Fans should realize we are still in rebuilding mode.

[RealityCheck]

I believe the real reason the Bills traded Evans was because they have 4 WRs from the class of 2010 that they don't want to cut. While their future is yet to be determined, one of them might just be an important player when the team gets good. By the time the team is good, they realize Evans' contract will be up & they had no intention of giving him another big $ contract.

So, to play it safe, it's better to keep Easley, Jones, Nelson & Roosevelt on the roster. With Johnson & Parish that's 6 receivers. Since they don't want 7 receivers on the roster,the oldest guy, Evans, was the odd man out. It's more a classic example of a team

knowing they're not winning this year & are investing time, including added playing time, into the future at the WR position.

Brilliant logic. I have been a big Lee Evans fan forever, and as a fan I am extremely disappointed that we lost him. However, emotions aside, this is a wise move. Evans lacks a vital quality that this team needs at WO, physicality. He is a small player who never beats the jam against our divisional rivals, and never got open underneath. It is what it is now.

[Reed83HOF]

Myabe Peter King is right...check out these stats and the write up on Donald Jones

 

Lee's Replacement

[inkman]

I doubt any sort of move will be made. I'm not sure if the guys in charge know or care what the fans think. While I don't hink the trade was the worst idea ever, it's getting harder and harder to feel like Buddy and Chan are on the right track. I was happy with the Barnett signing and the Dareus pick but the rest of the offseason has left me feeling pretty empty. I'm clinging to a shred of hope that these guys know what they are doing but it's hard to ignore the mess that is the Buffalo Bills right now.

[playboy reese 2.0]

Before this gets closed...Evans was a good team player--thats it! With a contract close to 10 million over the next 2 years...trading him seemed likely!

 

Fans can go on and on about "Ralph is cheap" or "When will he die" posts, but Evans career with the Bills is over...from a business standpoint this opens up competition for the #2 spot and will help us extend the contracts of Kyle, Stevie & Fitz!

Why does everyone want to extend Fitz? Can we please all realize that he isnt an elite QB.They were smart enough to get rid of Evans.Extending Fitz would be one step forward and two steps backward.

[Reed83HOF]

I doubt any sort of move will be made. I'm not sure if the guys in charge know or care what the fans think. While I don't hink the trade was the worst idea ever, it's getting harder and harder to feel like Buddy and Chan are on the right track. I was happy with the Barnett signing and the Dareus pick but the rest of the offseason has left me feeling pretty empty. I'm clinging to a shred of hope that these guys know what they are doing but it's hard to ignore the mess that is the Buffalo Bills right now.

 

 

+1000000

 

The timing of this deal is suspect, it should have been done before the lockout or at the end of the season. I hope that while reviewing tape during the lockout and evaluating everything once the players were able to practice, they see or know something that makes this move pay off. All I know is they better hope that one of the other WRs can fill in, cause if not we have yet another hole to fill with no replacement on the rister and no FA wanting to come here...

[cjatcreek07]

I can't remember where I saw it but it said something about how Evans doesn't suit Gailey's offense because he isn't comfortable running routes across the middle.

 

And isn't it ironic how for the past few weeks before entering Buffalobills.com there is the page with Stevie catching the ball, was it a sign?

Edited August 12, 2011 by LoyalToTheEnd

[Van_phelaN1]

Myabe Peter King is right...check out these stats and the write up on Donald Jones

 

Lee's Replacement

 

 

Haha, you almost had me but i saw the link name in the bottom of my browser. Close call.

[todd]

I'm absolutely at a loss to explain why the Bills would get rid of Evans. How does getting rid of a good player help your team? It doesn't. The stink might be less if they use the dollars or the 4th to get a player to improve the team right now.

 

but will they? I personally hope they take a chance on Shawn Andrews. Risk would be totally worth the reward.....

[Erik]

+1000000

 

The timing of this deal is suspect, it should have been done before the lockout or at the end of the season. I hope that while reviewing tape during the lockout and evaluating everything once the players were able to practice, they see or know something that makes this move pay off. All I know is they better hope that one of the other WRs can fill in, cause if not we have yet another hole to fill with no replacement on the rister and no FA wanting to come here...

