2003Contenders

I just heard Kiper say something about Cutler that makes him undraftable as a Buffalo QB if true. He has small hands. In bad weather conditions, that is the kiss of death for a QB.

Since the Jets have SO many needs, I would expect them to move down if given the opportunity. If Mangini has learned anything from his days in New England, you have to think that is exactly what the Jets plan on doing. That being the case, the partner willing to trade up with the Jets would likely be targeting Ferguson. So I don''t think it is fair to assume that the Jets' trading out of that spot is good news for us.

Well, suppose that we address the glaring OL and DL needs in free agency, which I expect Marv and the gang to do. Remember also that we have 4 day-one draft picks, all in the early part of each round. From that perspective I would not be nearly as upset about drafting a QB in the first round. Let's face it. With TD, MM, and now apparantly Sam Wyche all gone, there is no one left willing to go down with the ship over JP. I am personally not ready to give up on the kid just yet, but if the new administration isn't sold on him... Still, I think some of this could be gamesmanship from Marv, trying to see if some team that is interested in selecting Cutler may trade with the Bills -- or even trade up ahead of them so that another top 7 player falls to us. And it could just be that he likes the kid -- even though he may not want to draft him. After all, there are a lot of players to like in this draft -- but only a small number will be drafted by the Buffalo Bills.

Note that the report on the Jets' liking Cutler said that they would be interested in trading DOWN to draft him, meaning that they would not take him with the #4 pick.

In that scenario, I'd be inclined to go with the CB Williams. In fact, if he is still there, I suspect there would be a market to move down with a trading partner.

Actually there is some misinformation being spread around about Henderson. He and the Lions have agreed in priciple, but he has yet to sign a contract with them. Hmmmmm.

One other thing that just occurred to me. If memory serves me correctly, the Packers were not the only team interested in drafting JP. The Rams were supposedly very interested in him too. Now, was it Martz that liked him or Fairchild? One would assume that Fairchild, the team's former QB Coach would have had a say, just as Wyche was a big proponent of our trading up to get JP. Thus, for those who thought one of the advantages to bringing Sherman in was that he was high on JP -- well, maybe we are in the same situation with Fairchild. Count me as one of those who is cautiously optimistic. He managed to get pretty good QB play out of a variety of different guys over the years -- and I don't think that it was all Martz.

I wonder how close he and Sherman are? Is it possible that during his deliberation he gave Sherman and call to get his take on the situation? If that is the case, you'd expect that the feedback he got wasn't good. Either... 1. Sherman has sour grapes for not getting the job and tells Bates how much the opportunity would suck. Or... 2. Sherman turned down the Bills job -- and he emphasizes his reasons for having done so, letting Bates know how much the opportunity would suck.

Any idea how much he was scheduled to make as Packers' DC?

Also, let's not forget that the most important place to find quality OL and DL that will make an immediate impact for us will be in free agency. Remember back to the 2003 draft, at this time that year our greatest need was at LB. After we went out and got TKO, that need was mitigated. We're still going to need some linemen, even if we do land 2 or 3 really goo dones in free agency, but remember also that we have 4 day one draft picks this year. Even if we only invest, say, 2 of them on linemen, that still gives us 2 picks to use on other positions. Remember also that we have a new regime in charge now, which means that they are going to be less inclined to ride the wave of players that the former regime placed a great deal of faith in. That is to say that if Cutler is as good as some of these recent reports suggest, then it may be worth the risk to pull the trigger. With JP still being an unknown commodity and Holcomb inadequate, it's not as if the QB position isn't one of need for us.

If you're right that there are 7 blue chippers in this draft, then I say our odds are pretty good to land one of them at 8, since one of the teams picking 1-7 is likely to do something really unorthodox (i.e. stupid). If all else fails, it wouldn't be the end of the world (to me) if we took Cutler. I saw on the NFL Network the other night where Mayock had him ranked AHEAD of Leinart.

Mike Martz is still lingering out there.

Recall that the 82 Dolphins went back and forth between the supremely talented but inexperienced David Woodley and the weak-armed but very cerebral Don Strock. Word was that the players had little faith in Woodley -- and that they didn't especially like his personality. Meanwhile, Strock was a locker room favorite and the chosen starter by his teammates. Their #1 defense was good enough to get them to the Super Bowl, despite the shortcomings of both QBs. Of course, they lost to the Redskins. I bring this up because I see some of the similarities between those two guys and the two we have on hand. How did the Dolphins' situation resolve itself? Well, the front office must have felt that a NONE OF THE ABOVE answer was in order. With their very next draft pick they selected a guy named Dan Marino. Woodley faded into oblivion, Strock became one of the all time great clipboard QBs, and the rest -- as they say -- is history.

Actually a change in scenario COULD do Ramsey some good. He's always been treated as something of a red-headed stepchild in Washington. His first coach, Spurrier, was so disenchated with the team's decision to draft him, that he tried to trade him BEFORE he even showed up for training camp. Truthfully, he was never a good fit for "the ball coach's" Fun N Gun offense, and Spurrier preferred our own Shane Matthews for that cap-gun attack. When Joe Gibbs came in, the first thing he did was sign Mark Brunell to a ridiculous contract -- and annoint him the starter. Brunell stunk it up so bad, that Gibbs was forced to indert Ramey for the final few games of the season. Ramsey proved to be an improvement -- and was named the starter going into 2005. That lasted all of two quarters. After getting knocked out of the season opener against the Bears, Brunell came in -- and never relinquished the starting job. The injury gave Gibbs the excuse he needed to make the inevitable switch back to his chosen QB. Considering the success the Skins had this year, I can't say that anyone can blame Gibbs for going that direction. The bottom line is that Ramsey simply was not HIS guy, as he inherited him from a coach that really didn't want him either. I fail to see the comparison to JP -- other than they went to the same school. In fact, JP's first season there he backed Ramsey up. Think of Ramsey as a younger version of Bledsoe: great arm but little mobility. I think in the right system with a quality OL, he could be a quality NFL starter. Based on what I just said, Ramsey and Buffalo may not be a match made in heaven. Still, if he comes cheap he could provide a reasonable alternative to Holcomb and/or JP if neither QB proves to be up to the challenge.

