Ask Tim Graham

[ax4782]

Tim,

 

Thanks for doing this. I have two questions. First, now that Coles is signed in Cincinnati, what is Buffalo's next option in looking for a legitimate number 2 wide out opposite Evans in free agency? OBD seemed to say Galloway was in the building today, but that doesn't seem like the best option.

 

Second, is there any remaining truth to the rumor that Buffalo is pushing hard to get Brian Waters from KC to plug the gap created by Dockery's departure at LG? It seems that any speculation on that point has fizzled away.

[TimGraham]

Mr. Graham, isn't it TRUE that you resided in Buffalo? And isn't it also TRUE that you are planning to reside there again?

 

("OBJECTION! Badgering the witness!")

 

Your Honor, please this is important.

("I'll allow it")

 

Isn't it also TRUE that you resided in LAS VEGAS, also known as SIN CITY?

 

("Oooooooh")

BANG!

("I will clear this courtroom, no more outbursts")

 

Now, if I asked you who had the best fans in the AFC East, how can we be sure that your opinion, which is clearly that they are Bills fans, has not been tainted by your time in Buffalo and corrupted by your wild lifestyle in Las Vegas?

 

Answer the question! Who has the best fans in the AFC East, Mr. Graham?

 

I have not lived in Buffalo. I lived in the Town of Tonawanda. But I did have a Buffalo zip code.

 

I did live in Las Vegas. Off of Durango, north of Tropicana.

 

My answer to the last question would be tainted by the fact I interact with Bills fans much more than those of the other three teams. But when it comes to my chats, the Bills fans come out strongest when their team is winning.

[TimGraham]

Tim,

 

Thanks for doing this. I have two questions. First, now that Coles is signed in Cincinnati, what is Buffalo's next option in looking for a legitimate number 2 wide out opposite Evans in free agency? OBD seemed to say Galloway was in the building today, but that doesn't seem like the best option.

 

Second, is there any remaining truth to the rumor that Buffalo is pushing hard to get Brian Waters from KC to plug the gap created by Dockery's departure at LG? It seems that any speculation on that point has fizzled away.

 

Not sure what the Bills have in mind at receiver. I would agree that Galloway doesn't seem like the best fit for their needs, but that's purely from an outside perspective. I don't know what their strategy is on that position.

 

As for Waters, I have heard the same rumor you have. But I have heard nothing that corroborates it. I did read a Jason Whitlock column that said Waters wouldn't be traded.

[TimGraham]

Tim,

 

What are your thoughts on Tony Scheffler and how he could possibly be the missing link @ TE that we've been missing since Pete Metzelaars?

I mean, this situation couldn't be any better.. Denver wants to get rid of him because he doesn't fit in their system and we need a receiving TE in the worst way.

 

edit: oops, beaten by alphadawg on this question already

 

He would be a great addition for the Bills. If he truly is on the market as reported, I'm sure the Bills have looked or are looking into it. We don't know what the Broncos might be asking for in return.

[bills_fan]

Hey Tim

 

Why all the RBs coming into OBD? Could a Marshawn trade be in the works...Boldin perhaps?

 

Thanks.

[quikchomp]

I have not lived in Buffalo. I lived in the Town of Tonawanda. But I did have a Buffalo zip code.

 

I did live in Las Vegas. Off of Durango, north of Tropicana.

 

My answer to the last question would be tainted by the fact I interact with Bills fans much more than those of the other three teams. But when it comes to my chats, the Bills fans come out strongest when their team is winning.

Cool, I grew up in that zip code, a block off of the Blvd. near the DQ.

 

As for a question - is there even a 1% chance the Bills will look into T.O.? Perhaps just to call Rosenhaus and see if there's interest? Rosenhaus has a (seemingly) good relationship with the Bills.

[Lori]

quik, you (and others) may want to head over to the blog to check out Tim's T.O. Index for the four AFC East teams ...

[Peter]

Tim,

 

Thanks for doing this. There are so many questions that I would like to ask you. For the time being, I will ask about the most important issue:

 

What do you hear about the prospects of the Bills staying in Buffalo?

