obie_wan
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Posts posted by obie_wan
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I don't think it would have to be a "gentlemen's agreement". I am pretty sure, the Packers could stipulate in their trade agreement that Favre have a "no-trade" clause, which could not be waived. Favre would have to agree to the condition The only option, then, for the team trading for him, would be to waive him. I know this has happened in other sports, although I can't recall it happening in the NFL.
why would Favre agree to such a clause when he can basically force the Packers to cut him just by showing up at camp?
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Remember drafted O-linemen need time to develop.
I guess that's an ironclad reason for not wasting any high draft picks on the OL.
But if you spend high enough picks, those players can play right away- unlike UDFA who take years to determine they are no good.
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You don't get a Bill Walsh that often. You say nothing will change Jauron's record- I say better talent would do the trick- did you see the thread about where our d-line is ranked in the NFL? it was pretty accurate.
A lot of people wanted Wade Phillips fired over a stupid comment he made- look where that got us.
I did not know that Wade was GM and picking the players when he was here
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No way am I comparing the two- but give Jauron Montana, Rice, Taylor, Jones, Charles hayley and that crew, and my guess is he makes a dent in the playoffs and wins a superbowl or two.
Give Walsh our offensive and defensive lines along with JP Losman and Trent Edwards....and he'll be on the wildcard bubble as well. Maybe a couple games better than Jauron, but he was a hall of famer.
Walsh however, may have been smart enough to make the OL a priority so his QBs could become stars and make use of those WRs and RBs.
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It's true that the Packers can't control what a team did after Favre was sent their way. However, if there was a gentleman's agreement between two GMs, the latter would find himself struggling to make too many trades in the future. You shoot your credibility to hell in one go. That said, this is the NFL, and trades aren't too important. It might be worth it.
sounds like the Pats might be involved then
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You want more......over the same 10 drafts, the Bills selected 9 DBs in the first 4 rounds, with no less than 4 first rounders. This is slightly more than 20% of their best picks. Now, exactly how long is our playoff drought?
Btw, also in terms of the first 4 rounds, Jauron has used 5 out of 12 picks on defensive backs, for a whopping 41.666%!!! In the process, he turned down trade offers, and traded away 2 2nd round picks. Him, and of course his mentor, Levy.
What never ceases to amaze me is how people can think that this is a good thing.
I falied to note that the dynamic duo spent ZERO top 4 picks on the OL -
since they have the next Jason Peters in UDFAs - Kirk Chmabers, the converted TE Matt Murpchy and Christian Geddis to solve our C problem.
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First off, Wiki has never been or will be a valid data source or citation, EVER.
Second, the reality is and some have mentioned it and I've mentioned it many times on this board on this same topic is that the Buffalo-Niagara MSA is the critical number. However, that number only includes those two counties and not the entire region and populations of adjacent counties (not many people but enough to matter). The reason they are not counted is due to the economic connection a central city has to suburbs and rural areas and those counties don't have a significant impact on the MSA. Anyway, I looked it up and basically, the entire area of Atlanta's MSA is roughly as big as the Rochester and Buffalo MSAs, which when you add those up, if I recall correctly, is well over 2 million people within about 1.5 hour drive of the stadium, same as most large metros. So despite population loss, people are here and in a very significant amount, I believe to support this team. In fact, based on scalping and broker sales of tickets at inflated prices, I would bet the Bills could do about a 20% across the board increase in ticket prices and still sell what they're selling, which really takes thta markup from the brokers and puts it where it belongs, in the Bills pockets and thereby strengthening the team.
And for the Toronto-Buffalo-Rochester region, I believe it's not one of the largest 5 region in the Northeast but a ranking area of the world economically and possibily politically. Richard Florida, a professor in Toronto, has lectured and written about it.
Sorry for not having the numbers handy, I have an entire spreadhseet at home with all the metros of each team and in the info from population size to density to square miles of their MSA, etc.
all of these population gyrations are great.
too bad none of them focus on the number of corporate HQs located in the Erie / Niagara County region.
The number is exceedingly small.
Roch can add Xa few fortune 500 companies to the mix.
The real source of revenue streams for the Bills is in Toronto.
Unless they effectively tap corporate dollars in Toronto, the team will not be able to compete with other more lucrative locations.
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I'll leave Kelsay out because I agree with you re: him based on his production
re: the other 2 -
-There is a new cap in the NFL and many fans are still shocked and surprised by the size of the contracts for free agents, but it goes across the board to all teams and not just the Bills.
-Walker played at a level far superior than most Bills fans expected last year. In my view he was our best lineman not named Peters.
-Dockery is a proven road grader and had a decent though maybe unspectacular year. Many fans know what we have in him already from seeing him play with the Skins.
-Lines are only as good as the continuity and chemistry of the 5 guys playing.
-The guys we have played better last year than any Bill's O-line since '96 as far as I am concerned, especially in the pass protection department.
