JohnC

I'm making the same point that Rubes made in his post #50 regarding DM's favoritism toward his buddy Crossman and his ST's coach. You are basically saying that the HC at his offense's expense enhanced the the play of the ST unit because he favored Crossman to the detriment of Hackett, the OC. I'm not trying to diminish your view but it is a very odd position to take. The reallity is that Goodwin was mostly off the shelf due to injury issues. The prior year the Bills' ST play struggled. So the HC placed an emphasis on STs and also the defense. If you reflect on the situation that DM had to deal with he had to do everything he could to compensate for a very limited offense due to its inept OL and poor qb play. That strategy should be understood in the context that the offense was incapable of being consistently productive. That wasn't an unreasonable approach to take. It's apparent that DM is not a very popular figure, especially considering the way he departed. But the view that he sabotaged his team at his own peril is not only absurd but it is also silly.

Don't minimize the importance of good special team play. Sometimes it is difficult to measure the contribution it makes to winning but it becomes very apparent when you have poor ST play that leads to big plays against you. You make the argument that Goodwin is useful because he is a decoy. There is another argument to be made that another productive wideout who actually makes receptions helps to take some extra coverage off of Watkins and Woods. The theortical argument that Goodwin stretches the defense because of his mere presence is neutralized by the reality that due to his inability to stay on the field he has little impact for our offense. Graham the bum was on the field more frequently than your hidden gem who was being serviced in the training room.

You can't play well if you are not on the field because of constant injuries. There is a major difference between what a player is capable of and what a player actually does.

What you just described is how TJ Graham was used. Not only did Graham possess high end speed but he was much more durable than Goodwin. Goodwin was an intriguing prospect because of his impressive speed. Not only was he a speedster but he was a world class athlete (difference from speed). All his exceptional physical talents are undercut by the negative factor that he is very fragile in a crash sport. When Goodwin is on the field the defense knows what routes he can run and what he can't. He's not going to run routes over the middle because he is going to get pummeled and predictably hurt. So the one route he is usually going to run (even with his great speed) is going to be accounted for by the defensive backfield. The long routes that Goodwin regularly runs has lacked much utility because our OL couldn't pass block adequately enough and because our qb play has been so dreadful. As it stands this was another Buddy Nix squandered high pick. You can add this cute pick to the wasteful Buddy picks that include Torrel Troup etc. As it stands Goodwin is a niche player when this team is lacking enough quality useful football players. Hogan doesn't have the impressive physical attributes that Goodwin possesses but he is a more productive football player. Very often when you try to outsmart others you outsmart yourself. That's the Tom Donahoe syndrome. Goodwin is the type of prospect who excells in the combine setting. But when you put him on the field with real game time action he doesn't give you much production because he is more often than not on the sidelines being attended to by the trainers.

How would the league rig the lottery?

Adding to your list Girgenson, Ennis, Risto, zadorov and Foligno. All good young players In the couple of games that I saw after the trade Bogasious (sic) was very impressive. Meyer and Bogasious are very different types of players. But if this was a one on one deal it would have been a good deal for us. The players you mention Fashing etc are all good prospects who are in the pipeline and will be ready in a couple of years. The one player who will be traded I want returned after the season is Stewart. He is big, strong and can score. He is having a bad stat year but with a more talented offense he could be a contributing scorer and a tough presence for this team. One observation I have witnessed is that this team is getting bigger than from the Regier era. This front office has a plan and the pieces are falling into place. In two to three years this is going to be a very good team. At times this team is excruciating to watch but the fun part is witnessing a smart organizational strategy being implemented.

Next year either McDavid or Eichel will be added to the roster. Add Rhinehart and Evander Kane and Pysk to the mix and now you have a great young corps. The immediate future looks bright. You can see the pieces falling into place and the plan materializing for a long run of serious hockey. One player question that I find intriguing is whether Gregorinko will develop into a good NHL player or is he a marginal pro prospect?

We are going to find out this year if the issue is talent or coaching. I hope I am wrong but I have major doubts about EJ and his feel for the game and accuracy. Marrone saw EJ prior to the season in practice sessions, training camp, preseason and during the early part of the season. He made a decision that a has been mediocre veteran qb who didn't bother to train in the offseason gave the team a better chance to succeed. That is very troubling.

