BillsVet

You've left out the coaching aspect. BAL and ATL last season along with NYJ this season minimized their rookie QB's weaknesses and had strong running games to take pressure off the young signal callers. That was no coincidence. To simplify it down to the "right rookie" leaves out how important it is to use them correctly. The Jets ran for 170 ypg this season, and ATL had Michael Turner running 20-25 times in 2008. Likewise, BAL has always been good on the ground, and now has an emerging star at RB in Ray Rice. Every single rookie QB has growing pains. It's a matter of coaching around them and once again putting them in a position to succeed. All three of those teams also had outstanding OL's to help set that rookie up for success.

The guy was a nice person, but what he did on draft day 06-08 was draft players who will not be contributors much longer. If, after four seasons all Buffalo has is only secondary, that's not success. It's abject failure. Buffalo used two firsts on DB's, one of whom may not even be on the team next year, and signed several UFA's in the course of DJ's four off-seasons. Of course they should have a solid secondary, they spent a lot of resources on it. But you can continue thanking DJ (and Marv) next season when the team must rebuild their front defensive front 7 and find OT's capable of pass blocking. Even without a move to the 3-4, Buffalo needed a lot of help on both sides of the LOS. For goodness sakes they gave up 150+ yards rushing per game last season! And that was worse than what they yielded in DJ's first season. See a trend here? At the rate DJ and company were going, it would have taken them 15 years to rebuild off the TD era.

Wilfork is a UFA, the result of being a six year veteran. I suspect NE will franchise him and possibly trade him, a la GB dealing Corey Williams to the Browns in 08. Finding a 3-4 NT will cost a lot, either in the draft or via FA. With no less than 13 teams running that defense, competition will be stiff for guys who can play that all important position. I don't see Pickett being re-signed, but he'll get a lot of attention on the market.

Again, why has he been on three teams in 3 seasons? I'm not writing him off, but after three years in the pros, I'd expect more than simply being a generally inactive 3rd stringer for a team featuring Pat White as their #2 QB. I'm just fed up with the notion of finding a QB on the bargain bin. Chances are the kid isn't it, but stranger things have happened.

Goodness gracious is this a hasty generalization. If Thigpen, after three seasons in the NFL were half the player Manning is, he'd be starting somewhere. Or he'd be mentioned as a possible starter to challenge Henne. Instead, he's on his third team in three seasons at was typically inactive throughout the season. Why wouldn't the goober fans on TBD think he wasn't capable of being the Bills answer?

Yeah, those other three teams that have accounted for 4 playoff appearances in 2 seasons. Those ones.

Thigpen accumulated his stats from a spread type offense Gailey devised known as the pistol. While he threw 18 TD passes, his completion percentage hovered in the mid fifties. That's not going to get it done in today's pass happy NFL.

Dick Jauron has experience. It means nothing to have only "experience." It's about talent, and not all NFL coaches are created equal. Dude with 10 years since his last HC gig, not to mention that he wasn't even mentioned for any OC jobs until Buffalo came calling for their top coach job is building a solid staff? Based on what? That Curtis Modkins hasn't been in a position to royally f*** up yet? It'll be a miracle for a team needing players to fit a new defense and a new QB to go anything better than 6-10 in 2010. Keep in mind who else is in the division.

2010 is going to be the beginning of a long rebuilding process. The defense needs a lot of pieces to fit into a 3-4, especially at LB. For teams like Denver, having a guy suited for the 3-4 OLB position in Dumervil helped immensely. Not all teams transition to the 3-4 in one season.

Donte is like the little yap dog that doesn't stop. When the Bills release him, he can keep those 10k+ followers because it won't matter. Brilliance from Levy and Jauron on that one. But he had a lot of "football character."

Question is where. Every Bills fan has doubts about the future of this team, despite what is said by Kelly, et al. Whaley seems to be a good hire, learned from one of the best in the business in Kevin Colbert. Pittsburgh was never big on signing UFA's, but built well through the draft. I really don't think UFA/RFA will bring many players in 2010. Still, they needed a pro personnel guy younger than 60.

He's on fire! Brings back some memories.

Teams didn't need to throw the ball when they could run for 150+ yards rushing yards per game and 4.7 YPC against the Bills. In some ways, 2009 was a lot like 2006 when Nate Clements and crew were statistically good against the pass, but the run defense yielded 140+.

Because Bears president Mike McCaskey announced McGinnis as the HC in a press conference BEFORE the team and prospective coach agreed to a contract. McCaskey later was fired by his mother Virginia. It goes without saying DJ wasn't the man they wanted. Look, I think DJ was in over his head as a HC, and was an average DC. He's gone, and that's all there is.

Jauron was not DC in Chicago, but in Jacksonville from 95-98. Although inheriting an expansion team, JAC was in the AFC Title game in 1996. That defense ranked 19th in points allowed, 15th in 97, and 17th in 98. His defenses were not stellar by any stretch of the imagination. Had it not been for Dave McGinnis turning down Chicago in 99, DJ may never have become a HC at all.

