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This will be long but I'll try to sum it up at the end. I considered doing this by position but it seems to me that it would be easier on a move-by-move basis.
FO Moves:
Marv Levy, GM- losing TD was a good thing. Marv knows football but has never been a GM and has been out of the game for almost a decade (plus he's 80).
Dick Jauron, Coach- Mularkey had to go but Jauron has a losing record. This is a questionable move- the upside is that he has HC experience, unlike the last two morons
Perry Fewell, DC- knows the Cover 2, never been DC before.
Fairchild, OC- depends who you ask. I don't know what to make of this move.
Bills lost:
Justin Bannan- Not a contributor
Ron Edwards- Not a contributor
Sam Adams- I'm 50/50 on this one- Adams had attitude problems but still has a couple good years left, plus we're short on DT's. (if McCargo can start, I'm OK with this)
Lawyer Milloy- Old and lost a step. Not a huge deal
Eric Moulds- good or bad, it had to be done. I'm not sure that we have a true #1 receiver, but I can't hold Moulds' departure against Marv.
I can't think of any other starters/contributors that we lost. On the whole, this wasn't so bad- losing Moulds and Adams could be problematic if no one steps up, but neither one was on their game last year and I just don't see it being a huge concern. We're probably better off with the cap money.
Franchised:
Nate Clements, but he still hasn't signed the franchise tender. I'm sick of his **** and would like to see what we can get for him- at the same time we don't have anyone good enough to replace him. The franchise tag was the lesser of two evils.
Bills re signed:
Terrence McGee and Angelo Crowell (this was actually during the season last year but both GREAT moves IMO)
Ryan Denney- WTF?
Josh Reed- again, WTF?
The good news about the Denney and Reed contracts is that they're backloaded, so if they don't perform they don't get much money. And Reed is almost a necessary evil because he's the only possession receiver we have. I really don't have a lot of faith in either of these guys- they're potential that's never been reached.
Free Agent Signings:
Aaron Gibson- a gamble but a cheap one. I don't expect much but at least he adds experienced depth to a shaky line.
Fowler- definitely an upgrade over Teague
Larry Tripplett- great signing, best DT on the team
Robert Royal- should help the O a little
Matt Bowens- IMO more of a ST signing than a defensive one- expect contributions on ST but not as a S.
Tutan Reyes- a stack of old tires would be an improvement over Bennie Anderson, plus he's cheap.
Davis- I really don't know about this one, but he's a vet presence now that Moulds is gone.
Peerless Price- again, WTF? I don't expect much out of him, but again, he's cheap
A-Train- an improvement over Shaud.
Craig Nall- I guess it doesn't hurt to have him, but I really don't see what the FO is trying to accomplish here. It just makes no sense.
Fowler, Reyes, Tripplett and Royal should definitely contribute. Price and Gibson are obvious gambles.
Draft:
I'm starting to think I may have overreacted to these picks a little, but I'm still not thrilled with this draft. S is a bigger need than most of us realized and Marv wanted McCargo and did what was necessary to get him- but taking a S at 8 and losing a pick to get McCargo may not have been the best way to manage the draft. I'm also still concerned about the OL, which was neglected until the 5th round.
So, to sum up:
RB's: Improved marginally with the addition of A-train
QB's: Added Nall but no difference here- It's all on JP
WR's: Lots of speed- someone has to step up and be a true #1, Reed signing questionable
TE's: Royal and the return of Everett should improve this unit- depends on how Fairchild uses them
OL: Bolstered with two decent FA signings and a few late draft picks- still needs depth- marginally improved but I'm not completely sold on it yet
ST- there is no reason for concern on this unit- it will be the same as last year
DL- If Tripplett and McCargo can start next to each other, this unit will be markedly improved. Otherwise, it's the same **** as last year. It's dependent on a rookie, which makes me nervous
LB- Spikes return should bolster this unit
DB's- depends if Clements is in camp and if Whitner can start. Influx of rookies should add depth if nothing else.
Coaching- big ? with Jauron. I'm nervous about this.
Bottom Line:
IF....
JP plays up to his potential AND
one of the WR's steps up AND
Jauron is as good as Marv thinks he is AND
our First Round draft picks can start and contribute from Day 1 AND
the off-season moves bolstered the OL AND
TKO is 85% or better AND
Clements returns to his old form AND
the team doesn't suffer too much from learning a new system AND
some of the questionable signings like Reed, Denney, Price or Gibson pay off,
this team will have a good season.
