dave mcbride
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Posts posted by dave mcbride
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going back to 1996, shanahan is 5-3 against teams for which belichick was either the defensive coach or the head coach. a couple of the denver wins were quite convincing, and they lost a squeaker last year in the last minute, 30-26. they beat the pats this year, and it was more convincing than the score indicates (28-20).
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I have seen no signs that the folks making decisions about McGahee share your opinion that he is a low character guy (there seems to be a disconnect between you saying you LOVE him and then citing his claim to be the best RB in the NFL, his call for more carries and his employment of Rosenahaus).
The outside objective signs I have seen from the Bills is that they invested in WM's character when they drafted him. The doc's said his injuries were of a type that he "could" make a comeback if he worked. The Bills made a bet on his character that he "would" do the work and make a comeback.
Like his taking off (if that is what he did given that our OL was poor and injury issues are uncertain) or not in the second half of this season, the objective reality is that he did comeback from his injury to the tune of gaining 2000 yards rushing quicker than any Bill RB in history, be it Thurman or OJ.
Do you really believe that these objective facts are going to be thrown aside because of something WM said? I do not think so.
In addition, let's look at the "problems" you site.
1. He said he is the best RB in the NFL.
This is a problem? The problem was not that he said this, the problem was that he did not gain 800 yards after he said it. I want my RBs to feel like they are the best in the league no ifs, ands, or buts about it. However, if they say it.
, i want them to produce on the field. I do not think it shows any lack of character to make this brag (which actually was not even an unreasonable brag given his first 8 game production) I think it shows unreasonable production not to gain yards after making this brag. However, he has shown the character in coming back from his injury and in his UM workouts in the off-season where his production can improve.
2. He demanded more carries.
This is a problem? I want my players to have a just give me the damn ball attitude.
3. He has Drew R as an agent?
So what. Rosenidiot gets his money in the free market because he produces the contracts for players. I think he represents idiots like TO and clearly plays fast and loose in episodes like him flip-flopping with TO and the fake phonecall during the draft for WM.
However, as far as the particulars of WM, he pledged to make him a first round draft pick and that got done. He put on a show during the draft of WM being fit after his injury and the Bills docs confirmed the clean tears could be repaired and he worked out like an animal to become the fastest Bill RB to 2000 yards in our history.
Perhaps you have slept with WM and know him better than any of us posters and can make real judgments about his character. However, i see few objective signs that the Bills braintrust or most people share your concerns. In addition to that, I see NO (zero, nada, zilch) objective signs that any dislike for his brags he did not back up on the field somehow outweigh the reality that he did a bunch of work to comeback from a hideous knee injury.
good post. i personally think he's a few cards short of a full deck, but i do think he plays hard and wants to improve his game. that would suit marv (and practically any other gm, for that matter). moreover, you don't have to be werner von braun to play running back.
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The thing that people are missing here is that Carolina had to pay Muhammad a 10M roster bonus. That would have hurt their cap for years, not just one year. The Bills don't owe Moulds any such bonus. If they keep Moulds it's not going to kill them for years to come.
The Bills cap savings for cutting Moulds will probably be in the 3 million dollar range this year (5M saved by cutting Moulds plus whatever it costs to sign a viable replacement which I've estimated at roughly 2M, though it could be more). As long as the replacement is a guy that can get the job done I'm all for it. We need a solid possession guy that can find the seem of a zone and make the tough catches over the middle. I have no doubt that there are a few guys out there that could fit the bill.
That being said I don't want to cut Moulds just to cut him. I want somebody on the roster before Moulds is let go. Just hoping to get someone, anyone, in FA and cutting Moulds for this phantom player is a mistake. Reed and Aiken are not viable options and if the Bills end up with one of them as their 2nd WR we’re in big trouble.
aiken especially. he's a special teamer only.
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how can a qb play dirty? marcus vick comes to mind - are you prepared to do that to jason taylor?
