d_wag

three different teams, three different OC's, three different schemes......... and every stop he's made, he's had success......but that's right, if he came to buffalo he would have sucked and tucker/smith would have beat him out for the job anyway.......why? cause the coaches told me so, and they're never wrong......

oh, that's right, the coaches with 140 years of experience told you that type of player wouldn't fit in our system.........they were wrong, and you are wrong -- he would have fit in just fine and solidfied our interior line.......and you wonder why i call you a sheep -- plenty of people on this board admit that we made a mistake with kendall, but you want to toe the company line and act like a probowler wouldn't have been better then tucker/smith.......

plenzmd.......thank you, that is the point i was making.......it's easy to say "well winfield is too expensive, look at the contract he got, how can you blame TD?" but if you think back he could have locked him up well in advance of that free agency date and saved a bundle........like you said, it requires faith, and TD seems gun shy to commit to his own players and would rather lowball them, which can rub guys the wrong way and seal their fate....... like you, i'm happy with TD overall......but he does make mistakes and it's really too bad that some people can't own up to that........the guy is far from flawless, but no GM is.......

you still haven't explained why he wouldn't work in our scheme but has performed at a pro bowl level in three DIFFERENT schemes.......

i understand scheme, and i also understand that kendall would have helped this team ALOT.......he is better then tucker, he is better then smith, and he would have solidified the middle of our line.......like i said, he's played great in 3 different schemes -- what makes you think he wouldn't have played great in ours?? oh that's right, we're not supposed to disagree with coaches decisions, even though they are human and make mistakes as well.........

bart.......see what i'm talking about? "sorry bills fan, we have looked at takeo spikes and he doesn't fit our scheme........we will not be pursuing him and instead we will retain eddie robinson for another year"

bart........i'm only bringing it up because people are disagreeing that TD screwed up on that move........hiding behind excuses like "scheme" is just ridiculous to me.......can you imagine if TD ignored spikes in free agency because he didn't fit our "scheme" and instead signed a 2nd rate talent to play the position at 1/3 the cost? -- people would have been up in arms.......but some people apparantly find that acceptable in kendall's situation....... i think overall, TD is cheap.......some people on this board like that quality, but i don't.........i can point to other examples if you like: 1) sam adams -- he let SA hang out in free agency for quite some time because he wouldn't up his offer a little more to get him in the fold.......it worked, but if someone else would have stepped up we would never have seen SA in a bills uniform...... 2) antoine winfield -- this is where the excuses will fly, but i think if TD gives him a FAIR offer the year before his free agency we get him at a bargain price.........instead TD lowballs him, let's him play out his contract, and then winfield steps into a huge offer that we had no chance of matching.....i hope the same thing doesn't happen to clements because TD won't show faith in him the year before his free agency...... 3) jonas jennings -- jonas will command more now then he would have last spring.......but TD lowballed him as well, and now he's headed for free agency and out the door when a legit offer would have locked him up.......again, this is where we'll see excuses ("he doesn't want to be here.....it's not TD's fault, it's all on jennings.....blah blah blah"), but i see other teams locking up their good young talent and i can't figure out why we can't do the same thing....... this also traces back to his PIT days, where he annually let good, young players walk out the door because he didn't want to reward them.......i'd like to see our good young players retained......we spend alot of time and effort developing them, and it's a shame to watch good young talent like winfield and jennings walk out the door because we won't cough up the bucks (like other teams do) to reward their talent........

TD is the GM and has final say on ALL personel moves........if you want to expand the scope and put blame for the bad job on mularky and his staff, be my guest, but it's still TD's call and he bears the ultimate responsiblity........otherwise, why do we have a GM if the coaches are making all the calls on personel?? everything does filter up in an NFL organization....... but anyway, if you want to include the whole group - they dropped the ball on him........we had a need, he would have filled that need, and we didn't even TRY to sign him.......keep spinning it if you want, but you can't change the fact he would have helped this team and the bills didn't recoginize that (and if they did, they were too cheap to do anything about it).......

the bills didn't have 660K in cap room? that was his 2004 cap hit......... TD did not want to commit to the future years of that deal, hence why i call him cheap........but you can't say he didn't have room to do it because 660K is nothing...........

do you take everything TD says at face value? yea, and i'm the fool.......haha it was TD's excuse because he didn't want to commit the long-term bucks to kendall.......he made a mistake as kendall obviously would have been a good sign.......

i referred to you as a sheep because i think your making excuses and i'm not buying any of them -- kendall would have helped this team ALOT and would have solidified the middle of the line........he should have been brought in for a look and an attempt should have been made to sign him........TD didn't even have him in for a workout...... i think kendall would have fit in to our "scheme" just fine......he played well in SEA, he played well in ARZ, and he played well in NY -- three different schemes, same result........ left guard was a need last off-season, and it's STILL a need this off-season........with kendall here, it would solved a long time ago and we would have had more wins to show for it........he's better then smith and tucker, plain and simple, and it's a shame we didn't have him last year.......and the man responsible for that decision is TD.........

