2003Contenders

Thanks!

I must confess that I have not seen much of him, but the word I hear on him is that he is very versatile. I'm wondering if he is capable of being an every-down back -- and if not, could he at least provide a change of pace compliment to A-Train? I'm just thinking that he may be a decent option in the 2nd or 3rd round, rather than going RB in the first.

I am not endorsing a move to get him, but I agree that if the Bills want him, they'll probably have use one of those 3rd rounders to get him. Even with the injury history -- and the possibility that he could sit out his entire rookie season -- SOME team will take a chance on him. The recent success of Frank Gore will drive teams in that direction.

This is all academic anyway, as I have a pretty strong feeling that Willis will be well off the board before we pick at 12.

I have the feeling that Portis is damaged goods.

I have always felt that the #8 pick last year had as much to do with Marv trying to lay the groundwork for being a consensus builder as anything else. One of the major criticisms about TD was that he had a reputation as a control freak and a dictator. Whether that is indeed true or not, I believe that Marv wanted to set the tone by not only avoiding making a unilateral decision -- but making one that everyone on board could live with. I have a feeling that there were probably some scouts last year pining for Ngata, some for Bunkley -- and even some for Cutler or Leinart, given that JP had yet to prove himself. While some of these factions probably had a mutually exclusive stance (Ngata versus Bunkley -- or riding it out with JP versus drafting a QB), there was no such problem with Whitner. The fact that Whitner at SS fit a need, was one of the few true STRONG safeties coming out in the draft, was a very productive college player, and was by all accounts a good citizen seemed to seal the deal. The interesting notion is that there was no "obvious" selection to be made with that #8 pick last year. Some thought Ngata may not have been such a great fit for the Cover-2 -- and there were whispers that he had a tendency to take too many plays off. Bunkley seemed like a better fit -- and he was a fast riser due to his great workouts. However, aside from a flashy final college season, he had been rather non-productive on the field. Marv had actually been very truthful with the press leading up to the draft stating that he did not want to bring in a "hot shot rookie QB" to cloud matters. I know the biggest beef was with Marv having NOT traded down in this situation. However, he did not want to lose out on Whitner for the reasons specified above -- and he wasn't convinced that Whitner would still be there if he traded down to 14-15 as everyone at ESPN insisted he should have. Interesting that no one criticized the Raiders for staying put and taking Huff or the Lions (who some insiders believe were very interested in Whitner as well) for taking Simms, rather than trading down, as one would have to suspect that similar trade proposals would have been on the table for these teams as well. The bottom line is that Marv circled Whitner as his guy -- and he did not want to risk losing out on him. I wish the pundits would have accepted that -- just like they did for all of the other teams picking toward the top of the draft. I have a strong feeling that Marv will go the same route again this year, as barring something crazy happening with the first 11 picks, there does not appear to be an "obvious" choice this year either at #12. If we look at the following criteria, which the team seemed to apply with virtually all of their picks last year -- not just Whitner -- it may help us identify the player(s) they may be targeting. 1. An underclassman (the youth movement is on) 2. Productivity on the field in college 3. Top notch speed 4. Plays at a position of need (or at least where an upgrade is needed) 5. Tough on-the-field, but a good citizen off-the field 6. A player that everyone in the War Room can live with (**Based on my thesis, this may be the most important**) The question is: who best fills that bill -- even if he is a slight "reach"?

You know, when I first heard the reports of his coming back, I was dead-set against the Bills having any interest in this pothead... However... he does present a low risk-high reward possibility. 1. He does appear to have cleaned up his act. 2. The fact that he was willing to play in the CFL last year, when he could have been just bathing in the sun tells me something. 3. I've NEVER heard anything about his on-field effort or being a bad teammate (other than his suspension problems and last-minute retirement two years ago, which I believe had more to do with his displeasure with Wannstadt.) 4. I still have visions of his piling up the carries and yards against us. 5. He should be available for the league minimum (plus incentives) Of course, even if all of the character issues pan out, there is still a little matter of the wear and tear on his body. That is to say that I think we'd STILL have to address the RB position in the draft. Suffice to say, that if I were Marv, I would find him worth pursuing -- but I wouldn't waste too much time on him.

