BillsVet

DC Tom...14000+ "I think I'm both funny and smart posts" and counting. It's ironic to see those willing to excuse this. No rational fan is convicting Lynch in the court of public opinion, but the idea he won't talk does not resonate with those who have any sense of moral fiber. His inactivity tells us a great deal. Still, it's clear many still subscribe to moral relativism and are ready to move on because it's inconvenient to think the starting RB might not play.

I'm waiting for someone who posts something like: "That's all Whitner and Posluszny can lift?" Nice video

Great point Lori. It's also noteworthy that Reed didn't always have great complementary receivers. As an example, statistically 1989 and 1994 were his best seasons. In both seasons, the receiver second to him in receptions was Thurman Thomas. In 89 Flip Johnson was second among receivers with 25 catches. For 94, Bill Brooks was second among WR's with 42 catches. Most certainly Reed benefitted from Metzelaars, but I think it's safe to say Reed did a lot on his own.

50,000+ season ticket holders are hoping so as well. I think it's fair to expect a playoff team with the roster in place now. It could get ugly if this team stumbles.

It doesn't matter what Lee has "proven." Evans has all the leverage in the world, what with the 78M cash infusion Buffalo received from the Toronto deal and fact that Buffalo needs all the receiving help it can get. Edwards has pretty much nothing at TE (unless Schouman or Fine are better than we think) and will depend on a rookie WR in Hardy. That and the fact that three receivers (Moss, Owens, and Fitzgerald) all have received large deals this off-season. I'm sure Evans' agent(s) will exploit this if they haven't already. We know an offer was made, but I'm sure it was a low offer. Waiting will only make the price increase.

It seems like talking about salary cap related scenarios on this board is akin to discussing thermonuclear dynamics with grade schoolers. Well, perhaps not that bad, but this is a serious matter that isn't getting the headlines it should be. Lombardi goes into some great detail about potential contingency plans, but it's worth noting that this is unprecendented territory the NFL may be heading into. With the way salaries are skyrocketing, it may take something like the union decertifying and a subsequent non-capped year to re-align the money situation league wide. The have's and have-nots are separating more each year. Still, finding young cheap talent will separate the successful from the unsuccesful. It will give front offices more leeway in being good on the field without breaking the bank off it.

Best part of that article was the mention that Posluszny pushed Preston (who out-weighs him by about 80 pounds) out of the way to make a play. One Poz pushing a POS out of the way.

Really? Who else showed at OBD for an interview? According to whom? Schonert's never been an OC before. Jauron's been a HC for 7+ seasons. Who do you think has more say in the final gameplan? I'd say Jauron's going to have control when all the dust has settled. Yes, last season when the Dolphins secondary was led by street free agents and missing key players, those 2 TE's sets were the finest way of exploiting any holes Miami had. And yet the offense managed to find new depths to how bad it could be. Ask Lee Evans. Fairchild was not the only reason this offense was bad. Jauron was a part of the problem, not solution. He has final say, and when push comes to shove, draws up the ultra conservative plans which produce 7 offensive points against DEN, 3 against Dallas, 13 at NYJ, 13 at Miami, 14 at JAC, no TD's and 5 FG at WAS, 3 FGs at PHI. Record in those games was 3-4, right along with DJ's career record. If you think the reason for offensive ineptitude was Fairchild alone, you're not seeing the whole picture.

Jauron's hiring of Schonert is the most questionable move this team made in the off-season. To me, it's understandable that no prospective OC wanted the job, because Jauron might be in the final year of his deal. That's not a lot of job security for an incoming OC. With that in mind, Schonert was probably DJ's only option. The biggest question with Schonert will be whether or not he's allowed to call his own game. If he his, it could disrupt Jauron's team gameplan which emphasizes strong defense, special teams, and no big risk taking on offense. I would agree that this season hinges on how much Edwards progresses, and if Jauron departs from his uber-conservative gameplans. DJ's got the players, especially on defense, to do things he hasn't been able to do in a long time. If the Bills consistently line up in 2 TE sets like last season, it'll be another long year on offense.

