BillsVet

Minnesota needed extensions to sell out their playoff game. They are one of the smallest of the small market teams, and I wouldn't be surprised if Zygi Wilf moved if he can't get a stadium built soon. Qualcomm Stadium is the fourth oldest stadium in the league behind Lambeau, Oakland-Alameda, and Candlestick. Both Lambeau and O-A have received plenty of upgrades since being built. Jacksonville, prospective new owners of Buffalo, and Minnesota are the teams to consider. San Diego could move up the road I suppose. I don't see the Saints moving anytime soon.

I don't recall any of the Levy/Polian era guys getting into trouble with the law as much as recent Bills have. If football character were the prevailing wisdom (of which I'm sure every team subscribes to) why in the heck was McCargo drafted. This whole thing demonstrates that all teams take risks and ultimately bend their rules in the interest of acquiring talented football players.

You're a character for making this a semantics argument. And please define football character. I'm interested in how that differs from just regular, blue collar, tell the truth character.

It's BS all right. And no one, least of all me, is comforted that the team's star RB has been arrested. The fact is, we were told the Bills would be looking for high character players while Levy was the GM. And every team in the league can say that, but it doesn't remove the fact that players can come from (EDIT: rough) upbringings and exhibit this sort of behavior. But I forgot that's BS.

Wasn't Levy only drafting players with character? Whoever runs the front office when Levy was there has taken guys like Lynch and Hardy who won't ever be considered character guys. The irony is, Lynch is a Levy pick, and he had some character concerns before the draft. So I guess Marv and Dick relented somewhat in order to acquire talent, and it's biting Buffalo in the behind. No one is immune from this stuff.

Jauron loves his guys, but I think this year he'll be overruled on personnel issues. That should have happened from Day 1, but it took until this off-season for people to realize that. Sinking two first round (top 15 picks), a 3rd, 2 4th's, a 6th, and 7th over the span of three seasons should have solved the problem. That and signing a multiple UFA's and we're debating going after an injury prone safety from Jauron's only winning season. It's amazing what this team has become. On draft day, DJ should be updating the big board with Ralphie, while Modrak makes the final decision. I'm not wildly crazy about TM, but he's light years beyond Brandon, Jauron, Linda Bogdan, and Ralph.

Jacobs is the start point for that offense now. He'll team with Bradshaw next season after Derrick Ward leaves in UFA. I'll always give the NYG the benefit of the doubt. Jerry Reese is a top-tier NFL GM, and like his predecessor Ernie Accorsi, knows how to handle personnel. He started as a scout and worked his way up, which is what all decent NFL GM's do. Jacobs has had some injuries these past few years, but his bruising style is unmistakable.

If this whole story is true, wouldn't it make sense for someone to have leaked this information to the press by now? I'm not saying this is or isn't true. But when a big name athlete is arrested on a felony, that sort of thing gets to the proper channels fast. Anyone who says this is official needs to calm down and wait. Something today's society is in short supply of.

I like this mode of thinking. Buffalo has to look big picture here, and finding a center to contain the Wilfork's, Jenkins', and whomever Miami throws out there is key to any offensive success. I wouldn't argue with trading down into the low 20s to secure Mack. That should bring a second rounder to drop 10-12 slots down, so long as they can make the move. The Bills have demonstrated an affinity for trading up, but this year it oughta be the exact opposite. Pettigrew is the most complete TE, but 11 is still too high. I'm not high on the DE's, and even though that's an issue, the offense is a bigger problem. At the same time, if this team reaches for a guy because they're too afraid to trade down, it isn't a wise move. I've never felt Buffalo's front office could out maneuver opposing front offices on draft day. I hope I'm proven wrong.

Anytime someone posts about the season before FA, draft, and all the practices it usually is mocked as sky-is-falling sentiment. But after last season's 2-8 finish, can a handful of UFA's and rookies make that big a difference? Before someone mentions Atlanta or Miami (and I've done it several times) let's remember who is still coaching and running this team. The only saving grace might be Modrak, but I suspect he won't have big control over pro personnel where UFA is run. It's nice to talk about the draft, but it'll be the free agents who probably dictate where this team goes. There are weaknesses at DE, SLB, C, and TE and I don't expect all of those positions to be solidified in FA. Everyone knows what we have in DJ. IMO, this team needs to stop getting the benefit of the doubt and start proving they are serious about winning. They put one foot in the hole when DJ was inexplicably retained. I'm not sure any amount of talent can overcome that.

