jahnyc

I don't want my post to be perceived as entirely negative. Marv seems to be a breath of fresh air for the organization. The one thing I find frustrating and may be properly characterized as a vent is the state of the offensive line. It has been such an area of need for so long and it has not been addressed.

I like that Marv has targeted some younger, lower priced free agents to fill needs, but I don't think the overall team is any better than it was at the end of last season (which, at that point, was not a good team). Overall, I am not sure that the acquisitions of Royal, Triplett, Bowen, Fowler and Davis offset the losses of Campbell, Adams, Milloy, Teague and Moulds (assuming he leaves). Yes, it will be great if TKO comes back strong, but the Bills may have a rookie at one of the DT spots and holes still need to be filled on the oline and at safety. Moreover, our qb situation is unsettled. I was hoping for much more from free agency, at least one strong starting offensive lineman and a starting safety. If Moulds is cut or traded, we will have significant cap room and no one to spend it on since most quality free agents have been signed. I hope they will use the money to re-sign Clements or to lock up other young players (i.e., Peters). The Bills may have made incremental improvements at some positions (i.e., tight-end), but this is still a team that needs a significant improvement and the draft will not fill all of our needs.

1. I don't think McGahee has underperformed, but he could not play his first year and that was the point I was trying to make. I have wondered whether drafting Steinbach (Bengals) instead would have yielded better (and immediate) results, but I agree that overall, McGahee was good pick. 2. I agree that the Bills have enough cap room for Moulds, but it will not matter if Moulds refuses to play for the Bills. 3. Is Fowler an upgrade over Teague? Fowler also seems undersized. 4. I am okay with re-signing Reed, but I was suprised by the amount of his contract.

Some thoughts regarding free agency and related items: 1. I like that Marv Levy has targeted some restricted free agents. It would make more sense to me to target restricted free agents on teams that lack cap space. The deals that the Bills offered were not so front loaded or large to keep the Bears and the Cardinals from matching the offers. 2. Interesting that we have heard nothing from Nate Clements or his agent. Are the Bills negotiating a deal with Clements? I doubt it, and that is why I am surprised that we have not heard more squawking from the Clements camp. 3. I hope that the Bills will consider readiness to step in and start as one of the most important criteria in their consideration of draft picks. We have had very little contribution from our draft picks in their first year over the last number of years (Losman, McGahee, Parrish, etc.). 4. Really need to address the oline and defensive tackle. Drafting alone will not fill these needs. 5. I don't think the Bills will get much for Moulds. I would expect that most teams will wait the situation out, assuming that the Bills will eventually have to cut him. If he is cut, the Bills do not have a wr on the roster to play opposite Evans. They do have a bunch of #3 or #4 wide receivers (Reed, Parrish, Davis). 6. I look at Fowler, Triplett, Royal, and Bowen and wonder if they are upgrades over the players that they are replacing. I like the acquisition of Nall. Not sure I understand why Reed was re-signed.

Must agree with these posts. I have no issues with Marv and Ralph. Certainly Marv deserves a chance and Ralph has spent money on big name free agents in the past. For me it is all about frustration with our current and recent performance. What makes it worse is the feeling that the Bills are far away from contending (no light at the end of the tunnel).

I liked that the Bills were aggressive the first few days of free agency. I also thought that signing Triplett and trying to sign Pickett made a lot of sense (i.e., trying to fill one of the major holes through free agency). But Pinkett signed with Green Bay, and with all of the players released (Adams, Milloy, Williams, Campbell and maybe Moulds) or not re-signed (Teague, Denny, Reed), the Bills need starters and depth. This situation cannot be remedied with the draft alone and I don't see players on the current roster who can step in (other than possibly Preston). So what will be the strategy going forward? The Bills have spending money, but many of the top free agents have been signed, particularly on the oline, dt and safety, all areas of need. I think, at a minimum, the Bills need to sign at least one offensive lineman and a safety who will be starters. If not and with the quarterback situation, I don't think the Bills will be competitive this season.

It would be nice if we drafted some guys that can step in and start immediately. A guard or center and an OT would be great.

The Bills will have problems this season, but the Jets will be worse. Leinart may become a good NFL qb, but he will be a rookie this season and the Jets will have a poor offensive line. I am concerned about the Bills. We have too many holes to fill. We had holes to fill before releasing Adams, Milloy and possibly Moulds (plus free agents Teague, Reed, Bannan, and Denny). I am okay with the signings so far, but we need a lot more help. We also need to figure out our qb situation. If JP does not prove to be the guy this year (assuming he gets the chance), we will back at square one.

I am okay with Royal but it seems like an above market deal for a guy who was not a starter. Triplett seems like a good addition, but can he be an effective starter? He was third in a rotation. I think this points out that not only do we need starters at DT, but depth as well. Still need to address oline. I hope the Bills sign Runyan and a guard or center.

I have no problems with the signings, unless the Bills overpaid or Triplett is the only addition at DT.

I appreciate that it is early, but Royal seems like a strange signing in terms of the amount of his contract. It seems like a lot for a guy who has been a back-up. Is this the market rate? With regard to Davis, I guess he would make more sense if Moulds leaves. Can this guy be a second wr? I don't think Parrish can be anything more than a third receiver. I noticed that Triplett was described a "reserve" lineman for the Colts. Is that true? If so, I hope we don't sign him except for depth, unless he can become a quality starter. I have a feeling that the will be very expensive. Many of the free agents I had hoped the Bills would pursue are off the market already.

