HarkinBanks Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 I'm a huge Bills fan and don't want to give up on Donahue but I need a reason to support this guy. I can't think of a single big decision he has made here that has worked out: 1. Mike Williams instead of Roy Willams or Bryant McKinnie. 2. Gregg Williams instead of Marvin Lewis or John Fox. 3. RJ instead of Flutie (I would actually rather have Flutie than Bledsoe right now but that is a seperate topic). 4. Bledsoe for a #1 pick (Talk about a win/win, Belechick got a #1 AND screwed a division rival at the same time!) 5. Letting Ted Washington go. The only thing that can save Whitey now is for McGahee/Evans/Losman to all turn into all pros and best case we have a contender in two more years. Am I missing something, are there any Whitey backers out there??? I'm ready to throw in the towel in this guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 He fixed the salary mess Butler left behind. We are in very good cap shape now and just resigned Schobel. We have Phat Pat and Jennings FAs after this year- we will be able to sign at least one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hello Newman Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 POSTED 8:21 a.m. EDT, September 21, 2004 BILLS' PROBLEMS TRACE TO TOM With the Buffalo Bills again stumbling out of the gates, thanks in large part to a lackluster offense that hasn't improved despite the firing of a defensive-minded coach and the hiring of a supposed offensive guru, folks around the league are pointing the finger more decisively in the direction of G.M. Tom Donahoe. Donahoe has, for the most part, evaded criticism for his role in assembling a collection of players and coaches that can neither score points nor win games on a consistent basis. Several league insiders have been telling us for more than a year that Donahoe is the culprit, but Donahoe has been able to keep his responsibility for the team's misfortunes under wraps via a calculating approach to the media. He gives the big guns good information, and the big guns never put him in their sights. We don't know how long it will last. Guys like ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli, who fits in few places other than Donahoe's back pocket, have been conspicuously silent regarding the team's current state. Some of the beat writers, however, are already starting to heap the blame for this season's performance on Donahoe. Per Leo Roth, for example, of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle: "By firing Williams and keeping most of the same players, general manager Tom Donahoe was telling us that coaching was to blame for last season's 6-10 record. At 0-2 this year, when do we start asking whether maybe Donahoe's players aren't good enough?" Meanwhile, it's becoming a foregone conclusion that Donahoe's self-heralded trade with the Patriots for quarterback Drew Bledsoe (including a marching band for Bledsoe's Buffalo arrival) was a mistake. At the time, Donahoe boasted that he would have given up more than a first-round pick for Bledsoe. The Pats, who supposedly had Bledsoe stolen from them, are drowning their sorrows by starting at two Lombardis that Bledsoe, the first overall pick in the 1993 draft who never got his job back after being injured during the 2001 season, had nothing to do with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 The Pats, who supposedly had Bledsoe stolen from them, are drowning their sorrows by starting at two Lombardis that Bledsoe, the first overall pick in the 1993 draft who never got his job back after being injured during the 2001 season, had nothing to do with 40434[/snapback] Wasn't Bledsoe the reason that the Pats made it to that first one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblehead Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 We don't know how long it will last. Guys like ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli, who fits in few places other than Donahoe's back pocket, I don't know who wrote this, but I will start taking him seriously the day he actually says this to Len Pasquarelli's face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExWNYer Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 I'm a huge Bills fan and don't want to give up on Donahue but I need a reason to support this guy. I can't think of a single big decision he has made here that has worked out: 1. Mike Williams instead of Roy Willams or Bryant McKinnie. 2. Gregg Williams instead of Marvin Lewis or John Fox. 3. RJ instead of Flutie (I would actually rather have Flutie than Bledsoe right now but that is a seperate topic). 4. Bledsoe for a #1 pick (Talk about a win/win, Belechick got a #1 AND screwed a division rival at the same time!) 5. Letting Ted Washington go. The only thing that can save Whitey now is for McGahee/Evans/Losman to all turn into all pros and best case we have a contender in two more years. Am I missing something, are there any Whitey backers out there??? I'm ready to throw in the towel in this guy! 40424[/snapback] 1. Hindsight is 20/20. 2. (See # 1). 3. Puh-leeeeeeeeeeease! You're not serious, are you? Neither was the answer. 