BillsVet

Erik Flowers, Mike Williams, J.P. Losman in the past 8 years. It's not a criticism of the current front office, but a reflection of first round busts. Out of eight first rounders from 2000-06, four are busts. Maybe not a long line, but not very good either. First rounders go bust in many cases. Some teams rarely have first round busts. San Diego, Indy, etc.

Trader Bill at it again. Colts are desperate for C2 type DT's. They've been hurt dearly on the DL this year. McCargo's run here was short and another in a long line of busts. That 2nd and 3rd in 06 was a heavy price to pay.

With the apparent non-acquisition of Tony Gonzalez, Bills fans can exhale and concentrate on Sunday's game against San Diego. Although the Cowboys traded for Roy (WR) Williams, it's a move that will hurt that franchise dearly. I'm glad the Bills didn't go overboard trying to obtain Gonzalez, as I think King Carl Peterson wanted a king's ranson for TG. After all, why deal one of your last links to respectability? It needs to be said, that the Cowboys have not won a playoff game since 1996. Teams that have? Arizona, St. Louis, Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, San Fran, and several more teams have won in the post-season. If you're looking for the reason, it's Mr. Jerry Jones who dealt first, third, and sixth rounders for Roy (WR) Williams. As GM, he's another in a long line of execs who make big moves and deliver little. One could argue that ever since Jimmy Johnson left Big D that this team has done nothing. Of course Barry "Saturday Night Special" won a Super Bowl, but it was with Johnson's hand built team. I'm a little bummed TG didn't go to Buffalo, but I prepared for it. Dallas fans may be happy today (despite PacMan), but they'll be sad on draft day and in coming seasons when they continue to either miss or lose in the playoffs.

Ask Jason Whitlock from the KC Star what he thinks of King Carl Peterson. The GM for 20 years who has delivered so little, yet remains in power of a completely rebuilding organization that goes into rebuilding mode every five years or so.

ieatcrayonz you're sounding way too sane in these posts. Tony Gonzalez derangement syndrome it should be called. Apparently it's just a trade deadline thing.

He has a lot left in him, but nothing more than a second round pick. Perhaps a third and a fifth. King Carl needs something, and it's a buyer's market. It's up to the front office, namely GM designee Brandon, to find out what other offers are out there. Anyone who's read Moneyball knows it's an art near the trade deadline to get people to say things they don't want to. I'm sure multiple teams are after TG, but this is one season to take a chance. Buffalo is 4-1, there's no big name team in the AFC, at least not yet, and your team has gone 8 straight seasons without making the playoffs. If not this year, when? If Buffalo continued with the youth movement and got another TE in the 09 draft, I'd have to say it's a financial thing, because third round picks aren't getting big dollars. A lot of the TE's coming out of college are fast, bulked up WR's. See Keller, Dustin. Not saying they won't be good, but Travis Beckum, Chase Coffman, and others aren't going to be Tony Gonzalez. Pettigrew, maybe. Then again, it's 2008 and the team has a chance to get a player who could take them beyond just the next level.

It would be worth it-riling up a bunch of die-hard Bills fans. I know if I was in Brandon's or Berchtold's position, I'd get a chuckle out of that. It's bad enough leading up to the draft. Now we're trying to go CSI on this trade deadline too.

It is another wide open season in both the NFC and AFC. There isn't a dominant team, at least not at this point, that is head and shoulders above the rest as NE seemed to be last year. Having said that, Buffalo is in position to be there when the dust settles. I'm all for giving Edwards another target, especially at the talent challenged tight end position. TG might not be 26, but he's certainly good enough. I'd rather not see Jackson go, but I think people are reading too much into depth chart thing. I hope the front office, in concert with DJ, realize they have a chance to not only get into the playoffs, but succeed. Who knows where this team could be with TG in say, Week 15?

First reports are always incorrect. I have to believe that a third and lower pick is more realistic. I also agree Lori, Trader Bill may have gone through with this deal, but the current people at OBD seem intent on maintaining a core of young players. Of course, they went against that wisdom by filling a huge void at DT with Stroud. I daresay right now that tight end is as big a problem as DT was last season. Some are OK with Royal, but based on the QB, a pass catcher at TE would instantly make the entire offense better.

Gonzalez is not a player to build for the future obviously. He does represent a significant upgrade at a position the Bills are extremely thin at. The Bills seem to have selected a QB for the long term in Edwards. That's the first step, but surrounding him with a cast of characters is the second. For a QB who's very accurate, it makes sense to have a pass catching TE. It may cost a third for TG, but in terms of developing your QB of the present and future, this could be an investment. Especially if it relegates Royal to be the blocking TE he should be.

