FLFan

A "million times the player", really? If I had known that my opinion would clearly be different.

First of all, I do not think panic is the right word to describe going after Cassel when McCown chose Cleveland over Buffalo nor is it anything close to accurate. It was the next best option at th time. It is not like the free agent market was rich with starting QB potential that the Bills failed to realize. The move for Cassel was reasonable insurance. Second, the whole Marshall argument is hindsight brilliance at its finest. It clearly would have taken more than the Jets 5th round selection to get him from Chicago, and since the bills were picking later than the Jets (remember the Marrone 9/7 "miracle") the Bills would have to offer at least their 4th. The Casell argument is baseless. I am pretty confident in saying that many Bills fans, including some who are lamenting their "failure" to trade for him would have been apoplectic over trading that pick for a player who comes with as much or even more baggage than Harvin. The Harvin move did not pan out, but not because he did not make an impact when he was in the lineup. He clearly did, and their offense was much more dangerous when he played. He did not stay healthy, which was a risk going in, as it is with every player. Marshall worked out for the Jets but that as much good luck and circumstance as it was bad luck for the Bills and Harvin. That's the way it goes. To suggest some existential reason for the end result is kind of silly. As far as the McCoy does not fit the Roman offense arguement - no basis in fact whatsoever for that. I may be the only fan who would like to see Harvin back ( on an incentive laden deal) but I believe the Bills are a much more dangerous team with him in the lineup. They have no one else who brings the same skill set and threat he does, and they are unlikely to be able to draft someone at that level either.

Very realistic assessment in my opinion. That means of course that the Browns will start him week 1. I wonder if this signals that the Browns may not draft QB att 2? If so I further wonder what it would take for the Bills to move up far enough to grab Wentz? I would certainly be tempted.

I am so glad you are doing well - you gave us all a scare. Your weekly recaps will be missed, no question. They were always the first thread I read after games, and after losses, often the only thread as you managed through your thoughtful comments to create a good football discussion. I do not share your level of pessimism over the direction of the team. While I fear you may be right, I am hopeful you are not. I guess we will see, and I look forward to more thoughtful debates as the season progresses. Thank you for all your effort in creating your weekly thoughts posts over the years. ... And thank you for the advanced Grateful Dead education.

It may well be that the GM is part of the problem, but that seems like an extravagant commitment to a Coach who has been unable to garner much performance from his team lately. Good for him.

Wow! That is just under $1million per win over the past 5 years. Pretty big price for mediocre results.

Since Osweiler got $18m per year for 7 starts, I guess Tyrod should have been offered $36m per year for 14 starts in agent logic.

Further evidence of their clueless gamble. It is only better if the QB in question is the right guy. Otherwise you are locked in to a bad deal for a QB who is not good enough. I think the jury is still out on Taylor and I would rather risk having to pay him more rather than pay him for mediocre performance

I understand the nerves over letting this play out, but I agree with the organization on this. There is no way TT has earned 5 years at $18m or anything close to it. Neither has Osweiler, and I think the Texans will ultimately regret it. There are still too many questions about Taylor's game for that kind of long term commitment. Regardless of cap space, the smart play is to wait. He is not going anywhere.

Color me shocked that the agent is upset that the bills are not serious about an extension right now. That is certainly big news.

My thoughts exactly. I really doubt the Bills are interested in this guy.

I think referring to either Hogan or Bennett as "great" is a monumental stretch. They have marginally improved their receiving options. Cooper is a bad OL. On defense, they let a top notch player in Jones go, and replaced him with a far worse player in Long. People's overestimation of the brilliance of the Pats knows no bounds.

Betcha he won't have Tom Brady throwing to him, in an offense that throws 50 passes per game.

If there is a QB in the league with less leadership potential than Geno Smith, it's probably RGIII. I hope the Jets sign him.

Charles was a nice depth player but hardly critical. I am pretty sure they can replace his 48 tackles in three years with a younger, cheaper player who may still have some upside. The bills are doing what they said they would do and have not lost anyone yet they planned to keep, although Hogan does look as good as gone.

Thanks. Missed that.

Hogan is an RFA, tendered by the Bills.

I would love it if they could afford Evans but it does not seem they can. Miller is going to have to step up in year 2 and progress. The reality of the NFL.

That is what people said about the Dolphins line before last season. The reality was different. I am not sure Mario makes them better, but I believe he will certainly be more motivated, at least at the start.

There is no way they were going to make an offer for him to stay. That train left the station when they resigned Dareus and Hughes to big bucks last year. Given the cap situation, which they of course knew would be the case after last year, Mario was going to be gone. He just made it easier with his sub par play. Agree with this.

And they moved on from him as well. Now they have JJ Watt who can play anywhere. Maybe Mario just is not as good as he thinks he is.

Mario was as good as gone when they committed big bucks to Dareus and Hughes last year. This was the plan. The fact that he made himself into a problem child only makes it easier. Thanks for the memories.

Many people whined about how boring previous Bills coaches were, and how the Bills received no attention in the media. Now they whine because they have a coach who is outgoing and verbose and garners attention. Personally, I don't care if their coach is deaf and mute, or the most obnoxious human ever. I just want to win. Everything else is just noise. You should be carefull about questioning other people's intelligence.

Denver won and Miller dropped into coverage. He even had an interception in the AFC Championship. All teams run some form of the zone blitz, and have been doing so for years, often with great success. It is part of many great defenses, including Denver's. The Bills have it in their aresenal but facts would argue that it is not used as often as people seem to perceive. The whining Mario Williams was asked to drop into coverage 28 times last year, or less than twice per game. It is not the fault of the scheme that Mario failed to apply any pass pressure in the multitude of opportunities he had to do so. He simply gave up. Good riddance. He will likely have another good year or two, or maybe more, but at this point he does not want to be in Buffalo and I suspect that many of his team mates will be happy to see the primadona go, despite his talent.

Exactly. The final game this year was very impressive, especially in comparison to the final game the year before when the Bills beat the B. Team of the Patriots, and frankly only managed to squeak it out at that. Beating a legitimate playoff competitor in the final week to knock them out of the playoffs was a very impressive victory for the coaching staff, despite the fact that many here do not not give credit to that at all.