 

The timing is not unreasonable at all...teams are going to make moves now because they are seeing what they have after an off-season of inactivity.

[Reed83HOF]

Haha, you almost had me but i saw the link name in the bottom of my browser. Close call.

 

Seemed like the approriate time to toss that out there...

 

in all seriousness though here is the real link

 

CBSsports

 

"Under the guidance of head coach Mark Duda, a former University of Maryland player who went on to perform in the National Football League for both the St. Louis and Phoenix Cardinals (1983-89), Jones greatly improved his route-running ability, becoming the complete wideout. He led Lackawanna College to the North East Football Conference title during his sophomore year, scoring five times behind 42 receptions while averaging 17.81 yards per catch.

 

The major colleges took notice, with nearby Temple offering him a scholarship. Syracuse, Virginia and Mississippi were also highly interested in Jones for 2007. It appeared he would join Ole Miss for the 2007 season, but the new Rebels coaching staff "let the ball slip" through their fingers and the junior decided to enroll at Youngstown State, where their coaching staff coveted a player of his ability."

 

 

 

His combine stats:

Height: 6003

Weight: 214

40 Yrd Dash: 4.46

20 Yrd Dash: 2.55

10 Yrd Dash: 1.54 225 Lb. Bench Reps: 20

Vertical Jump: 41

Broad Jump: 09'11"

20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.20

3-Cone Drill: 6.90

[1billsfan]

Absolutely correct.

 

Just as TO delayed the development of Stevie Johnson, the presence of Lee Evans is going to unnecessarily delay the development of such players as Donald Jones, Namaan Roosevelt and David Nelson.

 

This is a move that simply had to be made. Granted a 4th round pick is relatively paltry compensation for a player of Lee's caliber, this team needs to rid itself of Evans, who is a one-dimensional receiver past his prime. He'll flourish in Baltimore working across Anquan Boldin, but his best days in Buffalo were certainly behind him.

 

 

In general, I think a lot of people here have a bit of a distorted opinion about Evan's worth. I understand why, but the reality check is that Evans' average TD catches per season the last four years was 4.75 and his catch total average was 69 per season. So as an NFL GM, would you give up a prized 3rd round pick for him? Not only that, but these GMs have to answer to the media and fans when Evans fails to live up to how much that pick is worth. 3rd round guys are very cheap and are generally regarded as having enough talent to become pro bowlers. There was no way they were getting a 3rd for him. If you want to see getting nothing for a player, look at what the Giants got for Steve Smith.

[Reed83HOF]

The timing is not unreasonable at all...teams are going to make moves now because they are seeing what they have after an off-season of inactivity.

 

Receiving anything of value with a trade this late in the year is almost non-existant. Had the lockout not happened or had they anticpated this before ther lockout, package him with a pick and move even higher to grab an impact player. Hell they could do that this next off season. They could have even done this as sooon as the league year opened, but to do this after a couple weeks of camp, gives the impression that you will cut him if you can't trade him. Hence you get lousy trade value. Another reason why I am not thrilled with the timing is that he was well respected by his teammates and an established vet with a good rep around the league. He is also someone who could still play. He is an 8 year vet, who only missed 3 games in his career due to injury - they knew what they had going into camp...

[K-No]

They are looking to the future.

 

Yeah, I get it....but this has been the line for the last 16 years.

 

And so now it's our strategy that we are building through the draft?

What does that mean? That we weren't really trying too hard in earlier drafts but now we will?

This crap is getting old.

Edited August 12, 2011 by K-No

[John Cocktosten]

The only thing I am dissappointed in is the 4th round pick for him. Thought it was a bit low (3rd sounds realistic). But other than that Evans is a one dimensional WR with fly route capabilities that can't run the crucial underneath and timing routes in the NFL. He does not make or break our offense and has pretty much been invisible for a number of years now. Did we really lose a leader? I dunno, I never seen it on the field. Was he a class act? Sure.

