Summing up the offseason so far

[Gambler]

First of all, I know the Bills are not finished with personnel moves.

 

Here is the specific question:

 

Up until today 3/24/2006 - are you satisfied with the changes the Bills have made?

 

The Bills have done little IMHO to significantly upgrade the team.

 

I can see little tangible evidence so far that the Bills have improved significantly if at all.

 

Does anybody agree with me?

If you disagree, tell me the main reasons you are so optimistic. Highlight the changes so far that will turn this 5-11 team around.

 

 

I am willing to consider all reasonable arguments.

[Dennis in NC]

I disagree.

 

No "big names" so far, but I love the signings of Melvin Fowler and Triplett.

 

TE Royal was the good blocker that allowed Chris Cooley to excel in DC, so that is a good move as well, IMO.

 

WR Davis should help the passing game as well.

 

The draft lies ahead, and TD is no longer at the wheel, so I expect good things.

[Mark VI]

Outside of Cleveland, no one has made any great strides. The Pats have actually taken a hammering .

 

32 teams came to shop and found slim pickings on the shelf. So they are pulling out the dice and rolling away.

 

Buffalo is signing some help but many have little data to go on. Triplett is a rotation guy with Anderson but we still need one more DT. Fowler was a wise signing.

 

Royal, Nall & Bowen are a leap of faith.

 

Still need 1-2 Guards, a LT, a DT and maybe another Safety.

 

That's easier said than done. I'll be enjoying draft day regardless but that's too tall an order in 1 offseason for a new regime. In a deep draft, they'd be wise to aceept any invitation to trade down and gather more picks.

[CosmicBills]

It's impossible to judge the offseason until after the draft. Espeically when the Bills have 4 picks in the top 80 of a very deep pool.

 

Frankly, this draft will determine the state of the team for the next 5 years. You cannot afford to have this many top 80 picks and blow it. There is a real opportunity here for the Bills to reload with some good, young players (either staying put or trading back for more picks etc).

 

Until draft day, I'm not willing to judge Marv or the new regime.

[Lofton80]

Some progress can be made by subtraction. I believe losing Mike Williams will be a plus.

 

If Takeo can come back healthy and return to his impact status, the whole D will be better. Big if, see Cowart and Julian Peterson.

 

The team can run to the edge better if Royal can seal the outside. Nuefield is a lousy blocker.

 

Seems like we may go young at OG if a draft pick starts there rather than Benny. Marv never was big on starting rookies though he did give Henry Jones and Ruben Brown starting jobs.

[Pyrite Gal]

If one measures progress by the measure of big names or dead lock cinch starter replacements there clearly is little progress. However, though these finds/gets would be great, in reality they are not the ONLY measure of progress.

 

Increased competition between credible candidates to get better and become starters is another form of progress and the Bills clearly have improved in this area.

 

This of course depends not only upon the talent of the athletes (are the braintrust good assessment guys) but also upon the coaches being good teachers. My sense is that our scouting staff has been pretty good and though the top guys are gone much of the scouting department remains intact. Further, though Marv has no experience as a GM, he had a history of being a great delegator who allows people below him to use their skills and given the prescence of Modrak and Marv remaining plugged into the NFL as an observer for TV sports since we canned him, the assessment side looks credible at least/

 

Further, the new coaches have reps generally as working well with players and also experience like the retained JMac and OC and DC Fairchild and Fewell. No guatrantee here but no panic either.

 

As far as positions looking at the roster and remembering who we had last year (though I do want to forget last year) my sense of the level of competion at this pre-draft/pre June 1st cuts point is:

 

There is good news on the D in terms of competition, much work to be done on the O (though competition at the QB slot has me looking forward to pre-season, and a look at the ST personnel and performance (#1 in the league by most statistical rankings the last two years) makes me wonder how we were so bad when it came to W/L.

 

(Actually the answer is clear to me as we neither stopped the run much at all and did not run consistently as the season wore on).

 

Defense:

 

LCB- Terrence McGee holds down this position firmly. He is more notable for his KR contributions but still marching toward being a lockdown corner, but if I am a QB given equal WR talent on boh sides of the filed I would rather challege Clements than McGee. No pressure to start at LCB from back-up Greer, butr Greer is a legit starter at Nickel so life is good at LCB.

 

RCB- The tagging of Clements and a drop in the franchise $ for CBs underthe cap this year (as a couple of large base salaries caused it to leap up for one year) makes it virtually certain he will be a Bill one way or the other in 06. Either is fine with me as a fan since if he resigns we have a cap approrpoiate deal which gives us the room needed this year, If not, he has to perform in 06 for us as next year he hits FA again where we can tag him if he is good enough.

 

King looks solid at back-up and Thomas used to be until his injury and we will see how he comes back. We are four solid at CB.

 

FS- I think it is essentially the usual fan whining which has led to negative Vincent assessments, but leading the Bills in INTs and tying for the team lead with a couple of FR recoveries is quite fine from my perspective on a team where turnovers and INTs produced has been a recurring failing for years. It amazes me how folks seem to easily forget the past performance was worst merely because they want the future to be better. Having 4 solid at CB is good, but actually the fact that former Pro Bowl CB TV can cover if necessary provides great security. Even better our switch to a cover 2plays to his strength of play diagnosis based on experience as he plays a centerfielder role. He almost certainly has lost a step from his younger days, but he was so good before he can lose a lot and still be more than adequate at FS. Baker is a former starter at FS I feel secure about and Leonhard makes this spot competitive.

 

SS- A D spot well in need of an upgrade. Argue if you wish about whether Wire should remain a Bill or not, but even if his rooters are right in advocating him staying it is not as starting SS where he has never been more than a liability. His back-up Bowen seems to have more to offer on ST than at SS and we need an acquisition here.

 

WLB- IF TKO recovers life is great. If TKO comes back even a chunk of the way life is good. If TKO does not come back and we go with Crowell we will be sad but life will be good at this position. Even third stringer Stamer has something to offer

 

MLB- London Fletcher has been a stud for us throughout his time as a Bill. He has been credited with more tackles than any other NFL player in the last 5 seasons combined. He has shown great football smarts as our D captain and a great motor. He has been quite willing to play ST and play a positive role there. I think that folks complaining about him getting credit for tackles made 5 yards downfield were simply dumb as a complaint about him because this happened because A: our DTs eali m LFs time here would get blocked and allow a runner to get 5 yards down the field and B: in the year LF surpassed Spielman for single season tackles our DL was so weak they could be handled by a single blocker and oftern Fletcher had to wade through a pulling guard to get that hit. I think the fact he never made the Pro Bowl shows that though this is a nice acknowledgement of the fact a player who gets it is probably good, the fact you don't get it does not mean you are bad or may not recognize you are one of the best at your position.

 

However, we need some subs here on the depth chart. Ezekial is probably an ST contributor maxif LF goes down as he is getting older we will probably see Crowell at MLB.

 

SLB- Most Bills fans have Posey as a goner. Still I think that he was a lot better than folks gave him credit for when he played a critical role on Ds that finished ranked high statistically in 03 and 04. Posey's flexibility as a run stopper or coverage guy was a key to the run blitz suceeding those two years. Yet, his play and a meltdown of the entire D last year leaves no reasonable defense for Posey's 05 play. For awhile it looked like we might switch back to a 3-4 where Posey excelled in his previous gid in TX but that was not the case and Posey is reasonably a goner if there is a plan to get a better player here (Hawk?) or if those inside feel he can step up his game and they are correct. In addition, if TKO comesback then a resigned Crowell plays somewhere and perhaps this is the spot.

 

Haggan is a solid back-up and Hunter is probably a goner if Posey stays. Let the competition begin.

 

RDE- Schobel is a very talented player IMHO. He logged a great number of sacks last year which is particularly impressive in that his zone blitz duties called for him to devote serious time and attention to coverage which his athleticism allowed him to do well. In a cover 2 there will be extra call for him to pressure the QB (which he tended to do with a great motor but we will see if he develops even better moves for immediate closure) and more call for him to be stout against the run. We will see and there is no back-up here really so additional RDE help for a rotation would be great.

 

RDT- Anderson MAY develop and if he steps it up another notch we could be fine here, but i really doubt this and us with little more than good guys for the rotation here and no credible starter were the O would gameplan to avoid his skills rather than to exploit his weakenesses.

 

LDT- Triplett is by far th biggest upgrade made by the Bills so far. I am fighting myself not to get too excited because while he obviously is good, he was not the central DL character on the Indy team. He will need to step up his play to be the player we want and actually require due to our DT problems. However, with his consistent play at DT and racking up 4 sacks last year and his immediate attraction to becoming a Bill, high hopes for him seem warranted.

 

I actually love the fact that of his back-ups Lauvale Sape by far as the more standard name.

 

LDE- The resigning of Denney is a good and interesting thing as he and Chris Kelsay are more or less co-starters at LDE. Neither has taken this position and grabbed it by the throat, but Kelsay has not finished developing yet and this year will have to be his breakout if he has one. Denney is probably not the pressure pass rusher the cover 2 needs (I actually think the zone blitz is a better D for him and could make use of his "Ted Hendricks" The Stork like qualities of massive wingspan and some athleticism. Denney was credible in run support playing inside so perhaps we see him as a DT we need for the rotation even if his highest and best use is in pass coverage. How we play this position and how much Kelsay steps up will be interesting.

 

 

Offense:

 

1. QB- Clearly an upgrade in competition as while Nall has little NFL experience as a starter, he certainly is more than a credible threat to win the number two slot for the Bills after backing up the resilient Favre in DB til the Rodgers contract made him the disaster QB. Still the Pack move reflected a reasonable uncertainty but not a decision that Nall was not the Packer starter of the future. Sings point to them being sad hey lost him and him being a slight possibility to even creibly compete as our #1 as well as his having a good shot at being our number 2.

 

2. RB- Need more work here as not only has there been no upgrade in competition, but we actually need a credible #2 here as Shaud Williams is more credible as a #3. The good news is that this is a position that can be drafted and the player contribute quite quickly. In addition Gates did get some playing time last year and will push Williams though this says more about SW failings that Gates being a credible #2.

 

3. FB- Another position where unfortunately competition has not increased and starter Shelton disappointed and we need to upgrade. However, this is not a high profle position and good FBs like a Centers and a Gash were available as FAs in the past.

 

4. WR- The situation needs some careful work but actually I am not worried about it a lot. It will be a difficult drive but the Bills are in the driver's seat and have a number of advantages which if they play them correctly should result in a beneficial outcome for the team.

