Why the hate for Tom Donahoe?

[Koobie]

We can talk about the players until our heads blow off. (As a matter of fact, Bill in NYC could be in grave danger should he make another anti-Travis post.) But the bottom line is, I think we are 0-4 and going nowhere fast because of Tommy D's lack of success on draft day.

I think he did the right thing by trading for Bledsoe. It hasn't worked out like we had hoped, but it was the right move at the right time. His free agent pickups have been very good...Takeo, Vincent, Villarial, London, Lawyer, Sam, etc.

But I don't think you build a successful team around free agent pickups. You do that through the draft and player development, then you look at your weaknesses and fill the holes with free agents.

His drafts have been, for the most part, BIG failures, and that's why we are what we are...a bad football team. Granted, some of the players haven't had enough time to develop to make an accurate assessment of their ability to be quality NFL players. Willis hasn't had enough time to heal from his injury to judge whether or not he will be the star we hope he will be. But the fact is, several players have been huge disappointments, given the time they've had to develop, where they were taken in the draft, the money they get paid, and their lack of production on the field.

I mean, really, does anyone think a light is going to come on in Ryan Denney's head and he's going to turn in to a good player? Josh Reed?

It's true that some of our better players make too many mistakes (Eric and Travis first come to mind). But the fact is the people around them aren't good enough to overcome those mistakes, so it's those mistakes that people remember and those players (especially Travis) get the most criticism.

For example, you don't see 20 threads about Josh Reed, even those he's on pace to catch 16 passes this season. Read that last sentence again. 16 passes. Yet there are dozens of negative posts about Travis, who despite his mistakes and limitations, is on pace for 1,100 yards.

The fact is, we have some good veteran Bills and many very good free agents who have become Bills. But Tom has failed this team on draft day, and I think that's reason No. 1 why we are sitting at 0-4.

67082[/snapback]

 

BINGO!!!!

[R. Rich]

I really, really don't get it.

 

This guys job is to go out and get the people we need on the team.

 

Unfortunatly, he's a bit too old to put on the pads and get out there himself.

 

You guys all say you want more of McGahee. Well, guess who GOT YOU MCGAHEE?! He can't force the coaches to play them.

 

In recent years, he has gotten both Lodon Fletcher and Takeo Spikes to come to a city where I'm not sure I would want to come to if I was a mulitmillion dollar athlete.

 

He made a TREMENDOUS pick with our first overall this year. In 3 years, Lee Evans will be a top 5 WR in this entire league.

 

He got you McGahee, remember?

 

Now, EVERYONE wants Bledsoe gone? Well, without Tom Donohoe drafting Losman, that wouldnt even BE an option in a few weeks. We would be WITHOUT a backup that has any credibility.

 

He got you Lawyer Millow and Troy Vincent. Do I even need to go any farther than that?

 

When he got you Bledsoe, you threw a damn party to welcome #11.

 

Its unfortunate that TD isnt a coach or a player. He's not. His job is to get you the talent you need. He has done that. And no, we dont have a good OLine, so no, he hasnt done his job perfectly, but jesus, he hasnt done it nearly as badly as you guys make it out.

 

Just look at the names on this roster.

66925[/snapback]

 

I don't hate, so it stands to reason that I don't hate Donahoe.

 

I do, however, have concerns about this team, such as the offensive line. This is an area that hasn't been properly addressed in many years, even before Donahoe was hired. For all the moves he's made, the Bills have won 17 of 52 games during his time as GM/President. Fair or not, he will be judged on the wins and losses, just like a player or coach would be. We've all heard the excuses on why this team is 0-4 and we've done plenty of finger pointing and name calling. What I'd like to see is some sign that this team will get better, which will lead to an end to most of the negativity.

[CentralVaBills]

I really, really don't get it.

 

This guys job is to go out and get the people we need on the team.

 

Unfortunatly, he's a bit too old to put on the pads and get out there himself.

 

You guys all say you want more of McGahee. Well, guess who GOT YOU MCGAHEE?! He can't force the coaches to play them.

 

In recent years, he has gotten both Lodon Fletcher and Takeo Spikes to come to a city where I'm not sure I would want to come to if I was a mulitmillion dollar athlete.

 

He made a TREMENDOUS pick with our first overall this year. In 3 years, Lee Evans will be a top 5 WR in this entire league.

