ThreeBillsDrive

Entering his contract year and working behind the beefed up O-line, Willis will have a better '07 than '06.

Should we book a bus and get a block of front row tickets to see him?

Maybe another visit to Cinci by the Commish?

J.P. Losman arm = cannon

That would work!

Briggs = Franchise Tag Briggs mandatory spring reading list = NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Briggs lost pay / week by holding out = $400,000/week Briggs in 2007 = A Chicago Bear

You nailed it. A-train is just an OK backup. Yeah, DJ likes the guy, but he's not a feature back in this league. I watched him last year and found he wasn't patient enough in allowing holes to develop.

We'll see how much of a loudmouth he is around Zack Thomas. I can just see Porter blabbering off in the locker room and in practice about "hey, when we won the Superbowl, we did this....". He's an aging, potentially injury prone LB.

He'll be franchise tagged and will have to suck it up like a big boy after his agent re-familiarizes him with the CBA.

Agreed, I wouldn't read too much into it.

Briggs will have to suck it up. He needs to read the CBA and read the definition of franchise tag. He can hold out like a crybaby and lose $400,000 a week. Money talks.

Ha ha! And the subtitle would read: "2007 Season Pulled Ahead & Will Begin in May to Mollify Fan Mind Erosion"

Good point in connecting this to back to Hutchison. Boy I bet the Seahawks are still kicking themselves for not being more aggressive last year in re-signing him. Seahawk fans are still bitter about it on their boards a year later.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10040633/2 The Winners Nate Clements: First, Clements should thank the Buffalo Bills. They're the people who last year promised him they wouldn't make him a franchise player again. Second, he can thank 49ers owner John York. He's the guy who signs the paychecks that put $22 million in guaranteed money in Clements' pockets. Maybe Clements got the word from Jonas Jennings. He's the free-agent tackle who escaped Buffalo when the 49ers offered him a contract that paid $12 million in guaranteed money. The 49ers overpaid then, and they overpaid now. Champ Bailey? Yeah, maybe then I could see it. Nate Clements? No. "But that is the going rate," one scout told me, "for a top corner these days." Maybe. I still think they paid too much, which happens when you're desperate to make something happen. Anyway, they needed help at the position and had the cash and the cap room to make a bold move -- and there is none bolder than this one. Clements is a physical cornerback who can cover and tackle; who is 27; who is durable; and who was at or near the top of most free-agent tote boards. Yes, this makes the 49ers a better club, but at a dreadfully high cost. Someone once told me that you look at it like this: You figure he plays a minimum of three years, right? At least you hope so. So, in essence, this becomes a deal for $7 million and change per year, and that's not all that bad. OK, I feel better already. All I know is that Clements is one lucky camper. Talk about the right place at the right time. The man just hit the NFL lottery. Eric Steinbach and Derrick Dockery: Two guards with zero Pro Bowl credentials pulling down nearly $100 million between them? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. A year ago, Cleveland signed Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley to a six-year, $36 million deal. Then he suffered what could be a career-ending injury. So the Browns try to make up for the loss by shelling out $49.5 million for Steinbach? Wow. No one can accuse GM Phil Savage of sitting on his hands. He's doing everything he can to make sure Romeo Crennel keeps his job. The Bills overpaid for Dockery, but look at the move like this: It's a way of protecting your most valuable asset, quarterback J.P. Losman. If Losman is going to keep improving, he needs protection, and Dockery is an upgrade over left guard Mike Gandy. I trust Bills fan Rich Q. when he weighs in on his club and tells me, "Dockery is as much a nod to Losman's development as it is a recognition that the Bills need to improve in the trenches." OK, I'll buy that. But at $49 million? Is this a great country or what? New England Patriots: Two words: Adalius Thomas. He was one of the top two free agents on the board, with San Francisco poised to make a run at him. One problem: The Patriots got to him first, and good for them. Good for Thomas, too. This is a perfect fit. Thomas is a playmaker best suited to a defense that will move him all over the field, which means he's best suited to playing for Bill Belichick. The scorecard lists Thomas as an outside linebacker, but trust me, Belichick will have him everywhere -- at defensive end, covering wide receivers, plugging the middle -- which means it just got tougher to game plan the Patriots. Thomas' strength is his versatility. He can cover the field as easily as he can rush the pocket, and, remember, he had 11 sacks for the Ravens last season. Also remember that New England was one minute from the Super Bowl. You think he would've made a difference in that second half against Indianapolis? You bet he would. One other thing: I liked the Patriots' pickup of tight end Kyle Brady. He's 35, but the guy can block.

Nate can thank us for his lucky luck: "The winners -- Nate Clements: First, Clements should thank the Buffalo Bills. They're the people who last year promised him they wouldn't make him a franchise player again." http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10040633 Unfortunately, we don't get any credits for taking the moral high road. But I'm glad we did. I hope you're right about karma.

Teams must not be happy with the Bills over the Dockery deal. It's changed the math on what a guard should be paid in this league.

Will we become the Kansas City of the NFL? Big beefy O-line that protects the QB and anchors a solid running game, only to have a defence that allows 25 points a game. The next project for the Bills in FA and the draft is to address our run defence problem. If we allow teams to run all over us like they did in '06, we will miss the playoffs for the 8th straight year.

That's not a bad guess.

I hate to admit it but Pioli is brilliant. From the $14,000 scouting assistant and gofer that drove Bellicheck to the airport in Cleveland, to one of the league's best personnel men.

Well done! See you at Ralph Wilson Stadium in September!

Four days a world of difference makes. 2006 12-4, AFC conference championship 2005 10-6, AFC conference semi's 06 vs 05: Improvement 07 offseason: two first round draft picks + active, strategic FA signings this team will be a contender again in 07

But I recall hearing that one of the reasons he's shopping himself around is that he'd like to be the feature back for a team. I sure like how he came off the bench in the playoffs. He was a dominant key in the Indy win over Baltimore and was a key part of managing the clock against NE on some important drives. He got hot at the right time in his contract year.

yup, and I'm not sure the A-train is an adequate replacement. I know DJ likes him. But he's less patient than Willis in allowing holes to develop. One thing for certain: Willis is optimally positioned for success in '07: Final year of contract -- he'll work his @ss off Beefed up line that will drive more holes open for him next year

Jets fans appear to be fretting though that the team hasn't had a very active offseason. This is the first major move of their offseason program.

I always thought he was overrated. It's par for the course with the hype that comes from the NY media.