BillsVet

How many years in the free agency era of the NFL must a team have to rebuild? Buffalo's been doing it since Donahoe was fired, and reasonable fans would like to see something this decade. We all know on paper how difficult the AFC might be this season. One team always rises out of nowhere, but I have a sinking feeling that Buffalo will go 9-7, miss the postseason, and some fans around here will call this progress and demand DJ have another season.

The question should be: How much team talent does Dick Jauron need to make the playoffs? At some point, a coach has to raise the level of play for their team. I know that if someone cites lack of talent as a reason for not making the playoffs that few will buy it.

This is the same mentality that we all had last season at DE with Schobel, Kelsay, Denney, and Hargrove. Within a matter of a few weeks, DE became a position of weakness and the likes of Al Wallace and Copeland Bryan became the depth. On paper, DT looks strong, and while team depth looks solid, the Bills are very still a very young team. Particularly at LB, CB, and S on defense. Being conservative with the cap is a fine fiscal policy, but ultimately not one that always gives coaches the benefit of decent depth. Our OL is a perfect example, specifically the tackle position after Peters and Walker. There, the drop-off in talent is precipitous.

The front office and coaching staff have had three free agency periods, three drafts, and two seasons to get this team back to respectability. At this point, the 2008 season is about accountability and nothing short of the playoffs will be acceptable. There should be no more 7-9, 8-8 type seasons, even in a difficult AFC. While DJ doesn't have talent on par with San Diego or Indy, the team acquired players on defense to win some ball games. The offense still appears to have major holes at TE, C, and features a rookie WR and young QB. Despite this, if Buffalo cannot make the playoffs and the starters play most of the snaps, I will have no pity for DJ and the front office. Ultimately, I think we can divide fans on this board into two categories: those who are tired of excuses, and those who continue to find new ones. If you're satisfied with keeping games close and being at or below .500, I'd say you're in the latter category. Bills fans have been told for too long (through the Donahoe, Levy, and now Brandon regimes) that this team is exciting and will win some games. It needs to happen now.

Jonathan Ogden. Apparently franchise LT's aren't plentiful.

Buffalo's run defense was 25th in the league in RYPG and 31st in YPG allowed last year. McCargo and Williams were significant contributors all season long, but seem to be part of the problem and not answer. Enter Stroud and Spencer Johnson. Neither of them are being paid to watch from the sideline and will get plenty of snaps. While Johnson has the ability to play DE, I suspect that he's getting paid to push for a starting spot at DT. Unless Ryan Denney is cut, and I don't see that happening, Johnson will be the fourth DE. Buffalo has a great deal of money invested in their DL with Schobel, Stroud, Kelsay, Sp. Johnson, Williams, Denney, and McCargo getting paid big dollars to put pressure on the QB and stop the run. Every one of those guys was either drafted or re-signed by the current regime minus Marv. If they can't perform, the front office oughta be completely revamped.

McCargo's a former first round pick who made a few plays last year, but wasn't what the coaches thought was starting material. This year, they went out and signed Stroud, Spencer Johnson, and re-signed Kyle Williams to at the minimum send McCargo a message. If McCargo was the dominant force some are expecting him to be, it's strange that the Bills invested so much in other DT's. All four DT's aren't going to get even playing time, despite all of them getting good money. I often think about what the Bills would be like had they drafted Ngata, not dealt a 2nd and 3rd in 2006, and not mandating they acquire a big DT lin Stroud with a 3rd and 5th this year when their run defense was a sieve. That's four draft picks, not to mention resources directed to signing Spencer Johnson and adding Stroud to the payroll. That's a lot for one position in the span of three off-seasons. McCargo had better be good becaue Buffalo's invested too much in him.

I've got to wonder what's going through the coaches and front office people's minds wrt McCargo. He did not win the starting job last season, albeit to one of their higher priced FA's from 06 in Tripplett. Entering this season, the Bills gave a vote of confidence to Kyle Williams with a new deal and signed Spencer Johnson to decent money. If McCargo isn't starting this year, giving up a 2nd and 3rd for him just two years ago looks even worse and tarnishes Levy's time as GM a significant amount.

