BillsVet

T19, I think in the salary cap era it's almost essential to find quality depth and situational players in the late rounds. You've got to hit with your first and second rounders, more so in a smaller market. Someone will mention Brady or Houshmandzadeh, but they're the late round exceptions. The Bills have plenty of hard-working guys who serve important functions. At the same time, I can't find an impact player who's been drafted by Buffalo and can turn a game around. Not yet at least, although Evans is close IMO. Peters has the ability. McKelvin might be, and I have high hopes for Trent. Schobel about 3 years ago was close. Not all of this goes against Levy/Brandon either. The point remains that you should find solid role players in the bottom rounds, while locating impact types in rounds 1-3. The Bills finding average to above average players early does not make up for their lack of true impact players. I can't imagine if they had a legit pass rusher when Schobel went down because it surely would have affected the outcome of multiple games. Finding role players late with decent players early has partially facilitated this franchise's mediocrity. It's not enough.

I've heard Pittsburgh described as both down or up. The transition from one type of economy to another can take a considerable amount of time, and with government looking to maintain their spending levels despite decreasing populations, it's hard to effect improvement. Indy has that debt split up over a 10 county area, not just the city of Indianapolis. That debt is more easily digested for that fact. If this is true, the proverbial pot is increasingly warrming. Eventually it'll be entirely boiling and Bills fans will be cooked. If there is an option to purchase another game, I think most fans can read between the lines and see where this is going. The PR answer is increasing revenue, but it makes no sense to add games in a lucrative market without looking long term at moving the team to that very market. Of course the company line will be more revenue, but I can't see the addition of another game in Toronto as advantageous to fans who go to the Ralph.

Yes, spending money without outlining what it's for is a huge no-no in the president's book. Oh, wait... I agree moving the draft up two months definitely affects scouting and could make the draft even more risky. Perhaps some of the "stimulus" can go to the NFL to assist them fund teams scouting. Funds would go to teams with the worst draft records: Lions, Bengals, Raiders, Bills, 49ers, and Rams.

I'm not an expert on Scheffler by any means. He's completed his third year and seems like an up and coming player which fits Buffalo's team vision to build a young core. Daniel Graham may or may not be able to meet the requirement for a blocking TE in McDaniels's offense, but NE let him go in UFA too. I just have a feeling McD wants to mold that team into his (see Belichick's) model and they'll look for picks to kick-start the process.

The economy is dictating a lot of what's being considered. Layoffs at the league office and in many franchises demonstrate the times are hitting even the NFL. They wouldn't discuss changes without there being a good reason, as the off-season dates have remained fairly consistent since the early nineties. The draft, per the article, has remained in late April/early May since 1977. Having the draft early provides for a truncated offseason which greatly minimizes the costs teams incur to conduct amateur scouting.

I don't think that's it at all. McDaniels' offenses don't feature TE's and rely more on third receivers. Scheffler is something akin to a square peg in a round hole. They've already got Daniel Graham, who NE drafted in 02 I believe. Scheffler is a player who, IMO, hasn't reached his physical potential and will improve. He's just a bad fit for McDaniels offensive scheme.

I don't think a lot of those guys are concerned with that. Many of those early entrants have left school to prepare for the draft and seniors have either graduated or left early. Thanks. I hadn't noticed that. It was a misleading thread title.

Evidently a topic at the NFL Meetings this week is changing the timeline for off-season events. Revised NFL offseason in works? NFL Free Agency would remain in the same window, although the NFL Draft would revert from late April to February. This makes for a slow period from May through training camps. As it stands, there seems to be no real off-season for teams. There are so many angles to go with this, but it would certainly affect free agency, as teams could conceivably address personnel needs before the big dollars of UFA. Thoughts?

