Search the Community

WRONG! (read below) They were FAR from being healthy...they were a MESS! Not only were they without those WR's...the only active receiver they had on their roster for that game, with more than 12 CAREER receptions was Nate Burleson. Courtney Taylor and Seneca Wallace (backup QB), were the other starting WR's. Their sh------- running game would not help this cause at all either. Also, they were without their starting DT Rocky Bernard, who was suspended for that game. And, they were without RT Sean Locklear...starting Ray Willis (12 career games, 0 starts) against Aaron Schobel. Most importantly, Matt Hasselbeck had just returned the week leading up to that game, from a back injury that had him on the shelf from January until September. He only played in 2 series that pre-season, and was not touched once. *SOURCE: http://www.profootballcentral.com/2008/09/...hawks-vs-bills/

there is so much wrong with this post, i don't know where to begin. are you actually aware of why Jim Kelly didn't want to play in Buffalo because he didn't want to play in the cold, and that green bay was another place that wasn't on his list? are you in any way aware of why Pat Williams didn't get re-signed by the Bills after Tom Donahoe said he wasn't interested in re-signing players over 30? did John Butler and the salary cap have anything to do with Black Sunday? were you prepared to pay what Nate Clements earned in free agency? there is so much revisionist history in this thread that you'd swear no one really knew what's gone on? and Lori, you're right. the fiddling has begun and there's absolutely no stopping the Nero player ... the Generation of Swine is upon us and all that's left is to batten down the hatches and pray that some of us are spared, because this thread is speaking in tongues i can no longer comprehend. the degenerates have taken control, and i'm going down for the last time because, alaska, the bartender has suddenly turned up the lights, and last call is upon us. toronto, here we come. jw

Tom Cousineau ring any bells, he was the Bills first overall draft pick in 79 and signed with the CFL instead, who paid him 2x as much as the Bills offered him. Black Sunday, the Bills let go of Thurman Thomas- Bruce Smith- Andre Reed because they needed to get under the cap, instead of trying to restructure their contracts and keep them in Buffalo, they were forced to move on. Thurman a Dolphin, Smith a Redskin and Reed Denver / Washington. Jim Kelly cried on his living room couch at his home in Houston when he was drafted by Buffalo, why do you suppose he did that? If not for Bill Polian fighting tooth fang and nail to pay Kelly, he would have joined the Raiders. Bruce Smith was low balled by the Bills after his first contract was set to expire, Denver offered the Bills 2 first round draft picks and a ton more money to Smith then the Bills were offering, Smith signed with Denver and would have happily moved on if Polian didn't talk Wilson into matching the offer from Denver. Only Bill Polian and the good lord really know what kind of team the Bills would have had in the late 80's and early 90's if Polian wasn't there to fight with Wilson. Oh Wait,well maybe the late 90's and 2000-2008 teams show that. Jabari Greer- Nate Clements- Pat Williams- Antoine Winfield- Jason Peters -all come to mind the last few years. It almost seems like the Bills are a farm team for the NFL for cornerbacks. The going rate for top corners is more then Wilson wants to pay,lets see if he coughs up the dough to keep Terrance McGee.

I miss Pat Williams & I miss Nate, don't miss Lil Antoine at all.

I think it is more challenging to play for a team that only throws when everyone in the stadium knows they are throwing. Having to block when the defense only needs to defend the first 5 yards off the line of scrimmage doesn't help either. Add in a total stiff at guard next to you, so stiff he was cut, kind of adds to the difficulty. I think the surest way out of medicority is to let our best players leave. Because Lord knows, the stiffs we have had at DT are way better than Pat Williams so good thing we didn't break the bank for him. And certainly, losing Antoine Winfield and Nate Clements had nothing to do with our having to spend more and more draft picks on DB's every year to get their replacements while the other positions rotted on the vine. I think our strategy, to over pay for guys like Kelsay because hey, they carry a lunch pail and have a great motor and to break the bank for aging vets on the backsides of their careers like Schobel rather than signing young pro bowlers in their prime is working like a charm. We have the 7-9 seasons to prove it.

Who's the trade partner? Gino at Rosario's Pizzeria? Nobody is going to trade good value for a guy that's held out 3 years running. They know you've got a white hot poker up your arse and aren't going to help you out one iota. Nate Clements wanted the best deal he could get on the open market. The fact that some other teams were willing to give him a big signing bonus and a back loaded contract that had an impressive total dollar amount wasn't under Clements direct control. The "insane" adjective is your own manifestation; he got the best deal he could and took advantage of the Bills stupidity to not protect their investment. Yes, the Bills front office, Marv Levy specifically, foolishly said, "Sure, OK, whatever you want to do, Nate." They let him hit free agency without protecting their own interests. It's rather comical that fans are so protective of Ralph Wilson's largess. Indeed, he has to spend his portion of the skyrocketing salary cap on some players. The number of players on a team hasn't changed, so the ever inflating pool of money has to be thrown at someone per the rules of the CBA. And people wring their hands over whether a delta of $1M or $2M per year is "insane" in a contract negotiation. You're fighting the wrong fight. You're should really be pissed at the system. The system has never been completely fair nor are players wrong to capitalize when wheelbarrows full of money are being tossed around like confetti at New Year's.

