Red

After reading the Bills website and how Whitner cleaned out his locker and was long gone afterwards, and purely on a knee-jerk reaction based entirely on the surface... ...I'd say Whitner is characteristic of the modern prima donna. He's a little better than Maybin at this point, in terms of actual plays that he has helped with. Yet, because his salary is up in the air, he's a ghost. Are these the actions of a true leader? Of someone who really wants to remain a Buffalo Bill? My all-time favorite athlete, Bruce Smith, and who famously held his contract squabbles every offseason, never acted like such a pansy and to appear as so sanctimonious and self-serving as this move Whitner pulled. Yeah, yeah, Donte. We get it. You're not getting what you want, so we won't get you. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: you're not Troy Polamalu. Or Ed Reed. For all of your blabbering the past few seasons about guaranteeing the Bills in the playoffs, winning games, etc and all of them falling flat is not pumping the team up, they served to prove what kind of an idiot you truly are. Like Maybin holding out of camp for the ability he has oh so glaringly displayed since being in Buffalo, shut your mouth and let your play do all of the talking. There are two things that strike me as sad if Whitner is gone: 1.) that out of all his plays as a Bill, what I will remember most is his idiotic "Bills will make the playoffs" statement, and then they don't. and 2.) that we could have had Haloti Ngata with that #8 overall pick. To not have Ngata, and to lose Whitner for nothing, would destroy Levy;s standing in my eyes and anyone else who felt we needed a safety over a true space eating, pass rushing, run stuffing DT monster like Ngata. Today was alot about character. Again, don't tell me, show me. Whitner doesn't have to "tweet" anything. Grow a damn spine and show some character. Answer why you deserve more money for a pedestrian performance as a safety.

Woah!! Easy there, action. With Modrak in charge of scouting, I would beg of you to please recant on your claim. Where Modrak is scouting, there is way to draft horribly. Woah!! Easy there, action. With Modrak in charge of scouting, I would beg of you to please recant on your claim. Where Modrak is scouting, there is way to draft horribly. Woah!! Easy there, action. With Modrak in charge of scouting, I would beg of you to please recant on your claim. Where Modrak is scouting, there is way to draft horribly.

Giving them the "business"? - huh? not a big deal?- what? OK, I don't know what rock you were found crawling out from under, but this has proven to be far from a dumb mistake. It was a planned event and the idiot in charge has been rightfully suspended, and should never have the good fortune to see an NFL sideline ever again- well, he could always pay to sit near the sidelines...but never as an employee of the NFL ever again. It's the equivalent of being the car wash boy at a Bentley dealer...kicking the side panels and denting them is damaging the product. I don't care if he was trying to kill a mosquito. There is no room for this kind of malicious intent to injure.

In a long-lost romance sort of way, I agree with you. I have been bemoaning the loss of these two defensive stalwarts since they left. Clements bolted for San Fran for a ridiculous amount of money that he has proven to not be worth. I watched some of that game against Philly on Tuesday and have to say, Winfield still impresses me. It was a total boner move to lose these 2 guys. Both could have been had for a reasonable sum, and both wanted to remain. We could have built around them and London Fletcher. WHEW! That being said, I not only don't see it happening, but it may unfortunately be too little too late. These guys are in the twilight of their careers now.

+1. I'm with you on this. The Bills are working with the Merriman camp to produce a contract to be a member of the team. I personally feel it would be longer than 1 year (that's too much a Darcy Regier thing to do), but this post sounds an awful lot like that. Providing he can ever play near his top form again drug free, this would be a nice acquisition. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That, and the Bills are bringing Tila Tequila in for coaching support.

Yes, why does Modrak still collect a paycheck from the Bills? It's certainly NOT for any sage wisdom on draft day.

Whose stupid idea was it to move the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl? The whole purpose of the Pro Bowl is to exhibit the best at the respective position in a game environment. Now, we all know that the Pro Bowl is a joke, as players are not really playing to win the game. It is more of an honor to be invited, and helpful for team bragging rights and for contract demands. Is this some idiotic attempt to somehow make the game relevant? The irony here is that the best (read: most talented) teams usually are in the playoffs at the end of the year. Not only that, but that talent also translates into being selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Now, if the best players are in the playoffs, and make the Super Bowl, which is more important: playing in the Pro Bowl and risking injury prior to playing in the game of all games, or skipping the Pro Bowl to be healthy and focused for what really matters: winning the Super Bowl? I thought that last year was an aberration. I can't believe the the NFL is repeating this stupidity. Besides, I actually used to watch the Pro Bowl BECAUSE I knew real football was over and this would be the last chance to see the best players the NFL has to offer for a solid 6 months+.

Overdorf and Littman should have been fired...

