2003Contenders
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Josh Reed actually proved himself to be somewhat useful -- and even made some clutch catches here and there... Before the season I never thought I'd advocate bringing him back next year.
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I agree that a quality pass-catching TE is very important. Need evidence, you need look no further than Drew Bledsoe. In his best days in NE he had Ben Coates. In his one good season with us he had Riemersma -- I know not much but still he had pretty good hands. I don't think it's any coincidence that Drew's coming back down to earth the following season was at least partially because JR was sent packing... It's also no coincidence that having Jason Witten this year has allowed him to make a comeback in Dallas.
Hind-sight is 20-20 but for those who say that taking Willis with that #1 pick back in 2003 wasn't such a bad thing because TD still landed the guy he wanted in the second round (with Kelsay). Well, what if we had taken Kelsay with that first pick -- and then selected Witten in the second round?
My point is that the TE posiiton has been just as neglected as the OL that everyone keeps complaining about.
Let's hope Everett can make a full recovery by next season.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Adams the brain-child behind the Erik Flowers selection back in 2000? If memory serves me correct, he was the loudest voice pining for this late riser based on a supposedly incredible private workout.
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I don't think MM and TD missed the boat with JP being named starter this year as much as they were simply wrong about everything else around him. Look at the Bears. They are proof that that formula: strong defense and decent rushing attack can mask the shortcomings of an inexperienced QB. If anything, Orton was even less effective than JP. The sad truth is that our own coaching staff overrated our defense -- and understimated the lengths that opposing defenses would go to to stop our rushing attack.
Also, I don't think that starting Holcomb every game would have meant the playoffs for this team either. I think there was a conflcit in philosophy back in February, where someone -- be it Wyche or MM -- felt that the best thing to do for JP was to provide nothing in the way of a challenge and name him the uncontested starter going in. I think perhaps that whoever made the ultimate decision was looking too closely at things that happened with other teams -- namely Cinci and Pittsburgh -- without regards to our own situation.
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I think part of the problem this year is that MW found himself in TD's and MM's doghouse for reportedly refusing to redo his contract to free up cap space.
I am not one to say that a guy has no heart. But one of the qualifications to play OL in the NFL is the ability to play through pain. We all have a different threshold for pain. When I hear the things that guys like Mark Schlereth played through, I can't imagine EVER being so impervious to pain.
While MW may have all of the talent in the world, clearly he misses the mark on the pain threshold requirement. Again, I know that is easy for me to say, but I'm also not the one making $5 - $10 M per year with the natural (and unnatural) abilities to play through an incredible amount of pain.
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The only thing I will say is that the last time JP came off the bench in a game, he led us to victory against the Chiefs. Maybe MM is planning on starting Kelly, but will insert JP once we inevitably see that we are losing? Remember, even before Kelly got knocked out of that game, we heard that MM was planning on using both QBs.
Just a thought. And, even though I advocate going with one QB and sticking with him, there is no denying that teams defend these 2 QBs differently. Do you think Denver would have only rushed 2 or 3 defenders on most passing downs against JP, as they did against Kelly last week?
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That $12M guaranteed up-font money is too much to give him at this stage of his career. If he plays, say, only one year of it, then it would cost us $8 M against the cap just to release him -- and that doesn't even count the unamoratized portion of his orginal signing bonus.
Much is going to depend on how much EM really wants to be back and how much of a cut he is willing to accept.
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Two things:
1. Even with such a great stat line, the Browns STILL lost that game.
2. These aren't the same Bengals.
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Back to the Johnson Flutie thing...
For all of the speculation that we have that TD is a control freak, I really do think that this particular decision was all GW. It would have been perfectly in keeping for GW to have felt that he ALONE could take this talented but fragile young QB and mold him into being a superstar. He had recruited Mike Shepard, Holmgren's QB coach to take over as GM -- and he was convinced that RJ would thrive in the West Coast offense.
TD, meanwhile, had just come from ESPN, where as an analyst when asked about the QB situation in Buffalo, he cited Flutie's record as a starter and asked "What's the question?"
I think GW sold TD on the point that past injuries had made RJ something of an unknown commodity, while Flutie's age provided lesser upside. GW went through the motions of talking to the players in the clubhouse about their opinions -- but his decision was clearly made up.
Sadly it was this arrogance that marked GW's career in Buffalo, and I am sure he is feeding off of this "Defensive genius" stuff we keep hearing out of Washington.
