marck

The one thing you are correct about in your post is your statement of "I don't know everything". In fact you post statements of doom, give no explanation and just ramble on. I simply tried to show that you misstated facts to spin them to your point of view which is fine, but you did so with no validation and if you are going to make statements, you ought to be able to back them up. I did not flame you, I simply pointed out validated facts and not "we are doomed" statements with no justification. I'm sure you'll take the bait and respond and then I will take the opportunity to flame you.

I read over your post and would like to provide some facts for you to digest No Kicker: Ryan Lindell was 45-45 on Extra Points and 24-28 on Field Goals which is a percentage of 85% - He scored 117 points and his kickoffs helped the Bills special teams rank 1st in the league Health of Willis McGhaee & No Travis Henry - Injuries are a part of football and when you do have them you need to have depth to support those injuries. The Bills are pursuing Anthony Thomas, have Shaud Williams and really do need to let go of the cancer that is Travis Henry. Inexperienced QB - Tom Donahoe has built the team like the old 1990's NFC teams who beat us in the four Super Bowls, with a strong running game, great defense, best in the league special teams and with many weapons for his QB. He has an excellent and experienced QB coach in Sam Wyche and offensive minds in Clements and Mularky to prepare him. Plus, is he actually going to be any worse then Bledsoe or take more sacks or generate more turnovers. Lastly, his mobility will create problems for any defense. The early schedule will also allow him to grow into the position. No offensive line: How much crack have you been smoking. RT Mike Williams, RG Chris Villariael, C Trey Teague, Rex Tucker with Duke Preston backing up. Bennie Anderson at LG, and either Mike Gandy or Trey Teague over at LT. Teague was a LT and is a better match-up against both Jason Taylor and John Abraham. We also have excellent depth, a power running game and a great Oline coach. No defensive line: Exactly how are we worse, Phat Pat played on only 58% of the plays last year, were you even aware of this. Ron Edwards has played very well in spot duty. Generates pass rush penetration and we do need to see development of Tim Anderson for the tackle rotation. Also, there may very well be a trade with Tennessee that might bring us a tackle such as Rian Long or Albert Haynesworth. The draft brought speed and athleticism into the receiving corp, depth to the offensive line and still leaves the Bills with some free agent manuverability. Please take a few minutes to read over my response and this may make you feel better.

I like the potential signing of Anthony Thomas. He is a proven solid tough inside the tackle runner which provides a nice balance with Willis and then leaving Shaud Williams as the 3rd back for situational roles. Remember we also have Joe Burns for special teams. The only issue I have is to give TH away for a 5th round pick or take the Eagles offer of a 3rd round pick in 2006. The best move is still to offer TH to Tennessee for one of their defensive tackles, and I believe that Rian Long is the guy the Bills could persue. He is 6'6", 300 lbs and can also swing out to defensive end. Very productive in college at Washington State and had 5 sacks last year in part time duty. Here is his bio: http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/396022

What is your problem with TD. I read you constantly complaining about his performance as GM. Please remember that when TD took over the Bills were capped out and personnel deficient. This roster has been rid of cap mismanagement issues, rebuilt with excellents players on offense, defense and made the moves to make the special teams, once a laughing stock into the best in football. Plus, the Bledsoe move generated fan excitement and put butts in the seat and generated more revenue flow. So, it would be great if you simply shut-up and stop you complaining.

Since he was a 1st round draft choice, I thought their may have been salary cap issues with a split or pro-rated bonus. Thanks for the clarification.

I listened to an interview with TD today on the Colin Cowherd show and he stated that the Bills were a good team who will aid JP in his development and that he does not expect him to carry the load. He cited our defense and special teams and also stated that JP has many weapons to work with on offense and should do well in a system deigned to play to his particular strengths. This will provide the Bills an opportunity to use JP similarily to the way that the Steelers used Rothlisberger last year. Additionally, we have the benefit of preparing our offensive gameplans around his capabilities whereas Pittsburgh designed their offense around Tommy Maddox who was injured and Big Ben had to play under that scheme. Plus, JP has had the benefit of one complete season with the Bills and this coaching staff, has some game experience and has had the entire offseason to develop and has worked very hard so far. I expect him to play well, make some mistakes and have some growing pains, but in reality looking at the front end schedule, Texans, at Tampa Bay, Atlanta, at New Orleans, miama and the Jets, we have a great chance to open up with teams that are not overpowering and have known weaknesses that can be exploited. By the time we have moved to the more difficult segment of the schedule, JP will have the requisite game experience to handle more complex game plans and will be much less prone to critical mistakes. TD is right, the team will carry JP early and his development will then add to the overall skills of the team.

