BillsVet

Forget it with The Swimmer...he'll continue his anti-Peters crusade ad nauseam. Don't ever forget that the Peters' trade was in essence a salary dump. They take the cap hit for this season but don't pay the salary. It's music to RW's ears. Fans will learn in due time that hoping a Walker, Chambers, or Bell could play well at the position was a poor plan.

The Bills talk about Bell as if he's close to ready. People like eball, who disappeared from the board during the latter part of the 2-8 finish actually believe Bell could start right now. No doubt he's athletic, but plenty of guys can't play the LT position. Bell was a two year project when he was drafted, and he's probably a year away. I'm sure he's much stronger than he was when drafted, but he's never taken an NFL snap. Perhaps Buffalo wanted to try to make it through 09 with Langston "Beerbelly" Walker and hope Bell is ready in 2010. That's fine if you're rebuilding, but this franchise can't afford to hope someone will be ready while hoping to get by with an inferior athlete at the positon this season.

Absolutely. For the record, players can come off the PUP List at anytime and IIRC, the Ravens had 8 or 9 guys start camp on the PUP List. It's not IR. I'm interested in seeing what happens with Eugene Parker's first round picks and how long they are out of camp, particularly Crabtree. Peters has to be the most maligned player this decade and because OLineman performance can't be measured beyond the ridiculous sacks allowed stat, will keep that for this season as well. Simply amazing, and it'll be funny when Langston Walker is surrendering sacks and people talk about why Buffalo didn't keep Peters.

We can't do that to draft picks..hyping rookies is part of the overall PR plan. In all seriousness, hernia's are not fun. I had one when I was 12 and while I was running around 10 days later, playing pro football two weeks later seems ambitious. He'll probably remain behind the curve until deep into the season.

DJ, TS, and Kugler were the coaches last season and nothing's really changed. I've heard since 2007 that the offense would be high octane, and it hasn't happened. At this point, I'll believe it when I see it, TO or no TO. The mark of a good coach is the ability to adapt to what is going on. That doesn't mean react, that means being proactive and anticipating what to do before it happens. In three seasons, I've never see DJ or his coaches successfully do this. They've never proven they're capable of beating quality teams, which is what they'll see plenty of in 2009. As many have pointed out on TSW, running the no-huddle requires plenty of precision and will not mask weaknesses. If anything, a team needs to have experienced OLineman.

It is indeed more challenging to play OT, mainly due to the speed of pass rushers, whereas OG's need to be more stout. I'm not convinced anyone can assume Butler will make the transition to OT, without having played their in the pros. Hangartner is definitely an improvement over Fowler/Preston. But he started the entire 2006 season, only to see Carolina draft Ryan Kalil in the second the following draft. That doesn't make much sense, and GH's starts came when Kalil went down. There are times when backups are good, but the examples you cite are selective and do not demonstrate that a guy like GH will be good. The OL will need time. Walker's going to need help, as is Butler to handle the faster edge rushers. LW's never played the LT position more than two games in row going into his 8th season. Perhaps Bell ends up there at some point, but he's never played a snap in a regular season game either. It's not outrageous to think one rookie can step in and play well, there are plenty of examples out there. But needing two of them is pushing it, IMHO. Everything has to go right for the OL, which means five guys have to step it up at with four of them playing new positions. That's really a wing and a prayer.

Free Agency has a lot to do with the makeup of NFL rosters. We will never again see a team like the Bills had in the late eighties/ early nineties with Kelly, B. Smith, T. Thomas, Reed, Bennett, Odomes, Wolford, Hull, Metzelaars, Talley, et al. Now, teams are constantly having to make choices about who to keep, and who to allow onto the open market. 20 years ago there wasn't much of an open market, save for perhaps Plan B FA. Teams could only build through the draft, and bad teams stayed that way longer. The key to long term success in today's NFL is having personnel people who know their team's scheme and can replace talent through the draft. Indianapolis doesn't draft a whole lot of LB's-Polian knows he can find them deeper in the draft. He does well deeper into the draft and doesn't miss with first and second rounders. It's also evident he's not going to use UFA much either.

I wonder what it was like when SD was in grade school and had to take the bus to school. And all without any air conditioning save for the window.

