dave mcbride
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Posts posted by dave mcbride
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In the book Patriot Reign Belichick described Clements as a guy who thought he was a better player than he was. As BillsFanForever pointed out, there will be someone out there who will overpay him. Look at Antoine Winfield's contract.
"In 2004, the top two players in the NFL (salary cap numbers) were cornerbacks -- Antoine Winfield ($12,400,000) and Ty Law ($9,601,333). These cap numbers are higher than Brett Favre ($9,533,333) and Peyton Manning ($8,301,666)." -
http://www.nfl.com/draft/analysis/expert/brandt/cb
That's just ridiculous. Before some team elevates Clements to that salary cap neighborhood, TD should trade him. If we use the resulting pick to take Mike Williams, we could get younger, better, and cheaper at possession WR by replacing Eric Moulds. We wouldn't get rid of Eric Moulds this year, because rookie WRs usually don't contribute much. But next year, we could take the aging Moulds off our books.
interesting comment from belichick, but i'd add that clements' game markedly improved last year (patriot reign came out the year before).
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he didn't take less money. he renegotiated a year before his contract was up, which means he would have gone on the free agent market this year if he hadn't done it.
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Mark, I think that your scenario is likely. The thing is, I am not even attempting to argue that NC is/isn't a very good player. Of course he is a top corner!
Historically, our corners (Smith, Winfield, Burress) tend to be drafted early and then walk, bringing no compensation for the team. Ralph is NOT Paul Allen (nor Snyder) and I cant see him handing a 15 million dollar signing bonus to a corner.
If it is a given that Nate will walk after the 05 season, a trade would be in order. Would it hurt the Bills this season? Yes. Nate is one of our best players. Will it mean the difference of winning or not winning the superbowl this year? I dont think so.
I WOULD however want a #1 in 06 as part of the deal.
hold your horses there re the super bowl. is it too much to ask to shoot for the playoffs?? i mean, it's not like we've made the playoffs since the last millennium. if you're going to let premier players walk for 2-years-down-the-road draft picks because you've given up on this year even before it's started, well, i have a problem with that. did anyone think the pats would win the super bowl in 01 with essentially a rookie at qb? that pitt would go 15-1 with a rookie?
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he didn't have a bad game that game - he made a great pick early on deep in jaguar territory that led to the bills' only td. as for the jimmy smith catch, isn't it about time we gave that future hall of famer some credit for making a sensational play??
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Depends on what you're talking about. A GM's job is multi-faceted, with the draft being a significant part but in reality, only about 20-25% of the GM's job. TD's record is pretty good IMO in that area and solid or fair IYO in that area.
But he has been very good IMO in the free agency element of his job description (considering who he has signed and who he let go).
He has been excellent in the getting fannies in the seats element of his job description.
He has been fantastic in the promotion and regionalization element (going to St. John Fisher, attracting the Rochester fan base, corporate sponsorship, Syracuse, Ontario, etc.).
He has been quite good in the salary cap element of his job description.
He has been pretty good in the trade element (Getting McGahee for PP and Drew, whom even though he let us down got the city energized, the fan base up, got PP enough press to get Willis, got Spikes and Adams and Viincent and a few others to join the team in FA).
He has been poor in his coaching choices (so far, with a pretty good chance of Mularkey proving to be a fine choice).
And he has been poor in the won-loss/playoffs element but I would think the team let him down more than he let the team down.
This year will likely be a good window as to whether or not TD's reign will be deemed a success or not. I think he has put the team in a very good position to excel in the next few years.
dog, i'd agree that donohoe is better in the biz department, and i don't mean to sell that stuff short - it's really important. but from where i sit personally, i really only care about wins and losses. donohoe hasn't done so well in that regard, althought the last 2/3 of last season are pointing in the right direction (plus i instinctively like mularkey). as for the team letting him down, it's his freaking team, lock, stock, and barrel. you can't separate him from it.
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it wasn't very Bulter like at all because it didn't suck.