All of which is to say... when making a list for the prosecution regarding TD's failures in Buffalo, I'd pass on this particular allegation.
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The truth of the matter is that our team was never well equiped to handle those strong NFC East teams that were so tough at the line of scrimmage. We played our best ball in that Giants game -- and darn near won, but the problems that would eventually plague us in the other 3 games began to come into focus in that Giants game.
Remember that Polian originally built that team to thwart Miami, who had primarily owned the division for decades. As such we could score quickly and almost at will to keep up with Marino -- and our pass defense was strong. However, we were not built to handle a consistently strong rushing attack.
Yes, I know that we managed to beat those NFC East teams during the regular season -- but in a winner take all tournament the stakes are very different. We simply did not match up well against those power running teams.
I really think the treat that would have provided the better match-up would have been if the Bills could have faced the 49ers during one of those years. Of course, the 49ers had their own problems getting past those teams as well.
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I could have sworn that the Giants kicked off (after kicking the go-ahead field goal) rather than punting to us for that final drive. Again, maybe I am having selective memory loss.
As far as blame goes, I really have never been one to blame anyone in particular for that loss. It really was a great game: probably the most evenly matched game in Super Bowl history. Everyone wants to discount the Giants, but they were 13-3 just like we were with a GREAT defense that had held the mighty 49ers to just 12 points (I believe) the week before.
Personally, I thought Kelly called a pretty good game. He completed 60% of his passes against a defense that dropped 8 and 9 guys into coverage much of the day. Based on the way the Giants were defending us, he also deserves credit for not throwing any INTs. And he made pretty sound adjustments by getting Thurman involved -- to the point where Thurman would have been the MVP if Norwood's kick had been good.
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Carthon would be the worst possible choice. He has had a history of not being able to get along with the players.
Saunders is intriguing for all of the reasons mentioned. His situation kinda reminds me of Marv's when he was hired back in 86.
I don't know much about Grimm as a coach, but he was a tough SOB as a player. Maybe he could be the solution to the team's mental toughness issue. Could you imagine someone like Mike Williams wimping out on him?
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It really was a classic game -- in my opinion STILL the best Super Bowl ever -- despite our coming out on the losing end. Think back to how well both teams played that day. No turnovers. Few penalties... and a great cat and mouse game by both coaching staffs.
I have always said also that it was unfair to blame Norwood for missing that kick and resting the win or loss on his shoulders. I would say that the biggest reason for losing the game was #3 -- but magnify to say that we lost because our defense could not get off the field. That coupled with the lack of success that the offense had early on, didn't allow the defenders to catch their breath in the humidity of Florida. I also think that if the defense had done a better job on that final drive before the end of the half, we may have taken the G-Men out of playing their brand of football in the second half.
One question -- as time has dimmed my memory... That final drive I believe started out on the 10-yard line. Was there a penalty -- or just a horrible run back? I'd have to say that starting out on the 25 -- or even the 20 may have meant a difference in the outcome of that drive.
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JDG,
That may be true, but if MM is putting all of his hopes on Kelly Holcomb, then he is even dumber than any of us thought.
Personally, I want JP back on the field ASAP. I'm not convinced that he's rid his mind of that horrible game-turning interception that he threw at the goal line against Miami. Any positive progress he can make going forward would mean bigger kudos (from me at least) to MM than praying that Kelly can somehow muster a victory.
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By turning down a proposed (if this report is true) long-term contract, he has ensured himself of being tendered the small qualifying offer that will be impossible for another team to best without having to give up draft picks. Thus, he has no leverage, as the Bills hold all of the cards.
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MM is trying to be coy here.
Either...
1. JP is fine and will start, and MM is just sending up a smoke screen for a "competetive advantage"
or
2. JP's injury is more severe than they are letting on.
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Considering that he'll be a restriced free agent -- and that he was a walk-on and not even a draft pick, it would take a very small tender to lock him up. It's actually pretty dumb on his part not to sign a long term deal.
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I am not defending TD because I think his time in Buffalo is up -- and nothing short of a miraculous turnaround next year will ever get the fan base back.
Still, I think that SOME of the criticism aimed at him is unfair, especially regarding his perceived lack of attention to the OL. Yes, Mike Williams has turned out to be a huge (literally and figuratively) bust. But, in selecting him with the 4th overall pick, TD was trying to address that need. Also, I don't think that it was until this year that we all finally came to the conclusion that MW was indeed a bust. After all, he played pretty well down the stretch last year. In fact, the whole line played pretty well by year's end.
