Where was the TSW consensus most wrong on cuts

[Pyrite Gal]

I think that Freakin Coy Wire staying on this team wins this poll hands down, but I am interested in folks opinions regarding other players rather than simply kicking this dead safety.

 

I ask about the fan consensus embodied on TSW but also think that having a few loud voices call for the demise of a Bill who stayed also weighs in as being an equivalent mistake to a general consensus.

 

With this last proviso weighing in, my vote for identifying folks predictions or hopes which were wrong, wrong, wrong is the thought that the Bills would cut Troy Vincent.

 

This idea struck me as an odd non-football thought as it ignored the fact that by tying for the team lead in INTS and fumble recoveries last year he led this squad in takeaways (in a unit whose lack of pre-season INTs is actually a worry for me). When one adds:

 

1. into this that the nature of the contract he signed gives the Bills little cap advantage for cutting him,

 

2. our drafting of a bunch of young DBs provided a reason to keep him to show them how to be vets rather than cut him this year, and

 

3. the fact that our new scheme is going toward his strength as a cover guy and away from the whone about him not tackling well enough in our zone blitz scheme,

 

even though he might hit the wall suddenly due to injury might end his usefulness and lead to his retiring, the idea of cutting him before the regular season made little football sense to me.

 

Alot of this sentiment seemed to be motivated by an incorrect guess that the Bills sole priority is to build for the future, when yes this is a focus, but the Golden Boys have such a need to win while they are on this planet and a business need to try hard to win now to keep butts in the seats, the idea of cutting TV to let Ko Simpson learn the game by making mistakes made little sense to me.

 

Anthony Thomas staying was a little surprise to me though I was a bit surprised to see Gates get cut rather than sticking as a back-up to our back-up RB, but the loudness of a few voices which were wrong about TV being cut in the first cap carnage and were wrong about him making this team gets my vote for the second biggest miscue by TSW partisans after the Coy Wire decision.

[Rico]

Keeping & starting Grampa Vincent was a huge blunder on the part of the Bills from an on-the-field standpoint... as we will see as the season plays out, at least until he goes on IR.

 

I do think though that the Bills had their backs to the wall on this one. It would've been very hard to cut the NFLPA President only a few days after Roger Goodell, the new Commisioner, took office. Talk about a mess! Keeping him was probably a command decision from Ralph.

[TheMadCap]

Coy Wire, no question...

[Pyrite Gal]

Keeping & starting Grampa Vincent was a huge blunder on the part of the Bills from an on-the-field standpoint... as we will see as the season plays out, at least until he goes on IR. 

 

I do think though that the Bills had their backs to the wall on this one. It would've been very hard to cut the NFLPA President only a few days after Roger Goodell, the new Commisioner, took office. Talk about a mess! Keeping TV was probably a command decision from Ralph.

761273[/snapback]

 

We will see and as a Bills fan I hope he stays heslthy and has a lot of competition and is surpassed as the team leader in takeaways.

 

His injuries during the camp are certainly predictable for someone who has remained in the league and is still a starter after so long, but one of the very worrying things to me in a hopeful pre-season was the lack of any INTs taken. I think Rashad Baker letting one slip through his hands and get caught by a Lions receiver sealed his fate.

 

I think there was no way in the world that this team would cut its leading turnover receiver/producer last year with no one showing any production in this area on the team.

 

Its good news that Simpson looked impressive to folks and this 2nd day draft pick will have to be productive at levels generally not seen in the NFL in order to merit starting this year. My sense is that TV definitely needs to stay healthy for at least 4 games for us to have even a snowball's chance of our D not being completely overmatched in the secondary.

 

Perhaps by this point the Whitner will have learned enough to not benefit a lot from having a seasoned vet beside him at safety and Simpson will have learned enough to not be a total embarassment at the hands of NFL vet receivers and QBs.

 

If TV does 8 games for us, I think we will be in good shape regardless what happens with him.

 

However, despite this fingers crossed prayerful outlook, there was simply no way in the world the Bills would even have him be a back-up much less cut him,

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Andre Davis

[Pirate Angel]

Matt Bowen is injured, there not sure when he'll be 100%, and Marv may be waiting for a late release and cays roster spot will be the best place for him, Wire may not make it through the week

[smokinandjokin]

Obviously Coy Wire...But for the purposes of the poll, I voted for Shelton.

 

Everyone seemed ready to cast this guy aside as a chump, and yet nobody seriously challenged for his starting spot in camp. I think that's pretty telling. He was never in jeopardy of losing his job. People were pumped up about the Ricard signing because he blocked for a 2000-yard back in Baltimore. Well, Bennie Anderson blocked for that back also. That doesn't make him the answer.

 

Shelton has always played balls-to-the-wall for the Bills. I think we were all frustrated when our OLine would get blown up, Shelton would get blasted, and Willis would run right into Shelton's back and fall down. Nobody likes to see that. However, I think Willis will have a little more leeway this year to read blocks and utilize his talents by bouncing runs outside. If he sees Shelton get crushed at the line, he doesn't have Mularkey ordering him to 'run it up inside for the tough two yards.' He can make a decision on where he sees an opening.

 

Willis has said in interviews that he loves running behind Shelton. (Of course, when you're speaking of a teammate, you're not going to say the guy is a bum.) But if Willis has confidence in him, I have confidence in him. It's Willis who's reaping the benefits of Shelton's pain. My only hope is that Fairchild's offense takes some of the passes away from Shelton and sends them McGahee's way.