BNiH, I've been a season ticket holder for 2 seasons now and will return in 09. Ticket affordability helps me buy tickets, but I'd pay closer to league average to see a competitive team. The Bills haven't put a decent product on the field since the late nineties. Despite this, they sold 56k+ season tickets last season and increased revenue with the Toronto series. When it comes to being profitable in a small market, winning does wonders for generating revenue. There are plenty of small market teams who don't need to do what Buffalo does. Indianapolis is successful both financially and on the field. They've just built a new stadium as well. The claim that Buffalo can never be a profitable venture based on the market is flat our wrong. Pittsburgh is a small and depressed market, yet winning football games magically makes a lot of their revenue problems go away. Neither team is planning on moving soon to my knowledge, but can charge about $20-25 more for the average ticket. If the Bills could put a winner on the field, I'm sure they could charge significantly higher. But because they won't invest in actual front office types to find young talent along with a legitimate NFL HC, they'll find themselves charging less and banking on selling their soul more for franchise stability.

Most posters on this board are closer to Al Davis in personnel evaluation when looking at draft prospects. It's remarkable that a 256 pound man can run the 40 in 4.47, but it doesn't make for a solid football player. Barwin is a project type player with outstanding measurables, and I'm not sure he's the pass rusher who can come in on 3rd down this season and apply pressure. He's played one season at DE, and while excellent at UC, he doesn't have a lot of experience using his hands, dipping around OT's, and demonstrating a variety of pass rushing moves. I think Buffalo's looking for the most NFL ready pass rusher, not necessarily the guy with the most upside. They know the defense needs a lot more pass rush this season, not 2-3 years from now.

The last few posts demonstrate that most fans know nothing about the Cover 2 defense and how it works. Each player is assigned a certain area to defend. Players are not supposed to free-lance on the field. If one player loses their gap or assignment, things can get bad real fast. It's one of the reasons the Bills run defense allowed 140 rypg in 06 and 125 rypg in 07. One of the biggest weaknesses to the C2 is it's susceptible to a strong running game because the front 4 DL aren't as big as in conventional 4-3s and 3-4 DL. Cover 2 SI 12/06 I highly recommend reading this article, and although each team running the C2 has a variation, their base D is similar to this. To my knowledge only the Vikings, Bears, and the Bills will run the C2 in 09. McCargo, as a 3 tech DT, should be trying to split the guard and center in the middle, not go where he wants.

I have a feeling Peters' demands are pricing him out of the trade market. IMO, teams do not want to devote 11M+ to a LT in this economy and NFL era. They'll take their chance on a rookie in the first round and pay that player much, much less. Of course none of this really matters to Eugene Parker, primarily because he's there to get the most money for his client no matter which teams gives it. And I can guarantee he's telling Peters that there's a market for him at 11M+ per season. I don't think there is. Teams that have a need just aren't going to shell out that kind of money right now.

Another converted receiver. We've got the market cornered on receivers turned safeties.

I bet you did cartwheels when you got that Vtext. Probably right after you saw the video of Turner carrying Thomas for five yards.

Position coaches tend to hate players when they show up fat, out of shape, lacking motivation, and generally playing beneath their potential. Remember, DJ and Ralph didn't want Kollar to leave, though ultimately the DL coach left for what he thought would be greener pastures. If Kollar's opinion was worthless, no one would have tried to stop him on the way out. BTW, how many actual "plays" did McCargo make in 07? The big one against the Giants that year came when he ignored his gap and happened to go where blockers didn't. He's a bust now, and that won't change. He's on the team because the Bills lack any sense of depth at DT.

Ellison, Costanzo, Buggs, Bowen, Corto. All of them under 240. If Buffalo can play 14 guys on ST's this year, we've got enough undersized LB's to man that squad. In other news, running a 4.86 40 precludes you from playing OLB in the pros.