 

He got you McGahee, remember?

 

Now, EVERYONE wants Bledsoe gone? Well, without Tom Donohoe drafting Losman, that wouldnt even BE an option in a few weeks. We would be WITHOUT a backup that has any credibility.

 

He got you Lawyer Millow and Troy Vincent. Do I even need to go any farther than that?

 

When he got you Bledsoe, you threw a damn party to welcome #11.

 

Its unfortunate that TD isnt a coach or a player. He's not. His job is to get you the talent you need. He has done that. And no, we dont have a good OLine, so no, he hasnt done his job perfectly, but jesus, he hasnt done it nearly as badly as you guys make it out.

 

Just look at the names on this roster.

66925[/snapback]

 

 

I don't hate him, and as a matter of fact, I liked alot of his moves that he made at the time........HOWEVER......

 

What I don't like is that he came in here with an excuse of cleaning up Butler's mess. He fixed that cap hell, and we are still failing 3 years later. So, it's getting harder to trust him.

 

Also, he rode in and tried to strip everything that was precious to the Bills fan. And he did that so he could put his stamp on the franchise and it's not working.

 

He got rid of some of our better players. Almost to a point to make it so that his regime had picked all the players that will get us back on the right track.

 

He changed the uniforms. There was nothing wrong with the old one's. Our road uni's are the sickest looking uniforms in the league now. Changed the field color. Wanted to get rid of the Shout song. Changed the way we get season tickets. They used to come in a box with goodies that you could collect. Now, it's pretty much crap, IF it does make it to your house in the first place.

 

He was quick and cocky in the way he came in to change things, and now that they aren't panning out, we all are wanting back some of the ole days!

 

We were a little bit down when he got here, but it wasn't like he hit rock bottom with this franchise. Now look where we are. Tough to take.

[Realist]

I don't hate, so it stands to reason that I don't hate Donahoe. 

 

I do, however, have concerns about this team, such as the offensive line.  This is an area that hasn't been properly addressed in many years, even before Donahoe was hired.  For all the moves he's made, the Bills have won 17 of 52 games during his time as GM/President.  Fair or not, he will be judged on the wins and losses, just like a player or coach would be.  We've all heard the excuses on why this team is 0-4 and we've done plenty of finger pointing and name calling.  What I'd like to see is some sign that this team will get better, which will lead to an end to most of the negativity.

67095[/snapback]

 

I'm with R.Rich on this one. I think the OLine has been ignored and really we've never heard a valid reason why. If he would have done something about this right when he came on, by now we could have a dominant OLine. Instead its been one bad coach after another and very underachieving players.

[R. Rich]

I'm with R.Rich on this one.  I think the OLine has been ignored and really we've never heard a valid reason why.  If he would have done something about this right when he came on, by now we could have a dominant OLine.  Instead its been one bad coach after another and very underachieving players.

67107[/snapback]

 

Worse yet, we have every reason to build a rock solid OL. We've committed to Bledsoe, at least for this season, so we have an immobile QB who can, when given time, make some nice throws down the field. That said, why in the world wouldn't you want a great interior OL in front of him, so that he can step up in the pocket (I think that's what they're called; it's been so long since I've seen one) and find an open WR without being hammered by some DL or LB?

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

He is a CEO that has failed in his field of endeavor. Not much more to say.

67057[/snapback]

 

 

I think it goes to far to say this CEO has failed in his field of endeavor because unfortunately his field of endeavor is wider than you and I as fans might focus on.

 

As a fan my focus in on W/L as the measure if success and little else. However, as a CEO TD's field of endeavor revolves around the fact that the Bills are a business. As best as I can tell, under TD the business side of the Bills has done quite well, really improved some fundamentals from the days (not to long ago under the Butler regime) when the team sold tickets sorted into shoeboxes, and as long as we fools continue to putour fannies in the seats for an 0-4 team (which has sold out all their home dates so far and I think will sell out this Sunday for the Fish is doing fine and dandy).