Nah, I think Pittsburgh still would have found a way to beat the Bengals even with Palmer in there.

I live in the DC area and am pretty much forced to keep up with the latest Redskins' goings on. This is the first I have heard of any such trade. Everyone knows that Ramsey is the odd man out in Washington, who is facing some serious cap problems this year. I suspect if any team is interested in acquiring him, all they need to do is wait until the Redskins cut him. The Redskins' front office has a pattern of ineptitude when it comes to dealing with the players that they plan on cutting. Last year they made it no secret that they were prepared to move on without Rod Gardner. They were lucky to get a 6th round pick for him from Carolina as a result. They've telegraphed the same message regarding both Ramsey and Lavar Arrington this year. Look for them to get a mid-round pick at best for Arrington now.

Great work! Still, in the final analysis, any head coach is only as good as his supporting cast. That includes assistant coaches, the front office, and the players. Jauron had some issues with all three of these phases during his time in Chicago -- some of it out of his control and some of it not. He can start things off right by binging in some high quality coordinators.

And in the What-Have-You-Done-for-Me-Lately world of the NFL, Sherman's Packers will have a top 5 draft pick in April.

I vote for the third category but add the caveat that I think Soprano believed his "source". Perhaps it was that the joke was on him in the sense that his "source" probably buffaloed him.

Like I said, maybe GW learned from his first time out -- and he is clearly saying the right things here. However, it is very diffcult for a control freak to change the way he does things.

I think that is an unfair assessment, as Danny Boy is a rich boy trying to play fantasy football with real money and real people's lives. With all of the money he's spent -- and the SERIOUS cap problems that lie on the horizon -- aside from this season, the Redskins have actually been WORSE in this millenium than our beloved Bills. It sounds like the decision to bring in DJ was really Marv's. It remains to be seen whether or not this was the RIGHT choice or not, but at least I am glad that Ralph is leaving it up to his chosen GM to makes these decisions himself, rather than imposing his own point of view. One thing that Danny Boy never has understood is that, more than any other sport, the best teams in the NFL are the teams with the best whole, rather than just a sum of their parts. Even though we may not see DJ as the best possible candidate, maybe he fits best into the framework of what Marv is trying to put together. I'm willing to give the golden boys the benefit of the doubt... for now.

Welcome, Portisizzle. I too live in Redskins country and am very impressed by the job that GW has done as your DC. However with that said, there is a difference between being a fine coordinator and a great head coach. Much of that comes down to personality and the ability to delegate, which I've always felt were the reasons why GW was a failure as the Bills' head coach. That doesn't mean that he can't be another Belichick and learn from his first go-round. However, even in Washington, he plays the bad cop to Joe Gibbs' good cop, which has always been a pattern for Gibbs. In that way, Gibbs has always managed to somewhat distance himself from the dirty work, while allowing his assistants to handle that for him. Meanwhile, Gibbs himself is so strong at the PR game, that he normally deflects criticism well. (Think about the Arrington dealings early this season -- as well as the Portis situation in preseason.) This showcases Gibbs' delegation skills, but it doesn't always set his assistants up to succeed. For example, as successful as Gibbs has been, he never really had any proteges follow in his footsteps.

Why so sure that JP won't get a chance to start? The Bears drafted both McCown and Grossman during Jauron's days there -- and both were given playing time. In fact, McCown started early before the Bears realized he couldn't play.

I have three schools fo thought... 1. As we've mentioned, this is the most important decision that Marv and Ralph will make. Thus, there is nothing wrong with being VERY thorough here and interviewing every logical candidate. 2. Maybe the golden boys are stalling a bit on purpose. There is only one other vacancy out there -- and maybe they want the Raiders to fill that first. Then there will be no other competetion and the Bills will hold all of the cards. Of course, the flaw to this line of thinking is that Sherman, for example, does have some leverage in the sense that he can just sit on his rear-end this year and still collect the $3.25 M that Green Bay owes him. 3. Maybe there is still someone coaching in the playoffs that they are waiting on. Whisenhunt? Grimm? Kubiak? (I know he's supposedly on his way to Houston, but...) After all, Mularkey's delayed decision cost them the opportunity to interview prospective coaches during that allowable first week of the playoffs. Like everbody else, I'm sitting on pins and needles here -- and am very anxious. Still, if taking a few extra days means uncovering a better candidate, then I am all for it. Let's just hope that after all of this deliberation, we don't wind up with someone as lightweight as Jauron.

If it is Sherman that comes in, I would have no problem with his former OC, Tom Rossley. Despite all these notions that the Packers' offense was as good as it was ONLY because of Farve, look at how effectively the Packers RAN the ball. Over the years, Ahman Green has put up some obscene numbers. And even in this miserable 2005 season where the Packers OL was depeleted -- and they were down to their 4th or 5th RB, a guy named Sam Gado scored 6 TDs (more than Willis) in just 8 starts.