Phins pass on Coles

[Lori]

Miami is out: http://www.stadiumwall.com/index.php?s=&am...t&p=1334152

[H2o]

If he chooses Cincy over Buffalo? I don't know if you could get much lower than that. Only if they had offered more money would I understand at all.

[billsfreak]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I'm not that excited about the idea of acquiring Coles. If we don't sign him, we could go into 2009 with Evans and Johnson on the outside, Reed in the slot, and Parrish as our #4. If Johnson continues to develop, he'd provide us with a big, reasonably athletic possession receiver with good hands who can take some of the pressure off Evans.

 

If we acquire Coles, we'd need to get one of the above-mentioned players off the field to get him playing time. Evans and Reed will still be on the field, so that means the odd man out will be Johnson. Instead of being put on the football field to show what he can or can't do, Johnson will linger on a bench.

 

Is having Johnson on the bench really what this team wants? Do we really want to eliminate whatever chance Johnson might have had to show his talents on the field, in order to showcase a smurf WR entering his tenth year in the league?

Some valid points, but me personally, I am getting tired of having a team full of "developing players" and "potential" and "promising", I am ready for some players that can play "NOW". I am not so sure acquiring Coles would cut into Johnson's time, my guess is it would signal the end of Josh Reed in Buffalo, especially if James Hardy comes back healthy.

[Lori]

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-6-1/D...d-in-Coles.html

 

March 1, 2009 7:54 PM

 

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

 

Laveranues Coles will not reunite with old friend Chad Pennington in South Florida.

 

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports the Miami Dolphins have no interest in Coles and told the receiver's agent as much shortly after they negotiated out of the final year of his contract with the New York Jets.

 

Brian Biggane of the Palm Beach Post reported earlier Sunday the Dolphins wouldn't pursue Coles because he's not the type of receiver they were looking for.

 

Biggane on Friday held an exclusive interview with Pennington, who said he wasn't going to lobby the Dolphins to bring Coles aboard. In light of Mortensen's report, Pennington would have known when he spoke to Biggane the Dolphins were taking a pass.

 

More at link ...

[bills1960]

how much longer is this going to take, now that the bengals are interested?

[Lurker]

how much longer is this going to take, now that the bengals are interested?

Probably until Houshmanzada decides what he's going to do...

[Orton's Arm]

Some valid points, but me personally, I am getting tired of having a team full of "developing players" and "potential" and "promising", I am ready for some players that can play "NOW". I am not so sure acquiring Coles would cut into Johnson's time, my guess is it would signal the end of Josh Reed in Buffalo, especially if James Hardy comes back healthy.

How many free agents signed under the Jauron era have been the "now" players you'd like to see?

 

I think we're better off building through the draft, and by finding diamonds in the rough. Take Fred Jackson, for example. He was an unknown (even to himself!) player who blossomed in Buffalo; and who's likely to give us many good years of play. He wasn't some "name" player on the tail end of his career. If you want guys in that category, look at Chris Villarial, Peerless Price, Drew Bledsoe, Bobby Shaw, etc.

 

Speaking of Fred Jackson, you should note that the Bills never discovered what they had until after they'd released the A-Train (yet another veteran player in the twilight of his career). While the A-Train was around, Jackson never got a chance to show what he could do in a regular season NFL game. Just as Steve Johnson is unlikely to get a chance to show what he can do, for however long Coles is on the roster. (Note: I'm not saying that Coles will necessarily play down to the level that the A-Train did while he was here.)

 

Another poster suggested that Reed, not Johnson, might be the odd man out if Coles is signed. This does not ring true to me. For one thing, Reed is a very solid player in the slot. Witness how our offense suffered when Reed went down with an injury! Also, this coaching staff seems to have a bias in favor of playing veterans as opposed to younger, less proven players. Any coaching staff that would play Fowler over Preston and the A-Train over Jackson is going to play Reed over Johnson.

[Buftex]

How many free agents signed under the Jauron era have been the "now" players you'd like to see?

 

I think we're better off building through the draft, and by finding diamonds in the rough. Take Fred Jackson, for example. He was an unknown (even to himself!) player who blossomed in Buffalo; and who's likely to give us many good years of play. He wasn't some "name" player on the tail end of his career. If you want guys in that category, look at Chris Villarial, Peerless Price, Drew Bledsoe, Bobby Shaw, etc.

 

Speaking of Fred Jackson, you should note that the Bills never discovered what they had until after they'd released the A-Train (yet another veteran player in the twilight of his career). While the A-Train was around, Jackson never got a chance to show what he could do in a regular season NFL game. Just as Steve Johnson is unlikely to get a chance to show what he can do, for however long Coles is on the roster. (Note: I'm not saying that Coles will necessarily play down to the level that the A-Train did while he was here.)

