What's Our FO's Dumbest Move of the 2000's

[silvermike]

I'd say our personnel problems split into two categories: Bad scouting, and bad assessment. When we take Mike Williams over Bryant McKinnie, or Chris Kelsay over Osi Umenyoira it's bad scouting: we knew what our problem was, but we couldn't figure out who would have fixed it. This is generally forgiveable, I think - there's a lot of legit disagreement on the relative values of college players.

 

When we don't know what we have or what we need: see the drafting of Willis McGahee, Roscoe Parrish, and Donte Whitner, it's really an embarassment. It's one thing to take the wrong DT. It's quite another to think we need a strong safety when our defensive line is a sieve.

[Rico]

Ah Rico...Bledsoe was still the best QB available to the Bills at that time...

 

All of the things being mentioned as "dumbest move" are valid, but most are only dumb in retrospect... hiring Marv Levy as GM was far and away the dumbest move of the last decade, and it will have repercussions for some time. I don't blame Marv, and I still love the guy, but his tenure as GM was a disaster, and anyone with a brain in their skull knew it would be, when it was announced...

It was obvious after the 2003 season that Bledsoe was both a cancer and a gutless loser. Brain Dead Drew's contract was up, & TD had a get-out-of-jail card. All TD had to do was say NO to Drew, sign a stop-gap like Jeff Blake, the Bills would've made the playoffs, TD might still be here, and the losing culture that has persisted to this day ever since the 2nd half of the 2002 season would've been broken. Instead, he gave Bledsoe an extension , the rest of the team rose up to make a playoff run against weak competition in spite of Bledsoe, only to see Bledsoe **** the bed against the Steelers 3rd-stringers. Bledsoe was the absolute WORST QB available to the Bills at that time.

 

But after thinking about it, I would have to agree that Levy as GM was even dumber. Like you said, anyone with a brain knew it would be a total disaster, whereas only the more savvy observers knew just how bad the Bledsoe extension would prove to be.

[Britbillsfan]

Tough choice. Some really difficult options. I would go for the McGahee pick, it was a case of WTF when I saw that.

 

Phat Pat comes in a close second.

 

Some things I dont think were quite so boneheaded but we could have done better in hindsight (Williams, Bledsoe, Whitner/Ngata). But Losing Phat Pat was dumb.

 

Oh, and Reuben Brown. Had some good years left in him. Was not flagged for penalties quite as often as people think and was a very good guard. And called out an incompetent offensive. Of course, compared to now that offense was stoked full of players on the cusp of being All-pros...

[firemedic]

Could you imagine P.Williams and H.Ngata on our D line?

I just messed myself

[Buftex]

It was obvious after the 2003 season that Bledsoe was both a cancer and a gutless loser. Brain Dead Drew's contract was up, & TD had a get-out-of-jail card. All TD had to do was say NO to Drew, sign a stop-gap like Jeff Blake, the Bills would've made the playoffs, TD might still be here, and the losing culture that has persisted to this day ever since the 2nd half of the 2002 season would've been broken. Instead, he gave Bledsoe an extension , the rest of the team rose up to make a playoff run against weak competition in spite of Bledsoe, only to see Bledsoe **** the bed against the Steelers 3rd-stringers. Bledsoe was the absolute WORST QB available to the Bills at that time.

 

But after thinking about it, I would have to agree that Levy as GM was even dumber. Like you said, anyone with a brain knew it would be a total disaster, whereas only the more savvy observers knew just how bad the Bledsoe extension would prove to be.

 

 

What made Bledsoe a "cancer"? Was having Bledsoe around another year really that much more a gamble than banking playoff hopes on Jeff Blake, or some other journeymen? Maybe we could have gotten Kelly Holcomb a year earlier? Besides gettting old and declining skills, I am still not sure why you hate Bledsoe so much...as bad as he was, I think keeping him another year, before throwing the woefully unprepared Losman into the fire, would have been a good move....

