Nix is passing on quality free agents

[Max997]

Antonio Bryant signed a 4 year 28 million dollar contract-how is that very reasonable? Ben Watson is a nice player but Shawn Nelson looks like he's developing into a damn good receiving TE. I'd rather stick with Nelson and sign a cheap blocking specialist to back him up.

 

I like Nelson but when did he actually start developing into a damn good receiving TE because I certainly havent seen it....he has potential but it clearly hasnt developed yet

[CardinalScotts]

i'm not sure who's legitimate, logical steps you're referring to based on your post. his, or yours?

 

i don't doubt or question your passion, but it seems to me you're pretty worked up over every move he doesn't make. he told you his plan and as far as i can see, he's following his plan as outlined. not only that, but you've thrown everything that has happened in wny football over the last decade or so and BN had nothing to do with most of it.

 

let him fail before you jump off the ship. i'll even jump with you when the day comes.

 

You should be a skins fan you'll love the off season, but no so much when the bullets fly for real

[JPS]

Yeah but why not sign Watson as the blocking specialist who also would provide a serious threat down the seam at the same time? That way, when the blocking "specialist" comes in, teams aren't like oh....100% run, stack the box, no threat here. Don't even get me going on what we could of done with Watson and Nelson on the field at the same time......

[/quote

 

The reason why is Watson was not a great blocker in NE and he's making $4+M in Cleveland. The Bills are not spending $4+M on ANY tight end. I'd rather have people like Nelson grow with this team than jump for every FA just because his name is familiar.

 

Plus, why do you want to throw $11+M on receiving threats when you don't have a solid line to keep your QB upright and you're not sure who that QB is??

[Buffalonian-at-Heart]

Buddy Nix's formula to build his Buffalo Bills appears to be 98% draft, and only use Free Agency to "fill in gaps."

 

But wait a minute here. The Bills have huge gaps right now at tight end and wide receiver. They have plenty of money under the cap, right now. Yet Antonio Bryant and Ben Watson have just signed very reasonable contracts with other NFL teams, while Nix didn't even invite either one in for a visit. And please, don't reply to this post by telling me Antonio Bryant would not have been an improvement over Stevie Johnson or James Hardy. Or try to convince me that Shawn Nelson will become a better tight end this season then Ben Watson will be. Those arguments are laughable.

 

Now I'm thinking that Buddy Nix is more then just an old fashioned draft - first football guy. Now I'm thinking that Buddy Nix has a level of arrogance hiding beneath that "good ol" boy" exterior. Just becuase Watson and Bryant have had excellent seasons in the past, and they are well known (but certainly not "super stars") - he won't bring them in? He seems to be selecting more "unknown - under the radar" free agents to talk to and possibly sign, like Green and now this visit by Jimmy Kennedy. Is he taking his "personnel expertise" a bit too seriously? Who knows?

 

The one thing I do know is that if Nix would have signed both Bryant and Watson, every Bills fan would feel better about our 2010 team, and not one single Bills fan would be accusing him of "breaking the salary cap bank stupidly".

I understand what you are saying but you need to step back for a minute and not bash Mr. Nix unless you know what goes on behind closed doors. You blame him for not going after free agents but you have KNOW idea how many FA's that the front office actually reached out to. The bottom line is that nobody wants to come to Buffalo. We are every players last resort. We were TO's last resort. You can't blame Nix for the last 10 years. Blame Mr. Wilson for making this organization a place where no one wants to come. Who wants to play for a team that never goes to the playoff; especially if you're a veteran? I mean the weather is awful and the team is even worse. The only way this team gets better is through several good drafts because you can't lure good players here...

[BillsVet]

Vet--who'd you want as GM?

 

First, I wanted them to explore options outside the organization and not once again keep things in-house. For that, the Ravens Pro Personnel Director Eric DeCosta would have been a good guy to talk to. Tom Heckert was available, the former "GM" for the Eagles that Mike Holmgren hired in Cleveland. Floyd Reese wants a GM job, but apparently has a decent gig in New England. Dave Gettleman from the Giants probably would have come in for an interview.

 

The point is, they never once considered anyone from outside the organization for fear of a newcomer. Hiring from within may be fine for your company and mine, but this is NFL football. When Ralph said he and Russ looked at a list and didn't know any names, well, that should alarm even the most ardent fan.

