One year ago

[kgun12]

So I went back to old threads from a year ago and a little beyound. Here are the page nubers and title of posts.

Who will be the Bills' first FA signing? 03-01-2005, 11:32 AM page 427

Anyone fed up? 03-16-2005, 10:47 PM page 437

Womack a Seahawk 03-13-2005, 09:19 AM page 440

To all the panic stricken- 03-03-2005, 08:40 PM page 453


Not a single visit planned... 03-03-2005, 01:58 PM page 456

I think I've truly lost all hope for this team... 03-03-2005, 08:11 AM page 456

Let's Guess 03-03-2005, 09:42 AM page 456

There is some interesting thread throughout all the pages between 427-460!

Seem the concerns last year were the same as this year. Not signing anyone, then get crap when we do. I think the trend is that we can't sign big name players mainly cause our own won't pony up for the signing bonus!

[AndreReed83]

Good finds kgun. I think the main reason I'm not upset about this offseason, is that compared to last offseason, we've done much more to improve the team, with a balance of both talent and character.

[dplus47]

nice work! it's funny how the panic sets in. have you noticed that each offseason seems to feel more urgent than the last one? is it just me? it's like the NFL is a drug and i need more and more of it each year just to get where i was with the last dose...

[kgun12]

Good finds kgun. I think the main reason I'm not upset about this offseason, is that compared to last offseason, we've done much more to improve the team, with a balance of both talent and character.


Andre I will agree with the character part, but as far as the talent I don't. People are saying we can't overpay for talent, yet we spend 2 million on a TE and let several good player at OL/DL visit and low ball them. That 2 million could have gone to Pickett and/or one of the OL FA. S Matt Bowen is a best a good ST player; WR Andre' Davis could be a sleeper and is the 43 WR on the team; TE Robert Royal unneeded signing as well; DT Larry Tripplett worthless as S. Adams unless the bring in a P. Williams type to help him. We should be addressing or should I say we should have addressed the OL/ Dl line already, then sign to fill backup positions! I just hope this week bring us better fortune, however our greatest weakness is already pretty depleted as far as FA go.

[kgun12]

nice work! it's funny how the panic sets in. have you noticed that each offseason seems to feel more urgent than the last one? is it just me? it's like the NFL is a drug and i need more and more of it each year just to get where i was with the last dose...

The funny part is if you read them the concern last year wasthe OL as it is this year and if I was really froggy I could go back the last 6 years and the threads would all be the same. We need to fix the OL!!! I think it isn't so much panic as it is frustratiion that we have had such a crapping OL for years and we never seem to address it will quality players, just 3rd and 4th tier bums. Funny how every QG from Todd Collins to JP have been so bad, but a team like the Steelers lose the starter T. Maddox come in and has a probowl year, they draft Rothisburger 2 years ago and go out and win the Super Bowl. Why a great OL. Maybe someday we will get it!

[FlyingDutchman]

I think Marv will have an old school approach to this, and I think that is a good thing. IMO, Marv is the kind of guy who will believe in building his team through the draft, and not through high priced FA. People are getting worried bc all the big names are being taken, but when in reality, most of those big names that were available in FA were in positions where we really did not need to go nuts on. Sure, it would have been nice to land a few OL, or a DT, but IMO there was nobody available who was really worth throwing our wallet at. Hopefully patience will pay off.

[Bill Brasky]

the Steelers lose the starter T. Maddox come in and has a probowl year, they draft Rothisburger 2 years ago and go out and win the Super Bowl. Why a great OL. Maybe someday we will get it!

This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Sometimes, all it takes is one guy to make all the difference. "Overspending" for that one key guy can pay more divedends than market value for 500 scrubs to fill "depth".

I'm not saying the Bills are a Super Bowl team, but they were a couple linemen away from a playoff spot. Now, they're an entire line and 1/4 of a defense away from a playoff spot. :ill:

When the Bills Front Office (not to mention 45% of the fans) realizes this, the team will be successful. Until then, we get to have a laughing stock of a team to root for.

[FlyingDutchman]

well, in a way we did have money invested into the OL. It was just in the form of overpaying a fat, slow, overrated pussy who is no longer with us. I think we've made little attempts to help the lines, just with little success.

[SquishDaFish]

For the last time you cant compare the contracts. Dont you understand yet? The cap went up so player contracts went up. The contracts the Bills signed this year are low for the new salary cap.

[kgun12]

For the last time you cant compare the contracts. Dont you understand yet? The cap went up so player contracts went up. The contracts the Bills signed this year are low for the new salary cap.

Correct and this is why we can't sign the Bentley's, not cause there isn't money, but our owner and to some extend our capaligest Olfordof do not know how to stucture cap friendly contracts!

[ICE74129]

Wow, and the difference? A GM with a clue and a better HC.

[kgun12]

Wow, and the difference? A GM with a clue and a better HC.

ICE I can't remember which one of the threads is was, but you were pretty much saying the same things last as you are this year. We don't have a clue blah blah blah, well my friends it's like Bill Murry's movie groung hog day, except it's a different GM and coach, but the same crap signings!

