BillsVet

Can't we all just agree that taking a RB neglects our thin defense and going RB in Round 1 takes us out of the Patrick Willis or Amobi Okoye game? DJ is going to go defense. Think what you will, he's got a lot of influence over Marv and whomever is selected. That said, I'd like to see Pittman in Round 2 and if he's gone Brandon Jackson perhaps in Round 3. After that there'll still be some serviceable RB's.

Why he traded the top pick in the WNBA draft. I really think he's shaking his head. That guard out of Duke really looked like a sure thing. 24 days and counting folks...

As my Media Law professor said in college, "Let's...condense...this." I cannot see Buffalo investing so much on their OL only to let an aged A. Thomas and perhaps another average back run behind it. Kinda like buying a Mercedes and installing the cheapest sound system in it. A non-sequitur. Not sure if the Bills give up their cash to the cap theory now that revenue sharing is a done deal, but if they did, Turner becomes more of a reality. Of course so much hinges on a deal with Turner, but having the chance to select an impact defender like Willis or Okoye in the draft and acquire Turner is going to satisfy both DJ and Fairchild. We can't neglect the RB position and plug in an average runner. An average RB delivers average results and when the Bills have difficulty running successfully you should not be surprised. Hopefully Willis or Okoye is available at 12, but don't get an average running back to run behind that line.

I'd rather have a veteran with his best days behind him than another draft pick allocated toward the defensive backfield. The more picks the better and another spent on a DB just seems ridiculous, especially if they've targeted a CB for depth purposes. We've got three safeties on the roster. And all of them are young (see less than 2 years in the league) Perhaps Troy Vincent would come back as the DB coach. Well, maybe not.

Someone finally had to say it. If we're trying to win now and/or in the future, Julius Jones is not the answer. End of story. Sure Dallas' OL wasn't great, but Jones didn't help himself much. A pairing of Jones and A. Thomas is mediocrity defined. Certainly not a running game that is formidable.

Local media expertly doing their job as always. Keeping us informed.

How many dominating WR's did SD have last season? How about NE? Or maybe CHI and NO? Sure, Indy had two excellent ones, but they're the exception. Antonio Gates lost some TDs to a guy like LT, but you win with balance. Having a balanced offense that maximizes the players on that side of the ball is vital, or defenses key in on your strengths. The days of having Andre Reed line up next to James Lofton are few and far between. On defense you win in the trenches. Same as for the offense. But on defense we need some speedy playmaking types right now. Hopefully Willis is there because we've got 1, maybe 2 NFL caliber linebackers on the roster right now. DJ is defense first. And second. He holds sway over Marv and they'll try to win with defense like he did in Chicago back in 2001. Defense first, offense second. It's the head coaches way.

Carriker is a DE. He might possess great size and strength, but he doesn't have the same kind of speed Okoye has. For my money, the best way to solve the opponent's running game this season and into the future is Okoye. If he's gone, and might well be, then P. Willis is the way to go. Carriker is a large DE that doesn't fit for us right now. Unless he's going to make the jump to DT, and then we have a project on our hands.

Probably so...it's not such a bad thing after all. You're right, if Marv had any inclination about drafting Hall, Revis, hell even Houston, then perhaps the notion was removed with that brief conversation. At least Ralph has a handle on their weaknesses. Marv addressed the left side of the OL, and his DE's are a strength, but RG and DT are still big question marks. Good football teams begin with the offensive and defensive line, in that order.

Okoye would be my choice if Willis is gone. I think he can make a huge impact his first year and would immediately upgrade a group of DT's that didn't get it done last season. He has tremendous upside, character, and a great work ethic. He'd quickly show McCargo what a DT can do in their rookie season.

If Ralph's forced to ask that now, that's not good. DJ and Marv go defense first and second round. Perhaps Willis at 12 or they trade down and grab Posluszny late in the first. I certainly don't see them grabbing RB in round 1, maybe even second round either if they have the same amount of picks. I could see them trading and picking up a second to use for a RB. I know Ralph doesn't sit in for all the football meetings, but it's decent that he's at least interested in the aspects of the team. I have to give Marv credit, he's the only GM in the league with an owner who won't give him all the money to spend within limits. I figure it takes 7M to sign rookies, perhaps 1M less, and even with that, Buffalo is still 15-17M beneath the salary cap. I value Peter King's opinion because he's been right more often than not. I'll refrain from saying's he bulletproof, but he's got some excellent sources scattered throughout the league.