 

Another poster suggested that Reed, not Johnson, might be the odd man out if Coles is signed. This does not ring true to me. For one thing, Reed is a very solid player in the slot. Witness how our offense suffered when Reed went down with an injury! Also, this coaching staff seems to have a bias in favor of playing veterans as opposed to younger, less proven players. Any coaching staff that would play Fowler over Preston and the A-Train over Jackson is going to play Reed over Johnson.

 

I like this point, and something I have said often. However, originally you asked if we would really want for Steve Johnson, Josh Reed or Roscoe Parrish to lose playing time, to Coles. I can honestly say, I am very close to having seen enough of Roscoe as a receiver. He just can't catch the ball with any consistency, so his great speed is a a wasted asset in the offense.

 

I would like to blame it on the offensive coaches not figuring out a way to use him correctly, but the kid just has terrible hands. I know, he has made a big reception or two, since 2005, but not enough to make me think he is ever going to be more than a spot contributer to the offense.

 

Also, I think people seem to be assuming that Steve Johnson is some superstar in waiting. Where did this come from? He has good size, and good hands, and was a great college player. But you can say that about the majority of receivers on any NFL roster. I don't know how the Bills could go into next season, with a straight face, and bring back the same WR core. Coles wouldn't be my first choice of FA receivers, but I would love to see the Bills bring in someone who has a career showing some productivity. We have Lee Evans and Josh Reed...beyond that, we have only hopefuls.

[Tipster19]

How many free agents signed under the Jauron era have been the "now" players you'd like to see?

 

I think we're better off building through the draft, and by finding diamonds in the rough. Take Fred Jackson, for example. He was an unknown (even to himself!) player who blossomed in Buffalo; and who's likely to give us many good years of play. He wasn't some "name" player on the tail end of his career. If you want guys in that category, look at Chris Villarial, Peerless Price, Drew Bledsoe, Bobby Shaw, etc.

 

Speaking of Fred Jackson, you should note that the Bills never discovered what they had until after they'd released the A-Train (yet another veteran player in the twilight of his career). While the A-Train was around, Jackson never got a chance to show what he could do in a regular season NFL game. Just as Steve Johnson is unlikely to get a chance to show what he can do, for however long Coles is on the roster. (Note: I'm not saying that Coles will necessarily play down to the level that the A-Train did while he was here.)

 

Another poster suggested that Reed, not Johnson, might be the odd man out if Coles is signed. This does not ring true to me. For one thing, Reed is a very solid player in the slot. Witness how our offense suffered when Reed went down with an injury! Also, this coaching staff seems to have a bias in favor of playing veterans as opposed to younger, less proven players. Any coaching staff that would play Fowler over Preston and the A-Train over Jackson is going to play Reed over Johnson.

Very insightful, I like it. I never had too much of a strong conviction either way concerning Reed until last year. To me he really showed some heart and soul, which this team is in need of in a big way. I for one would be sad if the Bills were to get rid of him now, he really displayed leadership skills in the course of a tough season.

[truth on hold]

Cant Coles stay w/ jets?

[Orton's Arm]

I like this point, and something I have said often. However, originally you asked if we would really want for Steve Johnson, Josh Reed or Roscoe Parrish to lose playing time, to Coles. I can honestly say, I am very close to having seen enough of Roscoe as a receiver. He just can't catch the ball with any consistency, so his great speed is a a wasted asset in the offense

I agree that we could use an upgrade at the #4 WR position. It's not this team's most urgent need, but definitely one worth filling. However, there's a chance that need could be filled from within, by none other than James Hardy. He's gotten off to a slow start, and his injury will set him back further. But there's a chance he'll be able to provide a noticeable upgrade to Parrish, especially during the second half of the season. I envision him as a situational player for the time being; the kind of guy you call upon when you're in the red zone.

Also, I think people seem to be assuming that Steve Johnson is some superstar in waiting. Where did this come from? He has good size, and good hands, and was a great college player. But you can say that about the majority of receivers on any NFL roster. I don't know how the Bills could go into next season, with a straight face, and bring back the same WR core. Coles wouldn't be my first choice of FA receivers, but I would love to see the Bills bring in someone who has a career showing some productivity. We have Lee Evans and Josh Reed...beyond that, we have only hopefuls.