4. Good trade at the time. It re-energized the fan base, boosted season ticket sales, and the Bills were in desperate need of a proven QB. 5. Salary cap. You can't keep everyone and the team was trying to dig out of salary cap hell. Keeping an aging Washington at his price demand would have been ludicrous. I'm sure you'll crucify TD again when the Bills are unable to re-sign all of their FAs at the end of the year. BTW...it's DonahOe, not DonahUe. Or were you talking about Phil Donahue? They both have white hair. Maybe you miss his show?...or are a fan of his wife, Marlo Thomas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarkinBanks Posted September 21, 2004 Author Share Posted September 21, 2004 1. Hindsight is 20/20.2. (See # 1). 3. Puh-leeeeeeeeeeease! You're not serious, are you? Neither was the answer. 4. Good trade at the time. It re-energized the fan base, boosted season ticket sales, and the Bills were in desperate need of a proven QB. 5. Salary cap. You can't keep everyone and the team was trying to dig out of salary cap hell. Keeping an aging Washington at his price demand would have been ludicrous. I'm sure you'll crucify TD again when the Bills are unable to re-sign all of their FAs at the end of the year. BTW...it's DonahOe, not DonahUe. Or were you talking about Phil Donahue? They both have white hair. Maybe you miss his show?...or are a fan of his wife, Marlo Thomas? 40448[/snapback] Of course hindsight is 20-20, that's why I'm saying this guy has not made a single big decision that was a good one. Honestly, I can't give him too much credit for getting us out of cap jail. How hard is it to cut all your veterans and go 3-13?? If you can get out of cap jail, go 3-13 and draft a bunch of all-pros, then you are doing your job. And giving him positive credit for the Bledsoe trade is ridiculous. That trade was a huge mistake and we are paying the price for it every single Sunday. Give me one good big decision that he has made??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailog80 Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Harkin... How's Squirrel and Kendo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon Y. Mous Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Phil was a great talk show host back in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDH Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Wasn't Bledsoe the reason that the Pats made it to that first one? 40439[/snapback] If by "reason" you mean the 7 points the offense he lead put up in that AFC Championship game, then yes. Or maybe it was the Pats' D. Take your pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarkinBanks Posted September 21, 2004 Author Share Posted September 21, 2004 Harkin... How's Squirrel and Kendo? 40458[/snapback] Ditched 'em on the Chinese Downhill. Heading over to Sunny's later tonight for a quickie though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 I'm a huge Bills fan and don't want to give up on Donahue but I need a reason to support this guy. I can't think of a single big decision he has made here that has worked out: 1. Mike Williams instead of Roy Willams or Bryant McKinnie. 2. Gregg Williams instead of Marvin Lewis or John Fox. 3. RJ instead of Flutie (I would actually rather have Flutie than Bledsoe right now but that is a seperate topic). 4. Bledsoe for a #1 pick (Talk about a win/win, Belechick got a #1 AND screwed a division rival at the same time!) 5. Letting Ted Washington go. The only thing that can save Whitey now is for McGahee/Evans/Losman to all turn into all pros and best case we have a contender in two more years. Am I missing something, are there any Whitey backers out there??? I'm ready to throw in the towel in this guy! 40424[/snapback] Are you talking about Phil DonaHUE the tv talk host, or Tom DonaHOE the Bills GM? Just want to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarkinBanks Posted September 21, 2004 Author Share Posted September 21, 2004 Are you talking about Phil DonaHUE the tv talk host, or Tom DonaHOE the Bills GM? Just want to be sure. 40467[/snapback] What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 If by "reason" you mean the 7 points the offense he lead put up in that AFC Championship game, then yes. Or maybe it was the Pats' D. Take your pick. 40465[/snapback] So what you're saying is that the Bills' D are responsible for the 2 losses so far this year? Or was it DB? I have a hard time keeping up with the scapegoat du jour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDH Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 So what you're saying is that the Bills' D are responsible for the 2 losses so far this year? Or was it DB? I have a hard time keeping up with the scapegoat du jour. 40483[/snapback] Maybe in some other universe what you're saying makes any kind of sense, but not in this one. I guess you don't want to give the Ds any credit... A Bledsoe led offense puts up 7 points in the championship game and you want to make him the "reason" they won? The "reason" they won is because their D was outstanding that game, 7 points is a pathetic output. Was it enough, yeah, but damn if I want my offense to put up 7 massive points in a championship game. That is a below average output, if you can't see that I don't know what to say. By the same token if you want to say putting up 10 points in back to back games is enough, then I guess that's your perogative. But I'll never see putting up those paultry numbers as a "reason" the team wins...however, those pathetic numbers can indeed be a "reason" a team