2003Contenders

The bottom line is that NFL teams place a great deal of importance on NFL CBs. We have seen it already in the pre-free agency market where guys that aren't even household names are making in excess of $7 M per year. I don't know what it would take to re-sign Greer, but if we could do it in the $6-7M range, then I believe that this is money well spent. Rather than the endless revolving door at CB, we would have this position locked up for some time, regardless of what happens with McGee next season. Someone also mentioned that signing Greer could even afford the team the flexibility of moving one of the other corners to FS. That is a definite possibility. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to go a few drafts in a row without having to invest a day one pick on a DB?

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I think I understand what you are saying. Look at the Patriots, for example. I rarely look at their drafts and feel like they have just won the lottery. However, they seem to manage to find guys and plug them in without losing a beat, even if some of these guys were viewed as "reaches" by the "experts". Meanwhile, I look back at Millen's Lions, and I have to admit that they really did not seem to reach for many of the players they drafted. Yet their ineptitude continues. The moral of the story is that the Patriots have very good scouts of their own that know how to identify the right guys for their system -- and they could care less about what the draftniks have to say about it. Millen probably based his picks on what Kiper and his ilk had to say, rather than trusting his own scouts. As for Pettigrew, I would imagine that most of the REAL scouts out there probably were not surprised very much by his 40 times. Speed was NEVER a big positive of his. He is an excellent blocker with great hands -- and can read coverage pretty well, which makes him an inviting big target in the short passing game. On the other hand, he is not (and never was) the sort of TE that was going to get deep and be a game breaker. Any team that has moved him down on their draftboard after his combine showing is one whose scouts I would seriously question.

It really is a catch-22, isn't it? And I can't fault the front office too much. While it was a mistake to let Big Pat walk, he was on the backside of 30 at the time he filed for free agency. As much as I liked both Winfield and Clements, they both knew that they were going to get monster deals in the open market, which is why both of them left. You can argue that the Bills should have been more preventative in their contract negotiations and signed these guys to long-term deals BEFORE they became free agents. How's that worked with the Jason Peters situation? It will be REALLY interesting to see how the market goes. With the sagging economy, some of these guys may actually NOT get the huge contracts they are expecting. Also, with the CBA set to run out next year and uncertainties about the future... If Major League Baseball is any indication, there could be good value available to teams that are prudent and PATIENT.

I wouldn't beat up on Brown too much here. I think with the Gross versus Peters thing, he is trying to give us an idea of the kind of money that Peters and his agent are going to demand. Peters is going to remind the team that he has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons and should be paid like one of the top LTs in the league. As for the Turk interview, in a way (and maybe I am reading too much into it), by putting what all Turk said out there, Brown really isn't doing him any favors. Turk comes off as a insecure, dim-witted jerk.

He probably winds up in New Orleans with Gregg... especially since Vilma is being let go.

If the charges against Lynch are indeed true, the absolute worst thing that could happen is that he get off with another slap on the wrist and no suspension from the league. I like the kid, and I want him around for the long haul. But if he keeps "getting away" with the bad decisions he is making, he's not going to change this sort of behavior.

Over the course of the last 3 seasons, Jauron always came across to me as a coach who felt like he had nothing to prove -- and was secure in his job for the long haul. He seemed content to stay the course in situations, where perhaps he needed to take more dire actions. With the way the season ended last year -- and his basically having to talk Ralph out of firing him -- he now knows that he is on the hot seat. It will no longer be enough for him to say "I think we are improving", or "This team is just so young." He knows that the time is now for results -- and I suspect that we just may see a greater sense of urgency out of him and his staff in 2009.

I doubt the reliability of this story. The Pats franchised MC because they need some insurance in case Brady isn't 100%.

Jeff Garcia will wind up as a starter somewhere. So he does not fit the mold of the veteran backup that the team would be looking for.

The fact of the matter is that none of us know the whole story. Lynch's attorney has already thrown out the possibility that A. The gun wasn't his B. The gun was actually in the trunk Now, that could just be an attorney throwing things out there on behalf of his client. However, I honestly want to find out more about the situation before I pass judgment. There are many questions that need to be answered... Was the gun his? Did he have a license/permit for it? Where was the gun located? Why did the police approach the car -- and decide to search it? Assuming it was his, why did he have a loaded gun in his possession? I don't want to fault the police, because for all we know, Lynch and his buddies were creating a public disturbance -- and the police may very well have had probable cause to search the vehicle. I also don't want to jump the gun criticizing Lynch (even for using poor judgment), if he did just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like I said, we really need to hear the facts of the case -- in their totality.

Pretty good recollection, but you forgot one. That would be Billy Joe Holbert, whom Butler gave the Raiders a 3rd round pick to acquire. He didn't even make it through a single season before Marv cut him for admitting that he didn't read his playbook. You know, the more I look back, the less I think of Butler (RIP) as a GM.

And to think back in 2002 the Bills could have drafted Haynesworth ... or Henderson ... or Freeney... or Ed Reed. Instead TD and his buddies opted for Mike Williams instead.

I think based on the fact that he has publicly stated that he wants to be here and that the team is in decent shape where they don't HAVE to sign or draft somebody right away, it makes tons of sense to make every effort to try to sign Greer to a reasonably affordable contract. If they can't do that, I would actually like to see the front office make an attempt to lock in McGee long term.

