Complete history of the TD era

[Mikie2times]

I have been a pretty big TD supporter for the last couple of years, however in light our record during his tenure I began to wonder if I I should be as supportive as I have in the past. So what I have put together over the last week is a review of the decisions made by TD threw out his tenure. A lot of people on here are beginning to question the direction this team is heading under TD, and I figure if your going to form an opinion about his ability to be the Bills GM you must have all the information at your disposal. The information is fact, the summary's are just my opinions, in the end I hope this post will be as informative to everybody here as it was for me creating it. Also you may notice some information missing, I included only players/coaches who have made a impact on this organization during his tenure, obviously we have had a lot more transactions then those listed, however I felt it would be a tad redundant to include absolutely every transaction that has been made.

 

 

 

2001 Coaching/Management Decisions

Named Gregg Williams HC

Named Mike Shepard OC

Named Jerry Gray DC

Named Tom Modrak Director of Football Operations

 

Summary: Obviously Gregg Williams tenure as the Bills Head coach was not a very successful one, I'm not going to get into that hiring anymore because people already know enough about it. I view TD's decision to let Gregg Williams have free reign to hire his staff as a mistake no matter how well organized he was. You can debate whether or not the hiring of Gray and Modrak have been successful, is Gray's current defense a product of talent or good coaching? Or is it both? As for Modrak he seemed like a excellent hire at the time, was thought of as the great talent eye that built the Eagle teams of today, however as we are aware of already our drafts have not been very solid the last few years.

 

2001 Draft

1. Nate Clements CB Starter

2a. Aaron Schobel DE Starter

2b. Travis Henry RB Starter

3a. Ron Edwards DT Back up

3b.^ Jonas Jennings OT Starter

4. Brandon Spoon LB No longer on team

5. Marques Sullivan OT No longer on team

6a. Tony Driver S No longer on team

6b.^ Dan O'Leary TE No longer on team

6c.^ Jimmy Williams No longer on team

7a. Reggie Germany No longer on team

7b.^ Tyrone Robertson No longer on team

 

Summary: The best draft of the TD era, however it's still one that is far from being excellent. Out of 12 picks only 5 remain with the team, the good news is out of those 5 players 4 are considered some of the more talented players on the roster. The problem I have with this draft is the uncertainty of Jonas Jennings and Travis Henry, Jennings has made it clear in the past that he wants to go to Atlanta when he becomes a Free Agent this off season. As for Henry he certainly appears to be the odd man out in next years RB derby, you take away those two players and the only remaining guys from the best draft TD has ever had will be Edwards, Schobel, and Clements. Yes this is hypothetical but its well within the realm of possibility's, and IMO it the most likely scenario. Flame Away

 

2001 Free Agents/Released Players/Re-signed Players

Released Players

P Chris Mohr

G Joe Panos

NT Ted Washington

OL Ethan Albright

QB Doug Flutie

LB Sam Rogers

RB Antowain Smith

LB John Holecek

Resigned Players

WR Eric Moulds

K Steve Christie, IR Following Injury, Later Released

Free Agents

Larry Centers

Shayne Graham, signed after the Christie was injured and the Jack Arians experiment did not work out

 

Summary: You really can't say a whole lot about the off-season moves by TD in 2001, we released a lot of talented players but TD's hand was forced to do so by salary cap hell. Johnson over Flutie? None issue to me, Flutie would have been more successful that year but the talent was so low it wouldn't have mattered. I give TD props for getting us out of cap hell the way he did, he also made good decisions by re-signing Moulds and picking up Larry Centers. The only negative I see is the releasing of Christie, yes he was injured but he obviously recovered quite well and is kicking as good as he ever did today.

 

2002 Coaching/Management Decisions

Fired Mike Shepard OC

Named Kevin Gilbride OC

 

Summary: I don't feel the need to elaborate on this one

 

 

2002 Draft

1. Mike Williams T Starter

2a. Josh Reed WR Back up/Starter

2b. Ryan Denney DE Back up/Starter

3.^ Coy Wire S Back up

5. Justin Bannan DT Back up

6. Kevin Thomas CB Back up

7a. Mike Pucillo G/C Back up

7b.^ Rodney Wright WR No longer on team

7c.^ Jarrett Ferguson FB No longer on team

7d.^ Dominique Stevenson LB No longer on team

 

Summary: This draft was god awful from start to finish, how is it possible that we have that high of a draft choice and only one true starter to show for it? Mike Williams may turn into a above average OT, but he will never be half as a top 5 pick should be. Reed does not possess the ability to release into his routes and when he does he lacks the speed to get open. Denney was drafted as a project player, several years later he is still just that. Coy Wire......nevermind, you get the picture of how pitiful this draft really was.

