Bob in STL

Me too. The JP stuff is boring but NYC-Bill and Risin are entertaining me.

Your right, Jennings was a good pick. For "Marcus whatever" I was trying to think of Marques Sullivan, another of TD's insightful draft picks. Remember him? Another guy that was given a job and really didn't want it. TD's OL free agents were Trey Teague, Price, Villareal and Big Bennie but lets not forget Kris Farris , Cory Hulsey, Bill Conaty and Ross Tucker. I agree with your asessment of Marcus Price, he was a good backup. We should have kept him and Ross Tucker last year.

Concur but it is asking a lot for a rookie to step in and play when he is surrounded by suspect talent. I expect Duke to be a backup center and guard. New Engalnd seems to be able to find players but I have no faith in TD's offensive line draft picks. (Jennings, Marcus whatever, Mike Williams, Pucillo, Sobieski, McFarland, and now Duke and Geisinger).

He coached in Buffalo under Gregg. He is not a "dome" coach any more than he is an outdoor coach. While in St. Louis he did a good job with the QBs and the offense. Fairchild tried to balance the offense, run the ball, and keep Bulger alive. Mad Man Martz intervened and took over playcalling, he was always involved with the offense to the point were he ignored the rest of the team, especially special teams. Martz liked Fairchild and mentored. That said, when Martz cracked up, Fairchild took over and did indeed balance the offense. His philosphy is ball control first, then hit you with deep speed. I think Fairchild is a bright guy. That has been recognized by many in the NFL. Give him some time. He is starting with no QB, and a suspect OL.

Concur ... Sam played last year and our run D was horrible. He does not bring it everyday and without Phat Pat he suffered greatly. I do not see other teams lining up to sign him either. That said, he is a talent, and he will be signed by someone eventually. I find the article in the todays News to be a bit misleading ... How does anybody know what kind of player Ngata can be in this defense?

I am not worried. I know it will take three darfts to build this team back. I don't want to hear about the new age of free agency and how quickly you can turn arround a team today. i team built for the long haul has to do it by the draft. Our team sorely lacks talent because Donhoe drafted poorly. June 1st cuts almost never get you anything in the way of long term help. Marv never had much use for June first cuts. He basically thought the team you bring to camp is pretty much your team. I don't see that changing. However, since we are so weak on both lines, and since Marv does not like playing rookies, we just may pick up a few vets after Jun 1st. Just remember, these guys are on the scrap heap and that is no way to build for the long term.

Wells has way more upside than Neal, that is why he got the offer and Neal didn't. Marv made an attempt to get the guy he wanted and he knew it has not a sure thing because Wells was an RFA. Marv did not gamble and he did not lose anything, we are in the same postion either way. i am sure he could have got Neal if he offered more $. Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Oh yes, Wood. He is a special project, hasn't played in a few years. We will probably draft a DE in the later rounds or get more bodies as RFA's. DT is the area that need much work (as does the OL).

Yes, we have Schoebel and Kelsey and now Denney. I believe we need to add another DE. Three o the roster is thin and Jauron like to plays waves of linemen. What point are you trying to make?

As many as we can get. We have Shoebel, after that the pickin's are slim.

I concur. Denny has developed into a solid player and can fit into the rotation. We were looking at Jared Devries and I wondered about Denny. Denny has accomplished more than Devries. Good move. We still need a run stuffer (Ngata/ Bunkley) and another DE.

Oh yes he is "wasting time", time is "wasting" , he is "wasting so much time", he should stop "wasting time". He is not wasting time. With the exception of Pickett, the players he is not signing are the one we are not targeting. That is the way it is. It will take time. We are too far away for the quick fix. Funny that those great players that we let go like Denny, Adams, and Edwards are all still avaialble?

Yes. Marv has an eye for talent and character. Give him adequate time to turn this roster over and good times will be back.

I believe that Marv filled the GM role for awhile while with Montreal in the CFL. Addiionally, he has a head coach in Div I college football so he has recruitung experience too. Actually, Marv is more qualified as a GM that Mr. Polian was when he got his first GM job. By your own admission, he worked out OK. - Bob

Good one!

I played a lot of sandlot, and litle league, right up into high school. I collected footbal cards, read football magazines, watched games with my Dad and my uncles, went to games at "The Rockpile" and at "Rich Stadium"and talked football at the barber shop. All of this training in my youth qualifies me to too know the game better than Marv, Modrak, Jauron, and the rest of the staff.