Man, I just about sent coffee spewing from my nostil on that one. Funny! When he was with us, I respected the advice of the late Bill Walsh and the experience of Marv Levy. I looked to his potential. But now that he's gone...I couldn't be happier. Mauron just could not seem to make a decision, and had he remained he would have kept this fiasco going for some time more. I like how Gailey came in, gave Edwards a chance, and then got rid of him and went with Fitz. The Bills have needed steel-like decision making for over a decade now. If a player is not making the grade, get rid of him and replace him with somebody else. Of our many flaws this past decade, one of them certainly was hanging onto the wrong players while letter the right ones go (Winfield, Fletcher, Pat Williams, maybe even Jason Peters*). * The author does not endorse, recommend, or attempt to claim that trading Jason Peters was the incorrect thing to do and is not responsible for any chaos and/ or damages that may ensue pending the release of said statement.

I don't care for the mercurial way Schotts handled it when it was prognosticated that he would be a candidate for our then-vacant HC position last offseason...but I do respect him and the job he does building clubs to get to the playoffs (once in, its a different story). But I think any goof ball can come on here and trumpet his ignorance as to why Nix is not good. Yet these same baffoons will defend Modrak for his decade of ineptitude, while Nix only helped turn San Diego into a powerhouse (along with the Bills) and has only been with us for 2 seasons now. Funny thing is...both last years and this years drafts have been better than the prior decade combined. Wood, Levitre, Byrd...I think Easley will NOT be another Hardly...Troup and Carrington will develop...and our receiving corp? And while we're at it...let's give Whaley credit for NOT being John Guy. Whaley brought in guys like Urbik, Wrotto, Ganther, Martin, Ayodele, Pears, that LB from Miami...Merriman from San Diego...now, none of these guys are currently torching the league, and none may even be with the team during the next season...BUT all of these guys are better than the scrubs were had been holding onto and have helped to make the Bills competitive every week and fun to watch again.

Bluenews, you beat me to it! Why does Modrak still collect a paycheck from OBD? Has he mastered in psychology, because he certainly has done a number on Wilson...

That's one thing that I don't understand...why would the Bills have to go to KC when we went to KC this year? In all fairness to parity, shouldn't the better team (KC) have to travel to the lesser team's home? I've always hated this. Teams like Tampa and San Fran never come to Buffalo.

Thank you. The lone constant in all of this is Modrak. How he continually gets a free pass is beyond me. Donahoe is gone. Levy is gone. Guy is gone. Why does Modrak remain?

Being that Poz has not played an entire season, this year was pretty good. I like him as one of our LB's. And honestly, I can't think of too many LB's that can cover anyone out of the backfield. Why does Poz get such a bad rap on pass coverage? Heck, I watched Jason Campbell abuse some LB's yesterday trying to cover Raider TE's and RB's. Jason Campbell, for gosh sakes! Whitner was a wasted draft pick. We should have selected Ngata. There. I said it. Again. But since we didn't, I'll take him for now. I don't know that he's worth $5 million/per, but unless we are considering throwing that money into a top flight offensive/defensive linemen, I say keep him. Atleast he's better than Kelsay. Florence is hot and cold. Brilliant in his INTs and TDs, but terrible in his multiple mental farts in a game that lead to serious penalties. It hasnt been one and done with Florence when he screws up. He makes an error, then does it again, and again. I don't like that in a player. Wrotto has played well for us. As long as its not top dollar, he could be a good salvage to hang onto. Finally, Wilson is a good depth player. Other than that, we could lose the rest of them.

I agree with you. Though it sure is exciting to talk QB, there is no guarantee that a 1st round QB will make any difference, whatsoever. What I would love to see is solid, decisive players added to both lines. Some snarling, nasty, block-you-after-the-play-is-over offensive lineman, and the opposite of Aaron Maybin.

Ok, some (or all of you) may qualify this as stupid, but I wanted to get all of your opinion anyways... Would you trade RB Fred Jackson to the Patriots for their TE Gronkowski? Before you blow this up, think about this for a moment. I love Fred Jackson, and realize he is one of the really few bargain finds that has gained a tremendous amount of respect around the league. I think he is a player that has an attitude you want on a football team. He leaves it all on the field. But I ask from a future perspective. Belicheck always gushes about Jackson, and rightfully so- he is probably the one of only 2-3 players of the past decade that has ever consistently hurt the Patriots. McGee was always dangerous when he was returning kicks. Anyways, Gronkowski is a local boy, and has already demonstrated amazing tenacity, size, and strength. He could solidify our TE position for years to come. Jackson, though he has not played professionally and has not had his body as abused as others of his age, he is getting older. Would you trade Jackson for Gronkowski if a deal was available?

Too rally and compete like they did for most of the weeks following the bye (yesterday and the Minnesota games notwithstanding), and to still be able to pick in the Top 5 makes me really happy. I also liked yesterday's article that out of all of our 11 free agents- only 2 or 3 are really worth saving (Poz, Whitner, and maybe Florence). So, providing Modrak is not still employed with the Bills, we should have an awesome draft in April. I like defensive line/ pass-rusher/ run-stuffer, LB, and offensive tackle. I'd love it if we could find another Gronkowski TE in the later rounds, too.