I think so many teams under the cap by significant amounts and with an overall weak free agent class, some players will reap the benefit of really big money deals (bigger than in past years). Unfortunately, if the Bills want to fill holes, they will have to deal with the current reality.

I would like to know our plan for the oline and dt, which may be the weakest in the entire NFL at this point (Williams and Adams cut, Teague, Edwards, and Bannon are free agents and both units were poor last year even with these players). I know that it is very early, but I had hoped tht the Bills would be really agressive right from the start. Have any visits been announced?

Too many holes to fill in one offseason. Not enough cap room. Even if the CBA is extended, it will be difficult competing for free agents since many teams are significantly under the cap. It is depressing to be making these types of cuts after a poor season.

In addition, to the obvious (poor coaching and mediocre drafting), a couple of things (some of which are obivious as well). 1. Failure to find a quality qb since Jim Kelly. A number one and four for RJ, a number one for DB and a number one, a second and a four for JP (altough we received a number one back so the Bills could draft JP). No diamonds in the rough drafted in later rounds either. 2. Failure during the TD era to find value priced free agents that turn out to be quality or excellent players. 3. The MW pick. He was a very high pick and cost the team in terms of cap space available to fill other needs.

I agree, and that is where I was going with this question. With limited resources, it would be disappointing to use resources on an established free agent wide receiver instead of the o-line or the defense.

If Moulds is waived (and I hope he is not), then do the Bills need to pick up a WR in free agency or via the draft? It seems unbelievable to me, but Reed is a free agent and Aiken does not seem to be of starting caliber. That leaves Lee Evans and Parrish. I don't think Parrish is more than a number three WR, so does this mean we need to find a starting WR this year? We are in this situation notwithstanding that the Bills used a first round pick, two second round picks and a fourth round pick on WRs in the last four years.

It does seem that Pittsburgh's offense improved after MM departed, but the play of Ben R. may also be a factor. Another odd thing about TD was some of the Pittsburgh related stuff. I remember reading that TD moved up ahead of Pittsburgh to draft Denney on draft day because someone in the Pittsburgh draft room told him that the Steelers were going to draft him. On the other hand, if TD had been able to retain LeBeau as a coach for the Bills, maybe our defense would have been even better (and would not have stunk this past year).

I believe that we are fortunate that MM is no longer coach of the Bills. I don't think he has the right mix of qualities to succeed as a hc, at least not in Buffalo. Picking fights with veteran players (Moulds, Adams, Shaw), questionning the efforts of others (McGahee), blaming and firing defensive coaches for talking behind his back/under cutting him with the players, getting rid of a top strength and conditioning coach and replacing him with his own less-qualified guy, never being straight about who is starting (QB) and who is injured (or generally forthcoming about anything), rasing family concerns, and, most importantly, failing to make adjustments during a game, all suggest to me that he was in over his head as hc of the Bills. With regard to TD, I appreciated his efforts, his contributions to the community and how he tried to excite the fans with his free agent acquisitions, trades and drafts. I believe he was a very hard worker and wanted success for the Buffalo Bills more than almost anyone else. Unfortunately for all of us he did not produce, in significant part due to his poor choices for hc (twice). I think TD was too cold, and never embraced our past successes since they were not his own. TD also seemed to have pretty thin skin. I am still surprised at his comments about Blesdoe during this past season or the information that was put out about McKinney. Most of all, I would really like to understand why the o-line was not adressed in a more systematic way or why they thought JP was ready to start in the NFL.

Another weird/embarassing item.

I have not seen any updates, but you would think that some of the local writers would have had some info in the Sunday sports about the DC position.

I agree that we have no idea why Bates turned down the position, if that is the case. But I hope it was not because of money. Bates provided a certain level of comfort to me that the Bills defense really could improve from last year. I have no idea if Jerry Grey was a good or bad DC, but I was looking forward to having an experienced DC with a proven track record of success. The other guys the Bills seem to be considering do not.

I agree. I think C. Weiss would have been a difference maker and could have had great success with the Bills. I recall reading recently that the reason Weiss was not hired may have been related to his health. I think I read it on ESPN.

The Bills routinely pay their players and free agents millions of dollars each year in bonuses. Paying Bates a few hundred thousand dollars a year more than they would like represents the cost of a top notch DC and the new realities in the NFL. I don't like Snyder, but paying for top coaching is a smart investment. In two years, Bates' salary requirements will seem more than reasonable. From all accounts, Bates is a difference maker. I am sorry, but Lynn or the guy from the Bears do not have his experience or track record with successful defenses. I also don't want to hear that this means that DJ will be running the defense. Our head coach needs coordinators that he can trust and delegate to, so he can focus on his own responsibilities, which are numerous.

It is a little disconcerting that a guy he worked with in Detroit would not accept a position with the Bills and others well known candidates have accepted positions. How should we take Henderson potentially choosing the Lions over the Bills? Not sure if there are some problems here or at least some perception issues after the firing of TD and resignation of MM.