Michael Turner has to be the biggest scat back in the history of the NFL-all 237 pounds of him. He's a bruiser with speed, not a third down type. I think Turner will be too expensive for Buffalo's rebuilding cash to the cap philosophy.

That punter from Baylor, Daniel Sepulveda looks like a great pick. I think we could get him in the first if we're lucky and he solves so many of our problems. We know he can punt, but he's 6'2 230 and can run. I think his 40 time was about 4.65 So, if we draft him, we have a backup punter who could excell at LB and probably run the ball occasionally on 2nd down when A. Thomas needs a break. And I'm sure he fits in with the team's financial plans because he'll get the NFL rookie minimum. There it is.

Well, it's hard to tell through words alone. It's as the kid say "all good." Of course what I'm saying is partially opinion. I don't have sources deep within OBD or anything. I just think we'd have done something if it were right.

It's not all revenue sharing. If it was, Buffalo wouldn't be shedding salary like Holcomb and Spikes. They've come out and said cash to the cap and aren't going to reverse course because all of a sudden there's a few million available in revenue sharing. It's not much when you look at it. It appears, according to the link, that 100M will be available for about what I think is half the league this year. That breaks down to about 6-7M per team for the first season. If Ralph thinks selling the naming rights isn't profitable enough, then revenue sharing fits in the same boat. It's a minor offering and not anything that will turn the tide of NFL spending for small market teams. Hence, JAC and CIN voting against it. Revenue Sharing

President Truman once said, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." Tipster, criticism is a part of this board. Deal with it.

You're welcome dude. Besides, Marv did not implement cash to the cap. Ralph and most likely his CFO Jeffrey Littman developed the theory to rebel against the escalating salaries in the NFL. No way does Marv tell his employer that the financial system bestowed on him needs changing. He doesn't carry that much weight.

This might be construed as negative, but with the Spikes deal, Buffalo is at about 88M with the salary cap. I came to that figure from Clumps page showing us at 93M in cap before the Spikes trade. If we saved 5M in cap with the move, it places the Bills at 88M. If cash to the cap is employed and our draft picks come under the same criteria, we'll be at the NFL minimum (which I believe to be 93-95M) to start the season. (or 112M in cash to the cap-ese) I think Briggs will want a long term deal similar to Adalius Thomas got from NE. He knows the going rate and we're not going to spend that kind of cash. Face it, the Bills salary restrictions prevent us from making the move. I feel the same goes for Turner. We've got to sign our picks. And right now, we're at about 100M in cash to the cap dollars. Cash to the Cap There is simply no room to make a deal. We've purged LFB, NC, WM, Takeo, Holcomb, who else can we afford to dump at this point? We could always have Ralph run the ball, he does have fresh legs. But seriously, there's no room.

No matter what, I still can't see us getting Briggs. He turned down a 6yr 33M contract before the 06 season began. Why then would Buffalo pay that in light of cash to the cap?

There are first round busts every year. Historically I believe half of the first round picks don't produce like they're expected to. Sure Briggs is a stand-out and would be a great addition (2 time Pro Bowler), but the idea that Ellison or Wire (good lord!) might be demanded in a trade is preposterous! Who's to say Chicago doesn't use Hillenmeyer more or draft a LB and start them? We played Ellison as a rookie. I don't have inside info on a proposed deal but I've heard some crazy stuff on these boards, but Ellison demaded in a trade? You've got to be kidding me. I haven't laughed this hard since Peyton Manning was on SNL last weekend.

