BillsVet

There's no doubt that Stroud improved the team's run defense. I think he had something to prove after his final season in Jacksonville with the steroid (read: banned substance) violation. That, and the Jags traded him away for a 3rd and 5th. Only concern here is he's 31 when the season starts. DT's can play awhile because they don't need sheer speed. Pat Williams comes to mind, and I'm sure the front office remembers that Donahoe debacle.

I think it's okay to be somewhat nervous. Then again, the draft is about 2-3 years down the road, not for players in 2009. The Bills may have some issues addressing all of their needs. And once again they'll be heading into the draft without enough picks to handle all of them. Every year it's hope for the best and expect the worst. Hopefully DJ's input is minimized somewhat and Modrak/Nix can have more say.

Dansby is the same guy who thinks he'll cash in next year when there is no cap. I'm sure agents are telling their people that a one year deal isn't bad for 09. Unfortunately, UFA will take longer with not cap (6 yrs I believe) and teams have no floor they must spend to. That being the case and coupled with the potential for a continued recession, players may be overestimating their worth on the free agent market. Parker may be a tough agent, but how many teams at this juncture would be willing to pay the price he's allegedly demanding from Buffalo? 11.5M is big money for just about any position, even with most teams beneath the cap. I'd further add that there aren't as many teams looking for a highly priced LT. In the AFC, I can't think of one team with space and the absolute need. Over in the NFC, sure, STL, SEA, perhaps PHI, and maybe DET may want him. But they know the price will be steep. At this late point in the UFA season, I think the market has dried up more than the Peters camp would like to admit. Especially with the price they're supposedly demanding.

If only the Bills could make Mort STFU. Winning some games would do that, but we've got to wait about 5 months. It's popular to rag on Buffalo, and Mort is not going to stop until the team wins. But even he should admit Donahoe's failure to land a front office gig since his firing is proof-positive that he over-reacted and lost control. Hence, no one will hire him beyond being a "consultant." I'm surprised Mort hasn't gotten him a job at ESPN by now.

Had TO not been released, the Bills off-season plan would have been a backup QB, former backup OL, a released DB from Jacksonville, and someone from KC defense who Michael Turner carried for 5 yards. I like the TO signing, but let's be serious here. The Bills rebuilding plan has been so bad and slow that they have to sign TO and kick the tires on Jason Taylor. With each off-season, Donahoe is less at fault for the state of this team. Atlanta and Miami overcame bad regimes in one season. OTOH, the Bills had three off-seasons and one of the easiest schedules in the league last year and couldn't improve. If they couldn't improve with those facts, it's going to be tough sledding this year. DJ and has assistants will not change their ways because DJ allegedly stuck his neck out to get TO. I still think Brandon was behind this more than anyone. But that's speculative.

I suppose we should close down TBD because the majority of posters here didn't play pro football. And no one can complain about the front office because no one's been a GM, let alone a scout, pro personnel director or director of college scouting.

The Bills are putting out the usual pre-draft non-sense about certain players being starter worthy. At the same time, if LT becomes another position of need, you're correct that the OL becomes filled with rookies and journeymen. This is the same thing Donahoe attempted and it backfired on him. I do not believe the Bills front office is capable of out-maneuvering other teams on draft day. They are predictable or just downright bad and the man allegedly running the entire front office has not been in personnel very long.

With each game, the 06 draft looks worse. Top 10 picks who are shifted to another position for any reason, be it another player, scheme, whatever is never a good thing. Anyone worth a shred knows building a defense starts on the DL. But there were people on this board too concerned with protecting Marv Levy and his legacy. The past three seasons have proven Levy's tenure as GM was a failure. These are the same people who fervently believe Whitner was a solid pick, McCargo isn't a bust, and Youboty could be a starter. They don't criticize Dockery too harshly, because it was an "attempt" to solidify the line, even though it cost 20M over 2 seasons for a fat lazy guard. Those people aren't in abundance like they used to be, but you're right, Ngata was the better pick.

When it comes to trades, some fans completely ignore cap ramifications and see names only. That's apparent here. Peppers ain't coming to Buffalo under any circumstances, given the cap hit. But some fans openly dream about name players because it makes them feel good. I can see the Bills trading down if they get the right offer. They've got about 4 needs and 2 first day picks to fill them with.

I'll be the first one to say Edwards struggled, many times against the 3-4 defense in the second half. And while his play left something to be desired, he wasn't getting any help from the coaching staff. Aside from the KC game, Buffalo's offensive game plan featured little aggressiveness or ability to adjust. Those 3-4 defenses always seemed to confuse Buffalo. Over the past 3 seasons, I've rarely seen many pass plays called into the EZ. In the RZ, I've rarely seen the go for the throat mentality. It was on display at home against Seattle, but after that it disappeared. The one constant to all of this is DJ. Despite a change at OC, it's clear that aggressive play-calling is not on display. Predictability is their watchword, and something every DJ has a big share of. The idea that he get better or is done is downright laughable. He's heading into his second season of starting. If he gets the time to throw, and is trusted by TS and DJ to do so, then he should be throwing for 3500 and 20 TD's. If he doesn't, his NFL career ain't over. The QB position can take 3-4 years before a guy is capable of playing well. Philip Rivers and Drew Brees come to mind.

Begin with a 4th. He's disgruntled, and Denver is cleaning house in McDaniel's first year. With the donkeys in sell mode, you might be able to get him for a song. Besides, 2nd and 3rd round picks are where you make your money in the draft. Forking them over all the time is what franchises like Washington do. This year's draft seems to have a lot of talent in the 2nd-3rd round who could be good down the road.