As they play more together, they only are going to improve. This could only be looked at as a positive as I see it.
The point is, these guys ARE decent linemen and the guys upstairs finally did know what they were doing in acquiring them. There are always going to be guys we pick up that don't pan out though too. That's the nature of the sport. The current regime in place has made large efforts to address both lines since arriving.
Still trying to understand how with a pro-bowl LT and 2 other OL who you deem to be very good players, our offense was able to finish in the bottom 3 in most offense categories.
Although the scapegoat is Fairchild, seems to me the OL did not perform as advertised.
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Building the core through the draft is the key. It is exactly how the Chargers, Colts, and Patriots were built. (Although the Patriots do a good job of adding spare parts in FA, typically, as well.) Oh, and I'll toss in the Giants as well. This emphasizes several things.
A) The FO must have a viable blueprint for what they want to build in the first place. Just playing spin the wheel each off-season and trying to score marketing flash isn't a blueprint or a plan.
B) A team needs a core. A core is a group of players that are the leaders of the team. "The navy is run by its chiefs."
C) The draft is the best way to go. Its not about pinching the pennies and winning the battle for "team with the most cap space" -- it's about drafting, developing, and retaining talent so that your franchise doesn't go through 10 year droughts of losing, ineptness, and chasing butterflies. Every team whiffs on draft picks, but successful teams don't make a habit of wasting their picks with nothing to show for it year in and year out. It's like that commercial where the guy buys a painting in an auction house and before he sits back down he wants to sell it. That's not building for the future or investing in your people. That's being a fool.
Until that blue print puts some emphasis on the OL, this team will continue to go no-where.
over the last 10 years, only 3 picks in the top 4 rounds (44 picks) on the OL.
they were forced to overspend big bucks just to field an OL- yet they close the checkbook when it comes to their best and most important LT - which they lucked into.
Theyw have no bonafide player on the roster who can step in at either OT spot if needed.
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Funny, I have come to the same conclusion about you. Jauron has made the most of what he has here, and that hasn't been much.
For years, Butler and Donahoe fiddled with the QB situation, frittering away high draft picks while our offensive and defensive lines collapsed. Early in the decade, we had a wealth of offensive weapons, then Mr. smoke and mirrors (Donahoe) let them all go and changed the focus to defense. We had the continuity of Levy/Phillips for over a decade, now we are playing musical chairs with our coaching staff. With very few exceptions, every time you change coaches, you start over and are nothing more than an expansion team.
Jauron has had two rough seasons in which their has been terrible offenses and defenses. He has squeezed everything he can out of the roster and then some in order to get 14 wins out of the team. If Wilson is smart, he will ignore the fans and Jauron won't even be on the hot seat. It is also stupidity that John Fox is on the hot seat in Carolina. Then again, it is easier to believe you have talent and fire the coach if you don't know how things work in reality.
The reason the Bills look and play like an expansion team is somewhat self-inflicted.
Although with loads of cap room, Marv and Dick voluntarily let go a lot of players who could have been kept as they transitioned to the new approach. However, by gutting the team, they created too many holes to fill in one or even 2 off-seasons. Now if they don't make the playoffs yet again, the team could be starting over one more time with not much to show for it.
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Oh yeah, I agree, him playing just about anywhere has its' value, particularly the Jets. I posted in another thread, teams that would really benefit from him the most (Vikings, Bears, Panthers) all reside in the NFC, and there is no way that the Packers will allow that. If they deal him (I know they won't cut him), it will be to an AFC team. All of the good AFC teams have established vetran QB's. The ony teams, you could maybe make an argument for (mainly because both were playoff teams just two seasons ago) are the Jets and the Ravens. I have said all along, Favre should stay in Green Bay, but, if he played anywhere else, it would be for the Jets. The Chiefs are a bad team. Favre, at best, would make them an 8-8 team.
The Bills are, IMO, just a notch below the surface in the playoff race. Favre might be a big enough difference maker for them (he does have a knack for getting a lot of production out of good, not great receivers), but, as a Bills fan, I know it is pointless to think about that. He could come to WNY, ala Doug Flutie, and "save the franchise", or make them more marketable to the Toronto audience. Either way, it won't happen. Besides, I get the feeling the Bills are in good hands with Edwards.
My preidictions, he ends up in:
4- Baltimore
3- NY Jets
2- Green Bay
1- at home, cheering against the Packers, from his couch
***If Matt Haseelback gets hurt anytime during the season, the resting Brett Favre might be traded to the Seahawhs, to wind his career down, along with Holmgren. If Vinny T was considered a need by a team last season, anything can happen.
Packers may not want Brett in the NFC North - but it could be out of their control.
Any team they trade Brett to can make a 2nd trade and send him to Minn, Detroit or Chicago.
That team would get a pick as compensation for brokering the deal.
