maddenboy

If I hear this from NIX, and not just Gailey, I'll feel a lot better. Not that they arent necessarily on the same page, just sayin.

. . . and develop them. They dont just age like fine wine. You have to coach-em up. Not to state the nearly-obvious, but it really is a 2-part formula. And we've been lacking in that second part for years and years. When was the last time one of the Bills' assistants or coordinators was mentioned for a promotion on another team? Fewell moved laterally from DC to DC.

The only thing I dont like about "getting gotten" (if I may say that) is that my first reaction is: Oh Shtt, a re-direct to some virus website. Noooooooooooooo!! That is what bothers me. Not the juvenile humor.

The only positive thing I could say about drafting an OT at #10 it is that its a "mature" decision. Not being sexy, but trying to build a foundation for the future. I guess I could also say they were trying to build a dominant unit, which we havent had since the early 90s (linebackers).

it just hit me, from the way you stated it . . . Is this "code" for "please give me at least 3 years before you fire me?"

Funny, when I saw the title of this thread, 2 things happened. 1) Instantly I said to myself "OhMyGod Yes as soon as humanly possible omg omg omg yes!" 2) I thought lemme be the first to reply cause I cant contain my excitement. And here I am on page 6 of the replies. I guess at least a couple of you had a similar reaction. My pulse is still a little higher than normal.

As the OP, I'll give you Dockery. And as to selective memory, I was not making a statement that we didnt have anyone. I was saying it doesnt seem like it, i'm too lazy to look it up, and someone feel free to chime in. I guess it was assumed, correctly, that I didnt "feel" like there were many. Or any. And many have pointed out that Free Agency is not really the way to build a team. My main point is that, at this time every year for more than a decade, Bills fans get all excited about what we're "going" to do in free agency, only to be disappointed every every every year. So please stop with the "after we sign Mario Williams and Vincent Jackson, then we can look at X, Y, and Z in the draft" chatter. Not only will it not happen, but its not good for our collective stress level. We need hope, but thinking we're gonna be players in FA is just pie-in-the-sky.

possibly the coolest word I learned in College. I remember the moment, sitting in class, thinking "that cant be a real word, but it sounds pretty cool." Fungible. (Widget is pretty cool too)

Excellent point. I had forgotten about that. Maybe because (wink wink nudge nudge) it was predestined that he wasnt coming here. So, it looks like we grab a slightly-past-his-prime-but-still-productive linebacker every 3-4 years (TKO, Fletch, Barnett, but not really Merriman since he wasnt FA). Yay?

Was TKO actually the last one, or is he just the first one who came to mind? Again, i'm a little too busy and lazy to research it. But obviously, if you havent landed a REAL free agent for 8 years, and havent made the playoffs for 12, there might be a correlation there. This really is a problem, fellas. We dont build through the draft and coach-em-up like Green Bay or pittsburgh, and we dont lure free agents like Dallas or Philly, so how, exactly, are we supposed to win? ------------------------------ And, as we enter "there's always next year" season, I'm pretty run-down with the rinse-repeat cycle for 12-15 years. I want this board to reflect some realism. A sober reality that, until the organization is committed to winning a championship, instead of committed to, within budget, fielding a "competitive" team, its just an emotional roller coaster every year. Tired of it yet?

yeah, i thought about Barnett. And i'm really glad we have him. But I kinda remember that he didnt draw nearly the interest he was expected to. Your link talks about prior-to free agency. What other offers did he have? Did he even make visits? And as to Clabo, I remember something about Clabo saying he never wanted to leave ATL, so it was assumed he just used a couple of other teams to gauge his market value. The dreaded "let other teams negotiate my contract with my current team" play. http://www.nflgridirongab.com/2011/07/15/free-agent-ol-tyson-clabo-wants-to-stay-in-atlanta/

This is a FREE AGENTS DONT WANT TO COME to BUFFALO entry. With 2 serious questions, because i'm too lazy to look it up. But I think the answer will be telling. 1) When was the last time a Free Agent (not a released bum off the street or an undrafted guy on the day after the draft) who had other options actually CHOSE buffalo over another team? (Takeo? Peerless? Flutie?) 2) When was the last time the Bills won (or even entered) a bidding war for a free agent? (instead of bidding against themselves like Dockery et. al.) I have a friend, also a life-long bills fan, who claims that all we have to do is pay, and that admittedly buffalo is "not that attractive" comnpared to other teams. I say buffalo is not "not that attractive," but rather UNATTRACTIVE. Nobody wants to come here if he has other options. Hope you guys can give me some answers for 1 or 2. And I think that until we have a real real quarterback, nobody will come here.