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That denver game was horrendous. however every good receiver has a bad day. and to say that smith and evans are similar in my opinion isnt completely true. smith has a much bigger build and is a very tough receiver. He has that combination of size, toughness, and speed and quickness. evans is a bit smaller build and has almost similar speed and toughness.. dont get me wrong though i agree with some of your post. the comparisons between price and evans come because they both rely heavily on their initial bursts. Thats how they beat their corners. moulds and smith can break tackles way better.
smith is 5' 9" and 185; evans is 5' 10" and 197. as for the denver game, champ bailey - the best corner in the league this past year, in my opinion - had an absolutely lights out performance against the bills. he was matched up on evans.
having said all of this, it's somewhat unfair to compare the two now, because smith was the best receiver in the league the past year.
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I'll go out on a limb:
colts over the steelers by 7 to 10 points. i just can't see pitt winning in a dome against a good team coming off a bye and with those corners.
denver over NE by a couple of scores - going back to the mid-90s, shanahan has been the only coach in the league to consistently annihilate belichick defenses. plus they're at home coming off of a bye.
seattle in a blowout over washington. the fraudulence of the skins will end in an ugly fashion as they get trounced by a far more talented team and an offensive mind who has a leg up on gregg-o.
carolina over chicago. i can't see chicago scoring the necessary 16 points to win the game.
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Think again. Tedford coached at Fresno State from '92-'97. Carr was a true freshman third stringer in 1997, and he threw 11 passes that year. Tedford was off to Oregon after that season, while Carr became the backup at Fresno in '98 and threw 40 passes. He was a medical redshirt in 1999, and then became the starter and set school records in 2000 and 2001, becoming the #1 pick in the NFL in spring of '02.
By the time he was drafted, he was four years removed from the 11 passes he threw while Tedford was tutoring him.
Did you just hear someone else say that about Joey Harrington and think it sounded smart? By the way, don't blame Tedford for Harrington not succeeding in the NFL. The guy's name is "Joey" for chrissakes. How could he expect to be good?
thank you for writing that - it saved me the trouble.
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Smith was drafted to be a punt/kick returner. He was the #4 or #5 back his rookie year. So comparing his first eyar with Evans is not fair. Also, Smith poured it on once he got a chance to start, as evident by having 2nd year numbers better then Evans, who didn't improve this year.
well, evans had way more tds his first year and second year than smith, and this past year was an absolutely ridiculous qb year for the bills. so factor that in.
i'll use my own eyes -- he's faster than smith, as strong, and certainly his hands are as good. he's not as quick as smith coming out of breaks, but that's what separates smith -- speed plus quickness (a rarity).
as for those comparing evans to price, gimme a break. there's no comparison whatsoever. price is a poor man's steve smith, and has a totally different game than evans.
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evans put up bigger numbers in his first 2 years than smith did in his.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/EvanLe00.htm
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be careful what you wish for. he's got a very good arm, is accurate, and is bright. miami is a much better situation than houston.
the other houston factor is that both williams and young are UT legends. that means a lot there.
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i'm not saying that it convinces me one way or another, but it's definitely worth reading:
p.s. moulds and muhammed were drafted pretty close to each other (moulds late first; muhammed mid-2nd) in the same year, and their career stats are virtually identical:
http://www.cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1203
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i'm not saying that it convinces me one way or another, but it's definitely worth reading:
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John, he is under contract for 07, so his pro-rated bonus is already worked into the 07 cap. What this means is that if he is cut after 06, there would still be a cost to do so.
I am confused by your comment about the qb situation, because we don't truly know what it will be in 06, but I would think that they will once again go with JP. How will this change things?
there is no cap in 2007.
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I respect you coming up with a statement. But not who started the fracas. Women do initiate things, however unpopluar that sounds.
If that keeps McNair out, we shall see - but McNair never, at least to date, disrespected his employer or his job. He's not up for HOF conderseration yet, and we were speaking of Reed. We can speak about McNair when the time comes.