With less than three days until the deadline and KC in going nowhere but top 5 pick mode, I think TG gets dealt. Where to, I'm not sure. Gonzalez per KC Star This report seems to validate your theory. I wouldn't blink if it happened. For a third and a sixth? I think that's manageable. Buffalo is also mentioned here, but again, no concrete source. Not that there ever is one.

I know there are people talking about the Gonzalez to Buffalo angle. Chris Brown has it on his blog that there is an unconfirmed story from ESPNews that Buffalo is interested in Tony Gonzalez. However... The report says Chiefs CEO King Carl (Peterson) wants a first and change. That's too high, and I'd be surprised to see KC get any more than a second. Gonzalez has some tread left on him, but a first is probably the initial offer, which is never accepted. TG has made it known he'd like to get out while the Chiefs undergo complete rebuild. The trade deadline is 10/14, and Chris Chambers went for a second last year. My gut tells me Buffalo does not consider Gonzalez for more than a third. His pay is manageable for 08 and 09, but there's some guaranteed money there as well. Then again, this is a must-win year for the Bills and there is no quality TE on the roster. You've got an H-Back type in Schouman and an injured rookie in Fine being the backups to the disappointing Royal.

Taking this issue a bit further, Lynch is a between the tackles runner. He's not a burner, but in Buffalo's case, he's not asked to be one. Unfortunately, the interior OL, specifically at C and RG, are fair or below average. Combine those aspects, and I believe that's why his ypc isn't as high as some would like. Brad Butler sometimes appears pushed back, and Fowler certainly is. It's been a problem since 2007 when this OL was formed. If they cannot run block at this point, they need a change in personnel. This is not to say Lynch is perfect, but he's a Marion Barber type who is every bit as good as the latter. I dare say with a better center (Alex Mack, please) he could become a bigger weapon. Joe D. said something to the effect that Lynch is the hardest runner he's ever seen. From a HOF OG, that's saying something.

Gonzalez at 32 is better than Robert Royal would be if he ever had hands. His cap hit may be high, but the team knows this team has a legit shot at the playoffs. A pickup, even with the dollar amount, is good for no more than a 3rd. King Carl probably thinks otherwise. Buffalo may very well have the worst collection of TE's in the league. Gonzalez for two years in Buffalo could be an investment in the future of a guy like Edwards that we can't even realize right now. But if people are fine with Robbery Royal fumbling, dropping catches, and being a #1 TE when he's no more than a blocker, then don't pursue it.

It seems like whenever the team isn't playing up to snuff, you're the first one there to say there was a reason. I didn't mention Stroud, but he was banged up. Every guy in that locker room, with the exception of Hamdan and the PS guys are hurting. Injuries weren't the reason on defense for their poor play. The scheme is unimaginative and I've got to wonder if PF can adapt his scheme to his players, not vice-versa. Coaching needs to improve yesterday.

Welcome aboard. I think that's a fair assessment from Kirwan, but I don't know how well the Bills are from a coaching perspective. Every coach in the league has been out-coached from time to time. Belichick couldn't stop Miami a few weeks ago. The Giants were thrashed in their first two games last season. I'm sure Vince Lombardi was out-coached at some point. What's scary is that Buffalo is out coached on a more regular basis. The Denver and Dallas games last year were abominations, and already this season the Bills have struggled against poor opponents. Many on this board were upset when people mentioned problems during the wins. Those issues were exploited on Sunday, and DJ must correct them. Sometimes out-executing opponents isn't enough, especially when that opponent has more talent on the field. It takes a solid plan and execution, particularly when you don't have as much talent. That's why DJ wins 44% of his games. If DJ and his staff cannot succeed with their current roster, they won't-ever.

You may very well be the #1 excuse maker there is on ths board. Schobel's foot wasn't 100%, but then again, which NFL starter is 100% throughout the season, even week 5? He played the run half way decent a few times, so I guess on passing downs the foot hurt more. Right? How about trusting the front four to provide a pass rush was too much and the Bills must blitz regularly to make that happen. The team is 4-1, but not without some big issues needing to be cleared up. I'm dismayed that the front four could not rush the passer, especially against an OL that wasn't anything to write home about. After the bye, Buffalo plays some teams with pretty decent O Lines, not the rag tag groups Seattle, Jacksonville, and St. Louis put out there.

If Fewell cannot trust his guys by this point, there is something seriously wrong between the coaches and players. The Bills aren't being forced to start green rookies, but veterans. You could say that in 06 or even 07. This year, I would hope they've moved beyond that scenario where it's protection of young players.