you can label it a tough call if you want (i call it a slam dunk -- he's a former all-pro and his play this year was hardly surprising to me), but anyway you spin it you still have a BAD MOVE by TD........we had a need, he could have filled that need, and he didn't even bring him in for a workout.......like i said, he over-estimated the LG position and it cost us big time........

well that is a huge blunder on TD's part, no? obviously he would have helped the team.......obviously we had a need there........obviously it would have been a solid move.......so if it wasn't about money, why didn't he get him in here? attitude? he didn't seem to cause any problems in NY, so i guess TD misjudged that as well........ i think it was about money, plain and simple........TD didn't want to pay the bucks and wanted to get by with "bargain bin " talent......jets, on the other hand, weren't afraid to spend and reaped the rewards (i.e. playoffs)....... it's amazing how people will defend EVERYTHING donahoe does......i like the guy, he's a good GM, but he's not perfect, and in this case he screwed up.......he over-estimated our OL, and we paid for it........another solid guard and we are in the playoffs, but TD miscalculated.......... it's okay to admit it - it doesn't make you a "bad" bills fan to call out the GM for a bad move......but hey, if you want to be a sheep, be my guest........

sure, for example: pete kendall became available just before the 2004 season.......he would have been PERFECT as our starting LG in 2004.......TD, being cheap, didn't look at him and didn't sign him even though we had the room to sign him and the need was there........instead he went to our division rival and had a fantastic season, being named as a all-pro by several publications.....the bills, on the other hand, struggled at the LG position early in the year with castoff laurence smith manning the spot, until tucker stepped in and played well, but not nearly to kendall's level....... IMO, if TD wasn't cheap and filled the LG position last off-season we make the playoffs in 2004.......instead he didn't spend the bucks and put to much faith in mcnally, and we paid for it....... that is one example but there are others.........i just hope he spends some cash this off-season and takes this team over the hump.........

of course, his cap hit will certainly go down, but it has nothing to do with a pay cut.......there is zero chance moulds would accept a pay cut (he would love to get cut and hit free agency) and zero chance the bills would ask him to take one (what would be the point?)........

how much are the bills asking him to reduce his salary by? 1 million? 2 million? 50 cents? that would be a start........

the report regarding drew has not been backed up by TD -- it could very well be false or even a bluff........ the bills are working to EXTEND moulds.......they have not asked him to take a pay cut....... i stated that prioleau's cap savings would be 1.5 million........he is making 1 million in salary, his cap hit is 1.75, and his dead money if cut before june 1 is 250K........ i think it is way to early to cut reed and i can't see it happening....... hopefully there is some money earmarked to extend nate this off-season - letting him play out 2005 under his rookie deal would be a HUGE mistake........TD needs to cough up cash this off-season....... there is no doubt there will be money to spend -- just a matter of whether 'tight ass' TD is willing to spend the bucks or not........he could have spent more last off-season and didn't, and i wouldn't be surprised if he took the cheap route again.......

his cap hit is actually 1.7 million -- way to much for a special teamer when a rook can do that job at 1/4 the cap hit....... 1.5 in savings for the bills when he is cut..........count on it, he won't be around........

i think it's obvious we need a guard.......we had minimal push in the inside run game all year and played musical LG for the first half of the year, which in my opinion is a largly overlooked reason why it took the offense so long to get started.......we plugged in smith when he was obviously not ready and then went with tucker because he was the only other real option........ i've said it before, but with pete kendall at LG starting the year this team makes the playoffs in '04, IMO........it's really a shame TD was too cheap to shell out for him.......i hope he doesn't make the same mistake again this year and try to get by with 2nd rate players at the position again......

i wouldn't pay that much, but i would give him a 5 or 6 year deal averaging 3-4 million/year with a 6-8 million signing bonus.........he's a year older then woody was this time last year and hasn't been to the probowl.......this year's "guard" market also appears to be deeper then last year......... his teamate, marco rivera, is a free agent and at 32 should be considerably cheaper.........

what good does a 2006 pick do for the 2005 bills?? henry needs to be dealt before or during the draft, not after........i want someone who can help this team now..........

anyone just hear that blurb by Mort? shot twice last night by police officers.......suspect in a robbery.......bizarre to say the least

they reported that "woody has reached an agreement with the bills".......what basis of truth is in that statement? and who says the bills were interested in him at all?

usually they are.....but in some cases (the "damien woody will sign with bills" mort scoop from last year springs to mind) they are wrong......... i just wouldn't jump to conclusions until TD has his say on this.......

wouldn't be the first time......i wouldn't be surprised to see a denial from the bills front office over the next couple days......