The guy's gut told him not to come work here. In other words, he wasn't going to work for an organization which will be sold to the highest bidder and whose 90-something owner still runs the franchise. Cowher can do whatever he wants, but anyone in management has to manage their career and gauge whether a prospective position will enhance that. The Bills are a complete rebuilding project, and I'm sure he didn't want to be at the dawn of that movement. But it's funny to see people attack Cowher for not coming here or Tim Graham for merely reporting his interview. Those guys aren't at fault, rather, the team with 10 straight non-playoff seasons is.

Anyone wanting to trade with Belichick is not all that bright. Ask the Raiders who gave up what will probably be a high first for an aging Richard Seymour back in September. Still, Buffalo would do well at this early juncture to trade down. They need all the picks they can get, although teams rarely trade into the top 10.

Schobel plays the run better than he gets credit for. If he retires, it's going to be an adventure replacing him because Maybin needs another year to fill out and get stronger. He's about as savvy a DE as there is in the NFL and Chan Gailey needs to get to work if he hasn't already on keeping his best player.

Mike Mayock is just slinging stuff against a wall and doesn't really know what he's talking about. I mean, who made him an expert in drafting? The guy isn't always right, but he's darn good. One guy he wasn't crazy about was John Carlson, TE from ND who went in the 2nd of 2008. Bradford needs a solid showing at the combine, but I'm not sure if he'll be able to throw coming off should surgery.

It's not even February and you're dinging one of the best mock drafters for supposedly throwing stuff at a wall? No mock draft in January looks like what actually happens because the combine and individual workouts influence board movement. Just once I'd like to see someone actually put forth an alternative or back up an opinion before ripping another person, TBD'er or otherwise. But that'd be too much for TBD.

Buffalo does not consider outside candidates for the big jobs at OBD and therefore Roseman wouldn't have been considered. Really, TD was the last outside hire in management this decade. Philly doesn't need a total rebuild like Buffalo does. They need some pieces, but they're a playoff team the last two seasons and to compare and contrast both franchises is an exercise in futility. Unlike Jeffrey Lurie, we know the Bills owner will immerse himself, despite a terrible track record in picking players, front office people, and HC's, into all facets of football. It's for this reason that I can't slam the Eagles as much but will criticize the Bills. Reid did interview other in-house candidates, but he's still in charge. The management side of the house is changing in the NFL, and having someone who understands the cap and legal stuff seems to be a somewhat growing trend. The Jets have Mike Tannenbaum as their GM, who isn't a classically trained football guy; he's a lawyer who came up on the cap side of the house. After all, I can't imagine many teams had capologists 10-15 years ago, but now they're a staple of front offices. Roseman holds the title of GM, but it's not in the way of what we think of. He'll handle the non-personnel duties and focus on cap stuff. All along, I've made the point that people do not reach the pinnacle of their career at 70 and there's more to this GM thing than simply scouting players. Too many people here forget that Nix was not involved in day to day decisions when he was "Assistant GM" in San Diego and lived 2000 miles from team HQ. Now, he'll be in the middle of day to day decisions, that is, if Smithers and Burns will let him.

Shanahan was interviewed in November. It was then that word spread how RW would be willing to pay 10M to hire a name guy to come in. OBD has never sold hope better than in the November through early January time frame.

Leaking that RW would pay 10M per to secure a name GM/coach was a stroke of brilliance by the PR folks at OBD. It helped Buffalo sell some tickets and increase attention to the coach search. I've heard Channy is getting 3M per, and it's a cost savings because he's the de facto OC as well. Modkins probably isn't being paid much with his wonderful resume. I wouldn't be so sure about the stadium being filled next season even with a big name player signing to a short term contract, a la TO. By interviewing a grand total of 5 people for 2 of the most crucial jobs in the franchise, the Bills showed they're concerned with making as little commitment as possible given the owner's age. Not surprisingly, they did that by hiring two people who were not courted by any other of the 31 NFL teams.

Collie and Garcon looked good out of the box because they have two outstanding coaches: their future HOF QB and OC Tom Moore. Take nothing away from the kids, they're good and made plays when it counted in the AFC Championship. Conversely, Buffalo drafted Hardy out of Indiana with the expectation he'd be the starter right away, which is absurd for rookie 2nd round WR's. They typically don't develop that quickly. The Bills fell in love with Hardy's measureables, but it belied the fact Hardy didn't run a NFL route tree, nor separated well in college. Now he can't even get on the field when healthy.

If you knew anything about the Eagles, it's that Andy Reid has personnel control. He had it when Tom Heckert (now GM in Cleveland for Mike Holmgren) served in the role Roseman was promoted to. And Andy Reid has had far more hits than misses in his 11 drafts there. Track record means nothing to too many mindless posters here. The Eagles won 103 regular season games from 2000-09, Buffalo a mere 66. So go ahead and attack Philadelphia for promoting from within, because it ain't the same as when Buffalo does it.