[QB turmoil possible in Buffalo]

How many different threads can the same points be rehashed in?

 

ADD: That was a rhetorical question

[who thinks we will go OT in the 1st round]

I would not be upset if the Bills took a tackle in the first round; however, my preference would be that they upgrade the offensive line (particulalry left guard) through free agency and find some good prospects (with long term solution potential) for the O-line in rounds 2-3. I believe perennial championship caliber teams are built around strong offensive and defensive lines. With that said, we have a very good left tackle in Glenn. So, I go back and forth on this. I don't know as if going for a right tackle (or even left tackle and moving Glenn) with the #9 pick is good value for the team; although part of me thinks that two very good tackles complemented by free agency upgades at guard would do wonders for this offense. Another part of me thinks that the #9 pick should go toward the best player available at a position of need. Right now I think those top needs in terms of one player potentially providing a real upgrade are (in no particular order) O-line, a true #1 receiver or stud tight end, and inside LB. If they do not trade back (which I also think could result in good value for the team) and acquire another pick, then I will be happy with the best player available at one of those positions.

[Stevie Johnson should be dealt addition by subtraction]

So if he were to post 75 rec, 1000 yards and 6 tds this upcoming season, would his production merit his salary?

What does that have to do with the decision to keep or cut him today?

 

As it is today it does not make sense for the team to keep him at his current salary when he has been hurt as much as he has and the team can get the same production from a younger cheaper player

 

It has a lot to do with the decision to keep or cut him. From 2010 - 2012, SJ averaged over 1000 yards and 8 TDs per season. Those are productive numbers by anyone's standard, particularly given they were achieved on a team with, shall we say, real limitations in the passing game. Last year he was injured part of the year, his mother died - and he missed four games because of both of those reasons and played a number of others hampered by both. Add in a new coaching staff, a new offensive system, the QB situation, an offensive line that regressed, etc., etc., and it should not be surprising his drop in numbers. As I have stated before, I do not believe he is a true #1 receiver; however, he certainly is a very talented receiver. Anyone with any football sense would look at what SJ would bring to the team next year in any decision to keep him or not - and, in doing so, would probably not be so short sighted to use last year, as opposed to a body of work over the three previous years, as a base line for what he could bring and whether that is commensurate with his salary.

[What does Marrone mean? Coaches? QBs?]

They sure overplay the fact that Downing coached EJ is a freaking meaningless senior bowl game. He met the guy for a week, coached him and three other QBs, installed a few simple plays and barely knew him. But to hear it retold its like they had to pry them apart with a crow bar. C'mon. I have met more than a few drunks that I bonded with more in a few hours than this. I'd rather a guy said, yeah, I coached him for a week, his game has so many flaws its hard to imagine him as a pro right now, but give me a few years and I will fix him or he will be on the street.

 

First, I don't think it should be surprising to anyone that a coach coming to a new team is going to be singing the praises of the organization, the team, or any individual player - would anyone really expect anything different? Second, simply out of curiosity, of all of the things you could choose in terms of what you'd "rather" hear him say, why would it be this?

[Stevie Johnson should be dealt addition by subtraction]

IM still waiting for more Pros. All you homers can come up with is that he is a good guy and wants to stay in Buffalo! This is found on page 1 of Players interview manuel. "Love the city you play for, you are making millions!" No one answered the question...Did the Bills miss Stevie Johnson when he was injured this year???

 

As a caveat: I don't know as if we can judge any receiver on the Bills by what we saw last year. (1) We had a 1st year HC and a 1st year OC. (2) We had 3 QBs with little to no NFL experience rotating in and out at the position throughout the year. (3) We also had receivers that were hobbled by injuries and/or in and out of the lineup throughout the year. The last two alone resulted in no real ability for any one QB to establish any real “chemistry” with a particular receiver or the receiving group as a whole.

 

Based on the above, as well as a number of other factors, I do not believe it is possible to reasonably reach any conclusions about individual performances. There were many things that contributed to the 28^th ranked passing attack – from the FO down to individual players.

 

As for SJ, he played in only 12 games last year and was hobbled in a number of those. As to your question, “Did the Bills miss SJ when he didn’t play?” – From a purely statistical perspective, the answer is no. In the 12 games SJ played, the Bills averaged 204 yds per game and 5.82 yds per attempt. In the 4 games without him, they averaged 225 yds per game and 7.89 yds per attempt.