Nate Clements wanted insane money form the Bills. He was a Pro Bowler. They watched him walk away. A very stupid organization paid him the insane money. Happens frequently. It shouldn't matter to us how another team values a player. In fact, it's overwhelmingly clear that JP is overvalued so it would be in our best interest to exploit that and cash in. Maybe there is another morbidly obese TE out there who can be taught how to play 14 games or so a year at LT. As for claiming the NFL is not a "true free market"------for practical purposes, it pretty much is. But there have to be contracts or there would be no league. Are you suggesting that at any time, any player should be able to "get" his free market value? How would that work? Everyone has a one year contract? No contract? Is every player always, at any time available to the next higher payer? Without the ability of a team to sign a player to a long-term contract, over time, no team would pay anybody big dollars if they were just renting them for a year. And stop with the "we won't win games without Peters" nonsense. First, he's just not that good, and, if in the real world Peters was the best LT in the league, nothing would have much changed last year anyway.

You understand negotiation, right? You also should understand that, typically, on a new contract, the highest paid player, at any given position, isn't usually the best player at the position. That happens for many reasons, but is usually due to when the contracts are signed. When Winfield signed his huge deal with the Vikings, was he the BEST CB in the NFL? I was, and still am, a huge Winfield fan, but the answer is "no". Same with Nate, when he went to SF. This will be Peters first Left Tackle contract. Even if the Bills make him the highest paid LT in the country (they won't) he will be the highest paid for about 20 minutes (yes, it is an exaggeration). But, by year #2 of his contract, he might not be in the top 5. By year #3, he's just another highly paid offensive lineman. So, while I don't think the Bills should (or will) make Peters the highest paid LT in the league,if they did it wouldn't be as if they are concluding he is the best LT in the league. There's a number between what the Bills are offering, and what Peters is asking for, that should make both sides very happy.