Yes, TD didn't sign any big name FAs to the OL in the off-season. But look at what was available. There is a reason that the Niners overpaid for Jonas Jennings; he was the only halfway decent LT on the market. I don't think anyone here wishes that we had overpaid to retain him, considering the 49ers' poor return on investment.
What about the draft? Well, there wasn't much in the way of quality-can't-miss OL in last year's crop. Personally, I was hoping that TD would trade up to get Barnes -- but who's to say that he didn't try to do that? Remember the trouble TD had trying to throw Henry in with the purpose of trading up with Arizona? There really wasn't anyone special there when TD took Parrish. (I'm not defending the Parrish pick; just saying that there wasn't a good OL alternative at the time). Also, he did go on to draft Preston and Geisinger. Preston may even move into the starting Center job next season. And who's to say that Geisinger isn't a decent pick.
I guess my point is that I can understand what Mort was trying to say. Sometimes you just have a bad year. This year we had the horrible mix of young, not ready for primetime players (JP) with too many over-the-hill guys (Vincent and Milloy).
I think TD has suffered from two flaws:
1. The Richard Nixon syndrome. Nixon was so paranoid that everyone was out to get him that he put so many things inplace that actually gave his enemies ample ammunition to oust him. TD has suffered from this kind of paranoia, since losing that power struggle with Cowher in Pitt. Thus, he has remained determined not to ever name another coach that he feels will ever rise to the level of challenging his authority. In essence, he's become a victim of his own insecurities, as neither lightweight coach has panned out.
2. He's too wrapped up in the fixing today's problems without being proactive about tomorrow's. FOr the past two years the defense has carried the team, while the offense has left the defense out to dry. Thus, TD has approached the draft looking to fill up on offensive skill positions. In essence, he ignored the defense -- and wasn't smart about developing quality depth for injuries and the inevitable cruelty of father time. Thus, this year we saw an offense striving to work its way up from the bottom -- and a defense on its inevitable way down. Not a good combination.
Right now the Bills are a bad team. Some of that is a product of a cyclical process -- and part of it is due to some bad decisions made by TD and staff. Imagine how difficult it will be attracting free agents this off-season, let alone a new qualified GM!
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Assuming that we wind up with picks 5-8, that places us in almost the same situation we were in back in 2002, when there was no clear cut #4 pick. That also kills us in terms of being able to trade down.
We might as well upset the Bengals this week and beat the Jets. Then we're picking in the early teens, getting better value for our pick -- and not paying so much money for an unproven rookie.
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The problem with Sullivan is that he has no credibility. He reminds me of a message board poster on a crusade that ultimately gets banned. He simply hates the front office and always has -- so almost every article is slanted that way. Even when he does make a valid point it is hard to give him much credit for it -- kinda like the boy who cried wolf.
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Jim Kelly never threw 24 picks in a season. Heck, he never threw as many as 20.
Not beating up on ol number 4, because I really do like him. In fact, I've always seen him and Kelly as very similar QBs. Tough, great in the cold weather. But for as many games as Favre has single-handedly won -- he's also single-handedly lost his share of games too.
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Nah, that knee injury was pretty bad. It's actually career threatening. Even if he comes back next year, it won't be until midway through the season. I find it funny that he claims that he'll be "faster".
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Recall that Ralph does not like paying top dollar for head coaches, and MM still has a number of years to go on his existing contract. Even GW was not fired as has been often misquoted in the press. He completed his 3-year contract and was not asked to return. Even in Wade's case, remember that RW claimed that he essentially "quit" by being "insubordinate".
We can only hope that TD's contract extension was only for one year and that RW is willing eat that final year.
Positives from this season...
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
The team always looked pretty sharp and ready to play (save for the second NE game) at the outset of each game. The problems came from the 2nd quarter on.
What does this mean? I think our coaching staff showed that they are pretty good Monday-Saturday, when the game planning is done. However, they are missing something on gameday -- when adjustments are made.
That is one thing that I DID like about the coaching staff in the Cinci win. They showed some ingenuity -- and even some gumption in arguing their case related to the refs' near botch of the on sides kick. Really, it may have been an aberration -- but MM outcoached Marvin Lewis in that game. Let's see if the trend continues against the Jets. After all, MM himself can use a confidence booster heading into the off-season, supposing that he's back next year.