This ignorant yahoo (good guess) has independant thoughts. I happen to believe we are in the situation we are in (better than most teams) only because whitey took over.
also, i thought Bill Polian ran many of the drafts during the golden years. It was after he left that abortions like that 00 draft were allowed to happen
also - last time i checked sd was only good last year. prior to that the team was a mess.
re butler in the late 80s/early 90s, he was the head of scouting and the guy who told polian who was good and who wasn't. polian pulled the trigger, but he was working from info given to him by butler's college scouting team. butler is widely credited for the thurman thomas pick in 88, by the way.
as for the bolts, butler took over a really bad team that got a lot better last year after he passed away. the last time donohoe oversaw a 12-4 team was 1997.
don't get me wrong - donohoe is a solid guy who has had some real success in the past (that said, the bills better produce this year or his rep will go up in smoke, at least to me). butler was integral to the bills success under polian - he wasn't just another guy fulfilling polian's commands.
here's what the bills did under butler:
1993 - 12-4
1994 - 7-9
1995 - 10-6
1996 - 10-6
1997 - 6-10
1998 - 10-6
1999 - 11-5
2000 - 8-8
That's 74-54 (a .578 winning percentage), which translates into 94-68 in baseball. that's not too shabby. if the ultimate determinant of success is wins and losses, i'll take that. recall that the bills defense was a dominant unit from 1995 through 2000 as well.
one other thing - don't forget about the free agent signings. paup, ted washington, bill brooks (a very solid #2 for a couple of years), spielman, gash, and flutie were all integral to the bills success in that period.
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it may be better in the long run, but to quote john maynard keynes, in the long run we'll all be dead. the bills need to win this year. i'll start worrying about 2006 and after when the 2005 season is over.
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Good reply. I'd agree that this was a better draft as well.
Here's one that I'd add as well from the Packers in 1995:
1995
Rd Sel# Player Pos. School
1 32 Craig Newsome DB Arizona State
3 65 Darius Holland DT Colorado
3 66 William Henderson FB North Carolina
3 73 Brian Williams OLB Southern California
3 90 Antonio Freeman WR Virginia Tech
4 117 Jeff Miller T Mississippi
5 160 Jay Barker QB Alabama
5 170 Travis Jervey RB Citadel
6 173 Charlie Simmons WR Georgia Tech
7 230 Adam Timmerman G South Dakota State
and.... (Pats)
1995
Rd Sel# Player Pos. School
1 23 Ty Law CB Michigan
2 57 Ted Johnson ILB Colorado
3 74 Curtis Martin RB Pittsburgh
3 88 Jimmy Hitchcock CB North Carolina
4 112 Dave Wohlabaugh C Syracuse
6 195 Dino Philyaw RB Oregon
7 234 Carlos Yancy DB Georgia
thanks - that pats draft was great. as for the pack draft, it was very butler-like. i'll be honest -- i have no freakin' tolerance for the the ignorant yahoos who have a) no respect for butler despite the fact that he ran every draft in the golden years and was key to building a good SD team and b) buy into an exaggerated rep for donhoe (a solid guy who has so far failed with the bills) when contrary evidence stares them in the face.
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TD's 2001 draft:
1 21 Nate Clements
2 46 Aaron Schobel
2 58 Travis Henry
3 76 Ron Edwards
3 95 Jonas Jennings
4 110 Brandon Spoon
5 144 Marques Sullivan
6 178 Tony Driver
6 195 Dan O'Leary
6 196 Jimmy Williams
7 214 Reggie Germany
7 238 Tyrone Robertson
The first 5 picks plus Jimmy Williams are still in the NFL and all (except Williams who left the Bills after 2001 and was a productive DB and ST'er for the 49'ers) are will be starters this year (assuming Travis gets traded).
mbd, this is a good draft to be sure. my only comment is that the late round production is pathetic - no one even played besides spoon, and he only played because cowart was hurt (spoon was terrible too).