 

2002 Free Agents/Released Players/ Resigned Players

Released Players

QB Rob Johnson

DB Ken Irvin

K Shayne Graham

OT John Fina

DE Erik Flowers

LB Sam Cowart

Resigned

DT Shawn Price

CB Chris Watson

Free Agents

LB London Fletcher

TE Dave Moore

OT Marcus Price

OT Trey Teague

LB Eddie Robinson

PK Mike Hollis

S Billy Jenkins

DE Chidi Ahanotu

Trades

KR Charles Rogers for LB Jay Foreman

QB Drew Bledsoe for 2003 #1 Draft Pick

 

Summary: TD had a few very good decisions and a few questionable ones in the 2002 off season, London Fletcher has proved to be a excellent pick up, the decision to sign him over Cowart was a very smart move. Some other players have gone on to have success with the Bills as well, Marcus Price has been a serviceable back up and Trey Teague while being very average for a couple years has come on strong before his recent injury. As for the 2002 Disasters look no further then Eddie Robinson, and the resigning of Chris Watson. The release of Shayne Graham was a mistake as he is having a very successful year with the Bengals, you can't get that upset about the move though as a veteran kicker like Hollis was a safer play. After seeing Charles Rodgers in action I would not trade a peep show mop for his services let alone Jay Forman. The Bledsoe trade has been and will be debated for a very long time, I look at it as a wash, Bledsoe has never been the answer for this team but at the time we had no other options. I don't fault TD for the experiment, I fault him for staying with it.

 

2003 Coaching/Management Decisions

Named Dick LeBeau assistant head coach

 

Summary: Good pick up by TD, this to me really went along way to show Gregg Williams ineptitude. When your Head coach is supposed to be a defensive guru yet you have to bring in another defensive guru it shows you got problems. Its basically saying that Gregg Williams needed help in an area that is supposed to be what he was known for.

 

2003 Draft

1 Willis McGahee RB Back up

2 Chris Kelsay DE Back up/Starter

3 Angelo Crowell LB Back up

4a Terrence McGee CB Back up

4b Sam Aiken WR Back up

5 Ben Sobieski G/T Practice squad

6 Lauvale Sape DT Practice squad

7 Mario Haggan LB Back up

 

Summary: So much of this drafts success hinges on the ability of Willis MaGahee to become a premier back in this league. Top 5 backs are hard to come by and if Willis ends up being put in that category then this draft will become much better. Kelsay looks like he may become an above average DE but much like Schobel he seems to lack the raw ability to be a dominant pass rusher. McGee was a real find, he is leading the NFL in kick returns and has shown that he may develop into a starting NFL corner at one point. The only other player worth mentioning from this draft is Aiken, he looks talented enough to make the transition to the NFL however until he shows he can utilize that talent on the field I'm not going to get my hopes up. I look at this draft as having the potential to yield 1 stud, 1 serviceable DE, a potential quality starting CB, and a possible 3rd Receiver. If the previously mentioned players step up and meet those expectations then this draft will be a pretty good one, if not it will be a failure.

 

2003 Free Agents/Released Players/ Resigned Players

Released Players

TE Jay Riemersma

S Billy Jenkins

FB Larry Centers

LB Eddie Robinson

CB Chris Watson

Resigned Players

QB Travis Brown

RB Travis Henry, contract extension

Free Agents

DE Keith McKenzie

LB Jeff Posey

LB Takeo Spikes

WR Bobby Shaw

S Izell Reese

WR Antonio Brown

DT Sam Adams

P Brian Moorman

G Ross Tucker

SS Lawyer Malloy

FB Sam Gash

Trade

Peerliss Price for Atlanta #1 Pick

 