Mammoth Williams brings nastiness to Bills' line By ALLEN WILSON Buffalo News Sports Reporter 4/21/2002 At 6-foot-55/8 and 375 pounds, Mike Williams is a little hard to miss. Just ask Buffalo Bills coach Gregg Williams, who recently got an up close and personal look at the massive offensive tackle from the University of Texas. "He had to turn sideways when he came through my office door," Gregg Williams quipped. Besides Mike Williams' incredible size, his wry wit and gift of gab cannot be ignored. If personality were the sole criteria for being drafted, he would have been the first player selected. He was a big hit at Texas as host of the "Mike Williams Show," on the school's athletic department Web site, which featured plenty of banter between teammates. Williams provided most of the jokes, many of which were at his teammates' expense. Williams also became a media darling while making the rounds to various cities with teams interested in him and during his trip to New York City for the pre-draft activities. At every stop, Williams has been the life of the party. "I like to have fun off the field," the Bills' first-round draft pick said Saturday during a conference call with the local media. "I like to live my life." Williams' good nature shouldn't be taken as a sign of weakness. There is a nasty side to him that loves nothing better than to line up and knock the taste out of your mouth. He had 67 knockdown blocks and 64 pancakes, which means a defender was flattened, during an All-America senior year. "When I get on the field, I like to punish people," said Williams, a former all-state defensive tackle at The Colony (Tex.) High School. "It feels great. You just grab him and you got him. You look in his eyes and he's like, "Oh please, let me go. I'll never do it again.' And I say, "Oh no, no. You're going down.' "And then all of a sudden, you feel his body make a horrible shift, sort like he's been hit with a 12-gauge shotgun. And he's going back and back and back. And then when you land on top of him, you use all your weight and kind of press him into the ground. You kind of want to make an imprint on the ground to remind him that every time you lock up against me this is going to happen to you." That kind of attitude will be a welcome addition to a Bills' offensive line that needed an infusion of toughness. The Bills had a lot of appealing options with the fourth overall selection. But Williams was just too good to pass up. "We're very, very excited about the opportunity to get this young man," Gregg Williams said. "The fact that he is a very large, agile and tough offensive lineman is what we want here. We're not going to compromise the toughness aspect of it and the effort. He has both of those characteristics. And he has a great personality. He adds to the chemistry of our football team. He's a high-motor football player who adds to what we need right now." Mike Williams really wasn't sure where he would go in the draft. He would have been happy to go anywhere. As long as he was picked before Miami's mountainous offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. "I just wanted to be the first offensive lineman taken," Williams said. "To accomplish that goal is so satisfying, and it comes with great responsibility. I think I'm willing to take that challenge and go on with that." Williams is dominating at the point of attack, using great strength and power to overwhelm defenders. Despite his size, he is incredibly athletic and agile. His nimble feet allow him to play with great leverage. Williams said playing other sports like soccer, basketball and karate as a youngster helped his athleticism. "I was always good at football, but I expanded my horizons," he said. "I wanted to venture out and try other sports. With soccer and karate, you get flexibility. It just helped me so tremendously. Another part of (why he's so athletic) is I was blessed." Williams played right tackle at Texas, primarily because left-hander Chris Simms was the starting quarterback most of the season. But the Bills feel Williams can move to the left side. "I'm comfortable at either side," Williams said. "I think I have good ability and athleticism to play right or left. It doesn't even matter to me." Perhaps Williams' biggest adjustment will be the speed of the NFL game. "Yeah, they are probably a little bit faster," he said, "but I'm still going to chase them as fast as I can." The Bills suddenly have some depth at offensive tackle, which includes free-agent pickups Trey Teague and Marcus Price. While no one doubts Williams won't be a starter once the season begins, Gregg Williams said the rookie must compete for the job. "All of a sudden now you take a step up," coach Williams said. "You're playing a man's game up here at this level with some big people who have played at this level. He has not played at this level, so he has to come in here and earn his stripes like everyone else." That's fine with Mike Williams. "I'm going in to work hard," he said. "My dad (Kevin) is a retired (Army) lieutenant colonel, and he always said work for what you earn. I have the opportunity to go to a great team and a great place. I don't need to go in there thinking I'm big stuff. I need to go in there trying to make a big impact." Donahoe's 'stud' poker tactics land nation's best run blocker By JERRY SULLIVAN Buffalo News 4/21/2002 It would have been a lot more dramatic if the Drew Bledsoe deal had gone through. All day long, I had my fingers positioned over the computer keys, ready to declare it the Bills' most significant personnel upgrade since Jim Kelly rolled into town in 1986. But it was a good day for the home team just the same. General Manager Tom Donahoe, who would make a fine poker player, did the wise thing on draft day. After all the speculation about trading down, he stayed in the No. 4 slot and nabbed offensive tackle Mike Williams, who should be a mammoth mainstay for years to come. The more the Bills' personnel men looked at it, and the more time they spent examining their needs and weighing the possibilities, the more obvious it became that Williams was the guy. In the end, all the talk about trading down was just that. Talk. No one called the Bills, seeking to move up, and the Bills weren't calling anyone, either. That's how sure they were about Williams, an uncommonly nimble 375-pounder from the University of Texas. Donahoe said it would have taken an "unbelievable" offer to move them out of the fourth hole in the draft. When their time came, they barely hesitated and made him the highest-drafted offensive lineman in franchise history. Donahoe has a reputation for trading down on draft day. Maybe he could have traded down, grabbed a defensive lineman and picked up an extra pick in the process. But at some point, it's not about extra picks. It's about finding a player who is so good, so remarkably gifted, that you have to take him. It had been a long time since the Bills drafted that sort of player. They hadn't picked in the top 10 since Shane Conlan in 1987. From 1991 to 2001, they had just one pick in the top 20 - Ruben Brown at No. 14 in 1995. They hadn't picked an offensive lineman in the first OR second round since '95. So the time had come for the Bills to get a stud, and even more imperative to address the position that has been in disarray almost since their last Super Bowl trip: offensive line. Donahoe has done a terrific job filling holes on his team, adding depth and skill through free agency. But if you're going to win the Super Bowl, you need a core of players who went high in the draft. Williams is a good start. LSU's Josh Reed was a surprise in the second round, but there wasn't a more productive receiver in college last season. We're not talking about a player from some obscure conference. He player in the SEC and had 19 catches for 293 yards against Alabama. Presumably, the Bills are already preparing for Peerless Price's departure in free agency after the season. There are still big questions on defense. How do they intend to stop the run? With Tyrone Robertson and Ron Edwards? Might they be waiting to scoop up some free agent linemen when NFL teams purge their rosters after June 1? And who is going to quarterback this team? If not Bledsoe, then who? Will they go back to Jeff Blake? Or will it be Alex Van Pelt's team? One thing is fairly certain. No one will be howling about Donahoe failing to address his offensive line. Last year, he was roasted for failing to take Kenyatta Walker in the first round. The O-line was bad, and injuries made it worse. At times, the Bills were forced to start tackles who were barely qualified as backups. Donahoe bristled whenever Walker's name was mentioned; he was quick to point out that Nate Clements, the cornerback he'd taken instead, had acquitted himself well in his rookie year. He said Jonas Jennings, his third-rounder, would perform like a top pick. Still, he knew the line was a problem, and he did something about it. Donahoe had been cagey about his intentions. When he signed Marcus Price and Trey Teague in free agency, it fed speculation that the Bills were going defense in Round One. But Donahoe wanted a superstar on his offensive line, a player who could be the engine for a legitimate power running attack. "If we want to be a quality football team, it starts with the offensive line," Donahoe said Saturday after selecting Williams. "That's the No. 1 priority. We have to get better there. Once you get better there and you're able to control the ball, it makes your whole team better. A quality offensive line, where you put your team in the position to control the ball for 33, 34, 35 minutes a game, it improves your defense." If Williams is as good as advertised, he'll also help the defense. If you run well, you keep your defense off the field. You send them back out with better field position. As offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride says, you dictate to the opposition rather than vice versa. Football is a simple game. Run and stop the run. Last year, the Bills were constantly in second-and-long. That's a recipe for offensive disaster. It also exposes your quarterback to injury because long down-and-distance plays invite pass rushers to pin their ears back and come after you. Run effectively on first down and it's a different game. The Bills have drafted the best run blocker in America. Tailback Travis Henry has to be the happiest guy in town - along with Brown, who has a star quality tackle to play alongside, and with a personality to rival his own. One of those draft-day commercials on ESPN concluded Sunday with Williams saying, "The camera loves me." The quarterbacks will love him, too; a good running game is a QB's best friend. I don't know who it will be, or how good an arm he has. But if this thing works out as planned, he'll do some of his best work handing off. Donahoe makes safe, smart pick at No. 4 Bills' GM doesn't gamble, takes a big building block for future By Leo Roth Rochester Democrat and Chronicle April 21, 2002 There were six trades made in the first round of Saturday's NFL draft and wagering a Jim Kelly rookie card that the Buffalo Bills would be involved in one seemed a safe bet. General manager Tom Downahoe -- er Donahoe -- is a noted wheeler-dealer, making moves in seven of the nine previous drafts he conducted for Pittsburgh or Buffalo. He's not bashful about picking up a phone. Given his history, we were bracing for Donahoe to throw away the only good thing about last year's 3-13 record -- the No. 4 overall pick. Trading down from Rodeo Drive and ending up in a strip mall. But it didn't happen. Donahoe isn't a habitual gambler after all. He valued the top five pick as gold; like he plans on never picking this high again. "We were pretty determined with the pick," Donahoe said. "It would've had to have been an unbelievable offer." But nobody called and he wasn't calling anybody. So, after five months of speculation, starting about the time the Bills fell to 1-7 last November, they did the smart and logical thing, selecting University of Texas offensive tackle Mike Williams. Sexy? No, that would've been taking Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington, who went to Detroit a pick before Buffalo. Intriguing? That would've been North Carolina defensive tackle Ryan Sims, who went to Kansas City two spots later. A reach? That would've been Oklahoma safety Roy Williams, who went No. 8 to Dallas. Safe and sound? An enthusiastic yes. Finally, a first-round pick by the Bills that legitimately addresses a line that's been in decay for a decade. A pick to make amends for Corey Louchiey, Jamie Nails and Robert Hicks. Buffalo is in a full-blown rebuilding mode, a project that takes patience and a foundation. Adding Mike Williams, an engaging 6-foot-6, 375-pound man-mountain with a mean streak, was a cement truck backing up to One Bills Drive. Yes, the Bills could've shipped the fourth pick to New England to perhaps get a trade for quarterback Drew Bledsoe accomplished. They could've traded with the Lions for Harrington. But those moves put the cart in front of the horse. By hanging onto the pick and selecting Williams, Donahoe and coach Gregg Williams were true to their roots and their master plan for the Bills. You win in our climate by running the ball and keeping your quarterback out of the hospital when he has to pass. Taking Mike Williams just made incumbent Alex Van Pelt better. Donahoe knows the drill. In Pittsburgh, he took cornerstone tackle Leon Searcy 11th overall in the first round in 1992 and went to a Super Bowl three years later with Neil O'Donnell at quarterback. "If you look at teams in the league that are good teams year in and out, it usually starts with the offensive line," Donahoe said. "When we went into the off-season, we talked about this a lot and made it a priority." Williams follows the free agent additions of Trey Teague and Marcus Price and the drafting last year of starter Jonas Jennings. Suddenly, a line that resembled a piece of swiss cheese on cleats has the potential to shine. "There will be some healthy competition (now) and hopefully at the end of training camp, we'll have five guys who can go out and knock someone on their rear end," Donahoe said. The Bills were too soft last year. They are in dire need of an attitude adjustment and Williams sounds like a recruit from the WWF. He once picked up his 9-year-old brother and dropped him on top of the family TV set. In scouting circles, he's what's known as a "finisher," a blocker who isn't content with just getting in the way of a tackler, he needs to inflict pain or the game's just not fun. His last two seasons for Texas, he led in "pancake" hits (205) on the field -- and pancakes eaten off it. "When you land on top, you use all your weight," Williams said gleefully. "You want to make an imprint in the ground and remind him, 'Every time you go against me, this is going to happen to you.' " Gregg Williams fell in love with Mike Williams when the big Longhorn visited Ralph Wilson Stadium before the draft and had to walk sideways into his office. While Miami's Bryant McKinnie (seventh to Minnes-ota) was also highly considered, the Bills felt Williams was a better run blocker. Nimble on his feet. A meat locker on coasters. They made the pick with six minutes still on the clock. "It wasn't a (debate)," Tom Modrak, director of football operations said. "We all felt strongly that this was the guy for us." The only thing that flowed more than coffee during the six-hour first round was optimism. The reality is that no pick is a sure thing. If you're looking to increase your odds, however, picking offensive linemen high is the way to go. The linemen taken in the top five since 1995 include Tony Boselli (Jaguars), Jonathan Ogden (Ravens) and Orlando Pace (Rams). Their teams have been among the NFL's best, with the Ravens and Rams winning Super Bowls. Buffalo's own history shows a strong correlation between first-round linemen and winning -- Paul Seymour and Joe DeLamielleure in 1973, Jim Ritcher in 1980, Will Wolford in 1986, John Fina in 1992 and Ruben Brown in 1995. The only outward knock on Williams is his weight. "While he really likes football, Williams also loves eating," analyst Joel Buchsbaum said. If Donahoe can stay away from the trade table in Round One, the least Williams can do is stay away from the dessert table.