Dalton was available for us in the second round. I'm not sure about Kaepernick's availability because if I recall San Fran moved up in the second round to get him. The rumor was that Oakland was going to take him in the second round but the 49ers jumped ahead of them. Foles was not a first rounder. He's not great but he is a credible qb. Mettenberger was a sixth round pick by the Titans. He is a better prospect than EJ due to his better pocket awareness and accuracy. It is not easy finding a franchise qb in any draft. No one is suggesting that. But that doesn't mean that over a decade stretch you can't find a reaonable option as a bridge qb. The Cardinals traded for Palmer when he was on the downside of his career. Yet he was a major reason why that team moved up the ranks. Alex Smith is an average qb at best. KC traded for him and he proved to be a good enough qb that it helped the team get back on the winning path. There were opportunities that we didn't take that other teams did to secure their qb position. Just because you are not in position to acquire a high level qb prospect in the draft that doesn't mean that you shouldn't use other avenues to find at the minimum a competent qb who gives your team a chance to compete.

What do you expect when you go dumpster diving for a qb? You certainly are not going to find an impressive piece of filet mignon; your are more likely to come up with a half eaten McBurger. This is what happens when you use a first round pick on a qb and then realize that you better have a backup plan. When an organization has to resort to Kolb and Orton type qbs to take the snaps you know that you are not in a position of strength so much as a position of desperation. The shame of this qb situation is not that we are in this situation but that we have been in this situation for so long. It's such an absurdity.

There is no appealing qb on the market. The best you can do is get the best available mediocre qb that you can sign up. Moore is a possibility and even Sanchez might be a short term answer. Some people react very negatively when the Sanchez option is mentioned. But if this organization was willing to bring in an out of shape Orton then the standard isn't too high to meet.

I wasn't even aware of the rumor. If there was an infininitesimal chance that it was true it would be swirling around more publicly. I understand why he is disliked by many. But based on his performances last season with a lest talented cast of players he earned his position of being the top qb prospect in this year's draft and the probable number one pick.

What activities are you referring to that he is rumored to have had that would be damaging to him?

There is nothing more I can say. You are saying that what numerous witnesses observed is not material is nonsensical. The same logic applies to the Hughes involvement. If numerous witnesses state that they observed Hughes racing with Dareus then that is overwhelming evidence that these consistent observations from different people are very credible. If witnesses are so immaterial then why are they used in court? Your logic on this issue is beyond being perplexing. I understand your historical reluctance to admit fallibility when WEO is challenging your position but in this case listen to WEO. Sometimes things are so obvious that even the blind can see.

Hughes might not be the smartest person in the room but he is smart enough with the assistance of tutoring from his counsel to tell the truth if called to the stand. The stupidest thing that Hughes can do is lie about what happened when it was witnessed by dozens of people. Dareus might be a good friend but not good enough for him to do something foolish enough to jeopardize/damage his career. Your reasoning is getting very weird. Because so many people witnessed the incident it makes it very provable that it occurred. Trust me this case is not going to again be reduced before going to trial. The DA has already demonstrated a willingness to reduce a much more serious charge to a lower charge. Why would he go further down when the evidence is so overwhelming against the defendant. (WEO has very often pointed this out to you. I don't understand why you are so unreceptive to his obvious point.) This is a situation where you don't have to have a legal background to come to a reasoned position. All that it takes is a scintilla of common sense to understand what the legal situation is. When you got no ammo you got no ammo. Shooting back is futile!

Who made the claim that he is a generational qb prospect? No one. You are putting too much stock in a picture. The qb coach he is working with is not a soft touch. He forces his clients to work hard. No one who has doubts about him can be criticized. The player put himself in a less than appealing situation. So he has earned the doubts about him. This year Winston played with a below average offense compared to the prior year. He elevated that team. Without him the Seminole's would n't be ranked in the top 20. He made a big difference because he knows how to play. For me if he was available I would take him. I'm not going on a limb by saying that as the evaluation of prospects advances he will solidfy his top ranking as a first round pick. I'm not saying he is the best player in the draft but I am saying that he is worthy of being the first selection for a team that needs a qb. On a side note: I would have no qualms about the Bills picking up Josh McCown, the qb the Bucs cut. He would be a good bridge qb for us who would allow us to be a fringe playoff team.

