Bob in STL

Yes - we still had a chance at a playoff spot at the time of the Miami debacle. Using words like "we all" and "most of us" makes it sound like I am disagreeing with most of the posts here, I'm not. You think Moulds had "every right to complain". Fair enough. I don't. I expect more from a veteran leader. I especially did not like the time and place where Moulds chose his battle. I agree. He is a very good player, not a great player capable of elevating the play of other around him. I do not consider him a TO or a Keyshawn type ... I never even mentioned those guys ... YOU DID. Final word from me: He was a very good player, who played under some unfortunate circumstances. His frustration got the best of him and led him to make poor decisions last year. We will miss him this year, we have no one else even close as the #2 receiver. Yes, right, he was the #2 reciever. Best wishes to Eric. And yes, I will ALWAYS remember he quit against Miami.

ONE game that we needed to win to stay in the PLAYOFF race. ONE GAME? ALL games are important. Right or wrong, careers are often defined by a season, a game, or a play. I saw A LOT of half-hearted efforts from Moulds last year, more than ONE GAME. I don't want to find problems with Moulds. I don't care how many kids or women he has. I know how good he was. I do not assume I know what he was upset about. It is no secret he did not want to play with JP and that he didn't like the offensive game plan. Too BAD Eric, look at the scoreboard!! So he came back and played well for Kelly Holcomb and himself. Big deal, we were out of the running by then. The team lacked veteran leadership last year and for whatever reason Moulds was a huge disappointment. He was a great talent but I will not glorify him. He was paid well for his services. I do get tired of hearing about how he played with many crappy QBs in his careeer. That may be true but great players elevate others around them. It is not like Moulds never dropped a ball, fumbled at a crucial time, or never failed to make a big play. Enough of the good bye Eric - we will miss you crap. He has a nice $5M bonus coming, maybe that will eleviate the pain of last season for him.

I agree in principle, the game has changed and long term relationships are very rare. Now, did he quit? Most of us get emotional about that Miami game. Take a look at the film. He quit and he was a big part of a huge collapse to our arch rivals. He didn't like being the decoy, he didn't like Losman, he didn't like Mularkey ... I wonder how that game would have turned out if Moulds would have just kept playing hard. Would the Dolphins rotate the double team to Evans, leaving Eric open in the second half? We will never know. Eric was a great player but he acted out his frustration in a very bad way.

Oh, that's why Detriot keeps drafting wide receievers.

Ok, I see that now. Sorry.

Should he have released Clements?

Wow, lots of sentences. I'll be brief. 1. Ralph is going to end up right. He is not crying wolf. 2. How do you know what kind of deal Ralph was talking about with Pataki? 3. In the later years of this CBA we will struggle to be competitve. 4. The Bills need a plan to survive in Buffalo in the future. Financial aid is part of the plan, as is finding the appropriate buyer for the team. 5. No matter who buys the team after Ralph, they will insist on a new stadium, one that brings in more revenue to the team.

Come on now. Is he supposed to react to every rumor? This was spinning out of control and probably was not good for JP. Marv's timing was fine and it shows another example of why players trust him and will play for him.

We are definitely rebuilding. This team has maybe 9 starting positions locked up (Peters, Evans, McGahee, Shoebel, Triplett, Spikes, Fletcher, Clements, McGee) plus Moorman/Lindall. Barring injury, there will be a dog fight for 13 or 14 starting positons plus key backup postions that are open (running back, 3rd wideout, short yardage, DT rotation, nickel and dime backs). We have no starting QB and a new coaching staff. I would call that rebuilding. Expect some surprising cuts as Marv purges the roster. If we win 6 games this year I would be happy. We are 2-3 years away from competing for the playoffs.

This press release was needed. Thank you Marv.

Back in the Super Bowl era, I met a young man at a sports bar watching the Bills with the local Bills Backers. The young man grew up in LA, graduated from Notre Dame and was living in St. Louis at the time. His favorite team was the Bills. I asked him why and he said "Ralph Wilson". He heard Ralph speak at one of his business classes and he said that ever since he has admired the man, his ethics and values, and how he runs a business. He told me some things about Ralph that I never knew. He is a great man from a generation that gave us many great men.