All valid points. But you've got to understand posters like Alpha are on a personal crusade to bash Edwards because after 23 career starts he's not an All-Pro. To them, QB play is solely responsible for all the faults on this team.

Trading 2 1sts and a 3rd is tantamount to insanity. It's easy to give up top picks when it's not draft day. But ask Phil Savage how he feels about the draft last year when the Brownies had to wait until the 4th to pick.

Mr. Excuse Maker. Funny you should show up to defend the Bills philosophy. Their record these past three seasons is worth backing, isn't it? At this point, I've got to believe you're an employee of the team. The point to all of this is simple: Buffalo hasn't won enough to say their way of doing things is a practical example of managing a front office. As for teams who keep coaches, who did the Patriots keep with 3 straight losing seasons? And the Titans? Referencing (I believe) Jeff Fisher's record more than a decade ago is a poor comparison. But don't let that absurd analogy get in the way. He only went to the SB by his fifth full season in the league. In DJ's fifth full season his record stood at 35-45. I suppose the next thing you'll say is because I haven't been the GM of a pro football team that I don't have any room to complain. Being forced to start a first round QB? That's downright hilarious. No less than 15 other teams in the league are "forced" to start former first rounders.

I think the Bills philosophy is to keep sailing the ship straight. Find every way to avoid making major changes and hope the team does well enough, meaning 8-8 or better in 09, to keep the front office the same until RW passes. Ralph is 90, and the Bills haven't made an administrative change since Donahoe was fired. I'd argue the Brandon era is an extension of Levy's tenure as GM. Modrak, Guy, Overdorf, Brandon, and the man behind everything Littman are still running the show. Jauron is still the HC, despite the fact that 31 other teams would have fired him by now.

Dean, the results aren't there to prove this point. The consensus based approach has produced three consecutive 7-9 seasons. This season Buffalo will struggle to make the playoffs, although it's not out of the question. The question is not about experience, just experience in the right place among the "senior football" people. If Brandon is making decisions, it's a gamble to think he's going to learn quickly enough on the job. In a division with the free spending Jets, Belichick and Parcells, that's not comforting to me.

They'll also be taking a DE, TE, and G in the first 2-3 rounds. Unfortunately they don't have enough picks. Not yet at least. Draft day for the Bills is all about having more needs than options to fill them with.

Everything will be revealed someday, but having Brandon there is Ralph's answer to hiring a legitimate GM. The franchise has been buying time since Donahoe was canned, first with Levy and now Brandon. They refuse to run the team like the other 31 clubs, and the product on the field will suffer as long as non-football people make football decisions. I don't hate Brandon. But I don't like the idea that someone who was devising marketing schemes a few years ago is going up against Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, and the strongest football minds in the game. When you compare him to those guys, I don't care how many tidbits he got from Butler, it's not enough. Becoming a great personnel guy takes years of working in the arena.

The Bills are a business first, and it's cheaper to fill your team with late round draft picks, pronounce them capable, and put a team on the field which ultimately doesn't live up to expectations. Buffalo has been in rebuild mode for 3+ seasons now. This is the fourth off-season post-Donahoe, and yet they still have huge issues, particularly LB depth, a starting G, no one with starting experience at TE, and and lack a bonafide pass rusher not named Schobel. Keiaho isn't coming to Buffalo. It's not their style.

Ralph still runs the show, with Littman advising on financial matters, which pretty much covers all personnel decisions. Agree completely here...Brandon gets to make some of the smaller decisions, but among big issues, like firing the HC, he's about third in line behind RW and Littman. I would still like to know his vision for building a football team. Frankly, I don't think he has one, and when compared to Polian and Butler, he's still completely inexperienced.

Is he even the personnel decision maker for this team? When the option to can Jauron was there, it sounded as though 2 of the "inner circle" did not want to retain him while two did. I'll speculate here, but I believe Brandon was one of those who didn't want DJ. He's been given the keys to the football side of the house, but isn't he allowed to make the big football decisions.

Undersized SS who probably reverts full time to FS by his fourth year in the league. That's how I'd build a defense. Signed, Dick Jauron Marv Levy

Chambers is a nice story, but he's not starting caliber on any part of the line IMO. They tried him at guard when Butler went down and he struggled mightily. Expecting him to play an entire season is a smokescreen the front office is laying down. And the same thing goes for Walker playing LT for an entire season. I think a lot of fans think that because he played OK against Seattle that he can handle the role for an entire season. I doubt it. I agree on Hangartner. If he was as in demand, someone would have swooped in and offered him more than Buffalo did. He'll be unspectacular, which is indeed an improvement over Preston or Fowler. Not signing a veteran in UFA demonstrates the Bills are arrogant enough to think a rookie will come in and start right away.

It's a popular refrain to say trade Peters for picks and be done with the entire situation. Unfortunately, it creates another gaping hole on the OL, forcing front office to find more players who can be immediate starters. IMO, the front office hasn't had enough successes on draft day to warrant any trust, and hoping they'll find a LT, OLB, G, and to a lesser extent TE and DE with their top picks is wishful thinking. In effect, we're shipping out a known commodity who wants big dollars for unknown entities that while commanding less money, are completely unproven. Trading Peters because he's difficult is not getting this team into the playoffs any quicker. In fact, it would probably contribute to extending their drought to an entire decade.

The Bills have been fortunate their OL hasn't been injured like other areas of the team were in 07-08. I have no doubt they'll use rookies and untested street FA's to round out their depth on the OL. The idea of Chambers are principle backup is adequate I suppose. But the interior OL is thinner than one-ply TP. If they figure the draft will provide their depth, it's a serious lack of judgment. Bell is a year away from being a player in the NFL, if at all. The remaining non-starters are from the UDFA or street free agent ranks. That lack of experience is disconcerting.