 

Certainly the business of running the Bills and the production of Ws, playoff wins and SB appearances are inextricably linked. The Bills cannot expect to put fannies in the seats and go 3-13 forever. However, we fans are so committed that clearly we don't require SB wins to make the Bills a profitbale business even here in the (relative for America) economic wastelands of WNY. In fact, we dod not even require playoff appearances to sellout all the seats and make it profitable for local business to back the Bills. Amazingly, this team can go 3-13 in the 2001 season and the mere appearance of an over-the-hill QB with two SB appearances can drive us into a frenzy where virtually every (if not every with a few strategic Ralph donations) seat gets sold.

 

TD as a CEO has failed utterly managing this game as a sport, but has succeeded well managing this team as a business and extraordinarily so given the horrible product the team has put on the field during his time.

 

There is alot to say whether he has in fact failed at his field of endeavor. he has to your and my mind, but it is easy for me to see that he has succeeded well in Ralph's mind and what Ralph thinks counts a wee bit more than what you and I think.

 

Ralph's comments this weekend finally provide some public sense of the side of Ralph which will only grace this planet for a forseeable time. Perhaps he is driven by the side of him which is like my priority side as a fan which measure things first in terms of W/L. However, it ain't my bucks we're talking about and it is easy for me to imagine Ralph has a broader view of what's important than I do.

 

My sense is that absent some sin like Polian ragging on his daughter that TD hangs around as long as he is under contract and it even is not impossible at all for me to imagine Ralph extending TDs contract if TD has sucked up to his boss in the usual American manner that leads to success and has a credible plan (even if it is a new 4 year plan) for delivering the Bills to glory.

 

In the absence of a credible alternative for producing a winner (steal Belicheck from NE? Gibbs is back in DC, Parcells is not available and probably wouldn't work to improve things anyway , Marv anyone?) I think TD is here to stay at least he additional year he appears to be under contract.

[Indy Dave]

I don't hate, so it stands to reason that I don't hate Donahoe. 

 

I do, however, have concerns about this team, such as the offensive line.  This is an area that hasn't been properly addressed in many years, even before Donahoe was hired.  For all the moves he's made, the Bills have won 17 of 52 games during his time as GM/President.  Fair or not, he will be judged on the wins and losses, just like a player or coach would be.  We've all heard the excuses on why this team is 0-4 and we've done plenty of finger pointing and name calling.  What I'd like to see is some sign that this team will get better, which will lead to an end to most of the negativity.

67095[/snapback]

 

That's exactly right. And 17 wins in 52 games is one thing. But when the same mistakes are plaguing the team game after game, year after year, the fan frustration grows and grows. It would be slightly different if we had problems other than a lack of pass rush or a good offensive line year after year. But that's beent he case, and those two areas have never been successfully addressed in the TD era.

[Realist]

Worse yet, we have every reason to build a rock solid OL.  We've committed to Bledsoe, at least for this season, so we have an immobile QB who can, when given time, make some nice throws down the field.  That said, why in the world wouldn't you want a great interior OL in front of him, so that he can step up in the pocket (I think that's what they're called; it's been so long since I've seen one) and find an open WR without being hammered by some DL or LB?

67122[/snapback]

 

Exactly, once we got DB in the trade, OL should have been a top priority. Especially since they knew what Bledsoe needed to succeed. That is really the only big personnel decision that I don't like from TD.

[Bill from NYC]

We can talk about the players until our heads blow off. (As a matter of fact, Bill in NYC could be in grave danger should he make another anti-Travis post.) But the bottom line is, I think we are 0-4 and going nowhere fast because of Tommy D's lack of success on draft day.

I think he did the right thing by trading for Bledsoe. It hasn't worked out like we had hoped, but it was the right move at the right time. His free agent pickups have been very good...Takeo, Vincent, Villarial, London, Lawyer, Sam, etc.

But I don't think you build a successful team around free agent pickups. You do that through the draft and player development, then you look at your weaknesses and fill the holes with free agents.

His drafts have been, for the most part, BIG failures, and that's why we are what we are...a bad football team. Granted, some of the players haven't had enough time to develop to make an accurate assessment of their ability to be quality NFL players. Willis hasn't had enough time to heal from his injury to judge whether or not he will be the star we hope he will be. But the fact is, several players have been huge disappointments, given the time they've had to develop, where they were taken in the draft, the money they get paid, and their lack of production on the field.

I mean, really, does anyone think a light is going to come on in Ryan Denney's head and he's going to turn in to a good player? Josh Reed?