[bkc]

First, I wanted them to explore options outside the organization and not once again keep things in-house. For that, the Ravens Pro Personnel Director Eric DeCosta would have been a good guy to talk to. Tom Heckert was available, the former "GM" for the Eagles that Mike Holmgren hired in Cleveland. Floyd Reese wants a GM job, but apparently has a decent gig in New England. Dave Gettleman from the Giants probably would have come in for an interview.

 

The point is, they never once considered anyone from outside the organization for fear of a newcomer. Hiring from within may be fine for your company and mine, but this is NFL football. When Ralph said he and Russ looked at a list and didn't know any names, well, that should alarm even the most ardent fan.

Lombardi was my choice but I think they are going to luck into a good situaion

[Pete]

Yeah but why not sign Watson as the blocking specialist who also would provide a serious threat down the seam at the same time? That way, when the blocking "specialist" comes in, teams aren't like oh....100% run, stack the box, no threat here. Don't even get me going on what we could of done with Watson and Nelson on the field at the same time......

that seemed like a no brainer to me

[Doc]

First, I wanted them to explore options outside the organization and not once again keep things in-house. For that, the Ravens Pro Personnel Director Eric DeCosta would have been a good guy to talk to. Tom Heckert was available, the former "GM" for the Eagles that Mike Holmgren hired in Cleveland. Floyd Reese wants a GM job, but apparently has a decent gig in New England. Dave Gettleman from the Giants probably would have come in for an interview.

 

The point is, they never once considered anyone from outside the organization for fear of a newcomer. Hiring from within may be fine for your company and mine, but this is NFL football. When Ralph said he and Russ looked at a list and didn't know any names, well, that should alarm even the most ardent fan.

Yes, but those guys have "never been part of day to day operations" of their teams. Why are they different?

 

And John Clayton said the Bills searched for GM candidates from other teams. And ultimately they got their AGM from another team.

[spartacus]

First, I wanted them to explore options outside the organization and not once again keep things in-house. For that, the Ravens Pro Personnel Director Eric DeCosta would have been a good guy to talk to. Tom Heckert was available, the former "GM" for the Eagles that Mike Holmgren hired in Cleveland. Floyd Reese wants a GM job, but apparently has a decent gig in New England. Dave Gettleman from the Giants probably would have come in for an interview.

 

The point is, they never once considered anyone from outside the organization for fear of a newcomer. Hiring from within may be fine for your company and mine, but this is NFL football. When Ralph said he and Russ looked at a list and didn't know any names, well, that should alarm even the most ardent fan.

 

looking outside the Bills would have been a waste of time

 

Ralph knew he was not paying any money for coaching and scouting - what bonafide GM would accept those kind of limitations.

 

The Bills have 6 scouts and their top 2 guys work from home, not in the front office.

 

and now they have a junior varsity coaching staff with CFL experience designed to handle the cheap young "talent" they will be able to afford on their austerity budget.

[BillsVet]

Yes, but those guys have "never been part of day to day operations" of their teams. Why are they different?

 

And John Clayton said the Bills searched for GM candidates from other teams. And ultimately they got their AGM from another team.

 

Wrong. Floyd Reese was the GM for Tennessee for many years (cue the "he sucks point because he drafted Pacman" diatribe) and as such participated in day to day operations. Tom Heckert was the GM for the Eagles, and oversaw the Pro Personnel and Amateur Scouting Departments for his team.

 

The Bills conducted no search for a GM candidate (besides the ill-fated Shanahan attempt at wooing) because they didn't interview anyone. And before your attempt to suppress my argument, I think it would have come out that they'd interviewed an outside candidate.

 

Do the research.

[JStranger76]

Because JPS after we most likely draft a LT with our first pick in the draft the line will probably be pretty decent and even though QB is still "unsolved" those "recieving threats" will come in handy. BTW Watson has become a pretty good blocker the last couple years and although he's no Antonio Gates as a reciever he can stretch the field with the best of em' and run a few other patterns too. Not every free agent makes sense because "I've heard of him" ( another gay ass TSW phrase), it could be because the guy can improve the team. There would also be no reason Nelson couldn't continue to grow and develope with another solid TE, there are formations known as 2 TE sets these days........