 

However, I don't mind dumping his salary for the sacrifice of the rebuild, locking up guys like Williams and Stevie long term, hopefully have a top 3 draft pick next year and make a splash next offseason in fa to polish the turd into one shiny one.

 

We are not winning this year anyways. Its not that bad people.

You don't have to lose to eventually win. Where does this mentality come from?

[Lurker]

So, to play it safe, it's better to keep Easley, Jones, Nelson & Roosevelt on the roster.

That's safe?

 

The combined NFL production for that group is 58 receptions for 705 yards and 4 TDs. That's a typical year for Evans and what got him run out of town, isn't it?

 

Nelson looks to be a very good slot-type, "alternative-to-a-TE" guy, so no problem with him. But the flyer they're taking on Easley/Jones is amazing, given that they've only been running around in their underware to this point in the season...

Edited August 12, 2011 by Lurker

[Erik]

That's safe?

 

The combined NFL production for that group is 58 receptions for 705 yards and 4 TDs. That's a typical year for Evans and what got him run out of town, isn't it?

 

Not bad production at all for three undrafteds in their rookie year.

[DrDawkinstein]

Receiving anything of value with a trade this late in the year is almost non-existant. Had the lockout not happened or had they anticpated this before ther lockout, package him with a pick and move even higher to grab an impact player. Hell they could do that this next off season. They could have even done this as sooon as the league year opened, but to do this after a couple weeks of camp, gives the impression that you will cut him if you can't trade him. Hence you get lousy trade value. Another reason why I am not thrilled with the timing is that he was well respected by his teammates and an established vet with a good rep around the league. He is also someone who could still play. He is an 8 year vet, who only missed 3 games in his career due to injury - they knew what they had going into camp...

 

And the other teams were still trying to sign FAs and see what was out there.

 

There is ANOTHER side to each of these deals. Its possible that Baltimore and AZ only got interested this week after they failed to address their needs through the draft and FA. Not everything happens because the Bills FO is inept.

[PromoTheRobot]

Absolutely correct.

 

Just as TO delayed the development of Stevie Johnson, the presence of Lee Evans is going to unnecessarily delay the development of such players as Donald Jones, Namaan Roosevelt and David Nelson.

 

This is a move that simply had to be made. Granted a 4th round pick is relatively paltry compensation for a player of Lee's caliber, this team needs to rid itself of Evans, who is a one-dimensional receiver past his prime. He'll flourish in Baltimore working across Anquan Boldin, but his best days in Buffalo were certainly behind him.

Agreed. And why not be happy for Evans? He's getting a chance to play for a playoff team before he retires.

 

PTR

[Lurker]

Not bad production at all for three undrafteds in their rookie year.

Since they can't all be on the field at once it is. Unless Chan goes to six WR sets, I suppose...

[NewEra]

CLOSE THIS THREAD!! it contains the words "lee evans". Don't get butthurt guy, it's true. There's been a few threads closed prematurely IMO.

[Mark Long Beach]

Receiving anything of value with a trade this late in the year is almost non-existant. Had the lockout not happened or had they anticpated this before ther lockout, package him with a pick and move even higher to grab an impact player. Hell they could do that this next off season. They could have even done this as sooon as the league year opened, but to do this after a couple weeks of camp, gives the impression that you will cut him if you can't trade him. Hence you get lousy trade value. Another reason why I am not thrilled with the timing is that he was well respected by his teammates and an established vet with a good rep around the league. He is also someone who could still play. He is an 8 year vet, who only missed 3 games in his career due to injury - they knew what they had going into camp...

 

Also likely is that Baltimore & Arizona weren't really looking for a WR until they've gone to camp and played their first preseason game and found that they don't have enough. Suddenly they need one and are willing to give up a draft pick for a 30yo WR that had 40 catches last year...

[John Cocktosten]

FYI after 2007...Eagles fans called Andrews "The Human Turnstile"!

The same fans who declared that they got the best LT in the game...