 

Evans is the starter and his first two years of production and raw speed merit this nod. He needs to demonstrate an athleticism and ability to make circus catches and compete with a closely covering corner to win the ball, but all signs of sure hands and good route running with Moulds attracting attention indicates he may well be ready now or at most a year's experience away from being one of the best in the NFL.

 

Parrish shows good potential to be a potent #3 giving us more speed in 3 WR sets and room to grow so we will see whether the return ability he has translates into solid RAC that may merit the #2 WR slot if he progresses over a good pose injury recovery rookie year.

 

#2 WR is the issue. Moulds agent clearly says he does not want to return, and though we actually could afford to keep him at the enormous base salary he is entitled to under his current deal he is not worth that money at #2 WR. The Henry situation I think parallels many aspects of the current Moulds contract set-to.

 

1. Public posiioning has them never playing for the Bills again.

2. However, both were under contract and the Bills are not under contractual pressure to move him yet.

3. He had trade value, but his new team will have to reach a deal with him before any trade.

4. The Bills GM continues to say positive things about this player leaving the door open a crack for reconciliation and more important leveraging a deal for team which really wants him rather than risk him getting pick off by another team as an FA.

 

However, what interests me is that while the negative comments came from Henry himself and he had cleaned out his locker and moved all of his gear out of town, all the strident very negative comments have come from Moulds agent and beyond the end of the year typical locker clean out I missed if Moulds has alreagy physically burned his bridges as TH did so there was no chance at reapproachment. In no way would I bank on this, but it interests me.

 

Reed proved to be a potent ST guy and will get a chance to show he can recover his rookie form, but at best I see him as #4 on our roster with Moulds and #3 at best with him.

 

Aiken actually has nailed down the final field slot and is a leader on ST making him good to sign.

 

Now add Andre Davis who has at least pretenses at being #2 which I doubt he can do but suddenly there is competion for the #3 and $ slot which was not there before.

 

Fast Freddy proved to be a good guy to hang onto but even without Moulds resigning he could be gone.

 

We will need to fiddle with this but there will be a lot of tough competion for field time at #3 and #4 WE. The question is what do we do at #2. but we have options.

 

TE- Perhaps the best case to bem made for addition by subtraction as starter Campbell coming off injury was easily worth the lowly 7th round pick traded to get him, but little else really. This also is one of the better cases too for how increased competition almopst certainly makes this team better and actually might offer some answers to the long term quandaries IF a player or players step up. There are at least two and actually three issues worth noting:

 

1. The pick-up of Royal at TE is interesting. Given that Gibbs wanted him back and he is a demonstrably solid blocking TE, if Fairchild and Jauron run the right system for this not to be confused wih Tony Gonzales TE the Bill upgraded the TE position on the cheap. Complaints about cheaness are legit, but probably justified as we have more important needs to spend on.

 

2. Everett was intriguing an well regarded but IR'ed last year. Maybe he will recover and prove to b e a mutant we want/need but maybe not. He is notable but no one a team should count on and we are not.

 

3. The depth at TE may be a noneissue for the Bills because we are pretty full at OK but not great players at TE, but the depth at TE in this draft is extraordinary and even if we do not go to this well, it means that other players at other positions we need may well be there.

 

Things round out with well regarded but coming off injury Euhus and 2 others of limited talent yet who did make the roster so competition will be harsh at TE though the odd man out will be at #3 TE among #3 TE talents at best.

 

 

RT- Oddly the best TE on this team may be Peters who seems to have locked down the RT slot as well. McFarland was a draftee which is good, who ended up being cut which is not good and no one else picked him up which is not good either for a young tackle, but he is off working on his trade in NFLE which is good but we will see how he does. We clearly need a solid back-up at tack;e and McFarland has not proven yet he is the man.

 

RG- Questions here as well as starter Villarial is solid but may be starting to show some wear and tear of age. Back-up Geisinger is in the dictionary in the I section for inactive. Thord stringer Thomas is in the J section for journeyman. Like RT a position clearly in need of back-up upgrade.

 

C- Suddenly there is competition here as Preston impressed enough as a rookie that folks credibly hoped he might step up to be a legit starter at C, but instead Melvin Fowler was signed as an FA and he has had several teams in his short career (a concenr) but played well when injuries to more highly regarded players like Jeff Faine forced him into a starting role where he acquitted himself fairly well. The Bills probably got him because his play merited a shot at starting (and thus starter money for this FA) but other teams which had the C role filled were not willing/able to give starter money to him.

 

LG- While C is probably the least troubled OL position, LG is almost certainly the most troubled. The best thing one can say about this position is that some were impressed by how Anderson finally improved in his final 5 games to arguably be the best OL player on this team (though that would take some arguin IMHO). Among the (many) worst things which can be said though:

 

1. Any way you cut it the well-paid Anderson was a big disappointment last year.

2. There is zero competition for this slot with a questionable at best starter there.

3. Even if he is the best OL player now on the Bills this is not saying much at all.

 

JMac has declared himself not be a miracle worker, however, this unit needs miracles at this point so the Bills better do some good acquisitions with what remains of the FA talent (adequate at best but adequate would be an upgrade for us at many OL positions). stumb;e across something on June 1st, or draft D'Brickashaw because there are few instant starters in the draft OL crew.

 

Special Teams-

 

P- Moorman- Legit Pro Bowler

 

K- Lindell- Lost amidst a horrendous overall Bills season was that Lindell recovered from many fans wanting him cut after a shank against Pitts is that he probably deserved the nickname money last year as when he came on the field 3 points was virtually money in the bank. Now what are you gonna do for us in 2006?

 

LOS- Schneck slid into the Pro Bowl with Moorman and probably actually deserved it.

 

KR- McGee- probably the best second day pick that TD made and a defintie weapon on KR.

 

PR- Talk about competition. Clements, Parrish, and fast freddy are all threats for big returns or to go all the way.

 

In general, no competion needed at all the skill positions as the starters are legitimately among the best in the NFL. the one exception may be PR but here the competition is stiff so now wonder one should feel great about April.

 

Coverage and returns- The major "problem" here is that ST stalwarts like Crowell have demonstrated they can actually step up to be position starters when called upon. IMHO, the notable ST talents are Haggan, Aiken, Stamer, Leonhard and probably Joe Burns. When one adds to this crew of consistent players some flashes from folks like Ezekial and King, it really is a credit to the scouts that such depth has been acquired. All of this even comes before in a pinch starter like London Fletcher have shown a willingness in the past to step into the breach and contribute. This crew is way too strong to make even worthwhile arguing about ST captain Wire's role.

 

That's my semse of the Bills to date!

[Arkady Renko]

FWIW, I can see parallels to investing with these FAs. Marv is trying to look in players entering the prime who look like they might take it to the next level. Some likely won't pan out, but if a few end up being great signings, his strategy will have paid off big time.

[BADOLBILZ]

If one measures progress by the measure of big names or dead lock cinch starter replacements there clearly is little progress.  However, though these finds/gets would be great, in reality they are not the ONLY measure of progress.

 

Increased competition between credible candidates to get better and become starters is another form of progress and the Bills clearly have improved in this area.

 

This of course depends not only upon the talent of the athletes (are the braintrust good assessment guys) but also upon the coaches being good teachers.  My sense is that our scouting staff has been pretty good and though the top guys are gone much of the scouting department remains intact.  Further, though Marv has no experience as a GM, he had a history of being a great delegator who allows people below him to use their skills and given the prescence of Modrak and Marv remaining plugged into the NFL as an observer for TV sports since we canned him, the assessment side looks credible at least/

 

Further, the new coaches have reps generally as working well with players and also experience like the retained JMac and OC and DC Fairchild and Fewell.  No guatrantee here but no panic either.

 

As far as positions looking at the roster and remembering who we had last year (though I do want to forget last year) my sense of the level of competion at this pre-draft/pre June 1st cuts point is:

 

There is good news on the D in terms of competition, much work to be done on the O (though competition at the QB slot has me looking forward to pre-season, and a look at the ST personnel and performance (#1 in the league by most statistical rankings the last two years) makes me wonder how we were so bad when it came to W/L.

 

(Actually the answer is clear to me as we neither stopped the run much at all and did not run consistently as the season wore on).

 

Defense:

 

LCB- Terrence McGee holds down this position firmly.  He is more notable for his KR contributions but still marching toward being a lockdown corner, but if I am a QB given equal WR talent on boh sides of the filed I would rather challege Clements than McGee. No pressure to start at LCB from back-up Greer, butr Greer is a legit starter at Nickel so life is good at LCB.

 

RCB- The tagging of Clements and a drop in the franchise $ for CBs underthe cap this year (as a couple of large base salaries caused it to leap up for one year) makes it virtually certain he will be a Bill one way or the other in 06. Either is fine with me as a fan since if he resigns we have a cap approrpoiate deal which gives us the room needed this year, If not, he has to perform in 06 for us as next year he hits FA again where we can tag him if he is good enough.

 

King looks solid at back-up and Thomas used to be until his injury and we will see how he comes back.  We are four solid at CB.

 

FS- I think it is essentially the usual fan whining which has led to negative Vincent assessments, but leading the Bills in INTs and tying for the team lead with a couple of FR recoveries is quite fine from my perspective on a team where turnovers and INTs produced has been a recurring failing for years. It amazes me how folks seem to easily forget the past performance was worst merely because they want the future to be better.  Having 4 solid at CB is good, but actually the fact that former Pro Bowl CB TV can cover if necessary provides great security. Even better our switch to a cover 2plays to his strength of play diagnosis based on experience as he plays a centerfielder role. He almost certainly has lost a step from his younger days, but he was so good before he can lose a lot and still be more than adequate at FS. Baker is a former starter at FS I feel secure about and Leonhard makes this spot competitive.

 

SS- A D spot well in need of an upgrade. Argue if you wish about whether Wire should remain a Bill or not, but even if his rooters are right in advocating him staying it is not as starting SS where he has never been more than a liability. His back-up Bowen seems to have more to offer on ST than at SS and we need an acquisition here.