[JPS]

Because JPS after we most likely draft a LT with our first pick in the draft the line will probably be pretty decent and even though QB is still "unsolved" those "recieving threats" will come in handy. BTW Watson has become a pretty good blocker the last couple years and although he's no Antonio Gates as a reciever he can stretch the field with the best of em' and run a few other patterns too. Not every free agent makes sense because "I've heard of him" ( another gay ass TSW phrase), it could be because the guy can improve the team. There would also be no reason Nelson couldn't continue to grow and develope with another solid TE, there are formations known as 2 TE sets these days........

What I've read is Watson has improved from non-existent to serviceable as a blocker. But he's not a complete, consistent TE. If he was, he wouldn't be in Clevelend. And $4M is a lot of iron for anything less than a complete, #1 TE. Yes, he can stretch the field, but so can Nelson. I'm just not buying Watson as a good investment for that kind of money. As impressive he always looked against us (bad defenses), he was invisible at times.

 

And don't think the Bills are done with just one OT. They need depth at tackle. And they need depth inside in case Wood is slow to heal and in case we need an upgrade over Hangartner. I think there's a lot of work to do and a 2nd WR/TE should be FAAARRRRR down the list of priorities.

[BillsPhan]

I am following Buddy Nix, he is building this team the way it should be from with in. This GM gets it... I just hope the owner lives long enough for us all to enjoy the fruits of this process.

 

You're following Buddy? That has to be the easiest "job" in the world right now. Buddy is getting all of these compliments for doing.....nothing? Somebody should have told Donahoe and Levy that all they had to do was cut a couple of good special teams players and a few aging vets, and then ignore free agency till the draft every year. That seems to be the Buddy Nix "process" so far. Hey, wasn't it Ben Watson who scored the TD right down the middle of the field to beat the Bills in NE just last year on Sunday Night Football? Why yes it was the same free agent tight end who Nix felt would be no use for his team.

[DE Bills Fan]

It just goes to show you that the Bills organization really doesn't respect the fanbase here in Buffalo. It has been that way for a while. It really showed when Tom Donahoe was the GM, and continues today in more discreet ways. Last year Trent Edwards mentioned that he wasn't a "Fan" of the Buffalo Bills when answering a question. I don't remember exactly what he said, but to me it seemed like he was implying the irreveleance of a fans knowledge of the game. Last year the Bills scheduled an awards ceremony during the half-time of a Bills game, cancelled it at the last minute, never explained why they cancelled it, and tried to convey that there never was a ceremony scheduled for that game. The organization thinks

that fans are not in the know, or knowledgeable about their team. There are many examples of how the Bills show a lack of respect to their fanbase. I personally am not happy about sending "HOME GAMES" to Toronto, and I believe that Russ Brandon tries to camoflage the organizations true intentions with respect to marketing the BUFFALO BILLS in other regions. I'll tell you right now it's not a good thing for us fans!! Just like singing, releasing, signing releasing, singing Klopostein for the third or fourth time in the past couple of years. He's I believe a TE who has very very limited abilities who caught 1 pass for 11 yards in his entire time with the Buffalo Bills ! Then that other guy they just signed...that nameless guy that I can't even remember...lol...he's been with 5 teams in 10 years and didn't even cut it with the Detroit Lions of all teams. So we want to wasted 3yrs for 9 Million dollars on this second rate or third rate player?? Can't they go after any players with at least some sort of proven track record? Buddy Nix believes in building through the draft like you mentioned, and that is great to some extent. The only problem with that mind-set in this organization is that they have holes at LOT, DT/NT, Should have some at QB..But who knows with the Bills?, LB's are undersized generally speaking..., and several other holes and little QUALITY depth on the roster.. They need WR's as well. So why don't we take a good look at a RB in the upcoming draft????????? Also...almost every time we draft a player who becomes a very good player and they become a free agent looking for big bucks we don't compete to keep them! Just a few off the top of my head and there are many more over the past decade are: Jabari Greer, Nate Clements, Antwoine Winfield, and Pat Williams !! Where are we going on this carousel? It seems like more of the same! Where are the deliberate logical steps to get better??????? Are they trying to beat the Bills organization into such submission that the Bills fanbase displays their disgust by not renewing season tickets????? If the Bills play to a half-full stadium they would have every

reason to legitamize a move to a bigger market in another city!!!!!!!!!! It sure makes you wonder and question this organizations true intentions?????????????????? Sorry about my lengthy post..but the team I love pizzes me off !!

