? Just because TKO gets emotional when his friends get cut does not mean what he is saying is correct.

.....look at Rivers. 11 pass attempts in his first start. Though I felt they should have given him a few more, there is a lot to be said for doing everything you can to make a young QBs life easier.

...and because you didn't agree with him you call for his benching? What has Spikes done for this team? The two seasons he was healthy(2003-2004) our Defence was #2 in the league. Your comments were waaaaay to harsh & judgemental against one of the premiere players in the league. TKO is a true warrior for the Bills.

Hey JDG...you need to adjust your 'Losman-Meter' He's up to.... 51.2% passing, 6.00 ypa, .89 TD/INT, 65.5 Rating

OK, I should be working but...I like stats. Let's have a look at comparable backs...within 8 picks of WM...picks 15-31. And look at their production in their 2nd to 5th years in the NFL. At this point I have no idea how the figures will turn out but I bet you are wrong. I'll write year then under that player name....ave yardage over years 2-5 & ave TDs over that time. 2004(only 1 year of stats) Steven Jackson 1046-8 Chris Perry 279-0 Kevin Jones 664-5 2003 McGahee 1187.5-9 Larry Johnson 1165.5-14.5 2002 TJ Duckett 556-9 William Green 407.3-1 2001 Deuce Mcallister 1109.5-8.25 Michael Bennett 623-2.5 2000 Shaun Alexander 1406-15 Trung Canidate 363-2.3 1998 Robert Edwards 107-1 John Avery 10.5-0 1997 Antowain Smith 812.25-7.5 1995 Tyrone Wheatley 492.75-3.25 Napolean Kaufman 950.75-2.75 James Stewart 606.5-7.75 Rashaan Salaam 152-1.5 Hmmm, let's see. Only Shaun Alexander has a great yards/year average. And only Johnson & Alexander have a greater TD/year average. 25% better you ask for...let's add em up. The average of all the backs(not including WM) is 632.4 yards per year & 5.25 TDs per year. WM is 188% better than the average in yards & 171% better in TDs. Either way you look at it....direct comparison(only 2 better) or averages, WM has so far panned out as a decent pick....in relation to comparable RBs.

I don't see why not....it's a better idea than blaming everything on McGahee & Losman.

Hard to put ones finger on I agree...I seem to recall the 2004 season where Alexander started to achieve the reputation of not giving that 10% extra. The Seahawks stalled at the goalline costing them at least 1 game(against the Rams). There were even rumours that Seattle would give up on him at the time. Barber (until last year) also had a bit of a reputation for not giving the extra & getting the job done. I don't see how you can even mention Dunn in the same group. I think we will find that if things start going our way...WM will show that extra 10% as he did in 2004 & early 2005.

I've held the opinion for a while now that the Ravens are a dark horse this season. Just look at their roster....it's full of star players(who know how to play as a team). Offense McNair, Lewis, Mason, Ogden, Heap, Mulitalo Defense Lewis, Reed, McAister, Rolle, Suggs If their aging guys can hold it together this season, they could well win the superbowl. Then again, I've been wrong before.

I totally agree. If statistically your chances improve by going into the prevent D, I always wonder how it is that so many teams come from behind to win. IMO all it does is give the other team some confidence being allowed to march down the field completing short pass after short pass. If a strategy is working & isn't being countered, why change?

If you modify your statement to first or second round you'd be very close. 2000 Flowers round 1 2001 Schobel round 2 2002 Williams round 1 Denney round 2 2003 Kelsay round 2 2004/5 none 2006 McCargo round 1 Perhaps you needed to add..."that pans out". Drafting high & often only works if you draft well as well.

Good point, Tillman has the tools, knowhow & drive to stop Evans from the endzone.

It bugs me so much that I mentioned this a few months back & was given a reasonable response by somebody explaining how when he uses it that way there is an element of sarcasm involved(with perhaps a bit of eye-rolling). I find if I force myself to assume the person is being sarcastic, I don't bite my tongue off......still bugs me though.

That's just not good enough for the Bills. If they aren't in the top 3 at their position, we don't want them. Honestly, who wants a player that isn't the best? It makes no sense at all. Furthermore, fans from the 8 or so teams that have the better player can mercilessly rub it in.....& I can't stand that. I think it best that we just keep cutting players until we achieve a team full of 'top 3 at their position' players.

But this makes no sense.... 1997 Adam Treu 3nd round Tim Kohn 3nd round 1998 Mo Collins 1st round 1999 Matt Stinchcomb 1st round 2002 Langston Walker 2nd round 2004 Robert Gallery 1st round(#2 overall) Jake Grove 2nd round 2006 Paul McQuistan 3rd round I have been repeatedly told that the way to build a great team is by drafting OL on the first day. Now I don't know what to think.

but, but, but.... NO!!!! If that happens, our extra excuse to hate the Patriots will vanish & all we will be left with is the reasonable ones. Say it isn't so.

Actually that isn't JYO....I bet that is the opinion of a whole lot of people.

Why sign him though? Why not just give him $10,000 as a consultation fee? And why him & not one of the other less conspicuous(read less talented) guys that were cut?

Did I say I thought WM was 'the best' RB in the league???? No. In fact I said.....

Fully agree. It baffles me how that line is not considered a no-brainer by anyone who has the ability to turn on a computer.

Ummm, the stats show #6 Why don't you give us some criteria on what makes a top RB rather than simply say he is rubbish as if all of the other backs that actually did outperform him would do better running behind the Bills OL. You're not saying that RBs used in a RB by committee setup are top RBs are you? RB by committee means..."we don't have a top RB" Ummm....OK....if you say so. There are two differences between you & myself. 1. You put forward a point of view without bothering to back it up with any reasonable arguments...."because I say so" is not a reasonable argument. 2. You hold firm opinions & put them forwards as facts on things which cannot be determined at this point in time. I actually think you could be correct about WM. I also think you may well be incorrect.