marck

Here is the update after listening to John Clayton this morning on ESPN Radio. Hasselback to get a new contract signed, therefore the Seahawks franchise Alexander. Ryan Diehm has been signed to a long term contract meaning the Colts will franchise Edgerin James. The free agent running back pool now comes down to Lamont Jordan and a both of nobodies. The value for Travis just went up as Oakland, Miami and Arizona are all in need of running backs. The Dolphins probably go after Cedric Benson as the 2nd pick in the draft, the Buccaneers will go after Williams of Auburn with the 5th pick in the draft and the Raiders will likely sign Lamont Jordan. The probability of a Travis Henry for LJ Shelton deal is now very high. This would allow the Cardinals to select Alex Smith with the 8th pick in the draft.

I understand you have a job to do and have the right of freedom of expression as granted in the First Amendment, but do you have to take such as sarcastic and demeaning position on changes that are being made. There is a difference between voicing an opinion and making a mockery of people with the writing of that opinion. You owe Drew Bledsoe and Tom Donahue an apology for the degrading terms you have used to describe them. You are welcome as much to your opinion as I am the right to voice mine, the difference between us is that I place civility, respect and human dignity as paramount principals versus the cheap low blow you seem to find sophmorishley funny. May you read these words and consider if you want to be a respected journilist or a hate generating voicepiece for the loyal followers of the Bills. Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinion.

I read one of Weiler's columns and sent him an e-mail, here is his response to my e-mail: This guy is a total jackass and should be ignored. See below... ----- Original Message ----- From: Marc Kryjewski To: mweiler.billsreport@cox.net Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 4:31 PM Subject: Response to your article Dear Sir, I understand you have a job to do and have the right of freedom of expression as granted in the First Amendment, but do you have to take such as sarcastic and demeaning position on changes that are being made. Yes, it's the way I write! There is a difference between voicing an opinion and making a mockery of people with the writing of that opinion. You owe Drew Bledsoe and Tom Donahue an apology for the degrading terms you have used to describe them. I owe them nothing! They owe us as fans, some serious apologies for their negligent or utterly sub par performances, both of them! You are welcome as much to your opinion as I am the right to voice mine, the difference between us is that I place civility, respect and human dignity as paramount principals versus the cheap low blow you seem to find sophmorishley funny. Has someone been forcing you to read my work Marc? If so, please let me know. I'll get on them immediately. May you read these words and consider if you want to be a respected journilist or a hate generating voicepiece for the loyal followers of the Bills. I am an independent analyst with a better track record during Donadope's tenure than ANYONE covering the Bills. If you want to read elsewhere, then feel free. It's a free country. That's the nice thing about living in the states. There are plenty of other options for you Marc! ; ) Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinion. Again, a free country, and yes, I'll defend your right to speak your mind as well!!! Your welcome!!! Marc Kryjewski Mark Weiler BillsReport.com Cuttin' Thru the Bull on the Bills!

Good Morning to All, I live in San Diego and the Chargers long term plan is to have Phillip Rivers as the starter in 2006. The purpose in franchising Brees in 2005 is to maintain a winning team this year while enhanching the trade value of Brees in the 2005 off-season. While Brees is an excellent QB he does have a limited upside which Rivers can exceed. Also, there is no value in trading Bree's this year, what could you get? San Francisco, Miami or Clevelands pick in the top three. In this draft who wants it. Look for the Chargers to make a move and trade Brees after 2005 to a team such as Green Bay.

You bring up an excellent point. Shane Matthews has experience and knowledge of the game and will be a good tutor for J.P. However, this does not mean he is exactly back-up and save a game/season material. I like the thought of Carter as he is an excellent athlete and has experience in the league. However if this and only if he has put his personnel demons behind him. Players cannot feel comfortable with a leader who has no self-discipline and may not be able to be counted on when it really matters. So while I see your point, I do have some concerns.

There has been a lot of discussion on this board about the Bills taking a step back in 2005. In reality, the change at QB will have little impact on the upcoming season. The team is a solid playoff team in 2005, with its strengths on defense, special teams and running game. The change in QB moves us to being a playoff team with a young and developing QB instead of a playoff team who is "one and done" being QB'ed by a old veteran with no upside. If the Bills had kept Drew, does anyone actually think the Bills would have gone to the Super Bowl? With J.P., the team can use the motion offense that Coach Mularky likes, put in plays that focus on Loseman's strengths and use the early part of the season to win with the strengths the team had in 2004 while J.P. brings his skills up to the NFL level. Many fans see this as a Jon Kitna/Carson Palmer type issue and point to the Bengals taking a step back and see the same for the Bills. In reality the BENGALS DID NOT HAVE AN EFFECTIVE DEFENSE OR SPECIAL TEAMS and that was the reason for another 8-8 season. Carson Palmer had an excellent year and could have led his team to the playoffs if he had a stronger supporting cast. Look for the Bills to be a 10-6 or 11-5 team and to win an AFC W/C spot in 2005 and then take the big move in 2006.

