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No offense to Connor Byrne, whose articles I frequently agree with, and Pat Moran, who are both able to write far more often and prolifically than I could ever hope to, but after reading their latest articles on free agents that the Bills should be looking to sign and some of the other stuff that I have seen on the Internet lately, I have to wonder if some of the people writing these articles were paying attention at all during this past football season or if they are making up their lists simply based on stat sheets and names that they happen to be familiar with. Certainly anyone who paid any attention to how some of the players who are being mentioned in connection with the Bills actually performed would have some serious doubts about whether some of these players would be better than players that the Bills already have on their roster or rookies that they might draft.
For example:
Toniu Fonoti: While it is true that Fonoti finally had a good season for the Chargers two years ago, last season he "blimped up" to close to 400 lbs when he showed up in Minnesota. I happened to watch his inaugural performance in a Vikings' uniform: Fonoti could barely move he was so fat and out of shape--he didn't make it out of the first half before the coaches put his oversized butt on the bench in favor of a rookie who had been embarrassed the week before. In addition to the fact that Fonoti has an injury history, I would have serious doubts about the character of a guy who let himself go to seed that badly in the middle of a season. If Fonoti is healthy, in shape and motivated, fine, but last season he made Benny Anderson look like Larry Allen in his prime. Sorry, but, based on that, I would not celebrate too much if the Bills were to sign him as a FA this off-season.
Tutan Reyes: Reyes finally had a good season last year, after the Panthers tried desperately to replace him the previous off-season. Reyes had been a major disappointment until injuries to the Panthers' offensive line the last two years gave him a second and third chance to step into the starting lineup. Reyes has always had potential and there are some around the league who like him, but, if you read some of the comments by the Panthers' coaches over the last three years, they have seen him as something of an underachiever that they were hoping would finally play up to his talent level. While it is possible that Reyes has finally developed the maturity to be the player that he was expected to be and he is less of a risk than Fonoti, he is still a risk--because you have to ask whether his good play last season was motivated by the fact that he was about to become a free agent.
Kyle Kosier: Did anyone see the Lions' offensive line play last season? Yeah, Joey Harrington stinks and, at this point, Jeff Garcia isn't much better, but it wasn't all on the Lions' coaches and QBs--their offensive line was HORRID! They couldn't protect either QB and couldn't open up holes for Kevin Jones--sound familiar? I know they franchised Jeff Backus and there were many here who were interested in Backus--who was IMHO the Lions' best O-lineman--but why would the Bills want to have anything to do with any of the Lions' other offensive linemen? Kosier is no better than Gandy and may be worse....
Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis: The same question that I asked about Kosier applies here--did anyone see the Rams' defensive line play last season? While the Rams weren't as bad against the run as the Bills were, teams routinely ran wild on them! And, it was all the linebackers' fault. Now, I'll grant that Pickett really picked up his game last season--compared to previous years when he was being widely considered a total bust by the Rams and their fans--and it is possible that, as with Reyes, he finally figured out what it takes to play in the NFL. But, for all of his talent, Pickett has been an underachiever with the Rams. Lewis, on the other hand, was considered to be more raw than Pickett--a guy who would need time to develop. And, he has taken his time developing. Both are guys who have the talent to be good players in the NFL, but have not yet shown that they are any more than average at best. With the Bills desperately needing DTs, they are probably going to have to sign one of these two, but, based on their past performances, both are risks: are you going to be getting a guy who is on the verge of breaking out or a more talented version of Tim Anderson or a guy who, for all of his talent, is never going to be more than a mediocre disappointment? Right now, there's no way to really tell based on what either one has done in the NFL to date. So, if the Bills sign one of these two guys, it's going to be a gamble--and they had better make sure that they pick the right one. I'm not saying that one of these two won't become a top-flight performer--it could happen--but I would advise taking a very cautious approach until you see how well they play.
Tom Ashworth: It's tough for me to get too critcal of anyone who has payed regularly for the Pats over the last couple of years, but Ashworth is a guy that may not bring as much to a team like the Bills as one might expect from his service with the Pats. Ashworth was a great "sixth man" off the bench for the Pats' offensive line, but was not that effective as a starter--why do you think that he was catching passes out of the backfield on the goal-line at the end of last season instead of in the trenches? Ashworth is not going to help the Bills at LT: whatever you think of B.Belichick, he's no dummy and there is a reason why he stuck with rookie 4th round draft pick N.Kaczur at LT last season--even though Kaczur struggled and the Pats couldn't open holes for their running game all season--and why the Pats' offensive line was worse when Kaczur was out of the lineup. And, it is truly debatable whether Ashworth would be better at RT than Gandy: while Ashworth might be a somewhat better pass blocker, given the struggles of the Pats' offensive line in the running game, Gandy probably has a slight advantage as a run blocker. Ashworth is by no means a stud offensive lineman. While Ashworth (or Neal) would bring some of the Pats' winning attitude to a team that sorely needs it, IMHO it really is questionable whether he would bring anything more than that to the team to justify the cost of signing him. One could argue that the same might hold true for Neal, but, at least, Neal would be a vast improvement over B.Anderson.