Your really off base and so is this whole thread. What is over rated? Under rated? Properly rated?? Rated by whom? Marv is an excellent football coach which is what he has always wanted to be. Are you excellent at what you do? If so, have your peers recognized it? Your talking about a special person in Marv. Football is not about titles and rings, it's about achievement and accomplishment and loyalty and honor. I doubt you know about these things. Marv is great, not because he is in the HOF ... it is because he is still growing and pursuing new challenges even though he IS in the HOF. If you can ever understand this, then you will benefit from it. Remember this my friend ... when you step in a pile of sh@%, all you get is a dirty shoe.

Anyone geting the idea that Marv and his staff are working very, very, hard to find value wherever they can.? Signing two RFA's is bold. We may not get either of them but Marv and Co are being creative and unconventional and I like it! I'll bet that this guy and Wells turn out to be solid players and I hope we can pull it off. And to all the nay sayers... we already they two guys are not well known players, Pro Bowlers, or super stars.

Triplett was one of the higher rated DT in free agency. I'm surprised you don't like him simply because the many publications out there tells you to. Adams is a space eater that DOES NOT stop the run. What happen to ADAMS when Pat Williams left? He was exposed. He is a good DT when paired with great DT. He makes plays no doubt, but he takes plays off too. Tripplet is a good football player at a good price. Royal is an excellent blocker. We did not pick him up to catch passes although he has been a red zone threat in the past. Campbell was weak, all the TEs on the roster are poor blockers. That is one reason why we have such horrible results on short yardage and red zone situations. Royal will complement Everett and adds something we need. Wells started 14 games in his 2nd year and then the first 9 last season. He was making great strides and then broke an ankle. Many in Arizona say he was their best linemen. His loss was part of the reason their running game suffered. Who would you have signed? What makes you more qualified than Marv, Modrak, and Jauron the rest of he staff?

How do you know? What qualifies you to make these statements? What is your legacy. Triplett is an upgrade over Edwards, Bannan, and most likely Adams too. Then he made run at Pickett. Picket was too costly for a team with so many needs. Royal is an upgrade over Campbell, you will see. Gibbs wanted to keep him. Is he old and stupid too? Davis could be one heck of a find if he stays healthy. Marv just made a very creative move on an offer for Wells. This kid is a player and not even in his prime. If we don't get him we have also been talking to Neal. He took a shot at Fabini. It didn't work, big deal He still has cap room for a few more players. He is making lots of moves for roster depth ... all teams do that. We still have the draft and the summer cuts. I'm betting by the end of August we have a younger and more talented roster than last years. What miracles do you want? Quit discriminating against age. Open your mind and give the man a chance.

Why spend cap $ on 4 other lineman? peters-peters-peters-peters-peters Since when did Peters the project become a LT?

Marv has a plan no doubt, but Marv is not copying anbody. He is doing what he can within the constraints he has. He is going to turn this thing around but it won't happen in just one off season. I love the Promo gig by the way

No that is not what I meant. I commented on how some people are saying Fabini sucks when in fact he has had a very good career and as a starting LT. Not a pro bowler, but a good starter for many years. We don't know what is left in his tank. Given that, and the fact that we have so many holes on the OL, I don't think that signing old vet for is best for us. We have so many needs on OL that is time to put younger players with upside in there. I don't want Fabini AND I don't think it fair to say that he sucks either.

Fabini has been starting at LT for what, 9 years? He started as a rookie under Parcells and ever since then the only way they could sit him down was due to two serious injuries last year. I can't beleive that people are saying he sucks! Lets be reasonable ... he does not suck. Yesterday half of the board was screaming to get veterans like Fabini and Runyon in town! Today half the board considers him "someone elses garbage" and doesn't want him. The way I see it is if we are going to build a strong line, one that will peak in the next few years, then we need 3 starters on this years line to be quality players that are going to be here for 4-5 years. That means replace Bennie, find a center, and try to replace either Gandy or Villarial. Gandy may be decent at LG, or he may be our only alternative at LT this year? I expect Peters to return and get better. One of our draft picks needs to be plugged in as a starter. Our current depth is crap, but maybe Preston is ready to start? So it would sure help if we can find a quality starter from free agency. I am not in favor of Fabini or Runyon because we are not close enough talent wise to bother with recycling old vets to fill a hole. We need to develop people with some upside, not 2 year stop gaps. I just wonder why we are not talking to Ashworth, Neal, or some of the younger lineman?

Yes! I was part of the Bills Backers in St. Louis back in the 90's. We had almost 100 members with about 50 to 60 actively showing up. We used to watch the games at Ozzie Smith's, and then Damons set us up with a good deal. Once the Super Bowl years ended the gang stopped coming to the games. The Club President moved and just a few of us survived. I have been an army of one, watching the Bills at Hot Shots in St. Charles for the past several years.