Saint Doug

We have a winner gentleman!!! Fresh from this week's Peter King's MMQB: "YOU FORGET ONE THING ABOUT THE BILLS IN THE DRAFT LAST YEAR. From Tom Hirliman of Chesapeake, Va.: "I find it interesting that this year it is OK to stand pat and not trade down. Last year, the Bills got killed in the media for not trading down. Call me crazy but maybe no one wanted to move up into their spot.'' Ah, but wait. Denver wanted to move up to the eighth spot, and Buffalo could have had the Broncos' No. 15 pick, still gotten safety Donte' Whitner of Ohio State and paid him less than they had to pay at No. 8. That was my only problem with the Bills' handling of their draft spot last year -- not drafting Whitner, who played very well as a rookie. Sometimes you win not only by getting the pick or picks from the trade-down, but also from paying the player less, which leaves you more cap room to sign additional players." http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...0/mmqbte/1.html Don't you just love all the backpeddling? First, it was a horrible pick. Then it was a 1/2 horrible pick and 1/2 taken too early. Now, it is just silence and STILL some taken too early crap.

In a stroke of reporting genius, espn reports on the front page of their website: http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=2826180

Is anyone really surprised by this banter from ESPN. Didn't they say the exact same lines one year ago, but instead used player's names like Moulds, Adams, and Milloy? The in the next breath, they stated the Dolphins would be in the SB. This is really old news, we shouldn't care. They are a media outlet, not soothsayers.

Very strange article. Either: 1) it is not written by Jeremy Green, 2) he was reprimanded at work for his unprofessionalism, or 3) this is written by a different "Jeremy Green." I have heard him on the radio slam the signings of Walker and Dockery, then in this article, he makes the signings sound good. Unless he has had a big change of heart, this is not written by him.

My original point was that we are not even hearing a peep out of the teams before us that could be looking to pick AP. Wouldn't they even want to bring Turner in just for a chat? The media are not even making up stories about them being interested in Turner. Maybe they are not even interested in a RB at all. I would think that if you are going to invest a top 10 pick in the draft in picking a RB, then why not explore all options? Why not grab look into grabbing Turner now, so you can pick up another need position as a top 10 pick. Both Cleveland and Houston have tons of holes, why not look to fill one up now with Turner? AP is not everything. He is not going to cause teams to fail to explore all other options.

And my hunch is, whoever that RB may be, they will be selected in the 2nd round or later, thus likely excluding them from selecting a RB in the 1st round (aka Peterson). And for generalee, thanks for the clarification. For a minute there, I forgot I was in a courtroom ("rebut" ???) and foolishly believed I was trying to add to discussion on a message board.

What I think is a great sign for the Bills is that not one team that is picking before us is going after Turner. Think of the teams that we think will grab A. Peterson before he falls to us: Cleveland, Arizona (Edge is getting old), Minny, Houston (probably not though due to Green). If these teams really, really wanted/needed a RB, don't you think one of them would be going after Turner? Their 2nd rounder would be as good as a late first and having turner would free them up to take more of a "need" player in round 1 (sort of like we are doing right now). I think this is great for us, unless there is a team picking before us that absolutely LOVES Peterson and thinks Turner is not a suitable 2nd choice RB.

We're gonna use that to get Quinn, along with our 2nd and 3rd. And there has also been a Teddy Bruschi sighting at the airport. Possibly to be the "heart and Soul" of our defense since we lost Troy Vincent, whose departure has created a void in the locker room.

Speaking of crazy studity, venture over to the Chargers message board on ESPN. Fans are already arguing over who they are going to pick with the 30th pick and THEIR 12th pick.

Yeah, there is potential here. With the addition of Spragen, who is a prototypical cover-2 'backer, we will have arguably the best LB corps in the AFC. Current line-up: Spragen/Wire/Haggan. Get 'er done Marv. This will fill yet another hole before the draft, so we can concentrate on other positions like long-snapper and 4th WR. Better yet, this gives us flexibility to package our 2nd and 3rd picks to move down to snag Quinn. With our 4th, 6th, and 2 7ths, we can draft TEs that we can cut in 4 years.

AJ already said, very clearly, that he would accept less for Turner. So, we don't have to keep bringing up the 1st and 3rd price tag.

If Peterson drops to us, I can see us trading with GB. We can then take Lynch (while GB takes Peterson) and use the extra pick we got from GB to trade back into the first to pick us Poz or Timmons.

Getting a RB that can move the chains (we haven't had this since Henry) will eat time off the clock and keep the defense off the field. This, in itself, will improve the defense (via rest) more than any rookie LB can contribute. And besides, I hate to say this, but there is a reason we shelled out 10 million dollars to Coy Wire.

No, he isn't going to find much more to do here in Baltimore. Hang out in the Inner Harbor? Eat some crabs? Maybe score some crack, shoot people. The red light district should serve its purpose well. I have been living here for nearly 2 years and the best thing to do in Baltimore City is to drive out of it. Well, he can always drive 50 min away to DC. Sound familiar?

Good, Robert Edwards...get 'er done Marv!!

As opposed to, say, a back that has been running behind and being taught by the best RB in the NFL? Or, we can just pick Lynch, who will be younger and not demanding big bucks. Either way is fine.