loses. Makes sense to me, I can't help it if it doesn't make sense to you. That being said, I'd lay the first loss this season right on our D's shoulders. When the O left the field for the last time we had the lead, the D allowed an 80 yard touchdown drive in 2 minutes costing us the game. Sure the O could have been bettter, but we had the game won until the D choked. Of course, I wouldn't say the O looked even decent despite the fact that I'd tag that loss on the D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailog80 Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Ditched 'em on the Chinese Downhill. Heading over to Sunny's later tonight for a quickie though 40466[/snapback] If y see Rudy tell him I said kiss my ass.....not on the right side or the side but right in the middle.... I love that friggin' movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 1. Hindsight is 20/20.2. (See # 1). 3. Puh-leeeeeeeeeeease! You're not serious, are you? Neither was the answer. 4. Good trade at the time. It re-energized the fan base, boosted season ticket sales, and the Bills were in desperate need of a proven QB. 5. Salary cap. You can't keep everyone and the team was trying to dig out of salary cap hell. Keeping an aging Washington at his price demand would have been ludicrous. I'm sure you'll crucify TD again when the Bills are unable to re-sign all of their FAs at the end of the year. BTW...it's DonahOe, not DonahUe. Or were you talking about Phil Donahue? They both have white hair. Maybe you miss his show?...or are a fan of his wife, Marlo Thomas? 40448[/snapback] Of course hindsight is 20/20, but TD is/was supposed to have a great reputation for picking talent. In 20/20 hindsight, what did he really accomplish with the Steelers? To his credit, so far, all I can say is that he has been good at filling the roster with overrated (his overrating) players at reasonable prices. Honestly, as much as I hate to say it, more of his decisions are turning out to be bad than good. I wouldn't give him too much credit for getting us out of "Butlers salary cap mess". It would be one thing if he had gutted the roster, made a good hire for HC (ie: not Gregg Williams) and kept the team competitive the whole time. Other teams have had huge salary cap problems, have purged their roster, and have stayed competitive. So far, the Bills have shown very little improvement, and in many ways have regressed since TD's tenure. I am not off the Bills bandwagon, and I will stick with TD (I do love his pro-active nature), but I am a bit undewhelmed by his actions so far.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Maybe in some other universe what you're saying makes any kind of sense, but not in this one. I guess you don't want to give the Ds any credit... A Bledsoe led offense puts up 7 points in the championship game and you want to make him the "reason" they won? The "reason" they won is because their D was outstanding that game, 7 points is a pathetic output. Was it enough, yeah, but damn if I want my offense to put up 7 massive points in a championship game. That is a below average output, if you can't see that I don't know what to say. By the same token if you want to say putting up 10 points in back to back games is enough, then I guess that's your perogative. But I'll never see putting up those paultry numbers as a "reason" the team wins...however, those pathetic numbers can indeed be a "reason" a team loses. Makes sense to me, I can't help it if it doesn't make sense to you. That being said, I'd lay the first loss this season right on our D's shoulders. When the O left the field for the last time we had the lead, the D allowed an 80 yard touchdown drive in 2 minutes costing us the game. Sure the O could have been bettter, but we had the game won until the D choked. Of course, I wouldn't say the O looked even decent despite the fact that I'd tag that loss on the D. 40496[/snapback] Translation: Blah blah blah, DB didn't put up enough points, but it really is the defense's fault. So pardon my confusion, but is it the D's fault or DB's fault? And in which one of those universes does your self-contradicting post make sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YOOOOOO Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Of course hindsight is 20-20, that's why I'm saying this guy has not made a single big decision that was a good one. Honestly, I can't give him too much credit for getting us out of cap jail. How hard is it to cut all your veterans and go 3-13?? If you can get out of cap jail, go 3-13 and draft a bunch of all-pros, then you are doing your job. And giving him positive credit for the Bledsoe trade is ridiculous. That trade was a huge mistake and we are paying the price for it every single Sunday. Give me one good big decision that he has made??? 40456[/snapback] Passed on Kenyatta Walker, traded down and got Clements in 1st and Henry/Schobel is 2nd round....I thought that was pretty good..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Keeping Big Ted for a salary cap figure that equals 20% of the cap would have been VERY dumb! Hindsight is always 20/20! Donahoe has made some bad mistakes but he has brought in some very good talent. He is a good GM--not great, at least right now but good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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