Summary:This was another successful off season for TD in the free agency market, the signings of TKO, Adams, and Malloy helped turn this sorry defense into one of the more talented in the league. Also considering the fact that PP would have walked it really was a fantastic move to get Atlanta's #1 pick instead of just letting him go. Another great find this off season was Brian Moorman, he has done wonders for our kicking game and is a major asset in the battle for field position. Moves that I consider questionable are the releasing of Larry Centers and the signing of Jeff Posey. Without Centers Bledsoe lost a much needed security blanket, he would have signed cheap and it was obvious Sam Gash did not fit in very well with our offensive plans that year. As for Posey he is a serviceable OLB, however I think once TD signed Posey he has stopped looking for ways to upgrade that position. That is a big mistake considering we need our OLB's to get consistent pressure on the QB, that is something Posey has never really been able to do whether he is blitzing or lining up at DE.

 

 

2004 Coaching/Management Decisions

Fired Kevin Gilbride OC

Fired Gregg Williams HC

named Mike Mularkey HC

named Tom Clements OC

 

Summary: The firing of Gregg Williams and Kevin Gilbride certainly did not come as surprise. TD obviously made a mistake the first time around in hiring the coaching staff, whether or not he made the same mistake again is yet to be seen. Mike Mularkey has started off with an 0-4 record, just about every football critic thinks that this team is performing well below their talent level. I tend to agree with this but at the same time I don't know how anybody can call this team talented when they have never done anything on the field to back that up. I did not list the hiring of McNally and Wyche because then I would have had to list all the other position coaches that have come and gone over the years, both these position coaches are among the most respected in the game and TD deserves some credit for bringing them in. One thing that is becoming obvious to me as well is that Dick LeBeau should be the DC of this team and not Jerry Gray, why TD wouldn't make a serious push to retain the much more qualified LeBeau is beyond me.

 

 

2004 Draft

1 Lee Evans WR Back up/Starter

1 J.P. Losman QB Back up

3 Tim Anderson DT Back up

4 Tim Euhus TE Back up

7 Dylan McFarland OT Back up

7 Jonathan Smith RB Practice squad

 

Summary: It is almost impossible to judge this draft so early but it looks like TD got some very talented players with the first two draft choices. Evans has shown over the last few weeks why we drafted him as he has a 40 plus yard reception in each of the last 3 games. 3 years from now we may end up with one of the more talented WR's in the NFL so give TD credit were credit is due. JP Losman was also looking like a very solid pick up until his injury, you can't judge a player on the preseason but Losman definitely looks like he has all the tools to become a top QB in this league. As for the rest of the draft I have not seen enough of these players to make a judgment about them, my general feeling is a few players (Anderson,Euhus,McFarland) may be good depth players over the coming years and it's possible a starter may emerge from the group. Then again givin TD's previous draft history in the later rounds it would be a mistake to assume that these players will even be Bills three years from now, time will tell.

 

2004 Free Agents/Released Players/ Resigned Players

Released Players

Ruben Brown

Same Gash

Resigned Players

Aaron Schobel, contract extension

Drew Bledsoe, contract renegotiation

Free Agents

FB Daimon Shelton

G Lawrence Smith

CB Troy Vincent

OG Chris Villarrial

Trades

2004 2nd round pick, 2005 first round pick, for Cowboys 2004 first round pick, selected JP Losman with Cowboys 2004 first round pick.

 

Summary: The Bills had a relatively quiet off season compared to the last few seasons, the two big name free agents in this years crop were Troy Vincent and Chris Villarrial. Both players have performed at average levels so far this season. I look at Villerial as a upgrade over Brown, but don't feel the same way about Vincent over Winfield. Yes Vincent is injured but he has played in a couple games and has yet to get a interception, to be fair you can't really say it was a mistake to get Vincent over Winfield. We simply could not have afforded the inflated contract Winfield got from the Vikings and Vincent was the best free agent option available. I would not call Lawrence Smith a find, he was not a well known player and is starting but I still don't think thats saying a whole hell of a lot with this offensive line. The only other problem I have with these transactions is the big money Schobel received, he was set to become a free agent this off season so I'm glad TD retained the only DE threat on this team. The thing I don't like is the size of the contract, Schobel puts up some nice stats but its obvious to me he will never be an elite DE, he relies on one move to beat OT's and since it is a speed rush he tends to take himself out of the play way to often. As for the much discussed trade to acquire JP Losman it is still way to early to judge that as a failure. The pick we gave Dallas may very well end up being a top 10 selection but if JP can become a good QB and carry this team for the next ten years then I would gladly relinquish a pick that high. If he busts it could be the second worst decision of the TD era only behind the hiring of the original coaching staff.

