Bills trade Euhus to Saints for Courtney Watson

[Pyrite Gal]

Watson is listed as a MLB.  I suspect this is more of a goodbye for Posey and a sit your ass on the bench where it belongs Crowell, move.

 

This is a great trade for us.  Euhus sucks, runs bad routes and can't block.

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As he seems to be envisioned as an MLB and Posey plays OLB with some talk of him playing DE on passing downs this move seems to have zero impact on whether Posey stays or goes.

 

Folks seem to be looking for some grand significance here, but this seems to be prompted more by off-season boredom than any real football judgment. Overall: my sense is:

 

1. Particularly when Cieslak getting some good buzz and three vets vying for three TE positions in addition, the numbers were tough for Euhus as Royal and Everett are keepers due to contract and if one of the two other TE candidates steps up Euhus is gone. It seems mostly to be a trade of a player at a position we are deep at for a player at a position we are weak at.

 

2. The post which anoints Watson as Fletcher's replacement jumps the gun as Watson is not even guaranteed a spot on the team yet.

 

3. The element which will probably determine Watson's fate with the Bills has not been mentioned yet in that if he shows the ability to contribute on ST he stays but if not he probably is gone.

 

4. While his acquisition has probably zero impact on Posey, it does provide a positive benefit for the Bills re: Crowell as this former back-up MLB on the depth chart will now have to compete against another vet. I think folks are making a mistake if they assume all players are measured by their position play when it is ST and increased competition which are the two real items the braintrust will likely use to determine who stays and who goes among all back-ups.

 

5. Neufeld is not pivotal to the Bills at all, but I think Kelly F&B states to harsh a case in his assessment of Neufeld. His problem that I see is that he really plays little role or much at all, he simply has not been used enough in important situations to suck.

 

His prime calling cards are that he is on the depth chart for the Bills as a back-up long snapper and that he also has played the H-nack role on a team which seems thin at FB in numbers and talent.

 

I also really doubt he makes the team because he has not played a critical role enough for the Bills and has not been as positive in addition to not playing enough to suck.

[Art in PNS]

Lets see On draft day we heard Marv never trades so he did. Whetehr you like the trade or not he did it. Then there is a lot of talk about how inactive the Bills are in free agency and again whether you like the moves or not they have been quite active. I think this staff is really tinkering with the structure trying to put solid Talent f not superstars back on the team. Again we will only know how sucessful they are in the months to come. I say go for it Marv !!!!!! One DUI does not necessarily make you a bad character risk not compared to the Ray lewis's and Chris Henry's in the league to name a few.

[bartshan-83]

Good....I like the direction the team is going. Things were a lot better when the Bills had more ND players on the roster anyway. Funny how things start to turn to sh-- when we instead actively pursued U players. Glad to see we are back on the right track.

 

 

About Courtney, he was there for 3 years while I was there. He was a bad MF for two of those (especially during Ty's first year as was noted before). He was a Butkus finalist and entered his senior year as a frontrunner for the award. But he turned into a bit of a B word that year and as the team generally fell apart, his play sucked more and more. I will always remember (unfortunately) watching ND get the sh-- kicked out of then at the Big House in 03. On one of the last drives (in the endzone I was sitting at) Michigan went for it on 4th and goal and gave it to Perry for an off tackle run. Watson was the only one between him and the goal...a Linebackers dream. I stood up in my seat waiting for Courtney to level his ass in hopes that I could take one good memory from that disaster home with me. Instead, he tried to arm tackle him like a girl and Perry walked into the endzone.

 

So I am sorry that this is not a ringing endorsement, but I guess that play always sticks in my mind as a general microcosm of his failure to live up to his expectations at the end.

 

That being said, I have seen what he can do when he is playing well...and he is a bad dude. And he is definitely not a low character guy...at all. He has made a few mistakes, but I would never throw him in that category. I think maybe a change of scenary could be exactly what he needs to get back on track.

[ryborg]

The bills forums are all but dead.

 

Hey! Are we being called out? Or are they talking about that "other" board?

 

He is better than Campbell and younger. Remember, he had no QB in Buffalo to throw to him, not much of a coaching staff, and the team still did well in the running game.

 

Wait, the Bills did well with their rushing attack last season?

