hondo in seattle Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/larry-felser/article468331.ece I usually agree with Larry but today he sounds almost Sully-esque in his negativity. While the strike/lockout certainly isn't good for player development and evaluation, I think the coaching staff will have plenty of time (if the madness ends soon) to evaluate their newer, younger players long before the 2012 draft. Let's remember, too, that none of Larry's concerns affect the Bills competitiveness. Every club is facing the very same challenges. I'm going out on a limb and assuming Gailey and his coaches have already considered the issues that Felser has raised and have already developed a plan that's about as good as the plans developed by any other coaching staff. (On second thought, maybe the more veteran teams do have an advantage). Also, I don't think it's anything close to a foregone conclusion that Andrew Luck will be the first pick in the next draft. College football seasons are always full of surprising rises and falls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappy Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Luck will not be the number 1 draft pick next year & probably cost himself $10's of Millions he will never make up, I hope his extra year of playing for nothing was worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hplarrm Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 This was pretty strange as it basically makes the case that less preparation is bad for the Bills and good for the Packers. Well, how bout doing a little reporting instead of stating the obvious. Perhaps you want to present a series of "facts" as to how the Bills with learning Spiller, Fitzy and Dareus are in worse shape than the Jets with Sanchez et al. but even this more fact based reporting is tough because until there us a game there really are no new facts. I generally like Felser, but jeepers what a waste of column space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Oh no! "It boggles the mind that all this lost time not used to assess the new and semi-new players could affect the Bills' ability to determine what they will need in the 2012 draft. Assuming they will not qualify for the No. 1 pick as the worst team in the league, they will not end up with a franchise quarterback. The only collegian currently deserving that title is Stanford's Andrew Luck, semi-assured to be the No. 1 pick in the next draft. Unlike the last draft, the forecast is bubbling over with running backs. There also will be a pair of top-grade tight ends: Dwayne Allen of Auburn and Michael Egnew of Missouri. Too bad the Bills don't use premium picks for that position." Larry Felser, former News columnist, appears in Sunday's editions and in a clown suit at kids parties throughout the Western NY area. Call 1-800-Bills-Doom for a quote. So preseason drills and sandlot scrimmages, OTAs are the crux of a veteran coaching staff's work in assessing what the team will need in the next draft which is about ten months away. Brilliant! Preseason games, games DURING the season and oh yes, injuries/retirements/FA losses won't amount to a hill of spit in evaluating the team's needs ten months from now. Who knew? Whoa, whoa, whoa is us. We're BillsFanOne for certain! So was Felser responsible for the Henry/McGahee/Lynch/Spiller picks? He seems to be drooling to get another RB with The Bills First pick in the 2012 Draft. OMG! They're not going to take a TE either! OH NO!!!! Say it isn't so!!! Say it isn't so!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 It's an odd article from Felser. Doesn't break any new ground or shed light on any previously unconsidered implications of the lockout. Really, it just fills space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsfaninFl Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 He makes his living writing about major league sports and nothing is happening right now. So he has to write something to get a paycheck. Give him some slack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnieroscoe Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 His articles have gotten to the point of unreadable...he should just retire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExWNYer Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 It's an odd article from Felser. Doesn't break any new ground or shed light on any previously unconsidered implications of the lockout. Really, it just fills space. Just like those of every other reporter and columnist covering the NFL right now. Man, do we need this lockout to end. His articles have gotten to the point of unreadable...he should just retire Uh...he is retired. For several years now. He just contributes the occasional Sunday column for The News. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 The only players the lockout really affects is the UDFAs. Those guys get a chance to show their stuff in the rookie camps, and can ctach the coach's eye, or he can see how to use them. With none of that, the UDFAs from this year's class are going to need to perform out of the gate in training camp, and won't have the benefit of that early one-on-one time with the coaching staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meathead Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 larry has been really good for a really long time but i cant escape this feeling that many of his articles in recent history are just mailing it in once great insight reduced to captain obvious proportions what happened to you doctor crotchety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Nothin' for nothin' - but in Larry's defense, aren't 90% of threads on TSW during this offseason and lockout also basically just taking up space? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 (edited) Yeah, I think Felser retired in or around 2004. The only players the lockout really affects is the UDFAs. Those guys get a chance to show their stuff in the rookie camps, and can ctach the coach's eye, or he can see how to use them. With none of that, the UDFAs from this year's class are going to need to perform out of the gate in training camp, and won't have the benefit of that early one-on-one time with the coaching staff. I would add that it generally affects younger players the most… including last years rookies and first-year players. Those guys seem to benefit quite a bit from the minicamps and OTAs. The effect of the lockout on this year's crop of UDFAs is definitely huge. They don't even know where they'll be playing yet. Usually within one week of the draft (early May) NFL teams have bolstered their rosters with about 20 UDFAs. Because of the compressed offseason due to the lockout, there is a likely scenario where teams are scrambling to sign veteran free agents AND UDFAs at the same time, within a small window of time. It could be pretty chaotic. Edited June 29, 2011 by San Jose Bills Fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Luck will not be the number 1 draft pick next year & probably cost himself $10's of Millions he will never make up, I hope his extra year of playing for nothing was worth it. Yeah I gotta call BS on this. Barring an injury, he's going #1. If Carolina is picking 1st again, some team will pay a ransom to move into that spot. As for the money, you're partially right. He'll have lost some money w/ the alleged rookie scale coming into play w/ the new CBA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Luck will not be the number 1 draft pick next year & probably cost himself $10's of Millions he will never make up, I hope his extra year of playing for nothing was worth it. Care to place a wager on it? If he isn't the number 1 pick, I'll buy you a jersey of the bills number 1 pick next year. If he is, you do the same for me. A regular replica jersey 50-80 bucks or so. If you take me up on the bet, you best hope Carolina has the number 1 pick and isn't able to make a deal to trade down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Care to place a wager on it? If he isn't the number 1 pick, I'll buy you a jersey of the bills number 1 pick next year. If he is, you do the same for me. A regular replica jersey 50-80 bucks or so. If you take me up on the bet, you best hope Carolina has the number 1 pick and isn't able to make a deal to trade down. Scrappy don't mess with no knock off duds. Pony up for an authentic jersey from the Bills store and he may consider your offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Nothin' for nothin' - but in Larry's defense, aren't 90% of threads on TSW during this offseason and lockout also basically just taking up space? HEY! I represent that remark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombstone56 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 (edited) FELSER should just stay retired . he hasnt written a original thought in years..his draft articles usually contain wrong names, wrong positions and basically total bs .. "go to boca, larry and play in the sand ".. or at least come up with one original story! Edited June 29, 2011 by tombstone56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 (edited) It's an odd article from Felser. Doesn't break any new ground or shed light on any previously unconsidered implications of the lockout. Really, it just fills space. Honestly, I feel like all of Felsers' articles have been just as you describe, since the mid-80's. I think it is funny that people rail on Sullivan for being negative, but hold Felser up in some more favorable light. He was very negative in his day...I was never a big Felser fan. I think he lost most of his relevance with the the merger...I like hearing some of the old stories from him, from time to time, but that is about it. Edited June 29, 2011 by Buftex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Honestly, I feel like all of Felsers' articles have been just as you describe, since the mid-80's. I think it is funny that people rail on Sullivan for being negative, but hold Felser up in some more favorable light. He was very negative in his day...I was never a big Felser fan. I think he lost most of his relevance with the the merger...I like hearing some of the old stories from him, from time to time, but that is about it. Mid-80's?? Wow! Tough crowd. I love (d) the guy. Hands down my favorite after Jim Peters fell off the map. During the Levy renaissance, I looked forward to his ' Some thoughts collected while wondering whatever happen to..' Sunday morning spiels. One that will stand out for all my days was a Sunday a.m. 'blog' in '92-'93 where he cautioned the readership to embrace these days as likely the best the Bills will ever be in our lifetime with advancing age and FA dwindling their fabulous play.We got used to winning nearly every game and playing deep into January on a yearly basis. Even as he brought reality to our eyes, it was a challenge to believe it.. It had a haunting effect,to be sure. Oh, to return to that time... <sigh> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Mid-80's?? Wow! Tough crowd. I love (d) the guy. Hands down my favorite after Jim Peters fell off the map. During the Levy renaissance, I looked forward to his ' Some thoughts collected while wondering whatever happen to..' Sunday morning spiels. One that will stand out for all my days was a Sunday a.m. 'blog' in '92-'93 where he cautioned the readership to embrace these days as likely the best the Bills will ever be in our lifetime with advancing age and FA dwindling their fabulous play.We got used to winning nearly every game and playing deep into January on a yearly basis. Even as he brought reality to our eyes, it was a challenge to believe it.. It had a haunting effect,to be sure. Oh, to return to that time... <sigh> Okay, maybe a little harsh...I just remember he ripped on them constantly, before the Super Bowl era. Not to say it wasn't warrented, but, maybe like Sullivan (who seems loathed by all) he would make some pretty definitive statements that were kind of out of place, IMO. I remember him being particularly rough on Kelly when he first arrived...he didn't really let up much, until they started winning. To me, it was obvious from his first game, Kelly was the real deal, on a bad football team. Felser just always seemed reactionary to me, instead of a "bigger picture" guy. I read him all the time, but I never really cared for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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