I think your analysis is missing a lot, it may be better to do this after free agency and the draft. What we have now is not the whole story. A few comments: 1. Bennie Anderson is a Guard, Tim is the DT. 2. Give Sape some due, you forgot Jason Jefferson on DT. 3. Disagree with comments on the "Denney/Kelsay merry go round". Denney is a good rotational player,. It is way to early to give up on Kelsay, he may emerge this year. 4. At LB the big issue is whether Spikes is recovered ... 5. CB - Nate is a big time player who had a so-so year. Good thing we tagged him. I think you are wrong on the backups too. King is promising. 6. Safety - true we need more talent here. Baker could emerge as a good safety in the cover 2. Let's give Bowen a chance to play a down. Nothing on the offense yet? Special teams -- they were ok, right?

Agree totally. Ngata could be an impact player and the force in the middle that you build your scheme around. In round 1 especially, I'll take players who get their rep on the field playing the game before any of the workout warriors. I can wait until round 2 to draft an OT and there should be some quality available at that point.

Well then .. its all settled. Call Marv and Jauron and give them the good news!

Bravo ... the support he needs should not be publicized in the media. Let him know that he will get a fair shot, tell him what the expectations are, and then see what he can do.

I think this is our pick at 8. Justice ot Bunkley are rising based on their workouts and potential ... Ngata was the best DT in college when evaluated on the football field.

You make some great points. I agree that Ralph must feel a sense of alienation. No HOF vote and now this. Many of his colleagues have passed. He must look around the room and wonder about the new breed. Synder and Jones will ruin this league while making a fortune and Ralph knows it. How hard would it have been for the owners to review that CBA material one more time to clearly understand the impacts and gain a consensus? We may have the same conclusion but at least Ralph would have been given the courtesy he deserves. I wonder why Lamar Hunt has not said anaything either way about this? I think Ralph feels that the cards are stacked against him but I am not sure he is going to fold either. More like reshuffle and play a new hand. That is where Marv comes in. Not to gaurd the estate but to advance it. The Bill have been cautious in free agency but I would not take that as a sign that they are not trying to improve the team. Marv will have a plan and he will execute it. He really is Ralph last chance at a title.

Good point, but the 3 or 4 down lineman all have to be very good. Warren Sapp made this defense work in Tampa. Not that he did it alone but he was the dominant piece of the puzzle. An anchor on the DL, even if he playes 70% of the snaps is critical.

I don't think anyone, including ML or DJ denies that we had two major holes to fill at DT. Triplett is a good player who fits the scheme. I don't believe they think that Tripplett alone is the answer. That is why the Bills made a run at Ryan Pickett. The Bills will likely draft a DT (Ngata or Bunkley) in the first round. If not, they will be players in round 2 and 3. DT will not be position of high confidence going into the season.

I am thinking we might drop down a few spots to take Justice or Bunkley and to acquire another first day pick. I sure hope we don't drop out of the first round altogether but anything is possible. I think the Bills have been active but careful in free agency. I still thinks he wants to win it all.

Give me a break. Adams should have given his Pro Bowl slot to Pat Williams. Pat tied up blockers so that Sam could free lance and make tackles. When Pat left Sam could not, or would not play that game, and that is what pissed off Mularkey and Co. Look what Pat did to help Minnesota. TD screwed up when he let Pat go and kept the selfish Sam Adams. Yes ... he will help Cinc, for awhile. Adams has talent but is not a team player.

I am so tired of all the one gap, two gap stuff. All I know is that on the football field Sam Adams did not pick up the slack with Phat Pat gone. Sam had problems with Meathead (I assume Mularkey) and others in the staff. I can'l totally blame Sam because many of the veterans had problems with Mularkey. Bottom line is that Sam is not a leader, he is a role player. Sometimes he is a very good role player. I won't miss Sam. It is time to draft our own players and play them.

... and for the record, Eric chose not to negotiate a new deal with us. His cap hit is outrageous. He wants to leave and publicly stated that he will never play for us again. So why should we keep him again?

No --- Teague came to Buffalo as a flop at left tackle for Denver. He was a promising backup and when the time came for him to start he failed to met the high standards of a Denver OL, so they let he go in free agency after one season as a starter. TD, being the almighty football guru, talked his first Stooge (Gregggggg) into moving Teague to center. TD, being the almight football guru, cut Dusty Ziegler (who went on to start in the Super Bowl for the NY Giants) and tried to replace him with Bill Conatry first, and then Teague. Teague was servicable at best, but never a strong center. I never remember him being an "up and comer". Ditto for Bennie Anderson or Mike Gandy. They were all guys that started briefly and then failed. Th only OL we have sign thus far is Fowler and we don't know if he is better than Teague or not.

We may have a generation gap here. I don't get it?