Let me try a different approach with you on this Dareus issue. On what basis is his attorney going to argue on his behalf? Is he going to deny what happened? Is he going to refute the accounts of the numerous people who witnessed the reckless driving and crash? If the case goes trial how is he going to refute Hughes's account that he and the immature Dareus were racing? If Dareus's attorney has any legal common sense he is certainly not going to put his dopey client on the stand. Again, what is his attorney's strategy and approach in making a case for Dareus. The reason I stated that I felt that this case wasn't going to trial is not because his attorney can get a better deal but because he has no other recourse other than looking like a fool in a public courtroom. What hurts Dareus's case even further is that it is going to be heard in front of judge and not a jury. So there is no chance of jury nullification due to some stupid jurist who is biased toward a hometown athlete. Tell me who his attorney is going to call on his behalf? Tell me what possible strategy he is going to take for his defense?

Don't join WEO in this over the top assessment of Winston in his comparison to JaMarcuss. Winston is going to be the first pick in the draft, and it certainly won't happen because his situation is anywhere near the LSU qb. Are there character questions? Absolutely. I have my doubts about him because of his repeatingly troublesome behavior. But from a football standpoint there isn't anything you can't like. He is as football ready as they come. He certainly isn't in the Luck category who is a generational qb. But when considering his strengths and weaknesses he is as pro ready as they come. As much as Winston has gotten into trouble (not counting the sexual issue) the serial incidents are in the mild category. What is telling in his favor is that his teammates like him and respond to him. His college coach has coached him hard and has not been afraid to put him in his place. His response is to accept the criticism and learn from the stern coaching. That tells you that he is not in the RGIII category who doesn't respond well to coaching. In fact diva RGIII has reacted by sabotaging his coaches.

On a variety of levels you are wrong. Yes, there are character issues. But from a football standpoint there is no comparison between the two. He is better conditioned. He works hard on both the physical and mental side of the game. And surprisingly his teammates like and respond to him. For a qb coming out of the college ranks he has a pro game ready style. He is probably going be the first pick in the draft. You have to remember that Crazy Al Davis made the Jamarcuss Russell selection because he was infatuated with his size and arm strength. The deceased weird owner was known for making peculiar draft selections. His bizarre way of evaluating players is not going to happen when Tampa makes it first selection. Winston will be intensely scrutinized and then be te first pick in the draft.

His attorney has no grounds for a dismissal and nothing else in his arsenal other than additional billable hours.

Don't count on this case going to trial. The attorney will settle before going to trial. Just my opinion and sense of the situation.

Thank you. When you got nothing new to add you got nothing new to add. As you noted the charges that Dareus is facing is less than what he could have faced. There is no reason why the DA would negotiate against itself when he has already been willing to make a fair (generous) deal for the defendant. I'm sure you are well aware of my position on Dareus's behavior He should be held accountable just like everyone else should be. Not more and not less. Isn't it ironic that when players from other teams are involved in transgressions many members on this board righteously and gleefully point out their failings. But when players representing the hometown are involved in illegal/moronic behavior that endangers the community then the moral indignation is non-existent because the miscreant is one of our own.

We are going in circles. He can handle whatever the punishment is for the original charge of reckless driving. What his attorney wants is a lower charge so when the league reviews his case it will be compared to others involved with the similar lower charge. As I stated in the prior posts there is a strong probability that he will be subjected to a costly $$$$$ suspension. If he and his attorney can get it to two games vs four games that is a substantial difference. The legal strategy is not so much to win as it is to cut one's losses. Roger Goodell has recently had a number of his cases reversed when it went to an arbitrator. So he has a strong incentive to stay within the established boundaries of prior cases. The lower the charge (regardless of the punishmist) the better position Dareus is in to receive the lower league punishment.

You basically repeated what I stated.

The attorney representing Dareus is not too concerned with the punishment related to the reckless driving offense. He would be willing to accept the standard punishment for the charge (range of 6 mos to yr driving suspension plus court costs and a fine). His attention is more on what the league's punishment will be after the court case is resolved. His strategy is to have the charges lessened with the same punishment for the original charge so that when Roger reviews the case under the all encompassing personal conduct clause his case will be compared to similar driving cases. There is a lot of money at stake for his immature client. The difference between a two game suspension compared to a four game suspension is substantial.