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only have to go as far as Pittsburgs 1998 draft
Faneca, Stat, Conrad, Ward, Townsend, King, Simmons, Fuatu ma'afala, Olsen
Price had one good year for us. i am really glad he did because it got us WM. However, if you think he's a talented receiver you clearly haven't been watching a lot of football. he's one of the worst #1 receivers in the league.
Note pittsburg 98 draft, hines ward came from the 92nd pick.
The major difference is as someone said, butler is great at drafting sweaty, dirty undies, the whites. I would take 3-4 superstars vs a bunch of journeyman anytime.
See also NE 2003 draft.
price had four good years for the bills; there was a steady progression every year in his game. as for him being one of the "worst #1 receivers" in the game, last time i checked, teams in the nf of l started two (and sometimes 3) receivers if they happen to run a pro formation offense. in that sort of offense, a good # 2 receiver is key. plus, if you're going to judge price's rep on his post-bills production in the ron mexico-led offfense of the falcons, i guess there's nothing to discuss.
as for donohoe's 1999 draft, present some evidence. same goes for NE circa 2003.
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http://www.nfl.com/draft/history
Bills drafts from 1997 - 2000 were simply pathetic.
There isn't one player from the 2000 draft that is still on the team / made any impact when he did play for the team.
Players like Arrington are now superstars and remain w/ their original teams. I am really glad we dont have tavaress tillman and corey moore, but what horrible drafts.
I look at those years as our reason for failure in the last 2 years. Rookies take time to develop. from 97 - 00 we have basically no players that remain on the team. Only Peerless price and Antoine winfield had any talent.
In 3 years we'll be able to look back and see how TDs drafts have improved the team. Many players will still be on the team and they will have increased overall talent
talk about rewriting history -- sheesh! this takes the cake! butler's 1999 draft was one of the best in his career -- a truly excellent draft.
1 - winfield - pro bowl caliber cb for the vikes last year
2 - price - highly productive for the bills and an especially good pick for a second rounder
3 - shawn bryson - still a productive back in the league who had roughly 50 receptions last year for the lions. he would have been a much better player for the bills if he hadn't torn up his knee in his first training camp.
4 - keith newman - productive player in cotrell's scheme and still in the league which is more than you can say for the vast majority of 4th rounders 6 years down the road
4a - bobby collins - didn't pan out
5 - jay foreman - a starting caliber journeyman who led the texans in tackles a couple of years. again, way better productivity than most 5th rounders.
6 - armon hatcher - didn't make it.
7a - sheldon jackson - borderline sub for three years, which is far better than most 7th rounders, who rarely last more than a year (assuming they make the roster)
7b - bryce fisher - 8.5 sacks as starting RDE for the rams last year. 'nuff said.
i challenge anyone to come up with a more productive draft by any team in the league in the past 10 years.
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jennings played rt in part, i think, because fina was still entrenched at lt. as for hopkins, i'm not actually sure he was cut. if so, he'd be a great late may signing.
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Shelton got props for playing on the bad ankle, not because he was healthy.
As for him being a bargain at $3M, yes, if he was a good LT. He's not, which means they would probably be looking to replace him soon after he became a Bill. The next option is a move inside. I don't know if that would be good, but at $3M per year, at that point it HAS to be. Third option is cut him, in which case you have nothing to show for trading Henry except for the wasted snaps for other players.
I think it boils down to talking about trading for a player who is not that good to fill a position of uncertainty. The cost in terms of personnel and cap space isn't that significant but desperate moves seldom pay off and sometimes set you back. See the Drew Bledsoe acquisition. Maybe I'm wrong, but picking up guys like Jason Gildon and Eddie Robinson looked like good moves for much the same reason adding Shelton seems like a good move.
so, badol, do you think it's a better idea to simply draft a left tackle in the second round with the hope of him becoming a solid starter by, say, week 6? if there is such a guy, i'd do it. donohoe, for all of his flaws, has been pretty solid at getting LT's. I'm admittedly a bigger jennings fan than most, but i think everyone has to admit he was a damn good pick for a late 3rd rounder. there's also john jackson, one of the better 6th round LT's of the past 15 years. he's one of the few guys who could shut bruce down.
