BillsVet

Allowing excellent players like Peppers to hit the UFA market is not the way to build a team. Besides, who drafts players that excel and then allows them to leave in UFA after their initial contract? Well, outside of Buffalo. Peppers has come on this year, after a poor 2007 season. I suspect Carolina knows there are teams who would love him. So they'll franchise him and then trade him for something. He's not hitting the open market, much like Corey Williams didn't last year with Green Bay. If you're a team with plenty of cap room like KC, wouldn't you make that deal? IIRC correctly, Carolina re-signed Travelle Wharton and franchised Jordan Gross. They also drafted Jeff Otah, and I'm sure he can handle the RT spot. So re-signing Gross isn't a huge thing, and Gamble, well CB's aren't impossible to replace like franchise DE's.

It's very unlikely Buffalo gets Peppers for a couple reasons. 1. He will be re-signed or at the least franchised by Carolina. 2. He'll seek a long term contract (5-7 yrs) of 10M+ per season if he hits the market. That sort of cap hit doesn't lend itself to Buffalo's overall strategy. 3. The Bills have spent a bunch of money already on DE's. Schobel's deal has 6 more seasons, and Kelsay has two more after this year. The total for those two alone is already 74M. I can't see the Bills, even with a huge need at DE, spending more at one position than what they already have. 4. I think Buffalo re-signs Fred Jackson (UFA after season) and then McGee and Reed (UFA after 09) before making big moves on the UFA market. Reality says the Bills are hurting for a proven pass rusher, and Peppers would probably be the best one available if an UFA. We don't know what the cap will be in 09, but it'll probably be around 120M. Buffalo has about 20-22M in cap room right now, but we won't know for awhile how much for next season.

Part of the reason Deangelo Hall was waived was to clear room for Asomugha. I think they'll shovel some cash at him, because he's the most dominant CB in the game. At least according to Mike Shanahan. It's so early, but if Alex Mack is on the board and Buffalo goes LB in the 15-20 pick range, I have a problem with the team's vision. Buffalo has used a host of picks on defense, and thrown big money at their OL problems. The current OL (minus Preston) has played 25 games together, and I'm not seeing much besides Peters and perhaps Butler. Coincidentally, both were groomed in the Bills system. Of the 6 picks in either the first or second of DJ run drafts, they've used 3 1sts, a 2nd, and two thirds on defense. Not to mention the trade for Stroud, signing Spencer Johnson and Kawika Mitchell. It's time to draft OL early. I wouldn't have a problem with a pass rusher, but OL ought to be the priority. The question fans should ask is where is this team going. This season it'll be tough to make it into the post-season but if we're just going to throw money at the OL and cross our fingers, there isn't a veritable plan. Actually, it's not a lot different than what Donahoe did, just with more dollars.

Didn't say he will be tagged. Just can't see Tennessee letting him go. He's one of, if not the most dominant DT in the NFL.

Haynesworth along with Julius Peppers, Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, Kurt Warner, Brandon Jacobs, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Nnamdi Asomugha won't hit the UFA market. Karlos Dansby, Jonathan Vilma, Bertrand Berry, Jordan Gross, Stacy Andrews, and Matt Birk probably won't either. UFA is increasingly becoming less of an option for quality players with the salary cap rising so much each year.

Last year Anthony "Slow-Train" Thomas played over Fred Jackson. Even when everyone knew he was way past his prime, the coaching staff insisted on keeping Jackson off the field. It's all about being super conservative. Go with the guy who has experience versus the up and coming player. I don't think DJ has ever taken a chance when it's not absolutely necessary. Greer didn't play last year until Jason Webster's inevitable injury occurred. This is not just a 2008 thing with DJ.

Jim, you may as well be talking to the wall. There are those who believe all NFL franchises operate just like Buffalo. What they don't realize is most franchises don't have a meddling owner, replete with no GM or GM type guiding the personnel side of the football team. We're left with a business/marketing guy who by all accounts is good in that position, but lacks experience in football ops. Agree that Polian's departure was the epic move which has prevented this team from moving forward. They never replaced him, and now we don't even have a GM.