So Bill has a take that he hasn't shied away from. Care to admit you were the big proponent of a first round receiver? How'd that go Hondo? Spending money does not translate into automatic success. I'd remind you that the 75 million Buffalo spent went to a left guard and right tackle, and now the team will be spending money on Peters. You could spend 100M on a QB and RB and it doesn't mean the offense will be stellar. And yet with all the money dumped into the OL, they finished 15th in the league in rushing. If I follow your logic, shouldn't San Francisco's secondary be the best in the league? And Minnesota's DL should be the best of the NFL's history, based on what they've paid out. I'd rather have a solid OL that protects the QB and run blocks than 2 safeties and 2 CB's that rely on other things (namely a pass rush) for their success. Perhaps Bill has a point that you are too hard to admit is right.

At this point, there are so many issues which could affect a deal with Peters. Evans and Crowell are due for another contract, and now Peters. All of this is before the rookies are signed. Not to mention the impending labor issues now that owners opted out of the CBA. This won't affect the 08 and 09 seasons, but with the potential for there to be an uncapped year in 2010, front offices could experience some huge issues. The owners and NFLPA have another 10 months to get something done on a new CBA. The Bills collected their 78M from their Toronto pals. They may have to use it before they wanted. Franchise LT's aren't in good supply, and are always a priority than WR's or OLBs like Evans and Crowell.

I cannot believe this thread has lasted so long. I don't think any of us know what happened on Mother's Day between Hardy and his dad. There's no use speculating, as we'll never understand. Hopefully Hardy understands he's got a big job ahead of him and can concentrate on playing football.

PFW Article Granted, it's according to a "team insider" but it wouldn't surprise me that they are more than a little concerned. Either way it's not been a good off-season discipline-wise for Buffalo,. Especially for a team that's been talking up the idea of having high-character players for awhile now.

KFBD I won't disagree with all the tenets of your post. I recall reading in the book about Ernie Accorsi that he personally researched Shockey in his town of Ada, OK. Fine, I realize not every front office guy is going to perform his due dilligence on every player. The point is, Accorsi had been around the NFL awhile and determined Shockey wasn't a giant gamble. We all make mistakes. Then again, as someone who owns firearms, I've never once felt the need to pull my weapon on someone. Call it my background, call it whatever, but the fact is the Bills have placed a lot of faith into this guy, and we haven't even entered training camp and he's been involved in an alleged incident. Most 20 somethings don't have issues with pulling guns, unless they're in the wrong atmosphere. And wrong atmosphere and NFL star do not go together. The comparison on getting drunk versus pulling firearms is not a good one.

Take a step back and look at the big picture. You've got character challenged athletes coming into the league each year. However, it's apparent that teams on draft day that will select less talented players when guys with character issues and immense talent are available. Why? Because the risk is too great, despite the great potential these guys have. Hardy is a 6'6 receiver with great leaping ability. Yet he slipped into the mid 2nd round because he had a character issue in his past. Now, two weeks after picking him, Buffalo has to deal with some around here are calling a "non-issue." The Bills selected Hardy because he's physical and a red zone threat. Only thing is, if he's suspended under the personal policy regs, it does the team no good. It probably won't be for this incident, but history shows he's got some anger issues. That's not going away. Buffalo gambled on what they thought was the most talented WR left on the board. Other guys were available, but Hardy was their guy. They took the most talented guy in their opinion, but was he the best pick considering his background?

When do the "We shoulda taken Limas Sweed/Malcolm Kelly" threads begin?

The NFL penalizes teams based on chargeable offenses. No charges will result from this altercation. My point here is that teams are increasingly taking risks on low character players in pursuit of winning. Sometimes they swing and miss. That's not to say Hardy is a miss (he hasn't even played a down in a preseason game) but it's not a good sign in light of his past. How many players fall on draft day, and ultimately get picked by teams who are willing to take a chance on big talent player for less money. E.G. Randy Moss in 1998.