It's true that some of our better players make too many mistakes (Eric and Travis first come to mind). But the fact is the people around them aren't good enough to overcome those mistakes, so it's those mistakes that people remember and those players (especially Travis) get the most criticism.

For example, you don't see 20 threads about Josh Reed, even those he's on pace to catch 16 passes this season. Read that last sentence again. 16 passes. Yet there are dozens of negative posts about Travis, who despite his mistakes and limitations, is on pace for 1,100 yards.

The fact is, we have some good veteran Bills and many very good free agents who have become Bills. But Tom has failed this team on draft day, and I think that's reason No. 1 why we are sitting at 0-4.

67082[/snapback]

 

Dave, your post was great, but will you at least be fair?

How many hundreds of posts did you sit through telling us how wonderful Josh Reed is? Do you recall me or anyone else stating that Josh was worth a top 10 pick? This is just a sample of the "Travis is Great" postings. Several posters actually suggested that the Raiders would give up Gallery for Henry.

 

Travis is tough and did some very good things but his shortcomings (of which I will spare you the list) are NOT new. It was primarily me, SDS and VA Bills who were never sold on him as a great back. VA Bills certainly caught even more heat than I did.

 

As for the rest, we see eye to eye. Please, look at my major complaint about TD in this thread! It is about Mike Williams at #4 and his draft record overall. I cannot even imagine passing up a superior player in McKinnie, a LT to boot. It is mind boggling.

 

One last thing...I hope Travis plays well. I am no less of a fan than you Dave. Different things will annoy us about this team because we are different people. Where is the crisis? I am not feeling it.

[Rico]

I only have 2 major problems with TD AT THIS TIME

1. the disasterous transactions following the 2001 season

(ie. 2002 draft, trading a #1 for Drew... Fletcher was OK)

2. changing the uniforms. :I starred in Brokeback Mountain:

 

I'm not happy with a lot of other moves like

re-signing Drew and hiring GW,

but all-in-all I still support TD,

and look forward to watching JP, Willis, & Evans

bring glory back to the Ralph.

[stevestojan]

Exactly, once we got DB in the trade, OL should have been a top priority.  Especially since they knew what Bledsoe needed to succeed.  That is really the only big personnel decision that I don't like from TD.

67136[/snapback]

 

 

So, by trading for Bledsoe, we were putting ourselves in a situation to need a total of 6 players to make it worthwhile?

 

That's like buying a really expensive TV that will only work when you add 5 really expensive additional components.

 

I don't think when we got him, we thought he would be THIS bad.. Hell, the play that ended his career as we knew it was a play where he actually scrambled!

[Mickey]

I really, really don't get it.

 

This guys job is to go out and get the people we need on the team.

 

Unfortunatly, he's a bit too old to put on the pads and get out there himself.

 

You guys all say you want more of McGahee. Well, guess who GOT YOU MCGAHEE?! He can't force the coaches to play them.

 

In recent years, he has gotten both Lodon Fletcher and Takeo Spikes to come to a city where I'm not sure I would want to come to if I was a mulitmillion dollar athlete.

 

He made a TREMENDOUS pick with our first overall this year. In 3 years, Lee Evans will be a top 5 WR in this entire league.

 

He got you McGahee, remember?

 

Now, EVERYONE wants Bledsoe gone? Well, without Tom Donohoe drafting Losman, that wouldnt even BE an option in a few weeks. We would be WITHOUT a backup that has any credibility.

 

He got you Lawyer Millow and Troy Vincent. Do I even need to go any farther than that?

 

When he got you Bledsoe, you threw a damn party to welcome #11.

 

Its unfortunate that TD isnt a coach or a player. He's not. His job is to get you the talent you need. He has done that. And no, we dont have a good OLine, so no, he hasnt done his job perfectly, but jesus, he hasnt done it nearly as badly as you guys make it out.

 

Just look at the names on this roster.

66925[/snapback]

 

It is not about hate, it is about making bad decisions and he has made plenty.

 

He hired Greg Williams and even he will tell you that was a mistake, afterall, he is the one who fired him, right? That was the most important decision he has made as our GM and it was a bust, a total bust.

 

He decided to let Price go and drafted Reed to be his replacement. Those two decisions were so good that we had to spend our first round pick on a receiver this year. Reed was a second round pick. That means we could have paid Price the $ needed to keep him and saved ourselves two top picks. What kind of offensive line would we have with a first and second rounder on there?