[sharper802]

You make a very good point about P. Williams age and lack of wear and tear. I don't understand the Donahoe pride comment. Maybe I am missing something. As much as I hate Belichick you have to admire his ability to discard players at a whim. He cut Milloy when he got too old and traded away Seymour instead of resigning him. As a rule the franchise will do better by not signing players over 30.

[macaroni]

getting rid of Sam Adams & Pat Williams at the same time ..... without a plan to replace them.

 

getting rid of Peters & Walker at the same time ..... without a plan to replace them.

 

getting rid of to OC 10 days before the start of the season .... without a plan to replace him.

 

 

IMHO .... getting rid of these people may or maynot have been the big mistake ..... the mortal sin was not having a plan to replace them.

 

(because of failing memory cells I'm not sure if this also applies to Winfield, Price, the other three linemen we dumped this year, etc etc etc)

[tennesseeboy]

The Mike Williams pick was not a bad move at all. In fact, I applauded it because they badly needed to upgrade the line at the time. He just turned out to be a huge bust - can't blame Donahoe for that.

The Williams pick was just stupid. Bryant McKinney was the best tackle available, head and shoulders as a draft choice above Williams. He is Brett Favre's left tackle right now and has the mainstay of the offensive line since his rookie year. I'll not mention Steve Hutchinson the gaurd we could have made a pitch for who is also a mainstay on that line. Imagine not only the Ngata/Pat defensive line but the offensive line of Peters, Wood, Baumgartner, Hutcheson and McKinney. Or even Oher, Wood, Baumgartner, Hutcheson and McKinney. Edwards or Fitz would be pro bowl candidates.

[Kipers Hair]

why can't the current Bills staff find any way to use their #8 pick, to help contribute to a win? Success breeds more success, they say...

Because he sucks?

[Buftex]

Because he sucks?

 

A great answer... as substantial a reason as I have seen by everyone claiming he sucks.

 

What comes first, the chicken or the egg?

[Rico]

What made Bledsoe a "cancer"? Was having Bledsoe around another year really that much more a gamble than banking playoff hopes on Jeff Blake, or some other journeymen? Maybe we could have gotten Kelly Holcomb a year earlier? Besides gettting old and declining skills, I am still not sure why you hate Bledsoe so much...as bad as he was, I think keeping him another year, before throwing the woefully unprepared Losman into the fire, would have been a good move....

He was 'supposed' to be THE leader, yet all he cared about was collecting a paycheck. It didn't take long for that mentality to spread throughout the team, & it is still here to this day. Some Bills tried to stop the cancer, remember when AVP got hurt trying to keep TKO from ripping off Bledsoe's head? The very first move TD should've made after the brutal 2003 season ended was kicking Bledsoe out of town, NOT extending him. To TD's credit, at least he did carry through the next most important step & didn't re-sign the quitter Ruben Brown, you Ruben.

 

Who knows how good J.P. could've been if he wasn't around Bledsoe his rookie year? He picked up a lot of Brain Dead habits, that's for sure, some role model & tutor.

[tennesseeboy]

OH...MY....GOD....THE SCARY THING ABOUT THIS THREAD IS THAT EVERY SINGLE THING LISTED IS CORRECT AND PLAYED A MAJOR PART IN TURNING A PLAYOFF CONTENDER INTO A JOKE!!! tHERE IS NO DUMBEST MOVE BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE THING LISTED IS PRETTY MUCH OFF THE DUMB SCALE. Let's delete this thread...it is the most depressing thing I've seen since the pigs ate my brother. Come to think of it the pigs eating my brother was considerably more entertaining than the last few Bills seasons.

[Armchair GM]

Not sure how anyone can argue that retaining Dick after 3 straight losing season, 1 winning season in 8 as a head coach, wasn't the dumbest thing that any franchise in NFL history did.

[GrudginglyPessimistic]

He was 'supposed' to be THE leader, yet all he cared about was collecting a paycheck. It didn't take long for that mentality to spread throughout the team, & it is still here to this day. Some Bills tried to stop the cancer, remember when AVP got hurt trying to keep TKO from ripping off Bledsoe's head? The very first move TD should've made after the brutal 2003 season ended was kicking Bledsoe out of town, NOT extending him. To TD's credit, at least he did carry through the next most important step & didn't re-sign the quitter Ruben Brown, you Ruben.