I believe the one area that really needs to be upgraded on our roster is the defensive tackle position. Since the Travis Henry trade did not go down on draft day, I started thinking about teams who could use a running back of TH's caliber and this thought emerged. Why not see if the Tennessee Titans would consider a trade for TH since RB was a position that they do need. Plus I have read about them possibly resigning Eddie George to provide them depth because Chris Brown does have injury issues. Additionally, Tennessee is cap tight right now and TH's low 2005 salary would be potentially attractive to them. I then reviewed the Titans roster and saw that they have four defensive tackles on their roster at the present time: Randy Startks who was drafted in 2004 and is a fixture in their plans Albert Haynesworth who has played well under his potential and is now entering his 4th season Jared Clauss who is another young Dtackle who has some skills but is really a rotation guy Rien Long who is in his 3rd year and who had 5 sacks from the defensive tackle position last year. I believe that the Bills could get either Haynesworth (who does have a contract that the Titans would love to lose), or Rien Long from Tennessee for TH. Myself, I prefer the consistency of Long to the upside of the underachieving Haynesworth, but at least you make the inquiry and see what type of value Henry has to the Titans. Remember he was a popular player at the University of Tennessee and may want to go back their and could easily fit into the mold of running backs that Jeff Fisher likes in his offense. If the Titans won't do a one for one player swap, we could toss in Josh Reed since they also have needs at WR. As always, questions or comments are welcomed.

This is a great call by you. When the TH to Tennessee issue first came up, I started thinking of teams who had a surplus of defensive linemen. One of the teams that popped into my head was the Titans. I remembered that they had drafted three defensive linemen in the 2004 draft, one tackle and two ends if my memory serves me correctly. In any case, I know Haynesworth has been a bit of a head case, and when he plays he is an excellent player. I would even consider giving up TH and a 2nd round pick in 2006 to make this deal haeen.

I just heard on ESPN SportsCenter that the Houston Texans have released Aaron Glenn. Normally I am very much against all the "sign who ever has been released" type of threads, but in this case I feel that a one year free agent contract could benefit the Bills. First of all he can be used as a quality cover corner for the three receiver sets the Bills will see. He has always had man-up cover skills and would be better then Kevin Thomas and would be a great insurance policy against injury. Lastly, we do play the Texans the first game of the year and anything he might be able to add about their playbook and tendencies. As always, looking for quality football related feedback.

Let the Redskins have him. In truth, Miller is a flex receiver whose biggest weakness is his inline blocking. This really makes him a less then perfect fit for the type of offense the Bills run.

Living in San Diego, going to the draft party with my 16 year old football fanatic son over at the San Diego Hall of Champions. They have a great party their, food drinks, contests and lots of great football conversation. Plus I will tape the draft on one platform, also tape the NFL Network coverage on satellite and review the tapes over the following weekends. I know its sounds geeky, however its just the way I am about football.

The Redskins have acquired the 25th pick this year to go after Auburn QB Jason Campbell. This sets them up in a lower level comparable scenario next year like San Diego where you have one QB - Patrick Ramsey who needs to prove himself like Drew Brees. If he does well the Redskins can put a one year franchise tag on him and develop a market for him in the 2006 draft. They could then easily trade either Ramsey or Campbell to a team in need of a young QB, for example like Green Bay. In retrospect its a good deal for the future of the team.

Rico, Great reason for not looking into the logic of trading Clements. I not an SEC fan so Carlos Rogers is just a blip in the draft guide. God, if this is what we are down to as Bills fans, how hopeless is our cause? By the way, the going rate for a developed offensive tackle is every bit as much as a corner back, the only difference being that they are much rarer and take two to three years to develop. Also, just to inform you on one of the many things I am sure you don't know is that the two easiest positions in the NFL to come in and make an immediate impact are running back and corner, as each position depends more on physical talent and instincts and not as much as knowledge of the game. So, you would give up a developing offensive tackle to sign a one year tender offer for a CB who will be gone the following year anyways. What's up with you, do you have some desire to carry his love child or something? Can't wait to read your response to this.

Rico, Charles Woodson was franchised this year and has over 10 million dollars allocated to him on the cap. Even with Bledsoe's monies coming off and a potential Mike Williams restructure, can you really justify paying Nate Clements, $10,000,000.00 for one year. Plus, if he does sign a tendered offer, he becomes untradeable and will be gone in 2007. Carlos Rogers is the Auburn CB who is 6'1", 195 lbs, has great recognition skills, fluid hip turn and great hands. Also he would be a Bill for the next five years and would be a viable threat to be able to start on the opposite side of Rhonde Barber moving McGee back to nickle where he is better suited.

Its not that I want to trade Nate Clements, but if he is going to be a free agent at the end of the year, it is better then losing NC for nothing at the end of the year.