 

 

What I see when I look at this information is exactly what I see when I watch the Bills play on Sundays, we have no continuity because we have gotten most our talent as a result of the free agency and not the draft. This plug and play fashion has left this team as a bunch of individuals and not a unit, we have no consistency with the roster or the coaching staff and when that happens its no surprise that we are losing the way we are. Perhaps the most baffling thing about TD's tenure is his complete disregard for the problems along the offensive line, can some please explain to me why TD would address the most glaring weakness of this team the last few years with one draft pick in the first three rounds. Other then that we have picked up a couple average free agents and drafted several late round linemen most of witch are no longer on the team. Is that the proper way to handle what is arguably the most critical aspect of a football team? TD has made some good decisions as the Bills GM but they certainly don't outweigh the bad ones, I don't care how respected he is by his peers, his record as Bills GM is 17-35 and when you look at this information it really is not that surprising. I will no longer be TD advocate and after doing this summary I can't find a valid reason why he should be the GM of the Bills beyond this season.

[JinVA]

Dude can I get that on cassette?

[Mikie2times]

Dude can I get that on cassette?

71456[/snapback]

 

Ya I know it is long, I just did a little bit each day this week. I guess I'm just sick of watching this team lose the same way all the time, I feel like this helped me understand a lot of why this team is the way it is.

[JinVA]

All kidding aside good post. You may be on to something with the FA's and never really establishing team chemistry, it would certainly answer alot of questions. Lets just hope the JP,Willis and Evans era gives this team what its been missing

[34-78-83]

Good work Kzoo, that's a nice layout and you express your points well. The only problem I see is that you tend to weigh the cheap, minimum/low salary signing failures (Robinson/ Watson, etc.) up there or equally with the high priced FA signings (which btw have all worked out pretty well). Sometimes you just take a stab at a player and if there is nothing really to lose in return, no harm done.

[Mikie2times]

Good work Kzoo, that's a nice layout and you express your points well. The only problem I see is that you tend to weigh the cheap, minimum/low salary signing failures (Robinson/ Watson, etc.) up there or equally with the high priced FA signings (which btw  have all worked out pretty well). Sometimes you just take a stab at a player and if there is nothing really to lose in return, no harm done.

71484[/snapback]

 

Agreed, my intention was to be impartial, the more I worked on it the more frustrated I got reveiwing the recent drafts, as a result the poor Eddie Robinsons of the world got the rath.

[BillnutinHouston]

Send me the cliff notes please.

[Like A Mofo]

Kzoo, one of the best posts Ive have ever read on this board..some long winded posts are a waste of time but this one definately wasnt one of them, here were the parts I liked:

 

After seeing Charles Rodgers in action I would not trade a peep show mop for his services let alone Jay Forman.

 

Classic line!

 

 

About Bledsoe:

I don't fault TD for the experiment; I fault him for staying with it.

 

Couldnt agree more. Bledsoe was worth the gamble AT THE TIME, but now TD has let it go too far and should have cut him after 2003.

 

The pick we gave Dallas may very well end up being a top 10 selection but if JP can become a good QB and carry this team for the next ten years then I would gladly relinquish a pick that high.

 

This should be every Bills fans focus right now regarding this draft pick. If Losman is an excellent QB for 10 years, who cares what Dallas gets???? Now like you said, if JP is a bust, thats another story...

[SDS]

FatFakeSunny writes that on the back of envelopes...

 

Amatuer.

[Bill from NYC]

Dude, that was as good as anything I have ever seen on TBD. Thank you for all the work that you did on that posting. Posts like that are the reason that I don't even care about, nor bother posting on other Bills sites.

 

I am most impressed by the comment about LeBeau, the Offensive Line, and the 2002 draft.

 

There is no reason for Gray to be DC ahead of LeBeau. Moreover, if/when Gray is fired, imo he will do well to land a job as a positional coach. He is just not good.

