I am not totally giving up on this team but I am looking at some really hard facts.
1. This team lost 2 very winnable games.
2. They lost those games because they could not score enough points.
3. They did not score enough points because the line cannot run nor pass block.
4. When the line does pass block Drew Bledsoe cannot find an open receiver.
5. There is not an open receiver because the Bills don't trust the offense to play downfield.
So, where does that leave us and how does it get back to Moulds? From all early signs 2004 is the end of the Drew Bledsoe era. The team either lacks confidence in him to play deep or the offense itself is incapable of playing deep. Either way, that is no good. Come 2005, Drew will be another year older. He is not going to get any better. They will have too much invested in a old quarterback on a team that is still rebuilding. No need to get the rest of the team good just in time to bring in a raw rookie. Now, Moulds counts over $7mil against the cap in 2005 and $8mil against the cap in 2006. The Bills need cap space next year and even if they got rid of Drew they would not create enough. At that point they will have to go to Moulds to renogotiate his deal. Why would he? TD gave him this deal and Moulds would be in no position to give anything back. What are the Bills going to do, threaten to cut him?? I'm sure there would be a host of suitors out there just waiting with bated breath to sign Moulds, probably at a raise. Can you imaging Moulds on the market? Can you imagine him with a real QB?
So. Without cynacism, here is my bottom line. I predicted 8-8 (with the Bills going 1-7 on the road, beating the Raiders). They lost two winnable games. Show me where they are going to win 7 more this season. This is a 6-10 team at best. Bledsoe and Moulds are gone after 2004 and this team will continue to rebuild. Whether TD notices it or not he just jumped into the boiling pot of water...and the fire is lit.