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This is the first time in years that the Bills have a top player at any position, why screw around and set the team back?
because the ghost of Stew Barber continues to haunt the team's decision makers
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The Bills can always franchise Evans. Peters OTOH will likely hold-out until Edwards gets injured.
then Peters will return and get injured himself due to all the missed camp tmie
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I'd say the guy they released, Larry Tripplett, was the major part of the problem.
gotta agree that Triplett was a big part of the problem -
so what possible explanation is there for continuing to play Triplett ahead of McCargo?
Was McCargo injured and couldn;t handle more snaps?
Are the coaches so commited to the loyalty that bad players can't be replaced mid-season?
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Gotta Agree.
We're not above the Texans or Panthers yet until we actually play a game.
and until Andre Johnson and Steve Smith get hurt.
Those 2 alone keep their teams ahead of the Bills
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They dont have to be fat but they do need to be able to anchor.......
They have to be able to slow down and muck up the middle of the OL and make sure that ball carrier does not emerge outside the other side of the pile....
If they are doing that they are doing their job in run support
that's why a guy that is 6'-6" and 310# has teh leverage to be a gap shooter but not the bulk in his butt to anchor playing on the nose.
If teh Bills improve against the run, it will be because the DL is causing havoc in the backfield, not because they are overpowering and "stuffing" anyone.
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Really??? He seemed to make 3 pro bowls as a 310 lbs. guy. And 3rd and a 5th for a pro bowl time talent at DT is not a lot. If everyone sucks on the Bills like you think, why do you spend so much time here? Is your life that boring?
Stroud was a good player - he was the gap shooter next to John Henderson.
expecting Stroud to come to Buffalo and become a run stuffer to clog the middle is doing him a mis- service. Stroud, if healthy, will bring the most value if he had someone next to him playing the John Henderson role.
Unfortunately Kyle Williams isn;t quite to that level.
Since we have no true nose tackle, I hope the Bills finally concede the point and let both DTs attack the back field and shoot the gaps on every play.
The LBs will need to fill the gaps created by such an approach and it remains to be seen if they are good enough toi make this work.
Pretendng Kyle Williams is a nose tackle, though, is not the answer.
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Good Stuff. I certainly am banking on Stroud being a stud and the cog of the Bills' defense. If his injury was still nagging him, I'm sure the Bills and their trainers would have picked up on it during their extensice and thorough research. The other d-tackles will prosper greatly with Stroud facing double teams too. I see this defense being a top-10 unit!
well - we paid a lot
hopefully we get production of the field.
Stroud may be a good player - but he only weighs 310 pounds and is 6'-6" - not exactly the prototypical DT. I do believe this author's optimism in his abilty to tie up numberous blockers and stuff the run all by himself is being just slightly exagerated.
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Despite the improvement by the Fins, the Bills will still sweep them. The Jets improved and may be able to take a game. And the Pats might rest their starters in the season finale and allow the Bills to win. So the division record likely will be the same (4-2) as last year. Outside of those games, the Bills play the NFC West, with only the Seahawks being a tough team, and the Bills get them at home to start the season. The teams I can't see them beating are the Jaguars, Chargers, Browns, and Broncos, given the quality and/or location of the games. So that's 10-6. Maybe take another win away and they go 9-7.
I agree on defense. On offense, I don't think that team can simply ignore Hardy when he lines up on the outside, or that DB's will be able to jam him and keep him on the LOS. That should take pressure off of Evans.
Miami will pound the ball on the ground. It is not a lock the Bills will sweep. Bills will have trouble with all brute force teams since they are small in the middle of the DL, even with their additions.
Hardy could not beat the jam in college, why so sure NFL CBs who are bigger, faster and better won't give him trouble and disrupt the timing of the pattern?
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As I said earlier, I think Albert can make a pretty good OT in the pros, but I believe he could be an all pro caliber guard also. Still, if he plays @ tackle, I do not believe he'll embarrASS himself @ all.
yeah- but we aleready have those studs Matt Murphy and Kirk Chambers at OT.
Where would the roster spot come from if they had drafted Albert?
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Arizona can be explosive, especially if Leinart asserts himself. But I would say Cleveland's O is the scariest. But we shut down the Dallas O on MNF, so why not again?
Go Bills.
shut down the Dallas O?!
yeah OK
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Do you think that McCorner will be one of the best CBs of all time?
maybe, but by that time he will be playing for someone else
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3.9 according to the stats.
Or don't those stats stand now?
What about his 10.5 sacks allowed? Relevant?
I should actually know better than to ask that last one. Of course it's not, here. Now if we were discussing the Fins or Jets it would be the only stat that mattered though.
good thing we picked up the TE that helped him pile up those 10.5 sacks.
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Didn't he get cut already?
not yet ,
but give him time
he did get by 3 different teams in 2007 ( Raiders, Miami and Detroit)
so he must be good :
ESPN rates LBs
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
Their HGH program definitely improves the grade.
Able to keep those old, savvy LBs around to exploit the stolen play calls.