Scrappy Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 Aaron Williams is expected to be a STUD defensive back whether it be at safety or cornerback. You can never have too many of these guys. With Whitner out of the fold that situation needed to be addressed, and the strong possibility that we upgraded at that position with drafting Williams is exciting to me. Now The Whitner, Lynch, Maybin, and McKelvin picks I would have to agree with you on. I think those picks were based purely on the fact that they were reaches at the pick we drafted them, and could probably get them under contract more affordably then the players we SHOULD have picked those years. Aaron looks to be a good one, here's to hoping.
White Linen Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 So, we need to get Gaither laid. Got it. No, we need to get you laid.
KOKBILLS Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 Now, it's been over a year since Pat Moran made Buffalo Bills message board history claiming to have inside sources telling us, in no uncertain terms, that Bill Cowher was going to be a Buffalo Bill within a short time frame. Obviously, that didn't come to pass. I can claim no such "inside source" as Mr. Moran, bring no news that can equal the earth-shattering potential of those predictions, and my claim to fame is surely bettered by 75% of you living in the Buffalo area - but hear me out. I live in a town that was home to a minor league affiliate of the Sabres, Portland Maine. Two autumns ago, between traveling and pursuing my career, I found myself working as a bellman/valet/shuttle bus driver for a Holiday Inn in our downtown area. Nothing exceptional about the job, other than spending entire days driving between the airport and the hotel, bringing patrons one way or another. One day, on a job bringing someone from the airport to the hotel, I happened to pick up the goalie coach for the Buffalo Sabres. Now, I am a life-long, die-hard Bills fan, but in all honesty, could care less about the Sabres. My family is from Buffalo, so we made small talk about the area, and I told him several times I wish I knew more about the Sabres, or that he could be a quarterbacks coach for the Bills, and we both shared the awkward laughs that can only come from being a shuttle bus driver tasked with driving someone 30 minutes to their destination. However, my knowledge of the Sabres, although superficial, was enough to ask him, point blank, how we lost Drury and Briere. What he told me was eye-opening then, and comes to mind every single time I read a thread about -who the Bills should sign -Ralph Wilson being cheap -Buddy Nix being a bad GM etc. In no uncertain terms, this gentleman told me that there are 2 types of athletes, and in Buffalo in particular, there are those that - Want to make as much money as possible, and could care less about where they play, and their signings are motivated by the most bland, ho-hum, average joe reasons (kids in kindergarden not wanting to switch schools, wives in books clubs, mistresses that have a downtown apartment paid for, etc. etc.) and - Those that want out of small markets as quick as possible to play for the New York Rangers/Philadelphia Flyers of the world, that you would need to pay 3x, 4x their market value to keep. He said that from the moment those 2 showed up in Buffalo, they knew they were leaving, and there was nothing the Sabres could do to keep them. He said (and at this point, I'm paraphrasing, because it's been a few years) that the business of keeping players, signing players, and releasing players is perceived by the public to be one big game of fantasy hockey (football/baseball/whatever,) but the actual reality of it is, these are human beings, and (to completely make up an example) a free agent signing could hinge on nothing more or less than a girl that a certain athlete has been talking to online living in Cincinnati instead of Philadelphia. Now I'm not saying you need a coach associated with the Sabres organization to make this clear to you, but those of you that are losing sleep over the fear that Buddy Nix is literally sleeping on the job - remember. The perfect Bills roster that you construct from home has no doubt been constructed by Nix and Gailey a hundred times over. The difference? They know the phone numbers of the agents for the players in question. Just realize, that 95% of the time, when that call is made, unless the Bills are offering above and beyond, and then above a little bit more, what that players market value is, odds are said player has his mind made up on where he's going, and is just using the Bills (and every other team he won't sign with) as leverage. Nothing ground breaking here, just some food for thought. Good Post...Not necessarily anything we don't know already...But uhhh...yep...