[Dawgg]

Ask Steve Johnson if TO delayed his development. Stevie was like a little puppy following the big dog and emulating every movement. TO taught SJ a ton and probably escalated his ascension enormously.

 

I agree he will likely flourish in Baltimore.

I don't buy it. First off, TO's little project was James Hardy and look where he is today.

 

Stevie showed a ton of promise his rookie year and was ready to turn the corner. Did taking a seat and watching TO help him? Perhaps, but let's be real here... the best thing for Stevie Johnson was live game action. The moment TO came into the fold, he barely played let alone dressed for games.

 

Evans is a vestige of the past. He's a one-dimensional player (albeit a good one) that has trouble with underneath routes. The Bills have plenty of speed at the position, diminishing the value of Lee's core strength. Time to say goodbye.

[Meark]

same owner dude. same owner who didn't want orakpo. same owner who (probably) forced nix's hand by having him cut salary (evans).

 

I seriously don't think Ralph has anything to do with draft picks.. Just seems pretty silly IMO. Every time I hear this I scratch my head. I also seriously doubt the Evans move had to do with money. He is an overpriced soon to be third receiver. Roscoe would have had more yards if he didn't get hurt.

 

+1000000

 

The timing of this deal is suspect, it should have been done before the lockout or at the end of the season. I hope that while reviewing tape during the lockout and evaluating everything once the players were able to practice, they see or know something that makes this move pay off. All I know is they better hope that one of the other WRs can fill in, cause if not we have yet another hole to fill with no replacement on the rister and no FA wanting to come here...

 

This is the perfect time.. They've had time to evaluate all the other receivers on the roster and feel good about what they have.

[OldTimer1960]

Just speculation, but perhaps Evans was traded as a favor to him. No matter how much we want to believe otherwise, this team is AT LEAST a year away from

being a contender and Evans is near the end of his career. He should do well in Baltimore for a year or two and he wouldn't have had that much impact

here when the staff wants to get the young guys game experience.

 

Does this make the Bills better this year? No, but I don't think it is a big downgrade, either and it does get young guys on the field to see what they

can produce.

[Stampede]

i hated to see Lee go but it was the right move on two accounts: 1- Lee gets to go to a contender (i would have been disappointed for him if he went anywhere less) and 2- it does light a fire under the other WRs to step up.

if i recall correctly Lee and Roscoe are the shortest of our WRs as well as the fastest, 4.33 and 4.37 respectively. it's hard for me to see Roscoe being able to stretch the field because of his lack of weight (168), Lee was at a respectable and strong197. but the rest of the WRs are all 6 foot plus and weighing from 182 (Huggins) to 225 (Hubbard), the fastest of them being: Davis (4.37 same as Roscoe but at 6'1" and 200#s), Easley (4.39 at 6'2" and 216#s) and the rest clocking in from 4.45 (Aiken) to 4.60 (Roosevelt). granted Lee ran a 4.33 but he is 30 years of age, even Roscoe is 29, the rest are all under 26 years of age (i could be wrong though but they are still younger than both Lee and Roscoe). under those circumstances the trade makes perfect sense; obviously i am not an NFL coach or GM but i agree that it protects and encourages the remaining WRs. the only thing that will be left to be determined is the 4th round pick. this is season number two under the current regime and it is silly to jump off a cliff at this time; they ARE doing what they have to and it is obvious to me that they want to win desperately.

Edited August 12, 2011 by Stampede

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

it is obvious to me that they want to win desperately.

 

 

Addendum:

 

As a fan who's had to witness this dreck for the past however many decades, I can tell you I don't give a rat's ass about the future. I care about THIS year. Winning NOW. To paraphrase the old fool's handchosen GM: Show me the damned Baby, Buddy. to me, there is ZERO about what this front office has done that's geared toward winning in the short term. To be honest, there isn't much geared toward long-term winning either.

