Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

[GingerP]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Lolwhut? How did the trade make sense? Who trades away the QB their grooming to replace the aging starter? It was the most boneheaded trade in franchise history and everyone knew the second it was made that Davis had taken Wilson out to the woodshed on that one.

Lamonica was 26 and entering the prime of his career. Flores was 30 at the time of the trade and out of football two seasons later. Kemp was 32 and missed the entire following season with an injury. As a result, the Bills were forced to start, Rutkowski, a frickin' receiver, at QB.

Again, I think you are looking at it in hindsight. I was pretty young, but the consensus at the time was Buffalo got the better of the deal. They got Tom Flores from Oakland, and he had started there and was only 29. Flores was coming off the best year of his career. They also got Art Powell, who was a really good WR coming off a huge year. Unfortunately, Powell hurt his knee and didn't pan out.

Lamonica may have been young and had promise, but he was an unknown. He basically was Kemp's backup. It is easy to sit back now because the trade worked out great for Oakland and was a mistake by Buffalo, but at the time I think most people thought Buffalo got a great deal.

Also, this wasn't the worst trade in Buffalo history. I think getting rid of Bob McDole was worse.

[stuckincincy]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Lamonica was a backup to Kemp his entire career on the Bills, and it is hard to fault them for trading him at the time. He only started 4 games in 4 seasons, and he was a much better player after being traded to Oakland.

His career numbers with the Bills:

150/353 (42.5%), 2,499 Yds (7.1 YPA), 16 TD, 23 Int, 55.0 QB Rating

His career numbers with the Oakland:

1,135/2,239 (50.7%), 16,620 Yds (7.4 YPA), 147 TD, 111 Int, 76.5 QB Rating

In hindsight, they should have kept Lamonica and moved on from Kemp, but at that time the trade made more sense.

The Bills got Tom Flores and Art Powell in exchange for Lamonica and Glenn Bass. Whatta deal...

[gebobs]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Again, I think you are looking at it in hindsight. I was pretty young, but the consensus at the time was Buffalo got the better of the deal.

We must be about the same age. But you're probably right. The "consensus" I had was listening to my father and his friends moaning about the trade. And that was probably after Flores and Powell went down and Lamonica emerged. But Lamonica was a fan favorite in Buffalo. Probably akin to Reich.

Also, this wasn't the worst trade in Buffalo history. I think getting rid of Bob McDole was worse.

Ron Mcdole. ;-)

But yeah, those two trades are certainly the worst. I would say the McDole trade had a silver lining. Wilson was sick of Rauch and wanted him gone, but he didn't want to eat the contract. After Rauch made the trade, Wilson had to deal with the the fanbase that was outraged with the coach (by the trade and also for calling Paul McGuire "the clown of the team"). Wilson told Rauch he was going to make a statement that McDole was a fine player still and wasn't traded because he was washed up as Rauch had publicly said. Rauch told Wilson that if he did that, he would resign.

Within 5 minutes, Wilson was on the phone with Van Miller and putting a match to Rauch's contract.

Unfortunately, Wilson again went on the cheap with Harvey Johnson.

Hey, but speaking of good ol' John Rauch, wanna hear something really funny? He was also the coach that pulled the trigger on the Lamonica trade...for Oakland.

[GingerP]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Hey, but speaking of good ol' John Rauch, wanna hear something really funny? He was also the coach that pulled the trigger on the Lamonica trade...for Oakland.

I remember reading an article that Al Davis was hesitant about pulling the trigger on Lamonica because he thought the Bills were asking for too much. He finally decided to go ahead with it after talking to the coaches, who really wanted Lamonica.

I'm not saying the Lamonica trade was was a good one, it wasn't. At the time though I thought people were thinking the Bills got real good value. It didn't work out. That is different from the kind of incompetence that fostered other moves.

[gebobs]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Here's something I found from a book written by Billy Shaw, Rockin' the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the AFL...it's still hindsight of course. Just posting it if anyone's interested.

[Mr. Pink]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Lamonica was run out of town for personal reasons, not football related reasons.

[gebobs]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Lamonica was run out of town for personal reasons, not football related reasons.

Like what? Was he banging Hasek's wife too?

[better days]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Again, I think you are looking at it in hindsight. I was pretty young, but the consensus at the time was Buffalo got the better of the deal. They got Tom Flores from Oakland, and he had started there and was only 29. Flores was coming off the best year of his career. They also got Art Powell, who was a really good WR coming off a huge year. Unfortunately, Powell hurt his knee and didn't pan out.

