TD's moves that turned out better than expected

[HenryRules]

Ok, we've talked a lot before about TD's performance and whether it's been good or bad. A lot of people (including me) bring up moves that have turned out worse than expected. The defenders usually bring up moves that turned out as expected or saying that he did the best he could at the time.

Thing is, most decent GM's make moves that turn out better than expected now and again. I can't think of a single one that TD has made.

Just to clarify, here are what I consider to be a move that's turned out as expected, better than expected, or worse.

Better than expected - a solid starter from a 2nd day draft pick. A cheap free agent that turns into a really good starter. AFCE examples during TD's tenure: Dan Koppen, Randy McMichael, Eric Barton. Don't know an example for the Bills

As expected - high-priced free agents that make the pro bowl, 1st round picks that make the pro bowl, 2nd and 3rd round picks that are solid starters. AFCE examples during TD's tenure: Takeo Spikes, Wade Smith, Deion Branch, Kareem MacKenzie.

Below expectations - first day picks that don't start in 3 years, high-priced free agents that don't live up to their contracts. AFCE examples during TD's tenure: Pierson Prioleau, Bryan Thomas, Jamar Fletcher. I can't think of one for New England.

I can think of a move that's turned out better than expected for any decent team in the NFL, but I can't think of a single one during the TD era. The Peerless Price move might some day, but as it has turned out so far, we traded a really good #2 receiver for a backup RB.

[The_Philster]

Below expectations - first day picks that don't start in 3 years, high-priced free agents that don't live up to their contracts. AFCE examples during TD's tenure: Pierson Prioleau,.
:huh:
Joined the Bills as an in-season free agent signing on 11/7/01…was originally drafted by San Francisco in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft (110th overall) out of Virginia Tech… I'm pretty sure he wasn't high-priced

The Peerless Price move might some day, but as it has turned out so far, we traded a really good #2 receiver for a backup RB can't argue too much with that but I will say that, if you wanted to get technical, we traded him away so we could have the cap space to sign TKO...a definite upgrade over Eddie Robinson

[OpIv37]

maybe this is why TD gets to stick around so long... people keep saying "his team will pan out- just give it time". We're waiting on Mike Williams, McGahee, Losman and Evans to live up to expectations- it will take another 3 years before the verdict's in, and meanwhile his job is secure. Players like McGee come through and have a few good games- even if he sucks for the rest of the season, he has enough "potential" for TD to say he made a good decision.

[HenryRules]

Prioleau is making $1 mil this year and costs over 1.4 mil against the cap and is our 3rd safety at both spots. He signed that contract in 2002, so I consider that to be getting worse than expected returns.

[Dozerdog]

The Price move was inevitable....and smart.

1- He wanted #1 WR money. How many $42 million WRs can this team afford?

2- He wanted out. He did not want to be second banana

3- With that in mind, we could have signed him for the $5 million franchise tag. But that meant no Spikes. We needed Spikes a lot more than Peerless.

4- Even with Peerless, Bledsoe would still be sacked a hundred times. We would have two very expensive WR's we could not get the ball to instead of just one.

5- We recouped the Bledsoe pick because Atlanta was stupid. They could have drafted a WR a lot cheaper and still got the pathetic production Peerless has given them.

[juice]

The Price move was inevitable....and smart.

1- He wanted #1 WR money. How many $42 million WRs can this team afford?

2- He wanted out. He did not want to be second banana

3- With that in mind, we could have signed him for the $5 million franchise tag. But that meant no Spikes. We needed Spikes a lot more than Peerless.

4- Even with Peerless, Bledsoe would still be sacked a hundred times. We would have two very expensive WR's we could not get the ball to instead of just one.

5- We recouped the Bledsoe pick because Atlanta was stupid. They could have drafted a WR a lot cheaper and still got the pathetic production Peerless has given them.

Good points.. even though Price down in Atlanta with Crumpler may still pan out once Vick learns the west Coast offense because they are playing good "D".

[ScottLawrence]

1. Price Trade

2. Jonnas Jennings in 3rd round

3. ?