But that's a lot to ask. Some of those things will happen, but probably not enough to get this team winning.
FO Moves:
Marv Levy, GM- losing TD was a good thing. Marv knows football but has never been a GM and has been out of the game for almost a decade (plus he's 80).
Dick Jauron, Coach- Mularkey had to go but Jauron has a losing record. This is a questionable move- the upside is that he has HC experience, unlike the last two morons
Perry Fewell, DC- knows the Cover 2, never been DC before.
Fairchild, OC- depends who you ask. I don't know what to make of this move.
Bills lost:
Justin Bannan- Not a contributor
Ron Edwards- Not a contributor
Sam Adams- I'm 50/50 on this one- Adams had attitude problems but still has a couple good years left, plus we're short on DT's. (if McCargo can start, I'm OK with this)
Lawyer Milloy- Old and lost a step. Not a huge deal
Eric Moulds- good or bad, it had to be done. I'm not sure that we have a true #1 receiver, but I can't hold Moulds' departure against Marv.
I can't think of any other starters/contributors that we lost. On the whole, this wasn't so bad- losing Moulds and Adams could be problematic if no one steps up, but neither one was on their game last year and I just don't see it being a huge concern. We're probably better off with the cap money.
Franchised:
Nate Clements, but he still hasn't signed the franchise tender. I'm sick of his **** and would like to see what we can get for him- at the same time we don't have anyone good enough to replace him. The franchise tag was the lesser of two evils.
Bills re signed:
Terrence McGee and Angelo Crowell (this was actually during the season last year but both GREAT moves IMO)
Ryan Denney- WTF?
Josh Reed- again, WTF?
The good news about the Denney and Reed contracts is that they're backloaded, so if they don't perform they don't get much money. And Reed is almost a necessary evil because he's the only possession receiver we have. I really don't have a lot of faith in either of these guys- they're potential that's never been reached.
Free Agent Signings:
Aaron Gibson- a gamble but a cheap one. I don't expect much but at least he adds experienced depth to a shaky line.
Fowler- definitely an upgrade over Teague
Larry Tripplett- great signing, best DT on the team
Robert Royal- should help the O a little
Matt Bowens- IMO more of a ST signing than a defensive one- expect contributions on ST but not as a S.
Tutan Reyes- a stack of old tires would be an improvement over Bennie Anderson, plus he's cheap.
Davis- I really don't know about this one, but he's a vet presence now that Moulds is gone.
Peerless Price- again, WTF? I don't expect much out of him, but again, he's cheap
A-Train- an improvement over Shaud.
Craig Nall- I guess it doesn't hurt to have him, but I really don't see what the FO is trying to accomplish here. It just makes no sense.
Fowler, Reyes, Tripplett and Royal should definitely contribute. Price and Gibson are obvious gambles.
Draft:
I'm starting to think I may have overreacted to these picks a little, but I'm still not thrilled with this draft. S is a bigger need than most of us realized and Marv wanted McCargo and did what was necessary to get him- but taking a S at 8 and losing a pick to get McCargo may not have been the best way to manage the draft. I'm also still concerned about the OL, which was neglected until the 5th round.
So, to sum up:
RB's: Improved marginally with the addition of A-train
QB's: Added Nall but no difference here- It's all on JP
WR's: Lots of speed- someone has to step up and be a true #1, Reed signing questionable
TE's: Royal and the return of Everett should improve this unit- depends on how Fairchild uses them
OL: Bolstered with two decent FA signings and a few late draft picks- still needs depth- marginally improved but I'm not completely sold on it yet
ST- there is no reason for concern on this unit- it will be the same as last year
DL- If Tripplett and McCargo can start next to each other, this unit will be markedly improved. Otherwise, it's the same **** as last year. It's dependent on a rookie, which makes me nervous
LB- Spikes return should bolster this unit
DB's- depends if Clements is in camp and if Whitner can start. Influx of rookies should add depth if nothing else.
Coaching- big ? with Jauron. I'm nervous about this.
Bottom Line:
IF....
JP plays up to his potential AND
one of the WR's steps up AND
Jauron is as good as Marv thinks he is AND
our First Round draft picks can start and contribute from Day 1 AND
the off-season moves bolstered the OL AND
TKO is 85% or better AND
Clements returns to his old form AND
the team doesn't suffer too much from learning a new system AND
some of the questionable signings like Reed, Denney, Price or Gibson pay off,
this team will have a good season.
But that's a lot to ask. Some of those things will happen, but probably not enough to get this team winning.
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