Article: Are Bills a better team?

[The Answer]

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070328/SPORTS03/703280353

Are Bills a better team?


Trimmer payroll has a steep price — the loss of top players


Sal Maiorana
Staff writer



(March 28, 2007) — By not re-signing free agents Nate Clements and London Fletcher, and trading away Willis McGahee and Takeo Spikes, the Buffalo Bills have certainly done a great job getting their payroll in line with this season's salary cap.

The question is, have the fiscally responsible Bills made themselves a better football team? At this point, it would be hard to answer yes.

The latest alteration to the roster came Monday night when the Bills sent Spikes and backup quarterback Kelly Holcomb to Philadelphia for defensive tackle Darwin Walker and a conditional 2008 draft pick.

[jamesiscool]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

the loss of top players who didnt produce u mean.

[alohabillsfan]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

Answer

RB Lynch
McCauley
Black
Durant

[HHURRICANE]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

the loss of top players who didnt produce u mean.

This is such a great point. I would argue that the biggest loss might be Fletcher because he was pretty consistant. Spikes was non existant, Hoclomb never saw a play, Clements didn't play until after the bye and we have a RB who finished 23rd in the league in rushing. Hmmmm.

I love how the media get's all hot and bothered without watching a GAME.

[X-Era]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/...TS03/703280353

Are Bills a better team?


Trimmer payroll has a steep price — the loss of top players


Sal Maiorana
Staff writer



(March 28, 2007) — By not re-signing free agents Nate Clements and London Fletcher, and trading away Willis McGahee and Takeo Spikes, the Buffalo Bills have certainly done a great job getting their payroll in line with this season's salary cap.

The question is, have the fiscally responsible Bills made themselves a better football team? At this point, it would be hard to answer yes.

The latest alteration to the roster came Monday night when the Bills sent Spikes and backup quarterback Kelly Holcomb to Philadelphia for defensive tackle Darwin Walker and a conditional 2008 draft pick.

So, to recap the March Madness on One Bills Drive:

Clements, one of the better corners in the league, is gone and right now the best guess is that Ashton Youboty, a third-round pick in 2006 who played briefly in three games as a rookie, will get the first chance to win the job. If not him, there's always Kiwaukee Thomas or Jabari Greer.



Fletcher, the team's leading tackler the past five years and the undeniable quarterback of the defense, and Spikes, a true warrior who battled back from a serious Achilles' injury suffered in 2005 to play decently in 12 games last season, are gone.



It would appear that Angelo Crowell will be moved into the middle to take Fletcher's spot, a position he has never played in the NFL, while the depth chart currently shows undersized Keith Ellison and under-used Mario Haggan, a longtime special teamer who has 11 career tackles on defense, as the starters.

And McGahee is gone. He has become public enemy No. 1 in Buffalo after the comments he made in the Baltimore Sun on Sunday saying that he couldn't wait to get out of Buffalo because there was nothing to do there but play video games due to the lack of suitable night clubs, restaurants and attractive women. Those gems came on the heels of his brainstorm that the team should move to Toronto.


Good riddance, and don't let the door hit you on the way out, but McGahee's departure leaves behind the underwhelming trio of Anthony Thomas, Shaud Williams and Fred Jackson as the only running game options.

In breaking down the decisions general manager Marv Levy and company have made, you can see the logic.

Losing Clements and Fletcher via free agency was a given. The Bills were never going to pay the necessary exorbitant salaries to keep them, nor should they have been expected to, especially for Fletcher who is on the wrong side of 30. That was just collateral damage in the business of the NFL.
Trading McGahee was understandable because he didn't want to be here in the first place, and he would have left as a free agent after the 2007 season with Buffalo getting nothing in return. At least he fetched three draft picks as compensation.

And getting rid of Spikes was probably the right move long-term because he clearly struggled last season to regain his form after the Achilles' injury, and the team feels it is unlikely he will ever be the same player he once was, so lopping off his $4.6 million salary was prudent.

However, outside of the $75 million spending spree on Derrick Dockery, Langston Walker and Jason Whittle that seemingly upgraded the offensive line, nothing else the Bills have done bodes well for the upcoming season as they will be weaker in the secondary, at linebacker, and at running back.