 

Is it a fact that Mr. Wilson has made no plans?

 

Are there potential buyers for the team who have the money and will keep the team in Buffalo?

 

Do you think that the commissioner's ties to Western New York will help?

 

Do you know what the relocation fee is? (Some on the board have posted that it is 100s of millions of dollars).

 

One of the sad facts of being a Buffalo Bills fan (unlike the fans of nearly all of the teams) is that, not only do we have to worry about their performance on the field, we have to worry about their very existence in Buffalo.

[lets_go_bills]

About Lynch,

 

Is he going to be traded/shopped?

 

How long is his suspension gonna be?

[stang21]

Tim,

What are the chances that Buffalo would try and bring in Terrell Owens for a visit? I think they should take a chance on him for a year as he is exactly what is needed to get us into the playoffs.

[krazy8321]

quik, you (and others) may want to head over to the blog to check out Tim's T.O. Index for the four AFC East teams ...

 

 

Tim,

What are the chances that Buffalo would try and bring in Terrell Owens for a visit? I think they should take a chance on him for a year as he is exactly what is needed to get us into the playoffs.

...

[BuffaloBill]

Tim -

 

Thank you for your participation in this forum. My question is: Can we return the favor? For example, does it help you if there are more hits on your web page (I assume so)? Glad to return the favor if we can.

[Kelly the Dog]

Tim, thanks a great deal for doing this. You obviously understand the changeover in the news business.

 

My question is: What kind of legitimate trade value, if at all, does Roscoe have if we sign a veteran WR for 1-2 years while we wait for Hardy and Steve Johnson to mature. I am not necessarily advocating it, because I still think he can be used effectively as a spot WR if we knew how to use him. But if our coaches can't figure that out, I think we could do well enough with Fred Jackson being the PR and being spelled by Leodis once or twice a game when we need a big return. Does someone as good at PR (the all-time NFL leader) as Parrish is, with some under-utilized talent at WR, have any trade value?

[scribo]

Sure, now we have our inside track to Tim, but in case you want more...and it would proably help him, stop by his chat today at 3 p.m.

 

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-6-30/...-at-3-p-m-.html

[TimGraham]

Tim,

 

Given Buffalo's interest in RB's such as Fred Taylor, Kevin Jones, and DeShaun Foster, who to me seem to be very capable RB's at still at this point in their careers, do you think the Bills may be thinking about may be moving either Lynch of Jackson via trade? Seems these RB's are more suited as a #2 RB than a #3 at this point, so I wonder if the Bills are entertaining the idea of trading Lynch or Jackson and bringing one of these guys in as the backup to whoever we keep. I know Lynch could be looking at suspension, but Jackson has shown to be capable of handling the load just fine, so seems weird we would bring a RB of this caliber in as a #3 RB just in case Lynch is suspended a couple of games.

 

Seems like AZ (Boldin), Den (Scheffler), and KC (Waters) might be good trading partners if we did decide to move one of our 2 backs...do you have any reason to think the FO is thinking the same thing?

 

Based on conversations I've had with people who would know, the Bills are not shopping Marshawn Lynch. He will remain their primary back.

[TimGraham]

Sure, now we have our inside track to Tim, but in case you want more...and it would proably help him, stop by his chat today at 3 p.m.

 

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-6-30/...-at-3-p-m-.html

 

Yeah, but you guys get me every day.

 

I usually will be able to sit down and answer most questions at night, but I will try to stop by once or twice during the day.

[TimGraham]

Tim -

 

Thank you for your participation in this forum. My question is: Can we return the favor? For example, does it help you if there are more hits on your web page (I assume so)? Glad to return the favor if we can.

 

I'd love it if everybody prowled around my AFC East blog on ESPN.com. Leaving comments would be good, too. My bosses seem to notice comment counts more than anything else, and I interact with readers there, too.

 

But don't go out of your way.

[TimGraham]

About Lynch,

 

Is he going to be traded/shopped?

 

How long is his suspension gonna be?