4.ummmmm

5.DOOOOMMMMMMEDDDDD

[HenryRules]

The Price move was inevitable....and smart.

1- He wanted #1 WR money. How many $42 million WRs can this team afford?

2- He wanted out. He did not want to be second banana

3- With that in mind, we could have signed him for the $5 million franchise tag. But that meant no Spikes. We needed Spikes a lot more than Peerless.

4- Even with Peerless, Bledsoe would still be sacked a hundred times. We would have two very expensive WR's we could not get the ball to instead of just one.

5- We recouped the Bledsoe pick because Atlanta was stupid. They could have drafted a WR a lot cheaper and still got the pathetic production Peerless has given them.

I'll grant you those even though I disagree with most of your points ... I still don't see how acquiring a backup RB that costs almost 2 mil against the cap can be considered a move that turned out better than expected. Not re-signing him gave us the cap room to sign Spikes. The trading of Price just ended up chewing up a lot of cap room for what is currently minimal benefit. As I said, in the future, this may be a deal that turns out better than expected, but right now, it looks as good as expected - we let Price go, signed a free agent with his money and got a backup RB that chews up a lot of cap room.

[HenryRules]

1. Price Trade

2. Jonnas Jennings in 3rd round

3. ?

4.ummmmm

5.DOOOOMMMMMMEDDDDD

Price trade, see above.

Jennings initially looked like he might have been a really good 3rd round pick. However, for a player in his 4th year, I think he's performing right about where you expect a 3rd round pick to.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

2001 was a pretty good draft for TD, he gets Clements, Schobel, Henry, Jennings, and Edwards. All of these players are still on the team. Henry and Jennings are good players, don't let last week let you determine that Jennings sucks. First off, the guy played with a concussion. Henry is struggling right now, but he is a good RB.

2002 is where things get ugly. First off Mike Williams, Josh Reed, Ryan Denney, and Coy Wire might make a worst draft ever. Kevin Thomas was a sixth rounder.

2003 is going to all be determined by Willis McGahee, but considering who has been playing it might turn out to be a decent draft. Add that to the fact that Donahoe got the pick when he didn't have one, basically for holding on to Peerless Price. Chris Kelsay is still an unknown and needs to improve, but Terrence McGee and Sam Aiken might turn out to be good players, especially McGee.

2004 is looking OK so far. Lee Evans is coming on and I can't remember a dropped pass. Everyone keeps telling me that JP Losman is the next Brett Favre. Tim Euhus has been playing. I believe I have seen Tim Anderson. Dylan McFarland has potential but will need work.


Free Agents/Trade
Sam Adams - TD needed a DT, Adams was there.
Rashaad Baker came in as an undrafted free agent and not only made the team but has played in games. He can only get better.
Drew Bledsoe - The team had no QB and TD thought he was the best option. The price tag might have been too high, but oh well.
London Fletcher - The team lost Sam Cowart and Fletcher was a viable option. With the exception of a couple of bone head plays he has been a solid player.
Rian Lindell - He shoots, brick.
Lawyer Milloy - an good safety became available, TD got him. Everyone was saying what a mistake this was. Well, you never know what you've got until it's gone.
Marcus Price - TD brought him in and he as been a decent fill-in.
Izell Reece - Came in at a decent price, but hasn't played up to expectations.
Lawrence Smith - He is OK
Takeo Spikes - TD went out to get an impact player and TKO was there. Unfortunately he hasn't been very impact, well except for one game.
Trey Teague - a tackle to play center?
Chris Villarial - I can't say too much about him.
Troy Vincent - TD brings in a replacement for a good CB. Injured.
Shaud Williams - Undrafted free agent makes the team.

[Jayhawk]

The guy needed to get a real oline and a real center.

[Mr. Cynical]

Good post Ghost. For the most part I agree.

However, at the end of the day it is irrelevant what moves he made right or wrong. 17-35, riding a 7 game losing streak means he needs to go. Just like it wasn't Belichick's destiny to be in Cleveland, it isn't TD's destiny to be in Buffalo.

[TigerJ]

I agree with most of what you said, Ghost. I question that the expectations were terribly high for Izell Reese. He came in with a reputation as a guy who plays steady but doesn't make many big plays. I'd say that is a pretty fair assessment.