very good point. Its amazing how we are able to strike it rich year in and year out on DBs in the draft. I mean from Antoine Winfiled on we really have no missed on many defensive backs. Whitner is not worthy of his draft spot, but he is a heck of a solid defender. greer was un-drafted and one of donahoe's best moves (his 2 best moves were undrafted rookie FA - greer and peters). yobouty came around, corner was great, mcgee went from being picked on like crazy to shut down, nate was a pro bowler, and mckelvin is on his way. Our last really bad corner was probably chris "I'm a punt catcher" watson, who we got from denver anyway... but it is clear that this team can not identify good lineman on either side of the ball. i mean we are really, really bad at this. and its costing us. this is why parcells teams are year in and year out good. he can ID the good guys you want in the trenches. From McCargo to Tripplett to Tim Anderson? horrible... Stroud was a can't miss but a risky move well made by brandon. and on the O-line we have drafted exactly 1 solid lineman for his intended purpose - Butler. Peters was lucky in many regards. mike williams, bust, preston, bust, terrence pennington, aaron merz, just geisinger, mike pucillo... say it with me... bust bust bust! our last successful drafted O-lineman was jennings in '01 and at guard, brown in '95... this is sadly a huge problem. speaking of, the 99-03 draft classes just really killed us - from big whiffs to no longer even having guys on our team. that takes a while to come back from....