 

You applaud him for McGahee? Not me. We did not need and could not afford Willis. Travis was fine. We could have drafted Eric Steinbach, the best guard in the draft. Instead we are starting Smith, a no talent nobody. Even when Willis is out there and playing well, that just means that Travis is gathering dust on the bench and he is a 2nd round pick himself. Either way you end up with a top pick riding the pine. TD drafted Henry. Either that was a good pick and we didn't need Willis or it was a bad pick so we had to take Willis. No matter how you cut it, that is two top picks in exchange for only one starter.

 

The highest pick he made for this team was Mike Williams. Result? Major bust so far.

 

He traded up to get Denny so he cost us two picks. He turned out so good that we had to draft another LDE, Kelsay. That is 3 picks to try and get one decent starter and we still don't have one yet at LDE.

 

He also signed Posey who, at best, has been no more than serviceable.

 

He wouldn't sign Hollis to a decent contract and instead signed Lindell.

 

He has made some good moves like Fletcher and to a much less extent, Spikes.

The bottom line though is that he has not made any "finds" in the draft or FA. He has had to pick multiple time to try and fill the same holes and still, they are open. The results of his work are on the field every Sunday for all to see and it ain't good.

[Mickey]

So, by trading for Bledsoe, we were putting ourselves in a situation to need a total of 6 players to make it worthwhile?

 

That's like buying a really expensive TV that will only work when you add 5 really expensive additional components.

 

I don't think when we got him, we thought he would be THIS bad.. Hell, the play that ended his career as we knew it was a play where he actually scrambled!

67164[/snapback]

 

We didn't know that Sullivan and Williams and Teague and Rube were going to be that bad.

 

Your comment on not adding 5 good lineman as opposed to changing QB's doesn't make sense. Let me start out with one simple truism: there is no offensive plan, theory, or play that does not require effective blocking to succeed, none. The idea that you can have a QB elusive enough to make plays behind the worst line in football is delusional. There is no such QB in existence. Take a look at Michael Vick this year, he is learning that. The idea that a better QB would take substantially fewer sacks than Drew does is just silly. Face it, there is no remedy for a bas line. That is why no matter who the coach is, who the QB is or what strategy they use, the result is the same. If you don't block, you don't win.

 

Take Losman. Is he more mobile than Drew? I am sure he is. Is he Houdini? Is he a better scrambler than McNabb or Vick? Not hardly. Do you really think that Losman can succeed behind a line that does not block? Do you really think that Losman is good enough to make Seymour and Bruschi miss if they come in unblocked on a play busted because the RB went the wrong way? Why do people have such a hard time absorbing the concept that you can't move the ball without blocking. We are going to need a revamped line no matter who our QB is.

[bills_fan]

I don't hate him, and as a matter of fact, I liked alot of his moves that he made at the time........HOWEVER......

 

What I don't like is that he came in here with an excuse of cleaning up Butler's mess. He fixed that cap hell, and we are still failing 3 years later. So, it's getting harder to trust him.

 

Also, he rode in and tried to strip everything that was precious to the Bills fan. And he did that so he could put his stamp on the franchise and it's not working.

 

He got rid of some of our better players. Almost to a point to make it so that his regime had picked all the players that will get us back on the right track.

 

He changed the uniforms. There was nothing wrong with the old one's. Our road uni's are the sickest looking uniforms in the league now. Changed the field color. Wanted to get rid of the Shout song. Changed the way we get season tickets. They used to come in a box with goodies that you could collect. Now, it's pretty much crap, IF it does make it to your house in the first place.

 

He was quick and cocky in the way he came in to change things, and now that they aren't panning out, we all are wanting back some of the ole days!

 

We were a little bit down when he got here, but it wasn't like he hit rock bottom with this franchise. Now look where we are. Tough to take.

 

 

I couldn't agree more with this post. He came in and said he was going to return the franchise to glory, even though we had been to the playoffs in 10 of the last 13 years under John Butler and Bill Polian. We were not very far removed from the team that Polian predicted would represent the AFC in the Super Bowl in 99 if we beat Tennessee.