 

I'm confident the Bills will keep him. I would say two or four games, with my hunch being the former.

[TimGraham]

Thanks Tim!

 

Any word on whether Buffalo has explored a trade for Scheffler?

 

This has been a frequent question, but I haven't been able to find anything out about this. But I'm guessing the Bills at least have spoken to the Broncos.

[haus]

Hey Tim. Appreciate what your doing here. My question is simple. After 3 consecutive 7-9 seasons, and not a whole lot of results in free agency, it appears the Buffalo Bills have somewhat thrown in the towel. Do you believe this is the case here? With what most consider a grueling schedule this coming year, do you think its to late as of this point too turn things around? And if we are going to loose a majority of our games, maybe we should trade a majority of our older players for draft picks and maybe try and make a run in a few years. Thanks much.

[WellDressed]

Tim,

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to interact with the media on a very personal level.

 

When Eric Moulds left here on bad terms he went to houston and then tennessee, he was 5 yds. shy of 10,000 for his career. Do you have any idea if he made himself available to play last year.

 

After typing this I googled him and found out he had a workout with TB in May of last year and was not signed. Were you with ESPN back in 2005?? If you were might you have any dirt about his end of the year fiasco??

 

Thanks,

Chuck from Philly [proud owner of an eagle hunting licence]

[jax bill backer]

Tim

 

 

Do you know of anyone who might buy the bills. thanks

[GG]

Tim,

 

Can you settle the long running dilemma here - in the past four years, who's had the final say on personnel decisions - draft & FA?

 

No one in the front office wants to take "credit" - as if each member was given an "I'm with Stupid" t-shirt by Ralph.

[Lori]

Mr. Pants,

FWIW, Tim was still in Buffalo covering the Sabres for The News in 2005.

 

I'd love it if everybody prowled around my AFC East blog on ESPN.com. Leaving comments would be good, too. My bosses seem to notice comment counts more than anything else, and I interact with readers there, too.

 

But don't go out of your way.

They must really love that Cassel post, then. Still trying to figure out how it morphed into 2,700+ comments and a debate on the Steelers and steroids, but I'm sure not going to dive into that mess to find out. Oh, wait -- that was the one where we found out how many of your commenters have never read "Alice in Wonderland," too. Down the rabbit-hole we go.

 

If I might toss in a couple of questions ...

 

- Judging by the guys they've looked at, we can be reasonably sure the Bills seek an upgrade at weakside 'backer. But considering their paper-thin depth at all three LB positions last year, could you see them signing more than one free agent and/or drafting one on the first day?

 

-This one's very, very important. Is the bleu cheese for the wings or the celery?

[sandiegobillsfan]

The blue cheese was for the celery in the beginning. But it tastes so much better on the wings. DUFFS #1

Mr. Pants,

FWIW, Tim was still in Buffalo covering the Sabres for The News in 2005.

 

 

They must really love that Cassel post, then. Still trying to figure out how it morphed into 2,700+ comments and a debate on the Steelers and steroids, but I'm sure not going to dive into that mess to find out. Oh, wait -- that was the one where we found out how many of your commenters have never read "Alice in Wonderland," too. Down the rabbit-hole we go.

 

If I might toss in a couple of questions ...

 

- Judging by the guys they've looked at, we can be reasonably sure the Bills seek an upgrade at weakside 'backer. But considering their paper-thin depth at all three LB positions last year, could you see them signing more than one free agent and/or drafting one on the first day?

 

-This one's very, very important. Is the bleu cheese for the wings or the celery?

[TimGraham]

Hey Tim. Appreciate what your doing here. My question is simple. After 3 consecutive 7-9 seasons, and not a whole lot of results in free agency, it appears the Buffalo Bills have somewhat thrown in the towel. Do you believe this is the case here? With what most consider a grueling schedule this coming year, do you think its to late as of this point too turn things around? And if we are going to loose a majority of our games, maybe we should trade a majority of our older players for draft picks and maybe try and make a run in a few years. Thanks much.