IMO, Jauron is a predictable NFL HC. His first two seasons he went the route of allowing an OC to be pass happy, though the Bears were not a playoff team. Consequently, DJ offenses since 01 have been very conservative. His last 2 OC's (Shoop and Fairchild) have both employed methodical, run first type offenses that rarely gamble. They remain offenses that will rarely put up big performances, and usually at the bottom of the NFL in points scored. Defense will always be a priority to DJ, despite what is said in the media. I don't see a departure from this conservative philosophy. In light of a young QB and rookie OC, Jauron's offensive gameplans will mesh with his defensive ones and demonstrate a reliance on safe plays. Whether or not he's more apt to take chances this year, given that this is his year or else remains to be seen. Needless to say, it'll be interesting to see how he coaches with his job potentially on the line.

At this point everything is a puff-piece and more hype than anything else. I've been hearing for years now, through both the Donahoe and Levy eras that things will be better. And every year there's a let down. Schonert's a rookie OC, and his boasts remind me of of Gregg Williams' speeches. The pre-season is a time when every team has hope of being a winner. Frankly, I'll believe the team when I see it on the field, and that won't be for another 2 months.

So in your estimation, this means: Stroud is getting 5M+ to be a rotational player after the Bills gave up a 3rd and 5th for him Buffalo traded back into the first in 2006 (giving up a 2nd and 3rd) to draft McCargo to be a rotational player Spencer Johnson was signed to a big contract to be a rotational player Kyle Williams will make up to 4.8M per to be a rotational starter when his new deal kicks in. Sure.

As much as DJ and Fewell will adjust the defense to suit certain situations, it's apparent what they'd like to run. C2 defenses are run upwards of 50% of the time in any defense. Buffalo's DT's bring somewhat similar skill-sets to the table. Stroud is most likely larger than the listed 310 and I don't doubt McCargo is around that weight. Spencer Johnson is probably smaller than McCargo, but made plays in Minnesota and I like his versatility. Kyle Williams is not big enough to play the NT (1 tech) and not quick enough to play UT (3 tech). While weight isn't the only quality necessary to play either position (John Randle played at 290 and was quite successful) holding up at the point of attack is something no Bills DT has done much of since the days of Pat Williams. I daresay Williams isn't that player and never will be, despite an excellent work ethic. Working hard and talent are two different things. I wouldn't be surpised to see Stroud lining up with McCargo or Johnson fairly regularly with Williams a strictly depth player. Before going off the deep end, with Williams, McCargo, and Tripplett at DT this team was 31st against the run. As much as it's a team playing defense, the first line of DT's was terrible, especially late in games. I don't care who Buffalo has a CB, LB, or S it won't matter until they can stop the run.

McCargo couldn't break the starting lineup in his second season. Rotational player or not, two guys generally get the majority of the PT. Barring an injury, Stroud and either McCargo or Spencer Johnson will complement him with Kyle Williams being the other depth player. If McCargo was the real deal, Buffalo would not have acquired Johnson. The fact is, McCargo needs to show up over the course of a full season as a starter before being acclaimed as a big time player. IMO, Spencer Johnson will play a similar role in this defense, and they didn't give him that fat contract to be a wave player at DT and work in at DE when Schobel, Kelsay, and Denney aren't in. There are a lot of feel-good Bills fans around here who latch onto anything which makes them feel happy. Anyone who doesn't believe all the hype from OBD are negative to them. I'd like McCargo to play like Warren Sapp, but if a guy isn't breaking the starting line up and the team acquires another similar type player, it's not all good. That, of course, does not fit very conveniently into this discussion.

I'm not seeing the wisdom in giving Kyle Williams a new deal. He's precisely the type of player who can leave in FA and not be missed. To me, he's what Larry Tripplett was to the Colts just three years ago. A player who rotates in, not anything special, and certainly not worth this sort of money. He's not a starter, but with Buffalo's build over 4 years plan became one in 06 and 07. IMO, he lacks the size to play the 1 and the quickness of the 3. He's a rotational player and nothing more.

If after 1+ seasons, McCargo can't win the starting job at DT, when will he? The signing of Spencer Johnson is a message to Williams and McCargo. As much as the Bills talk about Spencer playing DE, he was brought in to push, and possibly play ahead of McCargo. Either way, Buffalo will put their top 2 DT's on the field as often as possible. And right now, that's Stroud and either McCargo or Sp. Johnson.