Like you said, Steve Johnson isn't a sure thing. But there's a lot of optimism about him, and probably with good reason. You start off by making a mental checklist of the things that could go wrong with a player. And then you cross things off that list as the player proves those specific things won't be a problem. The optimism about Johnson exists because a lot of things have already been crossed off his list. He isn't going to fail due to a lack of size. He isn't going to fail because of bad hands. He probably isn't going to fail because of a lack of mental aptitude or a lack of on-field recognition. He probably isn't going to fail due to a lack of desire or work ethic. There are still some things on his list that haven't yet been crossed off, and we can't know that he'll be a good player until those things are gone. But things look pretty good thus far.

 

I agree there are risks in bringing back our current WR corps as-is. You're basically betting that either Johnson or Hardy will step up and have a solid year to take the pressure off of Evans/Reed. But I feel this is a calculated risk worth taking. Not only are you giving players like Johnson a much-needed chance to show what they can do, you're also clearing up money for use on other needs. Now, you may be tempted to point out that the Bills are way under the salary cap. But, for us, the salary cap is no longer the limiting factor. The salary cap has risen dramatically in the last few years, even while shared revenues have remained stagnant. In the past (for example under Butler) the Bills organization could afford to spend right up to the salary cap. This is no longer the case. Every dollar that we put into the pocket of someone like Coles is one less dollar we'll have with which to extend our existing players.

 

Greer is a free agent this year, and McGee is entering into the last year of his contract. If we lose both those guys, odds are that this front office will use yet another first round pick on a CB! That would clearly starve other areas of the team for much-needed high round draft picks. And--believe me--there are other areas of this team which need those high draft picks!

 

The Bills need to prioritize their spending. And, frankly, keeping either McGee or Greer on board is a much higher priority than signing an undersized, aging WR who won't necessarily provide that big an upgrade over Johnson. And even supposing Coles to be an upgrade over Johnson this year, will next year's somewhat older, slower Coles be an upgrade over a Steve Johnson who's entering year 3 of his career? And are the Bills so confident of this supposed upgrade that they're willing to risk the disaster of allocating yet more first round picks to the defensive secondary?

[Leonidas]

I agree that we could use an upgrade at the #4 WR position. It's not this team's most urgent need, but definitely one worth filling. However, there's a chance that need could be filled from within, by none other than James Hardy. He's gotten off to a slow start, and his injury will set him back further. But there's a chance he'll be able to provide a noticeable upgrade to Parrish, especially during the second half of the season. I envision him as a situational player for the time being; the kind of guy you call upon when you're in the red zone.

 

Like you said, Steve Johnson isn't a sure thing. But there's a lot of optimism about him, and probably with good reason. You start off by making a mental checklist of the things that could go wrong with a player. And then you cross things off that list as the player proves those specific things won't be a problem. The optimism about Johnson exists because a lot of things have already been crossed off his list. He isn't going to fail due to a lack of size. He isn't going to fail because of bad hands. He probably isn't going to fail because of a lack of mental aptitude or a lack of on-field recognition. He probably isn't going to fail due to a lack of desire or work ethic. There are still some things on his list that haven't yet been crossed off, and we can't know that he'll be a good player until those things are gone. But things look pretty good thus far.

 

I agree there are risks in bringing back our current WR corps as-is. You're basically betting that either Johnson or Hardy will step up and have a solid year to take the pressure off of Evans/Reed. But I feel this is a calculated risk worth taking. Not only are you giving players like Johnson a much-needed chance to show what they can do, you're also clearing up money for use on other needs. Now, you may be tempted to point out that the Bills are way under the salary cap. But, for us, the salary cap is no longer the limiting factor. The salary cap has risen dramatically in the last few years, even while shared revenues have remained stagnant. In the past (for example under Butler) the Bills organization could afford to spend right up to the salary cap. This is no longer the case. Every dollar that we put into the pocket of someone like Coles is one less dollar we'll have with which to extend our existing players.

 

Greer is a free agent this year, and McGee is entering into the last year of his contract. If we lose both those guys, odds are that this front office will use yet another first round pick on a CB! That would clearly starve other areas of the team for much-needed high round draft picks. And--believe me--there are other areas of this team which need those high draft picks!

 

The Bills need to prioritize their spending. And, frankly, keeping either McGee or Greer on board is a much higher priority than signing an undersized, aging WR who won't necessarily provide that big an upgrade over Johnson. And even supposing Coles to be an upgrade over Johnson this year, will next year's somewhat older, slower Coles be an upgrade over a Steve Johnson who's entering year 3 of his career? And are the Bills so confident of this supposed upgrade that they're willing to risk the disaster of allocating yet more first round picks to the defensive secondary?

 

 

I couldn't have said it better myself.