 

I don't think they've consciously thrown in the towel, but they sure seem like an organization that has run out of ideas. When that happens, new blood is needed in the front office. They have declined to bring in new blood.

[TimGraham]

Tim,

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to interact with the media on a very personal level.

 

When Eric Moulds left here on bad terms he went to houston and then tennessee, he was 5 yds. shy of 10,000 for his career. Do you have any idea if he made himself available to play last year.

 

After typing this I googled him and found out he had a workout with TB in May of last year and was not signed. Were you with ESPN back in 2005?? If you were might you have any dirt about his end of the year fiasco??

 

Thanks,

Chuck from Philly [proud owner of an eagle hunting licence]

 

In 2005 I was covering the Sabres for the Buffalo News. Well, for the second half of 2005 I was. During the first half of 2005 I was looking for ways to justify my paycheck.

[TimGraham]

Tim,

 

Can you settle the long running dilemma here - in the past four years, who's had the final say on personnel decisions - draft & FA?

 

No one in the front office wants to take "credit" - as if each member was given an "I'm with Stupid" t-shirt by Ralph.

 

Nobody makes a decision without Ralph's blessing. But in general, Tom Modrak makes the draft decisions. John Guy makes the free agency recommendations and Jim Overdorf keeps them within the budget.

[TimGraham]

Mr. Pants,

FWIW, Tim was still in Buffalo covering the Sabres for The News in 2005.

 

 

They must really love that Cassel post, then. Still trying to figure out how it morphed into 2,700+ comments and a debate on the Steelers and steroids, but I'm sure not going to dive into that mess to find out. Oh, wait -- that was the one where we found out how many of your commenters have never read "Alice in Wonderland," too. Down the rabbit-hole we go.

 

If I might toss in a couple of questions ...

 

- Judging by the guys they've looked at, we can be reasonably sure the Bills seek an upgrade at weakside 'backer. But considering their paper-thin depth at all three LB positions last year, could you see them signing more than one free agent and/or drafting one on the first day?

 

-This one's very, very important. Is the bleu cheese for the wings or the celery?

 

Bleu cheese (never ranch) is for the wings. And I prefer carrots to the celery ...

 

I can see the Bills signing more than one linebacker, but their track record is to spend on the first-stringers and skimp on the backups. That's why it's easier to envision them signing a free agent and drafting another. At east to me, anyway. But I'm just guessing.

[TimGraham]

Tim

 

 

Do you know of anyone who might buy the bills. thanks

 

The Jim Kelly/Jack Kemp group has been out there, but I'd like to hear where they're getting their money. And Jack Kemp is said to be quite ill. Ted Rogers was another serious possibility, but he passed away last fall.

 

Ralph might outlive everybody.

[BEeEassyy]

Tim, with everyone that has come in this past week! are the bills going to sign any of them? I mean there has been a lot of great players to visit OBD, but we haven't had any word on what's really going on....

[Bill from NYC]

Nobody makes a decision without Ralph's blessing. But in general, Tom Modrak makes the draft decisions. John Guy makes the free agency recommendations and Jim Overdorf keeps them within the budget.

 

Tim, I apologize if I appear to be splitting hairs, but there has been a lot of discussion about this very issue among posters for whom I have a great deal of respect.

 

I am asking specifically about the war room. Are you telling us that Levy and Jauron had/have less say in terms of pulling the trigger on a specific draft choice than Modrak, and that it was Modrak who spurned trade down offers and drafted Whitner for example? I heard Levy say on Sirius that there were multiple trade offers for the #8. Do you see where I am going? Please understand that I am not speaking at all about talent evaluation. I am ONLY asking about the actual selection of a player on draft day.

 

If you are saying this is the case, I would be stunned. I have never, ever heard of a situation such as this. Do you know of any other? With total respect, as well as appreciation for you spending time with us, I gotta tell ya that this is hard to believe.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

Nobody makes a decision without Ralph's blessing. But in general, Tom Modrak makes the draft decisions. John Guy makes the free agency recommendations and Jim Overdorf keeps them within the budget.

