Bob in STL

True, but I am more hopeful to just not look ridiculous in the loses. This team is still short on solid players on both lines and they have an unproven QB. Hopefully some of the younger guys will surprise us. DJ will help stabilize things but wins could be hard to come by for awhile.

OK, the pre-Kelly era had some stinkers but has any draft produce players with less starts for this team as that 2000 draft? That draft gave us no quality starters at all. Morris probabaly gave us the most quality plays. Polk was a good special teamer/ backup. Tillman was a journeyman that started for other teams. Moore and Larsen never played. At the 2002 draft produced some people who actually played. Reed and Denny are still around four years later.

Don't worry, we still have Sape!

He played his best football for the Bears and is definitley on the downside of his career. At one time he was a solid player, that time is past. Our depth at OL lack experience and that is a major concern. For that reason Villireal will probably make the club for another year. I am hoping that Preston improves enough to eventually take the job away this season.

I agree that Milloy, McGinnis, and Law were legit Pro Bowlers. Bledsoe has not played at a pro-Bowl level since 2000. Not even close. From a talent perspective Andruzzi = Vilareal. Seymour was a rookie so who knew in 2001 how good he would be? Your losing the argument on the talent issue. As far as bringing "pedigree" into it, that is silly. Pedigree has nothing to do with it. Anthony Munoz's son went to Tennessee, great football school, Hall of Fame player, yet his son did not get drafted and never had an NFL career. Should we start drafting the sons of Pro-Bowlers because of pedigree?

Thats's it? That is your analysis on talent? It looks pretty weak. I would take Lee Evans today, over Eric Moulds. I doubt there is a coach or GM in the NFL that would disagree with that. We have a few other "talented" players that are still on the upswing. Try McGahee, Peters, Everett, Crowell, and McGee. Lets give guys like Losman, McCargo, Anderson, and Preston a chance to play before we condem them. Finally, we have a few veterans that have some "talent". Spikes, Schoebel, Fletcher, Triplett and Royal are all very good players.

I agree with you. People say he never lived up to his billing ... lets just say his billing included a lot of TD hype. He had one big year as a pass rusher in Houston, playing DE in a mostly 3-4 scheme. We never used him in that capacity in Buffalo. Crowell emerged and Posey does not fit the new scheme. It is time to make room for the younger prospects. I'll bet that he catches on somewhere. Best of luck to him.

Who is "Mularkey Jauron's"?

I live in St. Louis and I heard the same thing. The Rams wanted Whitner, so did the Vikings and the Dolphins.

Well, I liked your post. It all about the kind of stuff that builds a team and an organization. Believe it or not, I think that building a classy and cohesive organization from top to bottom is good for a few additional wins each season. I have a feeling that Marv and DJ on the right path. Yes, we need more talent and all that stuff .... Nothing wrong with showing respect and having fun.

I was born in 1958 and I was born into being a Bills fan. I remember watching the Bills (or any football game, or any sporting event) on Sunday afternoon with my father and my Uncles at my grandparents house on the West Side of Buffalo. It was part of life, like breathing. Sunday's in the fall and winter consisted of church, big Italian dinners, resting, and watching football all day. Yes, I was the gopher to, running errands, getting beers, pop, water, whatever. I can clearly remember the Bills championship teams of 64 and 65. In 66 I even drove to a bar in Erie, Pa with my Dad and my uncle to watch the Bills-Chiefs play in the AFL championship game for the right to play in the first Super Bowl (which was not even called a Super Bowl back then). The game was blacked out in Buffalo; we got smoked by the Chiefs. I still have some memorabilia from that era. I have been a die-hard fan forever. I went to college in Rochester (RIT) and left the area in 1981. I live in St. Louis now. I go back to Buffalo every year to see family. I go to at least one home game a season. I take my two sons with me as I have sucessfully brainwashed them into being Bills fans too. We tail gate with 3 of my brothers and their sons. Thank God for the Bills!!