[Patti120]

Good post by Ghost. Unfortunately with all of those (arguably) good trades and some decent and terrible drafting the O-line is still disgusting. And although this topic has been tossed around hundreds of times before, to make DB a playmaker you've got to have the o-line to give him a pocket, without that the offensive woes continue and the offense is terrible. But again, as this has been discussed a hundred times over, when you bring in DB you know what you've got to do to set him up for success and since he's been here he's really been set up for only failure.

Now, I admit that TD has been terrible and if things don't pan out over the next year or two then he has got to go, but right now we are stuck with him and his decisions, and as impatient as I've become with this team and front office, I will fortunately or unfortunately be right here either talking ***** or praising the then current administration.

[Dozerdog]

I'll grant you those even though I disagree with most of your points ... I still don't see how acquiring a backup RB that costs almost 2 mil against the cap can be considered a move that turned out better than expected. Not re-signing him gave us the cap room to sign Spikes. The trading of Price just ended up chewing up a lot of cap room for what is currently minimal benefit. As I said, in the future, this may be a deal that turns out better than expected, but right now, it looks as good as expected - we let Price go, signed a free agent with his money and got a backup RB that chews up a lot of cap room.


Just to make sure I'm reading this right-

Spikes is a minimal benefit? Didn't he go to the pro bowl? Didn't the defense jump something like 25 spots in the rankings to #2 overall?


We traded Price 2 months before the draft. Other than the draft slot, we had no idea who or what was on the board at 22 (or wherever the pick was)

When the pick came to us the pickings were slim- so he took a shot with the best pure athlete and best future potential- AT THE TIME Ruben Brown was cominng off an 8th pro- bowl (deservidly or not is up to debate but he wasn't complete garbage yet).

[DraftBoy]

I believe Randy McMicheal was a 3rd round draft pick not a day 2 pick but thats just me being a pain. I agree for the most part HR, and good post Ghost!

[Dozerdog]

Just to make sure I'm reading this right-

Spikes is a minimal benefit? Didn't he go to the pro bowl? Didn't the defense jump something like 25 spots in the rankings to #2 overall?


We traded Price 2 months before the draft. Other than the draft slot, we had no idea who or what was on the board at 22 (or wherever the pick was)

When the pick came to us the pickings were slim- so he took a shot with the best pure athlete and best future potential- AT THE TIME Ruben Brown was cominng off an 8th pro- bowl (deservidly or not is up to debate but he wasn't complete garbage yet).


If I'm reading this wrong- and you are referring to WM as a minimal benefit- well- that goes for most of the 2003 draft picks after the 20th seletion or so. It was a weak draft, and the majority of those selected didn't make the instant impact either.

There are some exceptions- Boldin comes to mind- but most of the picks are takingt the usual 2-3 years to develop

[HenryRules]

Just to make sure I'm reading this right-

Spikes is a minimal benefit? Didn't he go to the pro bowl? Didn't the defense jump something like 25 spots in the rankings to #2 overall?


We traded Price 2 months before the draft. Other than the draft slot, we had no idea who or what was on the board at 22 (or wherever the pick was)

When the pick came to us the pickings were slim- so he took a shot with the best pure athlete and best future potential- AT THE TIME Ruben Brown was cominng off an 8th pro- bowl (deservidly or not is up to debate but he wasn't complete garbage yet).

Nope, you're not reading it right. As with most people, you're combining two, three, or more decisions into one. Spikes v. Price - that's the decision to not retain Peerless, not the decision to trade Peerless. Not retaining Price is a move that worked out as expected. We had $5 mil/yr or so to work with and we used it on a pro bowler - I'd expect most GMs to get a pro bowler when spending 5 mil / year.

The Peerless Price trade is Peerless for McGahee (this is the minimal benefit portion) ... a really good #2 receiver for a backup RB that costs almost $2 mil against the cap this year. Or to look at it another way ... we had a top-10 offense in points the year before the Peerless trade, then the year after the Peerless trade, our most significant off-season move with respect to the offense, we had one of the bottom-5 offenses by points.