 

As for the OL and the 2002 draft, these problems are primarily one and the same. Drafting Big Mike in lieu of McKinnie was an unorthodox move and a stupid chance to take. I would like to see another example of a GM passing up a stud LT in order to grab a plodding, obese RT with a questionable ankle at the time. It may never happen again, and was SO dumb, I will never be at peace with it. How does this get fixed? NOT by trading away the possible first pick of the 05 draft, this is certain.

 

Another thing that makes your post splendid is the tone of fairness. Yes, TD HAS made some sensational moves. Fletcher, Big Sam, Takeo and the Lawyer are very good players, and London came cheap. That said, the drafts were piss poor, and the Williams pick will hurt our salary cap and thus cripple the organization for many years, and that is a sad fact.

 

Again, thanks for a great, thought provoking post. If it were up to me, it would be pinned.

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

Speaking as one overly long poster to another I'm impressed with not only the quantity of your work but the quality. Thanks loads.

 

I agree with most of the internals of your assessments and think they are right on target. Your Bledsoe summary is the one to make I think from a realistic football view. Most posters here come off as just fans rather than having any sense of football analysis as I think any reasonable football assessment of the Bledsoe deal needs to show nuance rather make some flat out conclusion that the move was all bad or all good. Your summary that the fault is not to be found in making the move but sticking with it is the right one in my book. I think the same is mostly true as seen in the lack of hyperventilation seen in your assessment of other moves.

 

I do depart from your view in a couple of areas:

 

I think you give picking up Villarial as being equal to or even better for the Bills as compared to the OL losing Ruben Brown. I think you are correct that Villarial is probably an individual talent upgrade over Brown. However, I think posters do not give enough credit to how much Brown's necessary demise (I'd probably get rid of any player who challenged the coaches so openly even if Kevin Killdrive and the Ruel/Vinklarek OL area deserved to be challenged).

 

Villarial is a vet like Brown was and actually seems to have a bit more left as a player than Brown does. However, Villarial has not replaced what Ruben brought to the OL as a longtime Bill, a constant Pro Bowler (deserved or not) and recognized team leader with a TV gig etcetera. Look at it this way, the 2002 season saw an OL with Jennings playing LT for the first time as a constant starter, RB at LG, Teague as a first time starter since college at C, Sullivan as a first time starter at RG and rookie MW at RT. This unique sucked preventing sacks but played OL in front of a productive passing game earning Pro Bowl honors for several skill players and a productive running game for featuring TH. Was the reason for this a Vinklarek who got canned form this job by his buddy GW? Was it the leadership of the rookie C Teague? Was it the presence of the flett-footed Bledsoe? Was it all Kevin Killdrive's doing?

 

I think the answer is that it was actually RB who provided a lot of leadership since he was a seasoned vet, a team and city leader and had the Pro Bowl chops (deserved or not) that he was listened to and followed by the youngsters. The production turned down last season, but Ruben's amger turned up as clearly something wasn't happening that he thought should happen. I don't think that the guys who got canned deserve credit for the good things this line did in the past and I look to what is missing now and among them is any internal leadership of the OL. Villatrial is a nice vet replacement for Brown but the team still misses the leadership he provided in my view.

 

The other point I would disagree with is the centrality of the draft in making a team a winner. A full analysis of the consistent good teams in the league would need to be done to truly assess this point. However, i think it is hard to look at the Pats who won 2 of the lAST 3 and make the claim that the key to the building of this winner was the draft. Granted the draft was important to this team as it is to all teams. Hpwever, particularly when one looks at the importance of their 1st day choices, I think that the Pats drafting of high profile players was an add-on to the quality work of Scott Piloi and the braintrust making some great FA pick-ups.

 

If you want to make a case for the draft being critical to the Pats success one would need to go to their late second day pick-up of Tom Brady in the sixth round after they let every other team in the league have multiple shots at drafting a player who has turned out to be the most productive player chosen in the last several years (if not ever after two SB wins in his first four years). However, they won the SB with the basics of this team by not only picking up a bumch of key FAs but doing so after the June 1st cap cuts.

 

I think the key to the Pats is not building a team around the draft, but building a TEAM period with FAs playing a huge role.