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I'm not a Travis Henry hater, I just feel that he's not the brightest guy on the team, his agent is an idiot & he signed a contract that he is obligated to honor, whether he likes it or not. Here's my response to a guy who probably has never seen Henry play and has no idea of any of his off the field troubles.
The antidote to the SI Story:
Henry Should Keep Quiet and Let The Bills Deal Him On Their Own Terms
Travis Henry feels the Buffalo Bills have been dragging their feet in trading him to the Arizona Cardinals and he's mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. My question to Travis Henry is: "Who appointed you GM of the Buffalo Bills, or even the Arizona Cardinals?" These two teams are negotiating a trade that would involve Henry and Arizona tackle L.J. Shelton. Both players have lost starting jobs and want a change of scenery. While we who follow the Buffalo Bills are getting used to hearing Travis Henry's almost daily rant about how he'll never again don a Bills uniform, we don't hear much from Shelton, maybe because he understands that getting traded today or the day of the draft has very little effect on the upcomming season.
The national media (nationals) has leaned towards Henry's side, not comprehending how the Bills could treat this loyal player. We here in Bills Country know a little bit more about Travis Henry. I'll call it the Henry that the national Jack of All Trades, Masters of None reporters see versus the Buffalo side of Henry.
The nationals start with the fact that the Bills took a gamble on Willis McGahee in the 2003 draft, after Travis Henry had rushed for 1,438 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2002 adding another touchdown catch for a total of 14 tds. They say Henry took it like a man, came back to rush for 1,356 in 2003 and even played with a broken leg, when he could have sat out the last few games in a meaningless December. They continue on the "good soldier" bit by citing Henry's lack of complaining after he lost his job to Willis McGahee early into the 2004 season.
We in Bills Country, who follow the team a lot closer than the nationals, have seen the many sides of Travis Henry, and he doesn't shine as brightly as portrayed by his latest supporter in SI. We recall the Travis Henry who has exhibited poor judgement throughout his 4 years in the NFL. Heck, if he had always exhibited sound judgement, he wouldn't even find himself in the fix he currently perceives himself to be in. We remember that Travis Henry signed a 4 year contract after being selected by the Bills in round 2 of the 2001 NFL draft. If you do the math, that would make Travis Henry a free agent after the 2004 season. Unfortunately, Henry squandered his money and was flat broke after the 2002 season and agreed to extend his contract an extra year in order to get much needed cash in his pocket.
Lets go back to the Travis Henry that the Bills had on the day of the 2003 draft when they drafted Willis McGahee. In his rookie year (2001) Henry was handed the starting job before he ever played a down in the NFL. The Bills cut former 1st round pick Antowain Smith to make room for Henry. I don't recall Henry shedding any tears for Smith when he was cut to open the door for Henry. Henry responded on the field by rushing for 739 yards in the 1st 13 games of the season. He injured his knee and missed the last 3 games. At some point in the season, Henry threw up the 1st red flag that he wasn't a Boy Scout. He was arrested for having sex with an underaged girl who he met at a gas station. Although he served no time, he was placed on probation and therefore was one crime away from being lost to the team. Henry came back his sophomore year with a good season, if you excuse his double digit fumbling in 2002. Then after the 2002 season, Henry came to the Bills asking for money because he had spent all his 2001 & 2002 earnings. In spite of the legal troubles in 2001 and the fumbling in 2002, the Bills extended Henry's contract an extra year and bailed him out financially. So when the 2003 draft comes around, Henry has shown poor judgement (that's putting it mildly) off the field and was a fumbler on the field. So the Bills take Willis McGahee in the draft and Henry immediately cries that he's been "slapped in the face", even though it is obvious to most observers that Henry's starting job, at least for 2003, is in no danger.
Now it's the 2003 season. The season starts and Henry is in a funk even though he's the starter and Willis McGahee is on the PUP list. He starts the season's 1st 6 games rushing for a paltry 260 yards (2.71 yds per carry) in 5 games, missing game 4 with a rib injury. He comes back and after fracturing a bone in his leg gains credit for being a warrior by not going to the sidelines. He finishes the season with 1,356 yards rushing in spite of the leg fracture, earning praise from just about every Bills fan.