Yeah, I don't think they would want 2 4-5 million per year RBs on the roster and also a guy who had a greater YPC than Willis (Dayne with 4.1 YPC). They have (many) other holes to fill, they do not need to stock up on RBs. It really doesn't matter how good he is.

I don't know. But why would Texans take AP when they just signed Green to starter money and then afterwards picked-up Dayne to be the supposed back-up/1b guy? Having Green making over 5 million per year, then having AP making top 10 draft pick money would be a waste. They have other needs.

He has all the right intangibles: "...has a motor that never stops..." "...Plays with a nasty demeanor..." "...Good bloodlines..." "...a workout warrior..." Alright guys, buy you're jersys

Ah shucks, he didn't the good ole' Krummrie wrastlin' test, gonna be bad in NFL. In all honesty, I don't know why the media loves this Krummrie crap.

damn straight it is... BTW, love the avatar!

This is funny, because some Tool on espn radio (Jeremy Green I think) said Lynch was going to drop into 2nd round due to him combine. Combine, schombine, he'll go in first. This Green guy is really saying some stupid stuff.

plays with a mean streak

Interesting read... http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/footbal...sports-football Table all but bare, team throws dice Mike Preston The Ravens acquired running back Willis McGahee from the Buffalo Bills yesterday in a move that is supposed to upgrade their running game, but it's nothing to get really excited about - not when it cost the team three draft picks. To put it bluntly, within the past two days the Ravens have given up on an older malcontent of a running back with a bad knee for a younger malcontent of a running back with a bad knee. McGahee is a couple of years younger than former starter Jamal Lewis, and he might put a little more pizazz in the rushing offense, but the trade is somewhat puzzling. Soon after the 2006 season ended, top Ravens officials said they no longer were interested in mortgaging the present for the future, but they gave up third-round draft picks in 2007 and 2008 plus a seventh-round pick in April for McGahee. As of today, they don't have a third- or fourth-round pick in April's draft because they gave up the latter in the trade for quarterback Steve McNair last offseason. So, were the Ravens putting out a spin about a new philosophy or were they admitting that the window of opportunity was about to close because they mortgaged part of their future with the addition of McGahee? "I've talked to Ozzie [Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome] and told him I don't like some of the things that have gone on," said the Ravens' Pro Bowl offensive tackle, Jonathan Ogden, who still hasn't decided yet if he will retire before next season. "Ozzie has been in this business for a long time and is one of the best, so I can't criticize him, but there is a fine line in this business of getting ready now and getting ready for the future. I've been through salary-cap purges and rebuilding processes and I'm not sure where we're at." The addition of McGahee does make you scratch your head. It seems safe to assume that the Ravens, despite all the nice things they had to say about Lewis, really didn't want him back. Lewis signed with the Cleveland Browns for a reported $3.5 million, and the Ravens only offered about $2 million. If the difference were only $1.5 million, it would have been better to re-sign Lewis than to part with three draft picks. With Lewis, the team only had to give him a one-year deal. The word around the league is that the Ravens and McGahee have agreed in principle to a seven-year deal that could be worth as much as $40.12 million, which includes a $7.5 million signing bonus and an option bonus of $6 million for next season. Ouch! That hurts. McGahee has had success in his four seasons in the NFL, but he does carry some baggage. He's from the University of Miami, and that's both good and bad. Miami players play with a ferocious attitude (see Ray Lewis and Ed Reed). They are also the ultimate I-guys (see Ray Lewis and Ed Reed). McGahee complained in Buffalo about not touching the ball enough. There was a belief there that he demanded this trade, and the Bills were more than happy to oblige. There is also the injury factor. McGahee was one of the most explosive runners in the college game until he tore three ligaments in his knee during the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. He still has reasonable speed and can run inside as well as outside. He can pass-block and is a threat out of the backfield as a receiver, but he doesn't have the ability to hit the home run anymore. And after complaints about his role, he basically shut it down at the end of last season. That could be a problem, especially with coach Brian Billick, who often strays from the running game, even when effective. "Jamal Lewis is my boy and I wish him well," Ogden said. "I will say this, and that's during the last two years, we underutilized him. We should have run him more." It's a gamble by the Ravens, one they really had to make once negotiations with Lewis broke down a couple of days ago. McGahee's best season was in 2005 when he was named a Pro Bowl alternate after rushing for 1,247 yards and five touchdowns. McGahee has started 40 of 46 games in which he has played, carrying 868 times for 3,365 yards and 24 touchdowns. After McGahee, the only other alternative for the Ravens was former Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots running back Corey Dillon, another potential malcontent who once refused to go into a game against the Ravens in Baltimore during the 2000 season. So in the Ravens' eyes, they made a great move. With the No. 29 pick in the first round of April's draft, they probably couldn't have picked up an impact running back and they couldn't have drafted a player of McGahee's talents in the third round. But on the flip side, they probably could have selected a good offensive lineman with each of those third-round picks, and that would have significantly improved the running game. At least, though, the Ravens didn't give up a first-round pick for McGahee. Now, that would have really caused a stir. Giving up what they did is a big enough deal. mike.preston@baltsun.com

He does hate the Bills. On ESPN radio last night (in Baltimore), he said the worse 2 signings of FA have been #1=walker and #2=Dockery. He thinks the Bills took a huge step back by not signing both Fletcher and Clements. Yes, he was ragging on the bills for not signing both of them and going o-line instead.