 

It was entirely his way or the highway, and popular and productive players were cut (Big Ted) or let go on less than ideal terms (Steve Christie). All the while he was trying to change what the Bills were all about, making it his franchise and not simply continuing the successes built by others.

 

Hence the hideous uniform change (which I still refuse to buy). Hence the loss of the season ticket boxes. I didn't hear that about the Shout song, but it wouldn't suprise me. Where did you hear that?

 

Finally, when an experienced, proven Hall of Fame coach decided he'd like another shot at the Bills (Marv Levy), Ol Whitey said thats nice, now go play some golf. Not a real nice way to treat a man who has won more games for the Bills than Ol Whitey ever will. I'm suprised Ralph didn't step in there.

 

As far as the business end of it, is it really that difficult to sell water in the desert??? Bills fans will pack the stadium regardless. Our passion for the team is unrivaled and the successes of the 1987-1999 era only fueled that passion more. Expanding the fan base regionally could be the only positive thing he's really done for the business of the Bills.

 

In free agency Ol Whitey has been fine, with the exception of woefully neglecting the offensive line. The draft, well, thats a different matter. He has Gilbrided each second round pick since his first draft. I'm at the point where I hope he deals each and every second round pick the rest of his short, hopefully, career here in Buffalo. Finding gems in the later rounds, well, only Kevin Thomas and Terrence McGee have worked out well, since his first draft. Ol Whitey's draft record is pretty poor.

 

Hence, it may be time for a wholesale change. I hope we could try and lure Ron Wolf out of retirement. I don't know. It may be time to start the search for a new GM, who will return the Bills to glory, and hopefully, restore some sembalance of tradition along the way.

[Indy Dave]

Dave, your post was great, but will you at least be fair?

How many hundreds of posts did you sit through telling us how wonderful Josh Reed is? Do you recall me or anyone else stating that Josh was worth a top 10 pick? This is just a sample of the "Travis is Great" postings. Several posters actually suggested that the Raiders would give up Gallery for Henry.

 

Travis is tough and did some very good things but his shortcomings (of which I will spare you the list) are NOT new. It was primarily me, SDS and VA Bills who were never sold on him as a great back. VA Bills certainly caught even more heat than I did.

 

As for the rest, we see eye to eye. Please, look at my major complaint about TD in this thread! It is about Mike Williams at #4 and his draft record overall. I cannot even imagine passing up a superior player in McKinnie, a LT to boot. It is mind boggling.

 

One last thing...I hope Travis plays well. I am no less of a fan than you Dave. Different things will annoy us about this team because we are different people. Where is the crisis? I am not feeling it.

67144[/snapback]

 

Bill...I don't know where in my post did I come across as unfair. I was teasing about your TH-related posts and your head exploding. If you took it another way, my apologies.

I respect and understand the negative opinions about Travis. I've always defended the guy (what he's done on the field anyway). While I don't think he's near as bad as you, SDS and Va Bills have made him out to be, I also admit he's not the 9th or 10th RB in the league like I thought he was. I think part of the blame goes to the lack of a passing game, part of the blame goes to our offensive line, and an equal part of the blame goes to Travis. I guess I have opinions, you have opinions, and somewhere in the middle, we can probably find the truth about how good a running back #20 is.

 

For the record, I thought Josh was going to be a very good #3 receiver. He obviously hasn't been. I also laughed hysterically when people suggested that the Raiders send us Gallery in exchange for Travis. After all, some experts had Gallery has the top prospect (among offensive lineman) in years. It cracks me up to read a post made by someone who has such negative feelings about Travis who suggests that we trade him to someone in exchange for a first-round draft choice. I think, "Excuse me, but if he's not any good, why would a team give up so much for him." That seems pretty simple to me, but apparently it's hard to comprehend for others.

 

I guess my point about Travis, one of which I have made to you, SDS, VA Bills and others, is this: I don't understand why so much blame is directed at him when he's one of our better players. That is our problem. He is a decent running back, and he's one of our better players. That's why we are 0-4-- not enough talent on this team. And I blame that on Tom Donahoe.