Then 2004 arrives. Even though Henry is the starter, his agent is already grumbling about the Bills treatment of him and promises to "f*** the Bills over" in a photo documented drunken rage while downing shots out of a bowling ball in the parking lot of Ralph Wilson Stadium (The documentation and photos were on a Bills Fan web site that is not this one). After the Bills go 0-4 Henry is injured and Willis McGahee gets his first start as the Bills win their 1st game of the season. Still, Henry is named the starter the following week in Baltimore. After the Bills lose, to go to 1-5, McGahee replaces Henry as the starter. Henry then gets hurt in the season's 11th game and never gets on the field again in 2004. Rumors are that Henry is not going out of his way to hasten his return, since he is no longer the starter.
As soon as the 2004 season ends, the "good soldier" turns into "the mouth". He and his agent are given permission to seek a trade, but the minute there is a delay, both Henry and his agent are running their mouths off to the nationals, playing the poor hurt soldier.
I have a recommendation to Henry and his agent. JUST SHUT UP. The Bills are trying to trade Henry and will likely get it done before the draft. Henry is threatening to sit out if not traded. Well, unless Henry has suddenly turned around his financial act since 2003, he probably can't afford to sit out. How many average fans could afford to threaten to sit out rather than get paid a million and a quarter million dollars? Henry and his agent have both shown poor judgement in their 4 years in Buffalo. It's time for Henry and agent to let Tom Donahoe do the GM's work and wait until the trade is completed.
great post. the only caveat i'd add is that this is the one chance that henry will ever have in his life to make big money, which he will get if he has a big year next year. if he were, say, to come back to the bills as a backup, he'd the free agent market the next season as a 27 year old 2 years removed from a good season. as we all know, running back years are like dog years - it's the shortest lived position in the league, and very few last even 6 years. this is his time to earn his big paycheck, and while i don't think he's very bright, i can see why he's frustrated to the point of lashing out. put yourself in his position. if he has half a brain, he cannot play on the bills next year under any circumstances. if the bills were to keep him, it'd be disastrous for him.
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I'm not sure where you get your math from, but last season we lost twice to New England, once each to Pittsburgh and the NYJ. Each of those teams had 10 or more wins. That makes 4 losses. We beat the Jets at home. One win. Record: 1-4.
In 2003 we lost to New England, Dallas, Philadelphia, KC, Indy, Tennessee. Each had 10 wins. That makes 6 losses. We also lost both games to the Fish, who finished 10-6, though out of the playoffs. We beat NE in the home opener. Record against playoff teams: 1-6. Record against teams with 10 or more wins: 1-8.
In 2002 we lost the only 2 games we played against teams with more than 10 wins (Green Bay, Oakland). Record: 0-2.
That makes 2-14 against teams with more than 10 wins in games started by Drew Bledsoe.
I apologize for the typos in the initial post as that obviously caused a misunderstanding.
we beat the dolphins twice in 2002, and they finished 10-6.
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writ.../z.ricky/2.html
Draft Notes
"Worst senior class in the 30 years I've been scouting," says one personnel man. "The juniors are a little better, but this is a draft without a super star." Which is why there are quite a few teams, including Miami, that want to trade down from the high spots, but very few that want to move up and pay the big money for an elite pick.
"Here's a new trick the college players and their agents are figuring out," says another personnel guy. "Work on a different skill for each of the showcase workouts. So, for instance, they might do a lot of heavy lifting before the Combine workout, but very little speed work. They'll go down as strong but slow. But then for, say, their pro day at their school, they'll lighten themselves and work on running, because that's all they'll be doing there, so they'll get their times down in the 40. It's gonna make a ton of money for them."