Great post. This team is doomed to be mediocre at best. At this point, the team needs to be sold to an owner who has the desire and will to win, not some aged owner (Bud Adams) who allows his fellow owner to openly disrespent him, and then do nothing about it. By the way, by doing that, he not only disrespected the Bills, but the entire fan base as well. Then continue to make questionable personnel decisions. I thought that last year represented the bottom with the firing of the Offensive Co-ordinator jsut before the season and the way the OL was handled. Did anybody think the Bills could be competitive after that? As a fanatical fan for over 30 years, I am done with this bull^&*#!!! I am cancelling my Sunday Ticket and will not travel up to Buffalo for a game this year like I have in the past. Having to sit thru the worst NFL game of the season last year, only reinforces my thoughts that it is hopeless. The truth hurts, but they are not even trying to build a winner. And don't go giving me that nonsense that you build thru the draft. I count 11 (yes 11) holes that this team has at the moment with the most important one being QB and then going from there (NT, DE, 2 OLB, backup ILB, 2 OT's, WR, backup WR and backup OG). That's a lot more holes my friends than can be filled in three drafts. They NEED to to supplement with FA and I just don't see the competence or desire for the Bills to ever win again with the current clowns (I mean regime). I'm tired of spending and wasting my Sunday's and emotions on this ridiculous excuse of an NFL Franchise. The Bills Suck and will never get better. Sad, but true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Doc]

Wrong. Floyd Reese was the GM for Tennessee for many years (cue the "he sucks point because he drafted Pacman" diatribe) and as such participated in day to day operations. Tom Heckert was the GM for the Eagles, and oversaw the Pro Personnel and Amateur Scouting Departments for his team.

 

The Bills conducted no search for a GM candidate (besides the ill-fated Shanahan attempt at wooing) because they didn't interview anyone. And before your attempt to suppress my argument, I think it would have come out that they'd interviewed an outside candidate.

 

Do the research.

I did the research. Or should I say, John Clayton did. And he knows more about it than you do.

 

As for Reese, I missed you mentioning him. But if he's so great, why hasn't he been named GM of any team, for the past 4 years?

[BillsVet]

First, I wanted them to explore options outside the organization and not once again keep things in-house. For that, the Ravens Pro Personnel Director Eric DeCosta would have been a good guy to talk to. Tom Heckert was available, the former "GM" for the Eagles that Mike Holmgren hired in Cleveland. Floyd Reese wants a GM job, but apparently has a decent gig in New England. Dave Gettleman from the Giants probably would have come in for an interview.

 

The point is, they never once considered anyone from outside the organization for fear of a newcomer. Hiring from within may be fine for your company and mine, but this is NFL football. When Ralph said he and Russ looked at a list and didn't know any names, well, that should alarm even the most ardent fan.

 

I'll keep this simple. The above is what I said and prospective candidates I thought should be interviewed.

 

Yes, but those guys have "never been part of day to day operations" of their teams. Why are they different?

 

And John Clayton said the Bills searched for GM candidates from other teams. And ultimately they got their AGM from another team.

 

And this is what you said.

 

Wrong. Floyd Reese was the GM for Tennessee for many years (cue the "he sucks point because he drafted Pacman" diatribe) and as such participated in day to day operations. Tom Heckert was the GM for the Eagles, and oversaw the Pro Personnel and Amateur Scouting Departments for his team.

 

The Bills conducted no search for a GM candidate (besides the ill-fated Shanahan attempt at wooing) because they didn't interview anyone. And before your attempt to suppress my argument, I think it would have come out that they'd interviewed an outside candidate.

 

Do the research.

 

And this is what I said to show you were wrong.

 

I did the research. Or should I say, John Clayton did. And he knows more about it than you do.

 

As for Reese, I missed you mentioning him. But if he's so great, why hasn't he been named GM of any team, for the past 4 years?

 

And this is you being wrong again and citing nothing to back you up but a generic reference to John Clayton.

