BillsVet

So Bill has a take that he hasn't shied away from. Care to admit you were the big proponent of a first round receiver? How'd that go Hondo? Spending money does not translate into automatic success. I'd remind you that the 75 million Buffalo spent went to a left guard and right tackle, and now the team will be spending money on Peters. You could spend 100M on a QB and RB and it doesn't mean the offense will be stellar. And yet with all the money dumped into the OL, they finished 15th in the league in rushing. If I follow your logic, shouldn't San Francisco's secondary be the best in the league? And Minnesota's DL should be the best of the NFL's history, based on what they've paid out. I'd rather have a solid OL that protects the QB and run blocks than 2 safeties and 2 CB's that rely on other things (namely a pass rush) for their success. Perhaps Bill has a point that you are too hard to admit is right.

At this point, there are so many issues which could affect a deal with Peters. Evans and Crowell are due for another contract, and now Peters. All of this is before the rookies are signed. Not to mention the impending labor issues now that owners opted out of the CBA. This won't affect the 08 and 09 seasons, but with the potential for there to be an uncapped year in 2010, front offices could experience some huge issues. The owners and NFLPA have another 10 months to get something done on a new CBA. The Bills collected their 78M from their Toronto pals. They may have to use it before they wanted. Franchise LT's aren't in good supply, and are always a priority than WR's or OLBs like Evans and Crowell.

I cannot believe this thread has lasted so long. I don't think any of us know what happened on Mother's Day between Hardy and his dad. There's no use speculating, as we'll never understand. Hopefully Hardy understands he's got a big job ahead of him and can concentrate on playing football.

PFW Article Granted, it's according to a "team insider" but it wouldn't surprise me that they are more than a little concerned. Either way it's not been a good off-season discipline-wise for Buffalo,. Especially for a team that's been talking up the idea of having high-character players for awhile now.

KFBD I won't disagree with all the tenets of your post. I recall reading in the book about Ernie Accorsi that he personally researched Shockey in his town of Ada, OK. Fine, I realize not every front office guy is going to perform his due dilligence on every player. The point is, Accorsi had been around the NFL awhile and determined Shockey wasn't a giant gamble. We all make mistakes. Then again, as someone who owns firearms, I've never once felt the need to pull my weapon on someone. Call it my background, call it whatever, but the fact is the Bills have placed a lot of faith into this guy, and we haven't even entered training camp and he's been involved in an alleged incident. Most 20 somethings don't have issues with pulling guns, unless they're in the wrong atmosphere. And wrong atmosphere and NFL star do not go together. The comparison on getting drunk versus pulling firearms is not a good one.

Take a step back and look at the big picture. You've got character challenged athletes coming into the league each year. However, it's apparent that teams on draft day that will select less talented players when guys with character issues and immense talent are available. Why? Because the risk is too great, despite the great potential these guys have. Hardy is a 6'6 receiver with great leaping ability. Yet he slipped into the mid 2nd round because he had a character issue in his past. Now, two weeks after picking him, Buffalo has to deal with some around here are calling a "non-issue." The Bills selected Hardy because he's physical and a red zone threat. Only thing is, if he's suspended under the personal policy regs, it does the team no good. It probably won't be for this incident, but history shows he's got some anger issues. That's not going away. Buffalo gambled on what they thought was the most talented WR left on the board. Other guys were available, but Hardy was their guy. They took the most talented guy in their opinion, but was he the best pick considering his background?

When do the "We shoulda taken Limas Sweed/Malcolm Kelly" threads begin?

The NFL penalizes teams based on chargeable offenses. No charges will result from this altercation. My point here is that teams are increasingly taking risks on low character players in pursuit of winning. Sometimes they swing and miss. That's not to say Hardy is a miss (he hasn't even played a down in a preseason game) but it's not a good sign in light of his past. How many players fall on draft day, and ultimately get picked by teams who are willing to take a chance on big talent player for less money. E.G. Randy Moss in 1998.

With the initial reports of James Hardy allegedly pulling and/or pointing a firearm in the presence of his father, it brings up a few points: 1. There are 32 franchises in the NFL, 4 of which (Carolina, Jacksonville, Houston, and Cleveland) started since 1995. Talent is spread even more thin than in earlier years. As a result, finding talent in the draft is more crucial, because at least 200+ players are in the league that may not have been just 14 years ago. 2. Teams continue to take risks on players with character issues. Even the Bills are not immune from this with the best recent example being Anthony Hargrove. 3. Some teams take an inordinate amount of risks (Cincinnati) in a continual attempt to find talent that may not otherwise be taken by other teams. It's my take that the Bengals are looking for cheaper albeit riskier options, leading them to end up with the Chris Henry's and Odell Thurman's of the NFL. At what point does the NFL start disciplining based on their own criteria? And if this comes to pass, how will it be treated by the NFLPA, especially if a situation ensues which lacks a conviction or even charge against a player?