 

I think your continuity point is a good one, but this coninuity was not found through the draft but by having an HC who has proven larger than life who has helped make them a TEAM. One of the great Pats ironies is (and perhaps having a similar basis to your frustration with the Bills) is that one irony is that among the keys for their success were:

 

1. The 2001 injury to Bledsoe- If he had not been grievously injured, I think itis quite doubtful the 2001 Pats would have even mad the playoff much less win an SB. Bledsoe\s injury not only allowed Brady to come to the fore, but the grievous nature of theB;edsoe collapsed lung forced every player to do a gut check and step up or not. The stepped up and became a TEAM.

 

2. BB mishandling Milloy- After the 31-0 bookend shellackings with the Bills last year I don't think anyone credibly says that things did not go as BB planned last year in terms of the route the team took to the SB win even if the goal was what BB had in mind all along. BB deserves a ton of credit for doing the right things in the face of adversity, but much the adversity was of his own making or injuries which no one controls. Again the BB Milloy mistakes and the injuries forced every player to do a gut check and step up or not. They stepped uo. FA pick-ups like Rodney Harrison were a key to this.

 

I think this actually points to what I see as the primary missing element for a Bills team that has the individual players to at least be competitive and actually make the playoff. They need a Parcells, a BB, even a JJ to be larger than life and force them to do their own individual gut checks and become a TEAM.

 

I fault TD for seemingly having his primary motivation be to not get fired by a guy who hired him. He needs to protect himself by making this TEAM his publicly the way it is actually his team privately. Letting GW make his own mistakes ans then deservedly firing him is not good enough for this fan.

 

Her may not be good enough himself as a footbal mind, but I'd rather see him try it his way and fail than see him pick someone who cannot do job like GW (and maybe MM) and fire him when he does fail.

[Bill from NYC]

FFS, your post was also good and I thank you.

Would you mind addressing the issues of Gray over LeBeau and the 2002 draft? Of course, I am stressing the issue of the selection of Mike Williams.

Thanks.

[Mikie2times]

I appreciate all the kind words. Just a quick response to some posts.

 

-Bill I agree that those three areas you discussed are among the more catastrophic mistakes under the TD regime.

 

- FFS I have always enjoyed your posts and certainly can't argue with the points you made in your response. I probably placed to much emphasis on the draft forming continuity, I'm sure the coaching carousel had a equally large impact. I also agree that RB departure did leave this line without leadership, I think many believed McNally could just instil that quality but its much more difficult then that.

 

-Clements I hear ya about the draft pick situation for next year, I just wish people would give JP a chance before we label that trade a failure.

[buckeyemike]

Dude, you're taking lessons from Barry Brady.

 

Good post.

 

Mike

[pm73]

great post....now can you do the same for both presidential candidates for me?

 

actually one very very impacting move (IMHO) that TD made that you didn't mention was the phase out and eventual release of director of player personnel Dwight Adams. DA had a SOLID record in his 15 or so years participating in player drafts for the Buffalo Bills. I think he had a major say in TDs first draft (which as you mentioned was his best) and then lost clout each year till he was let go.

 

DA was a great guy, and someone I think made this franchise better. we have gotton worse since his departure.

[jahnyc]

A couple of things that I find interesting about the TD reign:

 

1. After four years, we still have needs at the same positions as when TD was hired (i.e., safety, fullback, tightend and o-line).

 

2. I must give TD at least some credit for trying to generate excitement and energize the fans.

 

3. What will ultimately do him in will be what was perceived as his strength: drafting. He has failed to draft a quality safety, defensive tackle, offensive lineman (other than maybe Jennings), and tight end. Who knows about the linebackers he has drafted since the three that start are free agent additions.

 

4. He really had the opportunity to build a team. By this I mean that he was able to choose the head coach, jettison veterans, sign free agents and draft as he saw fit (without any interference). He also had an owner who seemed willing to spend money and be patient for at least the first couple of years. He had the power but he failed to execute.

[/dev/null]

Dude can I get that on cassette?

71456[/snapback]

 

i can sum it up in cliff notes for ya

17-35

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

FFS, your post was also good and I thank you.

