BillsVet

Brandon's personnel experience falls far short of many successful GM's in the league. Most GM's begin their career on the personnel side of the team, either as an amateur scout or in pro personel. Guys like Polian, AJ Smith, Jerry Reese, Ted Thompson, and Scott Pioli all worked in personnel before graduating to GM or VP of Personel roles. Brandon is at a distinct disadvantage here, and he relies heavily on Modrak, Guy, and Jauron for personel guidance. As for Burress, he's 31 and took a deal significantly less than Fitzgerald and Berrian. Fitzgerald got a whopping 30M guaranteed and Berrian's new deal includes 16M of the same. I have a feeling Evans' people are pushing the point that Evans is younger and on the upswing, while Burress is not getting younger. JMO.

Bill, I'm all for drafting DL and OL and I believe those areas will be addressed. I just believe the team looked at potential free agents and starting drafting their replacements in 08. McKelvin and Corner will need to become starters/contributors, which enables the team to replace from within at CB. Buffalo might retain some of their own, but not all three CB's. The 09 draft is a ways off, but right now, I'd say priorities on this team are interior OL, TE, and LB. I think Brandon knows basic team building, and if Jauron wanted a DB, someone would raise their hand and politely advise Brandon otherwise. That is, if anyone can over-rule Jauron on draft day.

Buffalo's top 3 CB's all have contracts up before 2009. McGee and Youboty after next season, with Greer up after this year. That may have factored into the decision to draft McKelvin, but it's probably minor as compared with the value he had at 11th. Any decent front office understands that they can't retain every player on their team, especially when the team works with a salary cap, or in the Bills case, C2C. McKelvin will be looked to replace a CB at some point, either next season or 2010. My guess is he'll rotate in eventually, and Buffalo will choose among McGee, Youboty, or Greer. Perhaps two, but not all of them will be re-signed.

I don't believe you "get it." Every year, FA determines the price of players, whether the fans like it or not. I would argue that Evans' presence on the field is more game-changing than many of us realize. Opponents have to respect his speed, and he's demonstrated against decent defenses that he's capable of beating them regularly. He's a fifth year player who is in the prime of his career, despite having multiple QB's in his NFL time. The Bills can pay the going rate or a similar amount for Evans. If not, Lee takes his services elsewhere, a.k.a. free agency. Bernard Berrian's contract, and probably Larry Fitzgerald's are figuring heavily into the negotiations, as they're some of the more recent and comparabale WR's signed. You may not think Evans is not worthy of a deal above 7M per, but it's a narrow view to simply say he's not worth it and let him depart in FA. For example, Evans' replacement value is high, given that Buffalo has no other WR near him in terms of what he can do. Second, WR, as many have pointed out, is historically a position that takes a great deal of time to transition from college to the pros. Third, the Bills won't find a player for less than 7M per season who can grasp their offense and personnel as quickly as Lee. The Bills core group is beginning to establish rapport, and I can't imagine one more close than QB to WR. You can disagree with the cost because of numbers alone, but that ignores far too many other issues at hand.

It says a great deal about where the franchise is going. Teams that want to stay successful eventually have to ante up, and Buffalo is no different. We know the Bills are capable of getting smaller contracts done, but larger ones seem to be a slow process. Schobel's contract negotiations went on for months, and now so is Evans'. It's understandable that both sides want something fair, but this has dragged on for too long. The going rate for WR's is high, but the Bills have no viable replacement for Evans, and have more than 20M in cap room. You have to wonder with Ralph having final say on contracts if this isn't something he could be holding up. I think Marv was someone Ralph trusted a great deal, and Brandon isn't at that level from a personnel standpoint.

I remember some fans worrying that Evans wasn't a fan of Edwards because the two didn't work together as well as Evans did with Losman. Not to comment on Losman, but it's fair to say Evans and Edwards have developed something in a short time. Granted, it's after two whole games, but apparently Evans wants to remain in Buffalo and knows Edwards is dedicated to improving. At the end of the day, WR's like whatever QB gets them the ball. Edwards is doing that, and the Bills are winning. I'm sure that positively affected negotiations.

Evans article per John Wawrow Nice to see that things have "suddenly heated up" regarding a new contract. I've wondered what has taken so long (6+ months now) for the Bills to re-sign their best receiver. Through two games, Evans' lack of a new deal hasn't affected his play. He's caught eight passes for 179 yards in two games.

The future is now for the Minnesota Vikings. Jackson may turn into a fine NFL QB, but he's not right now. Meanwhile, the Vikes have made some "now" moves by signing Berrian, AP, and Jared Allen. They can't afford to wait for a young developmental QB to mature.

He's defintely playing physical and not avoiding contact. I sit in the front row behind the tunnel side EZ, and last season it seemed like he more than any other Bill would leave games. I have to believe the light went on with him sometime after 2007 and before camp. We'll need that nickel CB when we shut down opposing rushers.

Al Al Davis, it's time to retire. Or try out for the next cryptkeeper television show.

In a big game, the Bills did something I haven't seen them do on the road in a long time - they opened with a lengthy drive capped by a touchdown to get the early lead. I was also impressed that the defense stopped Jones-Drew and Taylor from running wild. I'm sure the defenders from last season remember Taylor ripping off the 50 yarder last season. The defense knew coming in they needed to force Garrard to throw, and they did it. Props to Fewell on that note. This teams wins games when the defense and special teams play well. I think the running game improves as defenses are forced to respect their passing game.

Love the picture of Posluszny just before he practically takes MJD's head off. On an additional note, they are in good cap position to keep Evans AND Peters. Besides Evans, the only other starters with contracts expiring soon are McGee in 2009, Greer in 2008, and Crowell this season. It's clear that drafting CB's, as much as I initially hated it, may have a benefit down the road. I have a feeling they'll be talking to Edwards' rep after the season. All in all, the future seems bright. Now, it's about getting into and winning in the playoffs.

