BillsVet

For the record, I'd like to know how many other teams have cut a player after 2 seasons with a contract that large? Buffalo obviously isn't paying the entire 49M, but IIRC, Dockery got 18.5M guaranteed in the deal.

Some were living in a fantasy world and thought they'd snag him. Hopefully those individuals aren't working in Buffalo's Pro Personnel department, but it's possible. It's not a surprise, but reality now for most rational NFL fans.

Daniels per PFT Should be a deep draft position. But he's not coming here.

Guy is a JAG among NFL front office personnel. Apparently, both he and his staff are never held accountable. Unless, other people (Dick Jauron and/or Marv) were the ones using the Pro Personnel Department's information to decide on which players to acquire. That's all I can think of, outside of him having naked pictures of someone.

He's saying free agency is starting, not that they're going to do anything specific. It's an article in advance of free agency, nothing more and nothing less.

Sounds more like Sun Tzu. You weren't a philosopher in previous life, were you?

Don't you dare attack Marv Levy the GM. It's amazing that Dockery was signed to big money, when in fact they were attempting to run a variant of the WCO. As a 330 pound guard, we know he didn't fit with having lineman able to pass protect. From a team-building perspective, he was 180 degrees from what they wanted. I can understand having a guy like Mitchell at WLB in a C2 perhaps. But lumbering guards at 49M is a stretch and two years later he's history. It's mistakes like this which hamstring an organization longer than the player is here.

Wow. I'll get flamed for saying it, but here goes: Another Levy era move which didn't pan out. The shine on 06-07 is wearing thin.

This year, the economy is going to factor into free agency. We'll see how the this fares, particularly with the second tier free agents. Admittedly, there isn't a lot of depth in FA, given the 14 players who received the franchise tag. I could see the Bills pursuing RFA's, given their penchant for younger players on the up swing. Truth be told, that's not a bad strategy. I think if they overwhelm a player with a contract hard to match, it could work in their favor but the situation has to be right. I don't have an issue with this thread. Lately, I've been of the opinion to expect less and hope for the best. Optimism for the sake of optimism hasn't been a good strategy if you're a fan of the Bills. If they do leave UFA without some help, it places a huge burden on the younger players we hope develop. The team can't be built by UFA alone, but it'd sure go a long way toward helping that young core of players: Edwards, Lynch, Posluszny, Whitner, McKelvin, Hardy. A good veteran QB, WR, to go along with a SLB would open them up to take a DE, C, TE in the draft.

They were required to at least offer the exclusive rights free agent contract of 460k today. This doesn't mean Buffalo couldn't negotiate another deal down the road. The ERFA deal is all they have to do now-but it doesn't mean they're incapable of doing something later. But I know plenty of fans want something done now. The front office doesn't accede to your demands and as a matter of fact, each player will get their time. Jackson will get a long term deal, but I suspect the team has prioritized things like Unrestricted Free Agents and signing some in the first week of free agency above Fred. Sorry, but that life in the executive world. Not everyone gets what they want when they want it. Don't read too much into this.

It's a 9mm, get it right. Seeing 14 guys franchised (including a kicker and punter) tells me these teams are really unsure, no matter how many capologists they have, about what will happen. I'm thinking there will eventually be a lockout as ownership fights players over their respective share of league revenue. According to PFT, the actual salary cap went up 4M today when it was realized teams underspent last year. No matter how you break it down, teams are going to try and spend less. IIRC, more than 15 teams had 20M in cap space, and so long as they get to about 110M, they're fine. Economics is driving the train, and an uncapped year will alter the landscape permanently.

The problem at TE is what the Bills want. In recent years, they wanted guys who were good in-line blockers they hoped could catch. Finding a guy who can do both real well is difficult, but this TE class is deep. Besides, doesn't it make sense to have the QB have another option who can make defenses honest in the middle? A guy to watch is Shawn Nelson out of Southern Mississippi, alma mater of Brett Favruh. He's got excellent speed along with good hands and put Ray Maualuga on his keester in blocking drills at the Senior Bowl. He could go at the tail end of the first after running a 4.56 at the combine. Another is Florida's Cornelius Ingram who has put on 15 pounds but is coming off an ACL tear. Ingram ran well at the combine and reportedly has some of the best hands in the class. The C and TE classes are deep. DE not so much, but if they've got a chance to grab Everette Brown I'm fine with that in the first. If not, it's time to trade down. Philly really looks good, but nothing's set in stone.

UFA simply doesn't reflect pass rushing DE's or decent TE's. I think those two positions will be targeted in the first two rounds of the draft. The center position is possible in FA, but I'm not sure if they want to spend more money on UFA centers like Brown, and to a lesser extent Saturday and Birk. I'm hopeful they add another second round pick by trading down in the first, provided they get a dance partner and getting a center like Eric Wood. I think Buffalo likes E. Brown in the first, and perhaps one of the many TE's most likely available in the second. Someone along the lines of Shawn Nelson or Cornelius Ingram. In FA, I see them going OLB, depth at OL, and maybe even WR.

Doesn't hurt that there is pressure on the QB for that play, and Favruh hung a wobbler out there to dry. Credit to Greer for taking it back, but clearly the pocket collapsed. Give me another pass rusher.