 

However, also from a statistical perspective, they are different sample sizes and there was one game out of the four SJ did not play in that really skewed the numbers. Take away that one game and the numbers are pretty much even.

 

Even more than that, however, is that there is a lot more to the game than statistics and you are asking a question that is impossible to answer. Neither you, nor I, nor anyone else can say how SJ would have performed in the games that he missed. In addition, there is a lot that goes into how well or how poorly an individual player or a team plays on any given day - not to mention all the things I discussed above.

 

As to your other issue (in your other posts) with SJ’s drops in “clutch” situations – we tend to remember extremes when we evaluate data. It is called availability bias. For example, in regard to SJ, we tend to remember those plays that cause us the most extreme emotions and tend to overlook all the plays that provoked less extreme emotions. He has also made some big catches – and he has certainly made a lot of catches that have sustained drives, etc. I would venture to say that every really good receiver has dropped passes in “clutch” situations. It happens. We as Bills fans just do not recall them because they are not receivers for our team. Over all, in SJ’s career, he has caught 55% of the passes thrown to him. In comparison to career numbers of some top receivers: Calvin Johnson 55%, Josh Gordon 54%, AJ Green 57%, DeSean Jackson 55%, TY Hilton 58%. What does it mean? Nothing. That just leads us into debates about how good their respective QBs are, how good their teams are, etc, etc, etc. There are a lot of variables that go into those numbers.

 

In the end, it all comes down to opinion on this board and we are each entitled. Based on your posts, I don't think much could be offered to change your mind, which is fine. IMHO, last year means nothing in terms of SJ’s ability. Based on career numbers, objective observations of him in game after game during his career, and intangibles, I think it would be foolish to trade him. I do not think he is a true #1 receiver (and I would love to get one); however, he clearly is a talented receiver.

 

And since when is it ever a good idea for a team that is trying to build itself into a playoff contender to get rid of talented players?

[Stevie Johnson should be dealt addition by subtraction]

It's not your fault....

 

Edit: This worked in Good Will Hunting so I figured I'd give it a try.

That worked with a troubled genius. Aim lower.

 

Awesome! Well done gents...

[Hackett is Dead Man Walking]

I thought Hackett did a heck of a job last year. He had 3 different starting QB's to deal with a didt have EJ for 6 games. Plus CJ was hurt as was Freddie. And Stevie.

 

So overall I'd give him a B. It would be an A if he would have used CJ better.

 

Agree. The QB situation was awful last year just in terms of continuity. People do forget that both CJ and FJ were nursing injuries a good portion of the year, especially CJ - as were several receivers. If you don't think injuries can be a real difference maker then, just remember - as good as a defensive coach as Pettine turned out to be, even he couldn't do anything with the secondary the first four + weeks of the season when his key defensive backs were injured - it was awful. I also would add this. I believe they made the right decision in letting Levitre go rather than pay the amount of money they would have had to pay to keep him - but they fell short in their evaluation of who they had on the team to relace him. In their defense: (1) They had to base their decisions on film, rather than having had the opportunity to evaluate in person. (2) I believe they thought they would have Legursky from the beginning of the year and when they didn't, they had no back up plan. (3) There is no denying that Legursky (when he finally did play), Urbik, and Pears ALL regressed in terms of their level of play from the year before. In the end, the O-Line play was not very good. They were up at the top of the league in yards rushing - but middle of the pack in yards per run. I was as frustrated as anyone watching CJ get crushed over and over again running inside the tackles; however, the truth is that the line (including tight ends) was even worse in their blocking on outside runs.

 

None of the above was Hackett's fault. I think the FO and head coach could have done a better job of evaluating what they had in terms of O-Line talent; however, I will give them the benefit of the doubt as there were a number of players who truly did regress last year. This year is different and I am willing to give the coaching staff and front office very little slack in regard to the O-Line. They had a full season to evaluate their players and they now have to do what is necessary to upgrade. If they do that, add a legitimate #1 receiver and/or legitimate big play threat at tight end, EJ and other key offensive skill players manage to stay healthy all year - then I am ready to give Hackett a thumbs up or down at the end of the season.

 

Until then, the jury is still out on Hackett.

[Per Bills text Rob Moore hired as WR coach]

Well, I would have thought Marrone would have spent more than a few minutes vetting his coaches before he hired them--you know, to find out exactly what their philosophy was and to tell them exactly what his philosophy is.