Where does Buffalo rank since 2006? I'd be interested to see that. The Bills have selected 7 DB's out of 26 total picks, or about 1/4 of their selections. 2006: Donte Whitner, Ashton Youboty, and Ko Simpson 2007: John Wendling 2008: Leodis McKelvin, Reggie Corner, Kennard Cox DJ also inherited Clements and McGee. The Bills FO cut Milloy and Vincent, while signing William James this past off-season. Bryan Scott was signed off the street free agent list, as was Jeremetrius Butler in 2007. Needless to say, the Bills have performed several acquisitions in only a few offseasons, headlined by 7 DB's taken.

UDFA's generally take more time to develop, hence their status as undrafted. 3rd round draft picks, especially for a team like Buffalo, should be expected to play some their first season. Youboty had a family tragedy, though in his second season could not stay on the field. Injuries and inconsistency were to blame, and Greer ultimately took his spot. CB's can make an impact quicker than most positions. They don't need 2-3 years of seasoning before they're ready.

The only time I saw AY make a play last season came in the finale when he picked off a pass. Otherwise, a very non-entity for Buffalo in 07. He played in 11 games, started 3, and seems to have a problem playing through injury. He's had plenty of opportunities to play, given how thin Buffalo was at CB last year. When Youboty was ready to play late in the season, he couldn't get his job back after losing it to former UDFA Jabari Greer. It tells me quite a bit that the front office decided to take 3 more corners this year. If that's not enough to say what they're thinking, outside of DJ coming out and saying AY isn't all that good, I don't know what is.

Brandon Pettigrew OK St.

Check the boxscores from the preseason games against NO and TEN. The Bills secondary was beaten pretty good, with Whitner and Simpson making plenty of tackles. Drew Brees and Vince Young did this against the starting secondary. Buffalo loved Kyle Williams so much they went out and got Stroud and Spencer Johnson. That tells me they weren't enamored with an undersized, wave-type DT. In the same way, Buffalo loved Keith Ellison so much that they signed a larger WLB in Kawika Mitchell.

Way to oversimplify things there. If it was that easy, Dwayne Jarrett would have caught about 60 passes and scored a few times. (cue Colston reference) With few exceptions, rookie wide receivers struggle to adjust to different coverages, and more physical corners. Rookie WR's rarely even make the difference you seem to think they can, given the right scheme. In the pros, the CB's also have much better speed, and recover quicker than the college types. That, and the playbook doesn't have a play called "go up and get it." I'd also point out that Hardy is depending on a young QB, who I believe will be a very good starter, but cannot be expected to be Brady-esque with less than a season's worth of starts in the NFL. I referred to the OC because he's a rookie play caller as well, who now has a 2nd year QB, experienced downfield WR in Evans, and another rookie (Hardy) to involve in the offense. That, and the lack of a dependable pass catching TE.

I think the drafting of Omon is a nod to Levy's belief in having competition, even at positions that seem certain. Omon will definitely give Wright a run for his money. (no pun intended) I think he'll make it onto the final roster.

ESPN Omon Article Thought this was a good read on someone who's been flying under the radar. Hadn't realized he'd been through so much. Also sounds like Derek Fine is a funny guy. Sorry if already posted.

Was that 5-11 record in 2005 a product of being devoid of talent or poor coaching.? Meathead was completely stupid, and yet the season before was 9-7. How then can you describe that it was talent which was the reason for their 2005 losses? The 2006 draft, in time, will prove to be about two players, neither of whom have established themselves into above-average players, but may very will. I'm speaking of Whitner and McCargo. The others, Youboty, Simpson, K. Williams, Ellison, Merz, and Pennington are or will not be starting quality. Butler could very well be a good starter, but it's hard judging guard play. All in all, there was no massive rebuild that needed to happen. The improvement from 5-11 to 7-9 should have occurred, with the talent on the roster. I'd say 2005 was underperforming due to bad coaching.