The acquisition of Darwin Walker would have been more meaningful if he played the over-the-center tackle position that was manned not so impressively last year by Tim Anderson, John McCargo and Kyle Williams.

The 29-year-old former third-round draft choice by Arizona out of Tennessee is a seven-year veteran who has been a starter in Philadelphia the past five seasons, but who was probably going to be the odd man out in a revamped tackle rotation.

Walker plays the same position as Buffalo's big-splash free agent of a year ago, Larry Tripplett, the so-called "three-technique" tackle who lines up over the outside shoulder of a guard.

General manager Marv Levy said "Darwin gives us depth at a position that we needed it." Depth is great, but what the Bills really needed was a run-stuffing starter next to Tripplett. Unless the 295-pound Walker, who had 36 tackles and 6 sacks last season, or 2006 first-rounder McCargo — who missed most of his rookie year with a foot injury — becomes that player, the run defense doesn't figure to be much better, especially with a linebacking corps that won't have Fletcher and Spikes.

In all likelihood, the Bills are done wheeling and dealing in free agency, and won't be pursuing any more trades, so that leaves the draft as the last vehicle to upgrade this team.

Suffice it to say, the scouts better have done their homework because this is a team that will need some of those rookies — preferably a linebacker, a cornerback and a running back — to step in immediately and contribute.

SMAIORAN@DemocratandChronicle.com
~The Answer

Wait a minute...

So, the media, who always wants "answers" that are painfully obvious..and also well proven...sees us trading 2 highly regraded players, and not resigning 2 other highly regarded players as risky? Wait....what a novel idea...man, Im so glad the media is here to save us from ourselves...ignorrant asses...Have they EVER stated something that we havent already thought/worried about? Thats not "news: its called..."olds".

The other truth is that the media wont stick their neck out. They wont say that it could all work out if they make the right draft picks...they wont take a risk like that.

The media doesnt have the nards to state what we want and need to hear, they state ONLY what we know already. He hopes we know what we need fron the draft? DUHHHH! Thanks for stating the painfully obvious, YET AGAIN.

FU media!

[Jan Reimers]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

We have gotten rid of two players - Fletcher and Clements - who are worth nowhere near what they would have cost us; a RB who grossly underperformed and had a ridiculously bad attitude; an injured, struggling LB whose Pro Bowl days are over; and a pathetically weak armed 3rd string QB.

Jeez, people, when are you going to stop listening to the media, wake up, and understand what the Bills are doing to improve this team?

[X-Era]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

We have gotten rid of two players - Fletcher and Clements - who are worth nowhere near what they would have cost us; a RB who grossly underperformed and had a ridiculously bad attitude; an injured, struggling LB whose Pro Bowl days are over; and a pathetically weak armed 3rd string QB.

Jeez, people, when are you going to stop listening to the media, wake up, and understand what the Bills are doing to improve this team?

This is exactly right, but we still need to follow through by replacing these players with great prospects....We will, IMO, but it will happen at the draft.

[Jan Reimers]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

This is exactly right, but we still need to follow through by replacing these players with great prospects....We will, IMO, but it will happen at the draft.

Absolutely. We are not building this team with the Drew Bledsoes, Lawyer Millolys, Troy Vincents and Sam Adams of the world.

Marv doesn't sign has-beens with big names. He drafts young guys with big futures.

[HHURRICANE]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

We have gotten rid of two players - Fletcher and Clements - who are worth nowhere near what they would have cost us; a RB who grossly underperformed and had a ridiculously bad attitude; an injured, struggling LB whose Pro Bowl days are over; and a pathetically weak armed 3rd string QB.

Jeez, people, when are you going to stop listening to the media, wake up, and understand what the Bills are doing to improve this team?

Great post Jan!!!!!!!!

[feelthepain]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

understand what the Bills are doing to improve this team?

What would that be?? Does the coaching get any blame for the season last year?? Just because you get younger doesn't mean you get better. You need a of mixture of youth and experience. You have no starting LB your D-line is small and the Bills so far have done nothing to improve the run D. They also have added just one overpaid avg. G to an offense that was 27th overall last year. What is it you're seeing??