 

My guess is that the philosophy may have involved Hilliard telling Marrone that dumping Rogers was a mistake.

 

 

 

 

Numbers 1,2 and 4 are ridiculous and have nothing to do with a position coach. Look, if Stevie wants to do some Stevie stuff (and the stuff you mention is completely insignificant), it's because he assumes that it's fine with his HC.

 

 

As for #3, is the QB and the WRs are struggling to find eachother--it is the job of the Offensive Coordinator to get them to the same spot. That doesn't fall on the WR coach--especially with the quality of QB we were lining up under center last year. It's entirely possible that the QB did not have a firm grasp on where his QBs were. Why didn't Marrone fire his QB coach also?

 

Right...I'm sure that was at the top of the list of topics of conversations among the coaching staff...

[Who said Defense doesn't win Championships]

Read the thread. Bottom line - QB, in my opinion, may be the most important position on the team, but you don't need a great one, merely you have to have a good one.(read: Flacco, Wilson, Eli, etc) What you need is a competitive offense and a great defense. So let's stop dreaming of Brady and build the D to elite level and bolster O line. EJ may well be all we need in a QB.

 

Amen

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

They wouldn't be there with Matt Flynn. Wilson is a stud.

 

They may not be there with Flynn; however, they would probably be there with a decent quarterback that doesn't turn the ball over. Wilson has not had to carry this team at all this year. He has played well for the most part - but also had some pretty bad games. He is young and talented - but he is not yet in the upper echelon of quarterbacks. Make no mistake, this team got to the Superbowl because they had the best defense in the NFL and the number 4 rushing offense. They also have won in the playoffs because of their defense.

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

Well, no coaches would start a 3rd round runt of a QB over a 25 mil prize free agent QB until one did, and that team is winning the Super Bowl 22-0 right now. The reason they don't IMO is because it would appear (although wouldn't be true) that they would be admitting they were wrong the year before and that the guy they picked they are giving up on, even though, again, neither of those are likely to be true.

 

That team is in the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl because of their defense, not Russell Wilson

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

So it is a rare occasion then ? can we agree on that ?

And the second 1st round pick was not the 1st first round picks superior judged by the Cowboys. Hence trading him away to the Saints.

Are we agreed upon that ?

Can anyone here in this room see that there is no prior evidence that this is or ever was a successful stragedy in the NFL based upon the evidence brought forth by the prosecution ?

so drafting a # one QB next year at nine when the most needy teams will have already scooped the most desirable ones ( and thats debatable if i may inject sirs)

 

is reasonable ? thats my loud voice

 

I think not , kind jurors all.

 

I'll go further...I think it would be a bad idea to draft a quarterback in the first round even if they were all there to choose from at #9.

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

As pointed out earlier, the Cowboys dynasty began with using two first round picks in the same calendar year on Troy Aikman and Steve Walsh.

 

I'd like to see all the examples of QB's whose careers were crushed by having to compete for their jobs.

 

IMO, I believe it is, to put it mildly, a stretch to say the Cowboy dynasty began by selecting Aikman and Walsh. If your argument is that the competition between the two made Aikman better and started the dynasty - it is not really supported. There wasn't much of a competition and most people believed that Jones selected Walsh in the supplemental draft for simply for trade purposes (in spite of his public pronouncements) - which happened the very next year. My guess is that the success Aikman, who was a number one overall pick, enjoyed had more to do with his ability and the team around him during their superbowl years that the drafting of Walsh in the same calander year

 

ADD: BTW, Aikman finished 1-15 with, statistically, a worse year than Manuel had. Yet, the next year, the Cowboys didn't feel the need to keep Walsh - nor the need to draft another quarterback in the first round

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

Very few people have outright said that they felt that they are certain that Manuel is definitely not the answer at QB and I have seen none that said the shouldn't be given another chance to earn the job.

 

The people who want to shield Manuel from competition make the exaggerated claims like you do. He has a long time left on his contract, he is cheap and unless he is dreadful he will be given ample opportunity to earn the Bills QB job.

 

That is the reality that so many in this thread want to deny.

 

As for your second point.......if you read the TG article you saw his explanation. Why do you feel the need to pretend that he said that he said that EJ is a bust?

