Billls open to trading Evans

[GG]

Check yours, three seasons go by- 2010, 2011, 2012; they should be ready to compete in 2013.

 

Hence, a four year plan in perpetuity.

 

I'm frustrated that those rebuilds failed, but there isn't much I can do about bringing new management in and them wanting to start fresh. I can't put decisions made in 2004 or 2006 on Nix, Whaley or Gailey.

 

And as long as Ralph Wilson allows Jim Overdorf to lurk in the shadows, you will have an eerie consistency in the output.

[Slayers]

just a guess but I think Evans ends up with the Eagles...with Maclins mystery illness and Steve Smith out until at least Oct they need a receiver and have obviously been the most active team since the lockout ended

 

The Eagles already have a Evans his name is DeSean Jackson and just think we could have had him on our roster.

[Rob's House]

According to Rotoworld the asking price is a 3rd and Carolina may be interested.

[Phlegm Alley]

Cooley for Evans?

[Koufax]

I don't want to see Lee traded. I have always liked him and think he has some good football left.

 

But I think we as Buffalo Bills fans probably overvalue home compared to his potential 2011-2013 ability to help this team win. I still focus on the 83 yard bombs from JP, something that isn't part of Chan's game or Fitz's game. And with our depth at WR and our likelihood to have a lot of passes go to RBs as well, I'm not sure Evans will get enough touches to have the impact we all want. But he is still clearly valuable.

 

If there is a team out there who overvalues him like we fans do, a trade would make sense. I don't want to see a dump for a 5th round pick, but realistically despite our expectations of some success for this year, doing what is better for the team in 2012 and beyond should be first (although winning in 2011 goes a long way towards growth for 2012 and beyond), and getting picks for aging vets is generally a sound philosophy when the vets are somewhat replaceable.

 

So I won't get Nix voodoo dolls if he does trade Evans, and I will be happy if someone overpays us for him, but I think based on what is likely going to be offered, I would rather keep Evans.

[Stl Bills]

Cooley for Evans?

 

That article seems to have as about as much substance behind it as my Jeremy Maclin rumor does.

Edited August 12, 2011 by Stl Bills

[dave mcbride]

hmmmmm?

 

 

their starting, all-pro, all-world, current nfl mvp quarterback was a 6th round pick, and pioli (the originator) and beliceck both play by the philosophy of stockpiling draft picks whenever possible.

 

patriots traded moss to the vikings for a 3rd round pick.

 

if you're confident in your ability to draft, and believe in the system you have in place to implement young talent, it makes sense to jettison aging vets.

Who was the last late round Pats pick to really pan out (rounds 4-7)? I'd argue Dan Koppen in 2003. Since then, it's pretty much a barren wasteland.

[hondo in seattle]

I think Lee is a class act, a team leader and the best receiver on the team. I think he stretches defenses vertically which enables us to do more things underneath. I really don't want to trade Lee BUT...

 

... this is the one position where the Bills have excess talent. Except for possibly Stevie, none of the other WRs have trade value but the Bills seem to believe in their potential. If Gailey thinks someone else can stretch defenses, and if Nix thinks we can get something "significant" in trade, it does make sense.

 

The Bills are not a playoff team this year. Trading a 30 year old WR for a younger OT or good draft pick might make the Bills more competitive. It was also give more opportunities to the young wideouts.

[BeastMode54]

per rotoworld

 

Updating a previous item, beat writer Steve Reed is now reporting that the Panthers are not interested in trading for Lee Evans.

The No. 2 receiver position has never been a priority for the Panthers and it looks like it's going to stay that way. It's a vote of confidence for Legedu Naanee and Brandon LaFell, who appear locked in as the No. 2 and 3 receivers. The Bills may have to lower their reported asking price of a third-round pick in order to get someone to bite on Evans.

[Kelly the Dog]

Do we even bother to mention that Nelson, Jones and Parrish were also injured for the last two games and Fitzpatrick was even injured for the last one? Doesn't fit your argument? Ok, nevermind.

The QBs actually looked to him more because of it, which is why he caught a similar number of balls, and why the stats were misleading. I was only responding to the post that he played just as well, and his stats were just as good without Evans. That was the argument. He didn't and it wasn't even close. The stats were misleading, because he was blanketed for the most part, and teams creeped up to the line way more. He would catch the ball and fall down. Besides, Nelson being out was the only factor. Naaman is an equivalent or better receiver than D Jones, whose real worth is on ST. It's a wash as a wideout. Parrish was gone for four games with Evans, too. Did you bother to say that Steve Johnson was benched as a starter for two games? Ok nevermind.If you paid attention to the games instead of looking at the stats, SJ had a much, much tougher time without Lee Evans.

