Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills [Archive] - BillsZone.com

The Answer

03-12-2007, 07:43 PM

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/SPORTS0101/703120321/tbd/

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="610"><tbody><tr><td align="left"></td></tr><tr><td><table style="clear: right;" align="right"><tbody><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table><script language="JavaScript"></script><script language="JavaScript"></script>Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills

Bob Matthews (matthews@democratandchronicle.com)
staff columnist

(March 12, 2007) — Maybe those of us who believe the three other teams in the AFC East have improved more than the Bills since the end of last season are wrong.

Maybe Bills fans should be impressed rather than depressed.
Maybe Buffalo Bills general manager Marv Levy has some tricks up his sleeve.

But right now, it looks as if the best team in the division — the New England Patriots — has widened the talent gap over the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and particularly the Bills.
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Carlton Bailey

03-12-2007, 07:46 PM

When Bob Matthews becomes somebody's GM, I'll care. For now, I'll trust Levy. I made the mistake of bashing Marv last offseason, and the team turned out far better than I thought.

patmoran2006

03-12-2007, 07:46 PM

Very hard to take (article) but its 100% accurate.

all this talk about our draft flexibility, and NE and the Jets both have more.

patmoran2006

03-12-2007, 07:48 PM

When Bob Matthews becomes somebody's GM, I'll care. For now, I'll trust Levy. I made the mistake of bashing Marv last offseason, and the team turned out far better than I thought.
Instead of bashing any writer who has the audacity to question the Bills decision making and direction...

I would simply like to know exactly what about that article do you find INACCURATE and not in agreement with?

I love Marv too.. But last I checked he aint lining up anywhere on the field come Sunday.

Nighthawk

03-12-2007, 07:49 PM

Another great post...by:

~ The Tool

Carlton Bailey

03-12-2007, 07:53 PM

Instead of bashing any writer who has the audacity to question the Bills decision making and direction...

I would simply like to know exactly what about that article do you find INACCURATE and not in agreement with?

I love Marv too.. But last I checked he aint lining up anywhere on the field come Sunday.

1. The offseason isn't over, so who knows what other players the Bills will acquire.

2. Why am I supposed to care that Miami signed Joey Porter and Jay Feely? They're still far and away the worst team in the East.

patmoran2006

03-12-2007, 07:55 PM

1- He doesnt bash the Bills, he calls it exactly like it is. He credits them for the OL moves on day one of FA.

2- By trading Willis McGahee, at least in PART because they know they'll lose him next year; Matthews states that they are "worried about the 2008 season before 2007 even starts." Is that entirely untrue? I dont think so, because no RB they have this year is better than Willis McGahee (and dont jump on me, becuse I didnt mind the trade) Im stating his point.

3- He talks about how marv is talking about all the "flexibility" with the draft by having 4 of top 92 picks, and then talks about how the Pats and Jets have even more flexibility, especially NE with two first rounders.. That's not a writer's opinion.. that is as fact.

4- He talks about how the Patriots have widened the talent gap.. That is absolutely true.. They already had a championship calibre team and they landed the prize of UFA in Thomas, and two WR which was their weakness last year.

5- Lastly, he talks about how the "bottom line is the team that hasnt made the playoffs since 1999 is still rebuilding".

is that not true? of course it's true.

They lose Clements, Fletcher and McGahee and they'll all likely be replaced by rookie draft picks and/or less proven vets. That is exactly what rebuilding is.

SquishDaFish

03-12-2007, 07:55 PM

Another person who will be eating crow when the Bills are a playoff team this coming season.

The Answer

03-12-2007, 07:57 PM

When Bob Matthews becomes somebody's GM, I'll care. For now, I'll trust Levy. I made the mistake of bashing Marv last offseason, and the team turned out far better than I thought.

Just like The Answer, this Bob Matthews cat is spot on regarding the state of the Bills and the AFC East - only good move Marv has made so far is signing Dockery - and that is still being questioned considering how much it cost.

7-9 in 2006 exceeded The Answer's expectations as well - however the end result was still meaningless without playoffs and/or division title - at some point rebuilding has to translate into division titles and playoff wins......

