BillsVet

Reading Burwell's article, it's obvious that unlike the salary cap, the NFL cannot create parity among front offices. Teams like the Rams, Cardinals, Lions, Chiefs, and Bengals have been led by inept management, and in some cases, facilitated by owners who don't care. How else can anyone explain the Rams and Lions being led by the same pitiful execs for so long? I've had issues with the Bills front office, but their shortcomings pale in comparison to other franchises. There seems to be a plan in Buffalo, which is far more than teams like the Rams can offer.

Jauron's ability to process what happens on the field is my biggest issue with his style. There are times that it seems he's attempting to overanalyze what transpires on the field that he neglects the "big picture." Almost to the point of perfectionism. The first occurrence that something was wrong was in 2006 in the home game against SD. He used a TO with about 12 min remaining in the fourth to review a Peerless Price catch which was ruled out of bounds. He challenged, and the ruling was upheld. On one play, he used the equivalent of two timeouts and in a low scoring game, couldn't prioritize his TO's above a single pass play. The second time was home versus the Jets last season. He wanted so badly to attempt a FG on 4th down from about the 2, but could not make up his mind, and the game clock got down. This forced a TO, wherein the team decided to go for it. People can criticize that some bring up his career record. They can argue it was a lack of talent, or the front office, or whatever. It's not always going to be so easy, and coaches have to make decisions without the benefit of ample time. I've got to see DJ make better in-game adjustments than they have, particularly against Oakland. It seems he's painfully slow to change tactics, and it wasn't until the fourth quarter when the offense finally did something. He is the HC, and abdicating responsibility for the offense is unacceptable.

I attended a couple of practices during the summer. Crowell missed one at the end of July, but was participating later on at full speed. It's noteworthy that Crowell had what Graham termed "the works" version of surgery when he went to see Dr. Andrews. Sounded as though he elected this because he had the time to heal. Had he not been on IR, he could have elected to have a scaled down version of surgery. I'm not a MD, so I can't elaborate further. It's also important to view this event during the time it did. Peters still hadn't reported, and I'm sure the mood wasn't good in the front office. The personnel folks probably viewed surgery as a move to undermine them, and responded by sending a message that this behavior would not be tolerated. I also have to wonder if this was done by the player's agent to test a new GM/COO in Brandon. It's all speculation, but something's amiss with this situation. Crowell also was entering the final year of his contract, and apparently Buffalo hadn't contacted him about an extension. Either way, he misses the season, had the surgery, and will hit UFA without a 2008 body of work.

I understand where you are coming from. The team GM approach has advantages. I do believe there are capable individuals who can handle the GM role, but the team felt keeping the same people in the front office was more conducive to their success. I can't judge this yet, because the season and the Brandon era has only begun. While we don't know all the inner-workings of the front office, Buffalo's model is unique. Not saying it can't work, but it's not conventional. The NE model is certainly different, though I'm more apt to trust a Belichick/Pioli combo given their successes. Additionally, Pioli's been in pro personnel for 15 years whereas Brandon's only now beginning. Ultimately, the results will tell the story. Buffalo is in year 3 (and what I feel is the final year) of rebuilding. They've started well, and the FA acquisitions from 07 and 08 are contributing. I believe as the team improves, tougher decisions will need to be made. Which players should they prevent from hitting UFA, how much to dip into UFA, which areas to draft, whom to draft, et al. Now that the roster has been overhauled, the true test begins. Rebuilding is the easy part. Staying successful long term is much harder, and that's why few teams have been able to win for more than 3 years. I cite Polian a lot, but he's the man who's headed that organization to a SB and 6 straight 10+ win seasons. We'll see if Buffalo's version of GM can work.

I think Modrak's very adept at handling the amateur scouting side of personnel. Guy, I'm not so high on with pro scouting. Jauron may have a bias toward defense, but has been around the NFL and its players for awhile. IMO, a GM ought to come from the personnel arena, not the business side of the house. In that way, when a tough decision needs to be made, they can take their own experience and combine that with their lieutenants. My greatest fear is decisions are made totally by committee at OBD. While this can be advantageous, sometimes a leader has a particular feeling toward something which may not be popular. I recall reading in The GM by Tom Callahan that Ernie Accorsi was convinced that Eli Manning would be a special player. Not everyone was on board, and Accorsi took a lot of heat. Needless to say, he's been vindicated. That decision may not have been made without a guy like Ernie. In no way am I saying Brandon is a dunce or incapable of being GM. I just think teams are defined more often than not by the quality of their personnel people, GM included. It's best to have as many proven talent evaluators as possible.

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.