Edited August 12, 2011 by joesixpack

[KOKBILLS]

I believe the real reason the Bills traded Evans was because they have 4 WRs from the class of 2010 that they don't want to cut. While their future is yet to be determined, one of them might just be an important player when the team gets good. By the time the team is good, they realize Evans' contract will be up & they had no intention of giving him another big $ contract.

So, to play it safe, it's better to keep Easley, Jones, Nelson & Roosevelt on the roster. With Johnson & Parish that's 6 receivers. Since they don't want 7 receivers on the roster,the oldest guy, Evans, was the odd man out. It's more a classic example of a team

knowing they're not winning this year & are investing time, including added playing time, into the future at the WR position.

 

I'm not crazy about Trading Lee...But IMHO this is EXACTLY why they did it...They don't want to cut any of the Kids...

 

Good Post...

[Buftex]

Why does everyone want to extend Fitz? Can we please all realize that he isnt an elite QB.They were smart enough to get rid of Evans.Extending Fitz would be one step forward and two steps backward.

 

I can almost guarantee, Tyler Thigpen will be starting for the Bills next year...and I don't say that because I don't like Fitz...Gailey seems to get "man crushes" on some of his players...Thigpen is that...

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

You don't have to lose to eventually win. Where does this mentality come from?

 

12+ years of losing records?

 

I mean, how much more is a fan supposed to accept before he starts to rationalize?

[dave mcbride]

 

Addendum:

 

As a fan who's had to witness this dreck for the past however many decades, I can tell you I don't give a rat's ass about the future. I care about THIS year. Winning NOW. To paraphrase the old fool's handchosen GM: Show me the damned Baby, Buddy. to me, there is ZERO about what this front office has done that's geared toward winning in the short term. To be honest, there isn't much geared toward long-term winning either.

 

+1.

 

This ain't baseball. Because of injuries, this is a short term league. The only time you plan for the long haul is when you draft a blue chip qb. Fitz, who I like, is in his prime. The time is now for him.

 

I don't buy it. First off, TO's little project was James Hardy and look where he is today.

 

Stevie showed a ton of promise his rookie year and was ready to turn the corner. Did taking a seat and watching TO help him? Perhaps, but let's be real here... the best thing for Stevie Johnson was live game action. The moment TO came into the fold, he barely played let alone dressed for games.

 

Evans is a vestige of the past. He's a one-dimensional player (albeit a good one) that has trouble with underneath routes. The Bills have plenty of speed at the position, diminishing the value of Lee's core strength. Time to say goodbye.

Dawgg, I often disagree with you, but i respect our opinion. I suspect Evans is going to have a big year for the ravens. Flacco has a big arm and good blocking. What do you think? My point is that on a normal team, he's a damn good player.

 

Let me throw this out at you. Among the Bills many stupid moves in the last twelve years, in my opinion the stupidest was not paying Peters. Look at Evans pre and post-Peters. I think it's pretty telling.

Edited August 13, 2011 by dave mcbride

[billsfan89]

Its a vote of confidence in David Nelson, Donald Jones, Marcus Easley, and Roosevelt. I think its also a vote of confidence in the abilities of Parrish to produce some offense as well. Lets hope their gamble is right and they got a 4th rounder and freed up a lot of playing time for younger capable players.

[BillnutinHouston]

All things considered, I like this move. Nix is clearly betting on the future upside of Johnson/Nelson/Jones/Davis/Roosevelt/Easley as being superior to Evans in his downside years. And I agree with this thinking.

 

Ask yourself, when was the last time you thought of Evans as a difference maker?

 

Also, Chris Brown just wrote about what I was thinking this afternoon about the Buster Davis acquisition - there was absolutely NO REASON to acquire Davis unless Nix was already leaning toward trading Evans. Davis provides some veteran insurance to replace Evans' presence.

[Dawgg]

Dawgg, I often disagree with you, but i respect our opinion. I suspect Evans is going to have a big year for the ravens. Flacco has a big arm and good blocking. What do you think? My point is that on a normal team, he's a damn good player.