 

Who knows how good J.P. could've been if he wasn't around Bledsoe his rookie year? He picked up a lot of Brain Dead habits, that's for sure, some role model & tutor.

I would also vote for extending Bledsoe to be the worst individual move by the FO in the aughts, but I think it really misses the mark to declare Beldsoe a cancer.

 

A cancer IMHO is a player who divides the body of the team player against player and.or fan against fan. Even worse a cancer seems to have the intent to play one side against the other.

 

I think TO was a cancer in SF, definitely in Philly and to some extent in Dallas (he actively went after the QBs like Garcia, McNabb, and to some extent Romo though I think a little of that was thrust upon him by the media overinterpreting his comment).

 

However, I do not think that Bledsoe divided anything here as most teammates were not asked to choose sides by Bledsoe or JP and most fans were pretty much in agreement to be behind and hopeful for Bledsoe in his first year when he honestly deserved the comeback player of the year award and his reserve Pro Bowl nod (if you disagree and think this was obvious then who are the several QBs who would have been better Pro Bowl picks who were left off for Bledsoe). I also think most fans and the media were pretty united in seeing the extension of Bledsoe as a bad move. Pathetic yes but no cancer there.

 

Was Bledsoe merely playing for a paycheck? I saw no signs of that and felt he was doing his best but the problem was his best was simply not good enough. I think he is a very talented athlete who really needs a good structure to play within so that he does not need to make quick decisions as that has not been his strength.

 

Great arm? For sure.

 

Tough guy? For sure. He got sacked and sacked again but came back to hang in the pocket and fire the pass (and pat pat hold have his big body get whacked again).

 

Able to see what is happening and analyze it? Yes, but too slowly as a player in a game. I think the answer to this is also yes as Tom Brady really sang Bledsoe's praises when he stood on the sideline with a collapsed lung and would dissect and talk over the plays with Brady after the fact.

 

An SB winning QB? Nope, probably never. His mind was just not quick enough to react quickly and consistently well to being gamed by an opposing DC.

 

However, a cancer?

 

I just do not see it. When Brady took his job due to his collapsed lung, by all accounts Bledsoe was helpful to the young Brady and even more amazing when Brady got hurt and Bledsoe threw the winning TD in a must-win game in their 1st SB run he did not launch a public campaign for Belicheat to leave him in the starting role.

 

He was not a cancer before he got here and never really divided the Bills and their fans like the RJ vs. Flutie squabbles.

 

Just cause you see he could not adequately do the job did not and does not make him a cancer even if you are right on the assessment of his play.

[Astrobot]

GREAT topic. Btw, you left Eric Steinbach (the player I was screaming for) off that list.

 

Imo, the answer is going into the 06 draft with the #8, an early second, and 2 early 3rds, and walking away with Donte Whittner, John McCargo and Ashton Youboty. In terms of adding insult to franchise crippling injury, these morons used their early 4th round pick on Ko Simpson.

 

This is how Levy and Jauron set about "rebuilding" this football team.

 

Whittner-McCargo-Youboty-Simpson is perhaps worse than the Pat Williams-Mike Williams fiascos, which for me are #2 and #3.

[MarkyMannn]

The Williams pick was just stupid. Bryant McKinney was the best tackle available, head and shoulders as a draft choice above Williams.

 

Not my recollection. Williams was hyped as the next Munoz. McKinney had some red flags coming out of college, ironically I believe it was his dedication to the game

[silvermike]

I think one way to check on draft success is this - compare your pick to the next player taken overall, and the next player taken at that position. It limits 20-20 hindsight to the actual next-best option available, rather than just stabbing around a list of better players later in the draft. So just for argument's sake, here's us in the 21st century .

 

2000: Erik Flowers vs. Anthony Becht and Darren Howard.

2001: Nate Clements vs Will Allen (both next overall and next DB).