Things that good coaching staffs strongly influence are: 1 - better preparation for opponents (beyond the first drive and especially after the first half), 2 - better execution (simple plays like picking up a yard on 3rd and 1 will work if you execute them correctly), 3 - fewer mental errors (reduce penalties, sacks, turnovers), 4 - winning attitude (steal a few games). Last year we could have beat New England once, the Jets twice, and both New Orleans and Atlanta (a home game loss).

I'm not sure I follow all of your logic but I think TD failed because he tends to be a one man show, he does not build a cohesive organization, he does not empower his people. This flaw is why he lost the power struggle with Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh. TD's biggest error in Buffalo have to be his choices in head coaches. Both of them were bright coordinators that lacked the experience and would not challenge him. In total hid drafts were so-so. He seemed to struggle on day 2. His use of free agency was good and he brought in some good solid vets while managing the cap. He deserves kudo's for cap managememnt and for keeping things exciting. On the flip side he did not find a QB (unless Losman develops) and he really misjudged the talent level of his offensive line acquisitions. I am happy to see TD go. I doubt he will get another chance as a GM.

< ... insert sound of crickets chirping here ... >

Does anyone think Bennett has a shot at the Hall of Fame?

Yes, I remember that very clearly. Jones was thought to be one tier below Fat Mike and McKinnie. He was projected to be a late first rounder. They alll said the Bengals "reached" by picking him were they did. It's now four years later and Jones is clearly the best tackle in that draft, and it is not even close. The clowns on ESPN complained about "value" on that pick. That may have been the first time I heard them really harp on value. Kiper the rest of those guys are entertainers, not scouts. Of course there is hope for Whitner and McCargo. If they are good players then the picks are good picks. That is all there is to it. There is no realistic metric to measure "value" on the day of the draft because no one can predict the future.

That is very unfair. Are you kidding me? The issue is the context of the question when Ralph answered "too complex". "Too complex" could have meant we need more time to review it and come to a consensus and not that it is over his head. That is how I understood the reports. The press was shameful in their treatment of Ralph. By the way, most of these owners could not understand this information on their own without first having their lawyers read it and interpret it for them. This could have taken days or weeks to sort out. Want proof? It is now starting to surface. If anything, this shows that Ralph is sharper than most of them. Isn't time that our society assign proper value to the aged? Hopefully that will be a lesson learned from this whole mess.

I disagree with all of these names. Moorman - known as one of ther top punters in the league today. Flutie - Gets more publicity as a backup than most starters; his Hail Mary pass will live forever. Reich - Forever known for "the comeback"! Ritcher - Was under rated for many years but is known in Buffalo as a Wall of Fame guy Bill Simpson - He had pro-bowl credentials as a LA Ram and played less than 2 full years as a Buffalo Bill; he fell down in the San Deigo playoff game loss and that play cost us the game. How about a guy like Joe Devlin?

Concur ... for that era.

I thought it was straw?

FS should be Kelso. He was a good FS in his prime and played many seasons. Forget the Gazoo helmet. He was 100 times tougher than most people his size. TE should be Pete Metzellars. Best blocker in the league and he had good recieving numbers. Unfortunately for McKeller, his career was cut short. ST - Tasker has to be there. DE - Phil Hansen deserves a mention. ILB - What about the guy from Ohio State?

Was the room you were locked in padded?

There are hundreds of threads, dating back to the day of the draft and many week past, that cover this topic ad nauseum. Bottom line -- If he turns out to be a star player then it is a good pic, no matter what round, not matter what position. The whole ESPN "value" rating is just bizzare.

Anderson missed every kick in the preseason. He was awful. The Steelers lucked out as Anderson had a long and productive career. The Steelers had to get him for less $$ off of waivers than we were offering. Contract or no contract if Anderson missed those kicks on purpose then he is a bigger puss than I thought.

Jim Overdorf handles the contracts and the cap. He had this role for Donahoe as well and he is quite astute. Everything must be cleared through Marv and Ralph but I would think Marv defers to Overdorf on these things.