JDG

Simon, I agree that the 2000 draft was an unmitigated disaster, but I think that you are being just a little too hard on Butler. In particular, I think that the 1999 and 1996 drafts were good, and 1997 was probably fine as well. To make my point, lets consider 1999: 1999 Round Pick Overall Name Position School 1 23 23 Antoine Winfield - Near Pro Bowl performer 2 22 53 Peerless Price - One Near Pro Bowl season, solid NFL player for several other seasons 3 25 86 Shawn Bryson RB - Solid NFL Role Player 4 24 119 Keith Newman LB - Solid NFL Player 4 27 122 Bobby Collins TE - Marginal NFL Player 5 23 156 Jay Foreman LB - Solid NFL Player 6 15 184 Rashard Cook DB - Bust 6 25 194 Armon Hatcher DB - Bust 7 24 230 Sheldon Jackson TE - Marginal NFL Player 7 42 248 Bryce Fisher DE - Solid NFL Player I tried to look up the 1998-1999-2000 drafts of some NFL teams that went on to success in the early-2000's. Here's the Packers for example: 2000 1 1 14 14 Bubba Franks TE Miami (FL) 2 2 13 44 Chad Clifton T Tennessee 3 3 12 74 Steve Warren DT Nebraska 4 4 4 98 Na'il Diggs LB Ohio State 5 4 20 114 Anthony Lucas WR Arkansas 6 4 32 126 Gary Berry DB Ohio State 7 5 20 149 Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila LB San Diego State 8 5 22 151 Joey Jamison WR Texas Southern 9 7 18 224 Mark Tauscher G Wisconsin 10 7 23 229 Ron Moore DT NW Oklahoma State 11 7 36 242 Charles Lee WR Central Florida 12 7 43 249 Eugene McCaslin LB Florida 13 7 46 252 Rondell Mealey RB Louisiana State 1999 1 1 25 25 Antwan Edwards DB Clemson 2 2 16 47 Fred Vinson DB Vanderbilt 3 3 26 87 Mike McKenzie DB Memphis 4 3 33 94 Cletidus Hunt DT Kentucky State 5 4 36 131 Aaron Brooks QB Virginia 6 4 38 133 Josh Bidwell P Oregon 7 5 26 159 DeMond Parker RB Oklahoma 8 5 30 163 Craig Heimburger C Missouri 9 6 27 196 Dee Miller WR Ohio State 10 6 34 203 Scott Curry G Montana 11 7 6 212 Chris Akins DB Arkansas-Pine Bluff 12 7 7 213 Donald Driver WR Alcorn State 1998 1 1 19 19 Vonnie Holliday DT North Carolina 2 3 29 90 Jonathan Brown DE Tennessee 3 4 29 121 Roosevelt Blackmon DB Morris Brown 4 5 27 150 Corey Bradford WR Jackson State 5 6 3 156 Scott McGarrahan DB New Mexico 6 6 34 187 Matt Hasselbeck QB Boston College 7 7 29 218 Edwin Watson RB Purdue The record looks fairly comparable to me. Here's New Bruschi (We're not worthy!), which obviously hit the mother-of-all-home-runs with Tom Brady, but the rest of their drafts look awful pedestrian: 2000 1 2 15 46 Adrian Klemm T Hawaii 2 3 14 76 J.R. Redmond RB Arizona State 3 4 33 127 Greg Robinson-Randall T Michigan State 4 5 12 141 Dave Stachelski TE Boise State 5 5 32 161 Jeff Marriott DT Missouri 6 6 21 187 Antwan Harris DB Virginia 7 6 33 199 Tom Brady QB Michigan 8 6 35 201 David Nugent DT Purdue 9 7 20 226 Casey Tisdale LB New Mexico 10 7 33 239 Patrick Pass RB Georgia 1999 1 1 17 17 Damien Woody C Boston College 2 1 28 28 Andy Katzenmoyer LB Ohio State 3 2 15 46 Kevin Faulk RB Louisiana State 4 3 30 91 Tony George DB Florida 5 5 21 154 Derrick Fletcher T Baylor 6 6 11 180 Marcus Washington DB Colorado 7 7 21 227 Michael Bishop QB Kansas State 8 7 35 241 Sean Morey WR Brown 1998 1 1 18 18 Robert Edwards RB Georgia 2 1 22 22 Tebucky Jones DB Syracuse 3 2 22 52 Tony Simmons WR Wisconsin 4 2 24 54 Rod Rutledge TE Alabama 5 3 20 81 Chris Floyd RB Michigan 6 3 22 83 Greg Spires DE Florida State 7 4 23 115 Leonta Rheams DT Houston 8 5 22 145 Ron Merkerson LB Colorado 9 6 23 176 Harold Shaw RB Southern Mississippi 10 7 22 211 Jason Andersen C Brigham Young And if the Patriots were drafting geniuses, would they really have taken Dave Stachelski ahead of Tom Brady???? JDG