I have no specific link, just trying to find the name of the player that Tampa would be offering the Bills that would make sense for both teams.

I was doing a little bit of searching around and have heard a rumor that the deal may be Travis Henry to Tampa Bay for Rhonde Barber and a 4th round pick (107th) in this draft. If this is true then the Bills could make a serious move to trade Nate Clements and move up into the 1st half of the 1st round maybe the Redskins at 9, or in the 15-17 where KC, New Orleans and Cincinnati are have defensive back needs. This would leave the Bills with a 1st round pick, picks in the 2nd, 3rd and two in the 4th along with Rhonde Barber. This would be a great chance to get a quality CB such as Carlos Rogers in the 1st round, draft offensive line in the 2nd, defensive tackle in the 3rd and then get a back-up running back and tight end in the 4th round. Questions and comments?

DeeRay, Actually your statement of "you pipe dram guys" is rude. I make a valid football point and you respond back talking as a throwback from the eighties "dude". Henry has value because of the low contract which has value to a cap strung team such as Tampa, plus Henry wants to play in Florida, will sign a long-term deal in Tampa and with this in mind, allows Tampa to make a move on other need areas. To counter your point about him being wrth only a mid 3rd rounder, you are very wrong. He has had two years in which he ran for over 1300 yards on a team with almost no offensive weapons and a sitting duck QB playing behind a horrid undeveloped offensive line. Travis Henry is in the 2nd tier of quality running backs and is a valued commodity in the NFL. So "dude" try responding with a knowledgeable footback take.

Thanks for the feedback. I like Baas over Spencer only because of versitality. If Spencer is selected that does move Teague to LT. I think he would do fine against speed rushers such as Jason Taylor, and John Abraham but would be overmatched against stronger bull rusher types such as Richard Seymour. Obviously, you have to select players that match-up well within your division and this is why moving Teague to LT has some good possibilities. I also agree that I would rather resign Nate Clements, but if the Bills can't do that you have to apply the old adage of trading one year early is far better then one year too late. If the Bills can't get a signed extension for Clements, they need to move him now to the teams who have defined CB needs and to a position where the Bills can draft a comparable talent replacement.

Thanks for the feedback. Mike Williams is also rumored however they do have Clayton and Joey Galloway. Even if they pick Mike Willaims which is the direction I think they should go, they still have need of a running back. Pittman is a ticking time bomb and has as much potential to be in jail as he does to run for 100 yards in a game, Alstott is old and done as is Garner. Plus Henry is cheap as far as running backs are concerned and this makes him very attractive to Tampa Bay and their tight salary cap situation. Also Henry wants to play in Florida, wants to play on grass and would be inclined to resign in Tampa Bay on a long term deal. Great feedback however and the trade may still go down, even if Tampa goes receiver.

I just heard a report from a Tampa beat writer on the Colin Cowherd show that states that the Buccaneers are really looking at the possibility of selecting a QB with their first round choice. It was because Gruden has a very high pick this year and feels that this may be the only chance to get a "franchise qb". If that does happen that puts Tampa in a position to really look at Travis Henry as a viable option at running back for them. Yesterday I introduced the possibility of Kenyetta Walker being involved, but now it seems more likely that the scenario might be just Henry for Tampa's 2nd round choice and another pick. Tampa Bay has two 3rd round choice at picks 71 & 91. What I am suggesting is that the Bills trade Henry to Tampa Bay and ask for the 36th pick which is in the 2nd round and the lower 3rd round pick which is at selection 91. Then the Bills would have 2nd round picks at 36 & 55, 3rd round picks at 86 & 91 along with the remaining compliment of picks on day two of the draft. The Bills could them delete the 1.5 million in cap space for Henry, giving them about 7.7 million to work with. With a total of 8 picks all 2nd round and lower the rookie allocation would be under 2.5 million, leaving monies for a re-work of Nate Clements contract. Also, if the Bills were able to put this deal in place for the draft, they could monitor the draft board and wait until the picks for Kansas City, New Orleans and Cincinnati come up at picks 15-17 in the 1st round and play the Nate Clements trade card to auction to the highest bidder. I believe the Chiefs might bite at 15 since Dick Vermeil has already stated that this will be his last year and its a big need area for the Chiefs since they have to play the Raiders and Randy Moss twice per season. The beauty here is with the additional picks gained in the proposed Travis Henry deal and this being a cornerback deep draft, the Bills would be in position to trade Nate Clements and drop his big salary and the headache involved in possibly franchising him or losing him aftr this year and pick-up a replacement such as Auburn CB Carlos Rogers with this pick. Also, Justin Miller of Clemson is an excellent CB and the best punt returner in college football and would be available if the Bills wanted to go in this direction. So to summerize: 1. Trade Henry to Tampa for picks 36 & 91 2. Use the money now available within the Bills Salary cap and offer Nate Clements a long term deal to stay in Buffalo. If he agrees, use the 4 picks on day 1 to grab OL David Baas at pick 36, a quality corner such as Eric Green at 55, then move into the 3rd round and draft an Eric Shelton of Louisville at back-up RB and lastly, pick a DT such as Anthony Bryant to close out your first day activities: 4. If the Bills can't get Clements to sign a long term deal, then offer him to the three teams I mentioned and get the best package which really would be Clements for the 1st round choice. If Kansas City agrees to the trade, then select the best available corner probably Carlos Rogers or Adam Jones. Sorry for the long post, but I just thought that this might be interesting for those fans who like to look about some interesting options betond the Henry to Arizona deal.

