Off the wagon

[Pac_Man]

I'm sorry, but I'm done with TD. 

 

Unfortunately, Donahoe still has a chip on his shoulder about being dumped in Steel-town, so all he has done since coming to Buffalo is make one "catch-your-attention" move after another.  Some worked out, most have not.  As evidence:

 

1)  Hires Greg Williams over Marvin Lewis and John Fox

 

2)  Decides Rob Johnson IS worth investing another season in.

 

3)  Trades future first rounder for Drew Bledsoe

 

4)  Franchises Peerless Price in hopes of re-acquiring 1st round pick given up for Bledsoe (not a bad move, just another attempt to assert "brilliance")

 

5)  Signs Takeo Spikes, the most coveted free agent in 2003.

 

6)  Uses the 1st round pick obtained for Price to take a remarkable gamble on McGahee

 

7)  Quickly uses up recently acquired cap space to acquire Lawyer Milloy before season opener 2004

 

8)  Fires Greg Williams, hires another unproven coach without the highest credentials in Mike Mularkey

 

9)  Absorbs an 8 MILLION DOLLAR CAP HIT last summer to keep Bledsoe another year (a move that also cost us a couple of additional million this off-season)

 

10)  Allows younger, more productive A. Winfield to leave and acquires aging Troy Vincent who will now be an overpaid safety

 

11)  Trades this year's first to draft J.P. Lohsman, a QB with notable maturity issues

 

12)  Holds up a win-win trade involving Henry long enough that Henry shoots his mouth off (which was INEVITABLE) and likely hurts some of the value he actually had.  In a season where neither SHAWN ALEXEXANDER nor EDGERIN JAMES can be dealt for a 2nd round pick.

 

IMHO, Henry for Shelton straight up is a deal for the Bills.  Even if Henry rushes for 1500 yards for the next 5 years for someone else, he's worthless to us now.

 

Also, Henry has proven by his comments recently and when McGahee was drafted that he's as dumb as a box of rocks.

 

As I said, some have worked out (Spikes, McGahee so far), but the man just keeps rolling the dice on headline grabbers and puts too much faith in failing players (Bledsoe before this off-season and some members of the O-line)

 

I just cannot keep the faith anymore.  I've lost my ability to SHoUt

 

VOTE MODRAK 2006

289500[/snapback]

The problem with the above list is it lumps together bad moves (the hiring of GW), decent moves (the Lawyer Milloy signing), and outstanding moves (franchising Peerless Price, trading his rights to Atlanta, and using the resulting first round pick on McGahee). You say the common thread that binds these moves together is they are attention-getting on TD's part. I remember people had the opposite complaint about Butler--they pointed out he engaged in very few trades, and complained he wasn't taking advantage of all his options or willing to think outside the box. Now along comes a guy who's willing to be unconventional, and he gets called attention-seeking.

 

I'm much more concerned about the results that TD produces than about haphazard guesses as to what his motives might be. Overall his results have been good.

[ROCCEO]

OK, Ive read about the first 5 posts in this thread, but I feel the need to say that this is actually one of the worst assertion of opinion posts ever. I've seen more poignant bowling balls. Point being, whether or not you like TD, some of the assertions made here involve going out on a redwood-sized limb.

 

I was with you pretty much until the point where you brought into question JP's maturity. I think that the way JP has handled the media has shown a lot about his maturity. However, this doesnt mean he'll be a great QB, but it's never a bad sign to see a guy with poise in front of a camera.

[canbuffan34]

There is no "wagon" - it's a lifestyle, which you obviously have not adopted.  Once you have, there's just no turning back.

289669[/snapback]

Well said! There is no grey here, you're either a DIE HARD BILLS FAN or you're not!! I told a guy at work the other day I was a Bills fan and he said "yeah, I used to be a Bills fan but I'm not anymore." I dryly responded, "No, you weren't!"

[BRH]

Well said! There is no grey here, you're either a DIE HARD BILLS FAN or you're not!! I told a guy at work the other day I was a Bills fan and he said "yeah, I used to be a Bills fan but I'm not anymore." I dryly responded, "No, you weren't!"

290701[/snapback]

Truer words were never spoken.

