2003Contenders

Considering the number of holes that they have to fill (especially if they do part ways with Jason Peters) the team can put everyone's fears to rest by taking the best available player, especially with their first selection. If that best player happens to be at a position that does not need attention (say, CB) then they should trade down (assuming they can find a trading partner). Pretty simple, huh?

I don't think it matters too much, to be honest. Regardless of whether the Bills finished in 1st or last place in 2008, they would still have to play those 6 division games -- in which we went 0-6 last year. The year before that the team went 4-2 in the division and finished in 2nd place. So, who knows? The truth of the matter is that the team only got beaten badly in one of their 9 losses last year, the one against the Cardinals -- the eventual NFC Super Bowl representative. With just some minor improvements the team should win at least half of their division games; they should at least NOT be 0-6 again. Outside the division, it's anybody's guess.

Based on what Modrak said a couple of months back -- and assuming the team's evaluations haven't changed, I would expect them to grab Orakpo in a heartbeat.

The Broncos were smart to announce their intentions of trading Cutler by draft day. It created a frenzy and a bidding war. If the Bills really feel that they can't sign Peters long-term, they should do the same.

Yep. Hindsight is NOT always 20/20. That is, there are many flawed recollections of Williams' tenure in Buffalo. He was actually pretty darn good as a rookie, helping keep Bledsoe on his feet well enough to break some of the team's single-season passing records. I also remember Williams receiving heaps of praise after that magical 2-0 start in 2003, which consisted of blowouts against the Pats and Jags. That was followed by the Miami melt-down, where the offense couldn't score (and Gilbride called that now infamous Travis Henry pass play down around the end zone!) That game proved to be the beginning of the end for a lot of people, including Gregg, Gilbride, Bledsoe and Big Mike. I don't recall ever thinking again that Big Mike was going to be a perennial All Pro tackle.

Why the negativity? Why don't we give the guy a chance? I can't see that he's done anything to deserve your scorn? So what if his primary background is in marketing? Butler was a scout by trade -- and did a decent job acquiring talent (until he didn't care anymore and botched the last couple of drafts), but (with all due respect to the departed) he was also a HORRIBLE business manager -- which placed the team in a tough position financially. Has everyone forgotten the cap hell he left behind? Donahoe tends to be vilified here -- and he deserves it for 5 non-playoff seasons and two bad coaching hires. However, he did a very good job of cleaning up the salary cap mess and placing the franchise back on solid financial footing. I think his biggest problem is that -- whether it is true or not -- he was at least perceived as an autocrat. Thus, Ralph responded by hiring Marv (and then Brandon) as consensus builders. I think it is unfair to suggest that Jauron's staying on board shows that Ralph doesn't have Brandon's ear. The reason given for keeping Jauron on hand is that the team wanted to maintain a level of continuity. If that is true, it stands to reason that the entire inner circle was involved in the decision to keep Jauron on hand. If it isn't true -- and everyone is just saying the politically correct thing to cover for Ralph's financial decision to keep Jauron and forgo having to pay him his contract on top of a new coach's contract, I don't see how you can suggest that is Brandon's fault. I am not saying that Brandon will be the next Bill Polian, either. I simply have not seen enough to make me believe that he is the answer one way or the other -- and neither have you.

That article was from nearly a month ago.

Look, I am happy that he is no longer the starting Center for the Bills. However, I DID want him to return as a backup. The team really has zero depth now along the interior of the line. What happens if, God forbid one of our guards or our ONLY center goes down for the season? I know the draft is approaching, but the way I look at it, the team probably needs to invest a quality pick on both a guard and a center.

Trade us their two first round picks to move up to 11 and they can have him.

Yea, I am starting to get the feeling that the Bills will take Pettigrew too. The pick will seem almost anti-climatic, as it won't be a great shocker, nor will there be any fear of him NOT being there, since he will certainly NOT be drafted in the top 10. He definitely fills a major need, and appears to be a safe pick. I can't say that I would be jumping for joy with the pick, but I wouldn't be furious -- as I was when the team selected Whitner #8 back in 2006. (I'm not busting on Whitner, because I do like him -- I just wouldn't have selected him with the #8 pick.)

How did that work out for Cleveland with Tim Couch, Houston with David Carr or (so far) Oakland with JaMarcus Russell? That doesn't even count tons of guys like Leaf, Akili Smith, and Joey Harrington that were top 5 picks. It is all a crap shoot.

That's why, in the final analysis, I think Peters WILL get what he wants.

I think that Mayock may be perhaps overrating him because he is something of a bit of a rarity in this year's draft: a genuine bona fide DE that can play LDE in a 4-3. Mayock sees that as a precious commodity. If we were a team like New England that was set with most of our positions and didn't have needs at TE, OL and LB -- not to mention a real pass rush specialist than can compliment, spell (and eventually replace) Schobel, then I wouldn't mind adding a guy like Ayers to the mix. For example, he would probably eventually make the overpaid Kelsay expendable. If we didn't have those other glaring needs, in fact, Ayers would probably be an enticing choice. I think he will turn out to be a good all around player, but he is not the pass rush specialist that this team needs right now.

