So Sad...

[IAG]

What has this organization become? Nate Clements: no brainer he is out. London Fletcher: see ya. McGahee: traded for a mid round pick. MAYBE they get Chris Kelsey back?

The Bills are a farm system for the rest of the league. Time for Ralph to spend some money and get competitive or he should get out. EASILY in the basement next season...

So sad...

[Romes]

Yeah cause all those players helped the Bills win soooo many games.... :rolleyes:

[SABURZFAN]

let's see who we get in the free agent market first before we cry that the sky is falling.

[Goobylal]

McGahee won't be traded for a "mid round pick." It's either a 1st (doubtful) or a high-mid 2nd.

As for Fletch, they're going in another direction and I agree with it. Clements; what can you do? And Kelsay I'm plus/minus on, but I hear a rumor that he will be re-signed.

[Romes]

also, McGahee isn't traded yet.

[Kerr]

Clements is not worth the money he's getting. He's been inconsistent the last four years. Age is catching up with Fletcher and he's not their ideal mlb in the system. Kelsay is not much of a difference maker either. Many people want to criticize levy and wilson for not paying clements and fletcher, but they don't see the the big picture. I call it good business. Levy's done a good job getting potential stars last year in the draft. I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt in knowing what he's doing with this team and wilson's money.

[Nighthawk]

What has this organization become? Nate Clements: no brainer he is out. London Fletcher: see ya. McGahee: traded for a mid round pick. MAYBE they get Chris Kelsey back?

The Bills are a farm system for the rest of the league. Time for Ralph to spend some money and get competitive or he should get out. EASILY in the basement next season...

So sad...

I agree that Ralph sucks and is cheap. However, Fletcher doesn't make any plays behind the line...the plays are always 5 yards downfield, so I truly believe the Bills feel that they need to upgrade at MLB. I would like to keep Clements, but he is not worth the money he will get. McGahee can easily be replaced with a good draft pick.

[raphael120]

Note: Clements is the only guy on this team that we are letting go due to money issues.

If any other of our FA's leave, it's not that their expensive, it's just they suck and arent worth any money. Same thing can be argued that Clements won't deserve what he gets, he's just lucky he has no big competition in FA.

[HHURRICANE]

Yeah cause all those players helped the Bills win soooo many games.... :rolleyes:

Wow, somebody gets it. We figured out a way to win 12 games over the past 2 seasons with all of our "superstars".

[Dr. Lecter]

I agree that Ralph sucks and is cheap. However, Fletcher doesn't make any plays behind the line...the plays are always 5 yards downfield, so I truly believe the Bills feel that they need to upgrade at MLB. I would like to keep Clements, but he is not worth the money he will get. McGahee can easily be replaced with a good draft pick.

Please provide evidence of Ralph being cheap.

That way, it can be shot down for the 567,346 time.

[Philagape]

Looks like the 2003 draft is one rung short of a disaster.

Top 2 picks McGahee, Kelsay have one foot out the door.

Crowell, McGee are keepers, the rest are/were backups.

:down:

[IAG]

Everybody forgets that they are ACTUALLY good players. People say that they haven't helped win games. I look at it as that 7 or 8 wins that the Bills accomplish will go down as opposed to they made little to no impact on the games.

Teams in the league try like heck to keep their own. The Bills let them walk.

[Jan Reimers]

You can't rebuild anything without tearing out some of the old and useless stuff.

We haven't been to the playoffs in 7 years. We're supposed to stay with the guys who have gotten us nowhere?

[Night Train]

The signs are posted everywhere.

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS !

[Historian]

Oye vey!

[patmoran2006]

Please provide evidence of Ralph being cheap.

That way, it can be shot down for the 567,346 time.
Stay tuned, as we'll find out when we see what replacements are brought in for Fletcher, Clements and Kelsay... As well as McGahee now and of course both guard positions.

We will see for sure shortly.

[Nighthawk]

Stay tuned, as we'll find out when we see what replacements are brought in for Fletcher, Clements and Kelsay... As well as McGahee now and of course both guard positions.

We will see for sure shortly.

Exactly...but, then people will make an excuse for Ralph...it always happens. People in Buffalo are so loyal that they can't really see what is happening. It's actually pretty sad.

[SABURZFAN]

The signs are posted everywhere.

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS !



:tailgate:

[OpIv37]

Please provide evidence of Ralph being cheap.

That way, it can be shot down for the 567,346 time.


I think it's perception more than reality, but I can understand where the perception comes from. Let's look at some of the FA's we let go over the last few years:

Pat Williams- HUGE mistake
Jonas Jennings- got a ridiculous contract, injured, hasn't done much
Winfield- still a great player, but with Clements and McGee, we didn't need him
Moulds- (technically a cap cut and not a FA) was unhappy here, numbers last season with Texas would not have justified his contract
Ron Edwards- meh- what has he ever done?

So out of all the FA's we haven't re-signed, the only one that really hurt us was Pat Williams. It's hard to argue that letting one player go constitutes being "cheap".