I don't think anyone is holding Donahoe to the standard of brining back the four Super Bowls and six straight playoff births of the Glory Years. What we would like to see, however, is a team that is consistently playing meaningful football games in December - ala a Pittsburgh. This is Year 5 of the Donahoe era, and the playoffs still seem like grounds for criticism. In my mind there are two possible criticisms of Donahoe: 1) Donahoe changes his mind too much, pulls the trigger too quickly, and never lets things get built. Prima facie evidence of this is that the Bills last one in Foxboro in 2000 - just five years ago, and only *one* player is still with the Bills from that team. Just *one*! (Eric Moulds) Football is a *team* game, and no wonder a team has not been built with that kind of turnover. Also, Donahoe probably had a heavy hand in firing offensive coordinator Mike Sheppherd after just one talent-starved 3-13 year. By the same token, Donahoe has spent a whopping *eight* 1st and 2nd round draft picks on the QB, RB, and WR positions alone in the space of just five years. A staggering investment. 2) Donahoe utterly blew his first building project, centered around Gregg Williams, Drew Bledsoe, Travis Henry, Eric Moulds and Josh Reed. He's now ripped that failure out almost completely, bringing in Mularkey, Losman, McGahee, Evans, and Parrish - while retaining only Moulds (and Josh Reed as a bit-player, special-teamer.) Given the depth to which Buffalo is into the second Donahoe project, it seems that Donahoe can probably not be properly judged until the project reaches its culmination over the rest of this year and next. If it turns out anything like the first project, however, well then Donahoe surely knows that there aren't many third chances in the National Football League. As many of you may guess, I actually probably lean towards the second criticism rather than the first, but there is a case to be made for the first. In either case, the criticism has to be accepted as more than legitimate. It takes a lot of luck to win a Super Bowl, but a lot of skill can usually produce at least the playoffs - or at least a season with meaningful December football games. So far, that skill has not yet been conclusively demonstrated in Buffalo. JDG

Although remember that next year the game that is played on Sunday night this year will be played on Monday Night next year, and vice versa. So, it will be a lot easier to ignore the Monday night game... JDG

Another example..... many people probably think that Joe Gibbs has a powerhouse rushing team behind Clinton Portis, and yet on *every* third down, even third-and-short, Washington comes out lined up in the *Shotgun.* JDG

The New York teams also will get Monday Night games almost every year regardless, just because the New York media market is so huge that that factor alone almost guarantees decent ratings. JDG

Syracuse is not part of the Buffalo market..... it is a distant ancillary market that splits its attention among the Bills, Jets, and Giants - and most cities in the US have similar distant ancillary markets. Fortunately we don't have to worry about any team moving to LA until they figure out the stadium situation - but someday the will. We can only hope that Al Davis has gone on to that great football heaven in the sky by then, allowing the Raiders to be moved to the city where they belong. JDG

I was watching the game in Syracuse, and after the Bubba McDowell INT told my Dad (half in jest): "Now would be a good time to start a comeback." Also mention Boomer Esiason talking about Frank Reich leading the greatest comeback in college history when they were both at UMD during the Half. Also, worth noting that Warren Moon's statistics for the 1st Half were *insane* - probably close to being near NFL records. And my favorite image of the game - three guys dressed in nun's habits dancing and "praying" after another Bills TD in the second half. JDG

Uh.... LaDairis, I don't know where you get off with such a condescending attitude after only 25 posts, but "Albany, n.y." has about 100 times as many posts as you for a reason - he's proven over the years to be one of the most cogent and *original* observers of the Buffalo Bills around. Which is not to say that he's always right..... but I'd respect what you're trying to say 'round these parts a lot more if you dropped the attitude. JDG

I've liked the occasional flashes we've seen from Josh Reed this year.... but the simple truth of the matter is that there aren't a lot of roster spots in this League for WR's who aren't big and who aren't fast. Maybe if he became a big-time 3rd-down, move-the-chains type guy, but there's no evidence for that at this point. And now that we have drafted Parrish he better be sure that he keeps working on those Special Teams if he wants to stay employed..... but basically, you're hoping that he becomes another Bobby Engram.... JDG

Teams get reamed for "reaches" in part because of media-driven expectations. But who sets those projections? The teams do - with their leaks to the media. Freeney was a freak of nature, and Donahoe could have taken him. After all, Donahoe went for an undersized, slow, WR in the second round instead of Antwaan Randle-El..... JDG

Here's how I would revist Donahoe's worst draft, the 2002 affair: 1. DE Dwight Freeney - Syracuse 2a. C LeCharles Bentley - Ohio St. 2b. WR/KR/QB Antwaan Randle-El Indiana 5. DT Justin Bannan - Colorado Is that too much to ask? JDG

