JohnC

Have you met Plezmd? Some people ferociously cling to their narrative of negativity in order to avoid seeking solutions. They wear their impenetrable armor of cynicism with pride. (Not talking about Plezmd but I am talking about 4merper4mer.) The notion that making a deal that might include some young players to improve your roster is crossing a bridge too far is laughably stupid. Is 4merper4mer Crayonez? Or are they both just cut from the same cloth?

How about using some common sense and think about what I actually said. If you have a good prospect such as Guhle and you trade that player in a deal for a young second pairing defenseman (Montour) with term left on his contract you have improved your team. In addition, the Sabres had Pilut in the system who is actually better than Guhle so you are covered at the position. If a player such as Risto can bring you a second line forward or two then even with the subtraction of a good defenseman your roster can be better. If you have assets it's smart to consider parlaying for additional assets to make your team overall better. I'm not advocating for trading any particular player. What I'm saying is that if you can make a deal that makes the team better you do it. This isn't a charity endeavor where another team is going to give you a good player for nothing. In the real world if you want something you have to give up something. If in your calculation (judgment) the deal makes you better then you do it.

When all is said and done TT is carving out a long and lucrative career. More power to him.

You and I are in accord on the need for adding talent in order to have a competitive team. This team desperately needs to some how build a credible second line. Is it doable? It is if Mitts becomes the player that I think he will eventually become. The Sabres are in a good position with its good cap situation and extra first round pick to deal for a couple of players that can legitimately staff that second-line. I also believe that Risto is going to be dealt for some forward help. He is one of our few players who has value on the market. I would hate to se Reinhart dealt but he is another one of our few players who has value. It's not sexy or dramatic but internal improvement of our young players as much as the addition of outside help is going to be the decisive factor to our success. I have confidence in Botts that he can get this team over the hump of its current malaise of entrenched mediocrity.

I once used the ignore button on someone I found to be a bloviating and insufferable priiiiick. It turned out that I used the ignore button on myself. Does that mean that I lack self-awareness?

When it comes to being a wordsmith Dr. Who can be punctilious with his usage. He earns a star. He elevates the sometimes sunken dialogue.

I live in the Washington/Md area and follow the Redskins. They valued him and wanted to keep him but they didn't have the cap wherewithal to retain him. When their all-pro LT Trent Williams got injured he filled in. There was no drop off in the OL's performance. Just because this player has had a long and winding journey in football that doesn't mean that he can't play. It doesn't matter if a player is a first round pick or a free agent draftee. What matters is how he actually plays. My recommendation to you is to be patient and open-minded about this player. I'm confident that you will come to the conclusion that when he gets an opportunity to play he will be better than the person he replaced. Getting better is what it is all about. This was a terrific pickup from both a talent and value standpoint.

My position has not only not changed but has been hardened. The primary issue with this team is that there is a deficit of talent. The biggest problem is that we don't have enough goal scorers spread out throughout the lineup. Yesterday's game exemplifies that point. The Sabres didn't play that poorly. They can for the most part keep up with the exception of scoring goals. I challenge you and anyone else to watch the Sabres play a good team. Whether they win or lose you can not objectively conclude that they were the more talented team on the ice. To my eyes it is glaringly apparent that we are the lesser team. What's the solution? It's the same as it is for every team in the league, add talent. There is no quick fix. While you and others continue you energetic chase for your imaginary bogeyman (the coach) I will be watching to see how the young players develop and what moves the GM makes this offseason. Last offseason, the GM traded for Skinner, brought in Pilut as a free agent and made an in-season traded for Montour. I'm counting on the GM to be more active around the draft and infuse this team with more talent. I'm not as pessimistic as you and others are. The GM has a basic plan (that most teams follow when rebuilding) to develop your young players/prospects and steadily bring in players through trades and free agency to build a more competitive roster. There is no other way. I'm on board. I have stopped posting on the hockey side of this board because repeating my position becomes boring to the people receiving the posts and the person giving the post.

It was just reported that OBJ was traded to Cleveland. Cleveland is all in to turn it around. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001022270/article/browns-agree-to-trade-for-giants-wr-odell-beckham

I live in Redskin territory. This low profile player was highly regarded within the organization. As you and others have pointed out what makes him even more valuable is his versatility. When he replaced the injured all-pro LT, Trent Williams, the offense and line didn't miss a beat. The Redskins knew that any team that made him a respectable offer that they were not in a cap position to retain him. They didn't want to lose him. For the most part I like the way our front office has handled this free agent market. They haven't gotten caught up splurging for the glitz but instead have made good value picks. The Beasley and the other two OL acquisitions should put our young qb in a good position to succeed. I'm still perplexed by the Gore pickup but I'm not going to quibble when overall I am pleased.

The added benefit of having receivers getting open when the play breaks down is, hopefully, Josh takes off less. How many times when the play was replayed did it show that our receivers were blanketed. I really like the Beasley pickup.

Tyrod is going to a team that is overtly rebuilding. There is no secret about that. What's inaccurate about acknowledging the obvious. If Bridgewated did decline a more lucrative offer to go to Miami where he would start as opposed to staying with a team where he is the entrenched backup that certainly indicates that the situation is going to be difficult for the next few years. Tyrod going to Miami is not a criticism of him. In fact, more power to him. He is carving out a long and financially rewarding career. The reality is that he is not a franchise qb and is at best a caretaker qb until a more credible starting qb is found.