[1billsfan]

I agree the Bills were a better team at the season's end than at its beginning. But the change in the W/L record was as much a function of strength of schedule than it was of the Bills getting better. It's a lot easier to beat Cleveland at home than it is to go on the road and beat Baltimore. The season-ending loss against the Steelers has left a bad taste in my mouth--especially that nine minute drive. An individual play like the Bledsoe fumble or the missed field goal might be a fluke; and in any case we've replaced Bledsoe. But there is no excuse for allowing a nine minute drive to a third string RB, a second-string QB, and a team which has nothing to gain from a win. Had we beaten the Steelers--as we should have--those other late-season victories would seem a lot sweeter.

290508[/snapback]

 

 

That loss was ALL Bledsoe's fault, and he tied it with a big fat red ribbon and gave it to the Steelers. You can NOT expect the defense to be perfect all the time. The only "fluke" was that of our defense not getting off the field on that drive brother.

[Pac_Man]

That loss was ALL Bledsoe's fault, and he tied it with a big fat red ribbon and gave it to the Steelers. You can NOT expect the defense to be perfect all the time. The only "fluke" was that of our defense not getting off the field on that drive brother.

291177[/snapback]

That nine minute drive would have been even longer had we not used our timeouts to keep the clock from moving. It reminded me of the 15 minute drive the Giants had against us in our first Super Bowl. I'd rather the defense had given up a 50 yard TD play than a game-clinching drive like that one. I don't remember a Wade Phillips defense giving up a nine-minute drive.

[apulshunny]

So go take your flying leap off the Bills 2005 bandwagon before the season begins. Wouldn't be the first panic move by a TSW member, won't be the last.

290385[/snapback]

 

Again, I say, I'm not off the Bills bandwagon, I'm just not energized currently. I don't live in Buffalo anymore, so it takes some effort to get my Bills fix, but I'll die Blue and Red (or whatever color scheme they switch to next).

 

Of all the replies I've seen the one about the Bledsoe acquisition leading to Spikes and Adams signing here later maybe the only one I've seen that put a legitimate positive spin on the outcome of that trade. Nice point.

 

For those of you that disagree with my assessment of Donahoe's performance, well, thanks for your opinions, but I cannot say I've seen any that were so compellingly positive that I really feel any better yet.

 

One guy suggested that I consider a smaller goal. I think I'll hang my hat on Mularkey and the progress he and his coaching staff showed last year. If they can keep up the development of players like they did with Williams last year, then that will give me some hope as we move forward.

 

I've also considered that part of my doldrums may be the lack of enthusiasm over the draft. Without a first round pick and the time/desire to research guys 2-3-7 rounds deep, I'm probably just a looking for something to get excited about.

 

Thanks for the input folks.

[BillnutinHouston]

Until someone comes up with concrete evidence that this is the main motivation behind TD's moves I think it's safe to assume his moves are motivated by his desire to win and nothing else.

289530[/snapback]

 

Well said. Some gripe when TD makes moves, then when he doesn't. It shows you the shallowness of the TD haters. Or any haters for that matter.

[BillnutinHouston]

One other thing:  as for the "strong" finish last year, I totally subscribe to the theory that they took advantage of a weak schedule, beat the teams they should have

290140[/snapback]

 

Teams that beat the teams they should beat - that's the definition of a playoff team.

[apulshunny]

Teams that beat the teams they should beat - that's the definition of a playoff team.

291732[/snapback]

 

I was ready to let this thread die until that last comment.

 

Uh, the definition of a playoff team is one who makes the playoffs. The Bills beat the teams they should have and were not a playoff team. An improved team, but not a playoff team. With a harder schedule and with a downgrade in offensive line personnel, I don't see it getting better unless the aforementioned coaching improves that situation.

[jad1]

I was ready to let this thread die until that last comment.

 

Uh, the definition of a playoff team is one who makes the playoffs.  The Bills beat the teams they should have and were not a playoff team.  An improved team, but not a playoff team.  With a harder schedule and with a downgrade in offensive line personnel, I don't see it getting better unless the aforementioned coaching improves that situation.

292221[/snapback]

 

The Bills have a great chance to get better this year. Barring injury, McGahee, Evans, Milloy, and Vincent will all be in the starting lineup from opening day. Last year, those guys were on the bench the first 5 weeks.

 

It's no coincidence that the team started winning when those guys were put into the starting lineup (Vincent at safety).

 

With the Shelton trade, which will most likely happen, the O-line remains the same from last year, assuming that the returning players do not improve. It's possible that the Bills can pull a starting guard from the 2nd round of the draft, if they decide to go that way.

 

So there are many opportunities for the team to improve this season. Of course you admit you don't really follow offseason events, like the draft, so it's easy to see why you're pessimistic.