NoSaint Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 The above doesn't even take into account idiotic picks such as Spiller, McKelvin, Whitner, Lynch, Maybin, and probably our second round corner this season. Think about it. Last season we wasted the 9th pick of an NFL draft on Spiller, a situational/gadget player. In the 2011 offseason, we used the 4th pick of round 2 on a corner. We also re-signed a corner and signed a UFA who appears to be a gadget/situational player. It is pure and unexplainable stupidity. While repeating the same stupid mistakes, can a rational person expect this team to improve? Sorry, I think not. It's almost like most teams have 5 DBs on the field most of the time. Our percentages aren't that far out of line with the league.
yungmack Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 Now, it's been over a year since Pat Moran made Buffalo Bills message board history claiming to have inside sources telling us, in no uncertain terms, that Bill Cowher was going to be a Buffalo Bill within a short time frame. Obviously, that didn't come to pass. I can claim no such "inside source" as Mr. Moran, bring no news that can equal the earth-shattering potential of those predictions, and my claim to fame is surely bettered by 75% of you living in the Buffalo area - but hear me out. I live in a town that was home to a minor league affiliate of the Sabres, Portland Maine. Two autumns ago, between traveling and pursuing my career, I found myself working as a bellman/valet/shuttle bus driver for a Holiday Inn in our downtown area. Nothing exceptional about the job, other than spending entire days driving between the airport and the hotel, bringing patrons one way or another. One day, on a job bringing someone from the airport to the hotel, I happened to pick up the goalie coach for the Buffalo Sabres. Now, I am a life-long, die-hard Bills fan, but in all honesty, could care less about the Sabres. My family is from Buffalo, so we made small talk about the area, and I told him several times I wish I knew more about the Sabres, or that he could be a quarterbacks coach for the Bills, and we both shared the awkward laughs that can only come from being a shuttle bus driver tasked with driving someone 30 minutes to their destination. However, my knowledge of the Sabres, although superficial, was enough to ask him, point blank, how we lost Drury and Briere. What he told me was eye-opening then, and comes to mind every single time I read a thread about -who the Bills should sign -Ralph Wilson being cheap -Buddy Nix being a bad GM etc. In no uncertain terms, this gentleman told me that there are 2 types of athletes, and in Buffalo in particular, there are those that - Want to make as much money as possible, and could care less about where they play, and their signings are motivated by the most bland, ho-hum, average joe reasons (kids in kindergarden not wanting to switch schools, wives in books clubs, mistresses that have a downtown apartment paid for, etc. etc.) and - Those that want out of small markets as quick as possible to play for the New York Rangers/Philadelphia Flyers of the world, that you would need to pay 3x, 4x their market value to keep. He said that from the moment those 2 showed up in Buffalo, they knew they were leaving, and there was nothing the Sabres could do to keep them. He said (and at this point, I'm paraphrasing, because it's been a few years) that the business of keeping players, signing players, and releasing players is perceived by the public to be one big game of fantasy hockey (football/baseball/whatever,) but the actual reality of it is, these are human beings, and (to completely make up an example) a free agent signing could hinge on nothing more or less than a girl that a certain athlete has been talking to online living in Cincinnati instead of Philadelphia. Now I'm not saying you need a coach associated with the Sabres organization to make this clear to you, but those of you that are losing sleep over the fear that Buddy Nix is literally sleeping on the job - remember. The perfect Bills roster that you construct from home has no doubt been constructed by Nix and Gailey a hundred times over. The difference? They know the phone numbers of the agents for the players in question. Just realize, that 95% of the time, when that call is made, unless the Bills are offering above and beyond, and then above a little bit more, what that players market value is, odds are said player has his mind made up on where he's going, and is just using the Bills (and every other team he won't sign with) as leverage. Nothing ground breaking here, just some food for thought. Nicely written piece.
birdog1960 Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 still gotta think that money talks, even with highly competitive athletes. these guys must realize that their careers can be over any given practice much less any game. and if they hold back and play it safe they're not worth keeping and get cut or get hurt anyway.. what's the average nfl career ? offer enough money and they will come, even to buffalo.
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