 

WLB- IF TKO recovers life is great. If TKO comes back even a chunk of the way life is good.  If TKO does not come back and we go with Crowell we will be sad but life will be good at this position. Even third stringer Stamer has something to offer

 

MLB- London Fletcher has been a stud for us throughout his time as a Bill. He has been credited with more tackles than any other NFL player in the last 5 seasons combined. He has shown great football smarts as our D captain and a great motor. He has been quite willing to play ST and play a positive role there.  I think that folks complaining about him getting credit for tackles made 5 yards downfield were simply dumb as a complaint about him because this happened because A: our DTs eali m LFs time here would get blocked and allow a runner to get 5 yards down the field and B: in the year LF surpassed Spielman for single season tackles our DL was so weak they could be handled by a single blocker and oftern Fletcher had to wade through a pulling guard to get that hit. I think the fact he never made the Pro Bowl shows that though this is a nice acknowledgement of the fact a player who gets it is probably good, the fact you don't get it does not mean you are bad or may not recognize you are one of the best at your position.

 

However, we need some subs here on the depth chart. Ezekial is probably an ST contributor maxif LF goes down as he is getting older we will probably see Crowell at MLB.

 

SLB- Most Bills fans have Posey as a goner. Still I think that he was a lot better than folks gave him credit for when he played a critical role on Ds that finished ranked high statistically in 03 and 04.  Posey's flexibility as a run stopper or coverage guy was a key to the run blitz suceeding those two years. Yet, his play and a meltdown of the entire D last year leaves no reasonable defense for Posey's 05 play. For awhile it looked like we might switch back to a 3-4 where Posey excelled in his previous gid in TX but that was not the case and Posey is reasonably a goner if there is a plan to get a better player here (Hawk?) or if those inside feel he can step up his game and they are correct.  In addition, if TKO comesback then a resigned Crowell plays somewhere and perhaps this is the spot.

 

Haggan is a solid back-up and Hunter is probably a goner if Posey stays.  Let the competition begin.

 

RDE- Schobel is a very talented player IMHO.  He logged a great number of sacks last year which is particularly impressive in that his zone blitz duties called for him to devote serious time and attention to coverage which his athleticism allowed him to do well. In a cover 2 there will be extra call for him to pressure the QB (which he tended to do with a great motor but we will see if he develops even better moves for immediate closure) and more call for him to be stout against the run.  We will see and there is no back-up here really so additional RDE help for a rotation  would be great.

 

RDT- Anderson MAY develop and if he steps it up another notch we could be fine here, but i really doubt this and us with little more than good guys for the rotation here and no credible starter were the O would gameplan to avoid his skills rather than to exploit his weakenesses.

 

LDT- Triplett is by far th biggest upgrade made by the Bills so far. I am fighting myself not to get too excited because while he obviously is good, he was not the central DL character on the Indy team.  He will need to step up his play to be the player we want and actually require due to our DT problems.  However, with his consistent play at DT and racking up 4 sacks last year and his immediate attraction to becoming a Bill, high hopes for him seem warranted.

 

I actually love the fact that of his back-ups Lauvale Sape by far as the more standard name.

 

LDE- The resigning of Denney is a good and interesting thing as he and Chris Kelsay are more or less co-starters at LDE. Neither has taken this position and grabbed it by the throat, but Kelsay has not finished developing yet and this year will have to be his breakout if he has one. Denney is probably not the pressure pass rusher the cover 2 needs (I actually think the zone blitz is a better D for him and could make use of his "Ted Hendricks" The Stork like qualities of massive wingspan and some athleticism.  Denney was credible in run support playing inside so perhaps we see him as a DT we need for the rotation even if his highest and best use is in pass coverage.  How we play this position and how much Kelsay steps up will be interesting.

Offense:

 

1. QB- Clearly an upgrade in competition as while Nall has little NFL experience as a starter, he certainly is more than a credible threat to win the number two slot for the Bills after backing up the resilient Favre in DB til the Rodgers contract made him the disaster QB.  Still the Pack move reflected a reasonable uncertainty but not a decision that Nall was not the Packer starter of the future. Sings point to them being sad hey lost him and him being a slight possibility to even creibly compete as our #1 as well as his having a good shot at being our number 2.

 

2.  RB- Need more work here as not only has there been no upgrade in competition, but we actually need a credible #2 here as Shaud Williams is more credible as a #3.  The good news is that this is a position that can be drafted and the player contribute quite quickly. In addition Gates did get some playing time last year and will push Williams though this says more about SW failings that Gates being a credible #2.

 

3.  FB- Another position where unfortunately competition has not increased and starter Shelton disappointed and we need to upgrade. However, this is not a high profle position and good FBs like a Centers and a Gash were available as FAs in the past.

 

4. WR- The situation needs some careful work but actually I am not worried about it a lot.  It will be a difficult drive but the Bills are in the driver's seat and have a number of advantages which if they play them correctly should result in a beneficial outcome for the team.

 

Evans is the starter and his first two years of production and raw speed merit this nod.  He needs to demonstrate an athleticism and ability to make circus catches and compete with a closely covering corner to win the ball, but all signs of sure hands and good route running with Moulds attracting attention indicates he may well be ready now or at most a year's experience away from being one of the best in the NFL.

 

Parrish shows good potential to be a potent #3 giving us more speed in 3 WR sets and room to grow so we will see whether the return ability he has translates into solid RAC that may merit the #2 WR slot if he progresses over a good pose injury recovery rookie year.

 

#2 WR is the issue. Moulds agent clearly says he does not want to return, and though we actually could afford to keep him at the enormous base salary he is entitled to under his current deal he is not worth that money at #2 WR.  The Henry situation I think parallels many aspects of the current Moulds contract set-to.

 

1. Public posiioning has them never playing for the Bills again.

2. However, both were under contract and the Bills are not under contractual pressure to move him yet.

3. He had trade value, but his new team will have to reach a deal with him before any trade.

4. The Bills GM continues to say positive things about this player leaving the door open a crack for reconciliation and more important leveraging a deal for team which really wants him rather than risk him getting pick off by another team as an FA.

 

However, what interests me is that while the negative comments came from Henry himself and he had cleaned out his locker and moved all of his gear out of town, all the strident very negative comments have come from Moulds agent and beyond the end of the year typical locker clean out I missed if Moulds has alreagy physically burned his bridges as TH did so there was no chance at reapproachment.  In no way would I bank on this, but it interests me.

 

Reed proved to be a potent ST guy and will get a chance to show he can recover his rookie form, but at best I see him as #4 on our roster with Moulds and #3 at best with him.

 

Aiken actually has nailed down the final field slot and is a leader on ST making him good to sign.

 

Now add Andre Davis who has at least pretenses at being #2 which I doubt he can do but suddenly there is competion for the #3 and $ slot which was not there before.

 

Fast Freddy proved to be a good guy to hang onto but even without Moulds resigning he could be gone.

 

We will need to fiddle with this but there will be a lot of tough competion for field time at #3 and #4 WE. The question is what do we do at #2. but we have options.

 

TE- Perhaps the best case to bem made for addition by subtraction as starter Campbell coming off injury was easily worth the lowly 7th round pick traded to get him, but little else really.  This also is one of the better cases too for how increased competition almopst certainly makes this team better and actually might offer some answers to the long term quandaries IF a player or players step up. There are at least two and actually three issues worth noting:

 

1. The pick-up of Royal at TE is interesting.  Given that Gibbs wanted him back and he is a demonstrably solid blocking TE, if Fairchild and Jauron run the right system for this not to be confused wih Tony Gonzales TE the Bill upgraded the TE position on the cheap. Complaints about cheaness are legit, but probably justified as we have more important needs to spend on.

 

2. Everett was intriguing an well regarded but IR'ed last year. Maybe  he will recover and prove to b e a mutant we want/need but maybe not.  He is notable but no one a team should count on and we are not.

 

3. The depth at TE may be a noneissue for the Bills because we are pretty full at OK but not great players at TE, but the depth at TE in this draft is extraordinary and even if we do not go to this well, it means that other players at other positions we need may well be there.

 

Things round out with well regarded but coming off injury Euhus and 2 others of limited talent yet who did make the roster so competition will be harsh at TE though the odd man out will be at #3 TE among #3 TE talents at best.

RT- Oddly the best TE on this team may be Peters who seems to have locked down the RT slot as well.  McFarland was a draftee which is good, who ended up being cut which is not good and no one else picked him up which is not good either for a young tackle, but he is off working on his trade in NFLE which is good but we will see how he does. We clearly need a solid back-up at tack;e and McFarland has not proven yet he is the man.

 

RG-  Questions here as well as starter Villarial is solid but may be starting to show some wear and tear of age.  Back-up Geisinger is in the dictionary in the I section for inactive.  Thord stringer Thomas is in the J section for journeyman. Like RT a position clearly in need of back-up upgrade.

 

C- Suddenly there is competition here as Preston impressed enough as a rookie that folks credibly hoped he might step up to be a legit starter at C, but instead Melvin Fowler was signed as an FA and he has had several teams in his short career (a concenr) but played well when injuries to more highly regarded players like Jeff Faine forced him into a starting role where he acquitted himself fairly well.  The Bills probably got him because his play merited a shot at starting (and thus starter money for this FA) but other teams which had the C role filled were not willing/able to give starter money to him.

 

LG- While C is probably the least troubled OL position, LG is almost certainly the most troubled. The best thing one can say about this position is that some were impressed by how Anderson finally improved in his final 5 games to arguably be the best OL player on this team (though that would take some arguin IMHO).  Among the (many) worst things which can be said though:

 

1. Any way you cut it the well-paid Anderson was a big disappointment last year.

2. There is zero competition for this slot with a questionable at best starter there.

3. Even if he is the best OL player now on the Bills this is not saying much at all.

 

JMac has declared himself not be a miracle worker, however, this unit needs miracles at this point so the Bills better do some good acquisitions with what remains of the FA talent (adequate at best but adequate would be an upgrade for us at many OL positions). stumb;e across something on June 1st, or draft D'Brickashaw because there are few instant starters in the draft OL crew.

 

Special Teams-

 

P- Moorman- Legit Pro Bowler

 

K- Lindell- Lost amidst a horrendous overall Bills season was that Lindell recovered from many fans wanting him cut after a shank against Pitts is that he probably deserved the nickname money last year as when he came on the field 3 points was virtually money in the bank.  Now what are you gonna do for us in 2006?

 

LOS- Schneck slid into the Pro Bowl with Moorman and probably actually deserved it.

 

KR- McGee- probably the best second day pick that TD made and a defintie weapon on KR.

 

PR- Talk about competition.  Clements, Parrish, and fast freddy are all threats for big returns or to go all the way.

 

In general, no competion needed at all the skill positions as the starters are legitimately among the best in the NFL. the one exception may be PR but here the competition is stiff so now wonder one should feel great about April.