I am choosing to remain optimistic about this whole thing. There is a great deal that differentiates this off-season as it relates to Peters from last season. For one thing the two sides are at least talking. Last year the stance that OBD was taking is that Peters was currently under contract, and they expected him to honor the existing contract. This year they have made an attempt to reach out and off him a more reasonable pay increase. Now, this may still be well below the market value that Peters and his agent(s) perceive ($3 M per year according to Gaughan). However, at least negotiations are in the works, and if the disparity is between, say, $9 M and $12 M a year, you have to figure that there is a middle ground somewhere. With this in mind, I see no reason why Peters and his agent(s) should make this more contentious than it needs to be. After all, Lee Evans set a nice precedent last season by showing up for all of the workouts and slowly working to get a contract extension that didn't actually see the light of day until after the start of the regular season.

So what would Jauron do if Stafford somehow fell to #11?

Posturing. In the same interview Dick also said he would be more than happy to go into the season with Ellison starting at SLB.

Was it ever confirmed that Gonzo nixed a trade with Buffalo? I know there was speculation about that, but I also heard that, while the Bills had the best offer on the table (a 3rd rounder), the Chiefs were holding out for a 2nd. I know it was rumored that TG really wanted to go to the Giants, but I don't recall him ever publicly saying that he would not play for the Bills. Nor do I remember hearing that the Chiefs had ever agreed in principal on a trade with the Bills.

Actually this could be good news. In the last decade of ineptitude against the Pats, our two best performances against them (the 2003 wonderful 31-0 blowout and the only victory we have had over them since 2000 and the 2006 near-win that came down to a safety) were both in Week 1.

Has the off-season been perfect? No, there are still spots to fill. However, some points I would make: 1. Hangartner is NOT a backup. He played well for Carolina, and they wanted him back but couldn't re-sign him due to cap problems after tagging Peppers. I believe that he will be an upgrade over Preston/Fowler. 2. I think the TO signing trumps anything else they could have done to help the staggering offense. Provided that Owens doesn't turn old overnight, he and Lee form one of the best starting WR tandems in the league. And, now that Reed is the #3, he suddenly becomes an even better asset. 3. By releasing Dockery, the team did seemingly create a new hole. However, given that they released him because he was vastly overpaid for his contributions, it was decidedly addition by subtraction. I am not convinced that the team is done looking for interior line help. I expect that they will take a long look at a C that can also play G in the first 3-4 rounds of the draft. Moreover, there are still options in free agency. Worst case scenario: I can live with Chambers as the opening day starting LG, but the team certainly needs additional depth. 4. Not sure why everyone is so up in arms over Greer being allowed to leave. The fact of the matter is that either Greer or McGee were bound to leave regardless. If Greer could have been had at an economic value, then he would have been retained, which would have sealed McGee's fate heading into next year. I liked Greer, but I am fine with the guys we have: McKelvin/McGee/Florence/Youboty/Corner. 5. I agree that the team has not adequately addressed the need at OLB. It could be that they are waiting for the draft, as rookie LBs, like RBs, tend to produce right away more so than other positions. I don't think they view Thomas as a viable starter -- and probably signed him for depth and for special teams. I know there are still a couple of guys out there in free agency too (like Cato). 6. The real wild card remains Jason Peters. If they can't resign him -- and suddenly we have two major hols on the left side of the line (not to mention a new starter at Center), things could get ugly fast. Personally, I think that a deal will get done, since the Bills are at least open to redoing his deal and have already presented a proposal.

Actually, the WORST thing that could happen is that Trent turn in a JP-from-2006-like performance. That is, that he plays decently at times, but also shows a tendency to stink it up. In that way, we know no more about him than we do now -- and we head into 2010 STILL not knowing whether he is the QB of the future or not. Of course, in hind-sight the coaching staff probably DID know what they had in Losman after 2006 -- after all, they drafted Trent the following year. I view 2009 for Trent as being like Rob Johnson's 2001: this is his year to prove that he is definitely the QB of the future. The team has given him every opportunity to succeed: no other QB looking over his shoulder, a deep WR corp and a quality RB tandem -- the only question is whether or not the OL can hold up.

Is Ralph in the business to make a profit? Of course, he is. He does not want to lose money on the franchise. However, if you don't think he cares about winning, then you must not have been a Bills fan for very long -- or you know nothing about the owner.

I can see the team possibly taking a look at a late-round QB in the draft, but I think the Bills are done at the QB position for 2009 in terms of free agency -- unless someone gets hurt. I believe that the front office and coaching staff have a great deal of confidence in Trent Edwards. They brought in Fitzpatrick, because they view him as an ideal backup: smart, knows his role and has starting experience should Trent get hurt again. (Think Frank Reich.) Now, if Trent doesn't progress beyond what he showed us in the second half of last season, then then 2010 off-season will be much different. However, for 2009, you can save yourself a lot of time by overlooking the QBs that are available in free agency or are possibly on the trading block.

Foster is still out there, right?

Also, I could see the team going OL if one of the big ones not named Andre Smith (Monroe, J SMith, Oher) happens to fall.

What have been the nature of Jennings' injuries with the 49ers? Is he damaged goods?