If a team drafts properly, it is possible to have a star LT and a very talented Guard next to him Mike. To do so, a team must make blocking a priority. The Seahawks drafted Hutchinson and put him right next to Walter Jones. We drafted Nate Clements. The Patriots drafted Logan Mankins and he started next to Light. We had traded that pick for JP Losman and used our first selection on Roscoe Parrish. Both teams went to the Superbowl based on good management and coaching philosophy, while the Bills swirled around the toilet bowl with TD and Dick Levy doing the flushing.

I was hoping that it was gonna be Nate Washington.

I find the Chargers decision to tag Sproles intersting. Like Turner, he is their backup rb. Unlike Turner, most people do not think he can be an every down back. Does AJ Smith think he can get good compensation for Sproles, or is he worthing keeping at 6 million dollars? Other teams have decided to use the tag on kickers. I guess the tag number is cheap, so it makes sense. It just seems strange. The Patriots used the tag on Cassel, and now will use 25% of their cap space on the qb position. Finally, teams are not afraid to tag a player two years in a row. The Cardinals did it with Dansby, and the Ravens with Suggs. We let Nate go after one year under the tag.

Modrak has been here since june 2001 . He wasn't here when they drafted nate clements, see you don't have a clue. Winfield, same thing...Modrak wasn't here...oops... again you don't have a clue, but you run your trap. Here's a rundown of the 1st round picks since Modrak has been with the Bills: 2002 mike williams- huge bust 2003 willis mcgahee- a retard and a bust 2004 losman- a retard and the Bills biggest ever draft bust 2004 evans- he got one right 2005- no 1st round pick 2006- whitner- picked a very average safety 8th overall, passed on cutler, huge f*** up 2006- mccargo- epic bust has hardly seen the field except from the sidelines 2007 lynch- a retard and a 4 ypc runner, real yawner of a pick 2008 mckelvin- looks like he might be a player, we'll see Now that you have been given your lesson and learned that you don't have a clue, do you still think Modrak has a good track record?