However, I think the perception comes from the FA's that we do pick up- second tier guys that we try to make into starters and it NEVER works: Bennie Anderson, Gandy, Reyes, Price, Villarial, Davis, Royal, re-signing Reed and Denney, etc.

We've already established that adding a bunch of expensive, big name FA's doesn't guarantee success. But this strategy of adding second tier guys to try to fill holes hasn't worked either, so one has to wonder if this team would be better had Ralph shelled out for an expensive player or two over that span.

[patmoran2006]

Exactly...but, then people will make an excuse for Ralph...it always happens. People in Buffalo are so loyal that they can't really see what is happening. It's actually pretty sad.

Absolutely..
Bringing in quality players, especially on the lines would eliminate almost every excuse someone could have.. Let's just keeping being mediocre, its ok, as long as there is an excuse.

[Dozerdog]

I think it's perception more than reality, but I can understand where the perception comes from. Let's look at some of the FA's we let go over the last few years:

Pat Williams- HUGE mistake
Jonas Jennings- got a ridiculous contract, injured, hasn't done much
Winfield- still a great player, but with Clements and McGee, we didn't need him
Moulds- (technically a cap cut and not a FA) was unhappy here, numbers last season with Texas would not have justified his contract
Ron Edwards- meh- what has he ever done?

So out of all the FA's we haven't re-signed, the only one that really hurt us was Pat Williams. It's hard to argue that letting one player go constitutes being "cheap".

However, I think the perception comes from the FA's that we do pick up- second tier guys that we try to make into starters and it NEVER works: Bennie Anderson, Gandy, Reyes, Price, Villarial, Davis, Royal, re-signing Reed and Denney, etc.

We've already established that adding a bunch of expensive, big name FA's doesn't guarantee success. But this strategy of adding second tier guys to try to fill holes hasn't worked either, so one has to wonder if this team would be better had Ralph shelled out for an expensive player or two over that span.

Is every FA we sign supposed to be a starter? You conveniently leave off Spikes, Fletcher, Fowler off the list...three very productive players we have signed

[Dozerdog]

Is every FA we sign supposed to be a starter? You conveniently leave off Spikes, Fletcher, Fowler off the list...three very productive players we have signedI do agree that we don't go nuts signing guys- that's why we finish 2nd or third for some guys.

Unfortunately because of bad coaching between 2001-2005 we thought we were on "the cusp" of big things on more than one occasion, only to see it collapse. It's tough to choose to blow it all up when you go 8-8 or 9-7 thinking a tweak here or there will make a difference

[OpIv37]

Is every FA we sign supposed to be a starter? You conveniently leave off Spikes, Fletcher, Fowler off the list...three very productive players we have signed

Spikes and Fletcher were FA's in 2003. So, what you're saying is that in the 04, 05, and 06 off seasons, we've found ONE legitimate starter via FA. Wow, way to shell out, Ralph.

Yes, prior to the 2003 season, some FA's were brought in who made our D significantly better. But since then, we haven't been able to bring in an FA who contributed more than incremental improvement.

[Dr. Lecter]

Is that cheapness or a bad job by TD and crew?

[OpIv37]

Is that cheapness or a bad job by TD and crew?

That's a really good question, and it's one we'll never be able to answer (unless Skooby's rich friend has Ralph or TD on speed-dial and can fill us in).

[patmoran2006]

Is that cheapness or a bad job by TD and crew?
Both.. and based on the performance of last year's overall crop, you can add "Marv and crew" as well.. Don't go blaming everything on just TD now, it's Marv's team.

Larry Tripplett was the only FA we signed that had any significant value around the league.. The rest were pretty much unproven players and/or castoffs from around the league nobody else wanted..

But if you want proof that Ralph is just flat-out cheap.. Marv liked two RFA's, thought they would be great additions (obviously to go after a RFA you value them) but yet made barely-market offers that were EASILY matched.. If Marv liked these guys that much, the offers should've made the original team think twice.. Obviously they didnt. People forget about that.

Sadly, the only FA that played up to his contract was Fowler, and his contract wasn't saying all that much.

[patmoran2006]

Wells (one of the two RFA we targeted ) blossomed easily into Arizona's best OL..

[jimmifli]

McGahee won't be traded for a "mid round pick." It's either a 1st (doubtful) or a high-mid 2nd.

As for Fletch, they're going in another direction and I agree with it. Clements; what can you do? And Kelsay I'm plus/minus on, but I hear a rumor that he will be re-signed.
Pipe dream.

He had 900 yards, and sub 4ypc last year.

[TacklingDummy]

What has this organization become? Nate Clements: no brainer he is out. London Fletcher: see ya. McGahee: traded for a mid round pick. MAYBE they get Chris Kelsey back?


You can add Lee Evans to that list in a couple of years.

[IAG]

You can add Lee Evans to that list in a couple of years.

You are absolutely right on with that take.