How about *eight* 1st and 2nd round picks on QB-RB-WR in those ten years. A huge reason why we aren't a playoff team yet is that we invested heavily into a Bledsoe-Henry-Moulds-Reed football team, and then ripped it all out in favor of a Losman--McGahee-Moulds-Evans-Parrish team that has not yet fully developed. The fact that there is only *one* player on this team from 2000 (the last time the Bills won in Foxboro) speaks volumes about the upheavel Donahoe has put this team through..... Everyone wants to call this Year 5 of Donahoe, but really its just Year 2 of Mularkey - and we look an awful lot like a second-year-of-a-rebuilding-project football team. At this point Donahoe has taken the mulligan for Plan A, so I figure we'll have to wait around through at least next year to say if Plan B pans out. If Plan B flops for the rest of this year and next, I can't imagine that even Ralph Wilson will stick around for Plan C. JDG

Let's see the Giants win one on the road first..... Oh wait, they're playing the 49ers this week, let's see the Giants win two on the road first.... JDG

No it wasn't that bad.... it was worse. The most egregious sin was cutting away from the action to air dumb interviews. During the strip-sack on Holcomb that completely changed the game, an interview with Kraft about liability waivers was airing.... Ugh! JDG

I can't see how a guy who isn't even on the Wall of Fame can hope to make the Hall of Fame. The Bills need to put Tasker on the Wall. JDG

We'll see how bad the Raiders are. I can't help but think that the Bills would have been 1-5 against that schedule too. JDG

I guess that's true so long as you consider the Steelers' second-string a "good team." Our records for last year says 9-7, but I mentally consider last year's team to be a 6-10 team. So rather than thinking ourselves of last year as being "one game out" of the playoffs, I think of ourselves as being much worse than that. JDG

O.k. good point - but how about McNally turning Donahoe away from the likes of LJ Shelton and Ross Verba. *That* I can believe. JDG

I think that you almost have to consider the schedule in terms of last year's defense. Last year's schedule was extraordinarily fortuitous. Not only did we draw the worst division in football in the NFC West, but we played at least two teams the week after they had fired their coach and thus were in utter disarray. I think we got the Rams at a really convenient time too. Anyhow, the Bills showed in Week 16 that the gaudy numbers against inferior competition was something of a mirage, and so we should definitely consider that in "comparing" the Bils' supposedly more-accomplished 2004 predecessors with this year's group. This team might even be better than last year's - but its just drawing a tougher slate. JDG

I think that Takeo Spikes has to be part of that difference equation as well. Takeo Spikes led the NFL in tackles behind the line of scrimmage last year, IIRC. JDG

I'm not quite so quick to absolve McNally. He had a reputation with the Giants of eschewing highly-rated linemen, and preferring instead to work with "his guys" - UDFA's and low draft picks. Of course, this is a great shtick if you can pull it off - if the offensive line is anywhere's decent you look like a genius, and if the offensive line stinks, you can wash your hands of it due to the lack of talent.... JDG

Yes, Alex, "What is when Wade Phillips was the Head Coach?" JDG

Uh.... its called "completions" - or in Losman's case, the lack thereof. JDG

Good analysis.... although I think that you are getting ahead of yourself by giving the Bills credit for the Syracuse market area. When local TV Stations in Syracuse take fan polls, the Bills have to compete with the Jets and Giants - and don't always win. Rochester is a Bills town, so the combined Buffalo-Rochester market would be #26, just ahead of San Diego. Also, since as far as I know there is no TV deal for Southern Canada with the Bills, I don't think you can really include them - and besides, every major market has outlying regional areas.... which is all Syracuse and So-On provide to Buffalo. The killer for Buffalo is that the Buffalo-Rochester market is declining in ranking every single year. Portland is already well ahead of us, and Raleigh-Durham is nipping at our heels (and if you combine Raleigh-Durham with Greensboro, a comparable distance to Buffalo-Rochester, they are already well ahead of us.... Heck Raleigh-Durham and Greensboro are both individually larger than Buffalo already.) Indeed, San Antonio-Austin, another comparable distance to Buffalo-Rochester is also already ahead of, and is growing explosively - and the NFL has "no interest" in the market (admittedly this may be primarily because it pales in comparison, like everyone else, to Los Angeles.) Further in the rear view mirror, we can probably bet on Salt Lake City, Birmingham, Sacramento, Norfolk, Memphis, Albuquerque-Santa Fe and Las Vegas (though I doubt they'll ever get a franchise) all passing us within our lifetimes. With 32 Teams the NFL has competitive balance, and a 33rd team would start to seriously dillute any prospects of competitive balance with only a 16 game season. There's plenty of indication out there that there is no enthusiasm for expansion. And of course, some day the NFL is going to turn its eyes on the giant Toronto and Mexico City markets. In the long term, the hope for the Bills isn't even Golisano - its in New York State's and Buffalo's political leaders turning around the terminal decline of the whole region before its too alte. JDG

Awww.... you guys are making me blush. Thanks a lot. JDG