It's too simplistic to take this stance. As much as I have issues with the front office, negotiations are not a matter of the player rejecting "good" offers. It's a bargaining process that two sides ultimately have to agree upon. There are four players out of 32 first round picks signed. This is a matter of agents waiting to see what the market is set at before agreeing to a deal. Besides, these agents want to build credibility to sign future clients, and thus we see the patient approach which many fans do not comprehend.

Thanks John for the correction. I know there's been some confusion about holdouts versus unsigned status. It seems a more apt description to call a rookie unsigned as opposed to holding out.

Excellent...again. Thanks very much.

Brandon has said that Overdorf is in contact with all unsigned picks and working hard to get them into camp. If the situation with Wood, Levitre, and Byrd goes one more week, then I'd be worried. My guess is within the next 5 days all of them will be in camp. I normally don't care for the front office and concept of not firing people who have been part and parcel of the past 9 years of futility. But in this case, the team is in a unique position by starting camp early. Either way, Brandon will never let on what's really going on, so his words are simply rhetoric.

Bills negotiations with Maybin Evidently, apparently, allegedly, the Bills are not deeply involved in negotiations with Aaron Maybin. Now, I'm sure part of this is Parker being his usual hard-a$$ self in trying to get the best deal for his client. And the Bills aren't going to throw a blank check to their newest DE. Still, it's disconcerting that the two sides are so far apart on a deal. EDIT: removed topic description

It's ironic that the Bills seem to have a decent working relationship with Drew Rosenhaus, yet Eugene Parker has become the devil incarnate to some fans on this board. One thing you can say about both agents: they get what they want in most instances for their clients.

Jauron-speak would be a lot more tolerable if it weren't for the gameday failures. While I give him credit for protecting players and coaches alike, he must realize the rhetoric is getting old. It's also not going to pass muster in 2009. I've repeatedly heard DJ's preparation from Monday through Saturday is good. Unfortunately, that doesn't make up for making poor decisions on game days. As has been mentioned numerous times on TSW, his ability to quickly diagnose and make decisions is hampering this team. He's a bright man, though ultimately incapable of adjusting to changing scenarios, and thus he takes extra time. It's not surprising TO's are used in situations where the game clock winds down, or in situations like being near the goal line at home versus the Jets in 2007. Coaching is a force-multiplier in a league with general parity. When the coaching staff is indecisive and tentative, it tends to be a millstone around the team collectively.

Thank you kindly for those pictures. Excellent.

In terms of offense, the Bills have more skill at the skill positions in some time. The youth on the OL and transition of other players makes it seem difficult to run it more than a few series per game. At the end of the day, no DJ team has been stellar offensively. Opening up the offense isn't something's he's done since Gary Crowton ran the wide open style in 1999 and 2000. In neither season did the Bears win many games. And inevitably running the no-huddle will force the defense onto the field more frequently. I just can't see a defensive minded and very conservative coach running the risk of exposing his defense more than is absolutely necessary. The no-huddle may work initially, even with a transitional OL. The key will be adjusting it when facing the better opponents. And last year, adapting to situations (3-4 defenses with 6+ in coverage) didn't seem to be the coaching staff's strong point.

You do realize the Bills are one of two teams to have missed the playoffs nine straight years, right?. Oh sure, they'll get one personnel move right every now and then, but that ain't enough kitty kat. Frankly, it needs to happen on the field for me before I rubber stamp these moves. You talk about the franchise as if they're a perennial success story but they're not. Hope, change, and optimism don't mean crap to me pal and I know the casual uninformed fans will latch onto anything to make themselves feel good, but not everyone thinks your way.

Instead of praising the front office for getting it correct this year by taking two guards high, it should be highlighted that for three drafts the Bills did not take a first day OL, and used in total only a 5th, and two 7ths on the offensive line. If guard is truly one of the easier positions to transition to, the Bills could have saved themselves a ton of money and cap room by taking young guards and not having to pay Dockery. Granted Butler played at G and may become a full time OT, but interior OL was a problem before Levy got there and we're only hoping it isn't now. Why did it take so long for them to realize this? I disagree on Peters. Many people, including Peter King, had him as an All Pro (not to be confused with Pro Bowl) OT in 2007. He also fared quite well in the latter half of the 2006 season. When it comes to Peters, it's a case of was he worth the money. Only he can prove that, but it won't be in a Bills uniform. Time to move on.