 

I understand that some people on this board have overrated Travis, and I understand that sometimes we all just want to scream because he missed a block, trips at the most inopportune time, or whatever. But like I've said before, it's my opinion that he gets too much blame, particularly by you. My perception of you is that you wait for him to make a mistake (like dropping the pass late in the second quarter against the Jets on Sunday), then you find a way to tie that single play into him single-handedly costing us the game. I take that as you absolutely despising the guy, and taking some kind of enjoyment out of his failures. I could be wrong, but you definitely tend to come across that way. Like I said Sunday, what are you going to say when he fumbles at the goal line in a 10-6 game? Yikes.

 

One final point...people complained throughout the 2003 season about his fumbles, when in fact, his fumbles were way down than previous years. This year, he hasn't fumbled yet (knock on wood), and today I read something like this from a poster: "The fact that Travis hasn't fumbled is just luck." Criticize him for fumbling, then he makes strides to correct the problem, and critcize the poor bastard anyway. You talk about unfair. THAT'S unfair.

[Guest Guest]

I really, really don't get it.

66925[/snapback]

You don't huh?

 

I guess the GM has nothing to do with putting together the talent that the coach has to work with.

 

Name three very good linemen on the Bills line?

 

Perhaps it will come to you then.

[Guest sam wyche]

I really, really don't get it.

 

This guys job is to go out and get the people we need on the team.

 

Unfortunatly, he's a bit too old to put on the pads and get out there himself.

 

You guys all say you want more of McGahee. Well, guess who GOT YOU MCGAHEE?! He can't force the coaches to play them.

 

In recent years, he has gotten both Lodon Fletcher and Takeo Spikes to come to a city where I'm not sure I would want to come to if I was a mulitmillion dollar athlete.

 

He made a TREMENDOUS pick with our first overall this year. In 3 years, Lee Evans will be a top 5 WR in this entire league.

 

He got you McGahee, remember?

 

Now, EVERYONE wants Bledsoe gone? Well, without Tom Donohoe drafting Losman, that wouldnt even BE an option in a few weeks. We would be WITHOUT a backup that has any credibility.

 

He got you Lawyer Millow and Troy Vincent. Do I even need to go any farther than that?

 

When he got you Bledsoe, you threw a damn party to welcome #11.

 

Its unfortunate that TD isnt a coach or a player. He's not. His job is to get you the talent you need. He has done that. And no, we dont have a good OLine, so no, he hasnt done his job perfectly, but jesus, he hasnt done it nearly as badly as you guys make it out.

 

Just look at the names on this roster.

66925[/snapback]

 

HE GOT YOU 17-35 !!!

 

All those players you mentioned GOT YOU 17-35!!!

 

I just don't get it? Get a clue.

[Guest TD]

TD even managed to buy the artificial turf(Astroplay) from a company that went bankrupt when everyone else in the league was buying it from the industry leader(Fieldturf). He's jinxed.

[cale]

My 2 cents...

 

In retrospect, I think Donahoe is damaged goods. Some folks here think that Bledsoe is damaged goods because of the number of sacks he's taken etc. But I really think the Cowher power struggle in Pittsburgh ruined him.

 

Trying to draft/evaluate players is just one part of the equation. IMHO, he's got a 25-30% success rate at best in that dept. But the other part of the equation is that you have to hire a strong willed coach to get players to perform. Well, guess what - strong willed coaches are gonna butt heads with strong willed GMs. I think he decided that when he got here that there was going to be a definite hierachy with him at the top. Marv Levy-Bill Polian and the Belichik-Pioli(Pioli is a Belichik's son-in-law) relationships were/are anomalies. In today's NFL, the GMs are almost always subservient to the coaches role.

 

I get the feeling that at One Bills Drive, it's the other way around. I also think that's part of the reason we haven't had any winning teams in a while.

 

Charles

[stevestojan]

HE GOT YOU 17-35 !!!

 

All those players you mentioned GOT YOU 17-35!!!

 

I just don't get it? Get a clue.

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Yes, I just don't get it.

 

His job is to get the players on the team, not catch TD passes, or not trip over his feet. His job isnt to have pocket pressense, or to return a kickoff. He isnt responisble for sacking a QB, or intercepting a slant. But, he brought quality name players to do each of those things I listed and more.

 

Im not saying he is GREAT, because he has had some piss poor drafts. But picking up free agents and making trades, he has gotten the players here. Too bad they can't execute.

 

So, before telling me "get a clue" why not bring in some facts like EVERYONE else did. The team record doesnt cut it.