Hmmm...so Lee Evans and Lynch are all lousy picks and they dont have a clue? I mean, they are our two most talented offensive players, and maybe the two most talented on our squad and they are first round picks. Whitner and Poz are pretty good too...what about McKelvin? Nate Clements? Winfield? Hmm...all were good early pick players... Seems the only one who doesnt have a clue here are the posters who say stuff like this...

this is a ver bad observation. Lynch is much better player than Jackson, Freddie is a great complement to him but he is not a featured back. Magahee played without heart, Lynch gives nonstop effort. This is more of a comparison to getting rid of Pat Williams because we have Sam Adams or letting Antoine Winfield go because we have Nate Clements. It would be a huge mistake. These are the types of things that go the franchise into this mess.

Broncos dump cornerback Bly By Mike Klis The Denver Post The Broncos' new management team is finishing up its evaluation of the defense. And the defensive players aren't faring well. The latest casualty was veteran cornerback Drè Bly, who was notified of his release this evening. Bly becomes the Broncos' fifth defensive starter who was cut in the past two days by head coach Josh McDaniels, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and general manager Brian Xanders. The other defensive starters cut Monday were Dewayne Robertson, John Engelberger, Jamie Winborn and Marquand Manuel. Backup middle linebacker Niko Koutouvides was also released and the Broncos are not expected to re-sign defensive lineman Ebenezer Ekuban, safety Marlon McCree, or middle linebacker Nate Webster, who will become free agents Feb. 27. Bly was scheduled to make a $3.25 million salary plus $400,000 with a workout bonus this year after making a combined $18.8 million the previous two seasons. Any thoughts on at least bringing in Bly for a visit?

I'm on board with the Bills going after the Ravens' C Jason Brown. As a poster pointed out in an earlier post he's a good runblocker who is a solid player against the 3-4 defense. I've been wanting the Bills to get him 2 years ago when he was a RFA. It doesn't hurt that he's a versatile OL. He's more than capable of playing the G position also. Speaking of Baltimore, it wouldn't shock me if the Bills land up snagging up QB Kyle Boller once he's released. The guy was making strides each year and really started showing some moxie in limited opportunities in the '06 and '07 seasons. He would be a clear back-up and would be a very inexpensive investment. This of course would be based on him being cleared medically from his shoulder injury. If I'm not mistaken he has been in direct competition with Losman since his high school and early college days. How ironic that would be. I can't see the Bills going after another WR early in this year's draft. They would be better served to sign a veteran in FA and it looks like the Steelers' WR Nate Washington won't be back with them this year. I wouldn't be comfortable counting too much on Hardy this year and I sure don't want to see Lee Evans get wasted by not having a solid compliment playing opposite to him and I believe that Washington could fulfill this role admirably. He would be acquired at a very good value and is accustomed to playing in cold weather. In addition to all of this the guy is a real burner also. I think that if the Bills could get RB Fred Taylor it would be a shrewd move but I'm not holding my breath on this one. I would love to see Buffalo step up and make a move for RB Derrick Ward. Unfortunately I don't see either of these RBs making their way to Buffalo but I believe that the Bills do need to fortify this position, especially since Lynch doesn't seem to be a player that we can totally rely on. If anybody has a suggestion on who could be a good addition for us at this position it would be greatly appreciated. One team's salary cap casualty/new management could be another team's gain. Not an original suggestion but the former Jet TE Al Baker would be a good one. What better than to sign another player from the division who I'm pretty sure would love to make the Jets sorry for getting rid of him. Last but not least is addressing another DE for a more solid rotation. Newly released DE Kalimba Edwards might fit this need nicely. Here's another veteran player who would be reasonably priced and should be effective as a role player.

Here's the top payroll for CBs: http://content.usatoday.com/sports/footbal...BaseSalary+desc I sorted it by base salary since the bonuses were acting strangely - so this isn't a perfect measure, but it's something. You've got: Asomungah (OAK), McAlister (BAL), Champ Bailey (DEN), Patrick Surtain (KC), Antoine Winfield (MIN), Shawn Springs (WAS), Roderick Hood (ARI), Nate Clements (SFO), Charles Woodson (GB), and Mike McKenzie (NO). In that grou, you have three playoff appearances. That's not far from what you'd expect by random chance: 30% here, while 37% of NFL teams make the playoffs. Offensive line, by this same measure, you go six for ten, including two Steelers. LB is also 6/10 DE is 5/10, RB 5/10, DT is 4/10, QB is 4/10, TE 4/10, WR 4/10, S 3/10. So in the defensive backfield, you have the strongest negative correlation between playoff appearances and top salaries, while the defensive front seven and the offensive line are the strongest. It's one year, so take it for what it's worth, but that's what happened.

