Marshawn Lynch And Draft Picks.

[Steely Dan]

I've always been a proponent of onfield and off field character for players drafted and brought in by FA. I was, and so were a lot of people here, against the Bills choosing Marshawn but after they did I trusted their ability to vet players. Well, they can't do that very well.

 

Some people here think character doesn't matter as long as they are great players. Well, it looks like Marshawn is going to miss the first two games or maybe even four. What good is he to the Bills sitting at home watching the game and not being able to go anywhere near the stadium until the suspensions over? Another infraction and he's risking a one year suspension and then the Bills will have to use a high draft pick or sign another RB anyway.

 

Character does matter. They don't have to be choir boys but they do have to have enough common sense to keep from hurting the team. So far James Hardy hasn't done anything stupid and hopefully Marshawn's problems are serving as a lesson to him.

 

I'm trusting that in the upcoming draft Buffalo will put a little more emphasis on taking players that aren't going to be missing games due to stupidity.

 

JMO

[DrDawkinstein]

it's still a crap shoot. no one can accurately predict what people are going to do in the future. especially after you throw a ton of money at them while they are still young. granted, sometimes it is a little clearer based on their past, but the fact is that anyone can end up in trouble.

[pBills]

Who cares.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

You really can't look into the future and see who's going to get suspened or not. The Bills problems go back further then drafting Lynch. They self create holes, and end up in dire need of filling them. Instead of adding onto a core, the Bills develop no core, rarely if ever hold onto a player, and draft based on holes that were created due to inability to keep anyone.

 

I mean really other then Eric Moulds, and Lee Evans, and Schobel who's the last really good player we held onto for a 2nd contract in the past decade?

 

Instead we get rid of guys like Pat Williams, London Fletcher, Antoine Winfield, Nate Clements, Jabari Greer. The Bills are still looking to replace the average production that Jay Reimersma gave us at tight end. Still adjusting their offensive line, after Mike Williams busted. Still looking for a center, and guards and have a interesting situation developing at LT. We still need defensive linemen, and lb's, while the front office seems to focus it's attention on the secondary and special teams depth. Yeah it's nice to have football character, realize right from wrong. Have a young highly paid man avoid bad situations. It would be great, to draft for people who can flat out play football, who are additions to starters. Not filling holes, for the sake of replacing players.

[DazedandConfused]

I agree that character does matter. However, I think you also are making a range of assumptions which may or may not be true, For example:

 

A. A 4 game suspension likely reduced to 2 games seems reasonable but is still way far away from likely. A lot depends upon judgments that Goodell, the Bills and even the NFLPA make about this particular case and its precedential impact on other cases that their can quite easily be no suspension in this case at all.

 

B. Losing Lynch for a couple of games is a pain, but not so surprising or unlikely due to injury that the mere fact of him being suspended for a couple of games is no reason to move mountains to prepare for this. The fact that this is a "second" offense which occurred while Lynch was hanging with friends indicates a "POSSIBILITY" of some bigger character issue which might make a team choose to move him. However, to conclude this is definitely the case based only upon these two misdemeanor events is a big huge assumption.

 

C. Also a real possibility is that the Bills are doing things to cause fools to make a false assumption that they view RB as a real need for this team when actually, you always want to have a Plan B and a Plan C for every position, Plan B already looks very good with Jackson and really all they need at RB is a plan C which they may already have on the roster and who can be acquired late in the draft or a low-level FA.

[1billsfan]

I've always been a proponent of onfield and off field character for players drafted and brought in by FA. I was, and so were a lot of people here, against the Bills choosing Marshawn but after they did I trusted their ability to vet players. Well, they can't do that very well.

 

Some people here think character doesn't matter as long as they are great players. Well, it looks like Marshawn is going to miss the first two games or maybe even four. What good is he to the Bills sitting at home watching the game and not being able to go anywhere near the stadium until the suspensions over? Another infraction and he's risking a one year suspension and then the Bills will have to use a high draft pick or sign another RB anyway.

 

Character does matter. They don't have to be choir boys but they do have to have enough common sense to keep from hurting the team. So far James Hardy hasn't done anything stupid and hopefully Marshawn's problems are serving as a lesson to him.

 

I'm trusting that in the upcoming draft Buffalo will put a little more emphasis on taking players that aren't going to be missing games due to stupidity.

 

JMO

 

Marshawn Lynch is the the only Buffalo Bill that I can see who puts 100% into every play, while the choir boys like Kelsay only talk about how hard they play. I'm sorry, but who has more character again???? Mr. Lynch isn't committing grand larceny like Mr. two million dollar a sack Kelsay. I'd take 53 Lynchs before taking 53 Kelsays any day of the week. If that makes me a bad person then so be it. Bruce Smith wasn't a choir boy and I don't see anyone complaining about him very much. Time to get over it like we did with Bruce's mistakes.