We're back at the "good teams make fewer, if any mistakes" discussion. C2 defenses must force turnovers, and the Bills didn't do that either yesterday. Funny how Buffalo has a problem when playing good to excellent teams. The C2 matches DJ's personality to a T. He does not like being forced to take even calculated risks, and when confronted with a huge problem such as an opponent clicking on offense, hesitates to change. For a guy who's supposed to be a defensive minded coach, this year they acquired the players who'd make the defense better. The problems which weren't affecting the outcome of games in the first 4 games finally hurt them big time this past week. Time to go back to the drawing board and there's a reason the front office hasn't given him an extension. Brad Childress reminds me of DJ. Very methodical, resistant to change, and ultimately makes poor gameday decisions because he tries to be perfect. He can't process what's happening quick enough because he's too busy over-thinking things. BTW Sis Bills-nice Levy reference earlier.

Arizona did everything they had to do in order to defeat the C2, and Buffalo had no answer. The goal is to win the game with a good defense. They lost the game. If that's an effective C2, then why do teams run the C2 to begin with? I can't help but recall the Indy-Buffalo game back in 2006. That day, the Bills defense played their safeties deep (both Simpson and Whitner were rookies) and Manning was forced underneath. He was accurate enough to make it hurt all day. In an all-too similar display, Peyton Manning didn't make the big pass, but completed 27 of 39 for 236 yards. Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai ran for a combined 148 yards, and the Bills lone score was a McGee INT return. The Cover 2 has weaknesses, which good offensive personnel can exploit. The other game in which the C2 worked was the 1999 NFC Title game, where St. Louis' high powered offense was extremely frustrated by Tony Dungy's T2 scheme. I'm sure Kurt Warner remembers all too well what the downside to a properly executed T2. That day, STL managed only 11 points after averaging nearly 33 ppg in the regular season. You've got to have the right personnel to run the C2. Excellent DE's. Quick DT's who can hold up at the LOS. CB's who have excellent short area quickness in a zone, and LB's who are able to to go into a zone and fast enough to move to the LOS on running plays. I dare say the Bills have many of those players. They're not playing well, at least on the whole. Part of it is coaches, part poor on-field play.

That's what it seemed like.

I was thinking today about the draft. This year is a little different than last, when Buffalo was 1-3 to start the season and we were all thinking top-5 pick. Thankfully, the season wasn't that bad. There's so much time for things to happen, but I'd really like to see Alex Mack from Cal. I've read he's one of the finest OC prospects in awhile. Chase Coffman would be a much better receiving TE, but I would like to see what Fine can do when he returns. TE's can be found deep into the draft. Thanks Astro.

I recall hearing about arthritis in his need. Not to mention reconstuctive surgery leading up to the draft. What's not to love about a WR with that background?

The Cover 2 is Buffalo's base defense, though not on every down and most around here understand that. What ought to worry Bills fans is the team yesterday could not execute the necessary elements of their base defense. Pressure on the QB is more important in a C2/T2 defense from the DL than in any other defense. With 3 LB's dropping into short zone coverage, that's all there is to make the passer uncomfortable. Any decent C2 defense must has bonafide pass rushers. Indy with Freeney, Chicago with Alex Brown, and Tampa Bay years ago with Simeon Rice et al. CB's in a C2 scheme must take responsibility in their zone. A C2 CB doesn't have to feature the pure speed like a man to man corner, but area quickness in a zone is paramount. They'll play off the LOS about 5-8 yards, and as in the Dallas game last year, yielded too much to a fine QB with excellent targets. Nothing changed from the first to fourth quarter there. Lastly, a C2 scheme is beaten when it gives up too many yards on the ground. The running game is the secret to beating a C2 defense. Arizona didn't destroy them, but meshed an effective ground game with a potent short passing game. The idea is to force teams to throw into the teeth of a zone. Yesterday, the zone was soft and the results were poor. I didn't expect Fewell to completely re-do his plan in the course of a quarter, half, or at the half. I did expect some tweaks, which didn't seem to occur. IMO, Fewell's had some huge lapses since becoming DC. I hope this is game was the exception and not the rule for his defense.

Maybe DJ isn't the Monday through Saturday coach some have called him. Last year, the Bills were one of the most disciplined teams in the league with regard to penalties. Now they're falling all over themselves. Gameplan's are just not living up to expectations, particularly against better teams. That's eerily familiar to his entire career against good teams. AFAIC, DJ's gameday coaching has been exposed as being lackluster. Not solely because of this loss, but this game just happened to be when the minor problems of the first four games were exposed as big issues. Not long ago there was talk of an extension for DJ, but it hasn't occurred yet. Everyone pointed to his lack of talent during the Chicago years and here in Buffalo in 06 and 07. Now that he's got more talent, particularly at QB, DT, LB, and OL his teams still are outplayed. That's no coincidence.