 

Coverage and returns-  The major "problem" here is that ST stalwarts like Crowell have demonstrated they can actually step up to be position starters when called upon.  IMHO, the notable ST talents are Haggan, Aiken, Stamer, Leonhard and probably Joe Burns. When one adds to this crew of consistent players some flashes from folks like Ezekial and King, it really is a credit to the scouts that such depth has been acquired.  All of this even comes before in a pinch starter like London Fletcher have shown a willingness in the past to step into the breach and contribute. This crew is way too strong to make even worthwhile arguing about ST captain Wire's role.

 

That's my semse of the Bills to date!

642138[/snapback]

 

If you think the Bills roster is that good, I'd love to see your comparison of how other AFC East teams stack up against ours. You guys are in serious denial. I've seen bad cases of denial here before, but never like this. We are signing other teams Justin Bannan's and calling them an answer. Bowen vs. Milloy, HUGE dropoff. Triplett? He won't be making anyone forget Pat Williams or Sam Adams, trust me. You guys are in for a shock, really.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

If you think the Bills roster is that good, I'd love to see your comparison of how other AFC East teams stack up against ours.  You guys are in serious denial.  I've seen bad cases of denial here before, but never like this.  We are signing other teams Justin Bannan's and calling them an answer.  Bowen vs. Milloy, HUGE dropoff.  Triplett?  He won't be making anyone forget Pat Williams or Sam Adams, trust me.  You guys are in for a shock, really.

642154[/snapback]

 

Gosh Mister, thanks so much for settin' us all straight! I know that you will be all pleased an' proud when the team you allegedly cheer for stinks, so you can run around to all of us ig'nant fans all a-shoutin' an' a-pointin' an' a-sayin' "See, I was right to be gloomy i'm so frickin' smart an' prescient an' stuff!" And then we will all lift you onto our shoulders, praisin' your immense football knowledge.... I see the light now... we suck, and will always suck... I can start plannin' my Sundays differently...! Yay, hurray for Badolbilz....

 

[/sarcasm]

 

Is that what you are looking for? Obviously you seem to think you are doing us all a favor with your reminders of gloom, not considering the possibility that many of us are going to wait until they actually play the games to write off the season.

[BADOLBILZ]

Outside of Cleveland, no one has made any great strides. The Pats have actually taken a hammering .

 

32 teams came to shop and found slim pickings on the shelf. So they are pulling out the dice and rolling away.

 

Buffalo is signing some help but many have little data to go on. Triplett is a rotation guy with Anderson but we still need one more DT. Fowler was a wise signing.

 

Royal, Nall & Bowen are a leap of faith.

 

Still need 1-2 Guards, a LT, a DT and maybe another Safety.

 

That's easier said than done. I'll be enjoying draft day regardless but that's too tall an order in 1 offseason for a new regime. In a deep draft, they'd be wise to aceept any invitation to trade down and gather more picks.

641502[/snapback]

 

I think the Bills have made great strides backward. But hey, somebody has to, it's not like free agency creates talent, it just distributes it. Somebody has to lose talent. Usually, it's the more successful teams, but hey, Marv has a plan, right?

[sweet baboo]

Donahoe's offseasons were always exciting as hell...nice way to set us all up for a crash and burn season that supposedly had incredible potential due to his high profile moves during the offseason

[shagmago]

First of all, I know the Bills are not finished with personnel moves.

 

Here is the specific question:

 

Up until today 3/24/2006 - are you satisfied with the changes the Bills have made?

 

The Bills have done little IMHO to significantly upgrade the team.

 

I can see little tangible evidence so far that the Bills have improved significantly if at all.

 

Does anybody agree with me?

If you disagree, tell me the main reasons you are so optimistic. Highlight the changes so far that will turn this 5-11 team around.

I am willing to consider all reasonable arguments.

641466[/snapback]

The bottm line is we lost better players then we will gain.Losing Sam Adams was the biggest mistake thus far,and Im sure their will be more from the front office knuckleheads!..............Unless Marv and co. take some smart pills and pull some dollars from their shallow pockets and start getting some "quality" players in herte,we`ll be 4-12 next year,sorry folks!...................Nappy time should be over by now.

[shagmago]

I disagree.

 

No "big names" so far, but I love the signings of Melvin Fowler and Triplett.

 

TE Royal was the good blocker that allowed Chris Cooley to excel in DC, so that is a good move as well, IMO.

 

WR Davis should help the passing game as well.

 

The draft lies ahead, and TD is no longer at the wheel, so I expect good things.

641479[/snapback]

Be real ,their all scrubs,think about it!

[MadBuffaloDisease]

The other teams in the division have fared no better, if not worse. The only team that you MIGHT be able to argue has had a good off-season is the Dols, but their big acquistions have been a QB who won't help them much this year, and a LT who is a perennial underachiever.

 

As for the Bills, they added some blockers (Fowler and Royal) which is a GOOD thing. They also added a big, speedy WR who is a good ST'er. On defense they got the guy they wanted to fill one position at DT and added a backup SS. They need to add a widebody DT and a possibly another safety. There are June 1st cuts coming plus the draft.

 

And I'm expecting coaching to make a difference as well.

[BADOLBILZ]

Gosh Mister, thanks so much for settin' us all straight! I know that you will be all pleased an' proud when the team you allegedly cheer for stinks, so you can run around to all of us ig'nant fans all a-shoutin' an' a-pointin' an' a-sayin' "See, I was right to be gloomy i'm so frickin' smart an' prescient an' stuff!" And then we will all lift you onto our shoulders, praisin' your immense football knowledge....  I see the light now... we suck, and will always suck... I can start plannin' my Sundays differently...! Yay, hurray for Badolbilz....

 

[/sarcasm]

 

Is that what you are looking for? Obviously you seem to think you are doing us all a favor with your reminders of gloom, not considering the possibility that many of us are going to wait until they actually play the games to write off the season.

642158[/snapback]

 

 

I just like to see the board evolve and learn. It would be nice to have intelligent discussions about matters here, instead of people posting stuff like "I can't wait for June 1st cap cuts" when it's no longer relevant (and actually hasn't been for years) or talking about how they have "faith", like they are worshipping the Bills instead of rooting for them.

 

Football is pretty straight forward. Good coaching, Good QB, Good OL, Good DL are the building blocks of good NFL teams. The Bills don't have even one of the 4 in place and faith isn't going to make it so. Sorry if that offends you. I'll be at every home game, paying my dues and loving it, but they are what they are, and they SUCK.

[Chilly]

 

I just like to see the board evolve and learn.  It would be nice to have intelligent discussions about matters here, instead of people posting stuff like "I can't wait for June 1st cap cuts" when it's no longer relevant (and actually hasn't been for years) or talking about how they have "faith", like they are worshipping the Bills instead of rooting for them.

 

Football is pretty straight forward.  Good coaching, Good QB, Good OL, Good DL are the building blocks of good NFL teams.  The Bills don't have even one of the 4 in place and faith isn't going to make it so.  Sorry if that offends you.  I'll be at every home game, paying my dues and loving it, but they are what they are, and they SUCK. 

642177[/snapback]

 

I dunno, they might have good coaching if Jauron lets Fairchild run the O and doesn't meddle.

 

Right now though I agree with you about the other 3 parts.

 

However, I reserve the right to change my opinion later in the offseason.

[shagmago]

If one measures progress by the measure of big names or dead lock cinch starter replacements there clearly is little progress.  However, though these finds/gets would be great, in reality they are not the ONLY measure of progress.

 

Increased competition between credible candidates to get better and become starters is another form of progress and the Bills clearly have improved in this area.

 

This of course depends not only upon the talent of the athletes (are the braintrust good assessment guys) but also upon the coaches being good teachers.  My sense is that our scouting staff has been pretty good and though the top guys are gone much of the scouting department remains intact.  Further, though Marv has no experience as a GM, he had a history of being a great delegator who allows people below him to use their skills and given the prescence of Modrak and Marv remaining plugged into the NFL as an observer for TV sports since we canned him, the assessment side looks credible at least/

 

Further, the new coaches have reps generally as working well with players and also experience like the retained JMac and OC and DC Fairchild and Fewell.  No guatrantee here but no panic either.

 

As far as positions looking at the roster and remembering who we had last year (though I do want to forget last year) my sense of the level of competion at this pre-draft/pre June 1st cuts point is:

 

There is good news on the D in terms of competition, much work to be done on the O (though competition at the QB slot has me looking forward to pre-season, and a look at the ST personnel and performance (#1 in the league by most statistical rankings the last two years) makes me wonder how we were so bad when it came to W/L.

 

(Actually the answer is clear to me as we neither stopped the run much at all and did not run consistently as the season wore on).

 

Defense:

 

LCB- Terrence McGee holds down this position firmly.  He is more notable for his KR contributions but still marching toward being a lockdown corner, but if I am a QB given equal WR talent on boh sides of the filed I would rather challege Clements than McGee. No pressure to start at LCB from back-up Greer, butr Greer is a legit starter at Nickel so life is good at LCB.

 

RCB- The tagging of Clements and a drop in the franchise $ for CBs underthe cap this year (as a couple of large base salaries caused it to leap up for one year) makes it virtually certain he will be a Bill one way or the other in 06. Either is fine with me as a fan since if he resigns we have a cap approrpoiate deal which gives us the room needed this year, If not, he has to perform in 06 for us as next year he hits FA again where we can tag him if he is good enough.

 

King looks solid at back-up and Thomas used to be until his injury and we will see how he comes back.  We are four solid at CB.

 

FS- I think it is essentially the usual fan whining which has led to negative Vincent assessments, but leading the Bills in INTs and tying for the team lead with a couple of FR recoveries is quite fine from my perspective on a team where turnovers and INTs produced has been a recurring failing for years. It amazes me how folks seem to easily forget the past performance was worst merely because they want the future to be better.  Having 4 solid at CB is good, but actually the fact that former Pro Bowl CB TV can cover if necessary provides great security. Even better our switch to a cover 2plays to his strength of play diagnosis based on experience as he plays a centerfielder role. He almost certainly has lost a step from his younger days, but he was so good before he can lose a lot and still be more than adequate at FS. Baker is a former starter at FS I feel secure about and Leonhard makes this spot competitive.

 

SS- A D spot well in need of an upgrade. Argue if you wish about whether Wire should remain a Bill or not, but even if his rooters are right in advocating him staying it is not as starting SS where he has never been more than a liability. His back-up Bowen seems to have more to offer on ST than at SS and we need an acquisition here.