Now, let me make sure that I'm reading your posts right ... the Peerless Price trade can be considered with the Bledsoe trade, which happened almost 1 year apart and involved 2 different teams and 2 different draft picks. But 2 months before the draft, the Bills shouldn't be able to have a general idea of who is available in the mid-late first round? If months after the bowl games, the front office doesn't have some sort of general idea about the first round picks, they're worse than I thought. As you've said repeatedly, pickings were slim in that draft ... did we not have college scouts that year?

The whole Ruben Brown point just misses me completely.

[HenryRules]

If I'm reading this wrong- and you are referring to WM as a minimal benefit- well- that goes for most of the 2003 draft picks after the 20th seletion or so. It was a weak draft, and the majority of those selected didn't make the instant impact either.

There are some exceptions- Boldin comes to mind- but most of the picks are takingt the usual 2-3 years to develop


If the draft was so weak, then why say picking up a first rounder was so much better than expected?

[HenryRules]

I believe Randy McMicheal was a 3rd round draft pick not a day 2 pick but thats just me being a pain. I agree for the most part HR, and good post Ghost!

I wasn't %100 sure, but your post made me look it up. It's a minor point, but I'm pretty sure now that he was a 4th rounder: http://www.drafthistory.com/teams/dolphins.html.

He was the 16th pick in the 4th round.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

I am fine with the McGahee selection. Now that you look back it might have been better to take Kwame Harris, but everyone can look back. Most people that I remember wanted William Joseph who is a backup. All of this wasted pick stuff will end if and when McGahee becomes the starter someday.

[Crisis]

What about the Campbell trade?

[The_Philster]

What about the Campbell trade?
Good one :up: Every Browns fan I spoke to last offseason told me we'd like him...they were absolutely correct.

[askabry]

Overall a good post and I agree with much of it. I think of TD as a politician, and like the President of the US I'll hold him to his words. He's told us that a good franchise must have these things:


Two good cover corners. He immediately went out and drafted (in fact, specifically maneuvered to get) Nate Clements. Later he let Winfield go (practically in favor of Clements) and replaced him with Vincent. Personally I think he failed at this juncture, and in my mind had the chance to make the killer move for Champ Bailey.

I'd allow for the move for Lawyer Milloy being a positive spin, but you'd have to add that Rodney Harrison was available at the exact same time for far less money. And watching Clements get run over like a bug by Sammy Morris yesterday had me screaming my head off.

A pass rushing end. There have been multiple effective pass rushers in the market over the last four years, and we've been an important player in the market none of those times. Instead, we've gotten a bunch of BAWDE (best available White Defensive Ends) that can't get the job done. I don't know that you can say we've ever mounted a pass rush. But he's been committed to Schobel and maintained that commitment again this year. Schobel basically accumulates all of his sacks against backup OL, and this trend goes back over several years.

An effective general at the QB position. Again, he made his first move in year one. In my mind, again Drew is not the answer and we waited too long to get a replacement in the draft.

Tom made his bed in year one with Schobel, Clements and Drew. This past off season the opportunities were there for him to admit mistakes on every one of those decisions (Kearse, Bailey and Warner all changed teams in the same off season and we saw commitments go elsewhere). From his own standards, I don't see him as being a success.


2001 was a pretty good draft for TD, he gets Clements, Schobel, Henry, Jennings, and Edwards. All of these players are still on the team. Henry and Jennings are good players, don't let last week let you determine that Jennings sucks. First off, the guy played with a concussion. Henry is struggling right now, but he is a good RB.

2002 is where things get ugly. First off Mike Williams, Josh Reed, Ryan Denney, and Coy Wire might make a worst draft ever. Kevin Thomas was a sixth rounder.

2003 is going to all be determined by Willis McGahee, but considering who has been playing it might turn out to be a decent draft. Add that to the fact that Donahoe got the pick when he didn't have one, basically for holding on to Peerless Price. Chris Kelsay is still an unknown and needs to improve, but Terrence McGee and Sam Aiken might turn out to be good players, especially McGee.