~The Answer

patmoran2006

03-12-2007, 07:58 PM

1. The offseason isn't over, so who knows what other players the Bills will acquire.

2. Why am I supposed to care that Miami signed Joey Porter and Jay Feely? They're still far and away the worst team in the East.
Piss on Miami.. They still suck.. I never even mentioned them. I mentioned the two teams in the division above us, the Jets and the Patriots.

And yes, Im going to assume that the Bills are goin to acquire at least a couple of defensive players in FA before the draft as well, though I have no idea who... Going by their cash to cap philosophies already spoken- they arent going to spend much money- so I really dont see what difference maker they can bring in.

But that still doesnt answer the question.. What does Matthew say in that article that you find inaccurate or disagree with when it comes to the Bills?

patmoran2006

03-12-2007, 08:00 PM

Just like The Answer, this Bob Matthews cat is spot on regarding the state of the Bills and the AFC East - only good move Marv has made so far is signing Dockery - and that is still being questioned considering how much it cost.

7-9 in 2006 exceeded The Answer's expectations as well - however the end result was still meaningless without playoffs and/or division title - at some point rebuilding has to translate into division titles and playoff wins......

~The Answer
quit talking like a jackoff, your making a legitimate column with valid points by a legitimate writer into a trash thread with your third person crap.

i want to discuss the POINTS of Matthew's column, not your third person views

Nighthawk

03-12-2007, 08:05 PM

It sure seems like Ice is back under the name "the answer"

OpIv37

03-12-2007, 09:39 PM

Bob Matthews has been unduly harsh on the Bills since the SB days, but unfortunately he usually has a point. This team has some huge holes and the talent gap in our division is growing, not shrinking. NE with two first rounders is a scary prospect- I despise that team.

CSFAN

03-12-2007, 09:47 PM

This kind of stuff drives me BANANAS. Nothing more than armchair quarterbacking, at its finest.

What would Matthews do? Keep McGahee? Okay, guess what - we either get a holdout, or a disgruntled, underperforming back for just one more season, and then we don't get anything when he leaves next year. Instead, we have 3 more draft picks to build a young team with...NEXT!

Clements? I loved the guy, and he was a great player. Too bad we couldn't keep him - few would at the price he was demanding. We might end up with a guy 10% worse than him, at better than half the price. Had to do it.

Fletcher? Great leader...best days are behind him. That's just reality. We did the smart thing by keeping Kelsay, and not Fletcher & Clements.

Anyone who argues that we didn't need to do exactly what we did w/ the O-line is a fool...that was the priority with FA, and there isn't too much more they could have done. The line has been the Bills Achilles heel for years; JP might be a great, but we wouldn't know it w/ the line he had. Now, we find out how good (or mediocre) he really is.

We'll get guys like McCargo back, draft a solid RB and fill a few other defensive holes in the early rounds of the draft. We were a 7-9 team that could have easily been 9-7 or 10-6 with a couple of key plays. The Pats are older, and Brady has lost some of his mystique. They've made a couple of great pickups, but let's see if they can gel again on the field.

The Bills will have just as good a shot at 1st place as anyone in that division...

OpIv37

03-12-2007, 09:53 PM

This kind of stuff drives me BANANAS. Nothing more than armchair quarterbacking, at its finest.

What would Matthews do? Keep McGahee? Okay, guess what - we either get a holdout, or a disgruntled, underperforming back for just one more season, and then we don't get anything when he leaves next year. Instead, we have 3 more draft picks to build a young team with...NEXT!

Clements? I loved the guy, and he was a great player. Too bad we couldn't keep him - few would at the price he was demanding. We might end up with a guy 10% worse than him, at better than half the price. Had to do it.

Fletcher? Great leader...best days are behind him. That's just reality. We did the smart thing by keeping Kelsay, and not Fletcher & Clements.

Anyone who argues that we didn't need to do exactly what we did w/ the O-line is a fool...that was the priority with FA, and there isn't too much more they could have done. The line has been the Bills Achilles heel for years; JP might be a great, but we wouldn't know it w/ the line he had. Now, we find out how good (or mediocre) he really is.

We'll get guys like McCargo back, draft a solid RB and fill a few other defensive holes in the early rounds of the draft. We were a 7-9 team that could have easily been 9-7 or 10-6 with a couple of key plays. The Pats are older, and Brady has lost some of his mystique. They've made a couple of great pickups, but let's see if they can gel again on the field.