Turk talks about Shawn Nelson Granted Buffalo hasn't had a pass catching TE since the days of Pete Metzelaars or perhaps Riemersma, but it would be nice to see Nelson get an opportunity. If the team is intent on running a little no-huddle, it stands to reason they'd feature a TE who could run the seam. Nelson isn't going to wow anyone with his blocking ability (although he pancaked Maualuga at the Senior Bowl) but if they're satisfied with relegating him to a quasi-redshirt season it makes little sense. The TE needs to be featured, and I agree with Sal here: that neither Fine nor Schouman are more than blockers who may catch a pass now and then. Either way, they're not going to scare any defenses.

No matter what happens, Gruden isn't going anywhere during the regular season. He's under contract for MNF. Despite a bevy of coaches with playoff experience (Shanahan, Cowher, Billick, Holmgren) Wilson will not fork out a huge contract to any coach. Keep in mind RW directly negotiated the DJ extension in October, so I think the Bills live or die with DJ in 09. A 1-3 start does not mean the season is over anyway, although with NE, NO, and at MIA it wouldn't be out of the question. The next four games (CLE, at NYJ, at CAR, HOU) should tell the story. A marquee name isn't a requirement to replace DJ. The Bills know their fan base don't need a huge name at HC, just someone new. Anyone would be welcomed if the season didn't result in something more than 7-9.

No one can deny Buffalo is worse in more areas than NE. The Pats are a veteran laden team that seems to transition to younger players without much loss in quality of play. Ultimately, the salary cap means talent is spread evenly over the league. NE has plenty of talent, but their greatest advantage is in coaching and the front office. This single fact means they get the players they need to fit the system that has worked for nearly a decade. I believe the best way for a rebuilding team to win is to fortify their OL and DL while featuring an efficient QB. The Bills chose to take guys at the skill positions until this year. And now they're banking on Maybin, Wood, and Levitre to, at the very least, contribute from Day 1. Don't get me wrong, I like all of those guys but they're rookies when all is said and done. It's a pipe dream that no less than 3 rookies will mean the difference in protecting a QB and getting to the opponents signal caller.

The common denominator, at least since 2006, is DJ. The OC deserves a good share of the blame, but DJ's last three coordinators can all be described as running a vanilla offense. I think much of this stems from DJ's first OC in Chicago-Gary Crowton who put together a pass-happy offense that didn't make Chicago a playoff team. After Crowton left in 2000, DJ has hired John Shoop, Fairchild, and now TS. None of them can be considered up and coming offensive innovators. I don't believe DJ wanted, at least until last season, a high powered offense. We'll see how much latitude he gives TS this season to run an up-tempo offense.

I agree there are plenty of considerations anytime a team dips into UFA and that the front office must simultaneously plan both for the short term and beyond 09. However, in this division, the situation at LT could be a lot worse considering the defenses Buffalo is up against. Walker is nowhere near a sure thing to handle a new position and neither is Butler. It stands to reason that if the team is going to invest millions into two top WR's, feature a 3rd year QB under pressure to perform and feature a good RB group that they'd pursue veteran options on the OL, particularly OT. I suspect Walker was the option all along, and that they're comfortable with him at LT. We shall see how that decision impedes their ability to run the offense and only time will tell.

I actually don't mind that they didn't go OT in round 1 or 2. Taking Maybin shows they weren't drafting totally for need, which is correct IMO. With the 28th pick, I liked the Wood selection and would have hated to see them take the Eben Britton purely out of need. Besides, I liked Levitre at G more than Britton at OT. The argument isn't so much that they didn't draft an untested OT, but rather that a veteran wasn't acquired after Peters was traded. The depth at OT is marginal, especially in light of Butler's being banged up both in 07 and 08. They obviously feel fine with Chambers at swing OT, but I'm not keen on that option for a long term should Butler get hurt or Walker can't hold up over the long haul. He's never played the position long term in 7 seasons.