Would you mind addressing the issues of Gray over LeBeau and the 2002 draft? Of course, I am stressing the issue of the selection of Mike Williams.

Thanks.

71720[/snapback]

 

Sure can, I think my views on these issues tend to buck the conventional wisdom since I think that wisdom labels Gray a failure and gives LeBeau all the credit for the D and Gray none (I don't think Gray is a failure at all and though all things being equal I'd take LeBeau over Gray, all things aren't equal and I think Gray was probably the best choice for the Bills given the two of them. Also I think MW has disappointed big time, but this disappointment is due to a number of factors and not just MW as a player and its too early to declare him a bust and his production can be reversed and he can have a very good career though it will take a lot of work by him and the Bills (This summary will have to do as CliffNotes)

 

Gray- The concept that he is a bad coach is silly from my perspective:

 

1. He called D set-ups and plays during all games last year and the team performed extraordinarily well with his playcalling. No doubt about it the zone blitz the Bills ran last year and still run this year is LeBeau's D and his design, However, you have to totally understand and command a scheme to run it as well as the Bills D last year and Gray did that. In many ways I was even more impressed with Gray's work last yearthan I was with LeBeau's as Dick did the difficult job of adapting his D to the Bills D and teaching it, but i think the Gray job of learning the new D and implementing it was an even more impressive performance. Gray made it possible to let LeBeau go because he mastered LeBeau's scheme and also separated himself from GW by operating well and better as GW's production continued to go south.

 

2. The D continues to have a great shortcoming that they do not close the deal at the end of the game, but performing well for the vast majority of most games means they perform well for the vast majority of most games. If ever there is an example of folks wanting to throw the baby out with the bathwater it is the idea of blaming poor play by the D or Gray's coaching for the Bills losses. Look. Clements should have knocked the ball down, Oakland should not have been allowed their last drive for a score, Rashad Baker should not have taken a dumb penalty which allowed the Pats to have a 7 point lead before the Bledsoe fumble, the D should not have allowed a Pennington drive for a game winning FG. However, this is a D playing with an O that has yet to score a rushing TD in 4 games. This is still statistically one of the better Ds in the league and has held opponents below 20 points in 3 of the 4 losses. The Bills D is not adequate to win with this O and that is what it is all about, but that does not mean that the D is horrible and the idea that you would start all over and end it rather than mend it makes little football sense.

 

3. Like it or not race matters in this society and even in a bigger way in a game in which something like 2/3 of the players are African-American and about 10% of the HCs are. Call it what you want, but given that Gray was a former player is closer to the players in age than he is to Ralph Wilson's age and many of the top D players are African-American there aimply are advantages to having an adequate talent as DC who happens to be A-A than having another old white guy who is adequate as DC get the job. I'm not saying that Gray got the job only because he is Black, as I said above I think he can do the job and do it well. However, I think he brings many things to the braintrust team that are helpful to have in terms of managing the workers and because race matters in thie society and the racial balance of the boys in charge of the Bills is typical of the racial balanceof the boys in charge of the league Gray's race is quite a helpful thing to have in an adequate candidate.

 

All things being equal I picked an HC talent over a DC talent. All things being equal I'd pick the orginator of a defense over someone who has learned that defense well. However, few things are equal in the society and I think both LeBeau and Gray are good choices for the job but I can see Gray really making or braintrust more complete.

 

Williams- The concept he is a bust or even that he was a bad choice strike me as incorrect.

 

I have problems with MW as a player after he caved in and gained weight when the Grandmother who raised him died. A better player would have used his lost as motivation to get in even better shape and play for her and her memory. However, though a better player would have reacted this way, assessment of him as a player is secondary to assessment of him as a person.

 

Sometimes when someone close to you dies you get rocked. His reaction is unfortunate but quite understandable. Quite frankly if I was him or a member of his family how gooda professional he is important but it is way secondary to what type of person he is. His attitude toward his work can certainly be an indicator of how he deals with the important things like family, friends, spirituality and other things but one should not confuse them as being the same thing. I simply do not know MW well enough to draw conclusions about the depth of his character based on how he let his teammates and the City down. It doesn't look good but I think that one really risks drawing some wrong conclusions if one attempts to measure the man by how he reacted to this death.