 

WLB- IF TKO recovers life is great. If TKO comes back even a chunk of the way life is good.  If TKO does not come back and we go with Crowell we will be sad but life will be good at this position. Even third stringer Stamer has something to offer

 

MLB- London Fletcher has been a stud for us throughout his time as a Bill. He has been credited with more tackles than any other NFL player in the last 5 seasons combined. He has shown great football smarts as our D captain and a great motor. He has been quite willing to play ST and play a positive role there.  I think that folks complaining about him getting credit for tackles made 5 yards downfield were simply dumb as a complaint about him because this happened because A: our DTs eali m LFs time here would get blocked and allow a runner to get 5 yards down the field and B: in the year LF surpassed Spielman for single season tackles our DL was so weak they could be handled by a single blocker and oftern Fletcher had to wade through a pulling guard to get that hit. I think the fact he never made the Pro Bowl shows that though this is a nice acknowledgement of the fact a player who gets it is probably good, the fact you don't get it does not mean you are bad or may not recognize you are one of the best at your position.

 

However, we need some subs here on the depth chart. Ezekial is probably an ST contributor maxif LF goes down as he is getting older we will probably see Crowell at MLB.

 

SLB- Most Bills fans have Posey as a goner. Still I think that he was a lot better than folks gave him credit for when he played a critical role on Ds that finished ranked high statistically in 03 and 04.  Posey's flexibility as a run stopper or coverage guy was a key to the run blitz suceeding those two years. Yet, his play and a meltdown of the entire D last year leaves no reasonable defense for Posey's 05 play. For awhile it looked like we might switch back to a 3-4 where Posey excelled in his previous gid in TX but that was not the case and Posey is reasonably a goner if there is a plan to get a better player here (Hawk?) or if those inside feel he can step up his game and they are correct.  In addition, if TKO comesback then a resigned Crowell plays somewhere and perhaps this is the spot.

 

Haggan is a solid back-up and Hunter is probably a goner if Posey stays.  Let the competition begin.

 

RDE- Schobel is a very talented player IMHO.  He logged a great number of sacks last year which is particularly impressive in that his zone blitz duties called for him to devote serious time and attention to coverage which his athleticism allowed him to do well. In a cover 2 there will be extra call for him to pressure the QB (which he tended to do with a great motor but we will see if he develops even better moves for immediate closure) and more call for him to be stout against the run.  We will see and there is no back-up here really so additional RDE help for a rotation  would be great.

 

RDT- Anderson MAY develop and if he steps it up another notch we could be fine here, but i really doubt this and us with little more than good guys for the rotation here and no credible starter were the O would gameplan to avoid his skills rather than to exploit his weakenesses.

 

LDT- Triplett is by far th biggest upgrade made by the Bills so far. I am fighting myself not to get too excited because while he obviously is good, he was not the central DL character on the Indy team.  He will need to step up his play to be the player we want and actually require due to our DT problems.  However, with his consistent play at DT and racking up 4 sacks last year and his immediate attraction to becoming a Bill, high hopes for him seem warranted.

 

I actually love the fact that of his back-ups Lauvale Sape by far as the more standard name.

 

LDE- The resigning of Denney is a good and interesting thing as he and Chris Kelsay are more or less co-starters at LDE. Neither has taken this position and grabbed it by the throat, but Kelsay has not finished developing yet and this year will have to be his breakout if he has one. Denney is probably not the pressure pass rusher the cover 2 needs (I actually think the zone blitz is a better D for him and could make use of his "Ted Hendricks" The Stork like qualities of massive wingspan and some athleticism.  Denney was credible in run support playing inside so perhaps we see him as a DT we need for the rotation even if his highest and best use is in pass coverage.  How we play this position and how much Kelsay steps up will be interesting.

Offense:

 

1. QB- Clearly an upgrade in competition as while Nall has little NFL experience as a starter, he certainly is more than a credible threat to win the number two slot for the Bills after backing up the resilient Favre in DB til the Rodgers contract made him the disaster QB.  Still the Pack move reflected a reasonable uncertainty but not a decision that Nall was not the Packer starter of the future. Sings point to them being sad hey lost him and him being a slight possibility to even creibly compete as our #1 as well as his having a good shot at being our number 2.

 

2.  RB- Need more work here as not only has there been no upgrade in competition, but we actually need a credible #2 here as Shaud Williams is more credible as a #3.  The good news is that this is a position that can be drafted and the player contribute quite quickly. In addition Gates did get some playing time last year and will push Williams though this says more about SW failings that Gates being a credible #2.

 

3.  FB- Another position where unfortunately competition has not increased and starter Shelton disappointed and we need to upgrade. However, this is not a high profle position and good FBs like a Centers and a Gash were available as FAs in the past.

 

4. WR- The situation needs some careful work but actually I am not worried about it a lot.  It will be a difficult drive but the Bills are in the driver's seat and have a number of advantages which if they play them correctly should result in a beneficial outcome for the team.

 

Evans is the starter and his first two years of production and raw speed merit this nod.  He needs to demonstrate an athleticism and ability to make circus catches and compete with a closely covering corner to win the ball, but all signs of sure hands and good route running with Moulds attracting attention indicates he may well be ready now or at most a year's experience away from being one of the best in the NFL.

 

Parrish shows good potential to be a potent #3 giving us more speed in 3 WR sets and room to grow so we will see whether the return ability he has translates into solid RAC that may merit the #2 WR slot if he progresses over a good pose injury recovery rookie year.

 

#2 WR is the issue. Moulds agent clearly says he does not want to return, and though we actually could afford to keep him at the enormous base salary he is entitled to under his current deal he is not worth that money at #2 WR.  The Henry situation I think parallels many aspects of the current Moulds contract set-to.

 

1. Public posiioning has them never playing for the Bills again.

2. However, both were under contract and the Bills are not under contractual pressure to move him yet.

3. He had trade value, but his new team will have to reach a deal with him before any trade.

4. The Bills GM continues to say positive things about this player leaving the door open a crack for reconciliation and more important leveraging a deal for team which really wants him rather than risk him getting pick off by another team as an FA.

 

However, what interests me is that while the negative comments came from Henry himself and he had cleaned out his locker and moved all of his gear out of town, all the strident very negative comments have come from Moulds agent and beyond the end of the year typical locker clean out I missed if Moulds has alreagy physically burned his bridges as TH did so there was no chance at reapproachment.  In no way would I bank on this, but it interests me.

 

Reed proved to be a potent ST guy and will get a chance to show he can recover his rookie form, but at best I see him as #4 on our roster with Moulds and #3 at best with him.

 

Aiken actually has nailed down the final field slot and is a leader on ST making him good to sign.

 

Now add Andre Davis who has at least pretenses at being #2 which I doubt he can do but suddenly there is competion for the #3 and $ slot which was not there before.

 

Fast Freddy proved to be a good guy to hang onto but even without Moulds resigning he could be gone.

 

We will need to fiddle with this but there will be a lot of tough competion for field time at #3 and #4 WE. The question is what do we do at #2. but we have options.

 

TE- Perhaps the best case to bem made for addition by subtraction as starter Campbell coming off injury was easily worth the lowly 7th round pick traded to get him, but little else really.  This also is one of the better cases too for how increased competition almopst certainly makes this team better and actually might offer some answers to the long term quandaries IF a player or players step up. There are at least two and actually three issues worth noting:

 

1. The pick-up of Royal at TE is interesting.  Given that Gibbs wanted him back and he is a demonstrably solid blocking TE, if Fairchild and Jauron run the right system for this not to be confused wih Tony Gonzales TE the Bill upgraded the TE position on the cheap. Complaints about cheaness are legit, but probably justified as we have more important needs to spend on.

 

2. Everett was intriguing an well regarded but IR'ed last year. Maybe  he will recover and prove to b e a mutant we want/need but maybe not.  He is notable but no one a team should count on and we are not.

 

3. The depth at TE may be a noneissue for the Bills because we are pretty full at OK but not great players at TE, but the depth at TE in this draft is extraordinary and even if we do not go to this well, it means that other players at other positions we need may well be there.

 

Things round out with well regarded but coming off injury Euhus and 2 others of limited talent yet who did make the roster so competition will be harsh at TE though the odd man out will be at #3 TE among #3 TE talents at best.

RT- Oddly the best TE on this team may be Peters who seems to have locked down the RT slot as well.  McFarland was a draftee which is good, who ended up being cut which is not good and no one else picked him up which is not good either for a young tackle, but he is off working on his trade in NFLE which is good but we will see how he does. We clearly need a solid back-up at tack;e and McFarland has not proven yet he is the man.

 

RG-  Questions here as well as starter Villarial is solid but may be starting to show some wear and tear of age.  Back-up Geisinger is in the dictionary in the I section for inactive.  Thord stringer Thomas is in the J section for journeyman. Like RT a position clearly in need of back-up upgrade.

 

C- Suddenly there is competition here as Preston impressed enough as a rookie that folks credibly hoped he might step up to be a legit starter at C, but instead Melvin Fowler was signed as an FA and he has had several teams in his short career (a concenr) but played well when injuries to more highly regarded players like Jeff Faine forced him into a starting role where he acquitted himself fairly well.  The Bills probably got him because his play merited a shot at starting (and thus starter money for this FA) but other teams which had the C role filled were not willing/able to give starter money to him.

 

LG- While C is probably the least troubled OL position, LG is almost certainly the most troubled. The best thing one can say about this position is that some were impressed by how Anderson finally improved in his final 5 games to arguably be the best OL player on this team (though that would take some arguin IMHO).  Among the (many) worst things which can be said though:

 

1. Any way you cut it the well-paid Anderson was a big disappointment last year.

2. There is zero competition for this slot with a questionable at best starter there.

3. Even if he is the best OL player now on the Bills this is not saying much at all.

 

JMac has declared himself not be a miracle worker, however, this unit needs miracles at this point so the Bills better do some good acquisitions with what remains of the FA talent (adequate at best but adequate would be an upgrade for us at many OL positions). stumb;e across something on June 1st, or draft D'Brickashaw because there are few instant starters in the draft OL crew.

 

Special Teams-

 

P- Moorman- Legit Pro Bowler

 

K- Lindell- Lost amidst a horrendous overall Bills season was that Lindell recovered from many fans wanting him cut after a shank against Pitts is that he probably deserved the nickname money last year as when he came on the field 3 points was virtually money in the bank.  Now what are you gonna do for us in 2006?