Don't have any clue who this guy is. Sounds like Camp Fodder and another in a long line of potential special teamers. Thomas per PFT

The point to all of this remains that while QB is the most important position in football, giving up boatloads of picks for Cutler is ridiculous. No one on here has any clue what the Bills would have to give up to acquire this guy, and therefore any debate about getting him is non-sensical. I don't think he's a guarantee to win that many more games than Edwards. But I guarantee you the price over Edwards will be high. But people come out of the woodwork to say it has to happen. Building an entire team for now and the future would drastically be affected by giving up draft picks. And who's to say Cutler wouldn't want a huge contract right away? Probably something in the 5-6 year range for 13M+ per. The deal loses luster considering the financial price and amount of resources it'd take to get him. And BTW, Denver has Ryan Clady, so Peters is not a commodity for them. When you look at the on-field product alone here, sure it looks nice and shiny to trade for JC. Peel back a few layers, and it's not all that great.

Reading all of these posts in favor of acquiring Jay Cutler for an unknown price, got me thinking about how absurd it would be for the Bills. I'm not sure if the more intelligent Bills fans think this way, but I can think of at least five reasons not to. 1. Despite his stats, Cutler throws his share of INT's. 18 last season was among league worst in this category. Granted he's young, but QB's with rocket arms tend to force too much and get picked. (Cue a Favre reference) 2. He's been pampered and the center of attention in Denver. A 3 year vet who's started 2.5 seasons, he doesn't have the maturity to handle adversity. That won't change anytime soon. 3. Shanahan's offenses put up points, but he's not going into a Shanahan offense if he goes to Buffalo. 4. His agent Bus Cook has fomented more rebellion among his players, than most agents. It seems he likes being in the news as much as his clients. 5. The price tag, including draft picks and future cap space would be astronomical. McDaniels is attempting to be Belichick Jr in Denver, and will recognize that someone will overpay for a QB. Cutler's trade value, depsite the conflict, will demand a great deal of resources Buffalo should use to build their team. I'm referring to a DE, TE, perhaps an OLB, and OL depth. Don't forget the Bills top 3 DE's are or will be over 30 this season. Stroud is as well.

AFC Fan? Hmmm...probably some loser Dolphins fan. Why not go to the Bills board and bash them. You have too much time.

So a guy with an "off-off-Broadway" type website gets one thing right (and granted it was TO) and now he's completely legit. Good thing he's not in military intelligence.

Unless McCargo can play DE in Denver's new 3-4 with Mike Nolan as DC, I don't see him moving. I think McDaniels hired him to reproduce what NE did. I do like the addition of Scheffler (should it happen), who is young, on the upswing, and someone that can block and receive.

I can't believe we're getting this worked up over Bus Cook. The same man who for years made GB worry that Favre was retiring. The same guy who got Favre to come back for one final season. I'm sure he's soaking this all in, especially now that his most famous client is (evidently) retired for good. This is the closest most men ever get to soap operas.

And that's precisely what happened last year when Buffalo started going downhill. I remember being at the CLE MNF game and watching Edwards throw coverage with 6-7 guys on almost every down. And that wasn't the first time Buffalo saw the saturated coverage. I still don't have a lot of faith in Schonert to get ahead of defenses and make them react to his game calls. I'd be all for Scheffler, but wouldn't give up a fourth, maybe a third. McDaniels is blowing that team up into NE West and his offenses rely on more of a blocker at TE. Scheffler is more than adequate there, but he's a receiver, and Denver has Daniel Graham already. I think if Denver can get a third for Scheffler, they'd be happy. Evans and TO will give him options, but without someone who has speed to stretch the seem, it'll be a little bit harder to attack these defenses. And Buffalo will see some good ones this year.

I think we as Bills fans want a guy at 11 who'll step in and get 10-12 sacks in their rookie season. While that'd be nice, it's not realistic. Rushing the passer at the NFL level takes a lot more than speed. That said, Maybin's 10 yard split time is something that seems to give him an edge on the other edge rushers. If he can maintain that speed and improve his strength, I think he'll be an excellent future RDE in the NFL.