 

1. My recollection is that there have been posters who have said he needs to be replaced. At the very least, as you pointed out: A "few people have outright said that they felt that they are certain that Manuel is definitely not the answer at QB." To qualify that with, "I have seen none that said the shouldn't be given another chance to earn the job." is really arguing over semantics. If one feels "certain" EJ is not the answer, it would really logically follow that they do not believe he should be given a chance. Said outright or insinuated - IMO, it is what they meant.

 

2. In regard to Graham. There isn't a poster on this forum, including you, that knows for a "fact" what Graham meant in his response to EJ's question. Only Graham knows. The rest of us can only evaluate all the information and reach an opinion. I did read Graham's responses "after the fact." You can choose to believe them. That is your right. I choose to not believe them because I do not feel they reconcile with what actually took place during the interview. Again, I invite you to go back, read my reasons why, and offer a counter argument as to why I am wrong. I am not afraid to have my logic critiqued.

 

In your initial post, you presented two things as "fact:" (1) That NOBODY ever said EJ should'nt be given another chance and (2) That Graham NEVER said EJ was a bust. In purely literal terms you may be correct; however, I believe, again, you were standing on semantics - and, I believe an opinion can be reached that both of those things did occur.

 

I didn't respond to your initial post because I disagreed with your opinion. You can have whatever opinion you want. I responded because you presented your opinions as fact, but, more than that, you then chose to label as "garbage" and "idiotic" anyone's opinion differed - such as my opinion.

 

Let me assure you that I "pretend" nothing. I write what I believe and I try, whenever possible to provide reasonable foundations as to why I believe it.

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

Yeah, you are in the minority.

 

The truth is that very few Bills fans actually POST here........an absolute fraction of a fraction of a percent of Bills fans as a whole......... and a very high percentage of the regulars here have become zealots in defense of an undeniably poorly run organization.

 

Example: NOBODY said that the Bills shouldn't give EJ Manuel more than one season to prove himself.

 

NOBODY.

 

Yet that is your ridiculously exxagerated take.

 

And then there are the people who insist that Graham "essentially told EJ that he thinks EJ is a bust".

 

Didn't happen. Graham explained his position.

 

The board is most definitely not better off with people posting garbage like that.

 

And there are a WHOLE LOT of those idiotic takes in this thread.

 

1. Actually, IMO there have been a number of posters who have said/insinuated just that: EJ is not the answer and the Bills need to look for another QB

2. In regard to Graham, read through my previous posts in this thread where I objectively broke down the interview. IMO Graham essentially did say that.

 

I have never personally attacked Graham or anyone else in my posts. I try to reasonably evaluate whatever the issue might be and then provide a foundation for why I arrived at the conclusion I did. Intelligent people can agree to disagree. I have presented pretty thorough reasons in previous posts why I believe Graham made it personal and why I believe he was wrong. Go back and read them - You can disagree with my reasoning; however, I would hardly categroize it as idiotic...any more than I would categorize your stance as idiotic. We just disagree.

[Andre Reed Elected into the Pro Football HOF]

Congratulations Andre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

My take away is that Manuel asked a question, received an answer, which was in effect, "I think you are a bust" and he walked away. Should he have entered into a debate with Graham? Should he have responded "I'll welcome the completion"? And then walked away? Should he defended himself, explaining why he is not a bust?

 

I have written a number of posts in this thread trying to separate all of the peripheral issues from the central issue and this is it. That is exactly the interpretation of Graham's response. That is the point in which it transitioned from professional interview to personal assertion. Graham is the one who should be held to a higher standard here. I retired from the FBI and conducted investigative interviews of thousands of people over thirty years. In each of those interviews I knew what I was saying/asking when I said/asked it - and what the purpose was of saying/asking it. There were many instances where I sat on a stand in a courtroom being questioned about things I said/asked and how I said/asked them. Because that is what I did for a living, I was held to a higher standard, and rightfully so. Graham is a professional and conducting interviews is part of his profession. As such, I wil hold him to the same standard I held myself in any investigative interview I ever conducted. I believe he was fully aware of what he said when he said it, how it was likely to be interpreted, and the types of responses it was likely to elicit. Provocative? Yes. Professional? No. Journalism? No. He could have asked any number of tough questions that would have prolonged the interview, or maybe have resulted in the same response from EJ.

 

The difference is this: In the first instance it was nothing more than a personal insult and EJ had every right to walk away from an interview that became personal. In the second instance, if Graham would have followed up with a professional, tough, question and EJ would have walked away - then EJ could be questioned about ducking the tough questions.