2004 is looking OK so far. Lee Evans is coming on and I can't remember a dropped pass. Everyone keeps telling me that JP Losman is the next Brett Favre. Tim Euhus has been playing. I believe I have seen Tim Anderson. Dylan McFarland has potential but will need work.


Free Agents/Trade
Sam Adams - TD needed a DT, Adams was there.
Rashaad Baker came in as an undrafted free agent and not only made the team but has played in games. He can only get better.
Drew Bledsoe - The team had no QB and TD thought he was the best option. The price tag might have been too high, but oh well.
London Fletcher - The team lost Sam Cowart and Fletcher was a viable option. With the exception of a couple of bone head plays he has been a solid player.
Rian Lindell - He shoots, brick.
Lawyer Milloy - an good safety became available, TD got him. Everyone was saying what a mistake this was. Well, you never know what you've got until it's gone.
Marcus Price - TD brought him in and he as been a decent fill-in.
Izell Reece - Came in at a decent price, but hasn't played up to expectations.
Lawrence Smith - He is OK
Takeo Spikes - TD went out to get an impact player and TKO was there. Unfortunately he hasn't been very impact, well except for one game.
Trey Teague - a tackle to play center?
Chris Villarial - I can't say too much about him.
Troy Vincent - TD brings in a replacement for a good CB. Injured.
Shaud Williams - Undrafted free agent makes the team.

[HenryRules]

Good one :up: Every Browns fan I spoke to last offseason told me we'd like him...they were absolutely correct.

We won and for the first time in years I can feel somewhat decent about the team, so I'm not going to answer this post in detail. I disagree with you completely. Please do not ask me to explain further, I did it many times this offseason.

[The_Philster]

yes, you certainly did, ad nauseum. I, for one, don't need Pro Bowlers at every position to convince me they are very good players.

[Crisis]

Campbell for a 2nd day pick was a complete steal.

He hasn't been an all-star, but he's been solid, and dependable.

[HenryRules]

yes, you certainly did, ad nauseum. I, for one, don't need Pro Bowlers at every position to convince me they are very good players.

Are you pleased you got the last word in? Can you do a little dance now?

[The_Philster]

Campbell for a 2nd day pick was a complete steal.

He hasn't been an all-star, but he's been solid, and dependable.
my thoughts exactly :up:

[The_Philster]

Are you pleased you got the last word in? Can you do a little dance now?
:dance: :dance:

There, happy now? :D

[Mr. Cynical]

Overall a good post and I agree with much of it. I think of TD as a politician, and like the President of the US I'll hold him to his words. He's told us that a good franchise must have these things:



Two good cover corners. He immediately went out and drafted (in fact, specifically maneuvered to get) Nate Clements. Later he let Winfield go (practically in favor of Clements) and replaced him with Vincent. Personally I think he failed at this juncture, and in my mind had the chance to make the killer move for Champ Bailey.


I'd allow for the move for Lawyer Milloy being a positive spin, but you'd have to add that Rodney Harrison was available at the exact same time for far less money. And watching Clements get run over like a bug by Sammy Morris yesterday had me screaming my head off.

A pass rushing end. There have been multiple effective pass rushers in the market over the last four years, and we've been an important player in the market none of those times. Instead, we've gotten a bunch of BAWDE (best available White Defensive Ends) that can't get the job done. I don't know that you can say we've ever mounted a pass rush. But he's been committed to Schobel and maintained that commitment again this year. Schobel basically accumulates all of his sacks against backup OL, and this trend goes back over several years.

An effective general at the QB position. Again, he made his first move in year one. In my mind, again Drew is not the answer and we waited too long to get a replacement in the draft.


Tom made his bed in year one with Schobel, Clements and Drew. This past off season the opportunities were there for him to admit mistakes on every one of those decisions (Kearse, Bailey and Warner all changed teams in the same off season and we saw commitments go elsewhere). From his own standards, I don't see him as being a success.


Excellent post (altho I would have left out the BAWDE comment...no need for racial stereotyping)

[Mr. Cynical]

Campbell for a 2nd day pick was a complete steal.