Unfortunately, the off-season happened for the Seahawks and Jaguars. Both teams got older, and teams had more game tape of them. Those teams weren't good in Week 1, and they're not good now. It didn't miraculously happen between the time we played them and now. They both had their share of injuries, but were somewhat healthy when Buffalo showed up in Weeks 1 and 2. So-Cal is correct. Two wins against winning teams since 2006 (that's 43 games and counting). That means two out of 20 wins were against above average opponents. It's not like they play in the NFC West. DJ's total record and against quality opponents closely mirrors what he did in Chicago. Unfortunately, most people don't bother to look at his record, season by season and see that his three years in Buffalo accurately reflect his shortcomings in Chicago. Someone will remark that he didn't have the players, but then consider he had personnel control for 1999 and 2000. Outside of Urlacher and Colvin, he didn't fare all that well in the draft either. Yet people still believe he's the guy for the future.

For the same reason fans thought Buffalo could make it in 06 and 07, despite nearly .500 records. It makes them feel good to think playoffs. Instead, the Bills are in their own personal playoff, and running the table is the only way to guarantee a post-season. Just one year I'd like to see Buffalo go into the last third of the season with an 8-3 record. This hovering around .500 is not cutting, especially after eight straight non-playoff seasons.

Don't hold your breath on Crowell. He's as good as gone and I don't think Buffalo ever intended to keep him. My hunch is he knew this long ago. Jenkins is a quality ST'er, but no one they should bend over backward on. In light of yesterday's explosion from LMac, I think Greer's future cap hit will be too large to keep three guys (McGee included) at big pay for only two starting CB spots. Youboty and Corner can battle it out at the nickel. Preston, Wilson, Bryan, Fowler, and Losman shouldn't be on the team next year. Period. I doubt anyone will be interested in them anyway. I would look at keeping Fred Jackson, but not spend more than 2M per. You cannot retain all your players. Good GM's, well, for those teams that have them, know who to keep and who not to. Rarely has Bill Polian allowed a guy to leave who played well for another team. Larry Tripplett anyone? You draft players at positions you know will have a FA you're not ready to keep. From a team building perspective, the McKelvin pick isn't bad, considering Greer is UFA after this season, and both McGee and Youboty are after 2009. I suspect Buffalo will re-sign McGee, but they can't possibly keep McGee, Greer, and McKelvin. I don't think Buffalo can continue with Brandon handling football operations. He doesn't have the personnel experience, and it makes me wonder who is deciding who Buffalo pursues in UFA and the draft. It has to be DJ, and I don't see RB telling a guy who's spent 20+ years coaching in the NFL what to do with players. Only a seasoned personnel man can do that.

You're treading an extremely thin line around this board with that comment on Whitner. Being a leader and non-bust isn't a reason to build DW up, but that seems to be the reason most cite regarding DW. He's a good, not great player and isn't better because Michael Huff can't start for the Raiders. Game changers are what this team needs Even though most players don't become that, every successful team has their share. It's a difficult thing for a safety to be a game changer, given how far off the LOS they usually play. You can see how plays like McKelvin's make problems go away quickly. Without his INT return, that game may turn out different. Looking back, many fans thought DT was the way to go in 2006. Yes, we're not experts, but the Bills fan base (some of them) know that you prioritize OL and DL before small players. DJ and Marv thought otherwise, and we can only wonder what if in 2008.

Buffalo could only beat one team this week. I'd have liked to see better defense, but scoring 54 against any NFL team is excellent. I'll take it. Regardless of whether Buffalo makes the playoffs, a huge void exists in the front office. Far too many times this franchise has made poor personnel and coaching decisions. Anyone who thinks Russ Brandon can perform GM responsibilities minus the backgroud hasn't looked at the 31 other teams who either have a GM or a someone working in the position without the exact title. Even though a salary cap exists for players, nothing is there for coaching and front office executives. RW has made it a point to go thin at these crucial positions, and we're seeing the result. I have a hard time believing Buffalo can compete with the other three teams in the AFC East. Without a proven talent evaluator in the GM role, I don't see things changing anytime soon.

If it was the RT for KC, MacIntosh, then that's even worse for Ellis. If anyone remembers MacIntosh, he's the fat journeyman who KC has had to go with this season. He's horrible, and if Ellis can't play well against him that's bad. Ellis may not be ready, and even Kelsay is better. He needs a lot of work in the offseason.