If a player is on the market and doesn't want to play in Buffalo that's his prerogative. I'm not going to feel slighted about it. There is another side to this preference equation: That is the Bills aren't interested in a certain type of player and personality. If a player requires a more lively night life compared to what LA or NYC has to offer then he shouldn't come to Buffalo because it would be a bad fit. The main consideration for players is the salary. And included in that picture is a reality that Buffalo has to play a premium to get a player to come here. So what! Another factor that historically has hurt the appeal is that the Bills have been a historically losing franchise. That certainly isn't an appealing factor to a player who wants to play playoff games and more. This market has more appeal to some than to others. What's so surprising?

McCoy is no longer a workhorse back. The notion that we needed a leader in that unit when McCoy is the captain doesn't resonate with me. I would rather get a veteran back who wasn't so old who can take over as the prime back if McCoy gets hurt. Again, I cite the Rams with CJ Anderson who was able to fill in when Gurley was injured. At this late stage of his career Gore doesn't fill that role, at least to me.

What happens if McCoy gets hurt? The Rams brought in a veteran back in CJ Anderson. When Gurley was injured Anderson was able to carry the load. I'm not against bringing in a veteran back, in fact I'm for it. But bringing him in when he can only be sparingly used makes no sense to me.

This signing makes no sense to me. I doubt any other team had an interest in him. He's a 35 yr old back who has no burst and has to be sparingly used. He's a high character guy who is well past his prime. The argument that he is an asset in the locker room and in the huddle doesn't address the more important issue of how much can he contribute on the field at this stage of his fading career. My suggestion is instead of signing him as a player just sign him as a coach. Being an upstanding citizen doesn't mean that he is going to be a contributing player. This is such a perplexing and oddball move that it rises to the level of being silly.

The best technical, footwork and versatile lineman in this draft is Jonah Williams. If the Bills drafted either Jonah or Florida's Jawaan Taylor I won't complain. The cost for free agent offensive linemen is exorbitant. One advantage of drafting a plug and play lineman such as JW is that it will save you money and allow more cap money to be dedicated to other needs.

The issue is what is the best way to build an offense that would put your young qb in a position to succeed. Is it better to use the cap money for a very good receiver at the expense of using that cap money to bring in two good offensive lineman and also upgrade the receiver unit with a more productive TE and a good #2 caliber receiver. Having a good running game will surely help the qb and our offense. I would love to have a Julio Jones on our roster. But I wouldn't give up a first round pick for him and then have to give him top tier money at the expense of some other needs. If you review the proposed AB deal it was a very good deal for us because we exchanged first round picks and then had to consider the contract demands for the proposed player. It seems that Beane didn't even want to go there.

No. I wouldn't be willing to give up a first round pick for him, and then make him the highest paid receiver. His age is a factor (not a disqualifying factor) but I don't think his talents would be as maximized as they were with Atlanta and Matt Ryan as his qb. Would I consider a trade deal for a second round pick? Yes. But I wouldn't be receptive to a first round pick unless the deal included a second round return for him. I would rather concentrate on rebuilding the OL and adding good second tier receivers. Getting a good TE from the draft, market or trade would also help to put Josh in a better position to succeed. Making Julio Jones the highest paid receiver on this roster doesn't seem to be the best way to distribute your cap money.

An added benefit to not re-signing Flowers and signing his replacement for a lesser term and amount is that the Pats will get a third round compensatory pick. Not all their moves work out but when they don't they usually have options to make up for them. You have to give them credit for how smartly they work the system.

What makes this trade interesting is not why Philly made the deal but why the Pats made the deal. The Pats are probably the most analytical organization in the business. They make a lot of these small splash deals that usually work out for them. I'm not sure how much upside Bennett has left but odds are the Pats will get a benefit beyond what they paid for him. The Pats lose and give up a lot of players but they get enough in return to keep on track. You got to admire how smartly they run their operation.

When you don't already have it of course you want it. When you only have a below-level of stuff it's not surprising that you want the above-level of stuff. It' s both funny and sad that this team's receiving corps lacked the basic requisite in their receiving unit. Let's not discuss the OL because that would be even more dispiriting. ?

Any team that trades for him knows in advance that they will have to redo his contract. I'm sure AB's representation is going to make it known what his contract expectations are. You are right that AB is under contract and his current team and prospective team has leverage over him from a contract standpoint. But why would any team bring him on board and subject themselves to a contract battle and a sidelined player unless the new and richer contract was agreed to? It appears that the Steelers want to deal him even though they won't get equal value back. There is no question that the Steelers have the legal leverage. But as seen with the Bell saga I'm sure they would rather deal him and get what they can get and avoid the lingering controversy. If a team such as the Raiders trades for him they will have the contract issue worked out before a deal is transacted. I'm glad that the Bills walked away from the deal when AB made it clear he wasn't interested. If the Bills would have made the deal even without AB's consent because he had no control over the trade it would have been a fiasco. AB is a great player; AB is not worth the predictable ensuing drama.

What is unreasonable and disgusting is the way he tried to create a chaotic situation to the detriment of the team so he could force the issue.

I didn't take as a disagreement. Just pointing it out where there was a distinction. ?