He hasn't been an all-star, but he's been solid, and dependable.
Not making any judgements but here are his numbers:

2 catches and 20 yards per game average since he's been here
3 TDs in total

[EDS]

Overall a good post and I agree with much of it. I think of TD as a politician, and like the President of the US I'll hold him to his words. He's told us that a good franchise must have these things:


Two good cover corners. He immediately went out and drafted (in fact, specifically maneuvered to get) Nate Clements. Later he let Winfield go (practically in favor of Clements) and replaced him with Vincent. Personally I think he failed at this juncture, and in my mind had the chance to make the killer move for Champ Bailey.

I'd allow for the move for Lawyer Milloy being a positive spin, but you'd have to add that Rodney Harrison was available at the exact same time for far less money. And watching Clements get run over like a bug by Sammy Morris yesterday had me screaming my head off.

A pass rushing end. There have been multiple effective pass rushers in the market over the last four years, and we've been an important player in the market none of those times. Instead, we've gotten a bunch of BAWDE (best available White Defensive Ends) that can't get the job done. I don't know that you can say we've ever mounted a pass rush. But he's been committed to Schobel and maintained that commitment again this year. Schobel basically accumulates all of his sacks against backup OL, and this trend goes back over several years.

An effective general at the QB position. Again, he made his first move in year one. In my mind, again Drew is not the answer and we waited too long to get a replacement in the draft.

Tom made his bed in year one with Schobel, Clements and Drew. This past off season the opportunities were there for him to admit mistakes on every one of those decisions (Kearse, Bailey and Warner all changed teams in the same off season and we saw commitments go elsewhere). From his own standards, I don't see him as being a success.





Um, how has TD not made an effort to field quality cornerbacks? He has drafted three solid players - Clements, McGee and Thomas and signed Vincent to replace Winfield. I miss Winfield mind you, but it is not like he is going to turn a defense around - see Minnesota. And there is not way in the world that the Bills could have acquired Champ Bailey, none, both financially and from a trade/talent perspective. The Bills did not have a Clinton Portis to trade, few teams did.

And for the record, Jevon Kearse has fewer sacks then Schoebel, and Kearse has the advantage of playing for a team that has been ahead of each of its opponents all year, thus, forcing those opponents to throw the ball.

And Kurt Warner? Do you honestly think Kurt Warner will take the Giants or any other team to the Super Bowl? The guy is playing well, yes, but the Giants are a Tiki Barber injury away from missing the playoffs.

Rodney Harrison has been great for the Patriots but blaming TD for not picking him up is crazy. If anything, blame San Diego for letting him go - what were they thinking!

[Crisis]

Not making any judgements but here are his numbers:

2 catches and 20 yards per game average since he's been here
3 TDs in total


Stats dont mean everything.

All you guys do is cling to your stats whenever someone brings something up.

He's made alot of tough catches, and has been a good part of the offense this year.

Campbell for a 2nd day pick (6th round? could be wrong) and you're complaining about his production?

[Mr. Cynical]

Stats dont mean everything.

All you guys do is cling to your stats whenever someone brings something up.

He's made alot of tough catches, and has been a good part of the offense this year.

Campbell for a 2nd day pick (6th round? could be wrong) and you're complaining about his production?Show me where I complained. I said "not making any judgments". Most people would read that as "not complaining nor praising". :idunno:

[askabry]

Um, how has TD not made an effort to field quality cornerbacks? He has drafted three solid players - Clements, McGee and Thomas and signed Vincent to replace Winfield. I miss Winfield mind you, but it is not like he is going to turn a defense around - see Minnesota. And there is not way in the world that the Bills could have acquired Champ Bailey, none, both financially and from a trade/talent perspective. The Bills did not have a Clinton Portis to trade, few teams did.

And for the record, Jevon Kearse has fewer sacks then Schoebel, and Kearse has the advantage of playing for a team that has been ahead of each of its opponents all year, thus, forcing those opponents to throw the ball.

And Kurt Warner? Do you honestly think Kurt Warner will take the Giants or any other team to the Super Bowl? The guy is playing well, yes, but the Giants are a Tiki Barber injury away from missing the playoffs.

