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MOORE: Bills are off-season's big winner so far
BY DAVID MOORE
FOXSports.com
Mar. 12, 2003 1:48 a.m.
The way Daniel Snyder has been signing players since free agency began, you wouldn’t be surprised if the Washington owner extended an offer sheet to Joe Namath.
He did, after all, play for the New York Jets.
You have Jake Plummer going to Denver, David Boston landing in San Diego and Roosevelt Colvin giving New England coach Bill Belichick yet another weapon to confuse and frustrate opponents. All of these clubs can feel good about what has been accomplished.
But no team has done a more comprehensive job in the first 12 days of free agency than Buffalo.
Two starting linebackers — Takeo Spikes and Jeff Posey — have been plucked from the free agent market and the club still has enough salary cap room to entice another starter or two. The Bills have traded a late-round pick for a starting tight end (Mark Campbell), acquired a first-round pick in next month’s draft and bolstered their coaching staff with the addition of Dick LeBeau.
The tendency of the media and the fans is to break the off-season down into neat, little compartments and judge each segment separately. There’s a rush to say which team has done the best in free agency before we scurry to the draft and hand out grades.
The problem with this approach is that you can’t separate free agency from the draft from trades made one year ago that impact this off-season. They are all intertwined. Every general manager worth his salary cap primer understands this.
Buffalo’s Tom Donahoe understands and executes this holistic approach better than most. He’s so shrewd that the Bills have managed to recoup their investment in Drew Bledsoe. Donahoe acquired the New England quarterback 11 months ago for a first-round pick in the 2003 draft. He turned around last week and traded receiver Peerless Price to Atlanta for the Falcons’ first-round pick in next month’s draft.
In essence, the Bills dropped nine spots in the first round — the No. 14 they sent to the Patriots compared to the No. 23 they acquired from the Falcons — and traded a receiver to land a franchise quarterback in Bledsoe.
On the surface, it’s an outstanding deal for the Bills. Scratch the surface, and it’s even more impressive.
Buffalo picked up Bledsoe on the lay-away plan, receiving the benefits of his skill for one season before any payment was due. In that season, he inflated the value of Price.
“We were just so fortunate to get Drew Bledsoe,’’ Donahoe said. “When you look back, whatever the price, it was well worth it. He has meant so much to us. We’ve never had any second thoughts.
“People can interpret this trade any way they want to interpret it. And we’re glad to have a first-round pick this year. Even if we had not completed the deal for Peerless, we were satisfied with the price we paid for Drew Bledsoe
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BY DAVID MOORE
FOXSports.com
Mar. 12, 2003 1:48 a.m.
The way Daniel Snyder has been signing players since free agency began, you wouldn’t be surprised if the Washington owner extended an offer sheet to Joe Namath.
He did, after all, play for the New York Jets.
You have Jake Plummer going to Denver, David Boston landing in San Diego and Roosevelt Colvin giving New England coach Bill Belichick yet another weapon to confuse and frustrate opponents. All of these clubs can feel good about what has been accomplished.
But no team has done a more comprehensive job in the first 12 days of free agency than Buffalo.
Two starting linebackers — Takeo Spikes and Jeff Posey — have been plucked from the free agent market and the club still has enough salary cap room to entice another starter or two. The Bills have traded a late-round pick for a starting tight end (Mark Campbell), acquired a first-round pick in next month’s draft and bolstered their coaching staff with the addition of Dick LeBeau.
The tendency of the media and the fans is to break the off-season down into neat, little compartments and judge each segment separately. There’s a rush to say which team has done the best in free agency before we scurry to the draft and hand out grades.
The problem with this approach is that you can’t separate free agency from the draft from trades made one year ago that impact this off-season. They are all intertwined. Every general manager worth his salary cap primer understands this.
Buffalo’s Tom Donahoe understands and executes this holistic approach better than most. He’s so shrewd that the Bills have managed to recoup their investment in Drew Bledsoe. Donahoe acquired the New England quarterback 11 months ago for a first-round pick in the 2003 draft. He turned around last week and traded receiver Peerless Price to Atlanta for the Falcons’ first-round pick in next month’s draft.
In essence, the Bills dropped nine spots in the first round — the No. 14 they sent to the Patriots compared to the No. 23 they acquired from the Falcons — and traded a receiver to land a franchise quarterback in Bledsoe.
On the surface, it’s an outstanding deal for the Bills. Scratch the surface, and it’s even more impressive.
Buffalo picked up Bledsoe on the lay-away plan, receiving the benefits of his skill for one season before any payment was due. In that season, he inflated the value of Price.
“We were just so fortunate to get Drew Bledsoe,’’ Donahoe said. “When you look back, whatever the price, it was well worth it. He has meant so much to us. We’ve never had any second thoughts.
“People can interpret this trade any way they want to interpret it. And we’re glad to have a first-round pick this year. Even if we had not completed the deal for Peerless, we were satisfied with the price we paid for Drew Bledsoe
MORE
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