I read Mr. Weiler's column and send him the following: Dear Sir, I understand you have a job to do and have the right of freedom of expression as granted in the First Amendment, but do you have to take such as sarcastic and demeaning position on changes that are being made. There is a difference between voicing an opinion and making a mockery of people with the writing of that opinion. You owe Drew Bledsoe and Tom Donahue an apology for the degrading terms you have used to describe them. You are welcome as much to your opinion as I am the right to voice mine, the difference between us is that I place civility, respect and human dignity as paramount principals versus the cheap low blow you seem to find sophmorishley funny. May you read these words and consider if you want to be a respected journilist or a hate generating voicepiece for the loyal followers of the Bills. Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinion. Marc Kryjewski

I think this would be an excellent trade. From a value standpoint a younger running back for a slightly older defensive end is an equitable trade. The salary of both players may be an issue as Price has a 9 million cap and would have to be restructured. Denver has a history of carrying multiple backs on their roster and Travis Henry would be an excellent addition for them. I think this would be a great football trade.

I think this is great news for the Bills. Garcia is the perfect style QB to come in and compete for the starting job with JP. He is a mobile QB who has experience in playing bad weather games (Canada) and can run the west coast type of offense. Admittingly, the Bills will not be in this style, but the reliance on a ball control apssing games suits Garcia's strengths and at his age, a chance to compete for a starting spot and the ability to back-up JP could be perfect for the Bills. Also his contract will be less then Drew's and maybe then we can move forward and try and trade Drew to Dallas to reunite him with Bill Parcells. Even though he was bad in the Cleveland locker room from all accounts we heard, the team was still 3-3 and played the Eagles a great game last year. I hope TD takes a look at this and moves accordingly.

Westbrook, 14 carries for 49 yards, one carry at the end of the half for 20 yards. New, 13 carries for 29 yards. See how this trade would make sense.

Maybe everyone is missing the point. You can't have an offense designed around a mobile QB and then have a back-up who is immobile. In the same consideration, if Drew was to stay, you would design a dropback offense with quick reads that would diminsih the skills of JP if he has to replace Drew. The best solution would be to bring in a mobile QB as a back-up and let the JP era begin.

I guess it was too much to ask for an actual intelligent response. Thanks for the declaration of your excellent football knowledge.

I brought this post up before the Super Bowl and I was snubbed by a couple of Eagle fans who stated that Brian Westbrrok was the man and could run on the Patriots. I guess that was proven to not be correct wasn't it Eagle fans. Now, back to the point of where Travis would be best suited to go. The Eagles need a hard-nosed inside the tackles runner who can make first downs and spin the clock to close out games. TH would be perfect for that system. Also the Eagles have a lot of salary cap space and would be able to easily extend his contract. The downside is that he is a poor blocker and mid-level receiver and that may impact his usefulness in the Eagles system. The best backs in the draft will all be gone by the time Philadelphia picks in the 1st round and might just give the Bills their choice they got from Miami in the Feeley trade. This would be a best case trade for both teams as it gives TH to a team who really needs his skills, a draft choice to the Bills and removes the locker room issues with WM and TH both deserving of a starting spot. It also saves the Bills 1.5 M on the cap. Just looking for opinions.

It does appear as the Bills will be moving forward with a new QB in 2005. With that in mind and taking into consideration that J.P. Loseman is our future QB, the question is what to do in 2005. I see the Bills developing an offensive strategy that includes rollouts and some QB draws and other mtion type plays. This plays into the strength of JP. If he is our starting QB in 2005, the back-up must have similar skills so in case of injury or poor play, the same offense can be run. It then becomes very appearant that Drew does not fit that style and will be moved off the Bills roster. Like many fans, I appreciate his time here and wish him well. But that still leaves the question who is the back-up in 2005. I am interested who you folks think could be a servicable veteran who can play in the style of offense that I described.