 

And now you're pulling the old "you're not a NFL insider so you don't know anything" stunt. Pretty weak. I take it you trust everything that John Clayton says. Please impress upon me who John Clayton said the Bills interviewed and provide a link. The Bills were reported to have pursued Shanahan, but he went to Washington. Next, it was Bill Cowher, who chose to remain at CBS. Ralph Wilson (the owner) said at the Nix presser that they assembled a list, but didn't know any of the people on the list and only interviewed Nix and John Guy for GM. Of course, you recall that Guy was fired shortly thereafter.

 

There were FIVE GM openings this season in the NFL: Buffalo, Seattle, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Washington. Reese not being hired this year does not destroy his credibility: he's a senior football adviser for the Patriots.

 

But I guess John Clayton already told you that.

[Doc]

And now you're pulling the old "you're not a NFL insider so you don't know anything" stunt. Pretty weak. I take it you trust everything that John Clayton says. Please impress upon me who John Clayton said the Bills interviewed and provide a link. The Bills were reported to have pursued Shanahan, but he went to Washington. Next, it was Bill Cowher, who chose to remain at CBS. Ralph Wilson (the owner) said at the Nix presser that they assembled a list, but didn't know any of the people on the list and only interviewed Nix and John Guy for GM. Of course, you recall that Guy was fired shortly thereafter.

 

There were FIVE GM openings this season in the NFL: Buffalo, Seattle, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Washington. Reese not being hired this year does not destroy his credibility: he's a senior football adviser for the Patriots.

 

But I guess John Clayton already told you that.

I trust what Clayton says more than you. An insider like him would know what people the Bills have talked to, although like everyone else, he likely had no idea they'd hire Nix.

 

Heckert was a GM in title only. He wasn't a real GM. Hence the reason the Eagles let him go so easily. Ask any Philly fan.

 

And so what if Floyd Reese has been a senior football advisor to the Patriots for just the past year? Why hasn't he been made a GM in the 4 years and 20-some GM openings during that time?

[BillsVet]

I trust what Clayton says more than you. An insider like him would know what people the Bills have talked to, although like everyone else, he likely had no idea they'd hire Nix.

 

Heckert was a GM in title only. He wasn't a real GM. Hence the reason the Eagles let him go so easily. Ask any Philly fan.

 

And so what if Floyd Reese has been a senior football advisor to the Patriots for just the past year? Why hasn't he been made a GM in the 4 years and 20-some GM openings during that time?

 

It's wonderful to trust Clayton, but I've still not seen a link to indicate he said the team pursued outside the organization interviews for the GM job. The owner himself charged the then COO/GM to search for his replacement. And RW, being the man he is, admitted they interviewed two candidates at Nix' presser. I've seen absolutely no reports that Buffalo pursued anyone but Nix and Guy for the GM job, unless of course you count Shanahan handling the dual role as HC an GM.

 

You can continue arguing minutiae, but the fact remains: the team interviewed only in-house candidates. Even if they considered guys from other teams, they didn't schedule interviews nor get approval from the individual or team. Is it that hard to admit RW ordered his top deputy to not hire anyone he didn't know for fear of TD2?

[Doc]

It's wonderful to trust Clayton, but I've still not seen a link to indicate he said the team pursued outside the organization interviews for the GM job. The owner himself charged the then COO/GM to search for his replacement. And RW, being the man he is, admitted they interviewed two candidates at Nix' presser. I've seen absolutely no reports that Buffalo pursued anyone but Nix and Guy for the GM job, unless of course you count Shanahan handling the dual role as HC an GM.

 

You can continue arguing minutiae, but the fact remains: the team interviewed only in-house candidates. Even if they considered guys from other teams, they didn't schedule interviews nor get approval from the individual or team. Is it that hard to admit RW ordered his top deputy to not hire anyone he didn't know for fear of TD2?

Clayton said it on WGR. Why he would fabricate that is anyone's guess. I can however see Ralph saying he only looked at in-house guys, not wanting to admit that no one outside the organization wanted to interview for the job.

 

And this point has been rehashed, but just because Nix was with the Bills last year (after being with the Chargers for the last decade), it in no way makes him an "insider" with the organization. I mean really, how much contact do you think Ralph had with Nix from 1993-2000 when he was just a scout? Or last year when he was national scout? And the Bills still hired Whaley from Pgh, a guy who one (anonymous) source blasted the Bills for not hiring as their GM, after they hired Nix (only to later have him become their AGM). So again, there were no proven GM's available outside of Reese who still hasn't been named a GM of a team the past 4 years.