Who says McCargo was starting to play well? Some on this board have, but I really haven't seen it officially from anyone outside the team sources. And I'm not sure about you, but having a screw placed into his foot is not something I'm counting on as a plus for next season. He's now broken the same foot twice in three years? It's frightening that he might do it again. And former first round picks aren't locks, no matter where they're selected and by whom. You have nothing in the way of play to expect him to be a solid contributor, his body of work is so miniscule. In the games I recall seeing him it was hard to know whether he was on the field. The same holds true for Youboty. And not once in that whole post did I talk about keeping LFB or anything remotely close to the idea. Don't put words into my mouth. The fact remains that a porous front four means lots of tackles for LB's and DB's because the front cannot shed blockers and make plays within the LOS. Just making good tackles is not indicative of being a good player. I'm not underestimating our players at all. I'm giving you a realistic assessment. You're not objectively looking at our draft picks and placing a value on tackles that isn't there. Let's be honest, if you can't accurately grade a player after their first year that should hold true whether we think they're good or bad. In the NFL, the right side of the OL is usually the run-blocking side. We couldn't run behind Pennington last season. 7th round picks are selected there for their potential. And Terrance Pennington's potential is modest. We can hope he develops further, but I do not put a lot of faith in late round draft picks. Even a team like NE doesn't get many guys from the fifth round and below, and they seem to be the standard for how to draft successfully in late rounds.

I don't want to ruin your cornflakes, but it seems to me that Buffalo isn't thinking about a few of the things you talk about. First, this cash to the cap plan. No other NFL team self-restricts their front office from using the tools the league provides. According to clump, we're about 19M below the cap not including the savings from the Spikes trade. If we saved 5M with the deal, we're 24M under the cap with mainly rookies to sign. I would wager to say we are at the NFL cap minimum when the season begins. If Ralph is going balls to the wall, he's sure not doing it this season, revenue sharing or not. As for the players, still significant areas of need. I think Buffalo hosted Meachem to get more info and probably are interested. It could be a likely pick, but I still believe DJ will influence Marv to go defense in Round 1 and 2. I just don't think #2 WR is a high enough priority. The defense has weaknesses at LB, CB, and lacks depth at S. I simply think the premise that we're going to do everything in the future to win isn't correct. It sounds like cash to the cap is not a one year thing, it's for the future. Ralph doesn't seem willing to spend any more than he has to, cap wise that is and this year is no exception. Cash to the cap is Ralph's reply to growing NFL signing bonuses and he's doing what any businessman who thinks (either correctly or incorrectly) that he can't make the money he once did. You spend less when things aren't good. They could make the playoffs, stranger things have certainly happened. But with as many issues as they have, I have a hard time thinking they'll be anything more than an 8-8 team in a division with NE and an improving NYJ.

Not surprisingly he didn't get your point.

John McCargo is simply an unproven commodity. How you put faith into a player who broke the same foot he did in college, played in five games his rookie year with few impact plays, and did not start as a rookie first round pick (and was beaten out by a 5th rounder with less potential) I'll never know. Just because a player put on 5 pounds of muscle, does that instantly make him a better player? It most surely does not. Walker is a good add, but he's a pass rushing DT, not the type who can play the run. And if Anthony Hargrove is so good, why didn't Buffalo let Kelsay walk in FA? They're both DE's, but Hargrove was used as a pass rushing DT at 272 lbs last season because they didn't have a better option. Walker will fill that spot in obvious passing downs I'd imagine this year. DeMeco Ryans had an outstanding season, mostly because the front four in Houston was so bad. I've said it before, you will see lots of tackles from DB's and LB's when your front four is poor in run defense. Houston surrendered 5400 total yards last season. (122.3 rypg) Buffalo gave up 5273. (140.9 rypg) While total yards aren't the only indicator of a defense and can be used out of context, it's safe to say neither team was strong against the run, allowing guys like LFB and Ryans to make loads of tackles. It comes down to this simple fact. We overestimate our players to make ourselves feel better. Same goes for our draft picks. We lose objectivity because we need to feel our picks are so much better and counter the NFL "experts." Those same experts were harsh with their assessment of our 06 draft class last season, but check back to see how many 06 picks remain in 2 years. And if Terrance Pennington is good, why did the front office decide to acquire Langston Walker? After all, if Marv is so highly trusted among fans to make the good decisions, he wouldn't get anyone to challenge Pennington if the latter was worthy of the starting nod.

As I understood it, Washington offered their 6th overall to Chicago for Briggs and Chicago's 31st. It's a swap of firsts and Briggs. Let's remember Chicago is the same team that was too cheap to give Lovie Smith a contract extension and before they finally rewarded him for two playoff seasons, had him as the cheapest head coach in the NFL. They're not going to give Briggs away, regardless of Rosenhaus.