BillsVet

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.

Translation: I'm the offensive coordinator and no one should ever question me because I watch film 80 hours per week and knew Bill Walsh.

I recall Marv Levy saying they'd made a contract offer to Nate Clements a few years ago. Unfortunately, you never allow top players to even come close to free agency without a contract. They low-balled Greer, and spun it to make it look like they were interested. They knew when the contract was offered that it wouldn't be accepted. Why was it not offered back in October if they liked him that much?

There is no position on the team with more depth than the CB position. Greer is a nice player and story, especially being a former UDFA and Tennessee track/football guy. He'd be a luxury and in the big picture the team has plenty of areas to address (all of them) above CB. Right now, the Bills need to stockpile picks to provide them options on draft day. I believe Greer would have brought a 3rd rounder with the lack of CB's available in UFA. And in this draft, it seems there will be plenty of good players who can contribute in 2-3 years available in the mid rounds. Teams do not let decent UFA's leave for nothing. Knowing that you've got limited assets is important, and with 3 7-9 seasons, the Bills need every advantage to overcome their HC who now realizes he must improve on gameday after 30+ seasons in the NFL.

Sign and trade doesn't happen in the NFL, because you have the franchise tag already in place. Name the last player signed to a long term and then traded right away. Greer's play may not be stellar to fans on this board who only watch this team, but NFL personnel people have taken note of a player who continues to improve while playing a position sorely needed by many NFL teams. If the Bills were serious about re-signing Greer, they would have done it during the season when they realized what they had. Had they tagged him with an exclusive rights tag, he would have been property of Buffalo and no one could sign him with surrendering 2 1st rounders. As it stands, Greer will leave with no compensation. If Greer gets Kelvin Hayden money, it's about 2M more on average for the first season over with the tag. If we're worried about 2M, there's serious issues then. This front office blew 49M on a guard who they overestimated, with Greer you know what you've got. Opportunity lost. And BTW, I thought Dick Jauron said you can never have too many good cornerbacks.

You underestimate the market. Greer is one of the last available decent CB's left. He had more picks than Hayden, and took back his 2 INT's for scores. He played solid football until getting injured. More than 12 teams have 20M+ in cap room, and while it's being done that way to combat the uncapped year in 2010, Greer will get a sizable offer regardless. Those names you mention, several of them are already off the market. Hayden, Asomugha, D. Robinson. Naturally, the remaining guys will benefit from all these moves. Those guys aren't better because they play for other teams. They're simply unknown to many on this board who know Greer.

The Bills accomplish this every off-season. They have so many holes to fill that it's anyone's guess which ones they will. Last year, everyone knew the Bills were desperately seeking a DT, first pursuing Shaun Rogers, they going with Stroud. This year, every team knows they'll be looking for a C, TE, and OLB. With multiple free agents on the interior OL, Robert Royal at TE, and having banished Crowell, no one has to guess what Buffalo will address first. If that thinking of not giving away information is accurate, then no one should cut anyone. Yet several NFL teams already have. And if there was any doubt about McCargo, it was put to rest when they attempted to trade him last season.

TAG and TRADE. Not TAG and retain.

It's no use. Many Bills fans here choose not to follow or ignore happenings and trends around the league. Starks is a fine example of a player not worth the franchise tender, but who will receive it. It's not about how much money the tag is worth. It's not about how good or not people think Greer is. It's got everything to do with making the most out of what you have as there's a limit to how many cap dollars and draft picks a team has. We can argue about it all day, but when you have a UFA who will command attention on the open market, you get something for them. DL Corey Williams from GB was franchised last season and subsequently traded to Cleveland for a second round pick. That's how a real front office handles this sort of thing. There are about 3 CB's in UFA who will have good offers in front of them, and Greer is one. It's non-moves like this which allow the Bills to continue rebuilding season after season without ever getting anywhere. Then again, maybe that's the way they like it.

Yesterday he had the audacity to say the 5-1 created almost unrealistic expectations. Yet last year he pointed out early on when the team lost to Arizona that no one expected a 4-0 start. Essentially, no one thought the team would start 4-0, yet when it happened it really hurt the team.