[patmoran2006]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

the loss of top players who didnt produce u mean.

Wrong.

Nate Clements was one of the best defensive players in the NFL the second alf of last season. Was he playing for a contract? yes he was... Should the Bills have paid him that money? No they shouldn't. But dont say he didnt produce.. He was sick the second half of last year and he was STILL the best defensive back we had.

Some of you guys are so ignorant to what Fletcher did in Buffalo it's mind blowing. I'll say it for the 10,000th time. How many MLB's in the NFL not named Urlacher DONT make most their tackles 6 yds down the field when anchoring a cover two defense? The defense is often DESIGNED for the MLB to drop back into the middle of the field. To boot, he had a trio of cheesy poofs at DT playing in front of him. Oh, and he still had FOUR interceptions, and scored two touchdowns. Not too shabyy for a guy who "didnt produce".

Spikes, I'll give you.. and McGahee, well truthfully outside the Jets game I think he tanked on purpose on his way out.

So not to say Fletch and or Clements should've been resigned, but it's really ignorant to say they didnt produce, because they sure did.

[OpIv37]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

the loss of top players who didnt produce u mean.

I keep hearing that. What I'm not hearing is who we have that's any better.

[OpIv37]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

Wrong.

Nate Clements was one of the best defensive players in the NFL the second alf of last season. Was he playing for a contract? yes he was... Should the Bills have paid him that money? No they shouldn't. But dont say he didnt produce.. He was sick the second half of last year and he was STILL the best defensive back we had.

Some of you guys are so ignorant to what Fletcher did in Buffalo it's mind blowing. I'll say it for the 10,000th time. How many MLB's in the NFL not named Urlacher DONT make most their tackles 6 yds down the field when anchoring a cover two defense? The defense is often DESIGNED for the MLB to drop back into the middle of the field. To boot, he had a trio of cheesy poofs at DT playing in front of him. Oh, and he still had FOUR interceptions, and scored two touchdowns. Not too shabyy for a guy who "didnt produce".

Spikes, I'll give you.. and McGahee, well truthfully outside the Jets game I think he tanked on purpose on his way out.

So not to say Fletch and or Clements should've been resigned, but it's really ignorant to say they didnt produce, because they sure did.

Nate was also playing for a contract year in 05 and he SUCKED that year. And he sucked in most of 06 too. He had a few games at the end but did nothing at the beginning.

I think Nate is a loss because we don't have anyone equal or better, but seriously, the guy is NOT a top corner- he's definitely not in the top 5 in the league and may not even be in the top 10. He's completely overrated and the contract he got is obscene.

[patmoran2006]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

I agree with the article. sal is a great writer.

and I think the article has merit.

"Are the Bills a better team" should come down to how you perceive that.

Are they a better team as in they are building a core of young, unselfish players that will play hard for each other? Are they a better team as in having these young guys develop that they will be able to maintain a new, solid core for the next several years?

Then the answer is yes.

But "ARe they a better team" as in this football team is better than it was last year? A better team as in they are closer to overtaking New England and/or the Jets and becoming the team to beat in the AFC EAst in 2007? Are they a better team as in at least if nothing else you can expect a winning season this year?

Then the answer is no, they're not.

[patmoran2006]

Re: Article: Are Bills a better team?

Nate was also playing for a contract year in 05 and he SUCKED that year. And he sucked in most of 06 too. He had a few games at the end but did nothing at the beginning.

I think Nate is a loss because we don't have anyone equal or better, but seriously, the guy is NOT a top corner- he's definitely not in the top 5 in the league and may not even be in the top 10. He's completely overrated and the contract he got is obscene.

yes, but I didnt talk about 2005, the first half of 2006, whether Nate is a top 5 CB in the league or worth the money he got from SF..

the subject was are we a better team, and my reply was Nate was one of the best players in the NFL the second half of last season (which can be debated of course). But what can't be debated is he is far superior than any DB on this roster right now.

And I wouldnt ever paid him that money either.. that might be the only move along with Dockery I HAVENT *****ed about this offseason at all.