Well in fairness (as long as we're all being fair), I believe the main point is that it's a bit easier to draft late where you can cherry pick players who've dropped. I don't agree so much that good teams aren't afraid to reach for players. To support my theory about cherry picking who drops to you late in the 1st round, in the last ten years the Bills have had 5 late first round picks. In 3 instances they took who dropped to them. Antoine Winfield was taken 23rd in 1999. Nate Clements was taken 21st in 2001. Willis McGahee was taken 23rd in 2003. In 2 instances they traded back into round 1 (therefore reached): J.P. Losman was taken 22nd in 2004. John McCargo was taken 26th in 2006. Both of the last two were not rated as highly as the Bills took them so their "conviction that this is the guy" was wrong. Their attempt to reach for a guy they identified as good value was wrong. Based on this, it works better if you take what you're given rather than trying to force the issue. This I think is the advantage to good teams which draft late in the first round. Better risk/reward ratio.

Trade #11 down and gain and extra 3rd. Rnd #1 C-Alex Mack -California Rnd #2 DE-Connor Brown - Cincinatti Rnd #3a TE-James Casey - Rice Rnd #3b OLB-Gerald McRath - Southern Miss Rnd #4 FB-Brannan Southerland - Georgia Rnd #5 T-Joe Bell - Furman Rnd #6 QB-Mike Teel - Rutgers Rnd#7 K-Pat McAfee - West Virginia FA FS-Nate Ness - Arizona

Ok a little spin to this. Your center is the man who makes the line calls. There are very few that can make the correct calls that will prevent Peyton Manning from looking like John Beck. While a good corner prevents the bomb touchdown, a good center keeps the line blocking the right guys so there is a run game, and pass protection. The gap between a decent and great center is a canyon, while the gap between a decent and great CB is less noticable. A Corner can only do his job if the guys in front of him do their jobs, or he will eventually fail. Where a center is responsible for making sure his team is ready to execute. IMO, a pro bowl center is far more valuable than a pro bowl corner. So, I would rather have a Kent Hull over a Nate Odomes.

I can see it happening this way. Peters and the Bills third round pick for Philly's two firsts. Just a thought. Then Buffalo could trade down with somebody and pick up at least a third I'd think. You left out Nate Clements, Travis Henry, Willis McGahee, the UFA signing of Jason Peters.

I think that Parrish is expendable for a few reasons. First, we have an abundance at the WR position. Signing TO allows Hardy to heal and learn. Reed really showed something last year, especially in the leadership dept. He is very effective in the slot and that is the only spot on offense that Parrish can compete at. Secondly is the salary cap. Parrish is due 2.5 million and another $500,000.00 in a roster bonus. Do we really need him at this price? I wouldn't think that just trading him for a draft pick would be great compensation for us but using him to move up in the draft or in a trade coupled with a draft pick for a veteran player or for a much better pick should net us our best compensation. To answer your question about him being speculated in a trade the answer is yes but really just by fans. I must say though, it is viable for this to happen. Parrish does have value but to the right team. I can see Seattle having interest, due to the fact that they just lost Bobby Ingram (another slot receiver) to KC. There was an overtone that KC might be interested but now that they got Ingram I'm sure that that point is mute. I suggest Seattle because I believe between injury and salary Deion Branch could be a casualty but even if he's not they just signed HoushWhateverHisNameIs. This leaves nate Burleson in the slot AND returning punts. Enter Roscoe Parrish. Now, I did read today that Branch and Burleson are going to be the #1 and #2 receiver and Housh going to the slot but I don't believe it, it doesn't make sense. I will mention this, keep your eye on Jordan Kent. He's a young receiver that they drafted a couple of years back and he's afreak! He didn't play football in college until his last year or two but he's an athlete and was a real basketball star. The other team who COULD have interest in someone like Parrish is Cleveland. Now, I am taking a shot at it but they did just have this whole Donte Stallworth thing blow up in their face, reportedly disgruntled with Braylon Edwards and just released Joe Jurivious. They do have a guy named Steptoe who I don't know much about but they do seem to be in need or are looking to revamp their offensive weapons. Once again, I'm guessing at this. More importantly though this gives them a fair opportunity to recoup their investment from Rogers and still address a need. I don't think that this relationship (Rogers-Mangini-Cleveland) is going to improve. McCargo may have value. he worked very hard in the off season on his bulging disk and Kollar is gone. He might be a big surprise this year, who knows. Cleveland gave a 3rd rd pick and CB Leigh Bodden for Rogers. I think that we can compensate them and not strip ourselves of important resources like first day picks.

