Gabe Northern

Funny thing is that if this guy never came out and called Ralph a blood-sucking SFB leach in that one sentence no one would have even noticed this article. It was basically conventional wisdom with an uncalled for personal attack grafted on top.

I understand. I think the guy lost all confidence. He just wanted to get the ball out before he got his ass-kicked by oncoming defenders. Lots of plays there was no rush and guys were open, but he was still in that shell-shocked mindset. Other guys would have perfomed much better under these circumstances. My point is simply that he was more focused on getting rid of the ball than going through his progressions. Give the guy time and rebuild his confidence and I honestly think there's a future for him.

Trent could definitely pull off a Rich Gannon-like career resurgence. Gannon was probably more athletic, but did not have as strong an arm. Release and intelligence are comparable. All we know for sure about Trent Edwards is that he can't hack it behind a line that consists of rookies and cast-offs. What if he were given time and the confidence to go through his reads and find a rhythm? No one really knows.

Stevie Johnson performs when given the opportunity. Use our free agent dollars to sign Levi Jones, as we should have done when the decision was made to part with Peters. The guy played well for the skins down the stretch.

We signed Fred to the practice squad before the 2006 season. Had Jauron not acquired A-Train and given Fred a look, we likely wouldn't have wasted a 1st rounder on RB the following year. I worry the same thing could happen at WR this draft. Given Stevie Johnson a chance.

Wanted: Crazy person with diminishing skills and of advanced age seeking lucrative contract with large signing bonus. Will only entertain offers to be a full-time starter. Yeah...that can't miss. Check out some choice quotes below. Dude is Whacked. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflori...ry/1460091.html ``I don't have time to play childish games,'' Porter said on Crowder's show, referring to the way coaches used him as a role player instead of a starter. ``If you want to put [linebacker] Cameron Wake in the game, go ahead and good luck to you. ``Let me go find me a job somewhere else.'' Porter attempted to clarify one aspect of his rant from ESPN on Monday, stating that he doesn't want to be traded. Instead, he wants to be waived, seemingly so he can choose where he plays. Of course, that decision is out of his hands. ``I didn't even ask for a trade,'' Porter said. ``I never asked for a trade. I just asked the coach, `If that's the situation you plan on using me, just let me leave.' ''

I think the decision to disregard Ralph had a lot to do with him "talking his own book." He knew (or was told by Littman) the percentages allocated to players were such that he'd have no hope of ever reaching the cap based on the non-shared revenue he could generate in Buffalo. Their response was more of "why don't you move out of a poor area?" rather than questioning his santity. You are right that the keys to this are KC, Cincy, Pittsburgh, and other cities whose economies are more than 2X as large as WNY but still much to small to accomodate the insane money-making schemes of Jones, Synder, etc.

Certainly, I would never support the "Toronto Bills" and if they move to Toronto full-time it's no different for me than if they moved to LA. In fact, it would probably be worse. The point is simply that if a team moves to Toronto, the Bills are gone. Period. To remain in Western NY, the Bills need to cultivate the Southern Ontario fanbase. Toronto is one of the richest 20 cities in the world and is the only source of corporate support available in the region for the suites and premium tickets sales that generate non-shared revenue. Take that away and there is no business plan that can keep the team in WNY.

One of the biggest problems with recent drafts has been the decision to trade up to take inferior players. Had we waited, we could have had David Harris and a 3rd rounder instead of Poz. We could have had Matt Schaub and a 2005 1st rounder instead of Losman. They likely good have taken McCargo with their 2nd round pick. When you're scouts don't have a high success rate, you can't afford to sacrifice extra picks to move up and take a guy who has a reasonable likelihood of being worse anyway. Say what you will about Modrak being overruled, but if he has had ANY input on the draft his record is horrible. In addition to Poz and Losman think about 2008 when our needs were CB/WR and we passed on Pro Bowlers in both spots (Rodgers-Cromartie/DeSean Jackson).

Very bad news. St Louis Rams may be moving to Toronto, which would lock up the 7 million person SOuthern Ontario market and almost certainly end any chance for the Bills to stay in the area: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/...ies-to-toronto/

This is a great point. McKinnie might, in fact, have merited the selection. Sometimes it's about having guys that suck less than their peers at the position.

I hope Chan works out. There are lots of reasons to have realistic hope that he will. But I think the point is that there really was never any intention of paying anyone $10 million per season. For all we know that number was planted by Shanny's agent. I just find it very hard to believe people turn down an incremental $15 million over 5 years (as would be the case with Shanny).

Come on, man. Think before you post. Try to jog your memory. http://www.packers.com/news/releases/2006/03/17/1/ http://www.realfootball365.com/articles/bills/2482

Funny how that always seems to happen. Almost makes one wonder if we offered LESS money but suggested otherwise after the fact in an attempt to keep the fan base happy. Weird that he came to Buffalo for a workout after Green Bay if he intended to sign there anyway, isn't it? Refuse to sign a contract with Green Bay, go to Buffalo where you're offered more money, and then return to Green Bay to sign their offer? And no one is picking northern Wisconsin over WNY on lifestyle grounds either.

Look guys, I love the fealty to the talking points of the front office, but the fact was that Pickett liked Kollar (surprisingly) and actually wanted to come to the Bills if we matched the Packers' offer. Marv/Guy/Whomever chose not to because Tripplett was also available. My guess is that it was because Tripplett better fit the scheme (for Dick Jauron) and cost about $1 M less per year (for Overdorf/Littmann). Free-agent nose tackle Ryan Pickett flew out of Green Bay on Monday afternoon knowing how much the Packers want him but without signing a contract. Pickett was headed for Buffalo and a meeting with the Bills, whose new defensive line coach, Bill Kollar, served as Pickett's position coach throughout his five-year career in St. Louis. The Rams reportedly have a strong offer on the table for Pickett. -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 14, 2006

Underappreciated in the pantheon of boneheaded moves over the past few years was the decision to pick Larry Tripplett over Ryan Pickett in 2006 offseason. How many fans believed a 285 lber made sense at DT? Why did our pro personnel dept? Pickett and Ngata in the middle would have gone a long way to masking all of the other absurd personnel decisions that were made over the past few years. Also, a reminder that good players are available every offseason and it might not take as long as some expect to reshape this woeful roster. See: Thompson's offseason agenda starts with Pickett http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/...s-with-pickett/