[Steely Dan]

I agree that character does matter. However, I think you also are making a range of assumptions which may or may not be true, For example:

 

A. A 4 game suspension likely reduced to 2 games seems reasonable but is still way far away from likely. A lot depends upon judgments that Goodell, the Bills and even the NFLPA make about this particular case and its precedential impact on other cases that their can quite easily be no suspension in this case at all.

 

B. Losing Lynch for a couple of games is a pain, but not so surprising or unlikely due to injury that the mere fact of him being suspended for a couple of games is no reason to move mountains to prepare for this. The fact that this is a "second" offense which occurred while Lynch was hanging with friends indicates a "POSSIBILITY" of some bigger character issue which might make a team choose to move him. However, to conclude this is definitely the case based only upon these two misdemeanor events is a big huge assumption.

 

C. Also a real possibility is that the Bills are doing things to cause fools to make a false assumption that they view RB as a real need for this team when actually, you always want to have a Plan B and a Plan C for every position, Plan B already looks very good with Jackson and really all they need at RB is a plan C which they may already have on the roster and who can be acquired late in the draft or a low-level FA.

 

This isn't like an injury unless he purposely injures himself and then what would people say about that? These infractions could have been handled much more intelligently. I believe it's a real possibility he never saw the girl but as soon as he found out he'd hit her he should have started to take care of it. The other one is just extreme stupidity. Hanging out with friends who have blunts in the car whether you're smoking or not is just idiocy. The gun thing, since it was in the trunk is far less of a problem for me.

 

The second part is if Jackson were to get injured then things become a serious problem. The point is that this was completely avoidable with just a tiny bit of common sense. If several people here could have reservations about drafting him then it seems just a little stupid the Bills couldn't see it.

 

Marshawn Lynch is the the only Buffalo Bill that I can see who puts 100% into every play, while the choir boys like Kelsay only talk about how hard they play. I'm sorry, but who has more character again???? Mr. Lynch isn't committing grand larceny like Mr. two million dollar a sack Kelsay. I'd take 53 Lynchs before taking 53 Kelsays any day of the week. If that makes me a bad person then so be it. Bruce Smith wasn't a choir boy and I don't see anyone complaining about him very much. Time to get over it like we did with Bruce's mistakes.

 

To say Marshawn is the only player committed 100% on every play is just wrong for the obvious reason that the Bills don't have 52 players who don't. What good is Marshawn's 100% while suspended. It's 0% and how does that help the team? Steve Tasker is a great example of a player committed 100% to every play and the best ever at his position while maintaining high character. It seems some people here think those are mutually exclusive traits.

[Beerball]

I've always been a proponent of onfield and off field character for players drafted and brought in by FA. I was, and so were a lot of people here, against the Bills choosing Marshawn but after they did I trusted their ability to vet players. Well, they can't do that very well.

 

Some people here think character doesn't matter as long as they are great players. Well, it looks like Marshawn is going to miss the first two games or maybe even four. What good is he to the Bills sitting at home watching the game and not being able to go anywhere near the stadium until the suspensions over? Another infraction and he's risking a one year suspension and then the Bills will have to use a high draft pick or sign another RB anyway.

 

Character does matter. They don't have to be choir boys but they do have to have enough common sense to keep from hurting the team. So far James Hardy hasn't done anything stupid and hopefully Marshawn's problems are serving as a lesson to him.

 

I'm trusting that in the upcoming draft Buffalo will put a little more emphasis on taking players that aren't going to be missing games due to stupidity.

 

JMO

What in Lynch's past did you have a problem with, was it the fact that he got shot at?

[stuckincincy]

I've always been a proponent of..

 

Incessant posts praising yourself?

[Band of Merriman]

Character does matter. They don't have to be choir boys but they do have to have enough common sense to keep from hurting the team. So far James Hardy hasn't done anything stupid and hopefully Marshawn's problems are serving as a lesson to him.

 

JMO

 

Uhmmm, I suspect the gun Hardy pulled on his estranged father could have been considered a noble act.

[BuffaloBill]

I've always been a proponent of onfield and off field character for players drafted and brought in by FA. I was, and so were a lot of people here, against the Bills choosing Marshawn but after they did I trusted their ability to vet players. Well, they can't do that very well.

 

 

JMO

 

I recently listened to an interview with Tony Dungy where he discussed the issue of character. He said that they were struggling to figure out whether they should have drafted Manning or Leaf. He said in the end they selected Manning because he had "high character." Imagine how different life may have been for Dungy had they made the alternate decision.

 

It was a great interview btw - based on what he said I plan to pick up a copy of Dungy's book. He is a guy who seems to have his head bolted on correctly.

[Steely Dan]

Incessant posts praising yourself?

 

You really have a bug up your but for me. If you'll notice it says "I was, and so were a lot of people here". You completely left off that part, I wonder why?

 

I guess that just makes me more odious. I do know that I am odious at times. For instance, when I'm in the bathroom I'm on the commodeious, when I leave it it's odiousiforous, when I go to a costume party as garfield's buddy then I'm Odieous, when I was a Norse God I was Odinious, when I'm giving a friend kudos then I'm odeious, my wine grapes are oidiumous and finally when I'm in the water and causing whirlpools then I'm eddyious. So now you have even more reasons to think I'm odious and you can keep making those cheap shots that somehow make you feel like a better person and because I wouldn't want to deprive you of the obvious needs you have. So keep 'em coming they're amusing.