Lamonica may have been young and had promise, but he was an unknown. He basically was Kemp's backup. It is easy to sit back now because the trade worked out great for Oakland and was a mistake by Buffalo, but at the time I think most people thought Buffalo got a great deal.

Also, this wasn't the worst trade in Buffalo history. I think getting rid of Bob McDole was worse.

Like I said before, you are wrong. The consensus was NOT that Buffalo got the better of the deal & if you can find ONE article from the time saying so, I would love to read it. BOTH Flores & Powell were OLD at the time of the trade as was Kemp. STUPID trade!!!

At least in the McDole trade, the Bills got draft picks in return, not washed up has beens, but that trade was STUPID as well.

[GingerP]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Like I said before, you are wrong. The consensus was NOT that Buffalo got the better of the deal & if you can find ONE article from the time saying so, I would love to read it. BOTH Flores & Powell were OLD at the time of the trade as was Kemp. STUPID trade!!!

At least in the McDole trade, the Bills got draft picks in return, not washed up has beens, but that trade was STUPID as well.

Flores was 29 and coming off his best season. Powell was 29 and coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. Powell is on the All-Time AFL team, he was a great player. Unfortunately, he got hurt.

Here is your article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1080556/index.htm

Oakland got Lamonica and Receiver Glenn Bass. Buffalo got Tom Flores, who had been Oakland's No. 1 quarterback, and the superb receiver, Art Powell. There was some juggling of draft choices by the teams, too. Then the rest of the AFL sat back to see which club had been shrewdest. The early favorite was Buffalo.

You seem very angry. This is just an online conversation.

[better days]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Flores was 29 and coming off his best season. Powell was 29 and coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. Powell is on the All-Time AFL team, he was a great player. Unfortunately, he got hurt.

Here is your article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1080556/index.htm

You seem very angry. This is just an online conversation.

Flores was 29.......................OLD. As was Powell. I don't care how good his season was the year before. In BUFFALO everyone was MAD that Lamonica was traded & NOBODY thought the Bills got the better of the trade.

[GingerP]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Flores was 29.......................OLD. As was Powell. I don't care how good his season was the year before. In BUFFALO everyone was MAD that Lamonica was traded & NOBODY thought the Bills got the better of the trade.

OK man, you win. I withdraw the whole thing. Wasn't trying to anger anyone. Apparently you take this quite personally.

[GingerP]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

I wasn't trying to say it was a good trade. Just saying that is hindsight, that when the trade was made it wasn't thought to be so one-sided. People lamented it because Powell got hurt and Flores didn't play well, while Lamonica turned into a good player.

Long time Bills beat-man Bob DiCesare wrote this about it:

It looked like such a good deal when it was made. Bills quarterback Jack Kemp, 33 years old, was nearing the end of his career. Daryle Lamonica, 25, hadn't shown much in his four seasons as Kemp's understudy. The Bills were looking for someone a little more reliable to play Kemp's backup, someone with a history of success. They were looking to upgrade themselves at receiver, too.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/news/2001/03/01/sayitaintso_bills/

That is all I was trying to say, that the deal at the time wasn't considered bad, that they had good reasons to try and make the deal. It didn't work out.

[gebobs]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

I wasn't trying to say it was a good trade. Just saying that is hindsight, that when the trade was made it wasn't thought to be so one-sided. People lamented it because Powell got hurt and Flores didn't play well, while Lamonica turned into a good player.

I was the first to question you and you might be right. Everyone agrees that the trade sucked now. But in the immediate aftermath, who can remember? I asked my father and he honestly couldn't say.

If there was any local support for the trade on draft day, it certainly began to fade when Lamonica lit up the AFL that year with 30 TDs and beat Buffalo twice while the Bills limped along to a 4-10 record with Flores throwing picks every time he got in. It certainly vanished by the next year with Flores injured and Powell gone.

[Frenchman]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

Tyler seems like a great QB. Just caught in the wrong situation in Arkansas. But we shall see what happens in 2013. As Gailey while a nice guy but as a coach, well that is another story.

[better days]

Re: Just talked with a source about Gailey's future and QB in draft

OK man, you win. I withdraw the whole thing. Wasn't trying to anger anyone. Apparently you take this quite personally.

I'm not angry..............now, but I was at the time of that trade. I'm just trying to set the facts straight.