Well, there have only been 32 teams for a few years now (since the Texans came into the league)

I can see Marv trading down in one of two instances: 1. The guy they really want and expected to be there (Willis?) is gone. 2. They have several players ranked about the same -- and feel that at least one of them will still be there in the event that they do trade down. However, you are right that Marv showed last year with Whitner, that if he has any worries at all about the guy he really likes NOT being available if he trades down, he won't do it. Recall that the Bills waited right up until the final second to make the call on Whitner, as they wanted to exhaust all trade possibilities. The less-than-credible Mort claimed that there was "confusion" in the Bills' war room -- but I never got that impression. I think there were a variety of opinions about what to do: trade down, take one of the DTs, etc. In the end, I think Marv decided to go with a consensus pick in Whitner, a player that EVERYONE in the war room was on board with -- even if the "value" was not so great. Of course, the fact that this was Marv's first draft as GM may have played a role in his trying to select just such a consensus pick. That is, attempting to foster a "we are family" approach from the outset. Note how all players who have dissented from the team's concept (Adams, Milloy, Moulds, Willis, and TKO) are no longer with the team. One other thing to remember is that the constant theme since Marv took over has been YOUTH. In addition to ridding the roster of older players, they have also been attracted to underclassmen in the draft. If I recall correctly, Whitner was only 20 at the time of the draft. Also, the Bills tended to be drawn to the "fast risers" in last year's draft. Whitner's stock was really starting to climb right up until draft day, as was McCargo's. McCargo, in fact, had been tabbed as a 3rd round prospect until about a week or so before the draft. I still remember Lenny P writing an article about McCargo probably elevating himself into the first round. Of course, the same Lenny P went on to criticize us for taking him late in the first round! Finally, Marv has shown a willingness to trade -- and he has done so with a variety of teams. Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Philly all come to mind. And, as we know, he's been in talks with the Chargers, although I am really starting to believe that those talks are not going to go anywhere. All of this is just to say that I have no idea what the team is planning to do come draft day!

The Giants at #20 could be another possible trading partner.

It is hard to say who will be there and who won't at this juncture... I would break it down like this: DEFINITELY GONE Russell, C Johnson, J Thomas, Landry, G Adams, B Quinn PROBABLY GONE A Peterson, Okoye, P Willis, J Anderson, Levi Brown Now, of course, there is a chance that any of the guys I have listed as "probably" gone could fall to #12. Still, if things go as I expect them to, I would submit that the following players can realistically be expected to still be available at #12: L Hall, A Branch, T Ginn, and Lynch. In the event that one of them isn't, that would have to mean that one or more of the guys I cited above fell. Of the list of "Probably Gone", the only one that I wouldn't be happy about drafting is J Anderson. Assuming no one falls, I likewise would be OK with any of the other plays I've listed above as likely being available. Of course, Marv could throw us all a curve ball, as he did last year, and take someone like Poz at #12, even with some of these "higher rated" players still on the board... Given the number of holes we have, I would sure hope that Marv would seriously look at trading down, given that scenario. Also, I highly doubt that Lynch would be gone before we pick, as that silly pro-AJ Smith article suggested. And there is even a remote possibility that both Lynch AND Peterson could still be on the board at #12.

Relax. Turner had just completed his Tennessee trip when these comments were made. This was BEFORE the trip he made to Buffalo today. Thus, he had no basis for speaking about Buffalo one way or the other at the time the question was posed to him. I imagine if the same question is posed today or tomorrow by the Buffalo press that he'll respond in a similar manner replacing the word "Tennessee" with "Buffalo".

While I agree that there are greater needs, I would not complain at all about the pick. It could fortify the DL -- and make it one of the team's greatest strengths. A strong DL will only serve to make the LBs and CBs that much better. Still, if it comes down to Willis versus Okoye (if they are both miraculously somehow still there at #12) it would be interesting to see which way the Bills go.