The Bills will have just as good a shot at 1st place as anyone in that division...

Oh you are so wrong about the Bills chances in the division. Question: Why is it that a year of experience HELPS the bills, but that same year is age and HURTS the Pats? You are not applying your logic consistently.

People are giving McCargo way too much credit. First, he lost most of his rookie year so he still needes experience. Second, he didn't exactly look dominating when he did play. That's not to say he won't get better, but let's be realistic. Third, he's had the same injury 2 consecutive years- that's a big concern.

And while I agree that the Bills really didn't have much choice in the moves they made regarding Fletcher, Clements, and McGahee, that doesn't mean the moves made the team better. They did what they had to, but we're still down two starters on D. Until we replace them, talk of winning the division is just asinine.

feelthepain

03-12-2007, 09:56 PM

Does anyone think Buffalo is better today than it was at the end of the 2006 season? Who will carry the ball 250-plus times for Buffalo next season?

Ouch, obviously he has no faith in JP!

Nighthawk

03-12-2007, 09:58 PM

Ouch, obviously he has no faith in JP!

And how are the Phins better? Oh yeah, they're getting older and still trying to trade with KC for Green...yeah, that makes sense!

CSFAN

03-12-2007, 09:58 PM

"Oh you are so wrong about the Bills chances in the division. Question: Why is it that a year of experience HELPS the bills, but that same year is age and HURTS the Pats? You are not applying your logic consistently. "

No - that's not true. You're just confusing experience with age...they are not the same thing. The Pats have an older team; Bruschi - who is the most vocal leader on that team & a difference maker - might retire. The Bills are a year older, too, but that doesn't make them the aging team that the Pats are.

I'm no homer, but -depending on the draft - they have just as good a shot as anyone in the division.

OpIv37

03-12-2007, 10:14 PM

"Oh you are so wrong about the Bills chances in the division. Question: Why is it that a year of experience HELPS the bills, but that same year is age and HURTS the Pats? You are not applying your logic consistently. "

No - that's not true. You're just confusing experience with age...they are not the same thing. The Pats have an older team; Bruschi - who is the most vocal leader on that team & a difference maker - might retire. The Bills are a year older, too, but that doesn't make them the aging team that the Pats are.

I'm no homer, but -depending on the draft - they have just as good a shot as anyone in the division.

well draft picks take time to develop- I'd agree if you said "depending on the draft, we'd have as much chance as anyone in 2008". But right now, we only have one starting CB and we're short at least 1 LB (two if Spikes isn't healthy or the trade rumors turn out to be true).

Meanwhile, NE got Thomas, which will soften the blow if Bruschi does retire, and they still have a good OL and Brady's not old enough for age to become a factor. At this point, it's just really hard to argue that we closed the gap on them at all.

And for some reason- this frustrates the hell out of me- every time NE does lose a player to retirement or FA, the guy on the bench behind him turns out to be even better. Just once, I'd like to see NE lose a guy and have to put in a no-name scrub who gets owned for the entire season. That seems to happen to every franchise in pro sports at some point EXCEPT for the patriots.

OpIv37

03-12-2007, 10:20 PM

Ouch, obviously he has no faith in JP!

how does a comment about not having a running back translate to lack of faith in JP? Unless you're implying that it's the norm for a QB to run the ball 250 times in a season, your post makes no sense.

Dozerdog

03-12-2007, 10:25 PM

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/SPORTS0101/703120321/tbd/

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="610"><tbody><tr><td align="left"></td></tr><tr><td><table style="clear: right;" align="right"><tbody><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table><script language="JavaScript"></script><script language="JavaScript"></script>Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills

Bob Matthews (matthews@democratandchronicle.com)
staff columnist

(March 12, 2007) — Maybe those of us who believe the three other teams in the AFC East have improved more than the Bills since the end of last season are wrong.

Maybe Bills fans should be impressed rather than depressed.
Maybe Buffalo Bills general manager Marv Levy has some tricks up his sleeve.

But right now, it looks as if the best team in the division — the New England Patriots — has widened the talent gap over the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and particularly the Bills.
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The Answer needs to learn not to post articles in their entirety- a sample & a link only please.

Thanks

mikemac2001

03-12-2007, 10:29 PM

Ban him?