keepthefaith

I can't remenber the last time the Bills extended a contract for a player that had 3 years to go unless it was a cap-saver. Personally, I think Peters has to play 1 more year on this deal and prove he's healthy and that he can continue to play at a pro bowl level, then he cashes in.

It would be easier for teams to renegotiate the contracts of players who have outperformed them if they could also reduce the pay of players that underperformed. Chris Kelsay's cut could help fund a raise for Peters.

OK, but hopefully the agent and the Bills don't use anything the media says as a basis for the worth of a player.

Good kick returners are only necessary for teams with a weak defense that allow the opposing teams kicker on the field too often.

Yes, for another team.

A lot of that depends on the front office. I don't see Brandon firing Jauron after Brandon's first year in the chair. Although I do like the sound of Bill Cowher as the Bills coach. Somebody should check to see if Cowher's duaghters are all out of high school after this year. Once that happens I think he'll be back on a sideline. Speaking of Cowher, if he were the head coach, you think he would have pulled JP out of there like that? I think not. Actually I like the sound of Cowher/Losman a lot better than Jauron/Edwards.

Trent doesn't strike me as a guy who will flop. He plays a responsible stlye. Doesn't hold the ball too long, throws with some accuracy, seems to have an understanding of the offense and respects what the coaches want him to do. With that said, my question would be can he make the leap from responsible yes man don't take too much risk QB to a more successful one? One who can: bring the team back from behind, put a weak team away, make a big play when he needs to and keep his TD/intereption ratio positive while staying healthy. So far what we've seen is really ordinary stuff from him (aided of course by his amazing "poise"). I think the question with Trent is whether or not he can be more than another Kelly Holcomb. Time will tell and he'll need some good work form the coaches and his teammates to do it.

Hits nail on head.

Me too. Perception is reality. Once a sportswriter or two calls a player "the best" most other sportswriters jump on the bandwagon because they are no better at evaluating talent than we are. Once the agents here this it's time for a new deal.

I think this shyt gets worse every year as few of the agents want to "go first" unless their client gets a better than expected deal. An NBA style rookie salary structure would be of help.

This thread has gone way off the topic. Come on now, am I the only one that thinks Trent looks a little like Gomer Pyle? Just a little?

Agree, although there were times in Buffalo and Dallas where I could swear he was practicing squeezing grapes with his feet while in the pocket.

Very good point. If the Bills can keep the emerging core togther over the next few years, they could be a very good team for a nice stretch. No question that the front office has cleaned up the roster and added a lot of promising young guys. Now they need to turn potential into performance. Nice opportunity for this coaching staff.

I think the Bills have about equal talent on both sides of the ball now. This assumes that Hardy can be a difference maker for at least a portion of the season. I wouldn't be surprised to see the defense outperform the offense this year since Jauron's teams have almost always ranked better on defense than offense. What I question is Jauron (who has to know himself after coaching for 7-8 years as a head coach) has had poor offenses. Sometimes you have to look yourself in the mirror, know what you are and if you want better results, be willing to do what it takes to get them. To me, that would have been making a comprehensive search for a new OC and chosing the guy that you think would give you the best results. How hard did he look before hiring Turk? Why not bring a bunch of other candidates to town for a look. Turk might be great and at this point we have to give him a chance, but if it doesn't go too well Jauron looks horrible for "taking the past of least resistence".

JP's combined completion percentage for '06 and '07 is the same as Trent's for attempts of 1-10 yards and higher than Trent's in every other (longer pass) category. Apparently though when you bounce one off the carpet, fans weigh that higher than when you throw it behind the receiver or over his head. JP loses "style points" for short passes based on this. JP had a higher rate of throwing for first downs last year than Trent (33% vs 30%) but Trent's cost per first down is much less due to his lower salary which helps to keep ticket prices down. Lastly, JP attempted 14 passes of 31 yards or more last year to Trent's 10 even though Trent had 50% more attempts. JP also completed 42% of these passes putting him among the league leaders in this category, but long passes make Jauron nervous. Apparently Jauron did not feel that changing the QB alone would reduce the risky long passes so a new coordinator that would emphasize the short pass (using basic geometry such as a triangle) was chosen as well.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...%26sa%3DG"]Gomer Trent looks a bit like Gomer Pyle, but he's a much better QB than him.

You're awfully sure of yourself. Time will tell. Never count a guy out who has the ability to do something, a great desire to do it and people who say he can't. The world is full of people who have overcome obstacles such as this and the NFL has its share.

I can't bank on anything in this post. Jauron is responsible for the offense and the entire team as another poster mentioned. Particularly the offense since he hired Turk and hired Turk without interviewing another candidate. If I were Brandon and my head coach did that after the team was so poor the year before, I'd simply look him in the eye and say: "the guy (Turk) better be good".

And just like in Buffalo, a new coach comes in and Willis is MIA.

In spite of all of this, he had decent numbers last year. I'd guess what frustrates Ravens fans is knowing that the guy could be great but knowing his level of commitment is not equal to his talent. Yup, same old Willis.

Come on. Every head coach has influence on the offense particularly in red zone and goal line situations, 4th downs and in other critical situations. Add to that the game plan each week. While he may not devise the game plan, he would certainly review it with the OC and make changes or put his stamp of approval on it.

Agree. The Bills offense could use a little attitude.

It's not news that Jauron wanted JP to stay in the pocket more and not run often. Jaron would be frightened by a QB that played anything like Flutie.

Let's get real here. He isn't terrible. I don't know what you do for a living, but hopefully people don't talk about you as being "terrible" when or if you aren't. If they do and in JP's case, he'll be as motivated a player as there is in this league when he finds a new home. That my friend can be a very powerful thing - being told you can't do something. With his ability and the right situation, he could end up being very good.

Actually, here's a great question for a media person to ask Jauron: Coach Jauron, JP Losman's 2006 season was the best ever performance among any QB that you've coached. You've consistently said during your time in Buffalo that you need competition at all positions. Tell us why he isn't at least considered in competition for the job this season?