 

LOS- Schneck slid into the Pro Bowl with Moorman and probably actually deserved it.

 

KR- McGee- probably the best second day pick that TD made and a defintie weapon on KR.

 

PR- Talk about competition.  Clements, Parrish, and fast freddy are all threats for big returns or to go all the way.

 

In general, no competion needed at all the skill positions as the starters are legitimately among the best in the NFL. the one exception may be PR but here the competition is stiff so now wonder one should feel great about April.

 

Coverage and returns-  The major "problem" here is that ST stalwarts like Crowell have demonstrated they can actually step up to be position starters when called upon.  IMHO, the notable ST talents are Haggan, Aiken, Stamer, Leonhard and probably Joe Burns. When one adds to this crew of consistent players some flashes from folks like Ezekial and King, it really is a credit to the scouts that such depth has been acquired.  All of this even comes before in a pinch starter like London Fletcher have shown a willingness in the past to step into the breach and contribute. This crew is way too strong to make even worthwhile arguing about ST captain Wire's role.

 

That's my semse of the Bills to date!

642138[/snapback]

I just hope Mcgayee worked out more this year ,compared to watching other backs,he was one of the weakest looking running backs in the league.

[BADOLBILZ]

Donahoe's offseasons were always exciting as hell...

642161[/snapback]

 

Not true. 3 of his 5 offseasons with the Bills were boring and saw the Bills lose more talent than they acquired in FA.

[BADOLBILZ]

The other teams in the division have fared no better, if not worse.

642175[/snapback]

 

Possibly true, but we finished way behind Miami and don't even belong in the same sentence as NE. Finishing ahead of the Jets has to be a goal, they are in a simialar transition stage as the Bills and chose a different approach. If Mangini turns the Jets around and Jauron doesn't it's going to be another slap in the forehead for Bills fans.

 

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

 

I just like to see the board evolve and learn.  It would be nice to have intelligent discussions about matters here, instead of people posting stuff like "I can't wait for June 1st cap cuts" when it's no longer relevant (and actually hasn't been for years) or talking about how they have "faith", like they are worshipping the Bills instead of rooting for them.

 

Football is pretty straight forward.  Good coaching, Good QB, Good OL, Good DL are the building blocks of good NFL teams.  The Bills don't have even one of the 4 in place and faith isn't going to make it so.  Sorry if that offends you.  I'll be at every home game, paying my dues and loving it, but they are what they are, and they SUCK. 

642177[/snapback]

 

 

"Evolve and learn"? Do you even listen to yourself? I know you are a fan, and respect that, but in the end I really do not see where one can possibly get any enjoyment out of being gloomy all the time about a voluntary activity. I have an even harder time imagining how encouraging people to be that way has anything to do with either learning or evolution. It has nothing to do with faith or ignorance; I just don't get it. I come to TBD to see what is happening, and can form my own opinions about individual developments without the help of those who seem to enjoy running around looking for punch bowls to crap in.

 

I also know that I can simply ignore posts that I don't want to read, but sometimes I just feel the need to contribute to the discussion. At the very least, I do appreciate your response to my comment.

 

All that being said, I do hope we will all celebrate many Bills wins in the future....

[Gambler]

 

It would be nice to have intelligent discussions about matters here.

 

Football is pretty straight forward.  Good coaching, Good QB, Good OL, Good DL are the building blocks of good NFL teams.  The Bills don't have even one of the 4 in place and faith isn't going to make it so.  Sorry if that offends you.

642177[/snapback]

 

 

As to the first point above - it's not going to happen. Check virtually any message board and the concept "intelligent discussion" is arcane.

 

The Bills are non-contenders if any objective analysis is applied. Emotional analysis can lead to interesting rationalizations. Wishful thinking pervades all the message boards around the league.

 

The second point quoted above is the key point. Currently, the characteristics of a winner in the NFL are not present with the Bills.

 

1.) The new coaching staff is a collection of unknowns as a group. When was the last time a new coaching staff came up with a winning team in the first two years? It rarely happens. All the players have to learn new systems and schemes.

 

2.) The Bills need big help in the trenches. This is not the sign of a winner.

 

3.) The QB situation is very unsettled. And it's not like the battle is between All-Pro candidates.

 

4.) The Bills are having trouble attracting talent - coaching talent and player talent. I know many Bills fans don't want to hear this, but it is true.

 

I talk football with many people from around the country and these objective people see how bad the Bills situation has become.

 

Putting it all together, I am a Bills fan for life, but I will not let my allegiance to the Bills interfere with my objective analysis.

 

Criticism of a bad situation is not a sign of disloyalty to the Bills, but rather it is sign of frustration that the management has not done their jobs well.

 

Any management team deserves respect if they earn it. The jury is still out on the newest management team, but the early indications are underwhelming.

[jahnyc]

Agree with Gambler. TD has left the team in very poor shape. Marv deserves a chance and I think he can be effective, but he is not starting with a playoff caliber team. We are rebuilding again, and we need help on the oline, dt and possibly at qb. I belive that the defense can bounce back faster than the offense, but the Bills will need to acquire a quality dt and strong safety.

 

The offense is still a mess, and will be until the oline is addressed and the qb situation settled. Jauron should be an upgrade over Mularkey, but we should not expect miracles. This team finished poorly last year and may have less overall talent now.

[a player to be named later]

First of all, what is with these people quoting mile long posts just to add two lines of commentary?

 

I'm happy with the overall progress of the offseason. We are picking up solid guys! I would have liked to get Pickett but SO what, we are in position to take our pick of DT's in the draft.

 

Something was wrong with this team!!! Who is to say that we need to make huge free agent signings! Right now I still feel comfort that the players that Levy and Co. bring in will perform.

[BADOLBILZ]

Emotional analysis can lead to interesting rationalizations.

642220[/snapback]

 

How true it is. Great post.

[The Senator]

When was the last time a new coaching staff came up with a winning team in the first two years? It rarely happens. All the players have to learn new systems and schemes.

642220[/snapback]

Nick Saban, Miami Dolphins - 2005. For that matter, Mike Mularkey - Buffalo Bills - 2004. I could go on - it doesn't happen everywhere, but happens more often than most remember. I'd say Marvin Lewis, but that took 3 years.

The Bills need big help in the trenches. This is not the sign of a winner.

642220[/snapback]

Agree, but also think that new coaching staff will make a difference, and further acquisitions thru free agency, trades, draft should help improve both lines.

The QB situation is very unsettled. And it's not like the battle is between All-Pro candidates.

642220[/snapback]

Again, agree. One of our QBs needs to shine in camp - I'm thinking it's between JP and Nall. I'm also thinking that with a good offensive scheme, good play calling, improved protection, and an improved corp of receivers, it will be JP's year to shine. Maybe it'll be Nall. I don't think the QB situation is as dire as most - if the offensive line improves, we run Willis more, and quit with Mularkey's gadget plays.

The Bills are having trouble attracting talent - coaching talent and player talent. I know many Bills fans don't want to hear this, but it is true.

642220[/snapback]

I'm fine with the management team and the coaching staff - really very pleased. But it was widely rumored that the Bills would have trouble attracting free agents, and you are right - that has hindered the rebuilding.

 

So Marv has to go out and draft some studs - let's see what happens Arpil 29-30.

 

I remain optimistic - 19 and 0 baby - at least until we lose our first game!

[1959BillsFan]

I guess I have to say, addition by subtraction.

 

adams, milloy, williams, campbell gone; with one player more to go. The old front office and coaching staff are pretty much gone; therefore, fitting square pegs(players) into round holes (mularkey/gray "systems") will hopefully be gone; right along with the feuding/non-communicating "coaching staff".

 

The locker room distractions are gone and hopefully, the young players can concentrate on a T-E-A-M oriented philosophy instead instead of the individualistic statistic performance way of the old regime stressed.

 

The new additions are more second teir type players, STATISTICALLY, BUT... they will be bringing a more T-E-A-M oriented structure to the lockerroom.

[Tipster19]

I agree with 1959BillsFan. I don't think ANYBODY expects a good team THIS year. I believe that there has been some positive moves so far this year. It is going to take time to turn this organization around. Is there anything wrong to having some hope? Maybe it's better just whining and wringing our hands and crying "We stink, what are we going to do?!" It's sickening. There is NO quick cure to our situation, but I like what's going on so far and there's a light at the end of the tunnel and this time I don't believe that it's a train. So for all the "fans" who always want to complain and have a doom and gloom mentality let me offer you some advice. Let it go, it's not worth the stress. What's the sense of beating this whole thing into the ground before we even had a chance to draft, pick-up more players in free agency and the June 1st cuts and had an opportunity to play our very first game?

[SactoBillFan]

As far as improvement goes, I'll take Marv over Donahoe. Then roll the dice.

[Mark VI]

If one measures progress by the measure of big names or dead lock cinch starter replacements there clearly is little progress.  However, though these finds/gets would be great, in reality they are not the ONLY measure of progress.

 

Increased competition between credible candidates to get better and become starters is another form of progress and the Bills clearly have improved in this area.

 

This of course depends not only upon the talent of the athletes (are the braintrust good assessment guys) but also upon the coaches being good teachers.  My sense is that our scouting staff has been pretty good and though the top guys are gone much of the scouting department remains intact.  Further, though Marv has no experience as a GM, he had a history of being a great delegator who allows people below him to use their skills and given the prescence of Modrak and Marv remaining plugged into the NFL as an observer for TV sports since we canned him, the assessment side looks credible at least/

 

Further, the new coaches have reps generally as working well with players and also experience like the retained JMac and OC and DC Fairchild and Fewell.  No guatrantee here but no panic either.

 

As far as positions looking at the roster and remembering who we had last year (though I do want to forget last year) my sense of the level of competion at this pre-draft/pre June 1st cuts point is:

 

There is good news on the D in terms of competition, much work to be done on the O (though competition at the QB slot has me looking forward to pre-season, and a look at the ST personnel and performance (#1 in the league by most statistical rankings the last two years) makes me wonder how we were so bad when it came to W/L.

 

(Actually the answer is clear to me as we neither stopped the run much at all and did not run consistently as the season wore on).

 

Defense:

 

LCB- Terrence McGee holds down this position firmly.  He is more notable for his KR contributions but still marching toward being a lockdown corner, but if I am a QB given equal WR talent on boh sides of the filed I would rather challege Clements than McGee. No pressure to start at LCB from back-up Greer, butr Greer is a legit starter at Nickel so life is good at LCB.