You have to think the economy will have an impact on these free agent contracts. Teams may find money for top tier UFA's, but for those guys at the next level, I'm not seeing it. Heck, Bobby Abreu settled for a one year 5M contract with the Angels. Adam Dunn didn't get great (for baseball) money from the Nats. A lot of these players will be humbled after the first week when the dollars aren't readily available like their agents thought.

Great post...excellent assessment.

Excellent post...great assesment.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries. Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time. That's how soldiers handle people like yourself. At least from the top of castles.

Parcells signed Kevin Mawae long term while he was HC of the Jets years ago, knowing full well that a center who can block big DT's is essential to playing football. The center position is often overlooked, but the shortest path to the QB is through the middle of the OL. Satele regressed somewhat this season according to reports I've read. No doubt playing Jenkins, Wilfork, and Stroud 6 times a year is a reason why. The fact that people still doubt Parcells' eye for talent is ridiculous. He's certainly not perfect, but when it comes to evaluating talent he's light years beyond plenty of teams. This year the FA class for centers is deep, as is supposedly the draft class. I wouldn't be surprised to see Buffalo and Miami pick up a UFA center.

So many here say QB play is the principal problem with the team. And yet, DJ has never had a good QB play in 8 full seasons as a a HC. I subscribe to the opinion that it's not the QB, but the coaching. And let's take it a step further. DJ has had personnel control in Chicago and Buffalo. He did so well with personnel in 99 and 00 that Jerry Angelo was hired and took those functions over from DJ. So DJ had an opportunity to find a QB and didn't. That's certainly puts to bed the notion he just didn't have good QB's. It was his job to find one and he failed. The same things happened in Buffalo. DJ had no doubt great personnel input in 06 and 07. If the crazy's want to say TE isn't good, well, fine. He's got 22 NFL starts in his career. And now we learn that Tom Modrak will have greater say in personnel. So that tells me that DJ's staying depended somewhat to significantly on personnel authority. Had this franchise been major league like Chicago, DJ would have been out. Trent's a young QB, but it's easy to blame QB play when the player isn't playing All-Pro caliber football. It's never DJ's fault.

You're telling me to "let it go" after the discussions you've engaged in? If you come onto a message board and make claims which could be true but can't find a way to prove them, prepare to take a heat round. Have a little humility and admit when you're wrong. No one on this board is right all the time, though some get it right more often than you. Alpha Topic 1 Read macaroni's post. He says what many posters have tried to tell you already. Just because this board doesn't kneel when you post doesn't mean that's a bad thing. You started making posts after the AZ game when JP subbed for the concussed TE. You went to significant effort to explain why Adrian Wilson should not have been fined. You know, with all this TE bashing, I've got to believe Edwards thrashed your team in the PAC 10 and you haven't gotten over it. I mean, relax dude.

First, my name is "BillsVet" because I am a military veteran and obviously a Bills fan. The only season since 1988 that I missed was 2004 when I was deployed. You got yourself off to a bad start on this board by quoting sources that you attempted in vain to prove. So much so that it came down to your "proof" being a pilot television show and whether or not it was on IMDB. Pretty lame if you ask me. Your inside source was allegedly Matt Cassel's mother, which isn't much of a source on anyone but her son. Regardless of whether you like it, Trent Edwards is the QB of this team. He doesn't miss on draft picks, he doesn't sign free agents, he doesn't hire lame duck coaches who never should have been hired after failing in Chicago. He doesn't hire OC's who've never been in the position and who never would have been without Buffalo. He doesn't put the game plan together, but he is an integral part of this team. You want a QB with less than 2 seasons of NFL starts to play like an All Pro. When you refer to QB play, you're making a veiled reference against TE and we all know it. In the short time you've been here, you've managed to alienate a lot of people, particularly those who don't wholeheartedly agree with your tired rationale. I'll be critical of TE when he has a bad game. The first quarter of the Cleveland MNF game was about as bad as a QB can play. He had a lack of confidence, but his rookie OC and rookie QB coach did nothing to react to the Browns defense. People criticize TE as the checkdown man, and there were guys open, but try playing QB with 6-7 guys in coverage on every down. I didn't care for the way you introduced yourself onto this board. Get over yourself.