Norm Chow going to Tennessee probably means that Steve McNair will be moved out of Tennessee. The Titans are going into the rebuilding mode, they are 26 million over the salary cap, have the new QB in place and are looking at having Norm Chow rebuild the offense around Volex, Bennett, Calico and Eddie Berlin along with Ben Troupe at TE. I think it is a distinct possibility that McNair will either retire or be given his release so he can pick and choose his team. If released, a team would be able to sign him for a fair market value contract. Here are the teams I see in the mix in the order of logic for the team and player. 1. Arizona - Excellent fix into existing offensive design, head coach compatability, developing team with salary cap room and in a weak division where they can dominate for at least three years. 2. Denver - Could be the missing piece and is a far better QB in their system then Jake Plummer, have salary cap room if they make the decision to not pick-up the option on Plummers contract. Have the receivers and running game in place and are still a viable playoff threat. 3. Buffalo - If Bledsoe is released could be the perfect player for the next two years for Loseman to work under. All the pieces are in place for the Bills to be a Super Bowl team and simply need a quality QB to complete the package. Bills could sign him for three or four years, next two as the starter and then as a back-up for JP. 4. Baltimore - Possible only if the Ravens don't see Boller as the QB to take them back to the Super Bowl, also limited because they may simply move after Randy Moss as the means of boosting their offensive production. 5. Cleveland/Miami - Both teams need a starting QB, Miami has to many salary cap issues to take on a McNair contract and Cleveland is lacking the personnel to win in the next two to three years. Looking for any feedback on this post.

2nd Bump, This is a relevant Football topic, I thought it might draw some interest.

bump

As much as I admire Drew as a great human being, leader and quality person, I also believe we should move forward with our team's development. The biggest problem I see is that we have two QB's whose styles differ. An offensive system that is put in for Drew's strengths does not incorporate any rollout type passing game, moving pocket scenarios or factor in any type of orchestrated QB draws. If Drew stays and starts and the need to change QB's comes up in 2005, it will be another lost season because the whole offense cannot be changed to accomodate a mobile QB. With this being said, I also feel that starting a 2nd year QB with limited experience may also cost us another year of no-playoffs. What I suggest is having your starter and back-up both being able to play in the same style of offense, meaning trade Drew if possible and finding an experienced mobile QB to compete with JP in training camp. Here are the names of some QB's who will/might be available to the Bills in 2005: Matt Hasselback - Seattle potential F/A who can move and would be a good fit in Buffalo Jeff Garcia - Cleveland will probably let him go, however I think he may be a poor locker room fit. Jay Fiedler - Miami - Good character guy with limited skills, might make excellent back-up and can win a game or two in a pinch Steve McNair - Tennessee - Great leader and high character guy with a huge contract which I'm sure the Bills can't afford, however with the Titans ready to move forward with Volek and with cap problems, he might be let go as a cost cutting move. Rich Gannon - Oakland - Excellent leader with mobility who will be let go this off-season. Cn start for at least one more year, would be a great tutor for JP and his skills would blend perfectly with a team that has a great running game and a solid defense. Downside is that he is injury prone and would not be available for the whole season. Aaron Brooks - New Orleans - If the Saints feel that he will never lead them to the playoffs, they may jettison him and start over with a new QB. Brooks has obvious great upside but makes tons of mistakes. This may be more bad coaching and could be coached up and be very productive. Any of these moves would provide the Bills a QB who could start immediatly, back-up well and tutor JP and be a QB with a similar style so the offense could be structured for eitehr QB. Questions, comments or feedback?

Welcome to the baord and thanks for introducing a football related post. As much as I admire Drew as a great human being, leader and quality person, I also believe we should move forward with our team's development. The biggest problem I see is that we have two QB's whose styles differ. An offensive system that is put in for Drew's strengths does not incorporate any rollout type passing game, moving pocket scenarios or factor in any type of orchestrated QB draws. If Drew stays and starts and the need to change QB's comes up in 2005, it will be another lost season because the whole offense cannot be changed to accomodate a mobile QB. With this being said, I also feel that starting a 2nd year QB with limited experience may also cost us another year of no-playoffs. What I suggest is having your starter and back-up both being able to play in the same style of offense, meaning trade Drew if possible and finding an experienced mobile QB to compete with JP in training camp. Here are the names of some QB's who will/might be available to the Bills in 2005: Matt Hasselback - Seattle potential F/A who can move and would be a good fit in Buffalo Jeff Garcia - Cleveland will probably let him go, however I think he may be a poor locker room fit. Jay Fiedler - Miami - Good character guy with limited skills, might make excellent back-up and can win a game or two in a pinch Steve McNair - Tennessee - Great leader and high character guy with a huge contract which I'm sure the Bills can't afford, however with the Titans ready to move forward with Volek and with cap problems, he might be let go as a cost cutting move. Rich Gannon - Oakland - Excellent leader with mobility who will be let go this off-season. Cn start for at least one more year, would be a great tutor for JP and his skills would blend perfectly with a team that has a great running game and a solid defense. Downside is that he is injury prone and would not be available for the whole season. Aaron Brooks - New Orleans - If the Saints feel that he will never lead them to the playoffs, they may jettison him and start over with a new QB. Brooks has obvious great upside but makes tons of mistakes. This may be more bad coaching and could be coached up and be very productive. Any of these moves would provide the Bills a QB who could start immediatly, back-up well and tutor JP and be a QB with a similar style so the offense could be structured for eitehr QB.