Correction: The NFL WANTS a team in LA. It does not NEED one. This is only an interest gauged on media cash potential, and not on any fan reality or local demand for a team. LA rivals only NY in media exposure, and the cash from such a venture would be staggering to the NFL coffers. But for anyone who knows So Cal, there simply is no fan base to support a team over time. See: Raider, Oakland to Los Angeles back to Oakland. Or, Rams to St. Louis. The only team at this point that really makes sense on the list is Jacksonville. They NEVER sell out their stadium. CodeMonkey, You seem like a pretty cool guy reading your posts for the past several months. But I think you are off. There is a big difference between not selling out "recent" games and the years of failure to sell out the stadium in Jacksonville. The only reason their games are televised, is because the stadium has accepted their fate and blocks out several sections of their stadium with huge tarps. Come to think of it, they are the only professional team that I know of, that remains loyal to their region for the length of time they have and not selling out their games. I don't care for the Jags, but they have been a pretty competitive team throughout their short history. Their just isn't the demand in Jacksonville. If any team moves, my money is entirely on the Jaguars. Rams a close 2nd.

What was the name of that RT that once played for Tennessee and Philadelphia then retired to run for Congress? John....Bunyan?

....please tell me this is your vein attempt at sarcasm...?

AS much as Levy, Guy, and Modrak screwed us up with free agents and draft picks (Dockery, Royal, Walker, Triplett, Whitner, Simpson), they got it right with Fred Jackson. I hate to hijack this thread and turn it into a Modrak sucks post, but Levy is gone, Guy is finally gone...all that remains is his Royal suckiness Modrak. Why we can strike home runs on undrafted free agents but continually suck buffalo balls with drafting first rounders- FOR AN ENTIRE DECADE!!!!!- beats me...

Love the idea...but I remember Belicheat stating a season or two ago when Wilfork's contract came up, that the NFL is talent-starved for true, 3-4 NT's behemoths that can play. This makes them a true premium as more and more teams are switching to the 3-4 as their bas defense (Buffalo, Green Bay, KC in the past 2 seasons). The one thing that would play into our favor, IMO, is that Parcells is no longer with the team. With a new regime taking over, they may want to change things altogether, or bring in players of their own. Providing we even have NFL football next season, I think if we were interested a deal could be had for Soliai because of the Miami front office turnover.

Steve (I refuse to use the preferred "ie" as this should be stopped after a boy turns 5 years old) Johnson is what scouts and GM's in-the-know call a football PLAYER (Modrak, you can sit down...I said scouts and GM's "in the know"). They don't have great measurements, don't run some freaky, steroid-enhanced -4.2 forty yard dash, aren't juiced to the gills like that WR in San Diego who just came back and weighs something like 225 lbs...Vincent Jackson? Anyways, Johnson does not impress with his measurements. But on Sunday, he's a gamer. Another poster commented on Jerry Rice. I agree in that Rice also did not have the great size, or great measurable speed, or superior elusiveness. But year after year, he got it done, won Super Bowls, and became one of the best ever at his position. Am I suggesting that Johnson is another Rice? I don't think so. But if he keeps producing like he has been this year, we'll be winning more games sooner rather than later. And here is yet another reason why all of those who want the big name coach, or the big name GM, or the big name free agent don't know what they're talking about. Go Chan, Go Buddy, and Go Steve.

Nothing more to be said, though I would add: Isn't it nice to see our team STAYING on the field, sustaining drives and finally, finally, FINALLY making 3rd and even 4th down conversions? That was a problem that plagued us for many years. Also, isn't it refreshing to finally see our 'D' finally getting other teams off of the field on 3rd down? Just saying, don't know what the stats are...but this is also an area of huge improvement.

This is really the crux of the matter; and I think that it is the fundamental flaw in all of this. Did I mention that I totally agree? I lived in So Cal for 4 years. It is an area with tremendous distractions (not speaking solely of all the silicone). The weather is perfect 11 months out of the year; with January being rain season and all of the dry soil not able to absorb all of the rain and which causes the mudslides. The beaches, the babes. But so much of L.A. is a tourist trap. People are highly transient. And we all know the discussions on here about the attitude of So Cal QB's being laid-back. The whole attitude of L.A. is laid-back. There is no NFL fan base in L.A. The Rams left Orange County and The Raiders left, returned, then left again. Granted, trying to fill a stadium with 100,000 seats for a so-so club like the Raiders were was an impossible task...but I digress. There is no fan demand to warrant such a move. I've been to games in San Diego and San Fran whenever the Bills came out. Both cities fan bases are meager and mute. There is no rabid fan frenzy like in other cities like Buffalo, Green Bay, Dallas, KC...It's just not CA. I went to a few LA Kings games, too. Lackluster attendance, and indifferent attitude. Reading the LA Times sports section (what a joke for a major city such as LA), you wouldn't even know that an NHL team resided there. The only thing, the ONLY thing So Cal is crazy about are the Lakers. They run the town. The Dodgers to a much lesser degree. But nobody really cares about professional football. If there was this tremendous fan outcry for a team, with the size and marketing scope that LA offers, they would have had a team a loooooong time ago. Granted, LA offers a media and financial exposure boon to any team. But there is a reason why teams do not stay in LA once in this media capital of the world. Nobody cares.