IIRC, Peters hired Eugene Parker about a year after signing that deal. I don't think he was advised all that well, and re-signing him was one of the best moves the Levy front office made. Parker obviously figured out that he had the skills to be a top LT in this league. Gross' contract probably sets the standard for what Peters will receive-whether from Buffalo or someone else. While I've never been an advocate of demanding to renegotiate a contract, it's clear he's not playing this season on that contract. To the average blue collar fan like most of us, it seems ridiculous. But these guys have a limited window to make their money and then it's gone. He's the best OL on the team by far and avoiding a pay day tells me the Bills aren't serious about winning. As for Chris Brown, of Bills Website fame, I know it's his job to hype the team and don't begrudge him for doing his job. But not having a little criticism of DJ for being in the NFL 30+ years and being such a poor gameday manager. Inexcusable.

And this is the guy that is supposed to be calling the plays? I agree he comes off as an insecure, dim-witted jerk. There's a reason he wasn't ever offered an OC job, despite acting as a QB coach for TB, NYG, CAR, and BUF (2x) Scary.

Today he talks about how Jordan Gross' contract from the Panthers is four times the size of Jason Peters' deal just three years ago. Unfortunately, he leaves a few details out. It's accurate that Gross' 6 yr 60M deal w/30M guaranteed is 4x the size of Peters' 5 yr 15M deal, but there's one thing he's missing: Peters was not a Pro Bowl OT until the 07 season, and he was strictly playing RT in 05 until the second half of 06. He didn't move to LT and play well begin outplaying that deal until the latter part of 06 and entire 07 season. Gross has been playing LT for a few seasons and has was an All-Pro in 2008. Most of what comes out of OBD is propaganda directed at casual fans who don't research or pay close enough attention to know. Earlier, wrote on Turk(ey) Schonert's thoughts on "wasted" timeouts. Schonert said that NE wasted one against Buffalo in the first half, and he worked for Bill Walsh, etcetera. It's kinda like saying I watch film 80 hours a week, so nobody should criticize me. Frankly, Schonert shouldn't have any arrogance after the clunkers he called after starting 5-1. Trent didn't play well, but he's a 2nd yr QB who was working under someone with 20+ years in the NFL.

As BADOL has pointed out, we're worried about spending 5M more than we'd like on Greer for a one year franchise tender. But we're not concerned when Peerless Price gets 4 yrs and 10M, Robert Royal and the same deal, Larry Tripplett and his 5 yr 18.5M deal, or Melvin Fowler for 3 yrs and 7M. Not parlaying assets into receivables is why this franchise is suffering, as people like Tim Graham have pointed out. Nine seasons in a row without the playoffs. It's time to demand some accoutability from the front office. This is one example of how the team could have been improved. But the minimal risk is holding people back.

You can't see the forest for the trees. There are teams which will make an offer to Greer that will be lampooned by many of us here, especially with 14 clubs having 20M or more in cap room. If they're willing to pay him Kelvin Hayden type money, which I firmly believe they will, then they would give up a 3rd rounder for a guy who is one of the few decent CB's hitting the open market. As many have said before, it's supply and demand. There will be a trade partner, especially with all those bad teams with new coaches looking to improve quickly. Don't understimate that coaches need job security, and over-spending on proven talent like Greer will happen. If I'm a guy cognizant of needing to improve a lot real fast and have cap room, you'd give a third for a guy like Greer. Besides, the player has no say in who he's traded to, unless there's a clause in his contract. That's not evident here, and Greer would go where Buffalo sends him. Dockery would have had a decent offer had he been tendered at anything less than a second rounder. He'd been a UDFA, which means had someone signed him to an offer sheet, the Giants would receive no compensation (EDIT: If they didn't match the offer sheet).

I liked how he talked about being a better gameday HC. I've heard of old dogs learning new tricks, but geez, he really expects us to believe he'll improve after being a HC for 130+ NFL games and being in the NFL for more than 30 years.