Rodney Harrison has been great for the Patriots but blaming TD for not picking him up is crazy. If anything, blame San Diego for letting him go - what were they thinking!

First off, the Bills did have a "Clinton Portis" in Travis Henry, and had they been willing to move him and some package of talent a/o picks I think they could have acquired him. IMHO Vincent was toast before he was injured and Winfield certainly was the better corner this year. Moreover, I think he's much younger and likely to be better longer. But to say they couldn't have financially made the move? You can always find a way.

For the record, Jevon Kearse is in another league when it comes to being an established NFL force. Comparing him to Schobel ... who for his entire career has gotten maybe three sacks NOT against backup talent ... really isn't justified.

Warner is outplaying Drew, is playing for less money, and is playing for a smaller long term commitment. Likewise, his team is playing better. Moreover, I'd have him tutoring Losman over Drew any day of the week but that's just conjecture.

But the overall point I was trying to make was this: our front office made a commitment to three players in the offseason and those decisions relate DIRECTLY to the original statement Tom made.

If you believe we have two good cover corners, an effective passrushing end, and a field general right now, well ... ok. That's fine. I don't. And I thought that was obvious at the end of the last season and were the three things we should have addressed. The GM looked at the world and refreshed his commitment.

<I'd agree ... probably the BAWDE comment was a bit over the top. I will edit that out.>

[chernobylwraiths]

Marcus Price - TD brought him in and he as been a decent fill-in.

I can't believe nobody said anything about this. Hasn't he played well if not very well everytime he has played? Aren't some here saying he might be our new starting tackle when JJ leaves or to move MW to guard to have Price start there?

The move to get a first rounder for Price when we knew we couldn't afford to keep him.

Trading down and NOT taking Kenyatta Walker. If he is bashed for the MW pick, just imagine if he gets THIS guy the year before.

Extending Henry's contract for another year was a very good move as well. Kearse is always hurt.

Hopefully, TD will try and get a top FA tackle (the ONLY position I would have him overpay for unless a great DE is available)

[TigerJ]

I think of TD as a politician, and like the President of the US I'll hold him to his words.

You really expect that a president is going to keep his word? Boy are you naive!

[askabry]

I just use them as guideposts, Tiger. It lets me know what their intent was ... and I always allow for failure to deliver against intent. After all, you can't always get what you wa-ant.

Of course, when what you get instead is the deliberate effort to deceive ... that's when I get irate. Tom's tried to get what he intended to get. President Bush ... well ... this is a football forum.

[Ed]

I was going to mention Marcus Price, but a couple people already did.

Another great move by TD no one ever mentions is Brian Moorman. He's not only one of the best punters in the league, but TD was smart enough to lock him up for 8 years with a very cap friendly deal.

I think Sam Adams turned out better then expected last year, as for this year's issues with him, we'll have to wait and see.

I think it's also important to recognize moves that TD didn't make that turned out well.

Not giving Marcellus Wiley $40 million was smart.

As much as I loved Sam Cowart and wanted to see him return, not re-signing him was smart too.

Those are just a few that came to mind, I know there are more.

[HenryRules]

There is a difference between good moves and moves that turn out better than expected. For instance, Sam Adams is a solid DT, but he's got a cap hit of over $3 mil this year, so you expect him to be a solid DT. Marcus Price is a backup OT and plays like one. We're in trouble if he's our starting LT next year - we can't be triple teaming DE's as part of a regular game plan. He's solid if we need a replacement for a week or two, but nothing more. Was he a good pickup? Yes. Is he better than expected? No.

Moorman is a good example of a move that turned out better than expected. He was expected to do nothing and has turned into at least the 3rd best punter in the AFC.

[alohabillsfan]

I can't believe nobody has even mentioned this!

Only signing Greg Williams to a 3 year deal! Sur it could have been better like, only signing him for a couple of weeks like some temp. but atleast it wasn't any longer!!!

As far as TD theory of 2 top corners, elite edge rusher and field general, 1 thing that heleft out and has not been upgraded is that you need a solid kicker, and we certainly still do! Somebodt please start the Rian must go thread!