John McCargo

[BillsVet]

The irony of this all is that Marv really led the Bills to making a very good choice at DT in the 06 draft. The irony is that it was 5th rounder Williams instead of reaching up to get McCargo. The draft is a crap shoot so go figure.

 

The draft isn't a crap shoot-not to the people who know it best. Take a look at the picks Polian and Newsome have made since 2000. Generally, their first rounders are spot on.

 

As for McCargo, he reported overweight this year. For a guy in his third year of NFL football, that's not cutting it. I get the impression he's just not mentally into the game like a pro needs to be.

 

Clearly, the Bills sent a message by signing Spencer Johnson and re-upping Kyle Williams. That didn't work, and it'll be time to move on possibly as early as next year.

[devldog131]

He got doubled and taken out of the play, but Whitner had a free path to Jackson and ended-up running into his own player and completely missing Jackson.

 

 

I didn't say it was his fault, I just saw that he was on the field.

[devldog131]

Bills 2009 #1 Draft Pick: Rey Maualuga, LB, USC

 

EDIT: If he's still available at #32 or we can trade far enough up.

[murra]

Bills 2009 #1 Draft Pick: Rey Maualuga, LB, USC

 

Uhhh...you realize that we're 4-0, not 0-4, right?

[devldog131]

Uhhh...you realize that we're 4-0, not 0-4, right?

 

 

Edit made

[ChasBB]

In addition to physical tests and intelligence tests, I think some sort of "self-motivation" test needs to be included in the screening process. Williams and McCargo were both 1st round picks. It's amazing that they cannot make themselves competitive given their physical skills.

 

Something along these lines -- not necessarily these, per se, but something like these:

 

http://www.myskillsprofile.com/tests.php?t...CFQuH1QodZgMFFg

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?Self-Motivation-Test&id=835660

 

If the Bills are going to invest millions of dollars into a player, then spend a few bucks to find out what makes them tick!

[NicholasCal1]

i think he is a bust, you can't hit a home run with every draft pick. keep him for depth this year and release him after the season.

[Wilson from Gamehendge]

I would not call him a "Bust" quite yet.

 

You have to look at a couple things here...

 

1. With the emergence of Kyle Williams and the trade for Marcus Stroud, is McCargo seeing the field enough?

2. If he is seeing the field, is the coaching staff putting him in the best position to succeed?

 

I think he would be looking much better if he were in on plays with Marcus Stroud, rather than Spencer Johnson.

 

 

*I would CERTAINLY NOT call Donte Whitner a reach...he has become one of the best Safeties in the league, although there are better who would get the Pro-Bowl nod before him in the AFC, however you can't teach leadership skills and qualities. THAT is what makes Donte such a special player, which in the end made him a good pick at #8. Not to mention, we made a good move by drafting for need, not best player available. I would rather have him in that draft, than Michael Huff.

[Pyrite Gal]

The draft isn't a crap shoot-not to the people who know it best. Take a look at the picks Polian and Newsome have made since 2000. Generally, their first rounders are spot on.

 

As for McCargo, he reported overweight this year. For a guy in his third year of NFL football, that's not cutting it. I get the impression he's just not mentally into the game like a pro needs to be.

 

Clearly, the Bills sent a message by signing Spencer Johnson and re-upping Kyle Williams. That didn't work, and it'll be time to move on possibly as early as next year.

The thing I look at are results. I took more of an in depth look at how the 2006 class did in 2007. At the point I examined it just before the season about half of the 1st round choices of the year before were listed as starters for the team that chose them. Of these starters they were heavily weighted toward the first 10 choices in the draft. Generally, the conventional wisdom is that a 1st round choice should be a first year starter but yet just short of half these players were bench warmers after year of play, The conventional wisdom in this case was about as likely to be wrong as right.

 

The other result I look at is who actually wins. If we look at the two cases you chose of Newsome and Polian. It is pretty that he gets a lot of cred for GMing competitive teams that those who point to the draft as THE big element ignore the fact that his eventual SB win was built through pivotal use of UDFA and FA acquisitions, a few key trades and off cap expenditures like getting Dungy.

 

As far as Newsome, any praise of his draft work simply begs for reality to describe that the key to his teams fates clearly were not his draft work which you praise.

