BillsVet

I thought the "getting cute" ended with Donahoe. Unfortunately Marv and Dick tricked everyone but Mike Mayock with their stunning moves in Round 1 of 2006. Based on their track record of taking the safe pick in the first round, I could see Buffalo going with Robert Ayers. He's more of an overall DE, not a pass rusher, not just a 3-4 end. I wouldn't like it, but it is likely with this front office. He's a LDE in a 4-3 with average pass rush ability-should fit in quite well with Kelsay and Denney.

I can't wait to see the split screen with Mort, Clayton, and Schefter. Those three fighting it out to break football news should be interesting TV. Then again, is there really that much football news (especially post draft) for ESPN to have those three along with Michael Smith?

Aaron Curry outta Wake Forest. He'll be gone, but at 11 I'd like to see Everette Brown. In the second, would like to see either Eric Wood or Alex Mack.

Hypotheticals are worthless in this case, but keep on believing what a team's record would have been like if they didn't have a certain player. You have no idea. I'm sure you also thought Tom Brady's injury would have made the Patsies 1-15 with Matt Cassel at the helm, right?

Just how long have you been watching this team? What gives you hope? Is it DJ, lack of a GM, 90 year old owner who can't guarantee the future of the team, personnel issues at LG, TE, OLB, lack of a pass rush, or Marshawn, Ko, and Donte getting arrested? I'm glad your optimistic, but let's be serious. I've watched this team since the late eighties. And never have I felt more down about where the franchise is now. You're entitled to your optimism, but hope without action is nothing. Still love the TO move. But had he not been released, your offseason (after a third 7-9 straight season) would have been Drayton Florence, Geoff Hangartner, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Pat Thomas, and Seth McKinney.

Fine post here. I believe there's a growing section of fans who find it harder to believe the cosmetic changes being made will vault this team into the playoff hunt. The front office does a wonderful job of selling tickets, but the on-field product fails to be as advertised. Your take on the coaches and GM is spot-on. It almost seems like management will find a way to keep the same sad-sack people around and spin it to be necessary. But if, and it's an if at this point, they falter again in 09 there'll be no excuses. 10 seasons without a playoff appearance is an eternity in the salary cap era. Keep posting.

I certainly understand about a veteran, but at the RB position it's overrated to need someone with experience. The Giants didn't have an issue giving 7th round pick Ahmad Bradshaw carries late in 07. Tashard Choice filled in for Dallas last year and there are plenty other examples of rookies getting PT. At this point in FA, unsigned guys obviously aren't inking big deals. So it'll come down to finding the most desperate RB who the front office thinks can play. I'm not big on DeShaun Foster, who averaged 3.1 ypc with SF. Rhodes went for 3.5 ypc, but caught 45 passes. If he'd take veteran minimum I wouldn't worry about it.

The nerve of fans to complain about a divisional game that could impact making the playoffs. It's a neutral site game in effect, and some fans aren't happy about it. You may not remember, but Pennington was throwing in a controlled climate environment. I can't for a minute believe he'd be just as effective playing at RWS. The felons could very well have won, but it would not have been the way they did at RC. I'm pretty sure you go to the games, and I do as well. But I'd rather have that game and I don't buy that it's keeping the franchise solvent. I don't blame any fans for being teed off that it's not going to be in the elements at RWS. I hate division opponents more than any other team.

Whenever Polian lets someone go, there's usually a good reason. This search for another RB tells me the brass isn't high on Xavier Omon. If a RB isn't getting PT at the beginning of their career in obvious situations (as in Lynch's suspension) something is wrong.

Marginalization through generalization.

Ask Marv Levy. He oversaw the front office when these moves were made and signed off on them as GM. Or so we're told. Marv was a fine coach but utterly overmatched as a GM. As time goes by, those two years set the franchise back more than we thought. Even though it's not a guarantee to success, having a GM from the personnel ranks is what all good franchises have. And Buffalo doesn't.

He's got DJ's version three years running. On second thought, it's more like summer camp. He's booked again for late August.

It's not enough to know the game and proceed to embarrass the franchise off the field. We can argue about what type of character Levy demanded, but I doubt he wanted guys who could play the game and were loose cannons off the field. Character isn't limited to just on the field.

T19 If RB was the sole decision maker on this team, I'd say yes the roster is being reshaped. Then again, when you're coming off three consecutive 7-9 seasons, keeping things the same would probably not work either. DJ is on the hot seat, the makeup of the front office has not worked, and if this season doesn't result in a playoff appearance, everyone should be canned or re-assigned.

I enjoy the draft as well, but it's wrong to expect the first and second rounders to come in and contribute right away. Few rookies do that, especially at certain positions. Every season the Bills need their top picks to come in and contribute. I wouldn't be averse to trading a 3rd or 4th, but unless something big comes up, trading away first day picks isn't what winning teams do. Ask Washington about that. Buffalo needs to rely more on Modrak and Nix than people like Brandon who aren't personnel people. I just find it funny that after three complete seasons of rebuilding Buffalo still needs impact players. I guess the plan is over four years, not three, to getting a good team on the field.

Thanks for being the voice of reason here John. Character matters, and it's what the Bills have been preaching since 06. Now, when things are crazy, it's not important to some people. I never thought I'd say it, but I can't wait for this offseason to end. It's Bills overload.