[Steely Dan]

Character does matter. They don't have to be choir boys but they do have to have enough common sense to keep from hurting the team. So far James Hardy hasn't done anything stupid and hopefully Marshawn's problems are serving as a lesson to him.

 

JMO

 

 

Uhmmm, I suspect the gun Hardy pulled on his estranged father could have been considered a noble act.

 

IIRC, that happened before he was signed by the Bills so In my opinion he deserves a pass on that one.

[Band of Merriman]

You really have a bug up your but for me. If you'll notice it says "I was, and so were a lot of people here". You completely left off that part, I wonder why?

 

I guess that just makes me more odious. I do know that I am odious at times. For instance, when I'm in the bathroom I'm on the commodeious, when I leave it it's odiousiforous, when I go to a costume party as garfield's buddy then I'm Odieous, when I was a Norse God I was Odinious, when I'm giving a friend kudos then I'm odeious, my wine grapes are oidiumous and finally when I'm in the water and causing whirlpools then I'm eddyious. So now you have even more reasons to think I'm odious so you can keep making cheap shots at me that somehow make you feel like a better person and so I wouldn't want to deprive you of the obvious needs you have so keep 'em coming they're amusing.

 

I'm glad you're not a musician, then you'd be melodious.

[WellDressed]

I've always been a proponent of onfield and off field character for players drafted and brought in by FA. I was, and so were a lot of people here, against the Bills choosing Marshawn but after they did I trusted their ability to vet players. Well, they can't do that very well.

 

Some people here think character doesn't matter as long as they are great players. Well, it looks like Marshawn is going to miss the first two games or maybe even four.

 

Character does matter. They don't have to be choir boys but they do have to have enough common sense to keep from hurting the team. So far James Hardy hasn't done anything stupid and hopefully Marshawn's problems are serving as a lesson to him.

 

 

Might I be smelling a slight odor of racisim in the air over there where you are there and around there too??

[Steely Dan]

Might I be smelling a slight odor of racisim in the air over there where you are there and around there too??

 

Marshawn had red flags before the draft and his color has nothing to do with it. I wouldn't have wanted Buffalo to take Sebastian Janikowski either. I think you are the person making racial remarks to even think that.

[Steely Dan]

I'm glad you're not a musician, then you'd be melodious.

 

If you heard me sing then you'd know I am. Trust me!

[San Jose Bills Fan]

it's still a crap shoot. no one can accurately predict what people are going to do in the future. especially after you throw a ton of money at them while they are still young. granted, sometimes it is a little clearer based on their past, but the fact is that anyone can end up in trouble.

Well first of all character does matter. But the character issue and actual judging character is far from simple.

 

In some cases teams take a calculated risk on a player. They know the risk and they know the reward and they throw the dice a bit. Especially if the talent gap is huge, then the team might be willing to take a bit of a risk for a much better player. But as Dankenstien says, it's not always easy to predict who'll do what.

 

Yes Laveranues Coles got into trouble in college. But except for being a bit of a prima donna receiver at times (which is par for the course) he never got into trouble as a pro.

 

Bad people can do good things and good people can do bad things and I can say that from personal experience.

 

As far as Leaf-Manning goes...everyone in Pullman, Washington knew Leaf was an anise. He left town owing enormous amounts of unpaid bar tabs and made lots of enemies back there. He wasn't a crook but a person doesn't need to commit a crime to have bad character.

[Chandler#81]

I recently listened to an interview with Tony Dungy where he discussed the issue of character. He said that they were struggling to figure out whether they should have drafted Manning or Leaf. He said in the end they selected Manning because he had "high character." Imagine how different life may have been for Dungy had they made the alternate decision.

 

It was a great interview btw - based on what he said I plan to pick up a copy of Dungy's book. He is a guy who seems to have his head bolted on correctly.

 

I heard that interview as well on NPR. Dungy seems as real and true as he portrays -a class act! Still, Manning was the golden child at UT and -while he didn't beak any laws- kinda held the team ranson through his huge ego. Case in point, with virtually the same team following his departure to the NFL, UT won the National Championship via great team play. Something they couldn't do with PM at the helm.

 

I can understand Dungy's dilema at the time. You just never know for sure.

[MRW]

I heard that interview as well on NPR. Dungy seems as real and true as he portrays -a class act! Still, Manning was the golden child at UT and -while he didn't beak any laws- kinda held the team ranson through his huge ego. Case in point, with virtually the same team following his departure to the NFL, UT won the National Championship via great team play. Something they couldn't do with PM at the helm.

 

I can understand Dungy's dilema at the time. You just never know for sure.

Am I missing something? Dungy was not Indy's HC when Manning was drafted, unless I'm completely misremembering.