 

IMHO the draft is simply overvalued by many as a key to winning when it is important but not the only and in many cases not the primary important step.

[Bill from NYC]

IMHO the draft is simply overvalued by many as a key to winning when it is important but not the only and in many cases not the primary important step.

 

Sorry PG, but I respectfully disagree. Also, even if the bolded is true in some cases (which I do not concede), it will never conceivably apply to the Buffalo Bills, who don't seem to have the means to go after top free agents.

 

For example, if Richard Seymour or Peyton Manning were UFAs, do you think that the Bills would bid for their services? Of course not. The draft is almost the only way for us to acquire "star" players.

 

Now, are there rare exceptions? Sure. We got Jason Peters as a udfa, but I make the case that this is next to impossible. We spent a 3rd round pick on Stroud Or was it a 3rd and 5th?) which was another steal, but teams cannot rely on always being this lucky.

 

Also, with the increased salary cap, good free agents are getting harder to find. Dallas Clark, while reasonablty good, was franchised and then signed by the Colts. Good teams have an easier time keeping their best players.

 

Again, it is strictly my opinion, but I think that the draft alway was, and always will be the best and most important mechanism available to build an NFL team, and in the case of the Bills, the importance is even more pronounced.

[Chandler#81]

'Gimme a 'B'!

 

Gimme a 'U'!

 

Gimme an 'S'!

 

Gimme a 'T'!

 

What have ya got??

 

This would have been more effective if #89 of Stephbuff wrote it..

[C.Biscuit97]

Sorry PG, but I respectfully disagree. Also, even if the bolded is true in some cases (which I do not concede), it will never conceivably apply to the Buffalo Bills, who don't seem to have the means to go after top free agents.

 

For example, if Richard Seymour or Peyton Manning were UFAs, do you think that the Bills would bid for their services? Of course not. The draft is almost the only way for us to acquire "star" players.

 

Now, are there rare exceptions? Sure. We got Jason Peters as a udfa, but I make the case that this is next to impossible. We spent a 3rd round pick on Stroud Or was it a 3rd and 5th?) which was another steal, but teams cannot rely on always being this lucky.

 

Also, with the increased salary cap, good free agents are getting harder to find. Dallas Clark, while reasonablty good, was franchised and then signed by the Colts. Good teams have an easier time keeping their best players.

 

Again, it is strictly my opinion, but I think that the draft alway was, and always will be the best and most important mechanism available to build an NFL team, and in the case of the Bills, the importance is even more pronounced.

 

 

Takeo Spikes, Lawyer Milloy, Derrick Dockery, and London Fletcher weren't top free agents??? Or trading for Drew Bledsoe (IIRC, the highest paid NFL player at one point in the league) was a cheap move??? Can we once and all stop with these Bills are cheap once and for all?

[Bill from NYC]

Takeo Spikes, Lawyer Milloy, Derrick Dockery, and London Fletcher weren't top free agents??? Or trading for Drew Bledsoe (IIRC, the highest paid NFL player at one point in the league) was a cheap move??? Can we once and all stop with these Bills are cheap once and for all?

 

Slow down!

 

Spikes was. Milloy, I don't know about "top." Dockery was expensive, and Fletcher didn't get a huge contract from us, nor even when he left as I recall.

 

Besides, my post wasn't about Ralph being cheap. Frankly, I don't know if he has the resources to hand out 50 or 60 million dollars in signing bonuses. Do you? My point is that the draft is the most likely way to bring a superstar to Buffalo. Perhaps I wasn't clear.

[C.Biscuit97]

Slow down!

 

Spikes was. Milloy, I don't know about "top." Dockery was expensive, and Fletcher didn't get a huge contract from us, nor even when he left as I recall.

 

Besides, my post wasn't about Ralph being cheap. Frankly, I don't know if he has the resources to hand out 50 or 60 million dollars in signing bonuses. Do you? My point is that the draft is the most likely way to bring a superstar to Buffalo. Perhaps I wasn't clear.

 

 

I got what you're saying but how many superstars actually hit the market? Normally the teams that win the free agency wars turn out to be average teams (see the Redskins).

 

So I agree our original premise that the draft is the only way to bring a superstar to a team. I just think that is true for every team in the league.