[MattM]

I hope it would be more than just a 4th, as the report on ESPN claimed "Buffalo would only trade the receiver if it was able to get "something substantial" in return." link I hope they're not viewing a 4th round pick as substantial.

 

There's also more than what is coming back from the other team involved in the trade. There are also opportunity costs since you can only keep so many WRs. So not trading Evans will cost you a WR on your roster currently that you value, likely 2 of Easley, Roosevelt & Davis. So add their value into the return.

 

Finally, why cherry pick 2008? Is 2-3 players the norm for a 4th round pick? 2006 garnered 15+ players including Eric Smith, Owen Daniels, Brad Smith, Jahri Evans, Stephen Tulloch, Leon Washington, Stephen Gostkowski, Brandon Marshall, Damato Peko, Barry Cofield, Elvis Dumervil, Ray Edwards, Ryan Sims & Willie Colon among others. Not that this list is also typical, but let's not pick a bad year and call it the norm.

 

 

It will be no better than a 4th, if that. No intention to cherry pick--I simply picked the first year where I thought you could make a judgment on the players chosen (i.e., more than 1-2 years out.) While 2006 may have been a decent year (more so than avg I'd wager), other years are nearly a complete wasteland. So we're going to get rid of someone who's played at a Pro Bowl level who has at least 2-3 good years left in him for someone who more likely than not is not going to make anywhere near his impact, and who probably has at least a 50% chance of never even starting in this League? That sounds like a real brilliant plan....

[Max997]

The Eagles already have a Evans his name is DeSean Jackson and just think we could have had him on our roster.

 

DeSean is actually better then Evans but thats all they really have right now other then Avant and with the Eagles pretty much all in for this year I expect them to at least look into trading for Evans

[KOKBILLS]

The Bills will never get fair return for Evans and what he brings to this Team (and I realize he's not Calvin Johnson, but his presence sure as heck helps Stevie) so it seems to me the Trade is stupid...

 

Unless of coarse the goal is truly Andrew Luck ...

[mrags]

Yup--remember who he's had throwing him the ball the last few years when you consider his numbers. I've heard several GM-types (including Mike Lombardi) say that Lee is the "real deal" and draws lots of coverage that opens up everyone else. Looks like we'll find out the hard way. My prediction--if he goes to a team with a good O, he'll catch 60-70 balls, 7-8 TDs and about 1000 yards. Stevie J, meanwhile, will see his numbers drop 20-30%......

Lol. So what you saying is that Stevie J will still have a better year than Lee.

 

It's just a fact. Evans numbers are horrible over the last 2 years. I don't understand all the love on this board for him at all. He's on the wrong side of 30. He's never produced like a first round stud we all hoped he would. And we now get a chance to get something in return for an aging WR that has never really been great and hasn't done anything besides draw coverage for the last 3 or 4 years. He did t get it done when TO was on the team, he didnt get it done with Stevie at #1. He's only really produced when we had Moulds and when JP thought he was playing catch with his best friend all season. Let's not forget that Lee wasn't exactly a bucket of sunshine when it came to the Trent vs. JP issue. He migh have been right (some could argue) but he was still very vocal about JP and it showed his lack of team first mentality.

The truth is, at the end of the day, Fitz doesn't have a good repor with Lee. He'd rather throw it to Stevie. Why is it that Evans struggles to get open all the time?

[Fan in Chicago]

The QBs actually looked to him more because of it, which is why he caught a similar number of balls, and why the stats were misleading. I was only responding to the post that he played just as well, and his stats were just as good without Evans. That was the argument. He didn't and it wasn't even close. The stats were misleading, because he was blanketed for the most part, and teams creeped up to the line way more. He would catch the ball and fall down. Besides, Nelson being out was the only factor. Naaman is an equivalent or better receiver than D Jones, whose real worth is on ST. It's a wash as a wideout. Parrish was gone for four games with Evans, too. Did you bother to say that Steve Johnson was benched as a starter for two games? Ok nevermind.If you paid attention to the games instead of looking at the stats, SJ had a much, much tougher time without Lee Evans.