With the initial reports of James Hardy allegedly pulling and/or pointing a firearm in the presence of his father, it brings up a few points: 1. There are 32 franchises in the NFL, 4 of which (Carolina, Jacksonville, Houston, and Cleveland) started since 1995. Talent is spread even more thin than in earlier years. As a result, finding talent in the draft is more crucial, because at least 200+ players are in the league that may not have been just 14 years ago. 2. Teams continue to take risks on players with character issues. Even the Bills are not immune from this with the best recent example being Anthony Hargrove. 3. Some teams take an inordinate amount of risks (Cincinnati) in a continual attempt to find talent that may not otherwise be taken by other teams. It's my take that the Bengals are looking for cheaper albeit riskier options, leading them to end up with the Chris Henry's and Odell Thurman's of the NFL. At what point does the NFL start disciplining based on their own criteria? And if this comes to pass, how will it be treated by the NFLPA, especially if a situation ensues which lacks a conviction or even charge against a player?

Where does Buffalo rank since 2006? I'd be interested to see that. The Bills have selected 7 DB's out of 26 total picks, or about 1/4 of their selections. 2006: Donte Whitner, Ashton Youboty, and Ko Simpson 2007: John Wendling 2008: Leodis McKelvin, Reggie Corner, Kennard Cox DJ also inherited Clements and McGee. The Bills FO cut Milloy and Vincent, while signing William James this past off-season. Bryan Scott was signed off the street free agent list, as was Jeremetrius Butler in 2007. Needless to say, the Bills have performed several acquisitions in only a few offseasons, headlined by 7 DB's taken.

UDFA's generally take more time to develop, hence their status as undrafted. 3rd round draft picks, especially for a team like Buffalo, should be expected to play some their first season. Youboty had a family tragedy, though in his second season could not stay on the field. Injuries and inconsistency were to blame, and Greer ultimately took his spot. CB's can make an impact quicker than most positions. They don't need 2-3 years of seasoning before they're ready.

The only time I saw AY make a play last season came in the finale when he picked off a pass. Otherwise, a very non-entity for Buffalo in 07. He played in 11 games, started 3, and seems to have a problem playing through injury. He's had plenty of opportunities to play, given how thin Buffalo was at CB last year. When Youboty was ready to play late in the season, he couldn't get his job back after losing it to former UDFA Jabari Greer. It tells me quite a bit that the front office decided to take 3 more corners this year. If that's not enough to say what they're thinking, outside of DJ coming out and saying AY isn't all that good, I don't know what is.

Brandon Pettigrew OK St.

Check the boxscores from the preseason games against NO and TEN. The Bills secondary was beaten pretty good, with Whitner and Simpson making plenty of tackles. Drew Brees and Vince Young did this against the starting secondary. Buffalo loved Kyle Williams so much they went out and got Stroud and Spencer Johnson. That tells me they weren't enamored with an undersized, wave-type DT. In the same way, Buffalo loved Keith Ellison so much that they signed a larger WLB in Kawika Mitchell.

Way to oversimplify things there. If it was that easy, Dwayne Jarrett would have caught about 60 passes and scored a few times. (cue Colston reference) With few exceptions, rookie wide receivers struggle to adjust to different coverages, and more physical corners. Rookie WR's rarely even make the difference you seem to think they can, given the right scheme. In the pros, the CB's also have much better speed, and recover quicker than the college types. That, and the playbook doesn't have a play called "go up and get it." I'd also point out that Hardy is depending on a young QB, who I believe will be a very good starter, but cannot be expected to be Brady-esque with less than a season's worth of starts in the NFL. I referred to the OC because he's a rookie play caller as well, who now has a 2nd year QB, experienced downfield WR in Evans, and another rookie (Hardy) to involve in the offense. That, and the lack of a dependable pass catching TE.

I think the drafting of Omon is a nod to Levy's belief in having competition, even at positions that seem certain. Omon will definitely give Wright a run for his money. (no pun intended) I think he'll make it onto the final roster.