Magox

Well....He was young and frustrated with the injuries. But it was pretty low.

Yes, I can agree to that. Finally!!

Did he really say that?

Dude, give it a rest. I already said we are arguing semantics here. We clearly have different definitions of "throwing in the towel". Let's just leave it at that.

I don't even know what you are arguing anymore. Clearly you are having a hard time with the idiom "throwing in the towel"

If Sammy turns out to be a consistent stud and we don't end up getting a franchise QB or at the very least have a phenomenal draft next year then yes I will concede this point. But let me ask you a question, if Sammy is hampered with injuries and has another 65 catch 1000 yard season with 8 T.D's and the Bills end up drafting lights out or getting a Franchise QB, will you not concede that it was a good trade?

Of course it's a response and an appropriate one at that. Making a situation marginally worse for 2017 and potentially better for 2018 is not the same as "throwing in the towel". Do you know what that idiom stands for? throw in the towel, Informal. to concede defeat; give up; yield: Are they conceding or giving up the season by replacing two durable starters in Matthews and Boldin vs one very dynamic yet often injured player in Watkins? Odds are that you will get more production throughout the season with these two players than you will with Watkins. I'm not saying that I'd rather have them over Watkins, but these two have proven to be productive possession like receivers which is what the West Coast offense that Dennison is to be running this year. I don't think there would be that much of a drop off in offensive production. We certainly aren't throwing in the towel for the season, we simply replaced Sammy with 2 solid players in Boldin and Matthews and are looking to build the future with draft picks.

To a large extent yes, but I would say cost is a large factor as well.

I would have said before the Watkins trade, 35%. Now, I'd say 25%. This has been a circular argument of semantics. There are a lot of shades of grey in between black and white, and this trade resides somewhere in between.

Not surprising

I don't believe they will do that. I take him at his word, until proven otherwise.

Only if you live in a black or white world.

Bad post

I know man, he was so great for this organization. Remember that time when he.......... Hold on....I'm trying to somehow finish that sentence. Bottom line, he's a dynamic football player with loads of talent and I would have loved to see him play this year because it could have potentially been really fun to watch. But, I totally get where McD/Beane are coming from with this trade. I suspect that they like many of us believe that Sammy may not just be a victim of circumstances of bad luck but that he may be someone who is susceptible to being injured. He's either missed games or has been severely hampered due to calf injuries, ankle injuries, groin injuries, rib injuries, hamstring injuries and now a very problematic foot injury. He hasn't shown himself to be a durable player. Does that mean that he will continue to be plagued with injuries the way he has throughout his short career? No. But it's certainly a rational fear. It's not as if he has had one or two specific injuries, In less than four years, he's missed or been limited because of 6 different types of injuries. To me, that's a red flag. Then there is the issue of his contract. We've all heard him proclaim his worth and the worth of top WR's. He wants to be paid Megabucks!! McD/Beane don't feel comfortable doing that, and any reasonable thinking person can understand their hesitation. Plus he's never really exuded any sort of leadership qualities. I may be wrong, maybe he's a true warrior leader on this team, but I've never heard that to be the case. So rather than take a risk on a player that has a history of injuries who wants to be paid Top 3 WR money, they decided to try to get as much value out of him via trade. Reasonable people can agree to disagree if this will end up being a good trade, but on the surface there is a strong argument to be made that it was the right move.

Try to keep up, the argument was in regards to the Bills "throwing in the towel" for 2017, not on the specific trade. And in regards to making the Bills "potentially" better for 2018, it provides us more ammunition to get a franchise QB.

No, because I take McD's word for what it is. He seemed to get pretty ornery when he was asked if he was tanking the season. I believe the Watkins decision was what many of us thought it to be that he was an often-injured player that couldn't be relied on, that he was going to demand a contract much higher than what he has proven to be worth and that they wanted to get something in return for him now before they lose out getting any value out of him. Yes, it sucks to lose his playmaking ability and I was looking forward to seeing him play this year, but I understand the trade and it makes a lot of sense that they did what they did. So no, from my view they aren't tanking the season, they are going to go with the team they have now which is probably somewhere between a 4-8 win team and hope to really improve this team in 2018 with all those draft picks.

Bad post

No, We have gained two durable and productive starters in Boldin and Matthews and lost one very dynamic and often injured receiver in Watkins. Odds are that you would get better bang for your buck with these two than what you will with Watkins. Like I said, we are marginally worse off for 2017 and potentially much better off for 2018. Good trade

Clearly the distinction of making a situation marginally worse for the short-term and to "Throwing in the towel" meaning quitting is too nuanced for you. Next time we communicate I will make sure we stick to words and concepts like "Good" and "Bad" so we can keep it on the level.

Yeah, he really did a lot for this organization while he was here.

Making a trade that makes the short-term a little worse is not "throwing in the towel". Making your team marginally worse in the short-term is not the same as conceding, giving up or yielding. Sorry, making your team from a potentially 8-8 team to a 6-10 team is not the end of the world. Well, if they make more trades and ship off more stars, then my opinion may change. Until then, picking up Boldin and Matthews who have proven to be durable which will essentially be 2 of our 3 starters on the field and losing one super dynamic who is often injured, is not that big of a downgrade.

And if they pick a QB with their first pick next year, will that change your view of them?

Because he wanted to be paid like a top 3 WR? He hasn't warranted that sort of contract from the Bills point of view. It would make little to no sense to pay him that kind of money. We aren't a team on the brink, he hasn't proven that he's worth that kind of money, (potentially yes but in actuality no). He doesn't exude from my view leadership qualities that carries on over to other players. To me, he is a very uber talented WR, that hasn't been able to stay healthy on a consistent basis and his likely demands of the money he's looking for doesn't make sense for this team. I think it was a good move.

So what is it about Beane and McD make you believe that they won't be able to? Is it something they did or is it the residual stench of failure from this Bills organization?

I understand that man. But it ain't "throwing in the towel"