[Michael82]

Here's the problem....it's different this year. We were at least $15 million UNDER the cap this year. We had lots of money to spend and a bunch of holes. Out of any year, this is the year that we expected to see at least one big signing to help the team. You can't compare it to last year because we had no money last year and needed to scrap together money to get the bums we got last year....Bennie Anderson...:ill:

[Bill Brasky]

Here's the problem....it's different this year. We were at least $15 million UNDER the cap this year. We had lots of money to spend and a bunch of wholes. Out of any year, this is the year that we expected to see at least one big signing to help the team. You can't compare it to last year because we had no money last year and needed to scrap together money to get the bums we got last year....Bennie Anderson...:ill:

:bf1:

[ICE74129]

Here's the problem....it's different this year. We were at least $15 million UNDER the cap this year. We had lots of money to spend and a bunch of wholes. Out of any year, this is the year that we expected to see at least one big signing to help the team. You can't compare it to last year because we had no money last year and needed to scrap together money to get the bums we got last year....Bennie Anderson...:ill:

We did have that signing....Tripplet. He was #1 on the Bills DT list according to Marv.

Marv is doing this the right way. I can not wait until I get to throw 'I told ya so' around here.

[kgun12]

Here's the problem....it's different this year. We were at least $15 million UNDER the cap this year. We had lots of money to spend and a bunch of wholes. Out of any year, this is the year that we expected to see at least one big signing to help the team. You can't compare it to last year because we had no money last year and needed to scrap together money to get the bums we got last year....Bennie Anderson...:ill:

and yet we haven't signed anyone yet to fix our OL!

[Michael82]

and yet we haven't signed anyone yet to fix our OL!
EXACTLY! That's my biggest pet peeve. What the **** is Marv doing to upgrade our line? We have no chance in hell of getting Reggie Wells. We had a chance to get a couple solid OTs or Guards, or even quite a few young up and coming centers, but we were too busy bringing in guys that no one else really wanted on the first day. Tripplett was a good move, but the other ones could have been signed any other day.

[justasportsfan]

Here's the problem....it's different this year. We were at least $15 million UNDER the cap this year. We had lots of money to spend and a bunch of holes. Out of any year, this is the year that we expected to see at least one big signing to help the team. You can't compare it to last year because we had no money last year and needed to scrap together money to get the bums we got last year....Bennie Anderson...:ill:And you don't blow you money by signing every big named player in FA'cy. No need to start panic buying. Not even the Pats are jumping on big names like Bentley. We tried that when we had money by signing guys like Drew and Milloy. How did that turn out?

[patmoran2006]

This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Sometimes, all it takes is one guy to make all the difference. "Overspending" for that one key guy can pay more divedends than market value for 500 scrubs to fill "depth".

I'm not saying the Bills are a Super Bowl team, but they were a couple linemen away from a playoff spot. Now, they're an entire line and 1/4 of a defense away from a playoff spot. :ill:

When the Bills Front Office (not to mention 45% of the fans) realizes this, the team will be successful. Until then, we get to have a laughing stock of a team to root for.

well said.

SPend the money and get a real offensive line in here.. EVeyrthing else will start to fall in place... I dont care if 50% of the roster has to make the league minimum to make up for it.. Spend the money on the O LINE.

If we had a real offensive line in here, the bills would have made the playoffs at least twice in the past five years.

[patmoran2006]

Look at Matt Hasselbeck. I think he's the most overated QB in the league.

Look at that line in front of him. That's the only reason he's any good..

That and a 1800 yard rusher behind him. Which I think that line may have something to do with.

Denver's line is so good every year one of us could run for 1,000.


That's the pattern that matters.. This the FREE AGENCY ERA... Sign linemen, develop everyone else.

[LtBillsFan66]

Good finds kgun. I think the main reason I'm not upset about this offseason, is that compared to last offseason, we've done much more to improve the team, with a balance of both talent and character.
We have?

[GarnOFreak]

The spending this year has gotten crazy. Look at the Hutchinson deal on the table...a $7 mil a year average for a OG? This would not have happened except for the huge leap in the salary cap. Last year we drafted OL on the second day of the draft and picked up 2 cast off FAs. Hopefully this year we address the problem by using at LEAST one 1st day pick if not two for the future of the line. We're hoping Preston can more than fill the shoes of Teague. We're hoping Peter continues to improve as a OT(whichever side they have him play). The three other spots are question marks at this point. Will Villarell(sp?) have anything left in the tank over the next coupla years? Can Gandy become a decent enough LG to make us keep him a starter because he was not impressive as a LT. And, can we find a strong candidate for the spot opposite Peters at the other Tackle? A lot of people on other sites have been saying that for the draft we need to fix both lines(OL and DL), so we should pick Ngata since he's the best person avail to fix one of those problems. I really think that adding someone to the O-Line is a bigger priority. Why? because we have a hole at DT where Sam Adams is gone vs. Three big question marks along the Offensive Line. Would any of you not drool if (by some miracle) we happened to luck into being able to draft not only Brick with our first pick, but Max Jean-Gilles with our second? Moving the ball will take pressure off our defense, just look at last year and the year before that. Pretty much every game we TOTALLY relied on the Defense and Special Teams to not only get us good field position, but also to score points on a regular basis in order for us to win. The Offense didn't become "on fire" at the end of the 2004 season, we just finally had a rash of turnovers go our way and plunk us starting in our oppents territory more than half the time, giving us a short field to work with. Last year? Not so many INT and Fubles made the defense look really bad since again, the offense contributed VERY little to managing the game clock. We need to fix the line, maybe Marv and Co. has a plan, maybe it's in the draft or after. All we can do at this point is whine and hope they listen. Please fix the Offensive line, the whole team will be better for it.

[ParanoidAndroid]

I think that it should be clear that the good lines that all of you mentioned were built through the draft for the most part and have been together for several seasons. Marv and others have mentioned several times that putting a band-aid free agent who is in his waning years in as a starter only perpetuates the problem since they are only good for 2 ,maybe 3, and often times, one season. What I think we are going to see is a young line that struggles at first, but comes together. This is true for the same reason that our line seems to play better at the end of the year...continuity is key.