2003Contenders

Allow me to be the first to say that I wonder if this has anything to do with his contract situation. He was holding out hope that he and the team could reach an agreement on an extension -- and was willing to put off the surgery until such time. Now that it is apparent that no deal will be reached prior to next off-season, he has decided to take care of numero uno and get the surgery done now -- so as not to aggravate it and fail to cash in on the free agent market.

Actually that is not how I remember it. The Bills dealt with Schobel in the same fashion by refusing to renegotiate. Schobel then held a silent protest by skipping voluntary OTAs, but showed up for mandatory workouts. His deal was worked out shortly thereafter. In fact, Peters and Parker should have used this blueprint to get what they want -- if, in fact, they really do want an extension. But, as I said earlier, has Peters ever come right out and said that he was not showing up until the two sides started working on an extension?

Have we actually seen any quotes at all come out of the Parker/Peters camp? They haven't returned calls to the front office or media -- and the only evidence that we have that Peters is even alive is that he has sent Dockery a few text messages. I just find the complete and utter silence very strange. And it isn't Parker's MO either, as Jackson, Hester and Harvey all made it loud and clear what their financial expectations were (prior to getting their raises). Something just smells funny here. I can't even speculate, but could it be that the dude isn't really after a contract extension at all -- and just simply no longer wants to play football?

Living in the DC area and being FORCED to watch the whole game last week with Theismann and Patrick gave me new appreciation for Tasker and Bentley.

Hardy actually looked pretty good in the blocking department last night. He was in on one block that sprung Marshawn for a pretty good gain.

The Bills swept the Jets last year (by the skin of their teeth in both games). Adding Favre also decreases the likelihood of that happening again this year.

Actually, I wouldn't mind Favre going to the Jets. The Bills have a pretty food record against Mr. Favre. The likes of JP (in 2006) and RJ (in 2000) managed to take care of ol' number 4. Of course, Bledsoe and the gang lost to the Packers at Lambeau in 2003, but it wasn't like Favre did much in that game. 10-0 if I remember correctly.

The critical difference between Peters and all of these other guys who did get new deals is that all of the other guys made it a point to show up for the MANDATORY sessions. I believe that Peters made his point by skipping the voluntary OTAs. Then he should have shown up to the mandatory ones and specifically communicated his displeasure with his current contract situation. Perhaps then he could have gotten the ball rolling on a new deal. As it is now, he and his agent have lost valuable time and possibly generated some ill will. As it is, Peters has played one exceptional year at LT -- a year that was cut short by injury. For all we know, he is damaged goods, since he hasn't shown his face in months. The timing here seems very strange to me, but that appears to be the paradigm for this Eugene Parker clown: Hester wanting elite WR money when he hasn't proven he can play the position yet, Steven Jackson holding out after an injury-riddled season, and Ryan Grant (who was a nobody prior to last season) claiming that the Packers have insulted him. Only one of these players got what he wanted -- and that was Hester, who actually reported to camp BEFORE the Bears buckled.

I don't ever recall hearing that Spoon had motivational problems. He actually made a pretty good contribution as a rookie, got hurt, the front office signed Fletcher and that was pretty much it for him in Buffalo.

That term West Coast offense gets thrown around so much these days that I am not sure that many of these pundits even know what a TRUE West Coast Offense is. Considering the plan of having a rhythm passing game where Trent is asked to make quick decisions, get the ball out of his hand quickly on 3 and 5 step drops -- and to have a heavy emphasis on the SHORT passing attack, I can see where the West Coast Offense conversation is coming from.

Rock Cartwright

I hope this is sarcasm. It's now become pretty evident that it was Ralph who made the decision to go with RJ over Flutie. As for Wade being in the hot seat in Dallas because of Garrett looking over his shoulder, note that it was the Cowboys' OFFENSE that melted down at the end of last season and cost them in the playoffs.

Let's also remember that the Whitner pick was in many ways a symbolic one. It was the first draft selection of the new (i.e post-Donahoe) regime. Marv wanted to put a stamp of consensus on this team, and I really do believe that the selection of Whitner was the one pick that EVERYONE could live with. That is, there were some in the War Room that liked Ngata and others who didn't. There were some that REALLY wanted us to trade down -- and others that didn't. Selecting Whitner with that pick was a move that everyone in that room was willing to accept and endorse at that time. From that standpoint, I believe that the pick was a successful one, and it has helped to foster a management style that has continued even after Marv left the team. The days of Donahoe's micromanaging are over.

It seems that every other rookie has been referenced in some manner or other in OTAs, but I haven't heard a peep about Ellis. Anyone know how he looks?

I would expect more from you that this, obie_wan. While it is true that we have no way of knowing how well Hardy will translate to the NFL, the fact remains that he was drafted to provide us with more of a redzone presence. So, while it may be true that this projected 40 catches may not dwarf the 51/35 you cited from Reed and Parrish respectively last year, the reality is that much depends upon the manner in which Hardy is used. For example, how many TDs did Reed and Parrish score last season? Since I expect Hardy's primary focus to be in the red zone in his rookie season, there is a good chance that 20-25% of his catches could result in TDs.

It may also have been JP's best game as a pro. At least it was his best in 2007.

Agreed. I remember that draft very well. Flowers was a late riser whose stock shot up thanks to the Senior Bowl and great workout numbers. However, he was not productive at all in college. That pick certainly went against the grain of what the Bills normally did (and still do). Tillman was a real reach. We absolutely needed to come out pf the draft with a quality DB, and Butler elected to jump in at the end of a run, rather than taking the BPA. I have to admit that I was excited about the Moore pick, because he had been such a sack-master at VT. I'm not sure if his off-the-field problems were what ultimately did him in -- or if he was just too small to play in the NFL. Black was one of those "I'm smarter than everyone else picks" because there were plenty of other more productive WRs on the board at the time; another case of drafting a guy based on a great 40 time that hadn't shown that he could play football.

I look at it this way. McGee and Greer remain incumbent starters. McKelvin replaces Webster (Regardless of how well the rook plays, I call that an upgrade, since Webster was on IR virtually all of last year. If he catches on quick, he moves Greer to nickel.) James replaces Thomas (Upgrade) Youboty and Corner duke it out for the 5th spot (Both COULD make it if Youboty shows anything at all.) Cox is probably destined for the practice squad, depending upon the outcome of Youboty vs. Corner. If McKelvin is everything the Bills believe he can be, then I have to say that I REALLY like the foursome of McGee/McKelvin/Greer/James in dime situations.

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't Anthony Thomas released after the season? If nothing else, maybe Omon can fill that role.

In fairness, Mort was not critical at all of the McKelvin pick.

Schefter just reported that the Ravens are still trying to work out a deal with the Rams to move up to 2.

I guess the Skins were so impressed with Malcolm Kelly after all.

Why do the Cowboys want to move him?

Well, he did say he was 80% certain DE.

I thought Evans was signed through 2009.