Bob Matthews staff columnist (March 12, 2007) — Maybe those of us who believe the three other teams in the AFC East have improved more than the Bills since the end of last season are wrong. Maybe Bills fans should be impressed rather than depressed. Maybe Buffalo Bills general manager Marv Levy has some tricks up his sleeve. But right now, it looks as if the best team in the division — the New England Patriots — has widened the talent gap over the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and particularly the Bills. |
Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
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Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
Last edited by Dozerdog; 03-12-2007, 10:24 PM.Tags: None
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Re: Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
Originally posted by Carlton BaileyWhen Bob Matthews becomes somebody's GM, I'll care. For now, I'll trust Levy. I made the mistake of bashing Marv last offseason, and the team turned out far better than I thought.
I would simply like to know exactly what about that article do you find INACCURATE and not in agreement with?
I love Marv too.. But last I checked he aint lining up anywhere on the field come Sunday.
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Re: Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
Originally posted by patmoran2006Instead of bashing any writer who has the audacity to question the Bills decision making and direction...
I would simply like to know exactly what about that article do you find INACCURATE and not in agreement with?
I love Marv too.. But last I checked he aint lining up anywhere on the field come Sunday.
2. Why am I supposed to care that Miami signed Joey Porter and Jay Feely? They're still far and away the worst team in the East.
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Re: Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
1- He doesnt bash the Bills, he calls it exactly like it is. He credits them for the OL moves on day one of FA.
2- By trading Willis McGahee, at least in PART because they know they'll lose him next year; Matthews states that they are "worried about the 2008 season before 2007 even starts." Is that entirely untrue? I dont think so, because no RB they have this year is better than Willis McGahee (and dont jump on me, becuse I didnt mind the trade) Im stating his point.
3- He talks about how marv is talking about all the "flexibility" with the draft by having 4 of top 92 picks, and then talks about how the Pats and Jets have even more flexibility, especially NE with two first rounders.. That's not a writer's opinion.. that is as fact.
4- He talks about how the Patriots have widened the talent gap.. That is absolutely true.. They already had a championship calibre team and they landed the prize of UFA in Thomas, and two WR which was their weakness last year.
5- Lastly, he talks about how the "bottom line is the team that hasnt made the playoffs since 1999 is still rebuilding".
is that not true? of course it's true.
They lose Clements, Fletcher and McGahee and they'll all likely be replaced by rookie draft picks and/or less proven vets. That is exactly what rebuilding is.
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Re: Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
Originally posted by Carlton BaileyWhen Bob Matthews becomes somebody's GM, I'll care. For now, I'll trust Levy. I made the mistake of bashing Marv last offseason, and the team turned out far better than I thought.
7-9 in 2006 exceeded The Answer's expectations as well - however the end result was still meaningless without playoffs and/or division title - at some point rebuilding has to translate into division titles and playoff wins......
~The Answer
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Re: Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
Originally posted by Carlton Bailey1. The offseason isn't over, so who knows what other players the Bills will acquire.
2. Why am I supposed to care that Miami signed Joey Porter and Jay Feely? They're still far and away the worst team in the East.
And yes, Im going to assume that the Bills are goin to acquire at least a couple of defensive players in FA before the draft as well, though I have no idea who... Going by their cash to cap philosophies already spoken- they arent going to spend much money- so I really dont see what difference maker they can bring in.
But that still doesnt answer the question.. What does Matthew say in that article that you find inaccurate or disagree with when it comes to the Bills?
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Re: Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
Originally posted by The AnswerJust like The Answer, this Bob Matthews cat is spot on regarding the state of the Bills and the AFC East - only good move Marv has made so far is signing Dockery - and that is still being questioned considering how much it cost.
7-9 in 2006 exceeded The Answer's expectations as well - however the end result was still meaningless without playoffs and/or division title - at some point rebuilding has to translate into division titles and playoff wins......
~The Answer
i want to discuss the POINTS of Matthew's column, not your third person views
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Re: Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
Bob Matthews has been unduly harsh on the Bills since the SB days, but unfortunately he usually has a point. This team has some huge holes and the talent gap in our division is growing, not shrinking. NE with two first rounders is a scary prospect- I despise that team.
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Re: Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
This kind of stuff drives me BANANAS. Nothing more than armchair quarterbacking, at its finest.
What would Matthews do? Keep McGahee? Okay, guess what - we either get a holdout, or a disgruntled, underperforming back for just one more season, and then we don't get anything when he leaves next year. Instead, we have 3 more draft picks to build a young team with...NEXT!
Clements? I loved the guy, and he was a great player. Too bad we couldn't keep him - few would at the price he was demanding. We might end up with a guy 10% worse than him, at better than half the price. Had to do it.
Fletcher? Great leader...best days are behind him. That's just reality. We did the smart thing by keeping Kelsay, and not Fletcher & Clements.
Anyone who argues that we didn't need to do exactly what we did w/ the O-line is a fool...that was the priority with FA, and there isn't too much more they could have done. The line has been the Bills Achilles heel for years; JP might be a great, but we wouldn't know it w/ the line he had. Now, we find out how good (or mediocre) he really is.
We'll get guys like McCargo back, draft a solid RB and fill a few other defensive holes in the early rounds of the draft. We were a 7-9 team that could have easily been 9-7 or 10-6 with a couple of key plays. The Pats are older, and Brady has lost some of his mystique. They've made a couple of great pickups, but let's see if they can gel again on the field.
The Bills will have just as good a shot at 1st place as anyone in that division...
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Re: Improved AFC East isn't waiting for Bills
Originally posted by CSFANThis kind of stuff drives me BANANAS. Nothing more than armchair quarterbacking, at its finest.
What would Matthews do? Keep McGahee? Okay, guess what - we either get a holdout, or a disgruntled, underperforming back for just one more season, and then we don't get anything when he leaves next year. Instead, we have 3 more draft picks to build a young team with...NEXT!
Clements? I loved the guy, and he was a great player. Too bad we couldn't keep him - few would at the price he was demanding. We might end up with a guy 10% worse than him, at better than half the price. Had to do it.
Fletcher? Great leader...best days are behind him. That's just reality. We did the smart thing by keeping Kelsay, and not Fletcher & Clements.
Anyone who argues that we didn't need to do exactly what we did w/ the O-line is a fool...that was the priority with FA, and there isn't too much more they could have done. The line has been the Bills Achilles heel for years; JP might be a great, but we wouldn't know it w/ the line he had. Now, we find out how good (or mediocre) he really is.
We'll get guys like McCargo back, draft a solid RB and fill a few other defensive holes in the early rounds of the draft. We were a 7-9 team that could have easily been 9-7 or 10-6 with a couple of key plays. The Pats are older, and Brady has lost some of his mystique. They've made a couple of great pickups, but let's see if they can gel again on the field.
The Bills will have just as good a shot at 1st place as anyone in that division...
People are giving McCargo way too much credit. First, he lost most of his rookie year so he still needes experience. Second, he didn't exactly look dominating when he did play. That's not to say he won't get better, but let's be realistic. Third, he's had the same injury 2 consecutive years- that's a big concern.
And while I agree that the Bills really didn't have much choice in the moves they made regarding Fletcher, Clements, and McGahee, that doesn't mean the moves made the team better. They did what they had to, but we're still down two starters on D. Until we replace them, talk of winning the division is just asinine.
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