 

RCB- The tagging of Clements and a drop in the franchise $ for CBs underthe cap this year (as a couple of large base salaries caused it to leap up for one year) makes it virtually certain he will be a Bill one way or the other in 06. Either is fine with me as a fan since if he resigns we have a cap approrpoiate deal which gives us the room needed this year, If not, he has to perform in 06 for us as next year he hits FA again where we can tag him if he is good enough.

 

King looks solid at back-up and Thomas used to be until his injury and we will see how he comes back.  We are four solid at CB.

 

FS- I think it is essentially the usual fan whining which has led to negative Vincent assessments, but leading the Bills in INTs and tying for the team lead with a couple of FR recoveries is quite fine from my perspective on a team where turnovers and INTs produced has been a recurring failing for years. It amazes me how folks seem to easily forget the past performance was worst merely because they want the future to be better.  Having 4 solid at CB is good, but actually the fact that former Pro Bowl CB TV can cover if necessary provides great security. Even better our switch to a cover 2plays to his strength of play diagnosis based on experience as he plays a centerfielder role. He almost certainly has lost a step from his younger days, but he was so good before he can lose a lot and still be more than adequate at FS. Baker is a former starter at FS I feel secure about and Leonhard makes this spot competitive.

 

SS- A D spot well in need of an upgrade. Argue if you wish about whether Wire should remain a Bill or not, but even if his rooters are right in advocating him staying it is not as starting SS where he has never been more than a liability. His back-up Bowen seems to have more to offer on ST than at SS and we need an acquisition here.

 

WLB- IF TKO recovers life is great. If TKO comes back even a chunk of the way life is good.  If TKO does not come back and we go with Crowell we will be sad but life will be good at this position. Even third stringer Stamer has something to offer

 

MLB- London Fletcher has been a stud for us throughout his time as a Bill. He has been credited with more tackles than any other NFL player in the last 5 seasons combined. He has shown great football smarts as our D captain and a great motor. He has been quite willing to play ST and play a positive role there.  I think that folks complaining about him getting credit for tackles made 5 yards downfield were simply dumb as a complaint about him because this happened because A: our DTs eali m LFs time here would get blocked and allow a runner to get 5 yards down the field and B: in the year LF surpassed Spielman for single season tackles our DL was so weak they could be handled by a single blocker and oftern Fletcher had to wade through a pulling guard to get that hit. I think the fact he never made the Pro Bowl shows that though this is a nice acknowledgement of the fact a player who gets it is probably good, the fact you don't get it does not mean you are bad or may not recognize you are one of the best at your position.

 

However, we need some subs here on the depth chart. Ezekial is probably an ST contributor maxif LF goes down as he is getting older we will probably see Crowell at MLB.

 

SLB- Most Bills fans have Posey as a goner. Still I think that he was a lot better than folks gave him credit for when he played a critical role on Ds that finished ranked high statistically in 03 and 04.  Posey's flexibility as a run stopper or coverage guy was a key to the run blitz suceeding those two years. Yet, his play and a meltdown of the entire D last year leaves no reasonable defense for Posey's 05 play. For awhile it looked like we might switch back to a 3-4 where Posey excelled in his previous gid in TX but that was not the case and Posey is reasonably a goner if there is a plan to get a better player here (Hawk?) or if those inside feel he can step up his game and they are correct.  In addition, if TKO comesback then a resigned Crowell plays somewhere and perhaps this is the spot.

 

Haggan is a solid back-up and Hunter is probably a goner if Posey stays.  Let the competition begin.

 

RDE- Schobel is a very talented player IMHO.  He logged a great number of sacks last year which is particularly impressive in that his zone blitz duties called for him to devote serious time and attention to coverage which his athleticism allowed him to do well. In a cover 2 there will be extra call for him to pressure the QB (which he tended to do with a great motor but we will see if he develops even better moves for immediate closure) and more call for him to be stout against the run.  We will see and there is no back-up here really so additional RDE help for a rotation  would be great.

 

RDT- Anderson MAY develop and if he steps it up another notch we could be fine here, but i really doubt this and us with little more than good guys for the rotation here and no credible starter were the O would gameplan to avoid his skills rather than to exploit his weakenesses.

 

LDT- Triplett is by far th biggest upgrade made by the Bills so far. I am fighting myself not to get too excited because while he obviously is good, he was not the central DL character on the Indy team.  He will need to step up his play to be the player we want and actually require due to our DT problems.  However, with his consistent play at DT and racking up 4 sacks last year and his immediate attraction to becoming a Bill, high hopes for him seem warranted.

 

I actually love the fact that of his back-ups Lauvale Sape by far as the more standard name.

 

LDE- The resigning of Denney is a good and interesting thing as he and Chris Kelsay are more or less co-starters at LDE. Neither has taken this position and grabbed it by the throat, but Kelsay has not finished developing yet and this year will have to be his breakout if he has one. Denney is probably not the pressure pass rusher the cover 2 needs (I actually think the zone blitz is a better D for him and could make use of his "Ted Hendricks" The Stork like qualities of massive wingspan and some athleticism.  Denney was credible in run support playing inside so perhaps we see him as a DT we need for the rotation even if his highest and best use is in pass coverage.  How we play this position and how much Kelsay steps up will be interesting.

Offense:

 

1. QB- Clearly an upgrade in competition as while Nall has little NFL experience as a starter, he certainly is more than a credible threat to win the number two slot for the Bills after backing up the resilient Favre in DB til the Rodgers contract made him the disaster QB.  Still the Pack move reflected a reasonable uncertainty but not a decision that Nall was not the Packer starter of the future. Sings point to them being sad hey lost him and him being a slight possibility to even creibly compete as our #1 as well as his having a good shot at being our number 2.

 

2.  RB- Need more work here as not only has there been no upgrade in competition, but we actually need a credible #2 here as Shaud Williams is more credible as a #3.  The good news is that this is a position that can be drafted and the player contribute quite quickly. In addition Gates did get some playing time last year and will push Williams though this says more about SW failings that Gates being a credible #2.

 

3.  FB- Another position where unfortunately competition has not increased and starter Shelton disappointed and we need to upgrade. However, this is not a high profle position and good FBs like a Centers and a Gash were available as FAs in the past.

 

4. WR- The situation needs some careful work but actually I am not worried about it a lot.  It will be a difficult drive but the Bills are in the driver's seat and have a number of advantages which if they play them correctly should result in a beneficial outcome for the team.

 

Evans is the starter and his first two years of production and raw speed merit this nod.  He needs to demonstrate an athleticism and ability to make circus catches and compete with a closely covering corner to win the ball, but all signs of sure hands and good route running with Moulds attracting attention indicates he may well be ready now or at most a year's experience away from being one of the best in the NFL.

 

Parrish shows good potential to be a potent #3 giving us more speed in 3 WR sets and room to grow so we will see whether the return ability he has translates into solid RAC that may merit the #2 WR slot if he progresses over a good pose injury recovery rookie year.

 

#2 WR is the issue. Moulds agent clearly says he does not want to return, and though we actually could afford to keep him at the enormous base salary he is entitled to under his current deal he is not worth that money at #2 WR.  The Henry situation I think parallels many aspects of the current Moulds contract set-to.

 

1. Public posiioning has them never playing for the Bills again.

2. However, both were under contract and the Bills are not under contractual pressure to move him yet.

3. He had trade value, but his new team will have to reach a deal with him before any trade.

4. The Bills GM continues to say positive things about this player leaving the door open a crack for reconciliation and more important leveraging a deal for team which really wants him rather than risk him getting pick off by another team as an FA.

 

However, what interests me is that while the negative comments came from Henry himself and he had cleaned out his locker and moved all of his gear out of town, all the strident very negative comments have come from Moulds agent and beyond the end of the year typical locker clean out I missed if Moulds has alreagy physically burned his bridges as TH did so there was no chance at reapproachment.  In no way would I bank on this, but it interests me.

 

Reed proved to be a potent ST guy and will get a chance to show he can recover his rookie form, but at best I see him as #4 on our roster with Moulds and #3 at best with him.

 

Aiken actually has nailed down the final field slot and is a leader on ST making him good to sign.

 

Now add Andre Davis who has at least pretenses at being #2 which I doubt he can do but suddenly there is competion for the #3 and $ slot which was not there before.

 

Fast Freddy proved to be a good guy to hang onto but even without Moulds resigning he could be gone.

 

We will need to fiddle with this but there will be a lot of tough competion for field time at #3 and #4 WE. The question is what do we do at #2. but we have options.

 

TE- Perhaps the best case to bem made for addition by subtraction as starter Campbell coming off injury was easily worth the lowly 7th round pick traded to get him, but little else really.  This also is one of the better cases too for how increased competition almopst certainly makes this team better and actually might offer some answers to the long term quandaries IF a player or players step up. There are at least two and actually three issues worth noting:

 

1. The pick-up of Royal at TE is interesting.  Given that Gibbs wanted him back and he is a demonstrably solid blocking TE, if Fairchild and Jauron run the right system for this not to be confused wih Tony Gonzales TE the Bill upgraded the TE position on the cheap. Complaints about cheaness are legit, but probably justified as we have more important needs to spend on.

 

2. Everett was intriguing an well regarded but IR'ed last year. Maybe  he will recover and prove to b e a mutant we want/need but maybe not.  He is notable but no one a team should count on and we are not.

 

3. The depth at TE may be a noneissue for the Bills because we are pretty full at OK but not great players at TE, but the depth at TE in this draft is extraordinary and even if we do not go to this well, it means that other players at other positions we need may well be there.

 

Things round out with well regarded but coming off injury Euhus and 2 others of limited talent yet who did make the roster so competition will be harsh at TE though the odd man out will be at #3 TE among #3 TE talents at best.

RT- Oddly the best TE on this team may be Peters who seems to have locked down the RT slot as well.  McFarland was a draftee which is good, who ended up being cut which is not good and no one else picked him up which is not good either for a young tackle, but he is off working on his trade in NFLE which is good but we will see how he does. We clearly need a solid back-up at tack;e and McFarland has not proven yet he is the man.

 

RG-  Questions here as well as starter Villarial is solid but may be starting to show some wear and tear of age.  Back-up Geisinger is in the dictionary in the I section for inactive.  Thord stringer Thomas is in the J section for journeyman. Like RT a position clearly in need of back-up upgrade.