I thought Levy drafted high character players. 2 of his 3 picks have been arrested and the other is a bust. I'd like to see how this plays out first. Thing is, the Bills are in the news for all the wrong reasons lately and I almost wish there wasn't as much coverage of the NFL. Mike Ditka had a DWI before the SB in 86 and no one knew about it. That would be all over the news 5 minutes after he was pulled over nowadays.

I still don't think you can specifically give credit to any one person. Again, I don't hate Brandon, but his personnel opinion is limited by his lack of experience. He can make a decision to pursue a guy like Stroud, but he's not the one who knows the personnel side of the house. He relies heavily on John Guy there. Levy/Jauron made DT a priority when they traded a 2nd and 3rd in 06 to grab a 3 tech DT in McCargo. They gambled and ultimately lost. Levy is/was/never will be an experienced GM. Donahoe was, but seemed to collect specialty players and ignored the OL with one huge stinking exception. His failures should not be a reason to avoid finding a real GM. I refuse to grade the 08 draft. There isn't a significant body of work beyond the first round pick. The rest did not contribute, yet I'll give them 09 and 10 to make an impression. As to the cap situation-Littman obviously sets the budget and the front office must live within their means. Brandon does not control the purse strings. They spend to a limit, which is what most teams do already. Outside of Washington and Dallas, teams have been conservative in spending. The Bills are the rule here, not the exception. That's okay if they put a winner on the field and in the end the only thing that matters is wins and losses. I suspect Brandon is the placeholder at GM, with the team working hard not to have to change their front office. If Buffalo misses the playoffs, they'll need to make changes whether they want to or not.

T19- I know you're working to be positive, but some of these comparisons are speculative at best. The dynamic of Buffalo's front office is such that no one knows who makes final decisions. Consensus rules, with RW having final say. To say Brandon has placed his seal of approval on this franchise says RW doesn't. From a personnel perspective, he's been heading the front office since 1/08. Bill Polian's been in personnel since the late 70s, and brings an immense amount of experience. The result is he doesn't miss with first rounders, and has a team that wins 10+ games routinely. Brandon's only season the Bills (with the 2nd easiest schedule in the NFL) won 7. I do not feel comfortable with a man who came up in the NFL handling marketing and business matters. No other team in the league has someone like this running the show. While I don't hate Brandon, if (and only if) this season doesn't result in a playoff appearance, the entire front office should be re-done, a real GM introduced, and of course the HC let go. Then again, I don't think anyone wants to be under RW and Littman's thumb.

And no one wants to be up against the cap, aside from Washington and Dallas, most teams are staying 10M beneath the cap. As a matter of fact, the cap has increased from 102M in 06 to 127M in 09. And while the cap increases, the minimum does as well. I'd estimate the salary floor is about 105-108M when it was about 90-93M in 06. Teams simply can't increase their revenue fast enough to keep up with the 06 CBA which has owners have since opted out of. This is precisely the reason why, and a reason for owners to stay that far below the cap.

I still don't think there's a huge demand for Peters, considering his asking price. I've got to believe teams know league-wide what he's asking, and the timing is all wrong. For the most part, clubs have spent their FA dollars and adding a big contract now seems difficult. In the AFC, I can't think of more than two teams who'd be remotely interested in his salary demand and the compensation to acquire him. Perhaps the Raiders, maybe the Jags (although they inked Tra Thomas). Over in the NFC, the Eagles are a popular destination, but I don't see Andy Reid paying the asking price. Perhaps Detroit, but that's a long shot. Between his contract demands and the Bills' asking price, I can't see the market for Peters increasing at this juncture. And so the two parties will be at a standstill for awhile if their negotiations don't adapt to the market.

Last year the Bills had no intention of re-doing Peters' deal at any point. Hence, Peters decided to hold out and force the issue. Even though he lost that battle, the war is yet to be decided. A player simply doesn't hold out for that long over 1 or 2M per year. I suggest you read Tim Graham's article from today. The bigger point here is that Buffalo, for some of the minor successes they have during the off-season, never parlay that into the regular season. Their record (with many of the same personnel in the front office) since 2000 is horrible. And that's why I'm not glowing about their chances this season.

I suggest that more Bills fans look across the league, particularly at good franchises. If you've isolated on the Bills, missing the playoffs for nine straight seasons is more tolerable if you don't look at what winning teams are doing. Down in Pittsburgh, they made a near seamless transition from Cowher to Tomlin. NE is always a top to bottom successful team. Indy wins 10+ games each year and there are others in the NFC who have annual success. The point to all of this is simple. The Bills are mismanaged, regardless of who's the nominal head of the front office. And if you're okay with that, you'll continue finding positive messages. Until I see a winner on the field that can go deep in the playoffs, this franchise has done absolutely nothing in the better part of decade. Go ahead and disagree with Cynical, but he's not wrong.

It sounds like he's burning bridges with absurd contract demands. If that's the case, I doubt most other networks (who know what he's doing) would be receptive to hiring someone who negotiates in this way.

Teams scout harder now than they did years ago. Instead of a few teams going to the small schools, all of them are exploring those options now. Polian and his people unearthed a lot of solid late rounders, and he continues to do so in Indianapolis. Jerry Reese does well for the Giants. It's not out of the question, just much more challenging that it was in the late eighties and early nineties.