Hottest name right now is Georgia defensive end David Pollack. At least we think he's a DE. He weighs 276. Matt Millen of the Lions sees him as a strongside inside backer in a 3-4. Others see Pollack as a quick, John Randle-type interior rusher, or an outside rusher, or an outside LB. Maybe he'll count as two or three picks in the draft.
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i'd say the jets, overall. first off, they've been a playoff team three out of the past 4 years. they're better at qb, rb (curtis martin will go down as one of the greats), offensive line, and defensive line. the bills have the better secondary and slightly better linebackers (although i love vilma's game). the jets receiving corps, with a healthy coles, is about the same, although the bills have a bit more upside with evans (again, though, mccairens is pretty good). remember, the jets beat a very good SD team and should have beaten pittsburgh to get the afc championship. bottom line: they're capable of either beating or hanging in there with good teams, and the bills weren't last year.
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Dave, it would be one thing if he had implicated himself, and then said, everyone was doing it...but he named names, and then was spineless enough to call out Hull, withou giving his name. It was a very crappy thing for him to do...you can bet, if Haslett did them, his buddy Smerlas did them too! He would never say that though, Smerlas has a radio show. Both Haslett and Smerlas were pretty big jerks (but great players) who exhibit all of the things that we usually associate with steroid users now.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter much, just speaks volumes about Haslett's character...whether steroids were illeagal or not (they were not illeagal in baseball either, until recently), the whole topic paints a very negative portrait in athletics right now...Haslett is just looking for some attention, so he made his confession (ala Jose) and named names (ala Jose).
Also, you can bet, if Haslett says he took them for one off-season, then he took them longer...
i guess the more i think about it, i can see people's point about naming hull, but he did it in the context of a generalized accusation of line players in the nfl. i guess part of my reaction is that i truly don't think haslett is accusing hull of anything bad. my take is that it's just a "slice of real life in the nfl" comment. i've always believed that almost every linemen in the late 70s-80s was roided up (and more than that, amphetamined up), yet i still liked football from that era and don't think any less of it now. the games were still just as good, and while i certainly don't condone steroid use or claim that it made for a better game, the game itself was not worse than it was in previous years.
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Yeah, but it also squares with Hull's version that he didn't even think that he could make it through training camp with the Bills. Another guy from that day that was very likely on the juice was Joe Devlin. He pulled a few Turley-like (for you youngsters) rages on and off the field.
yeah, i forgot about devlin's craziness! i'm sure conrad d took a principled stance re the juice, though ...
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Ahh yes, the double standard. Everyone is screaming at Bonds and saying he is a jerk, and should be banned for life, records taken away, etc... But now a coupe of our Bills are now being shown that they used roids and the one doing the outing is a jerk, but Hull is above it all. Well if Hull used steroids I for one do not feel he should be in the HOF. Just like I don't feel Bonds, Mcguire, etc.. if it is proven that they used enhancment products should be banned from the HOF for life.
good point, but the problem with this is that pretty much anyone who played in that era except for the qbs would be banned according to your logic. i remember scenes of the great chargers teams from the early 80s so whacked out on amphetamines that guys like louie kelcher were literally foaming at the mouth on the sidelines!
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The hell I am twisting what he said-
"I played with a guy who came into the league, he came out of the USFL," Haslett said. "He was 270, and he would never have made our team if he didn't get up to 300. The linemen got him together, got him a little supplemental pill for the week and he got up to about 305 and made our team. And he's probably one of the all-time great players in Bills history. He was a great player."
He called out Kent Hull. Thats BS and Haslett is a POS.
i never said that he didn't name KH, but that when you name one player yet add that everyone else did it -- indeed, encouraged hull to do it -- then it's not much of a charge. as for him being a rat/narc/whatever, believe what you want. i just happen to disagree.
Trading Nate a Good Idea?
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
you shouldn't view this as a rule. it depends on the overall cap situation. if, for instance, you're $30 million under the cap and you really want a player, it's gonna be ok if that player ends up with an $12 million cap number for that year. it'll definitely go down as time passes -that's the nature of such contracts. mike williams, on the other hand, offers the reverse scenario - low early on, high late into the contract.