What does Matt Cassel's mother think about our QB situation? And which pilots are you working on right now? Question: If Matt Cassel receives the franchise tag, doesn't his mother get some credit for her son's success? And if you're handling cameras for a pilot that never gets the air, do you and Matt Cassel's mother get an IMDB credit?

Get off your anti-Trent kick. You're making yourself out to be a broken record. Trent Edwards is a polar opposite from Jeff Garcia. There is no comparison. If you think the QB is the biggest problem with this franchise you're fooling yourself.

Expecting a first rounder to be an impact player is unrealistic. About the only position that produces from Day 1 are RB's. Within the past two seasons, a number of backs have played well, primarily because their skill is either there or isn't. Peterson, Chris Johnson, Slaton, and Lynch come to mind. Some LB's can make it happen, like Jon Beason and Jerod Mayo, but they're the exception and not the rule. Whomever Buffalo drafts in round 1 will most likely be used in the way DJ and staff worked McKelvin in. They flat out refused to play him when McGee was injured, for fear the rookie was too raw. I don't think there's a position on the field they want to play rookies at, because they simply don't trust them. Unless absolutely necessary (like McKelvin) the rookie will not start. If the Bills go DE, that guy'll be part of the rotation, not starting. A TE, C, or SLB may play from day 1 out of necessity, but it won't be DJ's ideal situation.

I don't see Buffalo going OT unless of course the dreaded Peters trade occurs. Getting rid of a large contract in Peters, receiving picks in return, and drafting a guy with no college experience could happen with this front office. It almost seems like they avoid problems at all costs. Lynch's accident and Peters situation instantly comes to mind. At the same time, it fits nicely into their "replace star players who exit with high draft picks and never improve" mindset. The only hope for this off-season is that Modrak is final say on all personnel decisions and not DJ. TM is no Jerry Reese, but he's a better personnel mind than the HC. McKelvin is an electric corner, and I'm impressed with his ball skills after people said his hands weren't great. The INT he got in KC that he returned for a TD was a dynamite play which hopefully is an indication of things to come. At this point the defense needs playmakers, perhaps McLovin can be that and in the return game. Overall, I can't believe how many resources have been invested in the OL and DL. More than 100M in contracts to the OL (although no first day picks in forever) and another 110M+ into the DL (Kelsay 23M, Schobel 50.5M, Stroud 10M+, Johnson 20M, Williams 14M IIRC) and we still have huge issues. That's a whole lotta money for two units that arguably are the team's weakest areas. Obviously the Bills are following the federal govt model of throwing money at problems and hoping they go away.

I'm certainly not saying that Hardy is a bust as some are prone to say. But drafting WR's early is not what this team needs right now. Hardy's not the issue on this team right now. The first pick should not be WR/RB/DB type player. Taking Maclin would be nice if this team could do the basic things: rush the passer and pass protect better.

From a team building perspective, Buffalo made huge mistakes in UFA 06, specifically Tripplett and Price. And the shine on the 06 draft is wearing as people realize it wasn't what it was made out to be. Whitner is average, McCargo a bust, Youboty can't stay healthy, Simpson has recognition issues at S, while Williams and Butler are good value picks. Ellison is a backup LB/ST'er. Three average starters is no way to build your team, as none are impact players. Rebuilding for three years and never going above 7-9 is an anomaly. That tells me there are significant issues in the front office, and it's my hope the team starts getting it right by taking personnel authority away from DJ. My expectations will always be low with the front office crew in place. If something happens, then great. If not, well, it's not a surprise. There's no sense getting amped up for a let-down, which is what this team has done for 9 seasons now.

So much so that RW finally relieved DJ of his authority in personnel by making Modrak part of his 5, wait, inner circle. (Apologies to Charles Barkley) This franchise should have known not to trust DJ with personnel after the 99 and 00 seasons. When Jerry Angelo arrived, DJ lost personnel control and never had much of a relationship with JA. Now the same thing is happening here. Worse than his gaffes on gameday, DJ's lack of savvy in personnel is a central reason why he's not capable of putting together a good team. He no doubt held immense sway over Marv in 06 and 07, but the results are still muddy. I'd trust Modrak a lot more than a coach who's proven he's not good enough on gameday and in personnel.