As a follow-up to GG's question, can I ask if you know how involved Dick Jauron is in the process? Some here have suggested he was virtually a full-fledged Coach/GM through his first 3 seasons here. One would think he at least contributes in personnel discussions.

 

Thanks, Tim.

[GG]

Nobody makes a decision without Ralph's blessing. But in general, Tom Modrak makes the draft decisions. John Guy makes the free agency recommendations and Jim Overdorf keeps them within the budget.

 

Cool, but as others have followed, who is the final decider? Ralph's cryptic comments that Modrak would now be part of the inner circle, and Guy telling Lori that he just makes player recommendations, not the actual decisions - still leave the ambiguity regarding who's actually in charge.

 

Lori brought up a good point - when Bills were short of LBs, they brought in Mario Haggan & Tedy Lehman for workouts. Haggan played well in spot duty here and was great on ST, yet the Bills signed Lehman, who wasn't even healthy enough to dress.

 

Leads me to conclude that Jauron had a lot more personnel power than your average 7-9 coach.

[PromoTheRobot]

Tim,

 

What's with the parade of players at One Bills Drive? Is it because no one wants to play in Buffalo or for the Bills? Do they keep bringing guys and and hearing "No Thanks."? Do they just come to Buffalo to see if the Bills will overpay them before heading to teams they'd rather play for? I'm getting concerned we will not make any key FA signings because no one wants to come here.

 

PTR

[Magox]

Hi Tim,

 

As you know, there is a rumour swirling around about T.O

 

I read your blog breaking down and analyzing which teams would be a fit if there is such a thing for T.O in the AFC east.

 

I'd like to know if you have heard anything and what your thoughts are regarding this circus show.

[TimGraham]

Tim, I apologize if I appear to be splitting hairs, but there has been a lot of discussion about this very issue among posters for whom I have a great deal of respect.

 

I am asking specifically about the war room. Are you telling us that Levy and Jauron had/have less say in terms of pulling the trigger on a specific draft choice than Modrak, and that it was Modrak who spurned trade down offers and drafted Whitner for example? I heard Levy say on Sirius that there were multiple trade offers for the #8. Do you see where I am going? Please understand that I am not speaking at all about talent evaluation. I am ONLY asking about the actual selection of a player on draft day.

 

If you are saying this is the case, I would be stunned. I have never, ever heard of a situation such as this. Do you know of any other? With total respect, as well as appreciation for you spending time with us, I gotta tell ya that this is hard to believe.

 

If you want details on the dialogue before each pick, I'm sorry. I don't have that kind of inside-the-war room information. Dick Jauron signs off on every move, and everybody answers to Ralph. But based on what I've been told it's a consensus. Modrak pitches the guys he wants. Guy pitches the guys he wants. Jauron approves or disapproves. Overdorf decides who they can pay. Beyond that, I can't help you.

[Bill from NYC]

If you want details on the dialogue before each pick, I'm sorry. I don't have that kind of inside-the-war room information. Dick Jauron signs off on every move, and everybody answers to Ralph. But based on what I've been told it's a consensus. Modrak pitches the guys he wants. Guy pitches the guys he wants. Jauron approves or disapproves. Overdorf decides who they can pay. Beyond that, I can't help you.

 

Got it, thanks. That's a lot different than Modrak pulling the trigger. Thanks for the clarification and the polite tone.

[TimGraham]

Got it, thanks. That's a lot different than Modrak pulling the trigger. Thanks for the clarification and the polite tone.

 

Gee, I didn't know you were owed this information. I'll try harder next time.

 

I also didn't know I was here to serve you. Your genuine appreciation makes me want to keep coming back.

[Bill from NYC]

Gee, I didn't know you were owed this information. I'll try harder next time.

 

Yeah....OK. If posts to you came off as if you owe me something, I am truly sorry. I thought that I was practically gushing with respect and appreciation, but one never does know for sure how their typewritten word will come off.

 

In any event, thanks for being here. Lori is a great person and a great friend, so in that sense, have a nice day.