Jamie Martin: The only reason to sign Martin is because he worked with Steve Fairchild last season and may be familiar with the offense that Fairchild is going to run in Buffalo. Martin is no better than Kelly Holcomb: the offense that he had to work with in St. Louis was infinitely better last season than the Bills offense and Martin wasn't able to win much with that offense, so what makes anyone think he will be able to win more in Buffalo? The only reason for him to come to Buffalo would be for a paycheck and a last shot at playing a couple more years (Holcomb redux--but at least Holcomb was and is younger). The Bills aren't going to win squat with Martin as their starting QB, so bringing him in will only complicate an already delicate QB situation and take more reps from Holcomb and Losman--probably alienating both of them permanently. Unless Martin is going to come in as Shane Matthews--a cheap, veteran tutor for the younger guys, no thanks. B.Griese and J.McCown probably won't be interested in anything less than a legitimate shot at starting, with limited competition, and at least as much money as Holcomb, if not more. Griese is the only one who actually has won a fair amount of games in the NFL and played consistently enough to be worthy of a starting QB job.
Michael Bennett: Aside from the fact that he will probably want more money than the Bills are going to be willing to pay a back-up RB, the guy has been hurt all of the time and was unable to keep his starting RB job in Minnesota, even though M.Tice LOVED him and gave him every opportunity under the sun to be the main man for the Vikes. Bennett is a straight-line runner who can take it to the house if he gets holes opened for him, but he has no wiggle to make yards where there is no hole and is not a tough runner. So, why would you want him? Gates is cheaper and tougher, although not a proven runner yet, but he won't become a proven runner until he's given a chance to show what he can do. Bennett, just based on his health and how much it will cost to sign him is a big gamble.
There are certainly other free agents whose past performances are as chequered as those I have just mentioned, these are the ones who have been most frequently linked to the Bills, so I'll leave it at this for now. But, I think I've made my point.
While it may be necessary for the Bills to take a chance on one or more of these players in order to, hopefully, address some of the needs that they have in their lineup, based on the recent past performances of these players, it would be wise for Bills fans not to get too excited if the team signs one of these players until the season starts and we get a chance to see how he will play in a Bills' uniform. While a lot of Bills fans have been clamoring for the team to sign one or more of these players, if you have watched them play over the last couple of years, you would know that each one comes with a warning tag that says: "Buyer Beware!"
So, as you read the articles and posts about this free agent or that one this offseason, just keep in mind, Bills fans, to "Be careful what you wish for, for you may get it!" And, with a number of these free agents, the potential to be a bust, based on past performance, is just as great as the potential for stardom.
For example:
Toniu Fonoti: While it is true that Fonoti finally had a good season for the Chargers two years ago, last season he "blimped up" to close to 400 lbs when he showed up in Minnesota. I happened to watch his inaugural performance in a Vikings' uniform: Fonoti could barely move he was so fat and out of shape--he didn't make it out of the first half before the coaches put his oversized butt on the bench in favor of a rookie who had been embarrassed the week before. In addition to the fact that Fonoti has an injury history, I would have serious doubts about the character of a guy who let himself go to seed that badly in the middle of a season. If Fonoti is healthy, in shape and motivated, fine, but last season he made Benny Anderson look like Larry Allen in his prime. Sorry, but, based on that, I would not celebrate too much if the Bills were to sign him as a FA this off-season.
Tutan Reyes: Reyes finally had a good season last year, after the Panthers tried desperately to replace him the previous off-season. Reyes had been a major disappointment until injuries to the Panthers' offensive line the last two years gave him a second and third chance to step into the starting lineup. Reyes has always had potential and there are some around the league who like him, but, if you read some of the comments by the Panthers' coaches over the last three years, they have seen him as something of an underachiever that they were hoping would finally play up to his talent level. While it is possible that Reyes has finally developed the maturity to be the player that he was expected to be and he is less of a risk than Fonoti, he is still a risk--because you have to ask whether his good play last season was motivated by the fact that he was about to become a free agent.
Kyle Kosier: Did anyone see the Lions' offensive line play last season? Yeah, Joey Harrington stinks and, at this point, Jeff Garcia isn't much better, but it wasn't all on the Lions' coaches and QBs--their offensive line was HORRID! They couldn't protect either QB and couldn't open up holes for Kevin Jones--sound familiar? I know they franchised Jeff Backus and there were many here who were interested in Backus--who was IMHO the Lions' best O-lineman--but why would the Bills want to have anything to do with any of the Lions' other offensive linemen? Kosier is no better than Gandy and may be worse....
Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis: The same question that I asked about Kosier applies here--did anyone see the Rams' defensive line play last season? While the Rams weren't as bad against the run as the Bills were, teams routinely ran wild on them! And, it was all the linebackers' fault. Now, I'll grant that Pickett really picked up his game last season--compared to previous years when he was being widely considered a total bust by the Rams and their fans--and it is possible that, as with Reyes, he finally figured out what it takes to play in the NFL. But, for all of his talent, Pickett has been an underachiever with the Rams. Lewis, on the other hand, was considered to be more raw than Pickett--a guy who would need time to develop. And, he has taken his time developing. Both are guys who have the talent to be good players in the NFL, but have not yet shown that they are any more than average at best. With the Bills desperately needing DTs, they are probably going to have to sign one of these two, but, based on their past performances, both are risks: are you going to be getting a guy who is on the verge of breaking out or a more talented version of Tim Anderson or a guy who, for all of his talent, is never going to be more than a mediocre disappointment? Right now, there's no way to really tell based on what either one has done in the NFL to date. So, if the Bills sign one of these two guys, it's going to be a gamble--and they had better make sure that they pick the right one. I'm not saying that one of these two won't become a top-flight performer--it could happen--but I would advise taking a very cautious approach until you see how well they play.
Tom Ashworth: It's tough for me to get too critcal of anyone who has payed regularly for the Pats over the last couple of years, but Ashworth is a guy that may not bring as much to a team like the Bills as one might expect from his service with the Pats. Ashworth was a great "sixth man" off the bench for the Pats' offensive line, but was not that effective as a starter--why do you think that he was catching passes out of the backfield on the goal-line at the end of last season instead of in the trenches? Ashworth is not going to help the Bills at LT: whatever you think of B.Belichick, he's no dummy and there is a reason why he stuck with rookie 4th round draft pick N.Kaczur at LT last season--even though Kaczur struggled and the Pats couldn't open holes for their running game all season--and why the Pats' offensive line was worse when Kaczur was out of the lineup. And, it is truly debatable whether Ashworth would be better at RT than Gandy: while Ashworth might be a somewhat better pass blocker, given the struggles of the Pats' offensive line in the running game, Gandy probably has a slight advantage as a run blocker. Ashworth is by no means a stud offensive lineman. While Ashworth (or Neal) would bring some of the Pats' winning attitude to a team that sorely needs it, IMHO it really is questionable whether he would bring anything more than that to the team to justify the cost of signing him. One could argue that the same might hold true for Neal, but, at least, Neal would be a vast improvement over B.Anderson.
Jamie Martin: The only reason to sign Martin is because he worked with Steve Fairchild last season and may be familiar with the offense that Fairchild is going to run in Buffalo. Martin is no better than Kelly Holcomb: the offense that he had to work with in St. Louis was infinitely better last season than the Bills offense and Martin wasn't able to win much with that offense, so what makes anyone think he will be able to win more in Buffalo? The only reason for him to come to Buffalo would be for a paycheck and a last shot at playing a couple more years (Holcomb redux--but at least Holcomb was and is younger). The Bills aren't going to win squat with Martin as their starting QB, so bringing him in will only complicate an already delicate QB situation and take more reps from Holcomb and Losman--probably alienating both of them permanently. Unless Martin is going to come in as Shane Matthews--a cheap, veteran tutor for the younger guys, no thanks. B.Griese and J.McCown probably won't be interested in anything less than a legitimate shot at starting, with limited competition, and at least as much money as Holcomb, if not more. Griese is the only one who actually has won a fair amount of games in the NFL and played consistently enough to be worthy of a starting QB job.
Michael Bennett: Aside from the fact that he will probably want more money than the Bills are going to be willing to pay a back-up RB, the guy has been hurt all of the time and was unable to keep his starting RB job in Minnesota, even though M.Tice LOVED him and gave him every opportunity under the sun to be the main man for the Vikes. Bennett is a straight-line runner who can take it to the house if he gets holes opened for him, but he has no wiggle to make yards where there is no hole and is not a tough runner. So, why would you want him? Gates is cheaper and tougher, although not a proven runner yet, but he won't become a proven runner until he's given a chance to show what he can do. Bennett, just based on his health and how much it will cost to sign him is a big gamble.
There are certainly other free agents whose past performances are as chequered as those I have just mentioned, these are the ones who have been most frequently linked to the Bills, so I'll leave it at this for now. But, I think I've made my point.
While it may be necessary for the Bills to take a chance on one or more of these players in order to, hopefully, address some of the needs that they have in their lineup, based on the recent past performances of these players, it would be wise for Bills fans not to get too excited if the team signs one of these players until the season starts and we get a chance to see how he will play in a Bills' uniform. While a lot of Bills fans have been clamoring for the team to sign one or more of these players, if you have watched them play over the last couple of years, you would know that each one comes with a warning tag that says: "Buyer Beware!"
So, as you read the articles and posts about this free agent or that one this offseason, just keep in mind, Bills fans, to "Be careful what you wish for, for you may get it!" And, with a number of these free agents, the potential to be a bust, based on past performance, is just as great as the potential for stardom.
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