I thought the same thing. Seeing QB's running into tacklers is never a pretty sight and I hope TE doesn't make it a habit. But how can you not remember Rob Johnson? It's clear Buffalo needs to get stronger on the interior OL. They had the benefit today of playing a team with a pathetic DL and it showed. With Jenkins and Wilfork in the division for awhile, I'd expect Buffalo to prioritze interior OL on draft day. If they don't, it'll be more of the same until they fortify the middle against big NT's.

I can remember leading up to the draft and right after how people questioned McKelvin's hands. The scouting reports were he didn't get enough INT's at Troy State. Well, I think his hands are just fine after today's performance. Thigpen's throw which resulted in the INT return wasn't horrible. But as the announcers said, it was a better play by McKelvin. The kid has enthusiasm, which on this team has obviously been lacking in recent weeks. Playmakers are what this team needs so desperately of late. McKelvin's showing he can be one.

For one day, I can ignore DJ, the lack of a GM, drafting DB's early and everything else holding back the franchise. Putting up 54 against a NFL team is priceless. Hopefully Buffalo can use this win to help next week against SF.

MFCMT, you really sparked a crapstorm with that one. All the pro-Bills we don't need a real GM front office fans will be out and about now. Unfortunately, Buffalo has the worst front office in the AFCE, and probably only a step above of Oakland, Detroit, and Cincinnati. What I'd like to know is how drafting a Whitner has solidified this team's ability to stop the run. DJ's build through the secondary mindset really didn't start to work until Buffalo acquired Stroud and bigger linebackers. Let them keep believing the secondary is the most important part of the defense. Then again, Buffalo hasn't had a statistically high ranked pass defense since Clements was on this team. Of course after he left, they've had issues defending the pass.

I like to look at where the Bills have drafted on defense these past three years: 7 DB's (Whitner, McKelvin, Youboty, Simpson, Corner, Wendling, Cox) 2 LB's (Posluszny, Ellison) 2 DT's (McCargo, Williams) 2 DE's (Ellis, Ah You) It's easy to pick apart drafts, but taking 7 DB's in three drafts has hurt. When you consider that when Levy and Jauron took over, the Bills had Clements, Greer, Milloy, and McGee, it's hard to understand all the resources allocated toward the secondary. When they did draft a DL, it was a bust with McCargo. Priorities on defense begin at DL, then LB, then secondary. We're seeing how a lack of a real pass rush affects the entire team. Spending picks on DB's is worthless without a front seven to help them. What I can't comprehend is that many of the things which killed the Bills in recent years are still appearing. They still allow long drives and fail to get turnovers. Those have been problems all three years DJ's been HC. Having a C2 base defense requires you get turnovers. Unfortunately, without a pass rush that won't happen anytime soon.

I love how so many threads and posters here are declaring that Trent isn't the guy. That's based on four bad games. No one was saying that when he was playing well the first four games. He has a lot to learn, and he knows it. Give him the rest of the season because I think he'll do well. As for the Dimitrioff approach, it's ironic he didn't rid the Falcons of Lawyer Milloy. He's a high paid and very veteran player. But he's played well and Buffalo letting him go looks stupid. I give Arthur Blank a lot of credit because he handed over football operations to Dimitrioff and didn't look back. He was led on by Parcells, and previous he had to deal with the Vick fiasco. No one in the NFL deserves success from an owners standpoint like Blank does. However, the challenge in Buffalo is to win despite Wilson. Ralph's meddling 1950s style of leadership is wearing thin. The one time he's gone out and hired someone to handle football operations blew up in his face with Donahoe. Regardless of previous experience, RW needs to find another guy. Brandon is a business guy, and no one in that front office is a going to be the next GM. Atlanta has done well this season, and they look like they've found a QB post-Vick. Maybe Wilson can find an up and coming type who'll come here and restore some pride. They must find a GM asap.

PFW Article 11-21 Regardless of how the quarterback actually feels, the bloom has clearly fallen off first-year offensive coordinator Turk Schonert’s rose, not to mention that of Jauron, who signed an extension earlier this season. Nevertheless, don’t expect Jauron or any of his coaches to be shepherded out of town this offseason. Jauron, like many of Buffalo’s head coaches who preceded him, is intensely loyal to his assistants and won’t fire a member of his staff just to appease public sentiment. For as much heat as Edwards has taken (and rightly so) Schonert's a rookie play-caller, and it's clear he's run out of answers this season.