 

C- Suddenly there is competition here as Preston impressed enough as a rookie that folks credibly hoped he might step up to be a legit starter at C, but instead Melvin Fowler was signed as an FA and he has had several teams in his short career (a concenr) but played well when injuries to more highly regarded players like Jeff Faine forced him into a starting role where he acquitted himself fairly well.  The Bills probably got him because his play merited a shot at starting (and thus starter money for this FA) but other teams which had the C role filled were not willing/able to give starter money to him.

 

LG- While C is probably the least troubled OL position, LG is almost certainly the most troubled. The best thing one can say about this position is that some were impressed by how Anderson finally improved in his final 5 games to arguably be the best OL player on this team (though that would take some arguin IMHO).  Among the (many) worst things which can be said though:

 

1. Any way you cut it the well-paid Anderson was a big disappointment last year.

2. There is zero competition for this slot with a questionable at best starter there.

3. Even if he is the best OL player now on the Bills this is not saying much at all.

 

JMac has declared himself not be a miracle worker, however, this unit needs miracles at this point so the Bills better do some good acquisitions with what remains of the FA talent (adequate at best but adequate would be an upgrade for us at many OL positions). stumb;e across something on June 1st, or draft D'Brickashaw because there are few instant starters in the draft OL crew.

 

Special Teams-

 

P- Moorman- Legit Pro Bowler

 

K- Lindell- Lost amidst a horrendous overall Bills season was that Lindell recovered from many fans wanting him cut after a shank against Pitts is that he probably deserved the nickname money last year as when he came on the field 3 points was virtually money in the bank.  Now what are you gonna do for us in 2006?

 

LOS- Schneck slid into the Pro Bowl with Moorman and probably actually deserved it.

 

KR- McGee- probably the best second day pick that TD made and a defintie weapon on KR.

 

PR- Talk about competition.  Clements, Parrish, and fast freddy are all threats for big returns or to go all the way.

 

In general, no competion needed at all the skill positions as the starters are legitimately among the best in the NFL. the one exception may be PR but here the competition is stiff so now wonder one should feel great about April.

 

Coverage and returns-  The major "problem" here is that ST stalwarts like Crowell have demonstrated they can actually step up to be position starters when called upon.  IMHO, the notable ST talents are Haggan, Aiken, Stamer, Leonhard and probably Joe Burns. When one adds to this crew of consistent players some flashes from folks like Ezekial and King, it really is a credit to the scouts that such depth has been acquired.  All of this even comes before in a pinch starter like London Fletcher have shown a willingness in the past to step into the breach and contribute. This crew is way too strong to make even worthwhile arguing about ST captain Wire's role.

 

That's my semse of the Bills to date!

642138[/snapback]

 

What did you say, babe ?

[Lurker]

What did you say, babe ?

642379[/snapback]

 

Was it good for you?

[Gambler]

Nick Saban, Miami Dolphins - 2005.  For that matter, Mike Mularkey - Buffalo Bills - 2004.  I could go on - it doesn't happen everywhere, but happens more often than most remember.  I'd say Marvin Lewis, but that took 3 years.

 

 

642269[/snapback]

 

 

It doesn't happen more often than most remember.

 

The two teams you cited failed to make the playoffs.

 

(P.S. I think Miami might make the playoffs this year - Saban is a good example. Miami's organization and owner realized the error of their ways and cleaned house and spent good money to hire an up and coming talented coach vs. Ralph who is saving money on the staff payroll)

 

Teams that are making wholesale changes in staff and personnel almost never succeed early.

 

Previous examples of early success happened when an assistant took over for a retiring head coach or fired head coach and all the schemes remained the same, the staff remained largely intact and the team had a solid foundation. None of these factors seem to be present with the Bills.

 

 

I hope that the new staff succeeds soon, but realistically 2006 looks no better than 2005.

 

Regrettably, I fear the Bills won't really have great success until the ownership changes.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

Well then, the Redskins should win the SB this year, seeing as they have the largest and most expensive coaching staff in the NFL.

[Dibs]

It doesn't happen more often than most remember.

 

The two teams you cited failed to make the playoffs.

 

Regrettably, I fear the Bills won't really have great success until the ownership changes.

642389[/snapback]

 

What about the Patriots? Took the whole thing in Belichicks second year.

Or the Rams?

Did anyone except for the fans using "Emotional analysis (that) can lead to interesting rationalizations" predict anything but losing seasons the year before these teams won their first super bowls?

One team did it with BIG signings...Faulk, Timmerman, Trent Green( )

The other with below the radar value free agents such as...um...that guy...& that other guy.

I'm not saying all is going to be great & we will win the Bowl...that would be stupid.

What I'm saying is that it is also stupid to predict DOOM & GLOOM.

Remember kids...if you don't have anything nice(read constructive) to say, don't say anything at all(unless it is funny)

[Gambler]

What about the Patriots?  Took the whole thing in Belichicks second year.

Or the Rams?

Did anyone except for the fans using "Emotional analysis (that) can lead to interesting rationalizations" predict anything but losing seasons the year before these teams won their first super bowls?

One team did it with BIG signings...Faulk, Timmerman, Trent Green( )

The other with below the radar value free agents such as...um...that guy...& that other guy.

I'm not saying all is going to be great & we will win the Bowl...that would be stupid.

What I'm saying is that it is also stupid to predict DOOM & GLOOM. 

Remember kids...if you don't have anything nice(read constructive) to say, don't say anything at all(unless it is funny)

642404[/snapback]

 

Good examples. Belichick's first year after taking over for Pete Carroll the team went 5-11. How about Dick Vermeil taking over for Rich Brooks in St. Louis. His first year they went 5-11 and the second year they went 4-12.

 

How about the vast majority of new coaching staffs that have failed early? Have you calculated those into your "analysis"?

 

Clearly, drawing conclusions from the rare exceptions is, as you would say, "stupid".

 

Maybe Dick Jauron will prove to be a superior coach to Belichik and Vermeil. What makes you believe Jauron will improve the team significantly in 2006?

 

Is it "constructive" to bury your head in the sand and ignore reality? Do you only prefer to hear only the points you agree with?

[Dibs]

Good examples. Belichick's first year after taking over for Pete Carroll the team went 5-11. How about Dick Vermeil taking over for Rich Brooks in St. Louis. His first year they went 5-11 and the second year they went 4-12.

 

How about the vast majority of new coaching staffs that have failed early? Have you calculated those into your "analysis"?

 

Clearly, drawing conclusions from the rare exceptions is, as you would say, "stupid".

 

Maybe Dick Jauron will prove to be a superior coach to Belichik and Vermeil. What makes you believe Jauron will improve the team significantly in 2006?

 

Is it "constructive" to bury your head in the sand and ignore reality?  Do you only prefer to hear only the points you agree with?

642445[/snapback]

 

Wow, that was all very aggressive.

Is there something wrong with you?

If you bothered to read what I wrote(without automatic negativity) you would see I was simply saying it is just as stupid to say "AAARRGGGHHH, everything front office is doing is terrible & it will be years before we make the playoffs" as it is to say "Yippee, all is going to be fantastic. We're gonna win the Super Bowl!"

 

I honestly thought from your heading post

"Does anybody agree with me? If you disagree, tell me the main reasons you are so optimistic."

that you were interested in others opinions(since you asked for them) in the hope someone else had insight that you didn't...or maybe you just meant it as a dare.

 

In regards to my references to the Rams & Pats, you asked people to

"Highlight the changes so far that will turn this 5-11 team around."

I was pointing out that sometimes we simply cannot tell what is going to happen.

Furthermore, your statement of

"Regrettably, I fear the Bills won't really have great success until the ownership changes."

I was pointing out is unjustified & equally full of emotional analysis.

My point again...Being overtly positive or overtly negative at this point in time is stupid

 

By the way, the "analysis" quote was from your earlier post so don't take too much offense from it.

 

& never forget...a smile is just a relaxed grimace.

[BuffaloBilliever]

Whoever stated the Royal is a vital asset to the blocking scheme is completley right. It's coming back down to a Metzzlarrs oriented offense (Marv may be throwing his two cents in with the coordinators), with Royal holding with the O-Line and Shelton, giving Tim Euhus who is very underrated as a TE with excellent hands and good speed, and Willis ground to make some WC yardage if Losman is in, or even hit Lee down field with the dual threats (Davis and Evans sprinting down field? I smell Holcomb).

 

I'm too excited for next season. Although I know that the Bills have a 1-100000000 chance to get to the playoffs, I want to see what Marv has in store for this team if he doesn't keel over, and to see if the Defense can step it up with the addition of Triplett and the good health of Takeo.

 

I am a pesemistic person, but an optomistic Bills fan.

[CAT]

We need to take a 2 year view. Are we trying to get younger? Get in good cap position? Sign solid young FA versus old big name guys? Looks that way to me. Having said that we need a good draft, extend Nate C, then find out if we have a QB and do it again nextyear. Given this view we must get a n impact player at 8 or trade for more picks. I would move Moulds if I could get a starter or a 3,otherwise I would keep him

[shagmago]

Well then, the Redskins should win the SB this year, seeing as they have the largest and most expensive coaching staff in the NFL.

642392[/snapback]

At least their trying differant things to improve.They will probably have a very good chance to make the playoff, and the fans are excited about the up comming season.Unlike the majority of our fan base that says were gonna suck (and we do)year after year after year.

Don`t know about you but Im real excited about the signing of Nall and oh yea, whats his name, and lets not forget about the signing of who`s that guy!....... Were going to need some prayer and hope just to get to 8-8 this year!!

[MadBuffaloDisease]

At least their trying differant things to improve.They will probably have a very good chance to make the playoff, and the fans are excited about the up comming season.Unlike the majority of our fan base that says were gonna suck (and we do)year after year after year.

    Don`t know about you but Im real excited about the signing of Nall and oh yea, whats his name, and lets not forget about the signing of who`s that guy!....... Were going to need some prayer and hope just to get to 8-8 this year!!  

So were you excited for the moves made the PREVIOUS off-seasons? And where did they get the Bills? I'll reserve judgement until I see the results. And FTR, I'm not "excited" by the moves, but I think they make sense.

[McClure]

I love the Bills, I truly do, I remember being 0-8 and arguing that they could run the table...But, to be completely honest, this team has far too many holes at this point, and I think they spent too much money on mediocre players. My enthusiasm is undeniably curbed going into the upcoming season when I look at their offensive and defensive line.