 

Setting aside EJ's performance on the field and all those other peripheral issues, and looking solely at this interview - Graham is not the one to be defended.

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

First off John, I would like to thank you for your response and say that its tone, thoughtfulness, and quality show the reason why you are so valued and respected here.

 

We agree that the media has to ask tough questions. It's your job. I'm not sure I agree "how will you feel if the Bills draft another QB in the first round this year?" qualifies exactly as a tough question. I would rather hear a tough question about EJ's actual performance on the field, but let's give the Q a pass.

 

We also agree that EJ opened the door by asking his own question "do you?" thus violating the sound principle, "never ask a question to which you don't want to hear the answer". Where we disagree is here:

 

 

 

Here's the apples-to-oranges shift. You're talking about ASKING tough questions. The subject I'm addressing is how a reporter responds to questions from an athlete.

 

I would have total respect for it if Graham responded to EJ's "do you guys think they should?" with what I see as a tough question "EJ, what changes in your play do you feel you must show next season to silence people who might answer 'yes' to that?" IMO that would be a tough question, directly and fairly aimed at EJ's on field performance and at your observed sensitivity to hints of doubt.

 

Instead, Graham chose to inject his own opinion - yes, EJ opened the door but a professional has a choice about how/whether he walks through it. And Graham then followed up with an article COMPLAINING THAT EJ DIDN"T LET HIM FOLLOW-UP AND EXPAND on his dis-you, in-your-face RESPONSE.

 

That's just not the same thing, it has nothing to do with asking tough questions and I hope you can see that. Sorry, Tim, but if you want to make a 2 word response you don't get a pass to complain that someone doesn't want to stay around to hear your footnotes. Respond in a way that clarifies what you really mean up front.

 

I would be very disappointed in you if you did something similar, John, but I don't think you would, I think you'd take the high road and use the opening to ask another tough question instead of making the interview about "John Wawrow's Viewpoint". And that's the difference between you and Tim and the quality of what you write. IMHO.

 

By the way, I personally would have no problem with it if the Bills see a QB they like in any round and draft him this year. I personally think the verdict on EJ is "not proven" and the most troubling thing I heard is his comment that he still thinks he did the right thing to try to get the extra yards in Cleveland.

 

This to me was the central issue in all of this. Graham did not ASK a tough question. You can fault EJ all you want for opening himself up with the question he asked. The truth is this: EJ asked the question. Graham responded, "I do." Again, it is not like EJ cut him off in mid sentence. That was Graham's response. It truly is stretching things to interpret that response as asking a tough question. In an interview setting with other reporters and people around, Graham essentially gave his personal opinion that the Bills needed another QB - with no further qualifiers. I might be in the minority; however, I don't consider that journalism. Graham can say after the fact that he WANTED to provide a further explanation but was not afforded the opportunity to do so. For me, that rings hollow coming from a man who is a veteran of the process and understands full well the nature of words and how you use them - that is how he makes his living.

 

This issue then somehow gets interwoven with EJ's performance on the field. They are two completely different issues, IMHO. They would have remained interwoven had Graham followed up with another tough QUESTION - not a personal response.

 

As for EJ's character, his understanding of his own shortcomings, his willingness to work to make himself better, and what he may or may not think about his situation and need for improvement: I am willing to listen to anything substantive that shows he needs to be put in his place. Until then, I will make my judgement about these things based on how he has conducted himself...not veiled assertions and innuendo. Again - a separate issue.

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

dunno. maybe EJ needs a reminder that this job is not his for life, and he's got plenty still to prove.

 

jw

 

I am not sure where this comes from John, and a little surprising. People can debate all day long about EJ's performance on the field and whether or not he is the answer. However, off the field, he has consistently presented himself with class, diginity, and maturity. He has conducted himself remarkably well in the media for a 23 year old kid who "we" as fans decided to annoint as the savior of a downtrodden franchise. I certainly do not recall him ever acting in any way that should lead anyone to believe he feels this job is his for life, or that he has nothing left to prove. Quite the opposite actually.

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

i have no issue with how Tim explained how the first part went. it's not his fault that EJ was pulled away before Tim could explain himself and bring the discussion to its logical conclusion. if EJ took offense to it without allowing time for an explanation then that's not entirely on Tim.

 

as Tim tried to begin explaining, he said, "I do," and then attempted to begin explaining himself by saying he does because quarterback is the most important position on the team, and one that's been unfilled.