Back to Reed.
For whatever reason, he chose to spit acid on the endeavor that gave him fame and money in exchange for performance. That was a terrible thing to do, and it cannot be painted otherwise.
Billfan63, I've no battle with you. My point is that some lines when crossed, are unforgivable. After years of praise - deserved - Reed turned on those that brought him there. That is just plain wrong. A man who accomplishes much, especially in an endeavor that needs the help of others, an endeavor based on loyalty and comraderie, like team sports and then turns and flashes fangs, is not a man worthy of honor.
That is my belief.
stuck.
forgive me -- what did reed actually do that was so egregious?
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short answer: maybe. should it be? of course not. remember, though, that the main reason wilson became a possibility in the first place is that the bills were a great team for a number of successive years after many, many bad years. a new string of bad years tends to remind voters -- fairly or unfairly -- of the reasons they didn't want him in in the first place. again, i'm not saying that's how it should be. but don't be shocked if the voters bring a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately approach to still-active owners when it comes to voting.
my sense is that his best shot now depends on marv panning out as a gm and the bills winning something significant. if that happens, it'll make him look great. time will tell, and i hope it doesn't take too long.
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I've heard from a number of sources at OBD (I can't name them) that we have our eye on an unreal QB prospect.
3 years ago there was a very highly touted HS QB that was recruited by ALL the top schools. His name is Brent Schufflof. He went for 1 year to Austin Peay because his mom fell ill and it is near his home. His dad had left the family 3 years before. After his freshman year his mom died and he had to work his way through school and tend to his two younger siblings. They are now safely in college and his dad is back in the picture. He is eligible for the draft. He is WAY under the radar. We are likely to get him in the 5th if he is not the subject of some press article hyping him.
Keep your eyes open.
schufflof (as in "shuffle off") gave it away. better luck next time.
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i agree about the ypc, but i think if they reconceptualize his game so that he's more of a TE-like middle of the field threat, than all of the sudden he's pretty valuable. i'm not sure he'll go for that, but if he does, all of a sudden he fills a nice role in the offense. playing that role means he'll have to be a real tough guy who can give it as good as he gets to safeties and cover LBs, but judged on his performance this year, i think that he has it in him.
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Reed didn't do himself any favors with his end-of-career snits. Some folks think that attitude and behavior count when it comes to bestowing an honor.
Having a nice career and then turning into a snot is not a particularly endearing character trait. Folks rightly hold him responsible for his deportment, and will therefore shun him. Life's tough - best to keep one's mouth shut if you want adoration.
to be honest, i don't think anyone outside of the greater buffalo region and hardcore bills fans notices that stuff at all. most of 'em are jerks, so they don't get judged on that. i'm sure if you asked someone like t.j. simers or peter king, they'd probably have no idea that he had a snit in 1999.
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Clumpy posted the 06 numbers once. As I recall, it would cost 5 mil in dead cap space to cut him (already figured into the total) and the Bills would save about 5 million in salary. Also, which you may or may not be overlooking, is that if he is kept, there will be additional cost to cut him in 07.
Tell me, what kind of stake do you think Moulds has in the future of this team? Do you think that he will enjoy playing a secondary role to Evans, rapidly fading skills not withstanding? I am not being a wiseass John, but do you think there will ever be a good time to part ways with him?
bill - given the fairly weak WR free agent crop, the fact that the bills will go nowhere near a receiver until rd 4 at the very earliest, and that josh reed is a UFA, will the bills be a better or worse team next year with moulds? if they think they'll decline without him, they better figure out a way to keep him, because a) marv levy and ralph wilson want to win NOW (as they emphatically stated) and b) because mike mularkey cannot go through another year of rebuilding because it'll cost him his job.
Is McGahee a marked man?
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
if he hasn't shown it yet, he never will. the injury clearly robbed him of that next-level speed he once had.