You'll have the potential for a QB controversy if Boller comes to Buffalo. Trent is the starter, but Boller's big arm will be enough for some of the armchair QB's out there. Jason Brown will get a big contract, probably in excess of what LeCharles Bentley received a few years back from Cleveland. I'm hopeful Buffalo re-signs Peters, and if so, that would mean big deals for three of their five starting OL, with Walker and Butler more modest deals. I'm not so sure the Bills will go after a free agent at C. I think they address this in the draft. I'm consistently amazed at how many distinct needs the Bills hit the off-season with. This year it's C, DE, OLB, and TE in no particular order. Last year it was DT, WR, CB, TE. The year before (06) it was a host of things as the team built the team up post-Donahoe. At some point they should be close, and to get there, it's going to take a stellar draft and free agency. If not, they'll be victimized as they were in the final 10 games this year.

I disagree. Without making this a thread about shoulda coulda woulda, Buffalo goes best player available at a position of need. They felt they needed a safety in 08, and Whitner was the need and best available in their mind. DT was a huge need, and they prioritized secondary before DL. I'm not trying to make this a Whitner stinks thread, but it was their mindset, as evidenced by the picks. Jauron does not control the purse strings on this team. And with the elevation of Modrak into the vaunted inner circle, I don't think DJ has the control over personnel he once had either. This is reminiscent of his time in Chicago when that was stripped from him after Jerry Angelo's hiring as GM. DJ is in a tough situation, although he wouldn't be on the hot-seat had he finished last year 9-7 like Buffalo easily should have. Nice guy, bad HC going up against a tough schedule in 09.

Whaddya think Bill? A free safety in the first with some coverage skills. Sounds like a winner for Buffalo!

Thanks for sharing that information. It seems like there's a lot of "cried wolf" attitudes who won't acknowledge someone. Those who post anything without as detailed an explanation get flamed quick. But I'm not surprised with any of those points. The combine makes and destroys certain players. Maualuga seems like a guy who could've been a star in the 70s or 80s, but his speed and coverage ability is not what I believe is NFL-caliber. People complain about Posluszny, but he's far better in this area. Everything will play out more, but it's little wonder the Colts are big time scouts. Sure it's their home field, but Bill Polian rarely misses on a first day pick. The whole team is basically drafted or undrafted types. Only Vinatieri I believe is a former UFA signing.

I'd be doing cartwheels if those first four picks came to fruition. I think Mack is the best fit at center for this team, and Barwin's athleticism is appealing in the second. Casey is a very productive player at a mid major school, but he's got some talent. McRath ran well at the combine, but aside from that I'm not sure.

Whitner seems like a good fit in the locker room (as opposed to Lawyer Milloy) but switching positions, eve if it's to FS full time is not something I want to hear about after three years in their system. He was taken to be a SS, and play the role in their Cover 2. This is not about Bryan Scott, Ko Simpson, or anything else. It's a matter of a player not living up to what they expected. Frankly, I hope he becomes the ball hawk they need at the FS position. But if he's not, it casts a lot more doubt onto what went on in the 06 draft.

With the options on UFA and the draft, one would think this problem should be solved. Brown, Birk, Saturday, and to a lesser extent Hangartner are available in UFA. And then there's Alex Mack and Eric Wood, who I believe best fit what Buffalo needs in a center-bulk strength to handle larger interior DL.

The point is not what another HC, it's why this team allows quality veteran players to leave and replaces them with high draft picks. The Bills have been rebuilding since the 06 offseason. And so far, the results haven't been much to write home about. Yet, the same people who have been making decisions which currently have the team coming off another 7-9 season are still the ones doing it now. It's more than who lines up at DE or LB, but team building to get this team into the playoffs. Miami and Atlanta both took teams with a shortage of talent and got them into the playoffs through two of the toughest divisions in football.

Forget it. Talking about losing players like Greer without compensation is too much for some people. Building a NFL team is a big picture type of conversation that loses too many before it even starts. Many have already pointed out that most of our top picks are replacements for players allowed to leave in UFA. Usually, people bite on a given reason why one player needed to go, but rarely can someone show how in the long term it was a good move. From a team building perspective, Buffalo has used 3 firsts and a second rounder in 3 drafts to replace players who were already performing well but allowed to leave. They dumped Milloy for Whitner, traded McGahee and drafted Lynch, allowed Fletcher to go and drafted Posluszny, and finally let Nate Clements go only to draft McKelvin a year later. It's little wonder they've been mediocre year after year. But try telling that to the residents of TSW who believe a few more players in UFA and the draft will put this team into the playoffs and over the likes of Parcells, Belichick, and the Jets. Regardless of who's on the team, it's going to be an issue overcoming the HC and his unimaginative gameplans.

It's going to take a disaster season in order for this to happen. I'm not pulling for a 5-11, but there must be a point at which people begin to see the folly of having a HC who's had 3 season of 7-9, makes huge gameday blunders, and hires assistants that no one wants. And the most absurd move is not having a GM with authority over personnel issues. If RW is that insecure about trusting someone now, wait until after the season. I hope they make the playoffs, but overcoming the HC might be tougher than their opponents in 2009. We can only wait.

Is Franco Harris available? Man, he'd be a great addition at about 58 years of age.