 

Late to this discussion but I am with you on this topic, Kelly. I will be seriously pi$$ed off if we get rid of Lee. Since last year, I have given the benefit of doubt to the new FO but this will flip me over and make me wonder what the real strategy is. Consider:

1. Last draft, in the face of severe shortage of linemen, we pick a smurf/gadget player in Spiller under the guise of BPA. He proceeds to do pretty much nothing his first year

2. Traded away Lynch which I kind of understood given his penchant for getting into trouble

3. Let Whitner walk. While not an impact player, he was a known commodity and his price was reasonable. We should have kept him till at least such a point in time that we knew for sure one of the current players is good enough to take his spot

4. Let Poz go - again, my argument is similar to that for Whitner but understand as $7 MM was a bit much

5. Did not get Zach Miller or Kevin Boss . A position of need for sure and even though they werent cheap, WE HAVE THE MONEY. What on earth are we saving it up for ? Esp with the rookie cap, it not like we need it to sign a high pick like Luck next year

 

So, in my mind the questionable decisions are adding up and while I still am supporting the FO, a Lee trade will totally change the balance. Why give away our #1 draft picks for low compensation in the name of building a new kind of team ? Unless one of the other WRs proves themselves to be capable of being a #1, we have no business trading him away. I cannot be convinced otherwise despite his lack of production last year

[RuntheDamnBall]

The Bills will never get fair return for Evans and what he brings to this Team (and I realize he's not Calvin Johnson, but his presence sure as heck helps Stevie) so it seems to me the Trade is stupid...

 

Unless of coarse the goal is truly Andrew Luck ...

There is no way in hell they will suck badly enough to "earn" #1.

[Delete This Account]

Lol. So what you saying is that Stevie J will still have a better year than Lee.

 

It's just a fact. Evans numbers are horrible over the last 2 years. I don't understand all the love on this board for him at all. He's on the wrong side of 30. He's never produced like a first round stud we all hoped he would. And we now get a chance to get something in return for an aging WR that has never really been great and hasn't done anything besides draw coverage for the last 3 or 4 years. He did t get it done when TO was on the team, he didnt get it done with Stevie at #1. He's only really produced when we had Moulds and when JP thought he was playing catch with his best friend all season. Let's not forget that Lee wasn't exactly a bucket of sunshine when it came to the Trent vs. JP issue. He migh have been right (some could argue) but he was still very vocal about JP and it showed his lack of team first mentality.

The truth is, at the end of the day, Fitz doesn't have a good repor with Lee. He'd rather throw it to Stevie. Why is it that Evans struggles to get open all the time?

there's some cherry-picking facts going on here.

Evans was in part a fan of J.P. Losman because he didn't want the offense to go through yet another quarterback change. another point is, would you blame a receiver for wanting to stick with a quarterback with whom he had a 1,000-yard season? Edwards, it turned out, wasn't the guy to run the Bills offense. is it wrong that Lee Evans believed that. and yet he didn't exactly throw Edwards under the bus.

 

and you're wrong about Moulds. sure, Evans had a great season alongside Moulds, but he also had a good season in 2006 without him. the trouble is, Evans hasn't consistently had a credible or consistent guy playing opposite him. it was Moulds for a year. Peerless Price for a couple of years. Josh Reed. T.O. during what was a dysfunctional year for the offense altogether, and now Stevie Johnson's emergence last year.

 

Fitz not having a good rapport with Lee? how do you know that. i've seen them hook up in practice numerous times. and you don't hear Lee Evans questioning Fitz's capability as a starter.

 

and why is it that Evans struggles to get open? might it be opponents continue to swing coverage his way?

 

look, i'm not saying Evans is one of the NFL's elite receivers. but his value to this offense has been under-appreciated given what the perennial change and dysfunction this offense has gone through over the past seven years.

 

jw

Edited August 12, 2011 by john wawrow

[Phil Hansen Forever]

nah , 42 catches last year bunch of drops and key fumbles , at 30 he can easily be replaced

You may be right, but he is also a leader on the field, and that is difficult to replace. It's intangibles that make Lee Evans a solid player. He rarely complains and is hardly ever hurt.

[jahnyc]

Why is everyone so sure about our depth and talent at wide receiver after Stevie and Roscoe? Roosevelt, Jones, Easley and Nelson are all unproven (and three of the four were undrafted, which may or may not have any significance as to whether we should believe that they will develop into quality players).

[Kelly the Dog]

I found it interesting that as GG would say, "The Man Behind The Curtain" was at practice yesterday, and he's someone who has a reputation and the power, as the team's salary cap guy, to go over a GM or coach's head to make roster decisions. I wouldn't be surprised if he's handling trade talks on this one, as he has done it before, believe it or not. I'm not sure how much Gailey or Nix have signed off on it, grudgingly at best I imagine and heard.

 

I assume that Gailey and Nix think we have a ton of talent at WR. I fear that Nix thinks Buster Davis will be great because he drafted him. I also think they believe Easley could be a beast a deep threat if he stays healthy. I very much doubt they want to drop Evans in a salary dump.

 

I doubt it's even from Ralph but it could be. The Man Behind The Curtain has free reign to manage the cap as he sees fit. It also explains a lot of recent quotes and a lot of money concerns.