The silence is deafening. Despite what the DA says about him driving the vehicle, he has a link to this no matter what anyone talks about. I want to give Lynch the benefit of the doubt. Anyone who watched the Kenny Mayne bit can laugh about how Lynch seems like a nice guy. At this point, there is a connection, and unless he spoke with the DA today, it's been one whole week since he was implicated to some degree. The question is...why?

DC Tom...14000+ "I think I'm both funny and smart posts" and counting. It's ironic to see those willing to excuse this. No rational fan is convicting Lynch in the court of public opinion, but the idea he won't talk does not resonate with those who have any sense of moral fiber. His inactivity tells us a great deal. Still, it's clear many still subscribe to moral relativism and are ready to move on because it's inconvenient to think the starting RB might not play.

I'm waiting for someone who posts something like: "That's all Whitner and Posluszny can lift?" Nice video

Great point Lori. It's also noteworthy that Reed didn't always have great complementary receivers. As an example, statistically 1989 and 1994 were his best seasons. In both seasons, the receiver second to him in receptions was Thurman Thomas. In 89 Flip Johnson was second among receivers with 25 catches. For 94, Bill Brooks was second among WR's with 42 catches. Most certainly Reed benefitted from Metzelaars, but I think it's safe to say Reed did a lot on his own.

50,000+ season ticket holders are hoping so as well. I think it's fair to expect a playoff team with the roster in place now. It could get ugly if this team stumbles.

It doesn't matter what Lee has "proven." Evans has all the leverage in the world, what with the 78M cash infusion Buffalo received from the Toronto deal and fact that Buffalo needs all the receiving help it can get. Edwards has pretty much nothing at TE (unless Schouman or Fine are better than we think) and will depend on a rookie WR in Hardy. That and the fact that three receivers (Moss, Owens, and Fitzgerald) all have received large deals this off-season. I'm sure Evans' agent(s) will exploit this if they haven't already. We know an offer was made, but I'm sure it was a low offer. Waiting will only make the price increase.

It seems like talking about salary cap related scenarios on this board is akin to discussing thermonuclear dynamics with grade schoolers. Well, perhaps not that bad, but this is a serious matter that isn't getting the headlines it should be. Lombardi goes into some great detail about potential contingency plans, but it's worth noting that this is unprecendented territory the NFL may be heading into. With the way salaries are skyrocketing, it may take something like the union decertifying and a subsequent non-capped year to re-align the money situation league wide. The have's and have-nots are separating more each year. Still, finding young cheap talent will separate the successful from the unsuccesful. It will give front offices more leeway in being good on the field without breaking the bank off it.

Best part of that article was the mention that Posluszny pushed Preston (who out-weighs him by about 80 pounds) out of the way to make a play. One Poz pushing a POS out of the way.

Really? Who else showed at OBD for an interview? According to whom? Schonert's never been an OC before. Jauron's been a HC for 7+ seasons. Who do you think has more say in the final gameplan? I'd say Jauron's going to have control when all the dust has settled. Yes, last season when the Dolphins secondary was led by street free agents and missing key players, those 2 TE's sets were the finest way of exploiting any holes Miami had. And yet the offense managed to find new depths to how bad it could be. Ask Lee Evans. Fairchild was not the only reason this offense was bad. Jauron was a part of the problem, not solution. He has final say, and when push comes to shove, draws up the ultra conservative plans which produce 7 offensive points against DEN, 3 against Dallas, 13 at NYJ, 13 at Miami, 14 at JAC, no TD's and 5 FG at WAS, 3 FGs at PHI. Record in those games was 3-4, right along with DJ's career record. If you think the reason for offensive ineptitude was Fairchild alone, you're not seeing the whole picture.

Jauron's hiring of Schonert is the most questionable move this team made in the off-season. To me, it's understandable that no prospective OC wanted the job, because Jauron might be in the final year of his deal. That's not a lot of job security for an incoming OC. With that in mind, Schonert was probably DJ's only option. The biggest question with Schonert will be whether or not he's allowed to call his own game. If he his, it could disrupt Jauron's team gameplan which emphasizes strong defense, special teams, and no big risk taking on offense. I would agree that this season hinges on how much Edwards progresses, and if Jauron departs from his uber-conservative gameplans. DJ's got the players, especially on defense, to do things he hasn't been able to do in a long time. If the Bills consistently line up in 2 TE sets like last season, it'll be another long year on offense.