Leadership from the HC isn't limited to just the players, it includes the coordinators and position coaches. I didn't see DJ intercede when things on offense were clearly lacking. Instead, it seemed like most weeks were eerily similar with Buffalo scoring 20 points or less in 12 games. DJ's strategy to keep games close has been his calling card for his entire career. He departed briefly from that against Seattle. I would hope he now trusts his defense more to enable the offense to take a chance now and then. They've got some quality opponents down the road who they can't afford to go ultra conservative with.

Stability alone does not a winner make. There are several examples of unchanged front offices which continue to lose. Oakland and Detroit come to mind. San Francisco has been similar for a few years. At the same time, you've got a team like the Giants who transitioned at GM when Ernie Accorsi retired and Jerry Reese entered. It's more than continuity or stability, it's having a front office that routinely makes good decisions and finds the right players and coaches.

Watching people fall over each other to apologize is so comical. I will say, there are a few who have summed up the DJ issue quite well. I've never been a big fan of DJ for a few reasons, namely his inability to find quality coordinators. Crowton, Shoop, and Fairchild were not ready for their promotions to OC. Fewell as a DC has more weapons to work with in 08, but I think he needs to demonstrate some more success, especially after last season's debacles against Denver and Dallas As for DJ, the true test begins now. They've got lightweights on the roster next with Oakland and at St. Louis. If DJ is the coach some are making him out to be, then I'd expect to see Buffalo win convincingly. Not like they did at Miami and the Jets last year when they scored 13 points in each game and barely came away with a "W." As much as DJ apologists want us to forget and discount the past, it's who DJ was, and right now all of us are hoping he's changed. Coaches who are 50-67 entering the season need to win more than 2 games to show they're not what history suggests. With two games in the can, I'd like to see how DJ, Schonert, and Fewell can keep opponents guessing and tweak their gameplans.

Giving up 37 points to a Eagles team minus their top wideouts is not what I'd call being at the top of the NFL. They're very good offensively, but defensively aren't great-yet.

I was in error. Evans has those 8 catches for 179 yards, a 22.4 average. After six months plus of negotiations, the Bills need to get an agreement done with Evans.

The same OL on the field today was there for 15 of 16 games last season. Peters returned, but where Buffalo has serious issues is running up the middle. That was the case last season, and early on, it's an issue this season. Count me among those who believe Fowler will never be more than an average NFL center. Buffalo is his third team in 7 seasons and there's a reason for it. He couldn't start in Cleveland, and only played FT in Minnesota when Matt Birk went down. Fowler has good mobility, but lacks the functional strength and technique to move larger DT's. I would hope the Bills improve the position in the off-season, because it's been up the middle where this team has struggled. The away Miami game comes to mind from 07 when the Bills couldn't run against one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

With grammar like this, who needs to argue? Edit: Baseball and football arm mechanics aren't the same.

BS. Schonert runs a quasi West Coast Offense that requires a great deal of timing and enables players to run after the catch. It seemed like today I saw a good deal of YAC, something we haven't seen in a long time. As for the long ball, there aren't many deep 50 yard+ throws in the WCO. Jerry Rice wasn't catching bombs, but getting the ball in the middle of the field and running. Montana didn't have a cannon, but was deadly accurate and with guys like Rice, Taylor, Brent Jones, Roger Craig, et al, he didn't have to throw deep. To say it's just Trent's arm strength which prevents him from throwing deep is shortsighted.

Bill, excellent points all around. One thing I noticed today was Lee Evans' ability to get open. Call it separation, call it savvy, but he showed why he's a top flight receiver today. This season, he's caught 11 passes for 185 yards. The 37 yard reception to set up the TD to Hardy was an excellent double move in coverage and if he doesn't make that play, I'm not sure Buffalo scores the TD. That's just my initial addition to your list. Great as always Bill. Edit: Can Buffalo and Evans come to an agreement soon?

Most rookie WR's aren't ready for the pro game, and Hardy is no different. He physically overwhelmed college CB's, but he's learning that things are different in the NFL. No one should be surprised, but I expect he'll improve his route running and strength. He needs to do a better job of separating and being physical off the LOS. Hardy may contribute in the RZ, but he's not going to catch 60 balls this year. If he ends up with 40 and 5TDs, that's a good rookie season for a wideout.

Jacksonville seems to be the place disgraced former HC's go. I can't see any of them ever getting another HC job in the league. Williams is a good defensive coordinator or he'd be doing QC for some team. But he'll never get the reigns as a HC for an NFL team.

Not every team can get away with what the Cowgirls do. It's not the standard of how things are done league-wide, and most markets cannot support it. I daresay most of the teams in the lower half of the league revenue list on Forbes couldn't get close to Dallas' ambitious PSL plan. Big market teams are quickly distancing themselves from the smaller ones. When a new stadium opens, teams can charge much more for tickets, particularly luxury boxes. Comparing Dallas, the NYC teams, and Washington to Buffalo is a non-sequitur.

Not all new stadiums have PSL's. The Giants/Jets new field won't charge PSL's in the same way either. NYG will have PSL's for the entire place, while NYJ will only charge the lower bowl. Besides, someone mentioned that the bubble could burst for the NFL in the next few years. I'd say if teams can't win year after year (and few can) that PSL's might push enough fans away. Some NFL owners act as though their product is bulletproof and PSL's will be bought up regardless. I can see that changing in the next few years. New stadiums equate to greater revenue. It's why the Colts are worth $1B+ this season, when last year they were in the 20s.