Here's the link for the information regarding the release of the 2005 NFL Schedule http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/8379307

I was listening to John Clayton this morning on the Mike and Mike show on ESPN Radio. He stated that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be trying to manuever into position to select either Alex Smith or Aaron Rogers at QB. Even though this makes no sense to me, Clayton is pretty wired into the most accurate of the NFL talk and this led me to think that maybe the Bills can make a deal with Tampa for Travis Henry. I also know that Tampa may be making a move on June 1st to release Kenyetta Walker although this was in the Bucs team notes of April 11th. Walker Ready To Tackle Next Level Apr 08 - Kenyatta Walker already has inner peace. Now, he's seeking balance. Tampa Bay's fifth-year tackle has endured significant and very public growing pains since the Bucs traded up to draft him as a junior out of the University of Florida. Walker made strides in 2004, reclaiming the starting right tackle job from free agent acquisition Todd Steussie in Week 6. "What haven't I been through?" Walker asked this week during organized workouts at One Buc Place. "I think last year I gained respect. I feel that the year before, they didn't know who I was. I got better, and I'm ready to take it to another level. I was more consistent last year, but I'm looking to be great." What makes this even more interesting is that the Bucs signed two tackles today, Matt Martin and Jeff Hatch. I know nothing about Martin, but Hatch was developing with the Giants a couple of years ago. The point is this, it seems like their could be a market for a running back to end up in Tampa from an existing roster. That puts Travis Henry at the front of the list as he has the most managable contract of all the available running backs which would be a great benefit to cap strapped Tampa. Might the Bills be working a deal where they send Henry to Tampa for Kenyetta Walker and Tampa's 2nd round choice. If so, I like this deal much better then what is being proposed with Arizona. This would also work for Tampa in that they could go and select their QB by trading up with Miami, Travis would be happy to land in Florida and the Bills could get another option at OT. The only issue I see is Walker is a RT and I don't know if he can play the LT position. Also, the compensation may be a 3rd round pick since Tampa may have to give Miami a 2nd to exchange picks in the first round. In any case, questions or comments.

Long read but still pretty interesting • Don't you just hate flip-floppers? Yeah, us, too, except when we are forced to reverse positions on an issue. Like the much discussed trade of Buffalo Bills disgruntled tailback Travis Henry to the Arizona Cardinals for left offensive tackle L.J.Shelton, who clearly has fallen out of favor with coach Dennis Green and his staff. We reported in this space two weeks ago that the swap would almost certainly occur before the draft. And now? We're not so sure. For one thing, upon further inspection, the Buffalo staff isn't nearly as enamored of Shelton as it once appeared to be. There are some Bills coaches who feel that Shelton would not be a starter in Buffalo, and that he probably would serve only as the team's No. 6 offensive lineman. That means, barring an unexpected event, the Bills plan to move starting center Trey Teague to left tackle, the position he played early in his career, with the Denver Broncos. It also probably means there will not be a straight player-for-player swap between the Bills and the Cardinals. The Bills still feel they need to get something more in return for Henry, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher, who lost his starting job to Willis McGahee last season, and who has vowed he will never again play in a Bills uniform. So if Henry isn't shipped off to Arizona, where does he go? Maybe back to the Bills, who certainly can afford to keep him, especially with a palatable base salary of $1.25 million. Sure, there would have to be some fences mended for Henry to play in Buffalo again. But the rhetoric and posturing of March and April, such as that done by Henry a couple weeks ago, typically is long forgotten [and forgiven] when teams start doling out paychecks. There also is the possibility that Buffalo could find a trade partner other than Arizona, and that notion isn't so far-fetched. A few other clubs have contacted Bills general manager Tom Donahoe and, while none has yet to approximate the ardor of the Cardinals, plenty can happen before the draft. Do not discount teams such as Tampa Bay, Seattle (if the Seahawks suddenly found a buyer for "franchise" tailback Shaun Alexander), Houston and Minnesota as potential suitors. Continued...