As great as Montana and Brady both were/are, I think the emergence of Steve Young and Matt Cassel in their absence says a thing or two about the systems that they played in and the supporting talent around them. Personally, I have it as a three-way toss up with all three guys being great QBs that I believe could have flourished in any system or era -- and all (like Brady and Montana) were clutch when it mattered. 1. Unitas 2. Elway 3. Graham

I agree. For a team that needs help in other areas, Clayton could prove to be a somewhat economical choice. He is still young, has good size and actually was VERY good his rookie season. I know he's not been the same since 2004 but injuries and a revolving door at QB has been part of the problem. He would be at least worth throwing into the mix with Johnson and Hardy.

Where did you hear that? I know they had Cutler rated as their highest QB, but Marv said going into the draft that the team did not want to draft a first round QB, since they wanted to give JP another year.

Back in 1986 Jim Kelly said something very similar.

I disagree. I think the team could use another sure-handed veteran receiver. We saw what happened when Josh Reed went down last year. Rocoe is a #4 at best. Who knows if Hardy will even be healthy enough to start the season? I liked what I saw out of Stevie Johnson -- but he had just a handful of opportunities. Now, I am not advocating Porter, because I think the guy is a head-case. But the team could definitely use a good veteran receiver for depth if nothing else.

The team also needs to make a long term decision about what they want to do with Jason Peters.

I know a lot of folks on this board covet Mack in the draft. Is he the best Center suited to take on the massive DTs in the 3-4? If not, who is?

I would probably take Cutler over Trent, although Trent just kicked Culter's hind-end on the field in Week 16. Based on what we saw last year, I would also take Ryan. I am not so sure about Flacco. I would prefer Rodgers NOW, but he has been in the league a couple years longer and got to sit and watch behind Favre. Remember, there was a time when many of us preferred JP to Rodgers.

There is some truth to that. Of course, even when Kelly played there were some fans (albeit a minority of them) that wanted to run HIM out of town too! LOL

Let's be honest. Aside from Bledsoe's great first half in 2002, QB has been a problem for the Bills, since Jim Kelly retired. (I am not forgetting about Flutie either; he managed the offense just well enough to win most games when backed by a stellar defense). I have to admit that I found myself drinking the Trent Edwards koolaide after the 5-1 start. He appeared to have turned the corner and was doing more than just managing the game -- he was actually winning it in the 4th quarter. There are a number of theories for his regression, all of which probably bear some merit: 1. The severe concussion he received in the Arizona game. This would seem to lose credibility when observing that Trent actually had his best day as a professional in his very next start against the Chargers. Of course, the OL did such a good job that day of protecting him that I don't believe he was even touched. Also, look back at that SD game and observe that as error-free as he played, the Bills' offense didn't exactly explode for 40 points. 2. Facing opponents that were familiar with him. Throwing out the Arizona game, in which he played less than a full series, one common denominator with the 4 teams the Bills beat was the fact that none of them had played against Trent before. Beginning with the division free-fall against Miami, all of the opponents had played against him before -- and knew his tendencies. This is not uncommon for a 2nd year player, which is why the notion of a "Sophomore Jinx" exists. It's like a young pitcher in baseball that gets hit hard the 2nd or 3rd time through the batting order. 3. The infamous failure against 3-4 defenses. This certainly spelled doom in the division, as all three of the division foes ran this style of defense. I am still not sure why he struggled so much against this base defense. Was it just coincidence? Or some of #2 I listed above as well? 4. Coaching let him down. Remember, AVP and Turk were both rookies in their respective roles. Will a year of taking their bumps help them mature in year 2? Or are they just over-matched? Also, by his very nature, Dick Jauron is always going to play it close to the vest. His motto seems to be; Keep it close and try to win in the 4th quarter. That's why you are, unfortunately, never going to see one of his teams leading the league in scoring. Even that explosion against KC had a great deal to do with the aberration of turnovers forced by the defense. 5. Key injuries, especially to Josh Reed. When Reed went down, I don't think Trent trusted the other young WRs that had to step up. That was most evident in the Cleveland game, when his confidence seemed shot and he just couldn't pull the trigger. When Bill Parcells was out of football in 2007, he had some great bits of wisdom that he shared on ESPN. Basically he said that a team should have a 4 year cycle plan for a QB. Year 1 you can throw out, since the young man is a rookie and is bound to experience growing pains. Year 2 you need to see positive progression. By Year 3 the QB had better take control of the team -- if not, then you know that you need to find an alternative in Year 4. Obviously the Bills subscribe to this same theory as no QB since Kelly has been a starter for more than 3 years in a row! 2009 is Trent's make or break year. If he can't progress beyond what we saw at the BEGINNING of 2008, then we need to think about upgrading the position in 2010.

What we really need is simply a WR that runs precise routes and catches the ball when it hits his hands. I could live with another Josh Reed, for example. I've said before that it really seemed like Trent's struggles coincided with Reed going down, as the young QB couldn't trust the young WRs to run their routes. Since Roscoe is really more or less a #4 WR, lets just hope that Stevie Johnson can continue to progress and that Hardy has been watching plenty of film during his rehab.