This is a FREE AGENTS DONT WANT TO COME to BUFFALO entry. With 2 serious questions, because i'm too lazy to look it up. But I think the answer will be telling. 1) When was the last time a Free Agent (not a released bum off the street or an undrafted guy on the day after the draft) who had other options actually CHOSE buffalo over another team? (Takeo? Peerless? Flutie?) 2) When was the last time the Bills won (or even entered) a bidding war for a free agent? (instead of bidding against themselves like Dockery et. al.) I have a friend, also a life-long bills fan, who claims that all we have to do is pay, and that admittedly buffalo is "not that attractive" comnpared to other teams. I say buffalo is not "not that attractive," but rather UNATTRACTIVE. Nobody wants to come here if he has other options. Hope you guys can give me some answers for 1 or 2. And I think that until we have a real real quarterback, nobody will come here.

i think he's bluffing. Since Minnesota is already giving the vikings a stadium, and the Niners are getting a new one, the only one left who needs leverage is San Diego. The league has hinted, and fans will agree, that adding teams would water down the quality of the rosters. There's already not enuf quarterbacks to go around. Also, with the concussion rules and with possible 18 game schedules, they may need to expand the size of existing rosters anyway. Nope, they arent going to 34 teams. (caveat: Unless they plan to add one in London because zero usa owners want to move, then it might make sense to balance it out with an even number, by adding another usa team. Maybe.)

i had forgotten about the Giants' fake fall down thing. That made me sick. There's no place for that in pro sports outside of Vlade Divac. Not even in soccer. Its so bush.

I'ma go Dobler Rodney Harrison Night Train Lane Butt-Kiss Tatum For those who forgot about Night-train, goto 12:45 mark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCGNGM2ONh0

That's funny. When I read the OP, I didnt even notice it. But for sure that's not a mid-level guy. I zoomed past his name only because there's not a chance in hell he's leaving NE, and even if he did, he'd be smartly looking for a very accurate qb who could use him right.

I also gotta disagree. Fixed your post. Yes, with smarter players you can complicate things. But you gotta let players play. This is why schools like Notre Dame and Duke and (up until 2 years ago) Stanford never win. Its hard to find elite athletes who are also really smart. Especially on defense. Let 'em play. Find ball, kill ball. Simple.

A BIG part of it is 2-fold. 1) They develop players very well. So the players have value to other teams in trade. 2) They do a good job of getting rid of players right before they decline. Its easier when they have been developing that guy's backup. The steelers are also good at dropping guys a teeny bit early instead of a teeny bit late. But the steelers dont usually trade them, they just cut 'em. Pats are more active in looking to move guys, to pick up draft picks. The Bills could take a lesson from all of this. Dont be afraid to pay for top coaches to develop players. Dont be afraid to draft plenty of guys at key positions (except corner or running back) because if you ever have too many, you can trade 'em. See: Giants drafting D-line or Steelers drafting LBs. Part of the reason that Bills fans cry when we get rid of a "good" player is that we dont have anybody to fill the hole. Its not just that Ralph is cheap. Pats, Steelers, Giants always have a plan B who needs to get some playing time, not a scrub and not a dream of filling it in next year's draft.

Good. Stay home and fully re-hab. Unless he had a clause in his contract with a bonus for Pro Bowls.

Wait. I thought BPA was regardless of position. If the best player available is a running back, you take him, if you are drafting BPA, right?

FYP This

weasely reply. You should be able to factor in what you think is the likelihood of these things happening. And give a simple "yes" or "no" like everybody else. I'd like to wait until about week 12 next year before I answer. But that isnt the spirit of the question.

no. Still 3 years away. Tough division. Gailey wont be around to see it. (also, i have to say, I really dont give a damn about "making" the playoffs. It took detroit 11 years and they didnt do shtt once they made it. I want to be competitive for championships, and I dont think that will ever happen on Gailey's watch).

Looks like he was 5'11 1/2 at the combine http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=19548&draftyear=2010&genpos=WR Edit: On closer review of the link, maybe he wasnt at the combine. Instead, it looks like they took his Pro Day numbers and dropped them into the "combine results" column, because there's no 40 times, etc., under his combine results, and all wrs run the 40 at the combine. So then, how much "fudging" can be done with Pro Day numbers? I assume its NFL people who are doing the measurements, so maybe its legit-ish.