Almost completely devoid of talent? ML/DJ inherited a team with Evans, Reed, Parrish, Peters, McGahee, Schobel, Kelsay, Denney, Clements, Fletcher-Baker, Spikes, Greer, McGee, Lindell, and Moorman. This was not a total rebuild a la Miami or Atlanta. ML/DJ made it more difficult for themselves. Of course they've drafted well. Most of their picks in rounds 1-5 have had to start by virtue of their incessant shedding of players. How many of those late picks will be average to good starters in two years? We know Ellison, Pennington, and K. Williams won't be as all of them have been replaced two years after being drafted. Hardy roaming free? You must assume there are no safeties involved, or linebackers floating in zone coverage like T2 teams run. This is nonsense, Hardy's presence alone will not prevent double teams from Evans, unless he's destroying coverages. How much respect does a rookie WR get anyway? Remember, this is a team with a developing QB, and no proven pass-catching TE. Fantasy football is always the means by which we should judge players.

Hardy's size alone will not keep defenses from shading toward Evans. He'll have to prove he's dangerous, and not just in the RZ. Unless he's consistently embarrassing opponents the length of the field, teams aren't going to respect a player because he's taller. It may work initially, but not long term. Eventually he's going to have to make some plays. That's putting a lot of pressure on a rookie WR to take the focus from an established star. Hardly the scenario an offensive coordinator wants when trying to spark an anemic offense. This team, for three straight years, has depended heavily on rookies. Whitner, McCargo, Simpson, Lynch, Posluszny, Edwards and now McKelvin and Hardy. If rookies are getting so much PT each year, what does that say about the front office?

It's apparent Jauron isn't worried so much about 2009, but rather keeping his job after 2008. He's been given every opportunity to succeed after the acquisitions of this off-season. Bryant Johnson realized he wasn't getting the long term deal he figured to get. He signed for one year in SF. If Edwards has been anointed the starter, and he has, shouldn't the franchise surround him with all the talent to win as quickly as possible? Everyone knows if just one guard or tackle goes down, it's Kirk Chambers and Jason Whittle to the rescue. Meanwhile, the Bills offense will rely heavily on a rookie at WR. I daresay they'd have been better off grooming Hardy under a Bryant Johnson, allowing Johnson to leave, and getting Hardy to start in his second year. Then again, why support your starting QB with OL and WR's. This team's never really done that, across the Donahoe, Levy, and quasi-Brandon eras.

PG, I'd be interested to see how many of those 06 picks are starting just two years later. We know Kyle Williams, Keith Ellison, and perhaps even Simpson won't be. What's that say about the 2006 team? IMO, it means they were so darn thin they had to start these guys. It was a 7-9 season, and those "starters" aren't going to be starting anymore. This speaks less to the quality of the draft and more to the degree they stripped this team. The Bills talked about not signing FA's to one year deals. Well, that's a great principle, but it could hurt in the long run, especially because WR's take time to develop. Bryant Johnson, DJ Hackett, and others were available for a pittance. Apparently the FO wanted to go the cheaper route and draft someone who'll take time. Buffalo always drafts for needs in the first two rounds. They've done it in three straight drafts with Whitner, McCargo, Lynch, Posluszny, McKelvin, and Hardy. If you're drafting for need three years running, something's wrong with those who build the team. And BTW, isn't Buffalo about 22M below the cap? It's absurd to talk about 2-3M when they've got so much room to navigate. This is the prime reason they draft for need, and why it'll take a minimum of three years to get this team out of playoff jail.

Yeah, if it was between an Edwards or the 10th rated guard, no question you've got to go with Edwards. In a league where perhaps 1/3 of the teams have a decent QB, that's more than acceptable. We can sit here all day and go back and forth over what to take in the mid rounds, but the team has made their decision on OL. Hopefully there aren't any catastrophic injuries this season, but that's a risk in and of itself. It's been said before here many times that if you think you've got a franchise QB, find the players to surround him with. That goes not only for skill positions, but also in the trenches as well.

I think that's all some are saying in this thread. IMO, most fans like the 07 and 08 drafts on the surface. The one detail which has been overlooked is not drafting OL, with no OL picked before round 5 in three straight drafts.

Dibs, I think it'd have been ridiculous to go with Branden Albert, Jeff Otah, Chris Williams, et al in the first. On that I can agree. I can also see the need to go WR and DE in the 2nd and 3rd. The Bills generally have a need in the 1st and 2nd, and they use those rounds to fill needs. They did it in 06, 07, and now in 08. In the fourth, it sounded like their draft board wasn't stressing OL. There was talk that had Martin Rucker or Lowery (who went to NYJ) been available, they'd have selected one of them. That's speculation, but decent OL were available. I will also agree that you cannot bash a draft just days afterward for the difference in opinion over a 4th or 5th round pick. With that in mind, I don't understand how, in two consecutive years, the Bills have drafted the same position in the first four rounds. Last year Lynch and Wright went 1st and 4th. This year, same with McKelvin and Corner.