Ralph might pay for one trip to Salvatore's Italian Gardens, without the hotel. Seriously, the Bills are required by the NFL to spend a certain amount on players. It's usually about 85-90% of the cap. There's nothing that says they have to spend a minimum on coaches. Now more than ever the NFL is a coaching league, and unlike baseball, coaches can mean a win or loss in a majority of games. We've seen how bad decisions influence the final outcome. Things like wasted timeouts, exceesive losses in challenges, gameplans which do not adapt to opponents, and on and on. A well paid coach doesn't guarantee success, but if you can't attract the best talent in coaching, it means you'd better have supreme talent on the field to make up for it.

Very true. I've often wondered why if Ralph could hire a marquee name like TD for President/GM, then why couldn't they let TD find a bonafide HC? I agree with the idea that there was a line drawn for how much they would pay the new HC after Wade left in 2000. TD was a jerk, but I think he was bright enough to know the NFL is a coaches league. And he picked coordinators both times. Littman's position in all of this is very murky. We never hear much about him, but it's evident he and Ralph do a lot of meddling in football operations. The result is 8 and most likely 9 straight non-playoff seasons. RW and most likely JL find new ways to push people away, and it's not going to change until the inevitable occurs. I don't expect the Bills to ever resemble the late 80s/early 90s teams that had excellent depth. The awful front office decisions that have been made since 2000 are proof enough that Ralph/the front office/Littman are all incompetent when making football personnel decisions.

And 56,000+ season ticket holders believed competing was going to the playoffs. If only they'd known. I will admit I am a season ticket holder, although I've got to believe that number won't be as high next season. I go to games with two people who've been season holders since 1996. They've never watched a home playoff game in 13 years. One said to me after the Cleveland game that he was just tired of losing. I've never seen him that dejected, but it's wearing on people. The marketing people just can't keep beating a dead horse, which is what Bills fans are becoming. If DJ stays, I have to wonder how they can keep selling tickets, considering the team is always rumored to move, the current squad isn't very good, and the front office never changes despite being as mediocre as they've been.

My post was sarcasm, based on a downright hilarious thread which developed earlier this year. It involved what appeared to be a younger guy talking about how "with it" he was despite going to an "Ivy League-caliber" school. As far as being on this board, if you want to let on who you are, fine. But I don't make a habit out of it. The problem with people in their late teens and early twenties who populate this board is they haven't been watching football as closely and long enough to know the pains of this franchise. And if you talk to those who watched the team since Day 1, you might better appreciate their struggle. It's been nothing but mediocrity since 2000, which isn't a whole lot different than the late 60s and early 70s. Back then it was a fight between horrible and mediocre. It's a trend with the Bills, as someone said in another thread, that Buffalo gravitates between long periods of mediocre and short ones of success. The Bills were good in the mid 60s, mid-70s, early 80s, and late 80s through late 90s. The last eight years (during the salary cap era) have been demoralizing. Other than the Polian years and results, Buffalo does indeed move between bad, mediocre, with a sprinkling of success. It's fine if you want to be that optimistic, but you need to see more of just the past 8 years. Which I'm guessing is what you've really watched intently. As for DJ, he's had immense personnel control over this team. If it's too young, he shares a great deal of blame for that.

Great point bolded there. That's sums it up. As for Trader Bill, Polian had negotiated contracts with Kelly and B. Smith, which prompted his promotion to GM. He wasn't a big name, and thank goodness the stars aligned when he was hired. Levy was an also-ran HC who many people forget was pretty fiery from time to time. There are enough NFL Films clips to demonstrate this. Polian and Levy worked well together, and it was a situation which hasn't been duplicated since in Buffalo. Perhaps it happened because the NFL was simpler before the cap. Then again, Polian seems to work well with Dungy so maybe it's not out of the question either. All in all, I agree with this. Buffalo's only saving grace is that they're not completely awful like Detroit is. Although now, the Bidwell's look good because their team will make the playoffs, leaving only the Bills and Lions as not having made the playoffs since the 1990s.