Dawgg

... and Bob Sanders he is NOT!

The stupid strategy is the Bills overpaying Walker and Dockery. Had the franchise drafted well and actually "developed" its O-Line, then Peters could remain the highest player on his line, as he rightfully should. Yeah it'd be nice if he could be a good soldier like Chris Kelsay and Kyle Williams. Those guys have no choice because they suck. Peters doesn't have to, no matter what you or I say. While I think the Bills are playing this right by sitting tight, I don't fault Peters for holding out either.

Yep, and the Bills have gone through that process and have made egregious errors for a number of years since Butler and Polian left. You hit the nail on the head. The "people" in the Bills' war room have a very poor record, especially considering the fact that the personnel department and scouting staff has largely been the same for many years, despite changes at the top.

I wouldn't say it's way too early given that he has had 2 seasons under his belt and the fact that the organization and coaching staff have openly questioned his commitment/desire. Dan Wilkinson is considered a bust because of where he was chosen, as the #1 overall pick.

Hey I'd love to see McCargo tear it up all season long -- but one need look no further than the depth chart for a pretty revealing indication of where he stands. Fined for being overweight -- which signals a clear lack of commitment to the team. Inability to crack the starting lineup -- which signals a lack of faith by the coaching staff. By virtue of my belief in the coaching staff alone, I think it's fair to infer that he is a bust THUS FAR. In any case, it doesn't take a vast understanding of personnel to realize that McCargo was a reach. He played on a line with 2 other bona fide studs and frankly speaking, he wasn't a first-round caliber player. The Bills not only blew the pick, they paid an awful lot go move up and get him -- in a very deep draft. Guess that's what happens when you choose a safety in the top 10 when you're desperate for a DT.

Note that the Bills desperately traded up for this guy after passing on Ngata to take a safety. Yet another illustration as to why passing on a blue-chip DT in favor of a safety is usually not a smart move.

Doubt it. He's reaching his prime now and a major injury away from losing everything. He wants to be paid for who he is -- the best young tackle prospect in the NFL.

Will the Bills pay Peters top-flight tackle money? Sure, they'll give him a raise. But will the Bills make him among the highest paid LT's in the league? Eugene Parker doubts it.

He does... when he was coming out of the draft, I thought he was considered a decent guard prospect as well, despite center being his natural position -- e.g. a better version of Duke Preston.

More evidence that he was a busted pick -- and make no mistake, it was obvious from the moment they picked him that it would turn out this way. He played on a DL in college with 2 studs... the Bills fell for it hook line and sinker, surrendering a high 3rd to move back into the FIRST ROUND to pick him, passing on Mangold and Davin Joseph --- two solid starting-caliber guard prospects, to reach on this backup. Good job front office!

Well said.

When you build from the trenches, you DRAFT in the trenches. You don't overpay for talent. Instead, the Bills chose to start their rebuilding with a strong safety when a very good defensive tackle was staring them in the face.

A number of fans feel that way. To me, it was an important lesson learned by a young player. There was a similar situation a year or two later against Houston -- when Clements saw the ball on 4th down and he batted it down. He learned from his mistakes and I have no problem with that.

It's a basic concept that you failed to grasp in high school (my apologies if you haven't gotten there yet): to accurately determine the effect of a single variable, you keep the others constant. Your "analysis" assumes that the 49ers team was identical from 2006 to 2007 and the ONLY thing that changed was the addition of Clements. The Broncos acquired Champ Bailey in 2004 and signed him to a huge contract extension. Using your method of analysis, their pass defense ranking remained unchanged from 2003, at 27th overall in the league. This despite the fact that he played at a Pro Bowl level and established himself as one of the best corners in the AFC. By your measure, he didn't make much of a difference. However, if you ask anyone who watched the games or knows football, he DID.

After 10 seasons!!! They used him until he was about to plateau and ONLY THEN did they let him walk. When Ty Law was in his prime, the Patriots held onto him for dear life -- and for good reason. They franchised him, signed him, did whatever it took to make sure he was wearing a Pats uniform. I'd rather have Stroud and Clements and find a guard in the draft. Dockery was given the same contract as Steinbach and Hutchinson and is nowhere near the player. He's good, he's just not elite. Clements, on the other hand, is an elite corner. There's a long line of #1 receivers he covered 1:1 and they couldn't get anything done. It's all water under the bridge now, but I certainly do question why this front office overpays for marginal talent but when a top-tier talent commands big bucks, he's suddenly deemed "expensive."

How about Ty Law? The Bills certainly don't think CB is an overrated position given the draft resources they have spent on the position the past few years. Bottom line: you pay your elite talents and let mediocre players walk, drafting their replacements IRRESPECTIVE of position. Nate Clements was an elite player that should have been kept in the fold. Dockery, while a big piece of the O-Line's resurgence is not an elite player... but the Bills certainly gave him elite money!

More like wishful thinking. Looking at the pass defense ranking differential between 2006 and 2007 and drawing a conclusion on Clements' value is as stupid an analysis as it is hollow. The fact that he managed to take out the #1 receiver at a higher percentage than any corner in the NFL is far more indicative of his play than the overall ranking of the defense.

He did his job, shutting down the #1 receiver of the opposition the majority of the time. In turn, teams effectively stopped throwing to his side and attacked the rest of the secondary. As I said, I'd rather pay top-dollar to a top-dollar worthy player. Clements ranks among the best in his position, so he will command top-dollars. Dockery is NOT among the best in his position, but is paid like it.

No, I'd rather pay top dollar to a top-5 CB than overpay with top-5 money to a guard who isn't one of the top guards in the NFL. But hey, at least they spent their first round pick on CB this season.

He played on a pretty bad team. Bad teams generally don't send Pro Bowlers in droves. Trufant, Harris and Newman all played for division winners, played in big games and were on a bigger stage throughout the season. Clements himself played at a Pro Bowl level.

According to Pro Football Outsiders, Nate shut down the offense's primary receiving option 63% of the time -- a higher percentage than ANY other CB in the NFL. So yes, he played pretty damn well.

Nate Clements is one of the game's best corners and played great last season. And the defense took a big step back without him. His contract was huge... but then again, so was Derrick Dockery's. I'd rather have Clements, who ranks among the best at this position.

Clements is.