While I tend to agree, I gathered from the report that Turner was in no hurry to get to Buffalo, saying he'd wait about a week or so to reschedule his flight. Remember that to a certain extent, time is a factor -- as Turner will only remain a free agent for another couple weeks before he becomes the sole possession of the Chargers -- and then is at the mercy of whatever trade partner they find. Of course, he could also say screw it at that point, sit on the bench for most of 2007 -- and still collect over $2 M from the Chargers in the process, before becoming an UFA in 2008. Thus, the Chargers too would love to avoid letting the clock tick too long for that reason. The Bills are probably in no great hurry, because they would love nothing better than to wait until draft day to see who is still on the board when thye pick 12th. All of this tells me that something is going down with the Titans -- and either the Titans have agreed to offer more in compensation than the Bills have said they'd be willing to dish out, Marv is dragging his feet hoping to wait until draft day, or the Titans are actually willing to give up their 1st and 3rd round picks by signing Turner to an offer sheet. I doubt the latter, because I think we would have heard about that by now if it were the case.

Unless, of course, the Titans decided to bite the bullet and are willing to give up their 1st and 3rd to sign Turner to a contract, thereby forgoing trade talks with San Diego altogether.

Can we please stop with this Turner = Jordan stuff? If you take a look at what Jordan did in 2005, his first season starting for the Raiders, he posted about 1600 all purpose yards and double-digit TDs (in just 14 starts) for a not-very-good football team.

If the Titans really are the front runners, that would simply mean that they want him more than the Bills do. After all, Buffalo picks about a half dozen spots higher each round than they do, thus, the Bills would have higher draft picks to offer than the Titans would. Thus, it would be in the Chargers' best interest to swap first round picks with us -- or just give up a second rounder. I'm pointing out the obvious, I know, but if the Titans do wind up giving up either their 2nd or swapping firsts to acquire Turner, it must be that Marv did not think that highly of him.

Here is a wild (and admittedly incredibly unlikely) scenario... Say we trade our #12 pick and our #43 pick to the Bears in exchange for Briggs and the Bears' #31 pick. Then we forget about working a trade with the Chargers and simply make Turner an offer. Assuming they don't match it, the Chargers would then land our #31 pick and one of our 3rd round picks. Thus, we come away from Day 1 of the draft with Briggs, Turner, and a 3rd round pick. Financially, I understand that this would never happen, of course...

I'm also not sure that Detroit would pull the trigger on Thomas. Remember that they just traded for Foster.

Allow me to take this opportunity to go on a tirade about just how AWFUL Buffalo's local reporting has been, since the season concluded. Why is it that all of these trades are being reported by the national media without any of the local guys providing a whiff of it. Now the local media is talking up something they got from a Message Board? Wow! I honestly believe that there are multiple posters on this board that could do a better job reporting on the team right now than the lazy know-nothings at WGR, Buffalo News and Rochester D&C!!!

The other funny thing is all of these references to the Raiders' acquisition of Lamont Jordan being so awful. Well, in 2005, the year that the trade was made, Jordan was arguably a top 5 running back: he accounted for over 1000 yards rushing (close to 1600 rushing/receiving) and 11 TDs. I realize that he had a horrible season in 2006, but he was injured -- and the Raiders as a team were putrid.

Well, either Marv was blowing smoke when he indicated that we were not interested in Chris Brown at this time -- or Brown's camp is exaggerating our level of interest. Considering that Marv has little to gain from issuing the statement that he uttered earlier this week, I suspect that you are right that Brown is trying to make it sound like Buffalo is interested to help drive up his perceived value for the the Titans. I also thought it was funny that Brown's agent went out of his way earlier this week to mention how close Brown and Jeff Fisher were/are -- which contradicts what I heard at this time last year.

Willis = diarrhea mouth and a constipated brain. Too bad he danced so much -- and didn't hit the hole the way he ran his mouth...

Since the Bills pick higher than GB and Tennessee in the draft, I would say that the ball is their court...

The funny thing is that he has not started THAT many games in his career.