 

Great move, BTW, even though he doesn't sound like a Levy guy at all. Oh well.

[Dr. Trooth]

So I'm guessing they are hoping this guy is Fletcher's heir apparent?

 

 

That would be pure speculation. I seriously doubt they would pencil this guy in as the starter if Fletcher retires or leaves via free agency next year. They can do one hell of a lot better. If it pans out that way, so goes it. However, it appears to me as though the Bills feel the depth at the MLB is shallow. After Fletcher, there's Esekial... a gamer, but this move would indicates to me they are concerned that Esekial is either not the answer, or not yet ready for prime time.

 

As far as Fletcher. Do not underestimate his importance on the field or in the locker room. His only critics are fans who don't know donkey doodle about the game. He's a true professional and certainly a role model for younger players. You have to admire a 9th year vet that wants to, and loves to, play special teams.

[BUFFALOTONE]

I played on the same team as Watson in an AllStar game my senior year of high school. He was one of our running backs. From what I say he was a bit slow to play RB in college he was actually a 3rd alternate in the game. But he did run the ball tough. He was a standout at ND and was a pretty nice guy from what I remember. But that was back in '99. I hope he pans out for us.

[UHSLA]

Neufeld is a terrible player. I mean bad. He is decent to good on special teams but we have a lot of very good special teams guys and he is nowhere near close to one of the better ones. He is an awful blocker and he has little speed and stone hands and when they do put him in, he's just plain awful. And I wanted to like him.

 

The thing about TEs is, you have to be very good at one thing, or at least have good potential in an area, especially if you are number three. We don't know much about Cieslak, except that he has good size and is supposed to be a good blocker. Neufeld is skinny, he is not fast, he has stone hands, and he doesn't hold his blocks well. He excels at nothing and has no potential to. He needs to go and soon. And he will. Royal is a proven commodity. Everett is a 3rd round pick with a lot of talent. Cieslak has obviously showed them something by leapfrogging everyone except Royal on the depth chart. he will be the #3.

 

If Neufeld was as bad a player as you say he is, no way a team would be paying him half a million bucks a year and I doubt he'd be on a team for three seasons and counting.

 

He's obviously better on special teams than you suggest since he starts on all the special teams units. And have you seen him take a hit on the wedge? I actually think he's been a great addition to the team in the past several years, providing consistent (even if umremarkable) back up play when a starter goes down.

 

I hope to see some good things out of Cieslak this training camp, but for him to make the team over Neufeld, he's going to have to outplay Neufeld on special teams. That will be the key. I still find it highly unlikely that the Bills will back up Royal with an unproven TE coming off a knee injury and a second year guy with very little experience. Since Royal appears to be a bit injury prone, having a vet back up on the team is crucial.

 

And by the way, if I remember correctly, Everett and Neufeld didn't participate in the first minicamp because of injuries. Only after that camp did the first depth chart come out. It seemingly hasn't been updated since then with the exception of adding in some new names. Until training camp and that first preseason game, I don't may much attention to the depth chart at all. It's unreliable at this point.

[VABills]

When Watson was drafted he was projected to be able to play all three line backer spots. I doubt he takes Fletchers position, but he is bigger and stronger then Crowell and would be better suited for the strong side LB spot. Either as Poseys backup or to replace Posey. In addition he gives us solid depth at MLB since that is where he started for NO, and he is primarily a run stopper not a coverage LB.

[Fewell733]

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/courtney_watson

 

Take a look at his draft profile. He was apparently very high character in college. The DWI may have just been an aberration. He may really benefit from getting out of New Orleans. I'm encouraged that he could be a very solid contributor to us and, who knows, one day replace Fletcher.

[stuckincincy]

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/courtney_watson

 

Take a look at his draft profile.  He was apparently very high character in college.  The DWI may have just been an aberration.  He may really benefit from getting out of New Orleans.  I'm encouraged that he could be a very solid contributor to us and, who knows, one day replace Fletcher.

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If DUI roadblocks were set up after an NFL game, half the crowd would then be labeled "low character".

[VABills]

If DUI roadblocks were set up after an NFL game, half the crowd would then be labeled "low character".