 

Let me throw this out at you. Among the Bills many stupid moves in the last twelve years, in my opinion the stupidest was not paying Peters. Look at Evans pre and post-Peters. I think it's pretty telling.

I actually agree that Evans will flourish in Baltimore, lining up opposite Anquan Boldin. But he's not a true #1 receiver and it's time to see if Stevie J is.

 

With regards to Peters, the Bills were stupid on so many levels. Not only did they fail to pay him, they added insult to injury by signing below-average linemen (Dockery and Walker) to big-money deals. Hard to expect anyone to stay motivated and happy in that type of situation (though homers will disagree).

[dave mcbride]

All things considered, I like this move. Nix is clearly betting on the future upside of Johnson/Nelson/Jones/Davis/Roosevelt/Easley as being superior to Evans in his downside years. And I agree with this thinking.

 

Ask yourself, when was the last time you thought of Evans as a difference maker?

 

Also, Chris Brown just wrote about what I was thinking this afternoon about the Buster Davis acquisition - there was absolutely NO REASON to acquire Davis unless Nix was already leaning toward trading Evans. Davis provides some veteran insurance to replace Evans' presence.

But the thing is, Davis sucks and was cut by a far superior team. We still haven't heard the real story about why AJ Smith fired Nix. Smith isn't particularly likable, but he's a helluva GM in terms of nabbing talent both via FA and the draft.

[clancynut]

All things considered, I like this move. Nix is clearly betting on the future upside of Johnson/Nelson/Jones/Davis/Roosevelt/Easley as being superior to Evans in his downside years. And I agree with this thinking.

 

Ask yourself, when was the last time you thought of Evans as a difference maker?

 

Also, Chris Brown just wrote about what I was thinking this afternoon about the Buster Davis acquisition - there was absolutely NO REASON to acquire Davis unless Nix was already leaning toward trading Evans. Davis provides some veteran insurance to replace Evans' presence.

 

 

How will Davis provide veteran insurance from Injured Reserve?

 

It was a good move by Nix to allow some of the younger talent to emerge. Also Evans has the chance to play for a Super Bowl Contender now, good for him.

[DerekJ]

I believe the real reason the Bills traded Evans was because they have 4 WRs from the class of 2010 that they don't want to cut. While their future is yet to be determined, one of them might just be an important player when the team gets good. By the time the team is good, they realize Evans' contract will be up & they had no intention of giving him another big $ contract.

So, to play it safe, it's better to keep Easley, Jones, Nelson & Roosevelt on the roster. With Johnson & Parish that's 6 receivers. Since they don't want 7 receivers on the roster,the oldest guy, Evans, was the odd man out. It's more a classic example of a team

knowing they're not winning this year & are investing time, including added playing time, into the future at the WR position.

I'll buy into that....good analysis.

[trigger]

Talk about T.O delaying Stevie's development and Lee doing the same with our young wideouts...look what the Bills did to Lee! When Ryan Fitzpatrick is the best QB you played with in your career, that's beyond delaying--it's criminal. For crying out loud, the man made J.P. look good! Who knows the kind of player Lee could have been with a winner.

[dave mcbride]

I actually agree that Evans will flourish in Baltimore, lining up opposite Anquan Boldin. But he's not a true #1 receiver and it's time to see if Stevie J is.

 

With regards to Peters, the Bills were stupid on so many levels. Not only did they fail to pay him, they added insult to injury by signing below-average linemen (Dockery and Walker) to big-money deals. Hard to expect anyone to stay motivated and happy in that type of situation (though homers will disagree).

Right. The homers (meaning the anti-Peters people) focus on his 15-20 bad plays per year as opposed to his successors and predecessors on the Bills, where most plays are bad plays and the Bills plan accordingly (ie, they give the lousy LT help). But of course, Peters gave up some sacks!!!! Cut him.

[Estelle Getty]

CLOSE THIS THREAD!! it contains the words "lee evans". Don't get butthurt guy, it's true. There's been a few threads closed prematurely IMO.

 

amen....these "moderators" are getting ridiculous. I guess they are on permanent lunch break from Arbys.