I have provided football based reasons for points you have tried to make. You simply recant the same line. I have multiple satellite feeds and have seen all Eagle games this season. So I hope this answers your question on that account. You keep saying Westbrook is the reason for the Eagles success this season. In all actuality, the real reason for the Eagles success is that they play in the NFC East which means 12 of their 16 games were against teams that on the whole were totally awful. The other four games they played against the AFC North and they got their tails kicked by the Steelers, barley got by the Ravens without Jamel Lewis, and beat the Browns (whoppe). The Bengal game was not even to be considered since Philly had already shut down for the playoffs. Assume then the Eagles record to 15-1 with the two losses late in the season tossed out: Where are the quality wins? New York Giants/Dallas Cowboys/Washington Redskins - Real tough feasting on three 6-10 teams. That's six wins right their. Green Bay/Minnesota - Decent wins against teams that were fatally flawed in their ability to play pass defense. Detroit/Chicago - You must be kidding? Cleveland - They struggled with the Browns and being a Bills fan, you know what a joke the Brownies were. Carolina - Played them when half their roster was on I/R. Next year the NFC has to be much better, they will be playing a better AFC division and also will have a 1st place schedule. I don't think their offensive philosophy will hold up in 2005. Now, unless you have any well thought-out reasons, please don't respond back.

Let me explain in a different way. The Eagles for one year (2004) used a 65/35 percent pass/run ratio. Do you really think that is going to be the plan year after year? Since its logical to assume the Eagles will want to run a more balanced attack there will be a need for more carries and also a need for an inside running game. Many of the yards that Westbrook gets are based on either spread formations or plays that sweep the ends. How long will a player of his small size, hold up if asked to pound it 20 to 25 times per game. This is why a back of Travis Henry's caliber makes so much sense. He can provide the Eagle offense with more balance, making Westbrook even more explosive, and also open things up for the passing game. Lastly, late in a game when the need is to control the clock, grind out first downs you really can't use a Westbrook type of back. I hope this explained my logic. quote=slothrop,Jan 28 2005, 03:15 PM] again, explain why the Eagles should be disappointed in Westbrook this year! Also, you think Henry could function in a complicated West Coast system? I would take westbrook over henry every time. 221979[/snapback]

The Patriots will stop McNabb, take away the passing game and shut down Westbrook. I think this game could be of blowout proportions.

Westbrook is not built to withstand inside the tackle running and is mostly a flex back. Buckhalter has been injured multiple times and has not proven himself as a viable NFL running back. In addition, the Eagles need to have more balance on offense and need a "hammer" type running back which will assist them in running out the clock in the 4th quarter of games and also in late season games where the potential of inclement weather impacts the passing game. When teams are one dimensional as the Eagles are, teams will focus on shutting down the passing game and you will see that start to happen next year unless they do get a truly viable running game.

I have been thinking about logical destinations for Travis Henry to end up at and after much thought I believe the Eagles may be the most logical destination. 1. After the Eagles get blown out of the Super Bowl they will realize that they need a bass possession style running back. 2. Assuming that Alexander, Johnson and James all resign with their respective teams and that the top running backs are all gone prior to the 31st pick, this leaves very few viable running back choices left. 3. Taking this into account the Bills should hold onto Travis until draft day and see if the scenario I laid out does come to pass. If so the market value for TH goes up and since TD is looking for a 2nd round pick or a player, the 31st pick is pretty much like a 2nd round choice. To balance the deal the Bills may have to give up a 4th or 5th and might just be able to make the deal by combining Josh Reed and Travis Henry for the Eagles 1st and 6th round pick. I think this deal would be excellent for both teams. 4. With the 31st and 52nd picks, Buffalo can move to make improvements on areas that need shoring up after free agencey. As always, looking for feedback as I have not seen any "Why not Henry to the Eagles" posts yet.

Hi Bill, Thanks for the feedback. Excellents points and well thought out. Believe Rice may be available due to his age and contract value and Tampa is moving towards getting younger. Maybe a more reasonable trade would be Henry & Reed for Jaravicious & a 2nd round pick. Regarding Turley, he can play left tackle and will build his weight back to 300+ lbs. In addition, his issues are with Mike Martz who is naturally antagionistic and hostile. But, thanks for the feedback.