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If this board is any indication, I believe the majority of Bills fans would be called "low character" without the roadblocks.

[Nanker]

If Neufeld was as bad a player as you say he is, no way a team would be paying him half a million bucks a year and I doubt he'd be on a team for three seasons and counting.

 

He's obviously better on special teams than you suggest since he starts on all the special teams units.  And have you seen him take a hit on the wedge?  I actually think he's been a great addition to the team in the past several years, providing consistent (even if umremarkable) back up play when a starter goes down.

 

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That right there is an indictment of TD's player valuation and GM skills more than anything else.

Sure he got us out of cap jail in one year - who couldn't by cutting whom he cut when he did.

But what he ended up signing were a bunch of journeymen talent at best for above market value.

[Mickey]

Clearly, with the Watson acquisition now complete, we have everything in place to make our run for the title in '06.

[Kelly the Dog]

That right there is an indictment of TD's player valuation and GM skills more than anything else.

Sure he got us out of cap jail in one year - who couldn't by cutting whom he cut when he did.

But what he ended up signing were a bunch of journeymen talent at best for above market value.

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To be fair, Neufeld was never thought by anyone to be anything except a possible #3 TE. He was only activated because of a series of injuries, and would have been cut last year if Everett and Euhus were not injured. He showed some good hands in practice and then lost them as soon as he entered the game. He allowed the team to not keep two fullbacks because in a pinch he could step in as an H-back. He looked like he was going to be a very decent player who could fill a lot of roles but as soon as he actually played, he was terrible, IMO. And he makes the vet minimum for a 6 year player.

[Rico]

To be fair, Neufeld was never thought by anyone to be anything except a possible #3 TE. He was only activated because of a series of injuries, and would have been cut last year if Everett and Euhus were not injured. He showed some good hands in practice and then lost them as soon as he entered the game. He allowed the team to not keep two fullbacks because in a pinch he could step in as an H-back. He looked like he was going to be a very decent player who could fill a lot of roles but as soon as he actually played, he was terrible, IMO. And he makes the vet minimum for a 6 year player.

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The thing I don't like about him is that it seems to me he never gets the job done in short-yardage situations. For the role he's playing, I'd expect better blocking. He still may make the team again, Cieslak is no lock & I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Everett stays healthy & looks good.

[Pyrite Gal]

To be fair, Neufeld was never thought by anyone to be anything except a possible #3 TE. He was only activated because of a series of injuries, and would have been cut last year if Everett and Euhus were not injured. He showed some good hands in practice and then lost them as soon as he entered the game. He allowed the team to not keep two fullbacks because in a pinch he could step in as an H-back. He looked like he was going to be a very decent player who could fill a lot of roles but as soon as he actually played, he was terrible, IMO. And he makes the vet minimum for a 6 year player.

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Sounds reasonable to me.

 

Neufeld is simply a fill-in at best and if/when cut will almost certainly be replaced by another fill-in player. This team did not fall based on TD'/Bill coaches choice to sign Neufeld, nor would it have risen to some amazing level of success by signing some other player at the vet minimum whose primary job would be to be our #3 TE/back-up long snapper/ back-up RB with HB skills.

 

Some seem to look for any outlandish claim of mistake on TD's part to substantiate their claim he was an idiot. These picayune ramblings overlook that this first decision produced the fatal mistake of hiring GW who simply was not yet ready to HC successfully and passing over attracting or hiring Lewis or Fox.

 

Both were looking for HC jobs when we had the only one open snd both have experienced great improvement of the bad teams which chose them while the Bills continue to spill their wills.

[BRH]

Cieslak makes me think of the Sleestacks from "Land of the Lost".

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One of which was Bill Laimbeer.

[NorthWesternBill]

If this board is any indication, I believe the majority of Bills fans would be called "low character" without the roadblocks. 

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HAHAHAHAHAHAH Truth be told!! HAHA

[PIZ]

Maybe I missed someone else's post, but isn't this the same guy the Dolphins traded Eddie Moore for, but when Watson failed his physical it was canceled?

[BUFFALOTONE]

Maybe I missed someone else's post, but isn't this the same guy the Dolphins traded Eddie Moore for, but when Watson failed his physical it was canceled?

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Moore failed the physical not Watson.