 

remember, EJ asked: "do you think they should?" should is an interesting word in this case, and open to almost begging for an answer. that EJ didn't stick around waiting for an answer continues a trend for him. he doesn't take kindly or have patience for those raising questions about his performance or status in Buffalo.

at the very least, he needs to realize that he has a long way to go before proving he is a bona fide long-term starter.

 

he needs to realize that based on his inconsistencies, injuries and the questionable numbers he put up that this question will continue to be raised until: 1) he proves different (Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning don't have to face this line of questioning because they're proven themselves) or 2) the Bills proceed to draft another quarterback.

 

now sure why the media is being faulted here for asking questions and providing responses that have been raised and discussed on this board for quite some time.

 

jw

 

Sorry JW. Always respect your opinion; however, Graham responded, "I do" with no attempt to put it into any context consistent with the interview at the moment he said it. It is not as if EJ cut him off in mid sentence. That was his complete response. EJ said "Thank you" and then walked away. You pointed out the interesting use of the word "should" by EJ. You should find it equally interesting that, in spite of a number of ways Graham, who was doing what he does for a living, could have responded in a way that immediately put it into a journalistic context, he chose a response that appeared to be nothing more than a personal statement. I have nothing wrong with Graham writing anything he wants about what he believes in regard to EJ. But the way he chose to respond at that moment to EJ was, in my opinion, wrong.

[EJ knee surgery, Tim Graham questions, draft QB?]

High road? Meh? Can you throw a few more pop catch phrases in there? TG threw a hard ball question at the golden boy. Are you concerned EJ is crying himself to sleep tonight?

 

It is not the question that bothers me. When EJ asked "Do you think they should (draft a QB in the first round)?" Graham, who is supposed to be conducting this interview as a journalist, took the opportunity to make it personal. He could have continued to act like a journalist and responded with something along the lines of, "Well, isn't competition always good at every position?" or any number of other responses that would have continued along a path of a journalist interviewing an athlete. He didn't. He turned it into a personal discussion with the response, "I do."

 

I'm sorry, there is no reason for that response. It served absolutely no purpose and, to be honest, pretty disrespectful. If he wanted to get an interview then he should have acted like a journalist and then written his story. If he wanted to turn it into a personal discussion about what he believed - then fine, leave it at that and don't write about it.

[How many of our needs will be addressed in FA?]

You and I will continue to disagree on this, but it remains to be seen if this team is operating under different financial rules. Depth on this team has typically been provided going back years with lower round draft picks, UDFA's, low cost UFA's, and waiver wire acquisitions. The team doesn't normally pay for depth, as evidenced by the Levitre fiasco last season, Langston Walker in 2009, and reaching back to the Donahoe years. A lot happens above the personnel people.

 

I don't expect to see a lot of splurging in UFA from Whaley. He grew up in Pittsburgh and they didn't spend enormously on free agents.

 

Sorry, but using what this team did under entirely different management/philosphies offers nothing useful to determining what the current group will do. The Levitre situation is not proof that they are not willing to pay for depth. It only indicated (1) they were not willing to overpay - which they certainly would have had to do, and (2) overestimating the health and talent of his replacement (s). As for "a lot of splurging" in free agency - since when is that a recipe for building a championship team? Ask Miami how that worked out for them last year and other teams that have tried the same approach. I believe they should (and hope they will) be more active in free agency this year; however, the cost for top tier free agents in our areas of need have been rediculous for the most part - and very, very few ever produce commensurate with the contracts they sign. I believe whatever money they spend should go toward second tier guys that are solid and productive - and continue to build the team through the draft.

[Bills hire Jim Hostler as Senior Offensive Assistant]

Most coaches in the NFL have crossed paths at some point. Are we supposed to not hire anyone Marrone knows?

 

Maybe we should take it even further and not allow Marrone to hire anyone that has crossed paths with anyone he has crossed paths with....because, in that instance, we all know Marrone would be doing nothing more than hiring the buddy of a buddy...

[T. Jackson forgot his time in buffalo]

The entire situation with Jackson was a bit bizarre and I do not blame him for having less than fond thoughts of his time here - and I wish him well. With that said, he is now the back up QB on another team in another conference. I don't particularly care what he thinks...

[Jonathan Martin]

Martin would be terribly hurt if he read what some posters here wrote about him...