Its still too early to declare his assessment of the market and work at Peters' direction a done deal yet (it ain't over 'til its over) but given some of the vitriol spewed last year about how stupid Peters and his agent were in how they played this negotiating exercise, I think a rational assessment of the current situation in negotiation is almost all in Peters' favor. I know there is no requirement and I do not expect any hardcore Bills partisan to be rational, but it is no surprise to me that even with the Bills and Peters reported to be about $3 million apart, I think one needs to realize that this is far closer to Peters' outrageous demand of the top OL contract in the market (which is now over $11.5 million a year that Jake Long signed for) than where the Bills started out which is wanting Peters to honor his existing (RT pay scale) contract. The Bills have moved from the $4 mill a year (which by far is the largest paycheck Peters ever saw but that does not seem to matter in the modern NFL where both teams and players seem happy to get every one of our dimes they can) apparently to 8 and given the situation I think its a pretty safe bet that Peters is gonna get a lot more than $8 million a year. Maybe Peters and his agent got to the current position through their intelligent gauging of the market, or through dumb luck, or through getting a couple of things to go their way and they took advantage of these opportunities, but whatever the reason (my guess is opportunism rather than Peters and his posse anticipating just how this would go) I think it takes real blinders not to see the superior negotiating position Peters is in. The 3 big events in this negotiation IMHO were: A. Peters aimed high and stuck to his guns for the most part last off-season- As with most games of chicken (which in essence what last year's juvenile multi-million dollar face off between the Bills and Peters was) no one really won and both sides should count their blessings they survived this dispute to live again. Peters missed camp by holding out until the last minute (the last minute was he crawled back before being docked a game check which would have been serious money. There was a noticeable effect in terms of his performance in the first half of last year as he got off to a slow start. However, this slow start had no real impact on the important stat of W/L as the Bills won despite the initial inconsistent play of Peters. In the more imaginary world of the media (radio and the web being the loudest) Peters was labeled as lousy. However, since the Bills got off to a fast start without Peters hitting the ground running, and many of his teammates rooting for the Bills to set a precedent of caving into player demands, and since Edwards was not killed due to lame LT play both Peters and the Bills escaped his holdout with their lives. B. Peters made the Pro Bowl- This accomplishment really put Peters in the driver's seat. Many Bills fans made leery of the validity of Pro Bowl selection after watching Ruben Brown get in year after year despite having some not very good years sometimes really devalue Pro Bowl picks. However, the critical issue here is market value and whether he deserved it or not Peters scored a big plus by getting voted in by a mixed and balanced opinions of coaches, peers, and fans. One has to give props to Peters for winning this nod as from a marketing/negotiating standpoint this validated his decision to hold out as even with the slow start he still got the nod from this mixed panel. Even for those who want to claim all they care about is play and not popularity, they actually are ignoring play to claim Peters is a bad player as part of his winning this was that his on field performance seemed to this viewer (and is born out by some statistical analysis that looks at which opposing DL player got a sack) improved in the second half of the season probably as he improved from his selfish holdout. C. Dockery was let go- This created a dual advantage for Peters in that this move not only made some cap room for Peters as the Bills cut him rather than pay him a roster bonus, but it also put the Bills in a situation where they already were replacing their starting center and several back-ups on the OL. While some seem to have their panties all up in a wad over Peters not honoring his contract (hello real world are you surprised) it looks really doubtful the Bills will want to replace the majority of their OL in one off-season which they would have to do if they cut Peters. An even greater departure from reality is that some fans are vocal about wanting to trade Peters for draft choices. This is simply a departure from reality in that actual NFL GMs realize that even though the conventional wisdom is a 1st round pick should be a starter (many Bills fans have been fooled by good picks like Nate Clements becoming a star after the Bills traded down to the last third of the 1st round to get him). It does happen a lot that a later pick becomes a starter, but the actual real world occurrence is that its only a little over 50/50 most years for a first round pick to be a starter at the beginning of the next season. Even if the Bills got 2 1st rounders for Peters (could happen but like franchise player Cassel and others a top vet may only bring later round choices in reality) they are likely writing off 09 in terms of OL play as these rookies learn to become vets. When Dockery got cut the cash registers started going off in Peters and his agents head. The bottomline here appears to me that despite the whines of many fans and media types like Ed Kilgore who have instant stories he would not have to work hard to do his job if the Bills stupidly drew a line in the sand, the Bills will likely wait until after the April draft to ink Peters. As the rookie cap is separate from the vet cap who they pick makes little fiscal difference (our decision to do our accounting based on cap to cash may to some extent link rookie contracts to existing contracts but not by a huge amount) and the Bills can roll over and sign Peters when they choose. However, by leaving the situation unclear they also send misinformation to our opponents so outside clarity probably waits until after the draft. However, in the big picture I give my props to Peters and his agent. They appear to have played this well and even in the worse case the Bills ship Peters and he probably really cashes in as his new team would almost certainly want to sign him for his career. Well played Peters.