 

That being said, all I really care about is how MW affects my team. I\m sorry his grandma died but suck it uo man. After being sent some pretty stiff messages by threatened benching of him he seems to be doing thaAs far as assessing him as a player, I think the big issue is that he is where he is today because of 2 years of non-development as a player under the not-ready-for primetime tenures of Vinky and Ruel. There experience as NFL OL coaches was simply substandard and I think MW's development suffered greatly for it. Even worse he spent his rookie year next to Sullivan who obviously had litttle to teach him as he would have prospered even ie lined up next to a Joe Pano or Jerry O. Last year he had Pacillo next to him and actually despite his arrested development his rookie year suddenly found himself in a position where he needed to take care of the stiff next to him. If only MW had begun under the hand of someone like JMac with Villarial next to him I think it would have made a world of difference in the level of his play today but the good news is that it already seems to be bearing some benefits in his performance and by next season we could have a totally different assessment of MWs play and prospects if he is diligent in learning the rest of this season and working out next off-season.

 

As far as the decision to draft him over McKinnie I see the only unorthodox thing about this move is that MW played RT in college in front of a left-handed QB. He still had blindside duty but tended to face the second best rusher of some opponents. Given McKinnie\s holdout and intial attitude MW was by far a better pick at the time and for about a year afterwards/ McKinnie has started to come around yet, but is no Pro Bowler yet so anointing this an obvious no-brainer choice seems a bit much to me/ I see some complaints about MW being damaged goods because of his ankle, but in the film i saw prior to the draft I saw no evidence of this as in fact MW seemed unusally fast and athletic for such a big man. Even as a Pro his injury problems seem to stem from him getting overweight and then doing to much as he tried to scramble and get back in shape and it led to him damaging his arch rather than his ankle giving out.

 

MW has not impressed at all, but he has also not shown himself to be a total failure as a player. The rest of this seasn and next will tell.

 

That's what I think of these two iassues Bill.

[Fan in San Diego]

Good post.

 

I think you and the posters have hit on the real problem with the Bills. They lack cohesiveness as a team and thus we have mental errors and breakdowns when it counts most. This is a talented group of 53 players but they dont always play as a team.

 

How does the Pats seem to bring in FA's and become a team? Answer that question and you have the solution for the Bills. Can we hire a consultant for building team chemistry?

 

Squish the fish !

[Nanker]

The guy came here four years ago with carte blanche to rebuild the house.

Four years into his three year plan it looks like he needs a three year extension to get the job done.

 

Any football executive could have taken the team below the cap in one year, and after griping and grousing, the fans would have bought into it if it were presented that the Bills were cleaning house, and rebuilding. But we were given false hope from the beginning that we weren't rebuilding, we were reloading.

 

I think his draft history with the Bills is mediocre. His most "distinguished" moves have been his crap shoots, and those have left him dangerously close to being labeled a crack pot. Like a little girl maneuvering ahead in line to get the biggest piece of birthday cake at a party, he traded up to get ahead of his old team to draft Ryan Denny. Ooooooh! What a prize. Thank the Football Gods that we snagged that sweet prize away from Chowderface! I'm all weepy.

 

This team still has glaring needs at the foundation four years into the program. He hasn't spent enough energy at getting this team's offense strong up the middle and its defense strong over the middle. What we got were reaches like McGahee that can't or don't contribute to the job at hand while the Good Ship USSRalphie is taking on water and listing to port.

 

Drew makes the O-Line look a lot worse than it actually is (and it is bad). We will never win a Superbowl with Drew. We may never get to the playoffs with Drew. I know the old man is drunk with Drew's arm, and loves his character. Well, Ralphie loved Joe Ferguson for the same reasons. Their results are similar too.

 

So now MM is on the horns of a dilemma. He's got to let Drew air it out this Sunday and beyond, to please the owner. But Drew can't air it out because he doesn't have a line that can protect him for thirty seconds. Donna-ho has failed to build an even adequate NLF O-Line, yet alone one that Drew requires to be successful.

 

If Army goes 1-10 for their season and then beats 11-0 Navy, they've had a winning season. This week's Bills - Minni-me game is similar in proportion - but not quite. If the Bills beat the S.FL Felons this week in the clash of the gerbils, it won't make our season. But it could kill it, and a few careers too.