2002: Mike Williams vs. Quinten Jammer and Bryant McKinnie

2003: Willis McGahee vs. Dallas Clark and Larry Johnson

2004: Lee Evans vs. Tommie Harris and Michael Jenkins; JP Losman vs. Marcus Tubbs and Matt Schaub

2005: none

2006: Donte Whitner vs. Ernie Simms and Tye Hill, John McCargo vs. DeAngelo Williams and Claude Wroten

2007: Marshawn Lynch vs. Adam Carriker and Kenny Irons

2008: Leodis McKelvin vs. Ryan Clady and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

2009: Aaron Maybin vs. Knowshown Moreno and Bryan Orakpo.

 

So how would you all break that down? I'd say Flowers, Williams, McGahee, and Losman are clear losers on both categories; Evans, McCargo, McKelvin and Maybin earn splits. Whitner is a better DB than Tye Hill, and I'm not sure how to compare him to Simms. Ditto Lynch vs. Carriker.

 

Clements is the single clear victory.

[Rico]

Not my recollection. Williams was hyped as the next Munoz. McKinney had some red flags coming out of college, ironically I believe it was his dedication to the game

Exactly. Mike Williams pick looked great on paper. Pat Williams was getting old. McGahee and Lil Donte picks were pretty stupid. But there was absolutely no plausible, logical reason to extend Bledsoe after his horror show 2003 season or to make friggin' Marv Levy GM. Also, I may have missed it, but I don't think anyone mentioned promoting John Guy to VP, WTF?!?

[billsfan89]

I think one way to check on draft success is this - compare your pick to the next player taken overall, and the next player taken at that position. It limits 20-20 hindsight to the actual next-best option available, rather than just stabbing around a list of better players later in the draft. So just for argument's sake, here's us in the 21st century .

 

2000: Erik Flowers vs. Anthony Becht and Darren Howard.

2001: Nate Clements vs Will Allen (both next overall and next DB).

2002: Mike Williams vs. Quinten Jammer and Bryant McKinnie

2003: Willis McGahee vs. Dallas Clark and Larry Johnson

2004: Lee Evans vs. Tommie Harris and Michael Jenkins; JP Losman vs. Marcus Tubbs and Matt Schaub

2005: none

2006: Donte Whitner vs. Ernie Simms and Tye Hill, John McCargo vs. DeAngelo Williams and Claude Wroten

2007: Marshawn Lynch vs. Adam Carriker and Kenny Irons

2008: Leodis McKelvin vs. Ryan Clady and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

2009: Aaron Maybin vs. Knowshown Moreno and Bryan Orakpo.

 

So how would you all break that down? I'd say Flowers, Williams, McGahee, and Losman are clear losers on both categories; Evans, McCargo, McKelvin and Maybin earn splits. Whitner is a better DB than Tye Hill, and I'm not sure how to compare him to Simms. Ditto Lynch vs. Carriker.

 

Clements is the single clear victory.

 

2000- Not a good draft overall so wash

2001- Winner we actually had a great draft that year

2002- Loss Fat Mike should have taken McKinnie BUT McKinnie while a respectable LT isn't a franchise anchor.

2003- Loss should have taken Clark.

2004- Push Lee is a good player and while Harris is a dominant DT Lee is far from a bust.

2005- Loss because this was essentially the Losman pick also lost a 2nd in that equation.

2006- Loss Whitner not total wiff but Ngata is a beast and would have anchored this D.

2006 B- Loss should have taken Mangold.

2007- Win Lynch is a solid back while Clady is a better player Peters was here at the time and there is no way you could have predicted what Peters would have done. The rest of the players aren't better then Lynch.

 

 

You have bad drafts 5 years in a row spanning 2 administrations (TD 2002-2005 and in 2006 Marv 2's big year with the 8th overall pick you wiff). AND while 2007 was a pretty decent draft (But not a great one) the 2008 draft isn't looking too hot either (If McKelvin is a bust that draft might be terrible because Hardy and the rest of the draft is looking pretty bad). The 2009 draft might be good but if Maybin is a bust then its not a great one.

[BillsFan74]

Hiring Jauron b/c we have not learned from our mistakes.